ã€ŠCrimson Emperorã€‹


 Chapter 1

    ¡°What even is that?¡±

    ¡°Some form of hairless otter I believe.¡±

    ¡°But do they have those long fingers? And that nose is more like something a dog has.¡± Both of them looked down upon the supposed roadkill. It had been there a while, judging from the pool of black blood that had stained the flagstones around it.

    ¡°Can you two hurry it up please? We¡¯re going to be late.¡± Came a voice from a girl a few meters away, who was leaning over the canal. Her voice was strained, as though she was trying not to throw up.

    ¡°All right Iris!¡± The red head called back. ¡°Well, you know the rules. Morgan, it¡¯s your problem.¡±

    ¡°What?! No! You saw it first. You were even like ¡®Blergh, the fuck is this?¡¯ So, you do the honours, thanks.¡±

    ¡°You would make a delicate lady like me pick something this disgusting up?¡±

    ¡°Keira, you are many things. Delicate is far from the word I¡¯d use to describe any of them. Now clean up the dead body so we can go to school.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t we just leave it for the specialist?¡±

    ¡°Sure, and while we wait for that to happen, we¡¯ll have a dead-¡° he glanced at the body ¡°-thing on the pavement.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Just because I have to walk past here on the way back¡­¡± He then passed Keira a plastic bag. ¡°¡­Not even a snow shovel? Or even just a regular shovel?¡±

    ¡°C¡¯mon guys, we¡¯re going to be late!¡± Keira checked her watch, sighed and did her civic duty, shivering slightly as she touched the body, dumping it behind a house¡¯s garden before making her way back over to her friends.

    ¡°Here¡¯s your plastic bag back.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s yours now. Happy birthday.¡±

    ¡°Aw, man. Thanks. I¡¯ve always wanted a bloody, slightly warm plastic bag for my birthday.¡±

    ¡°Warm?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. The body was still warm.¡± Morgan frowned and looked like he was about to ask something, but at that point Keira had thrown it away. He instead shrugged.

    ¡°Weird. We¡¯re going to be late by the way.¡±

    ¡°We are?¡± Keira checked her watch and flatly said, ¡°oh, we are.¡± Then she broke out into a sprint, leaving the surprised squawk of Morgan behind her. This didn¡¯t seem to affect Iris all that much though, as she quickly pulled ahead of either of them, even sparing some energy to grumble along the way.

    Thanks to Keira¡¯s prerogative, they managed to make it to the bus just on time. Rushing was a formality really, there was no struggle for seats, due to the sparse population, and the fact that her oldest friend had been far faster than the both of them and saved her a spot. On her way over however, there was a giggling to her side. Paige and her friend Imogen were looking at her and whispering to each other. Instead of saying anything, like she had in the past, Keira just sniffed the air audibly and then side eyed Paige. Who had the audacity to look vaguely offended.

    While she may have known Paige for longer than both of her friends, Morgan and Iris¡¯ relationship with her was far better. Which was weird as in the past it had been the other way around, until for some reason Paige had morphed into a sort of mega bitch. Keira really didn¡¯t tolerate that for long. Keira sat down next to Iris and Morgan took the seat behind them, pulling out a book as he did so. Keira took that as a cue to talk to her friend.

    ¡°How was your long break?¡±

    ¡°It was fun, but some of the prices for transport had gotten unreasonably high.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Tradise usually have that?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but this was bad, even compared to what it was before. Apparently, it had something to do with the fact that some oil and petrol companies were haemorrhaging money and wanted to make up for it.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Yep. Sure.¡± Keira wasn¡¯t going to pretend to know what she was talking about, but she did find it odd that companies in that industry, especially the large ones, were struggling. ¡°Do you want to know what I did...?¡±

    ¡°I already know what you did! I even got the sarcastic account of the event.¡±

    ¡°It was not sarcastic! It was mildly humorous. And besides, don¡¯t you want to see pictures? Or hear how much I raised from it?¡± The girl next to her grumbled something and moved her head from its position resting on the seat in front.

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t we moved yet?¡± Keira frowned and looked to her side. Lo and behold, they were still there. It seemed like her silence wasn¡¯t enough for Iris as Morgan was also asked.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, no clue.¡± Then he went back to his book. As Keira checked her watch someone stepped onto the bus. She seemed very shy, and it seemed like she did not appreciate all of the eyes looking her way. She blushed and power walked to the back of the bus, but before she reached it Paige stopped her in her tracks. They exchanged a few words and she slotted in behind them. Keira mourned for the poor girl for a few minutes before the bus set off.

    ¡°We¡¯re setting off a little late, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Keira. You do remember that you set your watch five minutes fast so you wouldn¡¯t be late, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­Look. It¡¯s been a long holiday. And-¡° Iris gave her a look that conveyed that she did not want to hear the excuses, which was fair as setting off into a run had forced her and Morgan to follow suit. It was a shame that she¡¯d be getting them anyway.

    Fortunately, the bus drive to the school was only half an hour, so when Keira ran out of things to say, she didn¡¯t have to stew in her awkwardness for long. It was also fortunate that they were approaching the school by the time she ran out of steam. The town providing enough of a distraction, with the school easily being the largest building there, a statement which is undermined by the fact that the rest of the town were small houses and family-owned businesses. They arrived on time which left a ten-minute grace period before lessons started when there wasn¡¯t much to do apart from standing around and chatting. A few more students walked in as they did this, probably walking from their own houses and the bell went.

    Keira walked into the maths class and was immediately struck by a revelation. The new girl had to share the same classes Keira did. It did make sense as there was only about one class per year, with a minor exception for the core subjects of maths, literature and language, and PE. It made it kind of hard to learn how to socialise properly though, you could never really make new friends and even if you messed up, people will pretend that you didn¡¯t. Truly, it was a tragedy that their village didn¡¯t make it into the catchment area for a school in the main city, then maybe she would have had the courage, as well as charisma, to approach the new girl, whose name was apparently Naima.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Paige, despite being in the same situation, had no trouble however and was already talking up a storm in first period. Maybe this was why she didn¡¯t seem interested in talking to Keira, and after about an hour of literature she still didn¡¯t seem too interested. Perhaps more apathetic than before, if there was a way to measure such things. In Keira¡¯s mind things became clearer by the end of computing as by then she looked downright hostile. It was easy for her to guess why though. As computer science was such a great subject, the only alternative must have been Paige telling her about Keira.

    The only question was which poison Naima had been fed. Since they had a twenty-minute assembly after the first two lessons, it was only until first break that she found out. With the new girl in the lead, Keira was cornered by three people.

    ¡°¡­Hi?¡± She didn¡¯t want to be rude, but at the same time it had been a very aggressive walk.

    ¡°Give Paige her necklace back.¡±

    ¡°¡­Necklace? Oh! Necklace! I don¡¯t have that. You should try asking the person who had it last.¡±

    ¡°And who was that?¡±

    ¡°Paige. I¡¯m Keira by the way. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve been introduced.¡±

    ¡°I know you¡¯re lying, because Paige said she saw you take it home with you one day.¡±

    ¡°I know I didn¡¯t though, so maybe Paige is the one lying here.¡±

    ¡°Why would Paige lie about that? Clearly, you¡¯re trying to cover your tracks, because you either wanted it or wanted to sell it. So, either give it back or get it back.¡± Paige was looking rather smug now, and Keira had to resist the urge to punch her in the face. She was still trying to win this petty cold war when everyone was just tired of it. Keira included.

    ¡°Look, I had nothing to do with it, so I don¡¯t know what you want me to do. Maybe Paige should keep care of her things and own up to her mistakes instead of being a spineless coward.¡± Naima looked like she was going to say something else, but a voice cut through instead.

    ¡°Alrighty. Back off. We have somewhere to be.¡± Iris had stayed behind to talk to the teacher about something, but it seemed like she was done now. Paige, Naima and Imogen, who looked slightly spooked, hung around a little longer before leaving. ¡°Where¡¯s Morgan?¡±

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s-¡° Keira looked around the retreating forms of the trio and then quickly checked the classroom. ¡°He¡¯s run off.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. That man can be fast when he wants to. Want to go and find him?¡±

    ¡°No, I want to get something to eat first. We can talk properly at lunch.¡± Iris shrugged and they headed off together. The next couple of lessons weren¡¯t too interesting, though they were doing a fascinating case study in geography. It might have been fun if Keira didn¡¯t know that she had to memorise all of the boring information as well as the fun parts. By lunch her brain was looking for some long due rest, but of course, life had other plans.

    Keira found Morgan at lunch. He was sitting in a chair, back to the table and Keira. And upon the table? A chess set. He turned dramatically, but he was sitting in a regular chair, so it ended up being a little awkward and slow.

    ¡°Hello, Keira. Are you feeling lucky?¡±

    ¡°Chess is not a lucky game, Morgan.¡± She took the opposite seat as Morgan finished turning his chair around.

    ¡°It is when you¡¯re involved.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to ignore what that implies. Your move first?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡± He moved the first piece. ¡°Now for the first part of my devious victory plan, have you heard about the Xanthopan?¡±

    ¡°You mean that conspiracy theory that a group monitors and filters out conspiracy theories from your supposedly free conspiracy theory forums? You¡¯ve told me. Multiple times.¡±

    ¡°Well have I told you about the new pieces of information that they have been striking down over the holidays?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± Keira really didn¡¯t want to listen to Morgan¡¯s fringe theories, she was starting to lose ground quickly and wanted to go out with dignity.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about that new section of tunnels they opened up in Mictepeh, the city of the dead, the cultural centre of-¡°

    ¡°Check.¡±

    ¡°Shit.¡±

    ¡°The cultural centre of shit? That doesn¡¯t sound too fun.¡±

    ¡°You knew what I was talking about. There, checkmate mate. I win. Ya git.¡± Keira sighed as she looked down at the board. It seemed like her play hadn¡¯t gotten her very far. On the other hand, though she had managed to snag a queen.

    ¡°Well done. Want to try again without those distraction tactics?¡±

    ¡°No! Are you kidding? If you beat me at this, what will I have left? My amazing sense of humour?¡±

    ¡°That competition before the holiday?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ that. You didn¡¯t want to tell me what you got, because it was bad apparently, but I already knew I got better. I got better than the whole school.¡±

    ¡°Wow, yes. You beat ten whole people. Now make the move or I will walk out.¡±

    ¡°So boring. Whilst I do that, second distraction tactic deployed. How¡¯s your cardio going?¡±

    ¡°Oh hey, would you look at the time? I¡¯ve got to get going and beat the¡­ rush. Bye!¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, to beat the rush of ten whole people. Running from your problems doesn¡¯t count as exercise, you know.¡±

    ¡°Gods, I wish it did. I would be the fittest woman alive.¡±

    Thankfully the last class was one she liked and the distance to the bus stop wasn¡¯t far, so the day ended in a short metaphorical and literal sprint. Then they were on the bus for a little while. Keira decided to use this quiet to check up on her friends and their messages. She had mostly been texting someone from her gaming group. He was still in the area thanks to the fact that his university started back up later than her secondary school. At the moment she was on the receiving end of another one of his rants against Archer Hamilton, an old ex-friend of his. Despite these rants giving a deep insight on Archer¡¯s character, it was still frustratingly vague on the details as to why Isaac thought this way.

    It seemed fortunate that Archer decided that coming back to the village was a bad idea and kept his distance over the holidays. At least that was what the messages said, and Keira was inclined to agree with him as it seemed that another person didn¡¯t seem to want to come back. Amelie Cross, someone who both Keira and Iris had personal history with and could be considered a bad person, had also failed to return over the break, and they had both expressed their profound gratitude for that.

    She looked outside to watch the landscape change. Keira preferred the way back to the village, appreciated the way that farmland morphed into the heavily wooded area around their village. Found it more enticing than the opposite. Once the bus had arrived only a few of them got off. Morgan, Paige and Imogen lived in the other direction to Keira and had to walk in a tense isolated group together until they could finally go their separate ways. She had laughed at him in the past, as she and Iris lived close together. Now, she was not. As Iris peeled off to walk into her house, Keira came to the brief realisation that her and Naima lived in the same direction. She walked quicker to pull ahead of Naima, but it seemed like the other had the same idea.

    The world¡¯s most awkward race ended when Keira reached her front door and when she looked behind her, she noticed that Naima was walking further. Away from the edge of the town. Up the hill to the old church¡­ Where an old man lived. She knew of him from when she helped clean the church on some weekends. He liked to call everyone heathens a lot, but other than that he was pretty nice. Keira wondered what Naima¡¯s relation to him was.

    As it was the first day back, she didn¡¯t have much work to do, and the work that she did have to do was in for the next week. So, instead, Keira decided to finally start a workout routine. For the first time in her life, she decided to go out on a run. There was a nice woodland trail that she ran across when she was doing hiking with scouts. Apparently, her dad found this strange though.

    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this? You don¡¯t have to put yourself through this pain daughter! Please have mercy on yourself!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine Dad; I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m late or in trouble or lost.¡±

    ¡°Like that time we went out for a walk and you walked way ahead of everyone, then got lost, then had to be found by Grandad?¡±

    ¡°Okay, first of all, no. Second of all, if I did get lost, you wouldn¡¯t be able to find me. I¡¯m really not sure how he found me¡­¡±

    ¡°Magic, probably. In any case, you have your phone on you right? And you have-¡°

    ¡°Let her go for her run, she knows how to look after herself.¡± Her mother cut in before he could say any more.

    ¡°I know but look at her. Going out by herself. How quickly they grow.¡± He wiped a mock tear out of his eye as Keira fastened a strand of hair out of hers.

    ¡°I won¡¯t be gone too long.¡±

    Her last sentence turned out to be a lie though. Maybe it was the fact that she was wearing headphones and couldn¡¯t hear the rustling behind her. But when the blow to the back of her head came half an hour into her run, she was not expecting it.

 Chapter 2

    Keira did not swim often. Her only memories of doing so were from when she was younger and learning. Apparently her parents classified not drowning as a useful life skill. So she could pinpoint what she was feeling right now. When she had gotten too tired, or the pool was just about empty, she had developed the habit of laying on her back and relaxing into the water. It was one of her favourite things to do. There was that distinct sense of¡­ floaty-ness right now. Yet it seemed to last forever. A cool embrace. It was rather soothing. Maybe that was why she was hesitant to open her eyes.

    She did though. Because she couldn¡¯t remember what happened after her mind went blank. It would be bad if she was ditched in a lake. When she tried to open her eyes however, nothing happened. It was equally as dark as it was beforehand. She didn¡¯t feel any water on her eyes either. In fact, now that she was thinking about it, she couldn¡¯t feel her eyes at all. Or her body. It was as if her mind itself was nestled within a pool. What the fuck? Where was she? How was this possible?

    She felt her panic spike and tried to open her eyes again. Whether or not it was intended, the emotion behind that did cause a change in her environment.

    Maybe it was in response to her, or maybe something decided it had enough of watching her squirm, but the abyss fell away. Possibly a more accurate comparison would be that it melted into another black mist, though this revealed something about her immediate surroundings. Blindingly bright rips, opening and closing all around her, creating spotlights of pure white. Then everything began trembling. A melodic hum that led into a crescendo of roars and screams, whispers that echoed in languages that Keira wasn¡¯t sure even existed. They stuck in her mind like an earworm. Another onslaught of panic hit her, which made her realise the calming effect the light had on her. The rips in reality seemed to follow a knotted pattern that flowed like a stream. Even if it was hard to track due to the continuous shifting, she could still tell that it went beyond her line of sight. Perhaps infinity.

    Before terror could seize her mind though, a searingly hot feeling overcame her. And then she was violently tugged. It felt like she slammed into a physical body moments before she actually slammed into a stone floor.

    She took a moment there. Panting heavily and waiting for her heartbeat to calm down.

    What just happened?

    Keira leaned back and sat down properly. She had landed on her knees and that had hurt. In fact, her whole body hurt. After a moment she decided to fully commit to the rest and laid down to shut her eyes. The floor was cold and made a nice soothing presence to counteract the remnants of that searing heat and her pounding body. It was a welcome reprieve. Eventually it had to end though, as she was in a strange place with no idea how to leave. Keira sat up to take note of her surroundings.

    It was pitch black. Keira tried not to react to that too much, especially since she wasn¡¯t sure whether her main emotion was exasperation or fear. Patting herself down she realised that she still had some of her stuff on her. Everything but her phone, which was rather disappointing, and a little weird. Still, while it meant she couldn¡¯t take pictures, it did mean that she had her torch on her. It was one of many of the same model, as she sold them to raise money for a trip next year. It also provided ample light to look at her surroundings with. She was in a cave.

    She felt her heartbeat pick up again and had to consciously tell herself that if someone had dumped her body in the cave, it couldn¡¯t be that far from an exit. What happened before? A nightmare spawned from her situation. That had to be all. With a light however, she was able to notice things on the walls of the cave.

    Specifically detailing. They were a very dark colour, though not entirely black, and they looked very old. Prehistoric. However, she didn¡¯t have enough knowledge to identify them better. It didn¡¯t stop her from admiring them. Despite the simplicity, and small number, they had a certain charm to them. Humanoid figures marching along the ground, details like the ground and the spears were lines but the figures themselves were made of the fingerprints. Round limbs and faces, every single one. And they were marching in a single direction.

    With nothing else to do, she followed them. As she did so, she noted that there were more varied figures, not just amongst the humans, but there were also animals. Since they were also made from the round finger marks of humans long since passed, Keira had trouble identifying them and the more she found, the more she didn¡¯t believe any of them existed. Sizes too disproportionate to the humans and themselves, a couple of them even had a limb too many to be proper mammals. There were also lines that were obviously trees, sticking out every now and again in between the small processions.

    After a while, she noticed that the figures were increasing in size and frequency. What was once sporadic families morphed into almost continuous parades. Then she started to reach where forks in the path met. Where the streams of people from various other systems met and merged into one endless line that was heading to a single destination. A circular chamber.

    Stepping into it, she noticed a huge change. One of the more obvious ones, was the fact that the air that she was breathing suddenly felt fresher. That might be more indicative of how stale the air was beforehand, but it was certainly a good sign. The second was a little less obvious, but still noticeable if she was paying attention. It was the small gusts of wind coming from another tunnel in the cave, the one directly opposing her. They carried those same whispers that she heard in her nightmare. Before instantly heading there, Keira decided to inspect this cavern a little more.

    Sweeping her torch around the chamber revealed a few things to her. The first was that it was very large, for a cave at least, and the second was that her tunnel, and the one opposite, weren¡¯t the only ones leading into it. There were a couple of others, but the vast majority of the cave walls were taken up by the largest mural she had seen yet. The figures in this chamber were different. Instead of standing, they were all kneeling in rows with arms laid upon the ground. All facing a singular figure, one which loomed over Keira and the tunnel where the whispers were coming from.

    All of the other drawings were either lines or made of fingerprints, but this one was made of hands. While it did look vaguely humanoid, it also seemed to have far too many limbs, hands which reached out to touch the heads of the peasants beneath it, to place facing the sky, or to hold open as if ready to embrace her. Its main body wasn¡¯t smooth, it didn¡¯t look like it had any shape at all, she hoped it was just due to the fact that its silhouette was warped and deformed by the method of painting. The only exception to this rule were the two sweeping smudges of paint trailing down either side of the crack, framing it. When taking a step closer, she realised that the hands were from different people. It seemed many were responsible for this.

    As there was a slight gust coming from the tunnel, she guessed that it was where there was an exit. Though the small size of said tunnel did not make it look very enticing. There was a concern that she would get stuck, and that would be the worst situation. Trapped inside the earth slowly dying, most likely from dehydration or exhaustion. Thinking along those tracks brought another weird fact to Keira¡¯s mind. Throughout her entire expedition, she hadn¡¯t even felt tired. Or hungry. Or thirsty. Was her body not registering it due to the situation? Maybe she should take a small break. She had been through a lot recently and collapsing while being almost out of the cave seemed stupid and avoidable. If there was air blowing through the crack, she could be close to the surface. Then she could find her way back and then, finally, she could be done with everything. So, deciding against it, she began to edge through it. If she truly needed, she would just take a break later.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    True to her estimations, the tunnel was a snug fit, but she made it to the other side unscathed. She shone the torch on the wall and immediately noticed a change in the drawings. Now the figures were made of the same lines the spears and trees were, lying horizontally and merging with the ground. The only exemption was the fact that the heads were a hollow circle. There was a line of deep crimson beneath the ground. Dribbling down until it touched the cave floor.

    Keira turned around to leave but found that the entrance was no longer there. It was just a solid wall. She resisted the urge to yell at it, to break down. All she did was let out a shuddering breath and continued down the tunnel. There was no point in breaking down now. There was still a path in front of her. Just move on.

    Carrying on down the cave, the drawings didn¡¯t get better. In fact, they seemed to get worse. The volume of the figures increased, until it was only the heads. Whatever little blank space that was between them was filled by limbs until the entire wall ceiling and floor were countless holes all blending into each other. She got the same feeling from them as she did from those spotlights that were in her nightmare. That feeling of being watched. She knew that calling what happened a nightmare was a lie, but at least it was a believable one. A comforting one. The longer this went on though, the harder it became to rationalise it as such. Maybe this whole experience was a dream. Ha. Wouldn¡¯t that be a relief. Becoming more uncomfortable Keira decided to move faster.

    Then once again she came across forks in the path. She took one side and carried on. When she came across another fork in the path, she took the alternative. Keira was beginning to get used to the layout at least. Before it was countless branches of tunnels merging into one main room, this felt like the opposite. She was beginning to zone out of what was happening, as she really couldn¡¯t keep up with the paths she was taking anymore. The walls still felt like they were watching her, but other than that nothing was happening. Until an orange glow peeked around the corner of her current passageway.

    It was a warm light, as if made by a lantern flame. Her heart skipped a beat, and she ran to it, yelling something incoherent. Then she stopped as she came face to face with what was making the light. There was a small procession in front of her, led by a wizened old man. His eyes were looking at her, but they weren¡¯t actually seeing her. His robes were obviously religious, but she couldn¡¯t recognise which culture they came from. Behind him he had a priest following of four, each carrying the corner of an ornate gold box, large enough to carry a human.

    The head priest lifted his hand, the one that wasn¡¯t holding the gold chain that the lantern was hanging from and reached for her. Speaking in a language that she couldn¡¯t understand. This seemed to echo throughout the tunnel, compounding into those familiar whispers. All telling her to run.

    Keira had been looking for someone to help guide her through this maze, and to move to the surface, but here and now she wasn¡¯t sure what to do. She was scared, but the one thing that made her turn and run was the fact that the lid of the box moved. And a decrepit hand reached around the edge, this time looking like it was from a corpse. Her brain didn¡¯t get time to process it. She was running down a different tunnel. Hoping to lose them. It wasn¡¯t hard to. The cave system was a maze. Her sight was now blurred, tears only just starting to form. No, she had to keep it together. As she couldn¡¯t really see, she tried to instead follow the whispers. They seemed to get louder the further she ran.

    Then she hit a cavern.

    And silence.

    It was dark. The type of impenetrable dark that her torch couldn¡¯t light. And from it came a voice.

    ¡°Are you lost, Youngling?¡± Keira swallowed and tried to back away, but then she found her feet glued to the floor. As if something had locked her in place. ¡°Of course, you are. I sense another world on you. As well as another being.¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡± Her voice was strained, and it was more of a statement of confusion than a question, but the creature took it as one anyway. It responded. Though it wasn¡¯t sound she realised. It was more of an idea, planting itself in her head and then blossoming.

    ¡°You are not of here. And neither is that foul aura around you.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You are confused. Understandable. As you are also lost. Would you like me to fix that for you?¡± Keira almost agreed right then and there, but she had enough of a grasp on sanity to be sceptical. Though it seemed like some part of her mind was intent on smothering it. Spreading a warm calm though her body. She felt oddly relaxed there, as though everything before was just a fever dream, even parts of her life from before that were difficult to recall.

    ¡°Why would you do that for me?¡±

    ¡°A good question, for one who knows so little. All help has a caveat. I help you and you help me. And I give you this option because we are friends.¡±

    Keira had been more baffled by this being than she had through her entire journey.  There was only a single response that she could think of that suited the situation, and it had already proven to be a good default. ¡°¡­What?¡±

    ¡°Yes. We have a mutual acquaintance. The originator. Our ancestor. It did not like that foul thing clinging to you, nor did it appreciate you leaving its company so soon. Alas, it always has more company, so it feels forgiving. And so I feel forgiving. What will you say?¡±

    ¡°¡­What caveats will there be?¡±

    ¡°There will only be two requests I have for you upon your return to your realm. One, you allow me to remove whatever is clinging to you like a disgusting little parasite, and two, you help me ascend with you.¡±

    ¡°If you can help me leave, why can¡¯t you help yourself leave? And why am I here?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Questions that I would normally mind answering. But we are friends, aren¡¯t we?¡± There was a pause and then Keira nodded her head. It felt right, and the comforting feeling that spread through her mind confirmed this. ¡°Yes. Quite simply we are between two spaces. My home and yours. I can easily return myself to my own, but I cannot move to the other. The same goes for you. With my help, you can easily leave. The why is difficult to answer. Not because I do not have the answer. Information between us beings can be very valuable. All I shall say is that someone intended to gift you to¡­ my kin, the company I mentioned the originator having, and someone else had stopped that from happening.¡±

    ¡°What- who stopped it?¡±

    ¡°I do not know the who child. Do you remember, or even know, the names of all the ants living in your garden?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ then how did they stop it?¡±

    ¡°Information dear. And unimportant information at that. I will give you all the protection and help you need until our deal is complete.¡± It seemed as though that well of information had dried up. She could have pushed it but she was losing focus. She just needed to stay on track.

    ¡°How will I help you ascend?¡±

    ¡°There is a ritual that you will need to do, the list of ingredients is relatively small and the ritual itself will not put you, or any one you care about at risk.¡±

    ¡°That sounds good. What do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°The first thing is for me to remove the cyst. I can do that now. Then I will implant a piece of myself onto your soul. You then use that to create a vessel and bind me to it. Then our brief acquaintance will be over. I will give you more details on how to create a vessel once you have left.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a vessel?¡±

    ¡°A body for me to take control of it doesn¡¯t have to be anything specific, it just needs to fulfil some basic requirements, such as being capable of movement.¡±

    ¡°Does it have to be human?¡± Amusement cut through the bleariness. It was the only feeling it had shown her throughout this entire conversation.

    ¡°No.¡± So any old animal will do? Gruesome, but pretty favourable overall. And a good trade-off for escape.

    ¡°I accept those terms.¡± Then a long hand protruded from the darkness. It was like it had seen hands in the past and tried to draw it from memory. Everything about it seemed a little too off to be natural. Keira shook anyway, ignoring the cold lumpy texture. A symbol burned its way onto her wrist, and she hissed.

    ¡°W-what-¡°

    ¡°Remember child. I have given you a swift exit from this place, so I expect swift action once you return. My kindness is not easily given, so repay it. And do not spread this information. It can quickly reach undesirable ears. You will arrive when help does. As long as you continue your wandering through this buffer.¡± Keira looked up to ask more questions, maybe get some answers on what those priests were, but when her eyes were supposed to meet the pitch black, they instead met with more cave.

    The thing did say to continue wandering, so maybe now all she could do is walk. Accompanied only by that now ever present pressure in the back of her mind.

 Chapter 3

    She wasn¡¯t sure what happened after her talk with the... thing. She could barely remember her time in the caves, most of it was a blur. Consciousness was a privilege she was no longer welcome to. Snippets of memories were possible, in some places. Enough to give her the idea that there was a vague sensation of wandering, with the whispers mounting and pushing behind her, before reaching a crescendo and causing everything to fade to faint static. Then there were only clips of what happened after. Clearer in her mind, yet shorter.

    There was shouting in the background, and a dog barking. There was panicked talking into a phone. There was someone checking her over for wounds. Maybe. She was truly out of it at that point. It was as if all of her exhaustion had been put on hold, and there it all came crashing down. There was only blissful sleep after.

    The next time she woke up she was in a hospital room, right next to a window. Looking out she saw a small grass courtyard with a singular oak in the centre, with the leaves turning a shade of red. Keira knew where she was. They visited the hospital in the city a few years ago, when the secondary school put an emphasis on learning first aid. So¡­ she was safe. Keira tried to let out a breath of relief, but it comes out as more of a sigh. She wondered why she wasn¡¯t happier. At the moment it did feel like there was a weight off of her shoulder, but she still felt vaguely detached from everything.

    Shifting her eyes around the room, she tried to find something to focus her gaze on, but as true to hospitals in general, it was very blank and sterile. Of the five beds in the room, only hers was occupied, meaning that there wasn¡¯t anyone to talk to. That was fine, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to them properly anyway. Though someone was thoughtful enough to leave the TV on. Even if it was only the news. It went through the weather segment, some local news and¡­ oh, her. The program ended on a pretty interesting report, however.

    ¡°There has been a strange phenomenon over the past few days of large swaths of birds and rodents being found dead in both rural and populated areas. Not only are scientists baffled that such death has occurred on wide scale, but also that these animals were in such large groups. In response the government of Aria has issued a request that if you were to find such a group, please call it in and keep your distance due to risk of biohazards.¡±

    Then the program ended, and an intermission card was played, telling her that the next show would be on in fifteen minutes. Keira groaned and leaned her head back. Her mind still felt sluggish, but she was feeling a little more awake at least. Maybe she should get up and walk around. Just as the thought crossed her mind though, the door opened and defeated that notion pretty quickly.

    In walked Seth Lawson, one of the only officers on duty in the village. He oozed tiredness, even more than usual, and his pants and large coat were stained with mud. His walking boots looked like they might flake mud, but he must¡¯ve wiped them down enough before entering the hospital.

    ¡°Good to see you up and about.¡±

    ¡°What happened...?¡± Keira¡¯s voice croaked as she said that. It felt as though she hadn¡¯t spoken in weeks. Seth, seemingly having noticed this, handed Keira a water bottle which seemed to have been hiding in his coat pocket. She took it gratefully and took a sip.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what we would like to ask you. You were missing for a little over a week with the only trace being your phone. We found you lying in an odd nook about a day ago in between some rocks with that odd symbol carved on your wrist.¡± She looked at her wrist at that point and noticed that it was wrapped in gauze.

    ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t have to say anything now. We could get a notepad for you if you don¡¯t want to say anything at all, or we could just leave it if you¡¯d rather not relive it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to say anything. I can¡¯t. I didn¡¯t see the person who did this to me, I don¡¯t even have any idea who would think about something like this.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll forward that on to the investigating officers.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not the person investigating?¡±

    ¡°Nope. Higher ups handed it over to a couple of city officers. Apparently, there was a last-minute change when you were found, so we now have two from special cases, whatever that means. One of them is here to talk to right now actually, he¡¯ll be in after we¡¯ve finished. Just a fair warning though, he¡¯s a real piece of work.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ keep that in mind. What did the doctors say about my state?¡±

    ¡°They said that you look decently healthy for someone who was missing for as long as you were. No signs of starvation or dehydration, only exhaustion. After they monitored you for eight hours, they deemed it safe to put you in here. Officer Weil will talk with you in more detail when he comes in.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ where are my parents?¡±

    ¡°They both had to go back to work as their bosses threatened to fire them if they missed one more day. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll negotiate a compromise seeing as you¡¯re up and about now. Extenuating circumstances and all that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ You mentioned that there was an officer waiting to talk with me?¡±

    ¡°Yup, he¡¯s here to question you in more detail. You want me to stay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes please.¡± Seth leaned back and yelled at the door.

    ¡°You can come in!¡± There was a brief pause before a man walked in. He was surprisingly youthful, especially for some working in something called the special cases unit. Maybe the mop of blonde hair made him look younger than he actually was, or maybe it was because it looked like he could wear whatever he liked aside from the badge on his chest.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°Ms. Aboret? I¡¯m Maxwell Weil. I apologise for disturbing you rest, but I would like for you to answer some of my questions about your experience. Whilst the situation is still fresh in your mind. Would you mind?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean no- I mean- I can answer some questions.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. So, start from when you left for your run.¡± So, she did. Detailing up until the point when she felt like she was knocked out. Then she tried to detail what happened after, but her throat clammed up. She tried to push through that but then the mark on her wrist burned. While she no longer heard it, the simple command was clear. ¡®No.¡¯ So it could enforce the no speaking rule? And it did happen? Gods. What had she gotten into. The officer was waiting for her to finish, but she couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I can remember¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Maxwell looked at her for a minute and then pulled out a little silver bell, with an inscription she recognises.

    ¡°You¡¯re from the Church of Alzumah?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Maxwell smiled slightly. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful thing, isn¡¯t it?¡± He gave it a little ring as if to punctuate his point. It made an elegant chiming noise and for a moment Keira felt herself be drawn into it, the musical side of her admiring the sound. Then the mark burned again and Keira pushed her hand down on it to stop the pain from being so sharp. Was it telling her to stay focused? When Keira looked up again at Maxwell, he was just finishing writing things on his noted pad. ¡°So, I¡¯ve just finished making some notes about your condition. Allow me to ask again, are you sure you can¡¯t remember anything?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Is it that hard to believe?¡±

    ¡°Quite frankly, yes. Because you seemed to be in good shape when we picked you up, your abductor must¡¯ve taken care of you for the duration of your capture. Even if you didn¡¯t see them, comments on the type of food and drink could go a long way.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember. My time there feels like a complete blur that my mind had blacked out. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help more.¡± Maxwell sighed and made some more notes, these ones took a little more time for him to write down.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be. It just makes it harder to help you and to get a dangerous criminal off of the street.¡±

    ¡°Watch it.¡± Seth growled. He had looked pretty content to sit on the side of the conversation, but now he was openly glaring daggers at Weil. Keira decided to step in before it escalated.

    ¡°Is that all?¡±

    ¡°No, I would like to have a look at your wrist as well.¡± This was when Seth stood up and took over the conversation.

    ¡°No. Doctors asked to keep it on to stop risk of infection.¡± Maxwell stopped at this and glared at Seth. And he continued to do so until Seth made it very clear on how little he cared, probably helped along but his generally bedraggled state. Keira really loved him.

    ¡°Fine. Send the photos over to me as soon as possible.¡±

    ¡°Sure, will buddy. Take it easy now.¡± He began to push lightly on Officer Weil¡¯s back and after a moment Maxwell caved and began to walk out of the door. Before stopping a moment and turning back to Keira.

    ¡°My partner should have finished moving into the local police office by now. Feel free to drop by if you have any more information regarding your case.¡± Then he walked out. Seth turned back to Keira and gave her a tired smile.

    ¡°Real piece of work, eh?¡± Then he frowned. ¡°He¡¯s not going to move into my office, is he?¡± Then with a mild look of panic he rushed off also.

    Keira was once again left all alone in the hospital room. While she hadn¡¯t appreciated the visit from officer Weil it had certainly done a lot to distract her. The program timer on the television was still ticking down. It hadn¡¯t even been thirty seconds alone before she decided to get up and explore. She was in one of the hospital gowns so hopefully that would allow for her to blend in better with the surrounding hospital staff, and even if they did stop her she could make up some excuse about needing the toilet. They had pretty much said she was fine after all so there really shouldn¡¯t be any problem with her wandering around.

    She unsuspiciously poked her head out of the door, just long enough to see Maxwell round a corner, turning away from the stairs which lead to the exit. He seemed to be on the phone which made Keira wonder what he was talking about. Since he only just finished talking to her, she was most likely to be the subject. Curiosity seemed to spike at that point and she eyed the mark on her wrist and a shiver went down her spine. Even though it was covered by the gauze it seemed like it was watching her. There was no pain though, so it looked like she had the supernatural seal of approval.

    Slipping out she powerwalked the route that Maxwell took, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. It didn¡¯t seem too difficult. Most of the doctors around seemed like they were in too much of a rush to notice the stray patient weaving between them. She also noticed that she was walking pretty easy for someone who had been missing for a week. It didn¡¯t take long to get to the point where Maxwell turned off to the side. And she did that also. It was another corridor, there were also a couple people here so she carried on walking. Then as she was passing a door there was a sharp pain in her wrist. With a quick glance around she noticed that the remaining people were clearing out until the corridor was all but abandoned. Keira gave the symbol a look, but it had stopped trying to send a message, or maybe it was just satisfied with itself. Either way she decided not to dwell too much on how much she was listening to the entity that was now bound to her and pushed her ear to the door. Despite the fact that the conversation on the other side of the door was muffled, it was still clear to her what was being said.

    ¡°Yes- I am sure¡­ Look, I¡¯ve already called it in as special cases, I¡¯m just waiting for Marshall to also make the judg- Yes. I¡¯m getting photos of the mark soon. I¡¯ll send the files to you too when I get them. Do you really think that you¡¯ll be able to identify it? ¡­I am aware of that, but it¡¯s been a while- I know. Yes. I do still have it¡­ Of course I¡¯ll keep it safe. Yes¡­ I know what I¡¯ll have to do. Good speaking to you too. Bye.¡± Keira was hit with a very sneaking suspicion that she wasn¡¯t supposed to have heard that. Well of course she wasn¡¯t supposed to have heard that, the man chose an empty out of the way room to talk in and shut the door behind him. Even so, it was an extra strong feeling that she shouldn¡¯t have heard that.

    There was a brief pulse of pain, originating from the mark on her wrist. Keira felt like it was telling her to go before she was found out, and she found that idea acceptable. This brought another question to her mind though. Could it hear what she could? That was disturbing. She should really do that ritual as soon as possible.

    The way back to her room was as uneventful as her way out of it. Her closest call was almost running into a doctor who looked like he was in a rush, but a quick apology placated him. She settled back into the bed just in time for more scheduled programming to start. ¡®The Wanderer¡¯s Flame¡¯ read the title card. Subconsciously she thought that it might be a good idea to pay attention, as it was a film adaptation of one of the works she had to write an essay on for her literature exams, but she didn¡¯t really have the energy to be on top of her studying right now. Gods she really was out of it.

    Maybe it was the best course of action though, because not half an hour later her parents came rushing into her room with a spare change of clothes and plenty of hugs. Until finally they both briefly pulled away and her father spoke.

    ¡°Keira. You know when you were initially going to set off and I was pretending to fuss over you?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Know that from now on, whenever I do that, I am not joking.¡±

    Keira smiled slightly at that and hugged them back. It was time she truly went home.

 Chapter 4

    After taking the rest of the day off to recuperate, Keira immediately jumped back into work and revision. She dreaded to think how far behind she had fallen. As such she and her two other friends were sat in a circle, making full use of the table in the caf¨¦. It was the only caf¨¦ in the village, due to the small population, and it was pretty cheap all things considered. They knew they were free to use the table as much as they wanted to. While there was a steady stream of customers in and out of the caf¨¦, it still had plenty of space for everyone. Which was good because Keira was trying to get caught up on the weeks¡¯ worth of work that she missed, and it was taking a lot of time and patience. Especially from her friends.

    As she was only gone a week, she didn¡¯t miss that much. Another chapter and practise essay in literature, details in storage methods in computing and most glaringly, another case study in geography. This was what her friend, Iris, was currently trying to teach her.

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that the presence of Desert Gifts in the Cascano¡¯s river states has led to multiple oil spillages and a ton of environmental damage which has lead the region to become uninhabitable.¡±

    ¡°I know that. I¡¯m just explaining why putting ¡®karma¡¯s a bitch¡¯ in as an answer is a terrible idea in an exam.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a great idea! They deserve to be bought out after what they¡¯ve done, and the examiner needs to know that.¡±

    ¡°Morgan, help me out here.¡± Morgan looked up from the book that he had been reading for the past half hour. It looked to be sci-fi, considering that the cover had a giant ant monster shooting lasers from its four arms.

    ¡°Uh. Great idea. Do it.¡±

    ¡°Morgan!¡± Keira admonished while Iris cackled.

    ¡°What? I do history, not geography. Can¡¯t expect me to know what a proper answer is.¡± Keira scowled.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I don¡¯t see you cracking out those ancient history books.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my sweet na?ve friend. That¡¯s because we¡¯re not doing ancient history at the moment. We¡¯re doing sixty years ago history. Specifically that conflict between Junein and Cenia.¡±

    ¡°I still don¡¯t see any revision going on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to take criticism from someone who¡¯s last name sounds like a hat.¡± Keira scoffed as Morgan went back to reading his book.

    ¡°My last name does not sound like a hat!¡± Iris, who had watched the conversation with mild interest, began to cackle again. This didn¡¯t prevent her from getting a two words out, unfortunately.

    ¡°A bonnet.¡± Keira gave Iris the most deadpan look she could muster which only seemed to encourage her. Morgan also began chuckling slightly.

    ¡°Great¡­ You know what. I think I¡¯m done for the day. Can we talk about something else?¡±

    ¡°Sure. Do you want to talk about how you went missing?¡±

    ¡°Nope, nope. Go back to the making fun of my name thing.¡± Morgan raised his head from the book he had been reading for almost the entire session.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk about it if you don¡¯t want to. We¡¯ve just got a lot of theories. Like aliens.¡±

    ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t aliens Morgan.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Do you what aliens look like? How they operate?¡± Keira didn¡¯t deign that with a response. Instead, she eyed the cover of the book he was reading a second time in an accusatory manner. The fact that she could deny that it was aliens was pretty telling in itself though, as the limit on speaking seemed to be bound to things directly related to what had happened. She already knew that it wasn¡¯t based on intent, as Keira had tried to vaguely explain the experience to Iris and Morgan and had got away with it for the most part using metaphors and poetic comparisons. Only they had looked at her like she was insane. Maybe she was. Certainly felt like it at some points.

    ¡°I have some more reasonable theories.¡± Keira leaned back and crossed her arms, gaze zeroing in on Iris. She rightly took this as an invitation to continue. ¡°Naima did it and Paige helped.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Think about it. They were both outwardly hostile to you the day you went missing, Naima lives out the way in an unpopulated area so she could ambush you without anyone seeing her leave the village and Paige could stay in the village and giver her updates on you position.¡± It was a pretty good theory that had one glaring flaw.

    ¡°Do you think that they would have it in them to do such a thing? Sure we don¡¯t get along, but that¡¯s a far cry from being motivated to kidnap me.¡±

    ¡°Yep. Her idea sucks. That¡¯s why my mine is much better.¡±

    ¡°Aliens is not a valid theory Morgan.¡±

    ¡°What? No. I was going to propose Archer. He¡¯s back in town.¡± Iris frowned and interrupted their conversation.

    ¡°And I¡¯m saying that its stupid because he came back two days ago.¡± Morgan scoffed and rose to the bait.

    ¡°So did Amelie and I remember you going on a fucking tirade about that.¡±

    ¡°Amelie¡¯s dif-¡°

    ¡°Stop!¡± Keira took in a deep breath, groaned and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Please. I need details. Since when have Amelie and Archer been back?¡±

    ¡°Amelie came back about three days ago with Archer in tow a day after. They¡¯ve both been staying with extended family for the majority of the holiday and apparently only came back for the next couple of weeks to catch up with their parents.¡± Archer was back? That would be the first time Keira had heard of that. She would have expected one of her online friends to give her a heads up about that. Though maybe the reason why he didn¡¯t was because he wasn¡¯t keeping religious track of Archer, which while it was understandable, it was also inconvenient. Archer was the type of guy Keira wanted to avoid. As well as Amelie, on a second thought. Though that was mainly because she was just an unpleasant person rather than actually dangerous.

    ¡°How do you know they¡¯re both back?¡±

    ¡°Oh, we saw them together like yesterday.¡± That caught her attention. They mustn¡¯t be worried about being spotted if even Morgan noticed it. He was pretty reclusive generally speaking.

    ¡°¡­I hadn¡¯t realised that they were friends.¡±

    ¡°Neither had anyone else. That¡¯s why everyone¡¯s talking about it.¡± Keira nodded along with Morgan¡¯s explanation. Well, it was more likely that there was literally nothing else to talk about. Or do. She decided to get some confirmation on their thoughts.

    ¡°So¡­ your theories are either Archer, Amelie or Naima.¡±

    ¡°-with the help of Paige.¡± Iris tacked on, which led to Morgan interrupting.

    ¡°Imogen could be in there too. They¡¯re a trio now. Like the world¡¯s least threatening army.¡±

    ¡°Insightful Morgan. So should I pass any of this onto the police?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Everyone¡¯s already given them all of the information they could ever need. And they even have that extra lead of finding your phone along the canal path.¡± Keira¡¯s head snapped up at this.

    ¡°My phone was found along the canal path? I took the forest walk, the one with all of those carved sculptures.¡± They all looked at each other.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°In fact, we should probably go to the police.¡± Iris began.

    ¡°Hey- I was gonna say that.¡±

    ¡°Tough, Morgan. I got there first.¡± Keira felt like the two of them would devolve into more arguments so she interrupted.

    ¡°Okay you two, let me just send an update on my location to my dad.¡±

    Ten minutes later the group was standing outside the police station. Keira¡¯s dad had given her the go ahead on going there as long as she stuck with at least one police officer and her friends. Which was fine with her. The police department of the village was a renovated house. It had exactly one kitchen, short-term holding cell and evidence room with a couple of offices. Keira suspected that the reason Seth transferred over from the city was because of the kitchen luxury. Apparently he didn¡¯t have that originally.

    Walking in she was immediately greeted by the grumbling form of Seth who was hanging over a cup of steaming coffee and intermittently glaring at his office. He somehow looked worse from the day before, but his eyes still lit up slightly when he saw her.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you so soon.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, neither was I. The only reason why I¡¯m here is because I heard about where you found the phone and it¡¯s¡­ not anywhere close to where I was ambushed.¡± This seemed to get Seth¡¯s attention and he stood up and knocked on his office door. A second later it opened and he relayed the information onto whoever was on the other side. This turned out to be Officer Weil and another man who looked older than Seth and a little tired, though far less exhausted. His gaze landed on Keira though before he could walk forward, Maxwell stepped in the way.

    ¡°I thought you gave us all of the information we needed.¡±

    ¡°I did. I didn¡¯t-¡°

    ¡°You never mentioned the path you took, did you not think that was important information?¡±

    ¡°It slipped my mind¡­¡±

    ¡°Slipped-¡°

    ¡°Maxwell!¡± To Keira¡¯s surprise it was his partner that stepped in and not Seth, though he looked pretty close due to his red face. ¡°Stop it.¡±

    ¡°Sir, she¡¯s hiding things from us.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s a victim, Weil. You have been trained in how to handle them, so I expect you to behave with more tact than this.¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Maxwell flicked his eyes to Keira and backed up. Marshall sighed and turned to her.

    ¡°Thank you for the offer Keira, but you don¡¯t have to do this today. You¡¯re allowed a few days rest.¡±

    ¡°No. I couldn¡¯t rest last night because of a nightmare and I am not confident that it will change over the next few days. I have school and other things I like doing that does not involve hiding in my house because some guy ambushed me. So, we¡¯re catching this bastard at least.¡±

    ¡°I appreciate the passion¡­ Care to lead the way?¡± Keira nodded and began to walk out of the house. Seth sighed and went to pick up the leash of the dog, following soon after with Weil and his partner taking up the back. Speaking of Maxwell¡¯s partner¡­

    ¡°I never caught your name, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Marshall. Senior special cases officer and direct authority to Officer Weil over there. If he decides to act up again, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me.¡± Keira nodded and led them up the path that led into the woods, one that was sandwiched between Archer¡¯s and his neighbours¡¯ house. They then cut up past a few carved wooden statues, which were mainly animals but there was a notable exception in a smaller one that looked like it was weaved together. While it looked like a circle of women dancing around each other, Keira knew it was supposed to represent the fair folk which had been so prevalent in the history of the area.

    The path wasn¡¯t much of a slope upwards, but Keira still found herself struggling to keep a reasonable pace and instead opted to slow down. Her friends used this opportunity to catch up and while it seemed that Iris was perfectly content with walking in silence, Morgan was not.

    ¡°I guess this whole thing wasn¡¯t good for staying in shape?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°You really should have spent more time in the hospital, Keira.¡± She found herself laughing a little at that.

    ¡°I was there for no longer than a day and yet I was miserable. I understand why Grandma complains about it so much now.¡± Morgan didn¡¯t say anything else, and Iris turned her attention back to the path ahead. Until eventually they came to a stop where Keira last remembered being.

    ¡°This is significantly north than where the phone was found. And in a different direction from where the trail led.¡± Marshall stepped forward and looked at some of the plants, humming as he looked on the undersides.

    ¡°Blood. We¡¯re lucky it hasn¡¯t rained in a while. They misled you intentionally. It would have worked had Keira not survived.¡± Marshall threw a look behind him, directly to Keira. ¡°You¡¯ve done plenty to help. Go home and get some rest.¡± She hesitated at that. It was true that she had other things to do, such as more fundraising for her trip, more revision¡­ Still she hadn¡¯t really wanted to leave. Especially when Marshall was looking like he was onto something.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t I come with you?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want a civilian being on a potential scene and contaminating evidence, especially not when there still might be a potentially traumatising sight there. So, go home get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Come on Keira.¡± Seth stepped forward and tugged on her arm, she didn¡¯t move though.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t it¡­ trigger some memories? Being around familiar scenery.¡± Marshall seemed to find that amusing and he let out a brief huff of breath.

    ¡°That¡¯s not how it usually works. If you really want to, I¡¯ll let you onto the scene after a preliminary look, until then please leave with Seth and your friends.¡± Keira turned from him to Seth and the gave an acquiescing nod. She walked back with the group in silence.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Marshall had initially spotted the blood on the underside of leaves. They were lucky it had been fairly dry, and that the underbrush had been thick enough to preserve the evidence. He treaded lightly at first, slowly trailing it as it led further north. Someone had made an effort in not leaving a trail and he would have called them competent at it too if not after a few metres he spotted a slightly obvious patch of ferns that had been flattened. Then another patch further up, and another. Marshall had a feeling that they continued for a while. He would have thought they were the tracks of someone from a hunting party if someone hadn¡¯t made the effort to cover them. Honestly, not the biggest challenge he¡¯s faced. In fact, this was pathetically easy compared to some of the other people he¡¯s tracked.

    He followed the tracks and at a certain point the person making them had obviously given up on hiding them altogether. Marshall re-evaluated his profile. Maybe not the most patient perpetrator, and therefore not the most competent one. He could use that to his advantage. Stay in the area, get in the way, apply pressure. Wait for them to crack. Lighting the fire would be easy, controlling it is the difficult part. Types that kill easily only really care about themselves, if they could avoid punishment somehow, then they would. Even if it hurt those around them.

    Silence descended for a time. The only background noise being the rustling of Marshall slowly moving along the tracks. Which was definitely concerning, it wasn¡¯t late enough in the year for everything to be hibernating, there should be more noise. It was a familiar feeling actually, the suffocatingly stale air, the silence.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to finally come to the centre of it though. He yelled for Weil to catch up before taking a few phots of the scene. Before him was a clearing where someone had pulled up the ferns in a circular area before stomping the ground flat making it easy to draw symbols. Though they had faded with time, and there were one or two scuff marks fully obscuring some parts, a large, dried patch of blood adorned the centre of the clearing.

    Maxwell came up behind him, already pulling on some white inspection gloves. They were quiet for a time, Weil turning over the stones individually and Marshall investigating the area surrounding the clearing. Whilst Maxwell was trying to determine what exactly was happening here, Marshall was trying to see where the crime scene area would encompass. He managed to find some discarded trinkets, from an old northern religion that had since gone extinct. He couldn¡¯t quite place the name but maybe Weil could.

    After deeming the are thoroughly searched he began to lay out a message to his superiors giving an update. Despite the fact that him and his partner were sent out to the area, he was very hesitant to call this a special case. They were rare and hard to distinguish from zealous cult activities, and for the vast majority of the time he was responding to false reports. It was looking more and more promising though. If only Keira could have told them more. He decided to break the silence as he re-entered the clearing.

    ¡°We¡¯re missing the weapon.¡± Maxwell snorted and finished taking a photo of the underside of a large stone.

    ¡°Would never have guessed. Do you think that it¡¯s with the perpetrator?¡±

    ¡°If they are smart they would have disposed of it properly instead of casting it into the woods with the rest of the things.¡±

    ¡°Do you think they are smart?¡± Marshall didn¡¯t answer. Instead he stalked to the blood stain on the floor and pulled out a bag. He scraped some of the dirt into it.

    ¡°We should get this analysed as soon as possible. And also get a blood sample from Keira herself.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be good quality.¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t need to be. It just needs to be enough to compare to the blood sample on the knife once we find it.¡±

    ¡°You think it was a knife?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Look at the blood splatter. It was a stabbing motion as the lack of splatters excuse slashing and any force of blunt trauma. I would go knife as swords are unwieldy and very attention grabbing. Opinions on the inscriptions?¡±

    ¡°Pretty generic and easy to find online. It won¡¯t help us a lot in narrowing down the suspects.¡±

    ¡°So nothing to bother your little friend with?¡±

    ¡°Nah. Besides, she¡¯s already busy with trying to find out what that mark on the girl¡¯s wrist was.¡± Marshall nodded and gave the scene another look.

    ¡°In any case. We should probably stay to investigate a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Oh, good. I¡¯m sure Seth will appreciate us stealing his office for another¡­¡±

    ¡°It could take a few months at least.¡± Maxwell frowned at that and responded.

    ¡°I can¡¯t stay in one area for too long. You know this- This is why I joined this stupid unit in the first place.¡±

    ¡°I realise that you¡¯re self-conscious about being a little¡­ sedimentary, but I genuinely might need your expertise on this one. And you still owe me for Cernia.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ know. Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not grateful for that, but it would have been for nothing if we¡¯re not careful.¡±

    ¡°I understand that. So let¡¯s get to the bottom of this quickly, okay?¡±

 Chapter 5

    Keira had always had particularly lucid dreams, to the point where she struggled to tell them apart from reality. Of course the more fantastical ones were fairly easy to notice, but the boring ones, where she was going about her day to day life, those took her a while. Fortunately she didn¡¯t remember falling asleep in the snow. Nor was she sure where the source of light illuminating it in a harsh glow was coming from. Somewhere from above, she wagered. Either way, that was the first major sign that it was a dream. The second was the fact it was in monochrome.

    While it wasn¡¯t too obvious with the snow, though it was a little greyer then it should be, it was very clear with the trees. Surrounding her were the tallest pines that she had ever seen, thick trunks easily supporting the hundreds of feet of wood. Their bark was a darker shade of grey, and lying on the floor as she was, she was able to tell that the leaves were a slightly lighter hue. Beyond the canopy was the sky. It was rather hard to see clearly, since the branches of the trees were so sprawled out, but there were a few gaps. It seemed like the clouds were a stormy shade of black, though a few of the snow flakes didn¡¯t seem darker than that light ash. They were most likely storm clouds then. A fact further highlighted when she noticed a slight glow behind the clouds. After a moment passed, a moment of her staring at the sky, she came to a realisation. The third and most obvious sign that this was a dream.

    Nothing was moving.

    There was no wind, no sound. Even the afore mentioned snowflakes were caught mid fall. Everything was caught in a perfect image. Everything except for one thing. Perched on the trunk of one of the trees was a butterfly, wings fluttering slightly. The wings were also an iridescent red, breaking the monotony of black and white. They twitched slightly, before the butterfly took off.

    Keira pushed off from the floor, ignoring the fact that she didn¡¯t feel the cold of the snow as her hand touched the floor. Nor did she acknowledge the general numbness of her entire body, robbing her of physical feeling entirely. This turned out to be fairly lucky though, as the butterfly set a fast pace, weaving through the trees with a certain grace and agility. She became even more grateful of it when the floor started to incline upwards slightly and steadily grow steeper. She was never good with hills, and her calves would have definitely started burning by then. At some point the butterfly vanished, but at that point Keira knew what she had to do. She needed to reach the top.

    When she finally crested it however, she wasn¡¯t prepared for what she saw. Instead of more forest, it was a clearing. Blackened stumps of crumbling wood decorated the floor instead, for the pieces of the floor that she could see anyway. The snow was thick here, limiting her view and making it painfully clear that the picture was taken from the middle of a snowstorm. Dotting the parts that she could see were humanoid looking figures, all a light grey and facing her direction. Some crawling her way, some caught mid run and a small fraction on their knees, heads tilted towards the sky. She had no idea why someone would make such statues, but they did freak her out a little.

    Keira¡¯s head followed the motion though, and then she knew what they were looking at. Though the clouds looked black when looking through the canopy, they were more likely a deep grey. An important difference considering the silhouette lurking behind them. It was truly black. Highlighted by a web of lightning behind it that was stuck in that moment. That didn¡¯t detract from the blindness of the rifts on what might have been its head, though it did help her see more of its body than she had previously. Especially the lines coming from its body, looking as though some one had accidently smudged it in the middle of drawing.

    ¡°Hello friend.¡± Keira took a moment to breath out deeply before responding.

    "Is it time to talk about the deal already?"

    ¡°Hm. Very straight forward. I can appreciate that. As long as we are cordial. Yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Good. We shall go through what needs to be done then. The ritual itself has many components, I can handle most, but the two most important parts are the ones that you need to do. You shall need a vessel and a place where the fabric of reality is thinned.¡± Keira already knew about the vessel, but the other thing was new to her.

    ¡°A place where the fabric of reality is thin?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. I am not of your plane, and due to circumstances, it is more difficult for me to come onto it. So it is fortunate that at the moment, you are currently in such a place.¡±

    ¡°Currently? Does that mean that the places where reality is thin moves, or just that I could move out of it¡­¡±

    ¡°Both child. Very few locations are permanent, and those are true places of power.¡± Keira wanted to push for more information on that, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much the being would be willing to give her. Instead she pivoted to the other important factor.

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    ¡°So, about the vessel. You mentioned movement being a requirement. So could I just put you into a snail and be done with this?¡± There was a blossoming feeling of amusement in her mind.

    ¡°Movement is a requirement. As is a certain degree of sentience and latent power. So, for example, a human who has just performed a sacrificial ritual.¡± Keira felt her stomach drop.

    ¡°You said that it doesn¡¯t have to be human!¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So?! What else can I do?! Give me something- anything else!¡±

    ¡°Hm. No. It is the best vessel for me to enact my plans, and you do remember my kindness, don¡¯t you?¡± She paused. Not because of anything the thing said, but because she needed a break. This thing was a being of unknown origin and currently it had her life in it¡¯s figurative hands. She couldn¡¯t risk insulting it.

    ¡°I am not killing someone for you.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate, as you have no other option. If it may ease your mind, your assailant meets both of those already.¡±

    ¡°The type of person isn¡¯t the is- wait. You know who killed me?¡±

    ¡°No. Only that they must be human, and due to the ritual, they have latent power.¡± Keira scowled. If there were other ways, other vessels, then she just needed it to tell her what they were. She took a couple of calming breaths. Maybe¡­ a compromise? Something she could reach through a more diplomatic approach. The first step of the diplomatic route is to ingratiate yourself with the target, make it seem like you care.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°My name¡­ The last time I communed with your plane I was called Palotl. Do with that what you will.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ What plans do you want to enact?¡±

    ¡°To purge the sickness and restore the plane.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sickness?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. A parasite that leeches off of the originator¡¯s and it¡¯s creation¡¯s power. Much like the one that was attached to you when you arrived, albeit more malicious. We purged it once, a very long time ago.¡± Keira fell silent as the more serious implication occurred to her. One that she hoped wasn¡¯t true.

    ¡°H-how did you purge the sickness.¡±

    ¡°We removed the hosts.¡± She continued to gaze up at the thing before, almost as if in a trance, she looked at the humanoid figures beneath her. Then the spell broke and she was sprinting down the hill, towards the gathered figures in their frozen vignette. She reached the closest one and crashed to her knees, skidding to a halt next to the kneeling person. It was incredibly detailed and when she put her hands on it, she felt the icy coldness spreading up her arms. The only feeling in this gods forsaken place.

    ¡°These aren¡¯t statues.¡±

    ¡°They are husks.¡± Keira removed her hand from the face of the person in front of her, and then she looked to the sky. The pose mimicking a couple of the statues- the people around her. Palotl only stared back. She looked down at the person in front of her. The detail was all frozen over leaving what they originally looked like to the annals of time. Unless¡­ this wasn¡¯t real. It looked pretty apocalyptic, something that she would definitely remember learning about. Maybe it was trying to spook her, show her what was to come.

    ¡°Is¡­ this real?¡±

    ¡°It was. I had thought pulling from a memory would soothe you. To see a familiar environment. A shame. I will use a different memory next time.¡± Next time¡­ Keira never wanted to speak to it again, but she had to. They were locked in a deal.

    ¡°How many.¡±

    ¡°There were 3,653 vestiges of humanity left once we were done.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why leave any alive at that point?¡± There was a long moment of silence. One where Palotl did nothing but merely stare down at her from amongst the clouds.

    ¡°I have given you all of the information that you need. You should go now, to ruminate on what you have learnt and use it well. I hope that the knowledge that this was necessary makes you more willing to comply. It truly would be a shame if you faded before completing the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Wai-¡° The picture started to move again, snow beginning to dance in that furious pattern, the lighting finishing its arc across the night and Palotl¡¯s form moving. It began to fold in on itself while other parts unfurled, making it clear that those sweeping swaths of black were actually a multitude of wings.

    Time caught up and Keira was knocked off of her feet. Wind buffeted her and kept her on the floor, immediately the cold settled in. Feeling returned. She looked up to Palotl again. Though the lightning was gone now, she could still see the lights were still there. It was still there. Another blast of wind knocked her to the side. She rolled a couple of feet and this time, when she raised her head, she saw something else.

    It seemed to be a tree pulling itself along by it¡¯s own roots, much like a centipede, but unlike a centipede, it¡¯s front was tall and bent back on itself. Trails of leaves flowed off of its head, they glowed a vibrant gold and only swayed in howling winds. Keira noted that colour had not seeped back into the memory, at this point it was the only thing that didn¡¯t conform to the monochromaticity. The front part of it was tilted up, as if it was watching Palotl. Tiny lights glimmered in the knots of the wood, where natural cracks appeared. They glittered like starlight in a night sky. They were the last thing she saw before the wind picked up a more furious pace and everything faded to a white fog.

    Then she woke up.

    Gasping.

    She was still in her room. A quick glance at her phone told her that it was¡­ not a happy hour to be awake. Keira didn¡¯t think that she could go back to sleep though. Especially with the sweat clinging to the back of her neck. She took a couple of calming breaths and stood up on shaky legs.

    Keira had navigated her house enough times to know where everything was by memory by now, so she didn¡¯t bother turning on any of the lights when she headed to the bathroom. It felt weird though. Like she was being watched from the shadows. When she got the bathroom she turned on the light. That feeling of being watched didn¡¯t diminish, and when she looked in the bathroom mirror, she finally understood.

    In the bathroom mirror as she filled up the glass, she saw one of those butterflies from her dream behind her. Those small red circles on its wings staring at her like eyes. Keira turned around looked at the wall behind her. There was nothing there. Turning back to check in the mirror she saw that it was still visible. She wanted to panic, to breakdown, but she didn¡¯t have the energy. She downed her water and went back to bed. She¡¯ll freak out in the morning.

 Chapter 6

    Her memory of lessons and activities passed by in a blur of colour and sound. Towards the end of the week she didn¡¯t even bother going to scouts. She knew she probably should since she had a fundraiser for her trip coming up but she decided that it would ultimately be useless. She wasn¡¯t retaining any information and was finding it increasingly difficult to do the bear minimum amount of set work. No one had said anything though. For some it was probably because they hadn¡¯t noticed, whether they didn¡¯t know her well enough, or they didn¡¯t care enough. For other people it was because they didn¡¯t know what to say. People like her parents, Morgan and Iris. She wasn¡¯t tired enough to miss their side-eyes. Their constant offers to help with homework. The invites out. Everything except walking up and asking her directly what was wrong. They probably thought they knew, and she couldn¡¯t really blame them. Whose mind would logically conclude that she had a supernatural entity that resides outside her realm of existence watching her every move, just waiting for her to finally do her end of the bargain and bring a reckoning upon humanity. Kidnapping or attempted murder seemed tame in comparison.

    Keira desperately wanted to go out with them and relax though. To forget about whatever was going on, but her last conversation with the being was still weighing heavily on her mind. And she didn¡¯t know which part of it scared her more. The part where she would have to actively kill, or the part where she would be responsible for the death of millions. One was certainly easier to grasp, to comprehend the consequences for. To look dead in the eye. The other was horrifying on a conceptual level. That wasn¡¯t the worst part though. The worst part was that she had seriously considered it. It was part of the reason why she was so tired, any time she felt like she wasn¡¯t going to sleep, or felt too anxious, she would go and check out what her ¡®candidate¡¯ was doing. At the moment she had taken to sitting in a small passageway between Archer Hamilton¡¯s house and his neighbour¡¯s.

    Archer may or may not be the culprit. It could be almost anyone, they didn¡¯t even have to be from the village. But she knew that if she went after him, she would feel the least guilt. That was a very big if though. Keira was human, with human emotions and empathy and a very long track record of not murdering people, no matter how well deserved she perceives it to be. It was why she had taken the slightly less morally lacking route of stalking instead. Which was also slightly ironic in its own way. Palotl had said information was valuable after all, and it was right. Even if she had no plans to act on any of it at the moment, it calmed her slightly. The illusion of progress.

    The place she had chosen was very good though. It was extremely overgrown, making it easy to hide within the ferns and tall grass. Keira wouldn¡¯t have even known that there was a path there if Morgan hadn¡¯t shown her and Iris one day. So she really shouldn¡¯t have been surprised when a few days after she started her extracurricular activities, Morgan planted himself right next to her. An early morning fog had settled over the ground and her breath came out like smoke, but she had brought enough layers to stay warm. Morgan had not. This little visit might have been a little impromptu. Keira would have offered her own, but she knew that she would get cold if she did. Her current plan after all was to sit tucked between two houses, next to a front door with only a fence between them. It was not an active plan.

    They sat there in silence for a time. Keira might have been happy about his company, breaking the monotony of a stakeout in the early morning, but it was her¡­ alone time. Time to think. In the past few days she found herself there whenever she woke up in a cold sweat or saw that fucking butterfly drifting behind her in the reflections of windows, puddles, the canal, windows and mirrors and all the windows. Compared to that, staring at an empty street for hours on end was a relief. Morgan didn¡¯t get the memo though, and as much as she liked him, this wasn¡¯t a conversation she was excited to have.

    ¡°Keira, you can¡¯t keep doing this.¡±

    ¡°Watch me.¡± Morgan glared at her and then hunkered down opposite, so he had a clearer view of the front grate, but he was still well hidden by the ferns.

    ¡°Seriously Keira, how long have you been here?¡± She deigned not to answer that and instead kept her eyes firmly fixed on the road. He pushed anyway. ¡°An hour, two?¡±

    ¡°Feels longer.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good for you. The staying awake, the studying and the obsessive behaviour. You need to talk to someone.¡± Keira stayed quiet for a moment before finally turning her eyes to him.

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I-¡° She couldn¡¯t really say that she was under a magic NDA, not only due to the fact that it was a magic NDA but also due to the fact that it sounded ridiculous. Instead, she went with something else, ¡°I don¡¯t want to relive it. Talking, it¡¯s just salt in the wound. Especially to someone who couldn¡¯t possibly know what I¡¯m going through.¡±

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    ¡°I¡­ know. Maybe you could try those officers? They might be able to relate a little more- or at least be more experienced in handling cases like these.¡± No. Nope. Definitely not. She was going to keep as big a distance between her and those officers as she conveniently could. She couldn¡¯t tell him that though.

    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± Then blessed silence came once again, but it didn¡¯t last long.

    ¡°I¡­ this reminds me of the times we used to hang out.¡± Keira blinked at Morgan. ¡°When we¡¯d get lunch at the caf¨¦ and then run through the forest merrily together?¡± Keira snorted.

    ¡°You¡¯re really remembering that now? And for the record I never ran, it was always Iris who ran off ahead and tried to hide.¡±

    ¡°I know that. You were always terrible at running¡±

    ¡°Just like how Iris was always terrible at hiding. Remember that time she accidently leant too hard on their-¡° she gestured to the other house ¡°-gate too hard and fell into the garden?¡±

    ¡°That was funny.¡± Keira was smiling slightly. ¡°It was lucky that the Andrews were on holiday.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡± The chuckling between them stopped.

    ¡°Why are you here? To relive the good memories?¡±

    ¡°If only¡­¡±  What she was doing here was multipurpose. Mostly it was information gathering and drowning in regret. Regret in not asking more about the specifics, the motives. Maybe Morgan had another view on this, something to help her come to a decision. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡±

    ¡°What would you say if you had to chose between your life and someone else¡¯s?¡± Morgan blinked once. Twice.

    ¡°That¡¯s not the type of question I want to answer so early in the morning.¡± Keira kept looking at him though. This was an answer she wanted. He sighed and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯d probably chose someone else¡¯s? I mean it would be a hard choice unless they were, like, a saint. Or maybe I¡¯m lying to myself. Thinking I¡¯m a better person than I actually am.¡±

    ¡°Would choosing someone else¡¯s life over your own make you a better person? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to be selfish sometimes.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not being selfish to chose your life over someone else¡¯s. No one wants to be in that position, so it¡¯s a good thing that no one is in that position, right?¡± Keira didn¡¯t reply and continued staring at the front of the house. ¡°Keira? Is there something you¡¯re not telling me?¡±

    ¡°What if you knew that they were an awful person?¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯d feel less guilty. Especially if I knew that they¡¯ve hurt people before and would do so again.¡±

    ¡°If they die, they lose all chance at redemption though. That opportunity to change.¡±

    ¡°They also lose the opportunity to hurt others.¡± The only response Keira gave was a half nod in his direction. She truly felt a little less sad with company. She was about to pull another memory out when her wrist flared up in pain. It had happened enough now for her to know what it meant. ¡°Somethings coming.¡±

    Morgan frowned but stayed quiet. Roughly a minute later a small van passed their hiding place and stopped quite a bit beyond the house. Both of them poked their heads around the large bush and watched as a woman with brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail walked up the steps, small box package underneath one arm. Keira hadn¡¯t seen her leave the van, hadn¡¯t even heard it.

    Keira was very glad that the foliage was thick, and that there was a fence between them, so they could hide before she turned towards them to walk up to the front door. Morgan poked his head back around once they heard her reach the door, but Keira stayed where she was and pushed her ear to the door. There was a knock on the door and it didn¡¯t take too long for the door to open and a vaguely familiar voice to answer.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Hi. I have a delivery for Archer Hamilton.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ am him. I don¡¯t remember ordering anything though.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been marked for you. Could I ask for you to sign for it anyhow?¡±

    ¡°Let me look at it first.¡± There was a noticeable pause before he eventually grunted. ¡°That¡¯s for me alright. Not quite sure why though.¡±

    ¡°So will you be signing your name for it?¡±

    ¡°I guess I should.¡± There was another pause, that was filled with a slight rustling noise, as if someone was looking for something, before she heard the delivery woman sigh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have a pen. Get one for me.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me? You can¡¯t talk to me like that.¡±

    ¡°Do you want the package or not.¡± Keira found herself pausing at this. There was no reason for the woman to take that tone with him, and she didn¡¯t seem too apologetic once Archer called her out for it. Morgan tugged on her sleeve. She looked at him and noticed that his face was pale. He jerked his head, gesturing for her to look around the corner.

    ¡°Fucking fine. Bitch.¡± Archer conceded. Keira wasn¡¯t really listening though; she was too busy staring at the van. In the drivers seat sat an exact copy of the woman who was currently talking to Archer, although she was staring blankly out of the front window. At least that was what she could tell from the reflection in one of the van¡¯s side mirrors. Distant grumbling brought her attention back to the door and there was the sound of aggressive signing. ¡°You could¡¯ve at least have been polite about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thank you so much.¡± Her words did not match her tone. They were dripping with fake sincerity. ¡°I truly owe you one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?! You¡¯re welcome!¡± With that final shout Archer slammed the door shut. The woman didn¡¯t seem to mind though. She was humming as she made her way back to the van that held her maybe twin. Keira ducked back and hid behind the plants alongside Morgan. The engine started and the van drove off. Again she didn¡¯t hear the woman getting into it, nor did she hear the humming anymore. Peeking her head out she saw that the woman was indeed gone. Morgan was already looking at her, eyebrows reaching his hairline.

    She was half expecting him to crack a joke about aliens again, but instead he jerked his head further up the path. He didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t need to. She nodded and then the both of them broke into a sprint, away from the scene.

 Chapter 7

    Both Marshall and Maxwell had agreed to split up and do door duty at opposite ends of the village and work from the out in. They would eventually meet up in the middle and head back to the station together to share their findings with each other. In Marshall¡¯s personal opinion though, he had the best set of interviewees. The first house he was slated to visit though was not one he was looking forward to, it was where he was supposed to talk to a man called Qasim Jamal, who was adopted by the man who owned the church quite a few years ago, and his daughter Naima. He had a fairly simple reason to not want to look forward, and that reason was that it was situated ten minutes away from the edge of the village on a rough path. He walked it though, he had a job to do after all.

    Approaching the church showed that it was indeed pretty small, no larger than the house attached to its side. They both looked quite homely, even to the extent that the graveyard around them added a sense of peace. Though this may have been slightly helped by the fact that the graveyard was well maintained. The stones were well kept, there were fresh flowers growing on and in between plots, and there even a few new bouquets left next to some particularly well-polished headstones. Marshall knocked on the wooden door of the cottage, assuming that it would be the best option to get an answer. His assumption was proven to be correct when an aging man cracked open the door slightly.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want any vacuums.¡±

    ¡°¡­What? No! No. I¡¯m here with the police about the recent kidnapping of Keira Aboret. I was hoping you could provide us with some information regarding the day, such as what you did during the time and whether or not you saw something suspicious.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Is that it? Why didn¡¯t you say somethin¡¯?¡± Then the door opened fully giving Marshall a full view of the man and the interior of the hallway. Marshall continued, now having the man¡¯s attention.

    ¡°My apologies, I was leading up to it. In any case, is there anything that you can provide regarding this?¡±

    ¡°Nah. I was busy doing maintenance on the graveyard alongside Qasim. Didn¡¯t hear anythin¡¯ suspicious either.¡± The man then proceeded to give a thorough run down of his route and which ones that particularly stuck out to him. Marshall then got him to call over Qasim who corroborated the story, although he cleaned a different section of the graveyard during the maintenance.

    ¡°Thank you for your co-operation. Is Naima in?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. She is. But please¡­ be considerate. We¡¯ve just moved here and I¡¯ve just separated from my wife, so she¡¯s being going through a lot.¡±

    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± Marshall did remember a divorce on his file, though there were no court dates, so they must¡¯ve sorted it out amongst themselves. Naima came out next. She looked tired and didn¡¯t really look at her father as he moved back into the house.

    ¡°What.¡± She sounded tired and a little snappish, but he kept what Qasim said in mind, and considered the possibility of her merely having a bad day. He repeated the same spiel that he told the other two and she nodded along. ¡°Yeah, I had organised to meet up with Imogen and Paige so I came back to change out of my uniform and then we headed to the caf¨¦ together to talk.¡±

    ¡°Was there anyone in the caf¨¦ that would remember you being there?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t really talk to people, but Paige or Imogen might. I remember them talking to the person on the register a lot. They might have known each other. She could probably confirm we were there.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Could you give me a run down of what you were talking about?¡± He sent a text to Maxwell to do the same with the other two. While it may have been common sense to ask details on this sort of thing, Weil hadn¡¯t been an officer for too long. The only reason he got into the Special Cases unit was due to his unique circumstances. He looked up from his phone when noticed that Naima hadn¡¯t started speaking. She looked a little nervous.

    ¡°We¡­ talked about Keira. Paige and Imogen were telling me about their history with her- so it wasn¡¯t anything bad- well it was¡­ but not like in the revenge sort of way¡­ I was curious and I learnt a lot about the friend groups and big things that happened in different social circles-¡°

    ¡°So you were getting a lay of the land, so to speak.¡± Marshall smiled at her as he continued, ¡°don¡¯t worry. If your alibi checks out then you won¡¯t be a suspect.¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah. Is that everything?¡±

    ¡°That should be for now, though we may talk again if we can¡¯t get you a witness.¡± She nodded, and after another moment of hesitation, shut the door. Marshall crossed a name off of his list and sighed. While he believed that he had the better set of names, there still wasn¡¯t that many that caught his interest. Despite the painful walk to the church, he did believe it to be one of the more interesting places he was looking at, with two of the residents moving in recently and not having any connections. His phone pinged, with a message from Maxwell. It seemed that whilst Paige had something similar to say, Imogen completely shut down. They would have to bring all three in for questioning if that alibi didn¡¯t hold, and really try for holes in the story. Imogen shutting down when the other two hadn¡¯t made him think that she was only trying to avoid suspicion rather than add to it, considering the nature of the conversation. Still, it wasn¡¯t something that could be overlooked.

    He made a note of that thought and headed back to the village. He wasn¡¯t delusional enough to think that he could go through all residents that day, but there was one more he definitely wanted to check out before calling it a day. Archer Hamilton was by far the most probable suspect in his books, and while he didn¡¯t want to make any calls too early on for fear of clouding his judgment, he wasn¡¯t about to completely ignore his instincts. They had been honed through many years of military and detective work and they were there for a reason. He didn¡¯t want to make it seem like he was targeting Archer though. That might make him suspicious, and that could mean that Archer gets more careful in covering his tracks, or he leaves before proper justice could be served. So, Marshall goes on with a couple more mind-numbing interviews before he reaches Amelie Cross.

    Marshall almost hadn¡¯t bothered with this one. Much like Archer, she hadn¡¯t been in the area at the time of the kidnapping, but if he was going to grill Archer, he had to grill Amelie. For consistency¡¯s sake if nothing else. He knocked on the front door of Amelie. When the door opened, he was greeted with a couple who were most likely in their late forties, her parents if Marshall had his information straight. As per the procedure he questioned the parents and earned answers that weren¡¯t too different to the previous ones he had gotten. Nothing noteworthy in other words. He then steered the conversation towards Amelie, including where they thought she was on the night of the disappearance.

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    ¡°When did she arrive back from the sixth form college?¡±

    ¡°Oh, she arrived back from her uncle¡¯s two days ago. We went to pick her up.¡±

    ¡°Would you mind providing a list of stops you made along the way as well as rough estimates of when you got there?¡±

    ¡°¡­Did she do something wrong? Should we be worried?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. This is routine. It just helps you build a solid defence if worse comes to worse.¡± Surprisingly, this did not seem to abate the parents¡¯ fears, but they still called Amelie down. Black fishnet tights, leather skirt and animal print shirt coupled with facial piercings. It was certainly a deviation from what everyone else was wearing, at least.

    ¡°What.¡± Immediate hostility from Amelie, something which he observed right away, which certainly did not help her case. Maybe his quick writing in the notebook got the point across though, as she immediately adjusted her posture from confidently leaning on the door frame, to standing up a little straighter. She didn¡¯t fully stop leaning though, and she still looked a far cry from friendly, but that was perfectly fine with Marshall.

    ¡°Amelie Cross?¡± A nod, ¡°I¡¯m one of the officers assigned to this case and here to ask a few questions about the disappearance of Keira Aboret. Could you spare a moment of your time?¡± Amelie snorted and looked like she was about to slam her door shut, but then seemed to think better of it.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she found recently? Alive and surprisingly well?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but she still disappeared. And we have to investigate that. I won¡¯t take too much time. I would just like to corroborate a few things that your parents said.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right. Sure. What specifically would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°Details on the route back as well as what you were doing on the night of the disappearance.¡±

    ¡°I was having a sleep over at a friend¡¯s house on the night of the disappearance, if you must know.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what your parents said.¡± Amelie stood there and gave him a look. ¡°What? Your Uncle didn¡¯t give them a call about this?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ He¡¯s a romantic and I¡¯m not allowed to date this person. My parents would probably pull me out and force me to enrol in the local sixth form. So, he agreed to hide it. And it would have stayed hidden if something like this hadn¡¯t have happened.¡± Marshall didn¡¯t have enough of a reason to push that point, though there was a certain disgust with which she said the local sixth form college. Something personal? It could tie in with her history in the village and subsequently Keira. He would have to tread with a little more caution though, since it wasn¡¯t directly linked to the case.

    ¡°Alright, though the local sixth form doesn¡¯t seem too bad. And you¡¯d be familiar with most of the people there, which seems more like a plus.¡± Amelie seemed to pause at that, smile tightening ever so slightly.

    ¡°Actually, I would consider that a minus. I needed more world experience, to meet new people. To leave the nest a little. It¡¯s a small town, if you haven¡¯t noticed. I had an opportunity for more, and I took it.¡± Marshall observed that there was an unnatural resoluteness to her voice, but he didn¡¯t push the matter further. Nor did he push more on the desire to meet new people. It was a very common one after all, even if she said it a little weirdly. All he did was write it down and nod.

    ¡°If anything else occurs to you please drop into the station.¡± Amelie grumbled a farewell and then slammed the door shut. There were a few more houses that he had to visit before he got to Archer¡¯s, and there were a few more after including his neighbours. Marshall doubted that they would have anything to add since Archer wasn¡¯t in the village during the time of the kidnapping, but maybe they had noticed suspicious activity leading up to it.

    A number of door knocked and ticked boxes later he came to Archer¡¯s front door. Nothing too remarkable aside from the massive growth of plants next to it, seemingly separating it from his neighbours. He knocked on the door, expecting the parents to answer as they had been during this entire investigation, but no. Archer answered first this time, and Marshall knew that it wasn¡¯t because he was the only person living there.

    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m here for an official investigation into Keira¡¯s abduction. Are your parents around?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Marshall waited for elaboration, and Archer soon picked up on this. ¡°They¡¯re out in the city for a conference. They won¡¯t be back for another few days.¡±

    ¡°Were they around roughly a week ago?¡±

    ¡°Nope. They¡¯ve been there for almost a month. Is that all?¡±

    ¡°No. Where were you?¡±

    ¡°I was still at my university. Only got back yesterday.¡±

    ¡°Could you please give me an exact time and means of travel?¡±

    ¡°I took the five o¡¯clock from Trantintal, so I would have gotten back at about half past eight? Yeah. I had to get off at ten past eight in the city and then take the bus back here, which was delayed by the way. I roughly got back to the house at ten to nine, so you could probably get some exact times if you wanted.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I could.¡± Marshall could align it with CCTV in the area. It would be easier with the buses than the trains as the trains are far more crowded. ¡°Do you have any receipts for the train and bus ride? And if so, please get them.¡± Archer hummed and opened up his phone, email confirmation then. ¡°You can forward it onto the precinct using this email address.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I can¡¯t just print them out?¡±

    ¡°Easier to fake if they¡¯re printed out. Forward them onto us please.¡± Archer nodded and shortly afterwards Marshall felt a vibration in his pocket.

    ¡°Is that it?¡±

    ¡°No. I have a few questions to ask about the restraining order you have against you.¡± He stiffened, it seemed to be a touchy subject then. Not enough of one for that polite smile to drop from his face though, or maybe he was just a good actor.

    ¡°What specifically do you want to know?¡± The list of things Marshall wanted to know about the case was pretty long, and if Archer was forthcoming with information he would be here a while. It would be best if he sat down for this, and if he had a more casual atmosphere Archer might be more willing to talk. It might also give him a chance to look around the house, as he was unsure whether he could gather enough evidence for a search warrant despite the man¡¯s questionable history.

    ¡°I want to know many things Archer, but this will be a long conversation. May I ask to come in.¡±

    ¡°No. You are not welcome in this residence, or any.¡± Now that set off a red flag. Referring to the house as a residence was a stilted response, and since it came almost immediately after his request it made him think that it was a coached one at that. Given by someone who didn¡¯t know the intricacies behind such tricks. If Marshall were something else, he wouldn¡¯t have gone about it in such an obvious way. Or Archer could have simply been socially awkward, but Marshall¡¯s previous experiences didn¡¯t paint a pretty picture. He debated leaning into certain assumptions more in order to push exactly how much Archer thought he knew, but Marshall decided against it. If he pushed too much now, he risked Archer running before any arrests could be made.

    ¡°Okay. I would like to know more about your restraining order.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know about it? In your files over there?¡±

    ¡°I do, but I would like to hear your side of the story. So¡­?¡± Archer sighed and leaned against the doorframe, never crossing the threshold. There was a small pause as he had to gather his thoughts, and maybe make some things up. Or embellish more likely, as his trial was on court record.

    ¡°It started when my girlfriend at the time broke up with me. Apparently, I was displaying some concerning behaviours- and I was.¡± Marshall noticed the pause and jotted it down. ¡°I didn¡¯t take the breakup at the time though, so when she got together with my best friend at the time Isaac¡­ well. I didn¡¯t take it well. I¡¯ve gotten over it though, I understand the restraining order.¡±

    ¡°So, there¡¯s nothing that you would like to add?¡±

    ¡°Nope! Is that everything?¡±

    ¡°What is Isaac¡¯s full name?¡±

    ¡°Isaac Wood, he lives in the next town over.¡± He wished Archer goodbye and made another note on the files as the door shut. Isaac would make for a valuable character witness¡­ especially because Archer seemed far more put together in their conversation than what was mentioned in the files. A niggling feeling in the back of his mind told him that though he could be a changed man, he could also be acting. He would have to bounce some ideas off of Maxwell once they meet up back at the precinct. In the meantime he had some door duty to finish. The next people on the list were the neighbours and a recently married couple. Names being Andrew Flynn and¡­ Andrew Davies.

 Chapter 8

    It had gotten rather cold as of late, not that Euan was one to complain. As someone who was native to Aria, he was used to the near freezing temperatures that heralded the coming of the solstice of night. Even if it was a touch colder as he was in Duroria, the country directly north. Though the trees that roughly shared his heritage fared far worse. Branches that had been stripped clean of leaves clawed up at the grey sky, begging for a reprieve that would not come soon. A plus to the chill was the fact that the ground remained solid despite the infrequent precipitation, meaning that the car he was driving over the frozen sod never struggled. Though the man who had hired him didn¡¯t seem to agree. The ever-present scowl on his face deepening as he realised he hired a specialised mechanic for nothing. A smarter man might point out that it was for the safety, rather than the certainty. A smarter man still would keep his mouth shut. It was quite fortunate that Euan fell into the latter category.

    He also didn¡¯t mention the strangeness of the situation. Part of the requirements for the hiring was the fact that he had a level of discretion regarding the ordeal. It didn¡¯t stop his curiosity.

    The official job description was being a driver for an heir to some land, so that the heir may subsequently survey the land and check its quality. The true job was to drive a hooded woman, one who had yet to speak to him, through the barrows of Duroria so that she may do some legally questionable activities. Again, he was hired to be discrete. So, he did not judge. His numerous questions multiplied by tenfold when he finally reached the site and noticed some men already there. The hooded woman behind him swore in a thick accent that he couldn¡¯t discern and climbed out the back. His boss grunted and left as well. Euan decided to stay in the car as this didn¡¯t really concern him. Though in the end, curiosity killed the cat, and his certainly got the better of him. He cracked the roll up window open a slight amount and listened.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t realised I would have an audience, Florian.¡±

    ¡°Neither had I Liselotte. Otherwise I would have brought men who weren¡¯t archaeologists.¡± The woman talked to an aging man who had stood off to one side. A small looking teenager accompanied him, he looked rather timid, though he didn¡¯t cower when Liselotte and his boss approached them.

    ¡°Pity. I might have enjoyed that. Though if you¡¯re not going to entertain me, the very least you could do is not annoy me. Leave.¡±

    ¡°What are your intentions here Liselotte? I can¡¯t imagine you¡¯d trouble yourself with somewhere so backwoods if there wasn¡¯t a very good reason for it.¡±

    ¡°My intentions are most likely the same as yours.¡±

    ¡°How did you hear of it then? Do we have a leak on our hands?¡± Liselotte barked a laugh.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling rather generous as tonight is a rather momentous occasion. So I¡¯ll give you a little hint, who do you think set it up?¡± It apparently took a moment for the aged man to gather his courage, so his response took some time.

    ¡°I would rather you replied with an answer rather than a question. I know how you supernatural folk like to play your games.¡±

    ¡°Ha! Despite my current situation I can assure you that I¡¯m still human, still very capable of telling those little lies.¡±

    ¡°Further reason to not trust your words. Tell me, how long will you have to spend next to those leaks in places such as Mictepeh, the Whispering Pit or the Forests of Junein- or should I say Cernia- before you mutate beyond humanity.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Perhaps the time it takes for you to get to your point. This back and forth will inevitably end the same way, no matter what morsels of information you may extract from it. Though I do have to admit, your stance on that conflict is predictable at best. Alas, I do not have all the time in the world and I have told you to leave, so do so, and take your young ward with you.¡± The man paused, contemplating it perhaps, or maybe he wasn¡¯t so used to being talked to as such. Liselotte took a step forward which seemed to spur his decision-making capabilities forward.

    ¡°Very well. Let us leave.¡± He called out to the men who were working on the tomb and with only minor procrastination they followed his command. Then he turned to the child at his side and spoke in a softer tone, ¡°come Nikolaus. The lesson you take from this is to recognise when you are outclassed.¡± Nikolaus nodded in response and followed his mentor and the stream of academics leaving the site. Once they had gone Liselotte turned back and faced Euan.

    ¡°You may come with us, if you wish.¡±

    ¡°Lise!¡±

    ¡°He has already heard enough. We may as well satiate his curiosity, as a show of goodwill if nothing else.¡± His boss grumbled lowly but acquiesced. ¡°Besides, this may get out anyway through that young ward of Florian¡¯s. If they keep taking them on that young, it will only be a matter of time before a true leak occurs.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I understand. Let¡¯s not draw this out any longer then.¡± That was how Euan found himself exiting the car and making his way up to the stone door of the barrow. He didn¡¯t say anything though, he still wasn¡¯t quite sure what his standing was amongst these two. Liselotte looked in his direction, which may have been her attempt to smile at him, but he couldn¡¯t see anything beside the encompassing shadows of her hood.

    ¡°Well, the first order of business is removing the stone door. You may be wondering how we would go about doing that, but the answer is simple enough.¡± She took a couple of steps forward and rested her forehead on the slab, then she began to mutter something. For a time it was the only sound in the air, and Euan was struck with the realisation that there had been no birdsong. He could perhaps forgive it due to the cooler weather, but everything had a certain unnatural stillness to it. Then the stone cracked, or rather it made a cracking sound. Its appearance remained remarkably bland, but the bulk of rock itself shifted slightly. Liselotte reached a hand forward and the door fell into the barrow. She pulled a torch from the depths of her cloak and lit up the inside.

    His boss grunted and followed suit which left Euan outside. He decided that he didn¡¯t like that turn of events and stepped into the tomb as well. Surprisingly though, the inside didn¡¯t even contain a trace of a body. There was a platform in the centre on which a wooden statue sat upon, which he found to be the most eye catching, though the miscellaneous daggers and engraved stones scattered around the edges weren¡¯t forgettable. Especially the large pot pushed far to one edge. The wooden statue was blackened with age, it left him rather shocked that it was still standing, but what he also found surprising was what it was decorated with. It was adorned with the skulls of various animals, large and small. He spotted the skull of a deer, one of a cat, a snake and a rat. There were a couple others that he couldn¡¯t recognise, and a few insect drawings on stones at the bottom, such as a spider or butterfly. The statue itself resembled a man that held a sword forth in his hands. Its metal had patterns in it that reminded Euan of oil on water and it had runes engraved on its broad side. Despite the amount of time it had obviously spent inside the barrow, it was in much better shape then the statue. Almost pristine. Even the handle showed very few signs of age.

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    Although he found the state the sword was in intriguing, he found the runes even more so. While he would hesitate to call himself an expert on ancient languages, he knew quite a bit of the one that was sporadically decorating the room. It was Galdeorn, hailing from the far north, more than himself and these barrows. He had never seen those characters before though. In spite of that, it seemed like he had a resident expert with him. Gathering himself he turned to Liselotte.

    ¡°What does it say on the sword?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an old ritual, one that calls upon the forces of nature, the Laedere. With the only exception being here,¡± she points to a rune close to the hilt, partially covered by dirt. Liselotte gently wiped it away to reveal something he did recognise.

    ¡°Birth.¡±

    ¡°Close, but not quite. See these lines here?¡± She gestured to another section of the rune, before realising that the dirt hadn¡¯t been fully wiped away. After rectifying it she continued, ¡°as you can see, this is the symbol for origin.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. Clearly. How does that tie into the other runes then? And why put it on a sword?¡±

    ¡°The Galdeorn believed that the Laedere were spirits of nature, that they existed passively in this world as aspects of the environment and animals. By putting these symbols on the sword, they are honoured in a way, and therefore the warrior who wields it reaps the benefits of the blessings. Typically though, each warrior would only honour one as it was a common fear that honouring multiple would invoke their wrath. This addition was an attempt to negate that assumed consequence, to link them all under the same umbrella. A declaration that as they are all spirits of nature, they should have no issues being called together.¡±  Euan eyed the sword a second time, he trusted Liselotte¡¯s information as she appeared to be the expert on it and it matched with what he knew before. Though it was purely symbolic, it certainly gave the sword a certain edge about it, aside from the obvious one.

    ¡°Was this a common ritual?¡±

    ¡°No- or at least not enough evidence of the ritual had been found to make the assumption that it was. The parent one, however, was wildly used. It¡¯s how you can make such a concrete analysis about this.¡± She gestured down the length of the blade. Euan pondered this for a time, and in that time Liselotte stood up and began inspecting the statue itself. He took this as a sign that they have moved on from the relic, so instead of trying for more information that he knew he would not get, he turned his attention to the other trinkets around the room.

    ¡°We should hurry it up Lise, I don¡¯t feel like upsetting whatever is in here.¡±

    ¡°Calm yourself Mr. Gallagher, I know that we won¡¯t. I would like to continue with the ritual however, so if you could take that pot by the corner? It looks rather awkward to carry for one person.¡±

    ¡°Right, yes. Thank you for the opportunity to look at these things. Come on Euan, let¡¯s do our job.¡± He walked over to the pot in far end of the barrow and took one side of the pot, while the other side was taken by Euan. They passed Liselotte who was still investigating the statue in the middle of the room and place the pot in the back of the car. He had to take a covering out of the back of the truck though, as the rain had started up again. ¡°Euan, come over here for a little bit.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Mr. Gallagher didn¡¯t answer, all he did was walk into the forest a little. Euan did as he was told, but that didn¡¯t stop him from raising an eyebrow in the direction of his boss. The man clocked this and once they had put a bit of distance between the barrow and themselves, he answered.

    ¡°I am a little bit of an archaeologist myself. Lise hired me as I had helped her with gathering some things in the past, but this was more of a customary hire. That and I know where to find drivers and mechanics who know how to keep their mouths shut.¡±

    ¡°I have gotten the hint, Mr. Gallagher. You need not worry.¡±

    ¡°Good. If this remains true into the future then this may not be our only job together.¡±

    ¡°If those future jobs are half as interesting as this one, then I shall look forward to them.¡± Gallagher nodded in response. ¡°How long are we going to wait here?¡±

    ¡°How long it takes for Lise to finish up.¡±

    ¡°And when shall we know when she¡¯s done?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡± Euan deigned himself to wait, to see if he would know. In fact, he didn¡¯t have to wait long, as he listened to the rainfall and the ambient sounds of the skeletal trees shifting he noticed that the volume dimmed. It continued to do so until he felt like he was listening to his surrounding through a bubble. Then everything was quiet. Euan never had claustrophobia, he probably wouldn¡¯t have tried to get into this archaeology job if he had, but the way the trees seemed to tower over them made him rethink that stance. Even Gallagher went still, eyes still fixed on the entrance to the barrow.

    He heard it then. A shaking guttural sound that seemed to resound in his mind. Unaffected by the blanket muffling the rest of the world. It gave him pause. It gave everything pause.

    Minutes had passed before he began to even register the rain again. He only knew it was minutes and not hours was because of his watch, but by now he was looking very much to leave. So was the other man with him. His nerves only stilled when he felt wind brush his face. Drifting past his back and towards the barrow. Which didn¡¯t make sense as the swaying of the grass and gnarled branches of the trees all around them showed that it was the same for all directions. As if the barrow had just taken in a deep breath.

    That may have not been the right analogy though, as soon after he felt the wind again. Heard nature. As whatever oppressive atmosphere had come over them had passed and the world was alive again. Liselotte walked out then, the sword sheathed at her side and her bag visibly bulging from the various items she had in it. Euan¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t on the bag on her side though, they were on her face. Her hood was pulled down, revealing a face full of runes. The marks traced her cheek bones, her forehead, her jawline and trailed down into her coat. It almost distracted him from her unnaturally vibrant green eyes.

    She crossed the grass and threw her bag into the back where it rested alongside the partially filled pot. When she moved to put the bag in the back of the truck, her coat shifted allowing for a better viewing of the sheath. The sheath looked ancient and rotting but what surprised him was what shape the sword handle was in. It had rotted from what it was minutes ago and was falling from the metal that made the core. After fastening the tarp to cover the relics she climbed into the back.

    ¡°What about the statue?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s rotted away. Now climb into the car, I want to leave before the rain makes the trip back unfeasible.¡± Euan and Gallagher shared a look before following, with Euan clambering back into the driver¡¯s seat and Gallagher in the passenger¡¯s. He checked his mirrors to see whether any wildlife had snuck up on him, but what he saw was not part of the natural ecosystem.

    Coming out of the barrow next was a long spindly figure. He would have thought it a shadow if he knew what would make such a thing. The resounding boom of the door being shut behind it resonated through the woods, and it seemed to leave with it instantly. Like he had blinked the image from his eyes.

    ¡°W-what?¡± Euan looked to Liselotte who stared back. Eyes glowing emerald in the dark.

    ¡°Drive Euan.¡± He knew why his boss hired him; he knew that keeping quiet was a necessity. He pushed his questions aside and started the engine, pulling out from the front of the barrow and tracing the path there.

    ¡°They won¡¯t be able to trace this back to us, will they?¡± His boss said in the quiet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll sort it.¡±

 Chapter 9

    The universe was telling a joke, and at the moment, Keira felt like the world¡¯s most pathetic punchline. She had thought that doing some mindless physical work would be a load off of her back. That helping to clean up a campsite roughly thirty minutes from the village would be a small break, a true one where she isn¡¯t concerned about getting good grades or existential horrors. But now she had something even worse to deal with. Awkward social interactions.

    Naima had joined her Pioneer group and integrated herself into it in the weeks that Keira was missing. It turned out that she had joined this one as it was no longer feasible to go to her old one because she had moved a long distance. Apparently, the fact that Keira also went to this group had gone unmentioned as Naima was equally surprised at seeing Keira, as Keira seeing her. Naima had befriended a group of five or so guys and they had taken the picnic table beside the small hut situated at the top of the campsite alongside one of the camping fields. Another field was south of the hut, separated from the rest of the campsite by the gravel carpark. Beyond that was the forest, a steep hill downwards that had a few interesting rock formations on it, which then led to a pond at the bottom.

    Keira ended up sitting on the wall beside the picnic table and chatting with some of the guys. It also led to her eavesdropping on what Naima was talking about. She was fiddling with some cards which had some beautiful artwork on it and talking in general about a nature religion which was native to the area with an air of admiration. This caused some of the people at the table to ask about her interest.

    ¡°How long have you been into this? Since you moved here?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty much.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it difficult to talk about this or research since you live in a church?¡±

    ¡°Not really¡­ Dad¡¯s super supportive of everything, even though he¡¯s a preacher of the Order of Azulmah.¡± Naima trailed off into a slight grumble at the end of her statement, although she generally seemed pretty enthusiastic about the conversation. The conversation swung back to what it was before as Naima began talking about the purpose of the cards.

    ¡°So anyway, what they basically do is provide a rough estimate on what your future is going to be.¡± One of the boys shuffled forward and tapped Naima on her shoulder.

    ¡°Can I have a go?¡±

    ¡°Sure! We typically draw three cards one for past, present an future, so have a go!¡± Naima fanned the cards out and the guy pulled out three. The first two seemed a little insignificant from what Naima was describing but the last one was a major one. ¡°Oh, you got Morsemt¡¯s flower, one of the ones that represent a major figure in Furda.¡±

    ¡°Aw¡­ Doesn¡¯t he have something to do with death?¡±

    ¡°No, actually. He represents peace in new beginnings.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ makes no sense. He definitely has something to do with death in the other decks. Who designed them like this?¡±

    ¡°¡­The guy who owns the company, I guess? Which is AnnointAllure, in case any of you wanted a set.¡± The table dissolved into laughs, but they let the girl continue with what she was doing. Keira had lost interest after the initial reading as it was more of the same and she was under no social obligation to keep listening, so she threw herself into a casual talk with the people around her.

    Eventually the time came for them to start the work on the campsite, with them splitting up into groups to help clear it up ready for the next camp. Most of the group was sent to clean up the area by the fire pit, raking up the pre-cut weeds and repainting the benches. Keira, however didn¡¯t feel like dealing with that so she took one of the jobs that would provide her with some semblance of peace. Moving firewood from the hut at the top of the campsite, to the shelter next to the fire pit.

    Due to safety rules she wasn¡¯t allowed to do it alone, but as she was sixteen she didn¡¯t have to accompanied by a leader. It was just her and another guy.

    They moved the wood in relative silence, the only sounds breaking the quietude being whenever they stood on a fallen leaf or twig. That didn¡¯t break Keira¡¯s focus though, if anything it added to the natural ambience of the area. Coupled with the mindless physical work and it made Keira feel incredibly relaxed. It was her way of meditating. It was unfortunate that she had to share that time with someone else, she wasn¡¯t too sociable after all, and it was truly not ideal when the mark on her wrist flared up. It wasn¡¯t persistent though, which differentiated this situation from the previous ones. Not bothering to supress her scowl, she ditched what she was carrying and leant it against a tree. Then she waited.

    A tinkling laugh filled the air. Akin to small silver bells being rang, echoing through the woods and her mind.

    ¡°Someone¡¯s in a foul mood today.¡± The voice came from behind her, and when she turned to look at it, she was surprised to see a woman standing not five feet away from her. She hadn¡¯t even seen the woman approach. Keira wanted to snap back, to tell her that no wonder she is in such a foul mood all the time when there are things like her breathing down her neck at every corner. She didn¡¯t know how big of a threat she was though, and while the mark had dulled to a faint throbbing, she had no faith in Palotl anymore. She didn¡¯t trust it to look after her. Instead of playing whatever game the woman had in mind, she just gave a withering look which Keira hoped conveyed her feelings accurately.

    The woman smiled back.

    ¡°That look is unbecoming dear. So is that.¡± She gestured to where the symbol on her wrist was. This surprised Keira slightly as she had been keeping it covered with her sleeves, and she had been hiding the wrist behind her since the woman showed up. Keira eyed the woman more closely and noticed a few abnormalities. First and foremost was that despite the fact that they were in the middle of the forest, she was in full formal dress. Grey pants and waist coat with a vibrant blue silk shirt, a shade that almost matched her eyes. Though Keira doubted anything could accurately depict the vibrance held in her gaze.

    ¡°How do you know about the mark?¡±

    ¡°I can¡­ smell it on you. Most can, if they¡¯re the right sort.¡± The woman gave a pause. ¡°And competent.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t making any aggressive moves, in fact her body language was open and casual. Keira felt comfortable pushing for more detail.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°And what does that mean.¡± Her smile widened slightly, but she didn¡¯t elaborate further. Another avenue then. ¡°What do you want from me?¡±

    ¡°Hm. Getting straight to it? How uncouth. In the most basic terms, I want your contract with the entity.¡±

    ¡°In more complicated terms?¡±

    ¡°You cannot possibly imagine the sort of consequences releasing it will have. Leave it to someone more competent, someone who knows what they¡¯re doing.¡±

    ¡°I am well aware of the consequences.¡±

    ¡°Then you should know that this needs to be handled properly.¡±

    ¡°It does. And I¡¯m handling it. I¡¯m not going to trust every random thing that pops up and claims to have the solution to my problems.¡±

    ¡°Handling it?¡± The woman¡¯s smile hadn¡¯t slipped from her face, in fact it had widened a little from genuine amusement. ¡°All you are doing is merely stalling. It will help with nothing. Even without the steady clock of age, you cannot put off your end of the contract forever.¡± That pulled the wind out of Keira¡¯s sails.

    ¡°Why not?¡± The woman didn¡¯t answer, all she did was smile. Another question that the woman wasn¡¯t willing to answer then. What would be one that she would answer? Maybe the diplomatic option of asking her name. ¡°¡­Who are you? Why are you here?¡±

    ¡°You can call me Gastele. As for the why, well, I am merely someone who has a continued interest in survival.¡± Keira felt like that was a good reason. It seems like whatever Gastele was, she wasn¡¯t linked to Palotl, and actually appeared to be against it. Was she the ¡®sickness¡¯ that Palotl was referring to, or part of it?

    ¡°Do you know the terms of the deal?¡±

    ¡°No, nor the exact entity with which you made the deal. All I know is the type of entity, and what you made a deal with is usually extremely dangerous.¡± So she didn¡¯t know about Palotl¡¯s plans, but this pretty much confirmed that they were different ¡®entities¡¯.

    ¡°This deal was made almost a week ago, why are you talking about it now?¡±

    ¡°I simply had other jobs I needed to finish. That, and I wanted you alone.¡± Keira was about to point out the poor boy who had been helping her. Then she paused. His routine had not broken since this conversation started. He was not usually blind, so Keira had to come to a certain conclusion.

    ¡°What did you do to him?¡±

    ¡°Oh nothing. He¡¯s merely seeing what I want him to see at the moment. It¡¯ll pass once I¡¯m done here.¡±

    ¡°Are you doing it with me?¡±

    ¡°Not at the moment. We are digressing, answer the question.¡±

    ¡°I am not going to have you kill someone for me. That¡¯s almost as bad as doing the deed myself.¡±

    ¡°Why ever so? It would be very easy to hand it off to me and never think about it again. You wouldn¡¯t even know who I chose.¡±

    ¡°No! It¡¯s not a- a guilt thing! It¡¯s a moral thing. I¡¯m not going to be responsible for someone else¡¯s death.¡± Keira decided to hold off on the information that she had seriously considered it.

    ¡°Not even the one who attacked you?¡±

    ¡°You would have to know who it was first.¡±

    ¡°I do.¡± This gave Keira pause, not even Palotl had known the person responsible. Although it had explained it away as not knowing the names of ants, so if Gastele was operating on a smaller scale perhaps she would know.

    ¡°That won¡¯t change my answer.¡±

    ¡°Unfortunate. Especially given the situation you are currently in, and that she will strike again. Alas, I cannot force you make the deal, so I shall let this stew within you. We have a few¡­ we have time, anyway. If you ever have a change of heart¡­ well. Burn this.¡± The woman handed over a card that had her name imprinted on the front in bold letters.

    Gastele Lichter

    She looked up to ask about the last name but found the woman to be gone. With nothing else to do, Keira slipped it into her pocket and carried on with transporting the wood. While the offer seemed to at least partly solve her issue, there was the other, slightly larger, issue. Accepting this deal would be exactly that. She would be getting into another ¡®contract¡¯ with another being and considering her previous experience, she didn¡¯t trust the woman to not try and screw her over somehow. This was supposed to be her time of relaxation! But no, it seemed like the universe didn¡¯t want her to have a break. She didn¡¯t even know what she did to deserve this colossal middle finger! Did she step on the wrong bug or something and then set off a chain reaction? It was fucking ridiculous.

    At this point she had ditched the wood in the shelter next to the campfire circle and had almost started to go up the hill again, but she came to a stop at the edge of the pond first. She pulled the card out of her pocket with jerky motions and felt the overwhelming urge to destroy it. Those letters on the front only fuelled that desire more. It was stupid to think that they were mocking her, but she still felt that way. Keira crushed the card in her hand and almost threw it into the pond, but then she stopped. It might come in useful, despite how against using it she was. She still had no idea what she was going to do, so having a backup plan wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. So, pressing the incredible urge to get rid of it, she slowly slipped the card back into her pocket. Then she picked up the wood she had set down and continued to move as she had before. The card felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket, she knew why. Over the past week she had been thinking of a way to fulfil her deal with minimal damage, and then a supernatural being comes out of nowhere and offers her a compromise. She didn¡¯t trust it. And she won¡¯t settle for a compromise.

    With the impulsive anger in her mind being supressed, another emotion reared its head and allowed her thoughts to clear. Spite. She didn¡¯t need Gastele¡¯s help, and she wasn¡¯t going to let Palotl terrorise her. So, she started a list in her mind.

    There were a few things that needed to be done. First and foremost she needed to find what could replace a human in the ritual, but as she had no idea where to start with that, she needed another point to start from. Keira felt herself reflecting on all of her encounters with these entities, on all of them. Palotl had mentioned that something prevented the initial ritual from going forward, that someone had protected her. Maybe if she found this person, she could get the information she needed. She only needed to covertly ask everyone she had ever had contact with whether or not they knew magic¡­ Okay, maybe she had no idea where to start with that either.

    Although¡­ It had been a few days since she and Morgan had witnessed the interaction between the delivery woman and Archer, and they hadn¡¯t really spoken much after. Which was why it was a pleasant surprise when he and Iris asked to meet up tomorrow. Keira had decided that when they meet up she was going to tell them about the small caveat to her ¡®kidnapping¡¯ case, or at least try to, but she was nervous. She liked spending time with her friends, found it relaxing, but they might think that she was insane, and Keira couldn¡¯t really ignore that possibility. Hopefully it goes well though. They were her friends after all, so they might help her regardless of their opinion on the legitimacy.

    The camp clean-up came to an end and they all sat around in the positions they were sat in at the start, and one by one the parents came to pick up the kids. Keira didn¡¯t pay much attention to this though; she had been busy mulling the interaction over and over again in her head. When she finally resigned herself to think about it another time, as now was time for her to relax despite the fact that she wasn¡¯t feeling too relaxed, she noticed that there were only two people left. Her and Naima.

    Most of the leaders had already left, and the one who had stayed behind was looking a little antsy. Looking like they wanted to go home as soon as possible. Naima didn¡¯t look too fussed about it. She was shuffling through the cards she brought, occasionally pulling one out to look at, and then scowl. A car that Keira didn¡¯t recognise pulled into the car park and out came a middle-aged man.

    ¡°Naima! How was Pioneers?¡± She didn¡¯t respond though. She merely huffed and walked past his open arms and into the car. The man seemed disheartened by this but entered the car after her quickly.

    Her plan to have a break before tomorrow had kind of failed. It looked like she would have to face her friends without being mentally prepared for it. Keira was pulled out of her lamenting when her father finally arrived. She went home that night with a lot on her mind.

 Chapter 10

    Despite her resolve to find some way to complete the ritual with no human casualties, she soon found herself treading the path she had before. In the end she resolved herself to instead investigate ways that she could protect herself, as she had decided that Palotl may not have her best interests at heart, even more so than she had suspected. Keira no longer felt comfortable solely rely on it for her safety. Finding the person responsible for stopping her death would be the best in that regard, but since she didn¡¯t know who, she had decided keeping a close eye on the investigation process and get a little closer to the detectives. It would help to know who to avoid, and that way she wouldn¡¯t have to put so much faith in Palotl.

    From what she had overheard from Maxwell, he seemed to have no moral objections to putting her out of her misery if he suspected what she was up to, but he also seemed a little clued into what¡¯s happening. Her hope was that if she got more involved into the case and implied that she was under supernatural threat, then maybe she could get him to spill some ways she could protect herself. And it would help to know who to avoid; that way she wouldn¡¯t have to put so much faith in Palotl. It did involve buddying up to them, which could go extremely wrong if she was found out.

    So, that was her first goal today and the reason why she was heading towards the local police station. The second goal was to meet up with Iris and Morgan for ¡®friend time,¡¯ supposedly. Keira could probably guess the reason why Iris suggested it.

    After Keira and Morgan¡¯s encounter with¡­ whatever it was, she had been a little distant. Not replying to messages as she would, and not responding to questions or remarks in lectures. While it had only been going on for the few days space between the incident and that day, her change in behaviour was drastic enough to warrant concern. At least that was what she had thought. Personally she thought she was handling it quite well. Once the first few nights after her talk with Palotl had ended, she felt like she had built a resilience against the intermittent panic attacks. Now she was a woman on a mission. And that mission was to get Iris and Morgan on the same page.  Especially Iris, as she wasn¡¯t there when that thing visited Archer. Keira felt like that would be the most difficult hurdle.

    She wasn¡¯t going to the meeting blind though, she had done her research on various mythical creatures, cryptids and local legends before coming to the meeting. It didn¡¯t yield much, to Keira¡¯s disappointment. Many of the more modern and documented cases mostly came from people who were extremely drunk or high. So not very reliable for what she needed. That particular night had ended with Keira debating herself in the mirror, pointedly ignoring the bloodred butterfly that was pinned to the wall behind her. Only in her reflection though. It had ended in the perfectly valid conclusion that she couldn¡¯t decide on anything herself, and that the power of the human imagination is far too strong. Keira did end up with a small notebook filled with small titbits on some of the more prevalent and more documented rumours. In case it ever came in useful.

    Keira broke out of her thoughts when she approached the station. Her footsteps slowed, but not of her own volition. There was an increasing itch in the back of her head, one that told her to turn around and go away. She paused then. It would make sense that she felt that way, Maxwell and Marshall might not take too kindly to her presence. While she had been the victim of the crime, they had been keeping her annoyingly in the dark on their plans and suspect list. While she could understand it, it was kind of inconvenient. Hence why she was trying to talk to them now. Hence why having such anxieties now was pointless. Keira pushed through her inaction and stepped into the station with purpose. Only to pause.

    It was almost completely empty. There was only one worker who was on the far side of the waiting room, tapping her foot as the kettle boiled. The way she tapped her foot was off though. It seemed like she was doing it out of impatience, but the movement had a sluggish quality to it. For a moment Keira thought that the worker just really needed that coffee, but after a few moments in the station she felt a faint tickling on her inner wrist. Over Palotl¡¯s mark. She looked around the room, but the only things that stood out was the worker and the sound of her foot tapping, intermittently overlapping the sound of the water boiling. Keira decided to approach the woman.

    ¡°Do you know where everyone is?¡± The worker looked at her dully, processing the question before she sighed.

    ¡°They got forensics in on the scene. Most are there to help lock it down and avoid further contamination, the rest are out to get the alibi for some of the suspects.¡± Her voice was incredibly flat, and she wasn¡¯t really looking at Keira. The kettle finished boiling, so she poured it into her mug immediately. Then she downed almost half of the cup. This didn¡¯t seem to do much for her, but she still took the rest of it with her when she speed walked out of the waiting room and through another door. While Keira was disappointed that her plans were so easily foiled, she figured she could just sit in one of the seats until they came back. Even though her mark was acting up again, it was minor compared to the other times, so she figured it mustn¡¯t be anything too serious. Maybe she could investigate the area while she waited. Try and find the source. Before she could go and do anything however, she heard a loud noise from Seth¡¯s office.

    Was he in? While she would have thought that the man who questioned her when she woke up would be on the scene of the crime or investigating the alibi, he might have stayed behind to keep an eye on the station though, alongside the worker who had disappeared off somewhere. Keira took a couple of steps towards the door and then found herself hesitating again, like when she was about to walk into the station. There was an increasing sense of wrongness to doing this. Even though she knew that Seth wouldn¡¯t mind her it was becoming physically difficult to approach the door. She took in a deep breath and pushed those anxieties aside. This was important. She began walking the rest of the way towards the door and raised her hand to knock, pausing again for some unknown reason. It was then she noticed that it was cracked open slightly. Through the small opening she could hear small rustling noises and slight murmuring.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Where is it¡­ where is it¡­¡± She didn¡¯t recognise the voice. It wasn¡¯t Seth or either of the detectives.

    Keira pushed the door open a slight more, allowing for a look into the room. The person¡¯s back was to her, even though she could only see his back it did seem at least vaguely familiar. It took her a little longer to realise who it truly was however, as she hadn¡¯t really talked to the man much. But she had seen the local papers and heard the gossip. The man searching the office was Archer Hamilton. It was fortunate that he seemed intent on his search, combing through files on the shelf behind the desk, flicking through a book once he reached it. Whatever he was looking for mustn¡¯t be good if he was going searching through confidential files, and Keira didn¡¯t really want to give anyone more of a reason to kill her, so she slipped away and did a quick sweep for the woman she saw earlier to try and tell her about him. She was gone though.

    Instead of standing around and risk getting seen by Archer, she decided to throw in the towel and head straight to the caf¨¦ to meet up with Iris and Morgan. Immediately after leaving the building the faint tickling sensation coming from her mark vanished and the anxiety that had been mounting in her head dissipated. Keira didn¡¯t dwell on it for too long, she turned and started to walk to the caf¨¦. Just as she was thinking that she might have to go back another day to speak to one of the detectives, she ran into Maxwell Weil and a couple of officers who were holding paper bags and chatting amongst themselves. She needed to tell them about Archer, and also needed to speak with Weil, but she wasn¡¯t sure how to lead into it. So she didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Officer Weil! I saw Archer searching through files in Seth¡¯s office.¡± The officers paused for a moment, blinked and then began to rush back to the station. Which included Maxwell. She panicked and grabbed his arm. ¡°Wait! Could I please speak with you?¡± Maxwell eyed the others rushing back to the station before sighing and dropping them to his arm. Keira let go.

    ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°About the investigation. I noticed something suspicious about Archer.¡±

    ¡°Aside from the fact that he was going through one of our offices?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. A couple days ago I was walking by his house, and I noticed that he got a package delivered to him. But I didn¡¯t see the woman exit her van, and there was also someone who looked like her sitting inside of it. After she delivered it she just sort of disappeared.¡± His brow furrowed slightly and the amiable smile dropped.

    ¡°Did you happen to hear any conversation?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± The smile dropped even more. ¡°Should I have?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. It¡­¡± He trailed off and seemed to get lost in thought for a little while. Keira had left out the details because she didn¡¯t want to seem too suspicious, but this reaction surprised her.

    ¡°Officer Weil?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything out of the ordinary happen to you, have you?¡±

    ¡°I got kidnapped. Does that count?¡±

    ¡°Besides that.¡± She might have to reveal more than she wanted, she realised. How would she go about it though? Would it be safe to say that she was approached by Gastele? Then Keira might have to get into detail about why she was approached, and about the conversation that followed.

    ¡°I noticed a blonde woman in formal dress following me one day. I didn¡¯t want to say because it only happened that day, but it stuck out because I don¡¯t really see anyone in formal dress.¡± She couldn¡¯t decipher the look that came across Maxwell¡¯s face, but he did give her a longer look before sighing.

    ¡°Okay. What I¡¯m about to say is going to sound stupid, but you need to follow these instructions to the letter. Do not say please or thank you. Do not welcome anyone into your house. It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not if they are your friend, your family, if you know them or if you don¡¯t, you do not say those things.¡±

    ¡°Are you encouraging me to forget basic manners?¡± Keira couldn¡¯t help the vague amusement creeping into her voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m not saying ¡®be mean,¡¯ in fact I discourage that. But don¡¯t say those things to anyone, okay?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ sure.¡± Keira and Morgan had done enough preliminary research to know what that means, but none of it had mentioned to do it with people they already know.

    ¡°Good. Is there anything else?¡± Though she did come here to see if she could get any protection against Gastele, it appeared that she had gotten all the advice she could. Onto the other reason she wanted to speak to him. It would be pushing it, she knew, but after a moment¡¯s hesitation she continued.

    ¡°I¡­ Yes. I¡¯ve felt really on edge about everything and everyone, because I don¡¯t know who would do such a thing or why¡­ and it¡¯s just becoming more difficult to trust the people around me. It¡¯s so tiring, being suspicious of everyone¡­ It would help if I knew more about the investigation, I think. So, I know where and who to avoid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the exact details of the investigation are not open to civilians at this time. We can¡¯t have you going around and interfering with it.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fair¡­¡± She tried to not look too crestfallen, but maybe the sheer exhaustion from the past few weeks had edged into her expression because Maxwell continued.

    ¡°Look. Your friends and family are out of the woods.¡± Keira felt herself relax even more, but she did have to double check.

    ¡°So home and school are safe?¡± Maxwell opened his mouth and then shut it again. He looked flatly at her. The worker had said that he was out with the other officers to check Naima¡¯s alibi. Did he think that she was trying to get him to say that she was guilty? ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer that. I¡¯m sor-¡°

    ¡°Yes.¡± He knew that he was confirming Naima¡¯s alibi, and Keira was grateful to him for it.

    ¡°Th-¡°

    ¡°Remember what I said.¡±

    ¡°¡­I feel like I¡¯m safe to th-¡°

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Get into the habit of showing appreciation another way, at least until we find that woman who was following you.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Maxwell smiled at her and made to move past her.

    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it. In the meantime, though, I really do have to check that situation back at the station. Would you like my number in case the woman does turn up again?¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡± It would be useful to have a more direct way of contacting him, she figured. Keira felt like she had gotten a lot out of that encounter, and a little extra in the form of a helpline. Now she could relax into her next activity which meant that she had to meet her friends in the caf¨¦ very soon. She also made notes on what Maxwell said, so that she could bring them up to the group properly when they finally get talking. It was a big hint at what she was dealing with after all, and technical time off was no excuse to become complacent.

 Chapter 11

    Both Iris and Morgan stared at her after she had finished her explanation. It wasn¡¯t much of an explanation in actuality, and definitely not the one they deserved, but she couldn¡¯t say anything else. It also meant that it took a while to convey the exact nature of her situation across to them, but Morgan caught on pretty quick due to their shared experience and soon managed to explain the rest to Iris. That was in the past. In the present they were both staring at her. Both concerned, but Morgan was the first to break the silence.

    ¡°So¡­ Wow. Um. When you asked me about the value of a human life, was it hypothetical?¡±

    ¡°Partially.¡± Keira didn¡¯t want to say fully, as she had left out one extremely vital detail when talking to him. Such as the fact that it was very likely that the human race would get wiped out alongside her poor victim. Though she would hesitate to call Archer a poor victim. And she was trying to work around it anyway.

    ¡°Can you explain what you mean by partially?¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡± A silence descended between them, ¡°is that seriously all you wanted to ask me?¡±

    ¡°I mean, yeah? You¡¯ve made it clear that whatever lawyer you¡¯ve met really doesn¡¯t want you talking, and you¡¯re also about as clueless as we are in the general circumstances. I expect more answers after that NDA is up though.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Gladly.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not done with the questions.¡± Keira turned her eyes towards Iris, who had stopped leaning back on her chair and was now looking Keira straight in the eyes. ¡°I want to hear more about this encounter you had at Archer¡¯s place.¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°Whatever made you think that this was¡­ supernatural?¡± Keira couldn¡¯t really say that she had a magic detector on her wrist. And even if she could, she couldn¡¯t really prove it.

    ¡°Well the duplicate person was the first thing, there¡¯s also the fact that she made no sound getting in and out of the car and her conversation with Archer was incredibly strange.¡±

    ¡°And? Be realistic here Keira. None of that sounds like something out of the ordinary. Twins exist, and they can work the same job if they want to. Or maybe they were just too people who looked similar, that can happen you know. Especially if it was in the dark. And you know what? Their faces probably didn¡¯t need to be similar either. Same hair colour and style in the dark? Yeah, you could mistake the two, particularly if one of the people you¡¯re looking at never left the van.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? What about everything else?¡±

    ¡°Everything else? What everything else? The fact that the two women looked similar was the best thing you had and it¡¯s incredibly flimsy.¡±

    ¡°The conversation? The fact that she disappeared?!¡± Keira raised her voice a little too much on her last question and it shattered the comfortable silence in the caf¨¦. Those around her sent silent glares. She took in a deep breath and sat back down.

    ¡°Yes, Keira.¡± She noticed that Iris had taken a gentler tone as well, ¡°the conversation is easily the most normal part of your encounter.¡±

    ¡°So you admit that it¡¯s strange?¡±

    ¡°Keira! I am not your enemy here! Stop trying to catch me out in a gotcha moment.¡± Iris sighed again and took a moment. ¡°Though, I will admit, it is a little out of the ordinary.¡±

    ¡°You say you¡¯re not my enemy but you¡¯re not listening to me Iris.¡±

    ¡°I am. Keira¡­ I am. I just. It¡¯s delusional, and I don¡¯t want to fuel that.¡± Keira tried to hide the hurt that she felt. She could truly understand that, but this¡­ wasn¡¯t just her.

    ¡°Morgan saw her disappear too.¡±

    ¡°It was early morning. You aren¡¯t getting enough sleep anyway and Morgan is prone to conspiracy theories. Of course he¡¯d take the first excuse to say that something exciting is happening here.¡±

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Morgan¡¯s vaguely offended voice tuned in from the side. Neither of them paid him any mind.

    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, you might have missed when she entered and exited the car. That maybe you weren¡¯t in the right head space to notice the small details like that. I get that it¡¯s been stressful for you, but you don¡¯t need to obsess over this anymore. It¡¯s doing you some serious harm. Just get some sleep, relax, me and Morgan will help with your work and whatever else comes up.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Morgan tuned in from the side again. Once again, he went ignored.

    ¡°I care about you Keira. I just want what¡¯s best for you.¡±

    ¡°I know¡­ I appreciate it¡­¡± Iris didn¡¯t want to help them with anything it seemed. It was fine, Keira knew that it wasn¡¯t malicious, and it was a slightly enviable position. Not being deep enough in the situation to be able to deny the reality of it. A silence came over the conversation, one which Morgan broke by clearing his throat to catch their attention.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to go and get a milkshake. Do you guys want anymore?¡± Keira nodded along with Iris and they watched as he stood up to go and get refills. Then the two of them sat in more silence. The longer it went on, the more awkward it got, and the more Keira realised how little they had talked with each other recently. Her eyes drifted to the door of the caf¨¦ which wasn¡¯t hard as Keira had sat on a chair facing it. It also gave her a nice view of the outside as the caf¨¦ front also sported a very nice, large window. After a moment it seemed that the quietness got too much for Iris as she pulled out her phone and began to scroll. Before too much time passed however, she straightened up slightly and cracked a smile.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Hey Keira. You know that shitty Desert Gifts company that we were studying in geography?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ Yeah? What about it?¡±

    ¡°Well their financial woes have now been fixed.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that bad news?¡±

    ¡°Nope! Because the way it was fixed was by being bought out by an up and coming competitor called Lucien Magri. And, get this, he was born in a small town in Cascano. It¡¯s pretty inspiring if you think about it.¡±

    ¡°Oh joy. You¡¯ve replaced one snake with another.¡±

    ¡°You do not get to disrespect Lucien like that! He-¡° Iris began scrolling through her phone at a rapid pace before stopping and blinking in surprise. ¡°He¡¯s donated thousands to environmental preservation charities and takes extra care when moving the product, taking far more safety measures than necessary-¡° Iris continued to read from a list that was on her phone, and Keira couldn¡¯t help but sigh.

    ¡°Okay. He¡¯s a good guy, you can stop now.¡± Iris glared at her and continued to read until something stopped her again.

    ¡°Good looking one too.¡± She then showed Keira a photo. A pretty generic tanned man with black hair and stubble along his jawline. She shrugged.

    ¡°Objectively speaking.¡±  Iris rolled her eyes and continued to scroll and continued to do so even when Morgan came back with their drinks. He shared a look with Keira and she paused briefly before offering a shrug. He gave her a tight smile and sat down opposite Keira, putting them on the table. Since he was sitting down opposite Keira, he had his back to the door, as did Iris, so neither of them really noticed who walked in next. Amelie Cross still had atrocious taste in fashion, as far as Keira was concerned. She was still sporting that leather skirt and had a zebra striped shirt tucked into it. Though even if it seemed like her fashion taste had stayed the same, that mean look in her eyes had somehow gotten worse. Amelie''s gaze landed on them almost immediately and instead of walking to the counter she walked over to their table instead.

    "''Sup bitches. You been having fun while I''ve been away?" Even though the statement had been said to the group at large, Amelie was looking straight at Iris. This was made clearer when she put her back to Keira, her hand on the table and leaned on it. Forming a sort of wall between them.

    "More than you could imagine." This statement was said with enough dryness to rival a desert. She was almost impressed with her friend. Keira decided to stay out of it for now. It didn¡¯t seem like Amelie was too interested in her yet, and one quick look at Morgan told her that he was thinking the same thing.

    "Well that''s a shame. I was hoping to swing in here and rescue you from that boring life she-" Amelie nodded towards Keira, "seems to like so much." Amelie smirked a little and fully turned to face Keira. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve suddenly sprouted a little rebellious streak.¡±

    ¡°I once stayed up half an hour past my bedtime.¡± Keira¡¯s response had the smug look fade from Amelie¡¯s mouth a little. She then huffed and turned her attention back to Iris.

    ¡°So, what do you say? Come hang out with me for a bit? I¡¯ll even introduce you to my new boyfriend. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get along great.¡±

    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ve heard Archer¡¯s a bit underwhelming, and I don¡¯t want to do anything you class as fun anymore.¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Seriously? It¡¯s only been about ten weeks since we stopped doing stuff together. I hadn¡¯t realised Keira¡¯s stuck upness was so contagious.¡± She emphasised her point by edging away from Keira slightly, causing Morgan to look mildly amused. He was probably glad that he was being completely left out of this. Iris looked like she was about to interject, but then Amelie raised her eyebrows as if something had just hit her. ¡°Me and Archer are not dating.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t try to deny it. Everyone knows you and Archer have been skipping around town, arm in arm. Besides I was friends with Keira long before I was friends with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh really? The way I remember it you completely abandoned her to be friends with me very quickly, but hey, I don¡¯t blame the act. I¡¯d be embarrassed too if I kept ditching my friends for these two, only to find out that they kind of suck all over again. That¡¯s what happened with Imogen after all, and it¡¯s what you¡¯re doing with me.¡± Morgan¡¯s vaguely entertained expression fell. Keira wanted to smirk at the sudden change in Morgan¡¯s demeanour, but the strike that Amelie had gone for was low. She didn¡¯t need to feign her offence as she glared at Amelie. She carried on talking though, either ignorant to the stares around her or not caring about them. ¡°I mean seriously out of all the replacements you chose her?"

    ¡°She¡¯s not your replacement. That¡¯s not how friends work, believe it or not.¡±

    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that I think you¡¯re a little too good to be sitting with this idiot. You¡¯re smarter, better looking and have far superior hobbies. Like that cross-country running club you go to. Say, isn¡¯t it on tomorrow evening? How about we go there tomorrow, like old times?¡±

    ¡°The only reason I went to those things was because you did and I wanted you to like me. I don¡¯t need to do that anymore because I¡¯ve realised how much of a raging bitch you are.¡± Amelie¡¯s face contorted into something resembling rage, before she smoothed it down again.

    ¡°Yeah right. I bet you¡¯re only scared because it¡¯ll be the four-week anniversary of Keira getting attacked.¡±

    ¡°Go away Amelie. I¡¯m tired of dealing with you, much like everyone else here.¡±

    ¡°Sure. Believe what you want. I¡¯ll always be there for you when you get bored of these¡­ people.¡± Keira was almost impressed with the disdain that Amelie managed to refer to them with, but she stopped leaning on the table and went to the counter to get two sandwiches to go. When she received them Keira noticed that she scrunched up her nose when she looked in the bag, however she still left once she got it.

    ¡°What a piece of work.¡± Muttered Iris.

    ¡°Yep. Can¡¯t believe that you put up with her, no matter how short the friendship was.¡± She nodded in response to Keira.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it myself¡­¡± Iris¡¯ gaze followed Amelie before she turned it back to Keira. ¡°Look. About what I said earlier, this¡­ supernatural thing you¡¯ve got going on. I won¡¯t say that I believe you about it, but I am here for you if you want to talk about it. I won¡¯t say anything else negative about it, I¡¯ll even help with research if it¡¯ll make you feel better. We could even talk more about it tomorrow!¡±

    ¡°Aha. I appreciate it, but I¡¯m busy tomorrow. I have this fundraiser on that lasts the whole day. On my feet too.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ sounds fun?¡± Keira hoped that the dead look she gave Iris conveyed her opinion. ¡°Well, we could talk about it the day after. Before school? Or we could talk about it in a couple of weeks on the geography trip. The journey there is going to be pretty long. Plenty of talking time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Geography trip?¡±

    ¡°You forgot, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy! Besides. It¡¯s not like I have to remember much. Maybe to wear appropriate shoes for pebble beaches.¡± The look that Iris gave her was incredibly flat. In the end though she sighed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for being tired and forgetting. Let¡¯s just talk about something else for now. Like how you said you once stayed up half and hour past your bed time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, are you going to tell me off.¡±

    ¡°Yes, how dare you lie. You stay up at least an hour past it consistently.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s move on to something a little more bearable please.¡± Keira felt herself relax when the table laughed around her, and ended up smiling as well. While Iris didn¡¯t seem to believe her, at least she had the support of her friends, and that made her happy.

 Chapter 12

    Keira did not want to do her fundraising that day. She was pretty tired from the previous day, as socialising was hard, and now she would have to stay on her feet for the entire day packing bags. Her father was supposed to be the one driving her to the store, one which was situated in a slightly larger town and surrounded by a few smaller ones and plenty of moorland. The sky was overcast, which was pretty ordinary considering the country they lived in. As it was a long drive however, Keira was trapped, and that was something her father took full advantage of.

    ¡°You know that Grandma is currently in hospital, right?¡±

    ¡°I know¡­ What about it?¡± He sighed and drummed his fingers on the edges of the steering wheel before indicating and making a right.

    ¡°We¡¯re putting her in a home.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I know. I know. But after her assessment at the hospital she¡¯s been deemed too physically frail to look after herself and we don¡¯t have the skills to look after her properly. Nor the time.¡±

    ¡°Grandma hates homes! How could we put her in one?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the only option we have.¡±

    ¡°I meant physically. She won¡¯t go without a fight.¡± Her father paused before smiled slightly, nodding as he took a left.

    ¡°Good point there. I think I¡¯ll try to turn on my son charms.¡±

    ¡°The most tried and true method. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯ll go over great.¡±

    ¡°In the meantime, that means that we¡¯re going to have to help move her out. Clean the bungalow and take anything that might be valuable.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like we¡¯re robbing her.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not robbing her Keira. We¡¯re just making sure we¡¯re not leaving anything irreplaceable behind or sell it by accident. She¡¯ll get some of the things that we don¡¯t sell such as photos, small ornaments and maybe a tea set. Although there¡¯s this really nice tea set that I¡¯m not giving up on¡­¡± He trailed off and Keira took the opportunity to interject again.

    ¡°At least we won¡¯t have to clean up much. She was always very particular about how she ran the house.¡±

    ¡°Oh gods was she ever. At least you didn¡¯t have to grow up with her. I love her, but the amount of time I spent trying to keep things up to her standards was insane.¡± He sighed and pulled into the carpark of the store. ¡°You have your uniform?¡±

    ¡°Yep, even the belt. I am good to go.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to look friendly! The trick is to pretend that you enjoy standing on your feet helping people with packing their bags for eight hours!¡± Keira held a thumbs up in the air in response and then adjusted her sleeve when her arm came back down in order to hide the mark. Briefly she had debated putting bandages over the symbol, but she figured that it might draw more attention to it than not and withheld.

    The store itself was medium-sized, compared to some of the ones she had been in when she was in the city, and the entire front of it was covered in windows that stretched from the floor to the roof. Each of them were incredibly polished, and most likely would have reflected the sun had it been out. She approached the automatic glass door and then something flashed a vibrant red in the reflection as it retracted. Keira cast her eyes downward to the mat that was on floor and pointedly ignored the windows as she walked into the store. Her eyes stayed on the floor until her feet hit polished linoleum. Then she saw it again. In the reflection she saw another red butterfly, stuck on the ceiling staring down at her with those markings on its wings. With a wince she looked up and instead focused on the inside of the store, hoping that it didn¡¯t stock any mirrors. It was fairly quiet, there were a few people browsing the vegetables and a few more changing aisles, so it didn¡¯t look like she would be too busy that morning. There were only about four cashiers active, with one scanning items and the other chatting with the three people that had arrived before Keira. Then she paused and her eyes widened. Her eyes met Naima¡¯s. And both of them scowled.

    She walked up to the row of cashiers and the man who was organising the whole thing, having the group emblem on his chest he was easy to spot. Especially as he¡¯d put himself in the centre of tills that were already manned with people. One of which being Naima. His eyes lit up as he spotted Keira approaching, and he gestured to the empty till next to Naima. He then gave her the essential run down, most of which was common sense. Such as ask them if they want help to pack their groceries before trying to pack them, and don¡¯t put things like bread on the bottom. Then he gestured to the register next to Naima and left her to her own devices.

    As it was quiet this usually involved chatting with the people working the registers and each other, though Naima had a particularly strange pastime which involved staring at her. Though it didn¡¯t seem hostile despite the initial glare. In fact her expressions bordered on concerned. In the times that Keira had been looking over anyway. There could be death glares when she¡¯s not looking. Eventually whatever was bothering Naima boiled over, and during a particularly quiet section of the morning, she stepped closer.

    "H-hey, Keira? I am sorry about blowing up at you when we first met. I talked with some people in school about you and apparently it wasn''t as one-sided as Paige made it seem."

    "What wasn''t one-sided?"

    "The¡­ meanness? Is that an accurate way to describe it?"

    "It''s an accurate way of describing how Paige acted towards me. I don''t remember ever retaliating though." Naima scowled.

    "You know the least you could do is own up to it."

    "I would if I had ever done anything, but I haven''t." Naima rolled her eyes and almost went to the other side of her till, but Keira spoke again. "I appreciate the apology, though."

    "Yeah. You''re welcome. How did you and Paige fall out anyway? It sounded like you were best friends when you were younger." Keira shrugged her shoulders. It was fortunate that it was still early in the morning, so there weren''t enough people around to bother them.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "I don''t know. I wouldn''t say it was a massive climactic fight where we realised we hated each other, but there may have been a turning point."

    "When?"

    "Well, most likely when she accused me of stealing her grandmother¡¯s necklace. Most of the stuff before that was minor, so I didn''t really think it was that important. Maybe I should have."

    "Everyone has been saying that the necklace was lost and you had nothing to do with it. I mean I wasn¡¯t really willing to believe you by yourself, but I¡¯ve talked to loads of people who have said that it wasn¡¯t you. So, maybe if we explained-"

    "Just because you misunderstood it, doesn''t mean she did. I''m fairly certain that it was malicious."

    "You don''t know that for certain. I just feel like it''s a shame to throw such a friendship away over something that could have been entirely avoided."

    "Again, that wasn''t the only thing. There were other smaller signs as well that lead up to it."

    "Still. Maybe it''s worth a shot? Things might go differently if I''m there, since we''re technically friends and all..."

    "Good optimism. Still won''t change anything." Naima stood there awkwardly for a little bit before changing the subject.

    "Speaking of trying again... could we try again? Since we''re going to be on this trip together and all, I feel like we should be on better terms."

    "I don''t see why not." Keira hadn''t made new friends in a while, sans the ones currently stalking her, so she was a little uncertain on how to handle the situation. The default diplomatic route hadn''t failed her yet though. "Hi, my name is Keira. It''s nice to meet you. Definitely for the first time." Naima stared at her for a little while before bursting into giggles.

    "I''m Naima and it''s also really nice to meet you."

    "Fantastic. Do you have any hobbies aside from standing around in a supermarket the entire day?¡±

    "Yep. My most recent interest has been in Furda, which I think is pretty common around here." Keira nodded her head slightly.

    "Any particular reason it resonates with you so much?"

    "I guess I just like the idea of nature spirits looking after the world. And respecting the fae, that''s a pretty large part of it too.¡±

    ¡°Respecting the fae¡­ So do you leave offerings often? Or is it more of a lip service type deal?¡±

    ¡°Both!¡± Naima looked rather offended for a moment, before it sank into a small frown. ¡°Though Dad says that it¡¯s wasteful to leave things like alcohol and food outside. The best I can manage are a few flowers.¡±

    ¡°¡­You know I think the Wanderer¡¯s Flame has a fae in it.¡± Naima¡¯s expression fell even further.

    ¡°Clearly it¡¯s an exaggerated account of what a wanderer¡¯s lantern would do!¡± She must have caught sight of Keira¡¯s vaguely confused expression, as suddenly she launched into a tirade. ¡°The biggest sign is that the book describes the main character as moving all across the world and wanderer¡¯s lanterns are known to only appear in highly specific areas and to stick to them. And blaming it for ruining his life? They only lure people to their deaths, not ruin everything around them. They don¡¯t talk and they don¡¯t try to make deals. The author-¡°

    ¡°I understand. Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, it seems like a stupid comparison. It was clearly a method to make an allegory about greed.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Silence descended upon them again, and Keira found herself struggling to break it. Then something occurred to her.

    ¡°I noticed that you were going through some cards at the campsite clean-up.¡± Naima¡¯s expression brightened up again.

    ¡°Oh those! I got them a while back when I had a small interest in the mystical. Did you hear the explanation?¡± Keira nodded, she remembered it having to do with foresight or something. ¡°I have them with me now, if you want to have a look?¡± When Keira nodded again, she pulled out a box that must''ve been hiding in her back pocket and opened it to remove the cards from it. Even though Keira had seen Naima flick through them briefly, she never really got a close look. The fronts of them were decorated with beautiful pictures in vibrant colours and surprising amount of detail. However, even though the glimpse she got was brief, the backs were what caught her eye.

    "Hey, could you turn these over?"

    "Sure?" When she did so Keira got a clearer view of the backs. They were a muddy brown that were a brighter colour in the middle than towards the edge, but the pattern they sported caught her eye. It was an array of circles; some were interlocking in groups while others were on their own and off towards the edge. There were a few lines connecting the lone circles to the clusters, with a few lines going through them. It was interesting to look at, but more importantly to Kiera, they looked very familiar. She couldn''t pin down from where though. The recognition tickled the back of her mind, but the memory never came to the forefront of her mind.

    "Are you okay?" Keira realised that she had been staring at them for maybe a little too long. She laughed a little and scratched the back of her head, mostly to get rid of that itch.

    "Yeah, I just got a little distracted. Could you tell me what language those patterns are in?" Naima''s brow furrowed.

    "She didn''t say it was any language in particular... Though I never really paid that much attention. Honestly I just think that the company made it up."

    "R-right. Which company is it, if you don''t mind me asking?"

    "I think their name is AnnointAllure? They do scented oils and candles as well as the more occult things."

    "That''s a multi-level marketing scheme... Are you trying to sell me something?"

    "I know that and I''m not shilling their stuff. I just really liked these."

    "Where, or who, did you buy them from?"

    "My friend was a part of the scheme; she knew that I''m interested in this sort of thing and told me about it."

    "Was this part of a recruitment thing? Like ''hey, you like our products so why not sell them'' sort of thing?"

    "No. I mean yes. But it was kind of proposed as the solution to all of my problems, not only the financial ones."

    "That¡­ I feel like you should get your friend out of it, it sounds really unhealthy."

    "Oh, no. She''s out now. Kind of depressed about it because a lot of her other friends were a part of it and now they don''t really talk to her anymore, but we still talk."

    "I''m s- Uh. Is AnnointAllure both a multi-level marketing scheme and a cult? Because that sounds incredibly cult like."

    "I think it might be."

    "Wow."

    "Yeah. I don¡¯t even think the leader needs the company as he also moonlights as an artist for the upper class and makes a killing off of them. In fact, I¡¯m fairly certain that he was the one who drew the pictures on the cards.¡± Keira hummed and at the mention of the cards, reached out to touch them. As her skin began prickle when her fingers brushed the backs, she pulled them back quickly.

    ¡°I guess I can understand getting them. Aside from supporting your friend. Could I use them?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. Only I¡¯m supposed to use them.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Keira felt like she did a good job of hiding her disappointment. ¡°So you pay respects to the fae, but what about those nature spirits you mentioned? Or are those the same thing?¡±

    ¡°Fae are a subsection of nature spirits, but while you¡¯re supposed to pay respect to nature as a whole, it¡¯s less important to leave offerings as they¡¯re more neutral. I¡¯ve still tried to do my due diligence though. Since respecting nature spirits extends to nature itself, I¡¯ve been learning more about plants and animals. There are loads of interesting facts I¡¯ve found, for example, animals are surprisingly smart. Crows have been known to remember kind treatment and return the favour, and otters on average are about as smart as a human toddler.¡±

    "As opposed to a¡­ non-human toddler.¡± Naima gave Keira a look. ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of another animal in time to make the quip.¡± She cleared her throat awkwardly. ¡°In any case, that''s actually pretty interesting. Do you know anymore facts?" Naima nodded enthusiastically and continued naming various animal facts, which Keira paid attention to as she began helping some people with their bags. They ended up chatting for the rest of the day, which helped pass the time during the quieter times and they ended up trading numbers after the fundraiser was over. Keira wondered whether she could ask Naima for her knowledge on the fae, as she might have a small issue with them. She sent an introductory text and a couple of questions before climbing into the car and setting off back home.

 Chapter 13

    ¡°You¡¯re back late. Or early. Can never tell when it gets to these hours.¡± Marshall hadn¡¯t expected much when he walked into the office of Seth Lawson the day after forensics initially arrived on scene, but somehow he became disappointed when he saw Maxwell Weil in the chair behind the desk. Feet up and propped against it. It only worsened his mood.

    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of perspective. Were you concerned?¡±

    ¡°Oh no. You¡¯re a big man with a big job. You can handle yourself. Though it does mean that missed catching up on some¡­ events.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to catch me up then. Before that however, I need to catch you up on some developments on my end.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Such as what?¡± Marshall sighed and sat himself in the armchair in the corner of the office, the cushion making a soft sighing sound as he did so. Then leaned forward and braced his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face slightly.

    ¡°There¡¯s a suspected parasite in the area.¡± Maxwell paused, then took his feet off of the desk and also leaned forwards. He didn¡¯t say anything, he just waited for Marshall to continue. ¡°I¡­ there have been three cases found, which we took care of, but there is a suspected source, a nest, which we haven¡¯t found yet.¡±

    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± Weil¡¯s voice was weak, and barely broke the silence in the air. He leaned back again and rubbed his face as well. ¡°What a time as well. Will we need to be pulled from our current case?¡±

    ¡°No. The information I gave about ours was enough evidence to cause concern with the higher ups, but if the situation worsens, we may have to be pulled out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well it certainly makes my news look pathetic.¡± Maxwell managed a weak laugh and Marshall internally applauded him for it.

    ¡°Already good news then. Ready when you are.¡±

    ¡°First things first, we have a witness, Keira, saying that she saw Archer going through Seth¡¯s office looking for something. Here¡¯s the thing, she¡¯s the only witness. No one else in the station mentioned seeing either of them.¡±

    ¡°I see. Did you pick up any residue of anything when you were walking to the station afterwards?¡±

    ¡°No. If there was anything it must have faded before I arrived.¡± Marshall furrowed his brow and drummed his fingers against his leg before nodding.

    ¡°Well we can¡¯t really do much about that. If he is the perpetrator then we¡¯d have to go off of more evidence then a single witness.¡±

    ¡°It would also make sense on why he would want to get rid of evidence though. And he is our most likely suspect. It would be a shame if an anonymous tip like that caused a house search.¡± Despite himself, Marshall found a smile forming on his face.

    ¡°You are right about that¡­ Hm. I suppose if we have a witness saying that they saw him in a place that he isn¡¯t supposed to be then it might be worth investigating. Nothing major. Take a few samples for forensics to compare with some taken from the scene.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. A house search shouldn¡¯t be out of the question.¡± He hummed noncommittedly and the room fell into uncomfortable silence again. Another question occurred to him.

    ¡°How did you hear about this anyway? Did you talk to Keira?¡±

    ¡°I did actually. And that wasn¡¯t the only thing she talked about as well. The other major worry she brought up was that recently she spotted a woman in formal dress following her around.¡± This gave Marshall pause.

    ¡°And what do you think that means?¡±

    ¡°Fae.¡±

    ¡°You think that the fae are after her? Why? And what did the¡­ person following her do?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s a definite possibility and if I had to guess, it would have something to do with the mark she has. Though for the moment, the woman seems to be keeping her distance. Supposedly.¡±

    ¡°Supposedly?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I entirely trust her testimony. Fae are very good at blending in with their surroundings and often use glamours and other tricks to do so. If she spotted a fae following her, it either meant that for some reason it wanted her to notice it, or it didn¡¯t just stay at a distance and instead approached her. In which case, she would be lying to us for some reason.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I suppose in that case we would also have to figure out why she would want to lie to us.¡±

    ¡°There are no good outcomes that I can think of if that truly is the situation. And I¡¯m too cynical to hope for one of those good ones.¡±

    ¡°The only question is, what do we do about it?¡± Maxwell was quiet for a long time, as was Marshall. He had a small idea of what Maxwell might say, but it would still be better to ask him upfront.

    ¡°Well¡­ If you were to ask me, I would say nothing at the moment. We¡¯re currently investigating her kidnapping and she has a vested interest in the case coming to a close, so she won¡¯t interfere with that. Once we do have it solved¡­ it might be worth looking into that mark a little more. As well as pushing Keira a little more. I don¡¯t want to say we should stay after the case, because I am getting a little antsy, but¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. Speaking of which, didn¡¯t you get an expert to look at the mark on her wrist?¡±

    ¡°I did, and oddly enough, she didn¡¯t know what it does. Or more accurately, what made it.¡±

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t recognise it?¡±

    ¡°Again, not entirely. She recognises as the template is the same that is used on contracts from a certain group of entities. She says that marks like that are a way to siphon power from separate dimensions onto this one, and typically retain a trace of being that offered it, but she doesn¡¯t know the exact nature of the entity that gave Keira hers. Then she went on to say that since she doesn¡¯t recognise that symbol in particular, it hasn¡¯t had many dealings with people through history. It hasn¡¯t left its mark on the world. Which, apparently, leads to three conclusions. The first two are the most likely ones. It¡¯s either too weak and wasn¡¯t worth of anyone¡¯s time to make a deal with, or its too young for there to be a large enough record of it. She says she¡¯s leaning towards the former as even ¡®young upstarts¡¯ have some record.¡±

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    ¡°What about the third?¡± Marshall asked with a hint of exasperation.

    ¡°The third option she gave was extremely descriptive. ¡®Something weird has happened,¡¯ she said.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Useful. So what was the final verdict on the mark? Do we need to keep Keira in custody?¡±

    ¡°Without knowing the exact entity that made the mark, she says it¡¯s a big gamble on what Keira is offering and what she gets in return. If it was one of the bigger names then she would have recommended disposal, but since she doesn¡¯t know it, cautious surveillance may be more appropriate. Even if she can¡¯t recognise it as something inherently harmful, we can¡¯t let our guards down considering the average nature of what makes those deals.¡±

    ¡°What sort of thing could Keira be offering that doesn¡¯t warrant immediate detention?¡±

    ¡°From my previous dealings it¡¯s mostly the latent power in other people. Essentially a number of sacrifices. Or sacrifices at regular periods.¡± Marshall frowned and turned his eyes downwards to the floor again before Maxwell continued. ¡°That¡¯s from my personal experience. The expert says that since she made it for her own survival, it won¡¯t be after her power, and it might not be after other people¡¯s. Some just want things.¡±

    ¡°Things?¡± Marshal repeated, eyebrow raised.

    ¡°Yep. Information, other supernatural beings, objects of power¡­ that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°So there is a chance that what she has to do or get doesn¡¯t pose a threat to other humans.¡±

    ¡°A chance.¡± Marshall leaned back in his chair and contemplated another option that he had heard of.

    ¡°Is there a chance that it could be going for a summoning?¡± Weil stayed quiet. ¡°Maxwell¡­¡±

    ¡°Those only happen if both the being and the practitioners involved have enough power. I don¡¯t think that Keira has enough power to take something from its home dimension to this one. In fact, I don¡¯t think that any one person can summon something by themselves. And again, there is a high likelihood that the being itself is too weak to support the summoning anyway.¡±

    ¡°I can think of a few particularly dangerous¡­ people, that could summon something without help. Though I suppose that I would hesitate to call them people.¡±

    ¡°Could we please call them people?¡± Despite the heavy atmosphere, Marshall found himself huffing out a laugh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discount the option though; we should keep it on our minds so we can act if it is the case.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t want to take action?¡±

    ¡°You know why I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± Marshall let out a deep sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that to someone unless I absolutely have to. Especially when she has already been through so much.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for the best, Marshall. We can¡¯t balance the needs of few against the needs of many.¡± Marshall levelled a glare at Weil, who looked away and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Either way, it would be for the best if we put a detail on her.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± Maxwell¡¯s head snapped forward towards Marshall.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°We have a potential parasite infestation, remember? Any and all spare personnel are being dedicated towards that.¡±

    ¡°¡­What about some of the normal officers here? Say that we¡¯re afraid that the kidnapper will strike again and that she needs protection.¡±

    ¡°Do you trust them to handle a supernatural situation with the amount of delicacy required for there to be no casualties?¡± Maxwell pursed his lips and nodded slowly.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. Though I would say that I trust a teen girl less.¡±

    ¡°That is also a good point¡­ So we assign an officer to her for her own safety and have them cover us while we can focus on arresting the person responsible for her situation. And if we can get the person responsible, she might trust us to help get her out of whatever deal she has.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten progress on gaining her trust. She has my number and said that she¡¯ll contact me if she¡¯s in trouble.¡± Marshall nodded slowly before pausing, eyes widening.

    ¡°Did you give her your personal number?¡± Weil froze and made to stand up.

    ¡°It¡¯s been a long day and I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t slept in a long time I better get going-¡°

    ¡°You gave a victim your personal number?! Do you have no respect for protocol?¡± Maxwell opened his mouth before Marshall cut him off again. ¡°No, of course you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not a free agent anymore, Weil. You don¡¯t get to disregard professionalism whenever it suits you.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t merely service me! It helps with the whole case. Keira¡¯s trust in us is vital in order to get to the bottom off this.¡±

    ¡°There are procedures for this for reasons Weil! To protect the victims, to protect the detectives- us. They are there to protect us, and you have just put-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, Marshall. I get it. You were with the military, you¡¯re used to following protocol and orders, but there¡¯s a usefulness to bending around those rules as well. You¡¯ve just got to give it a chance.¡±

    ¡°Those rules were there so that we could survive. Those protocols are responsible for keeping me alive during my time in the military. I realise that the threat is a lot less imminent than it used to be, but it is no less real. We need to be careful, and what you did was incredibly reckless.¡± Finally something seemed to get through to him. Maxwell sat down from his half crouch and propped his feet back up onto the desk, using the leverage to lean backwards and look at the ceiling.

    ¡°I can¡¯t take it back you know.¡±

    ¡°I know. I won¡¯t call this in with the higher ups. You¡¯re still new, they don¡¯t need to know.¡± Marshall cracked another small smile. ¡°And besides, it may yield some results. She now has a reliable way to contact us if she needs any help.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for looking on the bright side.¡± He nodded in response. ¡°Now that we have all of that out of the way, how should we¡­ conduct the search of Archer¡¯s house?¡±

    ¡°Personally, I think that you should handle the paperwork. Being that you have seniority here.¡±

    ¡°Really? I think you rookies should do more paperwork in order to make yourselves more reliable in the future. Good practise and all that.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I suppose if it¡¯s for the practise. It¡¯s fortunate that we don¡¯t need it any time soon, eh?¡±

    ¡°You know what? I¡¯ll handle it. You just need to look through the photos of the crime scene and make a list of items we need to look out for. Such as the paint used for the runes, any suspicious knives¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what to look out for. This isn¡¯t my first investigation.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± For a brief moment Maxwell looked like he was going to argue, but then he saw the look on Marshall¡¯s face.

    ¡°Very funny. When should we do the search?¡±

    ¡°As soon as possible. The paperwork should be processed in a few days, so it shouldn¡¯t be too long a wait.¡±

    ¡°That would make it a work day as well. The smaller the chance of Archer being there, the smaller the chance of him being in the way.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an added benefit. Also, Archer doesn¡¯t have a job.¡± When he glanced at Maxwell¡¯s face, he sighed. ¡°Did you even read his file?¡±

    ¡°I skimmed it. If he doesn¡¯t have a job though, how was he living when he wasn¡¯t at his parents house? Were they giving him a large enough allowance that he could survive on his own?¡±

    ¡°Neither of them have that high paying jobs though.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll add it to the interrogation list.¡± Marshall glared at him. ¡°What? It could be financial fraud. It¡¯s a very big crime you know. Worthy of jail time.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Now move along. I¡¯m guessing you haven¡¯t gotten much sleep recently either.¡± Maxwell nodded then made to stand up again, and this time Marshall didn¡¯t stop him. Nor did he when Weil finally left the room. With a sigh Marshall stood up and placed himself behind the desk, fishing out some documents and other pieces of paper, and preparing himself for a long day of work.

 Chapter 14

    It had come as a shock to many when news of Gallagher¡¯s death broke. Euan had read around the circumstances of the death and concluded that they were extremely suspicious, though he hadn¡¯t needed to. An exploding car could hardly be called usual, even if said car remains were found at the bottom of a steep cliff. Nevertheless, he had found himself invited to the funeral and the will hearing afterwards with other members of Gallagher¡¯s family. He had been labelled as a co-worker, to his knowledge, but he knew just how much more he was. Euan owed Gallagher for his interest in the supernatural, he owed him it because of that night three years ago and he owed it to him for every subsequent investigation that took place. The sorrow he felt at the news of Gallagher¡¯s demise was indescribable.

    He walked through the reception and met many other funeral goers in the shelter. Much like everybody else in the room he had adhered to the requested dress code of formal dress, with the colour black noted as a preference. This too extended to the umbrella¡¯s that they had with them, though that was for later and if the weather hadn¡¯t held up. When the body was going to be put into the ground. His eyes scanned the foyer, to see if he could pick out any familiar faces amongst the crowd. Gallagher¡¯s family he already knew, as well as some of the other contractors that he preferred, but there were one or two that stood out as having followed the dress code a little too perfectly. Some had long dark trench coats and others merely wore dark grey shirts under their black suits. All of them sported some variation of hat and sunglasses. None of them intermingled with the other guests and mostly stuck to the edges of the foyer in their own isolated groups. Occasionally eyeing crowd but talking amongst themselves for the majority of the time. There was one in particular that caught his attention though.

    At the furthest edge of the room there was a woman in a long, hooded coat and wearing sunglasses. Such a familiar figure that Euan could have recognised her anywhere. He walked towards her corner of the room, which was even more out the way then the other strange men and stood beside her. Though it had been a few years since their initial meeting, they had met a couple of times afterwards, never trading more than a sentence which was what he assumed had happened with Gallagher. If she was at the funeral though, he may have been mistaken.

    ¡°I thought you handled situations so something like this may never happen.¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    ¡°When we first met, you said that you would handle those men by the barrow. It seems that you may have failed.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ It was an oversight on my part. I had thought that I had grown enough to not have friends die like this¡­ I was complacent. If you are concerned about your own safety however, this was not an outcome of that meeting.¡±

    ¡°No, it has been too much time between then and now, but it was the outcome of another.¡± Liselotte sighed and finally turned her face to Euan. He could see the runes that were still on her cheekbones, the glasses did not do a good job of hiding them. Though with the distance she was keeping, he supposed that she didn¡¯t have to. He noted that now he was closer, it was clearer the umbrella had a pattern printed on it, but as it was closed he didn¡¯t know what the pattern looked like.

    ¡°You are more at risk talking to me here then you ever were on those missions.¡± She jerked her head towards some of the groups of men that were now looking over to him. He shifted slightly, becoming a little unsettled.

    ¡°Are these men apart of the same organisation? And what are they doing here?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re actually from a variety of organisations. I can recognise a few from previous dealings, but for others I would have to guess. As for why they¡¯re here¡­ I¡¯d guess that they each have their own purposes, mostly to keep an eye on the crowd to see who may be classed as an ally of Gallagher and if they may or may not be a threat. However, I can think of a few alternative motives.¡±

    ¡°Ah. I suppose it¡¯s not a good idea for me to be talking to you then. That still doesn¡¯t explain why you¡¯re here. Were you invited as one of his friends? To inherit his notes on the supernatural?¡±

    ¡°No. I believe you¡¯re slated to get those notes. My reason for being here may match a few others. Essentially to make sure that nothing¡­ unusual happens.¡±

    ¡°Unusual?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Like the man crawling out of his coffin during the service.¡±

    ¡°Ha. Very funny.¡±

    ¡°I am not joking.¡± Euan peeked around at her face and noted the flatness of it, plain to see even with her sunglasses covering a large portion of it.

    ¡°So you¡¯re actually being serious?¡± He tried extremely hard to keep the hint of incredulity out of his voice.

    ¡°Deadly. While the man who did it could hardly be classified as a human, it caused so much of a stir that when major figures in the field die, every organisation now sends people to check that they go into the ground and stay there.¡±

    ¡°One man broke out of a coffin during a funeral and suddenly everyone is paranoid?¡± Liselotte turned to Euan entirely.

    ¡°How many funerals have you been to where the corpse rises out of the coffin and starts egging the guests?¡±

    ¡°He did what?¡±

    ¡°He egged the guests. More specifically, his business competitors whom he invited and promised a portion of his company to in his will if they arrived. Sat them all on the front row. Possibly cursed them as well, seeing as they all died soon after.¡± Euan blinked a couple of times before getting his thoughts back on the right track.

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why there are people attending Gallagher¡¯s funeral.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Right. I believe it¡¯s because this was a murder, much like what people tried to do with Kheka. If he rises then the various organisations can work to their own goals, whether they be to protect him or to finish the job.¡±

    ¡°What would you say that the chances of him not being dead would be?¡±

    ¡°Again, the man who did it originally was hardly human and he is one of the biggest figures in the field. When I finally got to talk to him about it he said that he was testing his cult members to see whether they were loyal or not. So unless Gallagher had set up significant protections, made a cult and stopped being human in the five months since I had last met him, then the chances are zero.¡±

    ¡°He had a cult.¡±

    ¡°Still does.¡±

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    ¡°And a portion of his pretending to be dead plan was to see whether or not they cared about him enough?¡±

    ¡°In his defence, I believe it was a requirement that they cared about him for the plan to work.¡±

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s people¡¯s general reaction to Kheka. It ended up working out for him in the end though, some used his absence to crawl out of the woodwork and when he resurfaced, they couldn¡¯t run back into hiding in time. In fact, that¡¯s why I believe he did it on purpose.¡±

    ¡°Arranged his own assassination, funeral and resurrection?¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not quite sure if I want to shake his hand or never meet him.¡±

    ¡°The latter would be best for you. In any case, you should go and talk to Harriet about the will and what he left you. You¡¯ve met her before haven¡¯t you?¡± Euan nodded, ¡°good, she should be over by the buffet.¡± Euan nodded in thanks and made to leave.

    ¡°Shall I see you again?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Then may I ask you one last question to help me on my research?¡± When Liselotte nodded he continued, ¡°how one may become more knowledgeable in the field?¡±

    ¡°Hm. The best way is to know someone who would be willing to pass on the information.¡±

    ¡°And you don¡¯t trust me enough to pass on anything?¡±

    ¡°Not that. The type of knowledge I possess is what lies beyond the veil, what makes its home in the cauldron of creation. You cannot use it to its full effectiveness, in no small part to your previous dabbling in another branch and also in the amount of humanity you have to sacrifice to get there.¡±

    ¡°You know about my experiments?¡±

    ¡°I can sense it on you, as other things can as well. There are not many constants among the beings that reside in a higher plane, but jealousy is ripe. You would be better off continuing down the path have already taken, and if you wish to become truly proficient, there are some neutral beings who like to trade information. But again, in my sincerest opinion, it would serve you better to find an expert to teach you.¡±

    ¡°Would the fae trade information?¡±

    ¡°No. The fae are hardly around these days and are something that I would hardly class as neutral. You would be lucky to summon one never mind one that would be willing to make a deal. In fact, I would advise against summoning one. They get tetchy easily.¡±

    ¡°You sound like you know from experience.¡± Liselotte glared at him, and Euan nodded in return, deciding that it would be a good time to take his leave.

    ¡°Goodbye and thank you for your assistance.¡± She nodded in return and left the man to find Harriet. Indeed he found her by the buffet table, she was currently organising the plates and scowled when someone took a napkin from the edge, tugging it roughly so almost the whole pile was scattered along the floor. She looked up when he approached.

    ¡°Mr. Aboret! How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°I think for today it would be better for me to help you.¡±

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t get started on that. I¡¯ve heard it enough from all of the other mourners.¡±

    ¡°My apologies then. I was told to come and talk to you about something Mr. Gallagher left me? Notes, I¡¯ve been told.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I take it that there was something for me then?¡±

    ¡°There was, but Father asked me to give it to you separate to the will reading, as soon as possible, as privately as possible.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did he give any particular reason?¡±

    ¡°Security. I¡¯ve got it in my car so it should only take a few minutes after they¡¯ve buried the body. Now excuse me, I need to make sure that the venue stays clean and the priest is comfortable. It would be a bad time to have to pay the security deposit over the booking costs.¡± She walked off to the side and left Euan by the buffet table.

    The rest of the funeral service proceeded as it had started, with little incident. The priest who was in grey robes with a decorative white flower sewn on his black sash said a few words of peaceful passing and death, and then the tearful speeches came. Euan would¡¯ve found it easier to focus on the service itself if he hadn¡¯t spied the various figures patrolling around the edge of the central crowd. Dark clad and sunglasses on. He didn¡¯t know when, but Liselotte left some time after they started piling the dirt into Gallagher¡¯s grave and the rest of the figures around the edge filtered out too. After the burial he found Harriet in a small crowd of mourners and they left quietly together. They walked together in silence, however he found that silence suffocating, so he figured that he should break it.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t realised that you brought in a Priest of Morsemt.¡±

    ¡°My father was a big Furdanist, so I thought it would be best to bring in one for the service, even if the rest of the service didn¡¯t traditionally follow their ritual.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he would have appreciated it anyhow.¡± They arrived at the car and she unlocked the back.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± She handed him a sizable book with plenty of pages sticking out of it and a worn old leather cover.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Euan made to take the book, but her grip was held fast on it.

    ¡°My father was an academic man, Mr. Aboret, and I have come to take it that you are one too. So imagine my surprise when I look through this book and find it filled with mentions of magic.¡±

    ¡°We are both fans of ancient culture and so I had expected him to leave me something like it.¡± Harriet pulled the book back and started to flick through it.

    ¡°This has no consistent mentions of culture, though. It jumps straight from something as defining as the Unantus Conquest to someone I¡¯ve never even heard of called the Keeper.¡±

    ¡°The Unantus Conquest is in there?¡± Euan couldn¡¯t quite keep the surprise out of his voice, and it seemed that it also caught Harriet¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Yes? Were you not expecting a book on ¡®ancient culture¡¯ to also cover ancient history?¡± There was no excuse that he could think of which would adequately appease Harriet. She continued on with what she was saying however, sparing him the pain. ¡°I shall say that the mentions of said conquest are extremely weird however. It focuses on the length of the campaign, almost five decades, and the constant level of efficiency no matter how many generals, soldiers, or leaders died, without taking into account any other environmental factors. There are many rambling notes and speculation that don¡¯t make much sense and that isn¡¯t even touching an extremely long-winded section speculating of the nature of the Madness of Unantus.¡±

    ¡°Maybe the author wanted to unbiasedly document the history and draw his own conclusions from what he was given. And I would say that the Madness was the most definitive cause of the downfall of the empire. With no apparent source, nothing could be noted except speculation. You can¡¯t leave it out, and you can¡¯t put it in without a few notes. In fact, it would be disappointing if that wasn¡¯t in there.¡± A beat passed. ¡°Did anything else stand out to you?¡± Harriet eyed him suspiciously before smiling slightly.

    ¡°I would have thought that you leave those sorts of questions to other academics.¡±

    ¡°I run a small motor business. I¡¯m not what you would call an academic.¡±

    ¡°Oh! So your interest is¡­ merely interest?¡± Euan nodded. ¡°My apologies for assuming then. You just went on so many expeditions with my father¡­ well, no matter. There was also quite a large section on the fae which surprised me less considering Aria¡¯s main religion.¡± And suddenly she had his attention.

    ¡°How did that catch your interest then?¡±

    ¡°A lot of the section centred specifically on a book called ¡®The Wanderer¡¯s Flame,¡¯ which I believe is supposed to be introduced into Aria¡¯s school curriculum soon? In any case, it¡¯s not the usual story academics look at for things like this.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that intriguing... Well as you can see it is a perfectly normal book on culture, so if could just take it for some light reading.¡± Harriet snickered a little bit and shut the book.

    ¡°This book is everything except light reading. It seems like I have to accept your claim for now, have fun reading it.¡± As Euan finally took the book Harriet spoke again. ¡°I enjoyed this conversation. We should have another one sometime.¡±

    ¡°I would prefer to meet under happier circumstances, however. I fear the sombre atmosphere has dampened my mood a tad.¡±

    ¡°I would be concerned if it hadn¡¯t.¡± Harriet sighed and leaned on the boot of her car. ¡°I thought that I would be able to handle today, to make everything run smoothly but¡­¡± She pulled out a tissue to quickly dry a fresh tear. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t just get that priest because I thought that it would honour his memory. Gallagher asked me to get him specifically, as if he knew that he was going to die soon. I remember that there was one day with him that I recall so vividly, partially because it was a week before he died and partially because it was just so¡­ memorable. I had just come back from my job at the library and decided to go and visit him¡­ and when I got there he was just sitting and staring at the mirror. Pale as a sheet. I asked him whether he was okay and he sort of laughed it off, saying that he thought he saw a ghost. I had laughed with him of course, what else could I do? Then he started talking about changing his will and his ideal funeral and I got scared. I asked him what sort of ghost he saw to worry him so much and he told me¡­ it was his.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Keira was glad to be settling into enough of a routine to be able to go to school again without panicking, though she refused to sit next to the window of the bus. It earned her a couple of weird looks from Morgan and Iris, but they knew that she had been through a lot recently. They didn¡¯t say anything, even after the first few days had passed, even as the week drew to a close. Her general paranoia had also mutated. Not only was she having to deal with eyes watching her through every single reflective surface, but now she felt like the police were watching her as well. At first there were only a few officers outside of the school when she originally went in, with the rumour amongst the student body that they were parking guards to keep the road clear. Then they started appearing in school, with the teachers telling them that they were there to stop any fights that might break out. Asking around told Keira all she needed to know about that excuse though. No one had been in any serious fights for years. Then they were across the street or sitting a couple of tables over in a caf¨¦ or walking just too close behind her. Granted those last examples had been done when they were in civilian clothes, with the only reason Keira recognising them being that they lived in the same small town and she knew them.

    She had tried to persuade herself that they were just going about their normal lives, much like she was pretending to, but as the week started coming to a close and those familiar faces persisted, Keira had to come to the conclusion that she was being watched. Well, being watched more than usual. It was freaking her out on some levels, having her privacy so procedurally stripped away from her, on others, it was nice to have a stalker that was physical and other people could see. It was that train of thought though that reminded her of her uniquely fucked up situation. The passing week had brought one positive with it.  Naima had been generally friendlier since their talk over the weekend, at first Keira thought that she would only be friendly in the morning, when she waved to her whilst getting on and off the bus. This was proven a little wrong though when during break after four days had passed, Naima approached them instead of going to sit with Paige and Imogen. This clearly surprised Morgan and Iris, who both took on slightly defensive stances as she got closer to them.

    ¡°Hi!¡±

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Iris¡¯s tone was hostile, and while Morgan didn¡¯t move to add anything, she could tell that he agreed with the sentiment. Keira blushed with embarrassment when Naima gave her a confused look. She had completely forgotten to tell them about her befriending over the weekend.

    ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t caught you guys up yet. Me and Naima did this thing together over the weekend and she apologised for how she acted, so we¡¯re on decent terms now.¡± Keira offered an apologetic smile to Naima, who nodded slightly in return.

    ¡°In that case then, we should introduce ourselves to her! Hi, my name is Morgan. I like history and conspiracy theories. My favourite colour is blue and while my favourite word is defenestration, I never get the right window of opportunity to use it.¡± There was a beat of silence where Kiera mused on how quickly Morgan seemed to have accepted Naima, but it was broken by Iris who still had a suspicious tone of voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m Iris and I don¡¯t accept this as genuine.¡± She turned to Keira. ¡°Do you seriously believe that she had a change of heart so quickly? I bet that she was put up to this by Paige to make you look like an idiot. And at the moment, it¡¯s working.¡±

    ¡°I do believe her, Iris. It seemed real when she did it, and she¡¯s making an effort afterwards.¡± Iris still didn¡¯t look like she believed Keira, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. Morgan took this as an opportunity to interject.

    ¡°So, what are you doing here anyway? Kind of a small place to move to so suddenly.¡± Naima¡¯s grimace, which had been on her face since Iris started talking, didn¡¯t dissipate. It merely morphed into something a little sadder.

    ¡°My parents are divorcing¡­ Dad kind of relied on Mum¡¯s income, so when they split he didn¡¯t have enough to keep the house. He decided to move back in with Grandad until he got his finances in order and the house has been sold.¡±

    ¡°The hermit is your grandfather?¡± Keira said, trying to keep the shock out of her voice.

    ¡°He adopted Dad ages ago.¡± None of the group lost their surprised expressions, but it did explain a few things. Naima laughed a little. ¡°I think he¡¯s a little happy about the divorce. He¡¯s now hoping Dad will accept to inherit the church and look after it after he¡¯s died.¡±

    ¡°You think he won¡¯t?¡± Naima shrugged at Keira¡¯s question.

    ¡°Even if he does, it¡¯s only kind of delaying the inevitable. The only person Dad could pass it onto to keep it in the family is me, and it¡¯ll probably stop at that.¡±

    ¡°A shame. Maybe you could turned into a Furdan temple instead of keeping it for the Order of Alzumah?¡±

    ¡°I mean that doesn¡¯t¡¯-¡° The bell rang and cut her off. ¡°Oh, I have history now. I¡¯ll see you around!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll come with!¡± Morgan called and rushed off to catch up with her. Iris and Keira looked at each other and Keira shrugged. Though Iris wasn¡¯t done with her yet.

    ¡°You¡¯re too trusting. She could have other motives you know.¡±

    ¡°People usually do a lot of the time. I don¡¯t think any that Naima could have are particularly dangerous. I just don¡¯t think she wants to go on a trip with me for three weeks abroad and be saddled with awkward silences and side glances the entire time.¡±

    ¡°Are you forgetting about you kidnapping?¡± As they walked into the classroom Keira gave Iris a side eye.

    ¡°Oh no. You are so right. I completely forgot. How stupid of me.¡±

    ¡°No need to get sarcastic on me. I¡¯m just saying that she hasn¡¯t been-¡°

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    ¡°She has actually.¡± Iris snapped her head towards Keira as she sat down next to her.

    ¡°How could you know that? Did the investigators tell you?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that against some¡­ investigation rules?¡±

    ¡°I-¡°

    ¡°Can the girls at the back stop talking?¡± Keira shut her mouth and the teacher continued with the lesson introduction. She shot Iris a ¡®what can you do¡¯ look along with a shrug of her shoulders, who rolled her eyes in response. They both then tuned into the lesson which was now covering data collection techniques that they would have to use on the geography trip that was apparently happening the next week. After that lesson there would be another one and then it would be lunch, which Keira always looked forward to.

    On her way to the library after eating, Keira noticed Iris scowling at her phone as she was tapping away on it. She found herself growing a little curious.

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Iris turned her scowl to Keira, before she sighed and her expression softened.

    ¡°I was just getting a message from mum¡­ apparently Archer has just been arrested.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so surprised. Weren¡¯t you intensely suspicious of him?¡±

    ¡°I mean yeah¡­ It just feels so sudden though.¡±

    ¡°Not really, I heard that they searched his house a couple of days ago, so if they found anything incriminating¡­¡±

    ¡°If they found something incriminating then why didn¡¯t they arrest him during the house search?¡±

    ¡°How am I supposed to know? Police don¡¯t usually yell out the entire process of their investigation when they arrest someone. I wasn¡¯t even there; this is a second-hand account.¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. I understand. Why are you frowning at your phone though? Surely this is good news.¡±

    ¡°Apparently Amelie has been asking about me at my house. She¡¯s upset about Archer being arrested and wanted a ¡®friend¡¯ to talk to. Mum told her to get lost, though I should still be on guard for if anything happens.¡±

    ¡°Yikes.¡± The two headed to the library to once again rendezvous with Morgan, and then experienced a modicum of surprise when she noticed that Morgan was already playing with someone. She approached the table and sat down next to Naima to be able to properly judge her moves. At the moment she was judging them to be pretty terrible in order to lead up to that point. Iris was still scowling at her phone, so Keira didn¡¯t know whether she was upset at Naima being in the general vicinity of Naima, or whether she was still having to deal with her mother. Or maybe it was both. Morgan moved another piece and smiled at Naima.

    ¡°Checkmate. Good game.¡±

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. You absolutely destroyed me.¡±

    ¡°How about another game with someone worse than me?¡± At that he gave both Keira and Iris a pointed look. ¡°Could Iris take my place and give Naima more of a chance?¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t Keira take your place? She¡¯s worse at it than you, and actually likes to play.¡± Keira gave Iris a little side eye which switched over to Morgan as he responded.

    ¡°I actually wanted to talk to Keira. In private.¡± Iris looked over to Naima, who nodded in agreement, before sighing and standing up to take Morgan¡¯s place. He pulled her to a library alcove that was where most of the classics were kept. So naturally, it was dead quiet.

    ¡°Okay, so I did some looking after your run into Maxwell and got some details on the fae. Most of the important things he covered, but there are other things such as never give out your full name and, if you do ever talk to one, they can¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard. These are just myths that you found online though. I feel like that last one especially can come back to bite me if it¡¯s just rumour.¡±

    ¡°The rumour has to come from somewhere, right? Anyway, it¡¯s just something to keep in mind.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course. Did you find anything else?¡±

    ¡°You and I are most likely on the same thought track on what she is. There¡¯s nothing that you¡¯ve described that points to any particular type, but I feel the more specific we get, the higher the chance we have of something being wrong.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t even want to take a guess?¡±

    ¡°I never said that¡­ Are you ready?¡± Keira nodded. ¡°Changeling. She is appearing as a human, in human crowds, so¡­ changeling.¡±

    ¡°¡­You go on about how being more specific could make us more wrong, and that we should be careful, and then you make a guess based on logic like that.¡±

    ¡°Hey! You said it was a guess. I¡¯d assumed that this was a safe space.¡± Keira was about to respond but then a group of boys burst out laughing a couple of rows away. For a moment she thought that they were laughing at them, but her and Morgan had been talking quietly. There was no way to hear them. Morgan must¡¯ve noticed her small jump though. ¡°How¡­ how have you been holding up?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know.¡± Keira sighed and leaned against the bookcase. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡­ Well, I can think clearly, but my thoughts feel a little¡­ disconnected from my emotions. I can still feel them, and my body still reacts to them, but at the same time it just feels like I¡¯m watching them. The conscious part of my mind isn¡¯t really affected.¡± Morgan frowned for a moment and patted her on the shoulder.

    ¡°You will get through this. I will help you through this, and even though Iris doesn¡¯t believe you we are both here for you. You will be fine.¡± Keira smiled back at him and returned the pat.

    ¡°Thanks. Shall we head back?¡± Morgan nodded and the two of them returned to the table, only to see the chess board in an abysmal state of bad moves. Though neither of them looked that focused on the game, so they might have only been playing to humour her and Morgan. They looked up at the two¡¯s approach. Keira nodded at Iris.

    ¡°You want me to take over?¡±

    ¡°Oh gods, yes.¡± Keira smirked and switched places with Iris, all the while eyeing the board and thinking how best to salvage the game. Naima still didn¡¯t look too focused though, and after a couple of moves she spoke.

    ¡°Hey, Keira?¡± She hummed in response. ¡°There was also a third reason why I was a little hesitant to approach you earlier.¡±

    ¡°What was it?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Naima¡¯s eyes drifted across the table to Iris who was still locked in a furious typing war with Amelie. ¡°I thought about what you said earlier, about you and Paige falling out and I still think it¡¯s a shame. I was trying to get her to agree to talk to you.¡± Keira faltered.

    ¡°You what?¡±

    ¡°I mean I did say that maybe she would be more willing to talk to me than you since we¡¯re friends and all. And she agreed! So could you come with me after school to talk to her?¡±

    ¡°Why would I? She has done nothing but be mean to me for years. I owe her nothing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be embarrassing for me though¡­¡±

    ¡°I also owe you nothing.¡± Naima shut up at that and watched the board as Keira put her in checkmate.

    ¡°When I talked about your relationship to other people in the school they kind of gave me the impression that whatever you have going on between you is still happening. It¡¯s sounds exhausting. Wouldn¡¯t it be best to finally put an end to it?¡±

    ¡°Again, I have done nothing. Paige is the one going around and talking about me behind my back, I have merely been minding my own business.¡± Naima deflated at that and stood up, which allowed Morgan to take her place.

    ¡°I mean, I was just thinking that since I¡¯ll be on that trip with you it¡¯ll be good if we were friends. But it¡¯ll be really awkward to be friends if y- Paige despises you.¡±

    ¡°There is nothing I could say that would make her hate me any less.¡± At Naima¡¯s look though, she caved. ¡°Fine. To make you happy. After this though, no more. I¡¯m done.¡± Naima cheered slightly and sat down with a smile on her face. Iris gave Keira a side eye and mouthed an ¡®I told you so.¡¯ Keira rolled her eyes and switched her focus back to Naima.

    ¡°When are you thinking of doing this?¡±

    ¡°After school.¡±

    ¡°I have a bus to catch.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have ten minutes. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±

 Chapter 16

    After school, Keira rushed out the front door and headed to the bus roundabout. It was the busiest place in the school around this time of day, which was saying something since the school really wasn¡¯t that big. She might have been hoping to miss the talk, but unfortunately Paige, Imogen and Naima were already waiting for her by their bus. Keira tried to wipe the scowl from her face as she approached, it wouldn¡¯t do her any favours after all, if she looked unfriendly. Iris and Morgan, who had been trailing behind her, stopped a couple of seconds before she did, meaning that she was alone in her approach. Paige scowled at Keira and separated from her group as well, meeting Keira halfway.

    ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m only doing this because Naima asked me to.¡±

    ¡°Oh my gods, same! We have so much in common.¡±  This only earned her a deepened glare from Paige. After a couple of beats of silence Paige spoke up again.

    ¡°So are you going to apologise?¡± Keira caught herself before she asked what for, it wouldn¡¯t do her any favours, she knew. Around them a small smattering of people formed, mostly from their year, and all of them she remembered talking to at some point or another. Maybe she should apologise for Paige losing her necklace? Ah, but wait. There was a more important thing that she almost forgot about. Maxwell had told her to not say please or sorry to anyone, as it may be a trick. And if it were her trying to pull such a trick¡­ it would look pretty similar to this. So even if she wanted to swallow her pride and apologise, which she really didn¡¯t, there was also that risk. There must be another approach¡­ something more diplomatic perhaps?

    ¡°I feel like it would be better if we started off again, or at least tried to. With a clean slate so,¡± Keira held out her hand, ¡°hi, my name is Keira Aboret.¡± Paige eyed the hand before snorting and knocking it to the side.

    ¡°I¡¯ve known you for ten years. I don¡¯t need an introduction, and I don¡¯t need whatever pathetic social play you¡¯re trying here. If you can¡¯t even swallow your pride enough to apologise then Imogen was right, this was a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°What would be the point in apologising? I don¡¯t even think I was in the wrong! I wouldn¡¯t mean it, and I know you wouldn¡¯t either.¡± She could see Morgan looking at her from her peripherals and guessed that he knew the real reason.

    ¡°I have nothing to apologise for and the fact that you think I do just shows how immature you still are.¡± Paige went to turn away but then someone booed from the small crowd around them, most of whom were familiar faces. People who lived in the same village they had, she realised.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been spreading rumours long before the ¡®she stole my necklace¡¯ one. Don¡¯t pretend as though it¡¯s all Keira!¡± Keira¡¯s head snapped towards the vaguely recognisable bystander.

    ¡°Wait. She has? Like what?!¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s not important.¡±

    ¡°No, no. This is very important.¡± The man suddenly lost his confidence at now having both of the girl¡¯s attention. Realising that he wouldn¡¯t say anything else, Keira turned her attention back to Paige. ¡°How long have you not liked me?¡±

    ¡°A few years after we first met? I don¡¯t why this is important, I think I¡¯ve made it clear that I really hate you.¡±

    ¡°There is a difference between openly disliking someone and pretending to be their friend for five years. Why did you even bother keeping it up? And why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s because- you¡¯re so pretentious! You have to be smart, but you¡¯re not smart, so you had to settle for being better than everyone around you, even if it meant putting them down. I thought you might learn to be a better person if I dropped enough hints though and become actually likable like you used to be. But no, that fucking necklace was the last straw to get you out of my life!¡±

    ¡°How does that lead to spreading rumours?! You didn¡¯t like me so you had to make sure no one else did?¡±

    ¡°They needed to know what they were getting into.¡± Keira gaped at her.

    ¡°Well, this has been informative. I¡¯m glad I accepted Naima¡¯s request so I can now tell you to go drown in Morsemt¡¯s stream in person!¡± Paige scoffed and rolled her eyes, which was a completely different reaction to Naima who decided to step in.

    ¡°Guys¡­ you¡¯re supposed to make up and be friends again¡­¡± Keira snapped her head towards Naima.

    ¡°We are not friends for a reason. It may be because Paige is a raging bitch, but if I think that, then you can¡¯t force me to change my opinion. You can¡¯t force people to forget their history together and like each other again, it¡¯s not how it works. I-¡° Keira was interrupted by someone else from the small crowd around them.

    ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight! Fi-¡°

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything better to do?¡± Paige snapped. Those around them shared some looks before shrugging and offering a small murmur of disagreement. The person from the back of the crowd began chanting again. Suddenly the nature of the situation hit Keira and she flushed red.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just go our separate ways, okay?¡± Paige eyed her again before offering a small nod and walking off in the direction of their bus. Keira also started to walk over as it was going to set off soon and her parents would take at least forty minutes to get there to pick her up. In the same direction. They were walking in the same direction because they lived in the same area. Keira was going to have to sit on a bus with them for at least twenty minutes. She felt like curling in on herself and dying. A quick glance behind her, however, told her that Morgan and Iris were having the time of their lives watching her. Fortunately they had their unspoken seating rule, which was put a decent amount of space between them. Unfortunately, almost everyone on the bus had seen their argument and wouldn¡¯t stop looking between the two. Keira shot a pleading look to Morgan, who had taken the seat beside her.

    ¡°You want me to distract you?¡± Keira nodded helplessly. ¡°Alright. How about I tell you how badly my history lesson went today?¡±

    ¡°Did you learn more about the Cernia-Junein conflict?¡±

    ¡°Nope! It seems like our history teacher heard your complaints about that and switched to ancient history today. We were learning about Mictepeh.¡±

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Ah, the City of the Dead. Or is it the Land of the Dead? Can never remember. Learn anything new?¡±

    ¡°Both and yes. I was partially the reason why the lesson was so disastrous actually. Apparently the archaeology team had recently uncovered a new section of the city that had previously been sealed off and had extracted some relics from it. They were supposed to be going to a museum, but the convoy got attacked and what¡¯s believed to be the world oldest mirror was stolen.¡±

    ¡°World¡¯s oldest mirror? Was it like polished bronze?¡±

    ¡°Obsidian actually.¡± Kiera¡¯s head snapped up and she looked at Morgan.

    ¡°How did it survive that long? Isn¡¯t obsidian basically volcanic glass? And Mictepeh isn¡¯t even a volcanic region.¡± Morgan just offered a shrug.

    ¡°I guess those mysteries are part of the reason why the teacher went on a twenty-minute rant.¡± Keira burst out laughing.

    ¡°Twenty minutes? Oh now I actually feel kind of bad for you.¡± Morgan nodded and patted Keira¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Thanks for the sympathy.¡± They lapsed into a slightly more comfortable silence. Iris popped up from the seat in front of the two of them.

    ¡°Do I hear someone getting over their embarrassment?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Keira responded.

    ¡°I think I do. We can¡¯t have that now. Hm¡­¡± Iris pretended to be lost in thought while Keira started to shake her head. ¡°I know! Imagine if you had to go on the geography trip with them. That would be super embarrassing.¡±

    ¡°You know Iris. I was almost having a good day again-¡° Keira cut herself off as Iris started giggling and sank back down into the seats in front. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Morgan snapped his head up.

    ¡°Do you want to do something over the weekend?¡±

    ¡°I would love to, but I have to go and clean out Grandma¡¯s house.¡±

    ¡°¡­Why are you raiding an old lady¡¯s home?¡±

    ¡°I have permission to rob her, so it¡¯s not stealing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, of course. Well if something changes give us a call.¡± Keira nodded and the group lapsed into silence. The rest of the trip went by quickly and when they arrived at the village a surprise was waiting for them.

    Amelie was leaning against the bus stop when they arrived and instead of making a bee line to Iris, like Keira had thought she would, she went for Imogen, Iris''s ex-friend. It did surprise her, as she had shown that she wanted to be friends with Iris again so doing this in front of her was a bad move for that, but on the other hand it did track with Amelie¡¯s general obsessiveness around the girl. Iris fled the scene very quickly, but Morgan stuck around giving Keira a look that practically said ¡®don¡¯t do it.¡¯ The two continued talking for a couple more seconds before Amelie led Imogen away from the crowd, and slightly curious, Keira moved to follow, grabbing Morgan''s arm on the way. He hesitated and pulled back slightly.

    "Are you sure that this would be a good idea? It could be dangerous if we''re found out."

    "I have you with me, Gary''s following like five feet behind and Archer has been arrested. We''ll be fine." Morgan''s head snapped back and sure enough he spotted the man behind them. Looking very conspicuous despite the fact that she knew he wore those cloths on weekends or when out drinking.

    "Isn''t he supposed to be on duty?"

    "Yes." Amelie rounded a corner and dragged Imogen into a small alcove to the side. While Morgan was still following them, it was mostly because Keira had a vice like grip on his arm, which he brushed off very quickly. He stopped when she did once they reached the mouth of the alcove and while she didn¡¯t think it would be a risk to her life if they were discovered, Morgan was right. Amelie appeared to be a little unhinged at times and it could get a little dicey. The man following them frowned and walked over to some occupied tables twenty feet behind the two. There were a few beats of silence before the two began to talk.

    ¡°You said that you wanted to talk about Iris?¡± Keira recognised the voice as Imogen¡¯s.

    ¡°Kind of, but that was more of an excuse to talk to you.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just come round to my house?¡±

    ¡°I just wasn''t sure when I was going to be able to catch you. Your parents aren''t like Iris''s after all, I can''t just say we are friends."

    "You could have messaged me then. I do have a phone."

    "No, I don''t want any paper trail with what we''re talking about."

    ¡°Ah. And pulling me aside in front of multiple witnesses was much better.¡± There was another beat of silence. ¡°Whatever, is this about what I asked you?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It would have been easier if Archer didn¡¯t get charged with Keira¡¯s kidnapping, but justice needs to be served and all that. I any case, the answer at the moment is that I can¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°What? You said-¡°

    ¡°I realise what I said, that was before Archer was arrested. He is- was a slightly higher-ranking member than me, he had access to information that I don¡¯t. Since they¡¯ve deemed him a liability and cut him from the organisation¡­ well. It¡¯s going to be significantly harder to get what you want.¡±

    ¡°So you essentially pulled a scene like that for no reason?¡± Imogen¡¯s voice was full of venom and considering the dry amusement towards the action she had expressed earlier, Keira guessed that the aggression came from the fact that she couldn¡¯t get what she wanted. Hearing that Archer was a part of a larger scheme unsettled her though and made her think that she was slightly out of her depth. Morgan may have agreed with her mind¡¯s sentiment on that, as he tugged her sleeve and signalled for them to leave. Keira shot a glance at the mark on her wrist and noted that it hadn¡¯t been acting up. However, she had decided that trusting Palotl¡¯s opinion on something like this was a risk, still¡­ she wanted just that little bit more information. Something that could help.

    ¡°Not no reason.¡± Keira held up a single finger to Morgan. He seemed to understand and left go of her sleeve with a sigh. ¡°As Archer has been kicked out of his¡­ limited position, there is now a nice and juicy opening for us to take advantage of.¡±

    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said, I doubt they¡¯re the type to let anyone like you into that slot.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a coveted position, just a better one than my current one. And I could use that to help fill the slot I have left behind.¡± Amelie¡¯s voice trailed off. Morgan gave Keira¡¯s sleeve another tug.

    ¡°And I would do that in hopes of getting the answer to my question? I¡¯m not that curious about the answer. Dig your own hole.¡±

    "Think about this. It gives you power and influence. And if you do well it''ll make me look good and if I look good, I''ll get more power and influence."

    "You''re already looking to move up in the organisation?"

    "Not just that my friend. I''m looking to take over the entire organisation and for that, I need a strong support base.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound so easy.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with the kind of people they like to recruit. Archer is as dim-witted as they come and the fact that they trusted him with such a vital role shows their general level of competence. I¡¯m guessing that there are only a few smart ones there that run everything, so we make enough of a splash and the rest should follow. So I shall ask again, would you like to be a part of it?"

    "It sounds... interesting. Though I wouldn''t know how to start."

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. Let me sort it out, but there are a few things that you should be prepared for-¡° Amelie started to rattle off a few things in a list but by that point Keira had taken Morgan¡¯s hint and began to move away from the alleyway entrance. As Archer had been arrested for her kidnapping, she would assume that the two that were to investigate him would move on with whatever next project they would need to deal with, which left her alone with Amelie. While they set her on edge, making her think that she was one wrong word away from being turned in, they had also provided her a safety net from anything else that may come after her. If Archer truly was a part of an organization, what would stop them from coming after her? Especially with all of the weirdness that had surrounded these past few days. She needed to pass this information along. Keira tugged on Morgan¡¯s sleeve, even though they were far enough away from the duo that they could talk properly.

    ¡°I want to go to the police station before calling it a day. Would you mind accompanying me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. But I do think you shouldn¡¯t do things like that anymore, this is starting to sound a little to¡­ big.¡± Keira smiled and led the way, knowing that she couldn¡¯t tell him just how right he was.

 Chapter 17

    Marshall was sorting out the recent batch of paperwork to admit some new information on the case, a recent batch that was more headache inducing than usual as Maxwell had gotten the evidence through some¡­ non-official channels. Coupled with his inexperience and almost impressive inability to write a report, it was turning out to be a paperwork session for the ages. So while Marshall was stuck with figuring out a wall of words that would only happen if you handed a dictionary to a lawyer who was told to do their worst, Maxwell was rewriting his report for the third time, reclined on the comfy armchair in the corner. As the office door was open, he noticed it when problem extraordinaire Keira Aboret walked into the station tailed by a nervous looking young man.

    ¡°Hello, is officer Weil in?¡± She stopped by the waiting room, gaze only just grazing him before settling on someone out of view. Marshall wasn¡¯t sure whether he was grateful for the distraction or dreading what was coming next. Maxwell made his opinion obvious by slapping the papers that he was going through on the desk and rushing out of the office.

    ¡°Yes! Yes. What do you need?¡± Weil looked a little too eager to talk to the victim again, but Marshall couldn¡¯t fault the man. And any information they could gather would be valuable, but it didn¡¯t stop him from being just that tiny bit jealous. He turned a page and tried to keep the tightening in his expression down, but failed miserably, so instead he decided to take a break and tune into Maxwell and Keira¡¯s conversation.

    ¡°Well¡­ I overheard Amelie discussing something concerning¡­ she said that Archer was a part of a larger group and they might¡­ not be done with me. Is it possible?¡± Marshall heard Maxwell sigh and decided to take the time to clear his throat loudly. Both Keira and Weil turned their attention to him and then she got her answer.

    ¡°I realise that this talk of a greater group concerns you, but any and all background checks on Archer haven¡¯t yielded anything. We¡¯ll double check, but for your own sanity, remember that he could have lied, or that he was unimportant enough that no one will come after you.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ I guess you¡¯re right.¡± It sounded like she wanted to bring up something else, or was disappointed with what she got, but if she didn¡¯t want to divulge much, she wasn¡¯t going to get much. That was one of the few rules that the pair could agree on. There was another quick back and forth before the girl left and Maxwell returned to the office to return to his task of misery.

    ¡°She was right you know. We don¡¯t know what the plan is, it could be reasonable to assume that there¡¯s more to it.¡±

    ¡°I was right as well, Marshall.¡± All Marshall did in response to that was flip over to the next page in his stack, finally done with the previous and frown.

    ¡°It says that you need to include reasons for looking into this to avoid bias. I don¡¯t remember you including such things in your report. Was I wrong?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a suspect in this case, I feel like the reasoning is pretty self-explanatory.¡±

    ¡°This¡­ incident you¡¯ve reported happened multiple days before Archer¡¯s current excuse and has nothing to do with it. Need I remind you that his current excuse is that the travel times don¡¯t line up? Why look into the security footage at the train station?¡± This gave the man some paused before he sighed.

    ¡°Well I was looking through the security footage and noticed that someone strange approached him at the station. At first I was pretty happy to write it off as some sort of drug deal considering the state of the strangers cloths¡­ but then I noticed the patch sewn quite clearly onto his hoodie. It¡¯s almost as if he was broadcasting the fact that he belonged to the Scholars. Which is very suspicious considering Archer¡¯s suspected alignment.¡± Marshall hummed and tapped the pen along his bottom lip, reaching for the mess of a report that Weil had filed and sorted through the sheets.

    ¡°And that encouraged you to track the man in the patch over the course of multiple weeks? You could have used that time to help with the parasite search that has eaten up all of our resources!¡±

    ¡°I feel like it was worth it, and that you would agree with me if you¡¯d just read further into the files Marshall.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Here you mentioned more security footage showing a group of well-known Scholars and a group accompanied by a well-known Follower of Xanthopan, including Archer, going into the same restaurant, going to the same table within that restaurant, without anything getting set on fire.¡±

    ¡°Which is the second, and third, red flag. Both factions are capable of deleting security footage like that and yet they didn¡¯t, and the Scholars hate the Followers just as much as they hate us, if not more. Must¡¯ve been something impressive to hold them together. Can¡¯t really blame them for their omnidirectional hatred though.¡± Maxwell emphasised the last sentence with a small wink in Marshall¡¯s direction.

    ¡°Watch it.¡± Marshall growled, levelling a glare at Maxwell who held up his hands in mock surrender. Satisfied, Marshall continued. ¡°And that helps me lead onto my next point. If the two groups have now miraculously decided to work together, why would one go out of their way to sabotage Archer like that? I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the only way footage like that still exists, and why one would approach him so publicly.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t surprise me as much. Any alliance between them would have been very temporary, I mean, I¡¯m surprised that it happened at all. What I¡¯m more interested in, is why one would approach him. The only thing it invites is more investigation in the both of them, so it must¡¯ve been planned or the stupid move of a rogue agent. Considering the fact that the security footage is intact though¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ It¡¯s not even a gambit either. If we didn¡¯t investigate this then no one would be at risk and they could have carried on normally. If you didn¡¯t dig deep enough then again, nothing to lose. And if you did, well they¡¯ve just exposed some of the identities of their most fierce rivals. They knew to approach Archer as well¡­ as if they knew that something was going to happen. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if I found out that they knew Keira would have survived.¡±

    ¡°Why? We might¡¯ve been called in to investigate if it was a regular disappearance.¡±

    ¡°The chances are much slimmer though; they might not have bothered in that case.¡±

    ¡°Might, eh? Either way, we are getting in heavy speculation territory and I haven¡¯t heard of these sorts of rituals leaving a survivor. Whether it be the victim, or the caster if something goes wrong.¡± Maxwell said and Marshall tilted his head in mild agreement before looking at the notes.

    ¡°Victim. Good word use, as we don¡¯t know whether or not Keira was targeted purposely. If our speculation is correct though, it leaves the question on how the Scholars knew to set a trap like this.¡±

    ¡°Through one of their rituals perhaps?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the sort of information that can get from those rituals. I would say a spy is more likely.¡±

    ¡°Mid or high-level as anyone too low down on the chain wouldn¡¯t have heard of this.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ have settle on that for now. The only question is why the Scholars would team up so suddenly only to put their supposed allies at such risk.¡± After he said this, Marshall rifled through the papers in order to find some hint. He hadn¡¯t needed to, however.

    ¡°As I mentioned before, it was probably a temporary alliance. One that might have finished and opened up the avenues for sabotage again.¡± Marshall looked at the photos provided again and sighed, pulling up the files of those accompanying the Follower, now marked as potential Followers, and a sudden understanding bloomed in his mind.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°¡­The Scholars only used their well-known members. Exposing this meeting to us would do them no damage, aside from alerting us to the fact that they are willing to work with the Followers. They didn¡¯t blow anyone¡¯s cover. On the other hand¡­ the Followers had a few people who are quite influential in the world there, their cover is now blown.¡± Marshall snorted, ¡°they got the short end there.¡± Maxwell grinned and continued.

    ¡°See? This is good news! Ever since Florian and Nikolaus died we¡¯ve been having more and more trouble identifying potentials. This just gave us a big step forward.¡± Marshall nodded and set aside the huge pile of paperwork.

    ¡°Unfortunately we can¡¯t keep using the excuse of suspect to keep Archer in custody, as again, his alibi checks out.¡±

    ¡°We could go for one more round of questioning, especially as some of the fingerprints on the bucket of paint match with Amelie, who he has been spotting spending time with. Then once he¡¯s released, track his movements to see whether we can expose a few more identities.¡±

    ¡°Good ideas, but I¡¯m mostly focused on Keira¡¯s situation right now. Depending on how this goes we could get another arrest in this week.¡± Marshall shot his paperwork a hateful look and stood up, picking up a smaller stack of papers slotted into a folder instead of the mound that he had been going through. ¡°Let¡¯s go and interview him again then.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s.¡± Maxwell responded and also stood up from his perch, the armchair sighing as he did so. On his way out he turned his head to Marshall. ¡°You remember the plan?¡±

    ¡°Yep.¡±

    The journey to the holding cell was short, as the station was very small. Marshall double checked to make sure that the security cameras were working in the interrogation room as Maxwell split off to fetch Archer. He then walked into the blank room and sat on the far end of the metal table sat in the middle of it. Weil walked into the room after a minute or so and sat Archer down on the chair opposite Marshall.

    ¡°Why am I still here then?¡± Archer didn¡¯t have the handcuffs on, and from his question, was probably more or less up to date on the situation. Marshall shuffled through the files he had brought with him before shutting the folder and leaning forward.

    ¡°Because if what you claim is true, and the knife found in your house isn¡¯t yours, then someone must¡¯ve planted it there. Forensics have gone over your entry points and have found no evidence of forced entry or damage around locks, so I must ask you whether or not you¡¯ve lost a spare key or let anyone into your house recently.¡±

    ¡°The only person who has been in and out of my house has been Amelie, but I¡¯ve been with her for most of the time¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s not just and incredibly skilled lockpick?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ no. From what¡¯s been analysed though, the chance is low. Are you sure that it couldn¡¯t have been her.¡± Archer hummed and drummed his fingers on the tabletop.

    ¡°The chance is low, from what I remember.¡± Marshall felt the corner of his mouth tighten and instead idly opened the file in front of him again. Maxwell took this as an opportunity to step forward and placed his hand on Marshall¡¯s shoulder, squeezing slightly.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and get us some coffee?¡±

    ¡°Oh! I take mine black.¡± Marshall nodded slightly to Weil and stood up, throwing another acknowledging nod in Archer¡¯s direction on his way out. Once out of the room he headed back to the security room and flagged down another officer to get the coffee instead, then he turned his attention to the screens in front of him. Fiddling with the volume so he could hear the scrape of Maxwell¡¯s chair against the concrete floor. He sat in the chair and gave the files a passive look before pushing them to the side all together. Then he levelled a stare at Archer.

    ¡°Look, if you know anything about Amelie that could help¡­ we could offer something in exchange.¡± Archer snorted.

    ¡°You really think I partnered up with her in this? Hate to break it to you, but I¡¯m a changed man. And what could you hope to offer in exchange? I doubt you can just¡­ erase my record.¡±

    ¡°Maybe you didn¡¯t partner with her. She¡¯s your friend right? Maybe you just want to protect her¡­ and in exchange. Well, while I can¡¯t repair the damage that your ex did, I could offer a little protection if this situation ever escalated. Taking you to court was a real bitch move after all, and it would be pretty consistent of your partners if Amelie did the same.¡± Though the camera offered a side profile of the two, Archer¡¯s displeasure was as clear as day. Marshall drummed his fingers on the table, waiting for the silence to pass and to see whether Archer would cooperate. He was so focused on the scene that he didn¡¯t notice the officer placing two cups next to him. Then Archer burst out laughing.

    ¡°Imagine what your partner would say if he was here! Or at least that¡¯s what I would say if I couldn¡¯t see what you¡¯re doing right now. Describing taking me to court a ¡®bitch move¡¯ is so obviously trying to ingratiate yourself with me. Don¡¯t pretend I¡¯m stupid. That I can¡¯t see that camera over there, or that one-way glass.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s looking at you Archer, I made sure of it. I could make sure of a lot more too, if you let me.¡±

    ¡°You know what. I don¡¯t know anything at the moment but let me go and I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Maxwell nodded and Marshall took that as his cue to move back into the interrogation room holding the two coffees. Archer¡¯s eyes flicked to the cups of coffee and then back up to Marshall¡¯s face, he looked to be thinking. ¡°I¡¯ve asked him a few more questions and he doesn¡¯t seem to know much. We should think about letting him go.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡± Marshall placed the two cups down, Archer¡¯s in front of him. ¡°Unless you want to talk more, you¡¯re free to go.¡± Archer was now staring solidly at Marshall¡¯s face before he looked down at the plastic cup and gave it an experimental sniff. He laughed slightly and set his cup back down.

    ¡°Fantastic.¡± Archer stood up and left the room, leaving his cup steaming on the table and a friendly pat on Marshall¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Asshole.¡± Muttered Weil into the room, sipping the coffee that was given to him. Marshall only hummed in agreement and downed the abandoned cup.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Amelie Cross waited on some random abandoned corner in the dying light, phone in hand as she scrolled through her recent texts with Archer. Honestly she wasn¡¯t sure why they let him go, it was certainly a surprise. But then again, the only way an idiot like him could have gone running around like he had, would be that the law enforcement were even bigger idiots. Either way, she had to make the most of it.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re already here.¡± Archer emerged from the growing shadows of the alley, tucking his phone away into his back pocket.

    ¡°Yes. I am organised believe it or not.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m just happy to see you!¡±

    ¡°Of course you are. What did you want to talk about?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re onto you.¡±

    ¡°You fucker- you had one job-¡°

    ¡°Hey, hey. I don¡¯t know how it happened, but it was through no fault of mine.¡± Archer threw up his hands in a casual mock surrender. Amelie didn¡¯t believe that for a second, he was dense enough to miss what he might have given away. She also didn¡¯t believe in arguing with fools.

    ¡°Whatever. Now I just have to think of a way to fix this even bigger mess.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame I¡¯m no longer with the organisation. They offer protection out to all members¡­¡± Amelie snapped her head up.

    ¡°I am a member however, and I would be very willing to extend that protection to you.¡±

    ¡°Of course! How could I have forgotten. You¡¯re a genius, and very generous.¡± Amelie smiled and nodded, but then paused as Archer continued. ¡°But I don¡¯t know whether or not you¡¯re high enough on the chain for them to bother with that¡­ And you wouldn¡¯t be able to contact many people on the outside.¡±

    ¡°You said so yourself. I¡¯m the first person to survive the backlash from a faulty ritual like that. I¡¯m a valuable asset, and all we need to do is show that to someone important enough. And there aren¡¯t that many out here worth contacting anyway.¡± Archer nodded his head.

    ¡°Very true. I am sorry to have given you a faulty ritual like that, I¡¯m very lucky that you¡¯re special enough to have survived.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, and once we get this mess sorted out we can retry the ritual, preferably with the correct runes and materials. Or maybe we could get it out the way while the officers are still running around like headless chickens¡­¡± For the first time that night, the placid expression on Archer¡¯s face slipped.

    ¡°It sounds risky. We should go with your first plan.¡±

    ¡°Coward. This is our chance to truly prove our worth and you¡¯re backing out because it sounds a little risky? Pathetic.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m concerned after what happened with Keira they¡¯ll be on edge, even more so since they now know the culprit¡¯s still out there.¡±

    ¡°And whose fault is that? It doesn¡¯t matter of course, and targeting Keira again would be needlessly stupid, she¡¯s got too many eyes on her. So maybe someone else would be more fitting¡­ Ah! I have the perfect candidate in mind.¡± The expression on Amelie¡¯s face could be described as nothing short as savage, and quite a bit determined. Archer paused a moment before he sighed and put that slightly dazed smile back on his face again.

    ¡°I¡¯ll trust you to come up with something. In the meantime, I¡¯ll go and get the materials necessary to set up the ritual site again.¡±

    ¡°And set it up correctly this time. I know I can survive the backlash, but we do need the ritual to go through, and it was quite painful.¡± Archer bowed his head and exited the alley. The fool was good for following orders if nothing else, and if everything went to plan she would have a whole host of idiots just like him at her beck and call. It was an idea that she could feel herself getting used to.

 Chapter 18

    Her father didn¡¯t have that much to say when he was driving to her grandma¡¯s bungalow, neither did she. It had an odd sense of finality to it, like this was truly it. And in some way, it was. Keira had brought herself a backpack in case all of what she was interested in didn¡¯t fit in the tiny woman¡¯s bag she usually carried with her. It was black however and didn¡¯t do much to help the feeling that they were stealing. Eventually they got to a street she recognised and soon after a house she recognised. Despite the fact that her grandma had been gone for two months now, the garden still looked as pristine as it always did, putting almost everyone else on the street to shame. Keira couldn¡¯t help but smile at that thought.

    The two pulled up to the bungalow, with Keira getting out the car first to open the gate and allow her dad to bring the car in. Her grandma''s car had already been sold, so there was plenty of space for her father, though there was a close call with one of the plant pots by the front door. Her dad got out of the car and walked across the brick driveway to unlock the front door, struggling a little with the lock as it was on the old side. Keira mused as he took a step into the house and stayed on the welcome mat for a time and breathed in the air, that it may be a more difficult for him than she originally thought. Even if this wasn¡¯t his childhood home, even if she had spent way more time there than him, it was where her grandma had spent the last half a decade of her life. And where her grandad spent the last year of his. It seemed like her father had finished his moment when he kicked off his shoes and made for the kitchen. Keira frowned. That wasn¡¯t something he usually did.

    "Why did you take your shoes off?" Keira called after her father, also taking a brief stop on the mat. "She isn''t here to get mad about it anymore."

    "Respect mostly. She still worked hard to keep this place spotless and me and the rest of the family have decided to respect that." Keira considered it and then kicked off her trainers, leaving then in a slightly messier pile beside her dad''s shoes. Then she poked her head into the closest door, which was on the left and the living room as she remembered. A lot of the family photos had already been cleared out, as well as the porcelain plates and statues stacked in a cupboard in the corner. The decently modern TV, however was still plugged in and ready to be taken.

    "Hey, Dad? What was that about having a TV in my room?"

    "Your mother would murder me if I let you?"

    "Then what''s the plan with this?" Her Dad paused his rummaging in the kitchen to poke his head into the living room and survey the scene. He then hummed.

    "You know, I don''t know why she even has this. Always hated them when I was younger, for whatever reason. A lot of people her age did."

    "Is that your way of saying it''s yours now?"

    "No, we''ll most likely sell it and split the money." Keira hummed in agreement and moved down the hall to the two bedrooms at the back. On her way to the end of the hallway, she passed a table with a mirror above it. Keira diverted her gaze downwards to avoid looking at that butterfly again and then noticed something on the wooden table. Aside the book of names which listed names and telephone numbers, was a group of five crystal trinkets. She remembered playing with them when she was younger, though her grandma would huff and tell her that they weren''t toys. Now though¡­ they had a captivating quality to them. How the light separated into a rainbow once it touched them. They were so different to how she remembered them, even more so the two nudged slightly to one side. One of them had been completely reduced to a pile of quartz like rubble and another, a bird, had been cracked with an inky black seeping into the crystal through the opening. Keira frowned and picked it up, and with a moment¡¯s hesitation she slipped the crystal into her bag. She almost moved on, but then decided to take the rest sans the pile of crystal dust.

    The only place that she was truly interested in searching was her grandmother¡¯s room. She had spent many nights in the spare room, and while it may hold many memories special to her like staying up until the early hours watching videos and hiding beneath the covers lest her grandma checked on her. Keira was familiar with it and knew that aside from a wardrobe of spare cloths that she would definitely never wear, there was nothing in there. She walked to the main bedroom and stopped when she reached the door. The calendar that was hung on the front of it read 30<sup>th</sup> of Angal 1379, a couple of months behind. Keira flicked it forward to the correct date and then entered the room.

    From the trinkets on the bedside table on the right side of the bed, she could guess that it was her grandma¡¯s, so she moved to the other side to investigate what would have been her grandad''s draws. On her way over she noticed that she stood on something sharp. Looking down she saw a very small pebble nestled in the rug. It had been comfortably hidden by fluff so she hadn''t noticed, but it caused her to kneel down and inspect it. She picked it up and threw it out of the window before beginning to search through her grandad¡¯s things. Keira started on the small bedside table that only had pictures of him and her grandmother on it and rummaged through the drawers. All they had were more pictures, mostly her grandfather standing in front of cars and heavy machinery, but there were a few from his wedding and family holidays that she could barely recall. She frowned and decided that the draws were a bust before turning her head to the wardrobe that sat at the other end of the room, facing the bed. It¡­ might be reasonable to check all avenues, she supposed.

    Opening the wardrobe she saw that it was mostly empty, having been cleared out after her grandad''s death like she thought, but it wasn¡¯t completely empty. There was a single greying suit on the hangers, and beneath it a pile of boxes. Keira knelt down on the floor to inspect them and while they initially looked like shoe boxes, searching through them showed Keira that they were filled with journals, pictures and memorabilia. She flicked through some of the photographs, noting that most of the sported her grandad when he was younger, a couple had her grandma in them and a few were her grandad and an older man that she didn¡¯t recognise. She set some aside and then began to look through the journals. It wasn¡¯t really an invasion of privacy if the man was dead, after all.

    The first one listed the date as the 28<sup>th</sup> of Ouran 1314, and a quick read through showed it as being on the mundane side, but there were a few interesting mentions of a business and a large purchase but nothing world changing. Other entries followed the pattern, but they didn¡¯t go day by day, or even week by week. It went by interesting event by interesting event, or what her grandad constituted as interesting anyway, so it was mostly mundane. Until she got to the entry 4<sup>th </sup>of Mor 1321, and her eyes were suddenly glued to the text in front of her.

    I¡¯m unsure whether or not this could be counted as paranoia, but I have been warned that they have spies everywhere and their interest may grow with time. Quite frankly the only reason I¡¯m writing this within my journal instead of making notes in a separate book, whether one that I start or the one that I was gifted, is that this is less likely to be found if my possessions are every rifled through.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Keira felt a little guilty at that, but quickly pushed it aside so she could continue reading.

    My first experience with the¡­ perturbed was actually on a different date, roughly three years ago later this month. When the snowfall was just settling in. My boss had hired me to look after his truck while we went off terrain through steadily worsening weather¡­

    It went on to describe an interaction between the people who had hired him and some others who had arrived on scene for some event. Then it went into a description of what happened next, with one of the others with him describing what an ancient ritualistic sword did and then¡­ something being released into the night. Keira stopped at the end of that and took a deep breath. Then she frowned and reread the beginning of the encounter, when the man mentioned mutation beyond humanity. It was the way he phrased it as well. In their previous conversation Palotl had mentioned places of power, and that Keira had no need to worry about getting to one as her town at the moment functioned as one, however temporary.

    The way he brought up those places though¡­ were those the permanent places of power that Palotl had also mentioned? And if so, would anyone just hanging around them mutate or gain powers, or did something specific need to happen. And would that power mutation happen in places that were temporarily places of power.

    Everything before her initial meeting with Palotl was like a dream, whenever she tried to remember it, it felt like she was an outsider observing a different person. Or otherwise she was reaching at those memories through a thick fog. The day of her death was a different beast. Every single moment of that day was etched into her mind, including the start where she found that forsaken corpse that had somehow stayed warm despite it being dead long enough for its blood to go black and stain the flagstones beneath it. Or maybe it had been freshly killed and its blood was just that vile. It didn¡¯t matter to her though. Both of those possibilities are equally unnatural and lead her to the same conclusion. Somehow, whatever that creature had been before, had mutated with the power that was temporarily leaking into the town and now it might have latent power.

    The unfortunate other requirement, the one that prevented this from being the solution to all her problems, would be the fact that it had to be human. Keira reflected back onto her initial meeting with Palotl. It had said that the vessel needed intelligence, at a human level. That requirement was branded into her memory the most, she believed. She knew that it never had her best interests at heart, she had expected it, yet finding that out felt like such a large betrayal that it remained clear in her mind. Hm. Now that she thought about it, couldn¡¯t animals reach human levels of intelligence? They could never be capable to the same degree as an adult, but it hadn¡¯t actually given much of a benchmark beyond capable of a certain degree of sentience.

    Off of the top of her head she knew that crows were amongst the smartest, but no amount of perversion of nature will allow for what she scraped off of the ground to be classed as a crow. Keira opened her phone and began doing some research, typing ¡®smartest mammals¡¯ into the search bar and leaning against the foot of the bed whilst waiting for the results to roll in. A couple of websites came up and she clicked on the first one that wasn¡¯t an advertisement and scrolled down, matching the pictures provided to the hairless corpse that had turned up on the stone.

    There were a lot of apes but on the third item on the list she paused. Weren¡¯t otters supposed to be smart? Having the intelligence of a five-year-old child if she remembered correctly, so they could be classed as having human like capabilities in some sense. And it would be the closest match physically to what she had found. There was still the issue of whether or not it matched up with the local wildlife though, as the town was fairly landlocked with the closest large body of water being a lake a few miles away. The canal that ran through the centre of town may be quiet but it got a lot busier before reaching the coast so she doubted any would have swum up from there. It was mutated however, so perhaps it didn¡¯t follow the behaviours of a traditional otter. But also her theorised place of mutation was the town itself. With a sigh she switched off her phone and ran a hand through her hair. There was no point in agonising over this. She should just fish the body out from whatever corner of woods she threw it in and try the ritual. If it works, it works and she shouldn¡¯t think about it anymore, and if it doesn''t, she¡¯ll just have to go with her original plan of procrastination and maybe murder.

    ¡°Keira! I¡¯ve got the tea set, are you ready to go?¡± Keira grimaced and checked the time, realising that she had spent far longer there than intended and that her dad was probably done with what he had come here to do.

    ¡°Give me a minute!¡± She shuffled the photos back into the boxes and put the journal with the trinkets in her bag. Then she quickly took out the other boxes and bagged any journal she saw, grateful that she brought her black backpack, so every one of the books actually fit. Once she had gotten every journal of importance she put the boxes back and went to head out the door, where her dad was leaning, shoes already one.

    ¡°Find anything?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a few shoe boxes of photos and diaries in the bottom of Grandad¡¯s wardrobe. I took the books but I¡¯m not sure what to do with the photos.¡± Her Dad frowned and glanced back into the house before sighing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll put a message out into the family group chat. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get taken before the sale of the house.¡± Keira nodded and followed him back to the car, once again in charge of making sure that the gate is opened and shut properly. On the journey back she found herself once again reading the journals, disappointed to find that the entry after the one described a mundane event similar to the ones beforehand. Maybe it was to reduce the chance of someone finding something important when flicking through it, or if it was opened on a random page. In the end she did end up slowly flicking through it, skim reading for anything that stood out to her as important. The only other entry of interest was towards the back end of the book, far enough that if one were to open to some random page in the middle it wouldn¡¯t be found, but not so much that if someone went back to front it would be found immediately.

    It appears that adding entries under these false dates has become a little habit of mine, albeit not one I shall curse. My previous entry of note was planned when I began to write this diary, it was the reason why I started in the beginning, this one as well was planned, but I expect that the next entries of this nature will not. It may make the strategic placing of these recounts more difficult if I were to continue writing the journals as they are meant to be written. Not doing so would be the reasonable response, but alas the niggling paranoia is still in the back of my mind. Recent events have done nothing to help. The death of my previous boss, Mr. Gallagher, was unexpected and a tragedy to many, but I suspect that it occurred under suspicious circumstances. I felt that I may be safe, as my involvement in his schemes was minimal at worse, but I still feel as though I have a target on my back. From the book that I was given at the funeral, one which has compiled a vast amount of knowledge on the strange, I have deduced that his enemies may have devised a supernatural way of killing people, and a way of framing it as an accident. Those who live in blissful ignorance of the world around them have no way of knowing of what would be a result of supernatural inference and what would truly be an accident, but the same does not go for the initiated. More and more I find myself wondering whether those at the funeral believed that it was truly an accident, or whether they stay silent due to the fear that they would be next. I suppose this secret has stayed hidden for so long in no small thanks to the trail of blood left by those at the top.

    Keira shut the book after that, feeling that there would be little else to gain from it, even if she could stomach more. A quick flick through the other journals showed her that they were all written in the same style as the first, nothing like what he described as having in the entry. She could have missed it in the bedroom, but why wouldn¡¯t he keep it with his other journals? Excess paranoia maybe, something which she may benefit from asking her grandma about or putting a message out in the family group chat. She sincerely doubted that anyone in it would be interested in it quite like she was, so it wouldn¡¯t be that much of a risk. Or at least that was what she hoped. It would take time for responses to come in however, and even more if it was still in the bungalow, so in the meantime, the other journals would have to make do as reading material.

 Chapter 19

    My experience with the supernatural has been disappointingly few and far between. I do not actively seek it out like some, but I do keep an eye out for it. Something which has become child¡¯s play as thanks to the book which has been provided to me by my late boss. However, I have recently come into contact with what I believe to be the fae, or at least a subset of them as it has some strange manifestation. My reasoning is that the book has described them as creatures of whim and desire, born from it as much as they are caged by it. Whether it be from a traveller wishing to be led home by a friendly flame, only for that flame to lead deep into the bogs or marshes, or for a sailor to have those familiar luxuries that he enjoyed at home, only to be dragged to a watery grave. Whether it be out of malice or they know no better than the humans that spawned them is still a question in the community, one I had been interested in knowing the answer to until now.

    Most are seemingly representations nature itself, echoes from a time where the individual aspects were worshipped, but the one I have seen recently hails from a far more sinister background. One filled with ill intent. Death is a part of nature as much as the fields of flowers or that bird on a breeze I suppose but seeing something embodying it is disturbing. Did it spring from someone¡¯s specific desire for me dead? Or a more general hatred of life? I wouldn¡¯t disregard the former, considering my firm rejections of Nikolaus in the past and present, especially considering that it hunts with purpose, but there are rumours of the latter¡­ Something I would have enjoyed looking into had I more time. Mayhap the one who stumbles across these entries would look into them instead, the nature of fae.

    Such speculations are useless to me now. I have stored the notes alongside these journals, whoever succeeds me should have an easier time finding them then, and if someone else were to find them¡­ Well, appeasing them with that book may dissuade a more rigorous search through these journals. I have still kept copies of the more important sections however, though I do not know where I am going to keep them. Alas, thinking too much about it will get me nowhere and my time remaining on this plane is short.

    Despite my long life I still feel myself mourning the loss of the rest of my life span. Even the loss of appropriate goodbyes to my family and friends. I shall do what I can of course, and I hope that the contingencies I have left will keep those close to me safe.

    Keira had read this entry a few times. It wasn¡¯t the last one in the book, but from analysing the entries she figured that he had written them after this one in a rush, considering the increasingly cramped scribbles of his cursive. In a certain sense, it truly was the very last entry that he had given, the last one he had put his thoughts and feelings into. It was hard to read the entry and not imagine the kindly old man, to not get a little choked up. She hadn¡¯t gone out in search of the corpse yet; instead choosing to mull over it for a day and read the rest of the journals before going to act on her idea. There could have been more information that would have been valuable after all, and while putting it off indefinitely would do her no good, neither would rushing into it without gathering all the facts that are useful to her. The last entry certainly had some interesting things but nothing directly related to her dilemma. So, with a sigh she picked up her now emptied bag and instead dumbed some plastic bags and rubber gloves in it.

    Keeping the thing in her bag was the exact opposite of an ideal situation but Palotl had failed to mention what to do once she had the vessel. Hopefully it would tell her when she falls asleep, much like what happened the last time, so she didn¡¯t have to keep it in her bag too long. She called out to her parents that she was going to the town centre and then headed out to look for the body.

    The walk was a couple of minutes at the longest but by the time she got to the house and checked behind the garden, the body was gone, leaving nothing but a blackened stain on a bush behind. Keira cursed under her breath and rummaged around the surrounding area, but it had just vanished. She ran a hand through her hair and remained squatting next to the bush for a while, debating what her next move should be and then a cough brought her out of her deliberations. Standing behind her was none other than Gastele leaning against a tree and swinging the body back and forth.

    ¡°Looking for something?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and I would appreciate it if you gave me that back.¡±

    ¡°Would you now.¡± Gastele¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, but with a shrug the expression was gone again, as well as the corpse she was holding. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give it to you or use it as a bargaining chip right now, it would be more beneficial to me if the vessel you use is that of a human. Or better yet, the vessel I use.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to give you the deal if you¡¯re going to use a human vessel.¡±

    ¡°And at that, we are at an impasse.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have to be if you tell me why using that,¡± Keira gestured to the empty space around Gastele, ¡°is not going to work.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to understand the intricacies behind it.¡± Gastele remained leaning casually against the tree, her smile never slipping, and her body language staying relaxed. Keira didn¡¯t have to rely on the woman¡¯s body language though, nor her tone. If the woman had to tell the truth then that meant she had a pretty low opinion of Keira¡¯s skills, but it also meant that avoiding the question was the only way to answer without showing her hand.

    ¡°It will work, won¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°A pointless revelation, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the potential vessel is still under my care.¡±

    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let me use it? I¡¯d argue that it¡¯s better because then you don¡¯t have it going around and pretending to be a normal person. And people thinking it¡¯s a normal person until it¡¯s too late.¡± Gastele hummed and seemed to be debating something before finally kicking off from the tree and closing the distance between them.

    ¡°I give nothing for free, you tell me how you knew using the corpse would work, and in return, I¡¯ll tell you your folly.¡±

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°¡­Those are reasonable terms.¡± And then Keira launched into a shortened version of events, of going to her grandma¡¯s, of finding the journal, of her thought process. At the end of it Gastele was massaging her jaw and nodding slowly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that interesting¡­ Very well. Now it¡¯s my turn to hold my end of the bargain. These sorts of beings possess the vessel in order to interact with our plane until the vessel expires, or they have gathered enough power to ascend. Essentially to exist on the material plane without a material form, to wield their boundless power with no restrictions. How they possess the vessel is by worming their way into the brain and puppeteering the body, but the way they hijack the body isn¡¯t necessarily lethal. If you were to hand it a dead body, it would be able to operate it with minimal resistance. If you were to hand it something with a will¡­ The stronger the will the stronger the resistance. It would not solve the problem, but it will give me some time to come up with a more¡­ permanent solution.¡±

    ¡°Good plan but Palotl told me that the vessel has to be dead. That I have to kill someone, or something. That I have no other choice.¡±

    ¡°It told you that it had be dead as part of the contract formed?¡± Keira hesitated, thinking back on her interactions with Palotl. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯ll offer you two more pieces of advice before I consider us even. As long as the information is not part of the contract, it can lie to you.¡±

    ¡°Unlike you then.¡± Gastele paused a little before conceding a nod.

    ¡°The second piece of information is that even when setting the terms it can twist meanings and lie by omission or technical truths. So, for example, if it says you have no other choice, it may be saying that because it won¡¯t give you another choice, not because said choice doesn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be bound by those same rules?¡±

    ¡°Was it in the contract? Or brought up afterwards?¡±

    ¡°It was brought up afterwards, I wouldn¡¯t have accepted otherwise.¡±

    ¡°How noble. In any case, I believe that proves my point. I implant your patron into an unsuspecting human and they live out the rest of their short happy life, and upon their death your patron will take over the body for a hopefully brief period of time before I or my associates banish back to its home plane. Everyone wins.¡±

    ¡°I accept as long as I¡¯m the vessel.¡± The smile that Gastele had been sporting slipped slightly and her expression became more vicious.

    ¡°That would be the same as doing nothing.¡± Keira paused.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take over my body if I die?¡±

    ¡°Do we have a deal or not?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Gastele didn¡¯t like that answer. Keira could tell, even though nothing in her body language or tone gave it away.

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to subject someone else to my fate, and from the sounds of things, this is already the ideal state of affairs.¡± A beat passed. Then Gastele sighed.

    ¡°I should have expected this. You are but a child after all and weighing someone else¡¯s life against the rest of humanity would be too much to ask. Your current state is temporary, more so than the one I proposed.¡± There was definitely more that Gastele wasn¡¯t telling her, but Keira didn¡¯t have the knowledge necessary to grasp at what it was. Only that it had something to do with her specifically. Keira was slightly curious as to how much Gastele knew on Palotl¡¯s plans though, it had said its goal is to purge the sickness, but Gastele seemed to think that it was to wipe out humanity. Keira personally thought that they meant one and the same, but Gastele might think differently.

    ¡°The rest of humanity? When I last talked with Palotl, it had only talked about purging some sickness. A parasite more specifically.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Elaborate on that.¡±

    ¡°Only if you tell me what it means.¡± Gastele tilted her head to the side, so Keira pushed a little bit more. ¡°It was extremely vague when telling me about it¡¯s goals, if you want me to tell you something useful I need to know more about it.¡±

    ¡°A solid argument. Alas, it does not change the fact that¡­ Palotl, as you call it, could have meant a multitude of different things, or all at the same time. What information I give you doesn¡¯t matter, and as I have mentioned before, we¡¯re even.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you give me, as long as you give me something. I¡¯ll trade more information if I have to.¡± Gastele cocked an eyebrow up and chuckled before rebutting Keira.

    ¡°Do you even have anything else that would interest me?¡± Keira met the woman¡¯s gaze head on however.

    ¡°Florian.¡± I was one of the few names that had turned up in the journals, and while she didn¡¯t think Gastele would want to know about it, it might tempt her into another deal. And from the way her eyes narrowed, Keira was right.

    ¡°Charming. But the man has been dead for five years.¡±

    ¡°What about his prot¨¦g¨¦e, Nikolaus?¡±

    ¡°Also died five years ago.¡±

    ¡°Then why do I have a journal entry written four years ago, stating that he was alive.¡± This gave Gastele pause, her expression faltering slightly.

    ¡°I find those terms acceptable, elaborate.¡±

    ¡°My grandfather was interested in the supernatural and in the last years of his life he was approached by someone he had met a few times before, someone who thought that they had leverage with him, for his knowledge. He refused to give what he had to Nikolaus, brought the man up by name. The last true entry described something hunting him.¡± Gastele was silent for a moment before she nodded her head.

    ¡°Very well. As for your question, I shall simplify these parasites into two groups. The first is the most difficult to deal with as they have no hosts or vessels on this plane of existence. Afterall, your friend is not the only being of unimaginable power out there, and these other beings that hide in the farthest recesses of reality have very few goals aside from spreading until the only constant is them. They access this plane by burrowing into the beliefs of humans, infecting their cultures and religions slowly gathering power until they have enough influence on this plane to come through in their entirety. To ascend. The only way to truly purge these parasites is to wipe out humanity.¡±

    ¡°A-ah. Is the second group any better to deal with?¡±

    ¡°Significantly. Though still out of the realm of your capabilities to deal with. It is what happens whenever these beings do have a host or vessel on this plane. Like you, for example. They already have people willing to commit the ritual to their ascension and have solid wells of power on this plane. These sorts are the second phase, the first group always progresses to the second and the way to deal with them remains the same. Kill the hosts.¡±

    ¡°I thought you said that the way to deal with them was easier.¡±

    ¡°It is. You now have a much smaller pool of people to get rid of, which is better for your weak stomach I reckon. If you¡¯re lucky, the hosts won¡¯t even have their humanity left! They¡¯ll just be little puppets on a string whose sole purpose is to either spread the parasite on the plane, or to bring it in full force.¡±

    ¡°That really makes me feel better.¡± Gastele didn¡¯t have anything else to say to that, or acknowledge the obvious sarcasm, she just stood there with that big smile on her face. Keira did have another question, though she wasn¡¯t sure how willing Gastele would be to answer it. ¡°Hypothetically if I could deal with that second type of parasite, in its entirety, would Palotl lose interest in ascending.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ certainly a possibility. It is also something that you will have to talk out with it, however. Beyond the summoning ritual itself, that is all the help I¡¯m willing to give.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Do contact me when you change your mind.¡± Keira was about to scold Gastele on her use of ¡®when¡¯, but by the time she opened her mouth the woman was gone. Instead she let out a heaving sigh and picked up her backpack again, already thinking about how to get around this new road block.

 Chapter 20

    Euan had moved on from his life as a mechanic to one of an engineer, and then to one of a businessman. It had given him enough money to engage in his little side project and had also given him a large enough excuse to travel, but as he had grown older and gotten a wife, he found himself travelling a lot less. And his research into the unknown climbed to a complete standstill once his son was born. Vance was not¡­ particularly book learned. He struggled with most of his subjects in school and so when the time came for him to try and get a well-paid job, he had struggled. So Euan had pulled some strings. Got him settled into a department that didn¡¯t demand too much experience, or that could be assisted by someone who didn¡¯t have that much experience at the very least. It also helped that they worked in the same place as it allowed Euan to drive Vance so he knew that the boy would be punctual.

    They pulled up in front of the building and Vance began to walk to his assigned room, and Euan followed him. This seemed to put Vance in a bit of a skittish mood as he began to fiddle with his hands, and his nervousness only increased as they grew closer to one of the rooms they used to inspect engines. Finally they stopped just outside of the room and Vance turned to Euan.

    ¡°Dad¡­ why are you coming into the room?¡±

    ¡°I need to make sure it¡¯s up to standard as we have an inspector coming today. Didn¡¯t I tell you about this last week?¡±

    ¡°¡­You know, I think you did. Is there any chance you could give us about¡­ five minutes?¡±

    ¡°Open the door, Vance. We don¡¯t have time for this.¡± Vance sighed and opened the door to take a step in.

    The room was incredibly dark and the only sources of light were from the ultraviolet lights in the ceiling. It was how they inspected the engines. They dipped them in large vats of ultraviolet ink and then the ink would dribble off of the engines back into the vats, clinging to any miniscule cracks in the metal which allowed them to find and fix them. However, it seemed like it had given his son a unique idea. He now had large neon purple glasses and a moustache drawn on in vibrant yellow.

    ¡°¡­This won¡¯t affect the review, right?¡± Euan sighed.

    ¡°It is about professionalism Vance and the sooner you learn that, the better off you shall be. Now clean that off of your face before the inspectors come.¡±

    ¡°Oh, I should clean my face?¡± Vance had said that a little too loudly which confused Euan until another employee rounded the corner. He had a bright orange monobrow and cat whiskers drawn onto his face. He then slowly backed away back out of view.

    ¡°Some of the receptionists have nail varnish remover on them, I realise it may be a little unhealthy for you but it should to the job.¡± With that Vance nodded and headed off, soon followed by a large entourage of employees who had many bizarre drawings on their faces. Euan sighed and decided to start his personal inspection in other areas before looping back around to where his son was working. Aside from the small hiccup at the start, he was satisfied with how everything was running and by the time he got back around to Vance¡¯s section everyone was looking professional and working at the expected level. Just in time too as he got a page to the front of the factory. The inspectors had arrived.

    Euan made his way to the front of the factory and when he got there he was greeted by the two inspectors, one of whom he recognised. The man was young, but when one got to the Followers of Xanthopan appearances could be deceiving and from what he knew of Nikolaus, he was very high on the ladder. Instead of commenting on the man¡¯s presence, Euan put on his polite smile and held out his hand in greeting. Nikolaus eyed it for a beat before offering his own in return, then he signalled to the man beside him. The man walked ahead and Euan made to follow, but Nikolaus put his hand on Euan¡¯s shoulder and held him back.

    ¡°We shall go and join him shortly, but there is something I want to discuss with you first.¡±

    ¡°Ah. So there is a reason why I have such an honoured guest.¡± If this remark amused or annoyed Nikolaus, he didn¡¯t show it, instead he withdrew his hand and continued.

    ¡°Are you aligned with anyone outside your company at the moment?¡±

    ¡°No one other than myself, sir. I suppose that answer is different from your own however.¡±

    ¡°You are correct there, aside from the fact that I am not a part of the Health and Regulations Committee. I have friends in high places you see, and I am not afraid to make use of them for myself and my subordinates. Most of whom are in upstanding positions in society.¡± Silence descended for a beat, before Euan finally realised what the man wanted.

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    ¡°Despite my distant interest in your world, Nikolaus, I am quite invested in making sure that my interest stays distant. I have no interest in becoming your subordinate.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It gives you many advantages above your peers, not including the wealth of knowledge you would have at your fingertips.¡±

    ¡°If I may be forward with you, it¡¯s because of the questionable business practices you promote and partake in.¡±

    ¡°We care about the preservation of humanity as much as anyone else, Euan. We only take the actions that those in the International Trade and Security Association are unwilling to do in order for balance to be maintained. Sometime people have to die, and others have to be kept in the dark.¡±

    ¡°They do not hesitate to protect people in whatever way they can. What they don¡¯t do is use it as an excuse to get rid of obstacles and stockpile more power. My answer is final; I won¡¯t be another hitman for you.¡±

    ¡°Very well. If you won''t join us then I shall move onto the second option for us. We''ve received some intel saying that you have all of the notes on the supernatural that the late Mr. Gallagher took. We would appreciate it if you traded them to us for something a little more useful to you."

    "If they''re not useful then why do you want them?" Euan¡¯s voice maintained it¡¯s professional tone, but inside he was putting the pieces together. They had an ulterior motive, as they always do, and it was good to finally hear it.

    "Not useful to you. When independent practitioners strike out on their own what they find tends to be snippets that they have to string together into coherence. As you can imagine, it rarely works out for them. With our resources we can not only use those notes in your possession to their full potential but we can trade them for something better suited to your needs."

    "You make a convincing argument... However I am not interested in accepting. If what you say is true then I doubt that Mr. Gallagher had known something you haven''t, and quite frankly, I''m not interested in assisting you in your goals."

    ¡°What of your research into our world? Are you willing to deny your chance of getting some answers to the multitude of questions you may have?¡± Euan paused at that, giving a sigh before answering Nikolaus fully.

    ¡°I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t interested in all that. But if I truly wanted the answers to those questions, I would use what I have and trade with the Keeper.¡±

    ¡°The Keeper?¡± Nikolaus asked with an incredulous scoff. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t know loyalty if it smacked them around the head- or heads¡­ Hrm. My point is clear. Dealing with them is a terrible idea.¡±

    ¡°They keep their word though and are far more forthcoming than the Archivists. Trust me, I¡¯ve tried.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve managed to contact those things? I must say that I¡¯m interested in hearing how you managed to pry information on those out of the Scholars hands. They keep that sort of thing extremely well-guarded for an organisation who believe the best course of action is to expose our world to the general public.¡±

    ¡°Your world, Nikolaus. I¡¯ve put aside the work gloves and taken up a more stable life. As a show of good will, though, I am willing to help you in any way I can.¡± Nikolaus fell quiet for a moment, contemplative, before he sighed.

    "I don¡¯t believe you will be much help by yourself, but it''s more the personal experience we''re looking for. We know that he was one of the closest confidants of Liselotte and we''re looking for someone she knows."

    "The book doesn''t mention anything like that I''m afraid. You may have just wasted all this time barking up the wrong tree."

    "And I''m afraid that your answer is unsatisfactory. I am certain that we''ll be able to find what we''re looking for in the book. Perhaps you missed it because you weren¡¯t looking for it.¡±

    ¡°Then describe what you were looking for in detail then. I¡¯ve read the book numerous times after all, you could leave here with the knowledge you¡¯re after today.¡± Nikolaus did not respond, which prompted Euan to carry on with what he was saying. ¡°Unless you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re looking for¡­¡±

    ¡°We do.¡± Nikolaus¡¯ voice had an edge to it now. Euan had to remind himself to reign it in, lest he really did end up as a bloody footnote in history.

    ¡°I apologise for being presumptuous. If it helps, Mr. Gallagher talked of meeting her through archaeology channels. Specifically, those based around Aria and Duroria.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did he go into any detail on the expeditions that he undertook?¡±

    ¡°He was not that free with the information.¡± Euan was beginning to suspect that whatever Nikolaus was looking for, it had something to do with his first brush with the supernatural. He was there, as well as a man named¡­ Florian. Despite the fact that it had been a while ago, Euan had run into their names so often that it was a wonder they kept their secret organisation hidden from the general public. Or have avoided getting arrested. He felt like the biggest reason he remembered that day, though, was the fact that it would be almost impossible to forget something like that. ¡°He only mentioned a single expedition to some barrows in Duroria and that his employer took the most valuable piece.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ that sounds like her alright. Nothing else?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s all the help I can offer.¡±

    ¡°You would be offering more help if you were to stop being stubborn and give me what I want.¡±

    "You''re not getting the book, Nikolaus. And I''m not joining your organisation either." The man sighed and shook his head.

    "A pity. The offer will stay open anyhow, in case something happens and you are in need of assistance. And even if you don''t reach out, this will not be the last time we shall see each other." Nikolaus finished his speech by handing Euan a business card that only had a plain black number imprinted on it.

    "You took that well. Here I was expecting to receive a terrible review."

    "That would be awfully suspicious considering Roger is unaware of my status. And not to mention incredibly petty considering you have been fairly cooperative." Euan nodded and stood off to one side.

    "I do try. Now let''s go catch up with him then. Before he gets himself lost." Nikolaus nodded and overtook Euan, walking into the factory ahead. Meanwhile Euan made a mental note to find a better hiding spot for that damned book. He had a strong feeling that Nikolaus was not done with it yet.

 Chapter 21

    If there was one thing about having a geography trip that Keira liked, it was the fact that she didn¡¯t have to go to school. The consequence of which, however, was the fact that they had to arrive early at school and waking up multiple times a night did not lend itself well to early mornings. Both Keira and Iris were on the geography trip but they were a man down as Morgan stayed in bed since he did history. Keira thanked whatever gods existed, except maybe Palotl, that Naima, Imogen and Paige also did history and didn¡¯t go on this trip. Keira didn¡¯t think she could handle the awkwardness that the situation would produce. Iris¡¯s parents finished dropping them off at the school and the two made their way to the small horde of students that were gathered at the front of the building next to a small coach.

    The teacher glanced up and smiled at their approach, checking off a couple of things on her clipboard and she turned to the group.

    ¡°Alright, now that everyone¡¯s here we can get going. It¡¯s a three-hour trip there and once we¡¯re there I don¡¯t want any of you to split up. Always stay with at least one friend or me.¡± There was a small, tired grumble from the crowd to which she nodded enthusiastically. ¡°Excellent! Let¡¯s get you all on this bus then.¡± Keira and Iris shuffled onto the coach after the rest of their class and Keira stood off to the side to let Iris sit by the window, which earned her a small, confused look.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you usually sit by the window?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Which is why I figured you should sit by it now.¡± Iris¡¯s look melted into a more deadpan one.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t anything about that supernatural thing, is it?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I just thought you¡¯d want a nice view of the beautiful weather and countryside.¡± Iris gave Keira a deadpan look which she soon crumbled under. ¡°Fine! Yes, it¡¯s something about the supernatural.¡± Iris nodded and then shuffled into the seat by the window.

    ¡°Right¡­ Well looking at this absolutely beautiful weather I can safely say that it definitely isn¡¯t going to rain and make this trip worse. We¡¯re already doing this survey in a dead seaside town with little to no attractions, I really don¡¯t want it to be raining as well.¡± Despite Iris¡¯s wishes, it did indeed start to rain. And it rained for most of the journey there. Keira was mostly lost in her own thoughts for the whole thing, staring at the floor and only occasionally interacting with the world by answering questions that were aimed at her. Iris on the other hand was idly tapping away on her phone, enjoying data privileges until they got to a part that was too rural. Then she just stared out of the window, watching as droplets made their way down the glass.

    Eventually the group arrived at their destination. The coach pulled up a little way off from the centre of the village, or what Keira guessed was the centre as it was where a large statue was. The location itself was right next to the stairs down the sea wall and to the ocean. Since Keira and Iris were the last on the coach, they were the first off. Once they did take a step off the bus though, she was hit with just how quiet it was. The rain had faded to a slight mist so the slight pitter patter was now the distant sound of water running into a drain. A breeze passed them, rustling the surrounding long reeds of grass that had long since yellowed. She couldn¡¯t even hear any seagulls.

    The silence was broken by a loud yelp as one of the boys was pushed off of the coach by one of his friends. He caught himself and yanked the offender off after him to a chorus of laughs. Keira rolled her eyes and handed off her umbrella to Iris before putting on her coat. She wouldn¡¯t need it if the rain continued this constituency. Then she took some time to observe the town. Somehow it was even smaller than her own, and the completely dead vibe was not helped by the fact that there were hardly any people around. There was only one person she could see. A woman sat on the base of the statue which was a half-oxidised fisherman; his gaze set out over the sea.

    Keira didn¡¯t blame the woman for sitting on the base of the statue as the benches that formed a semi-circle around it were rotting away and she didn¡¯t think that they could hold a full person. The woman had interesting fashion choices, not only was she not wearing a coat to stave off the rain and cold, but she was wearing a summer dress. Most confusingly though, her eyes were shut and her head was leaned back against the statue, as if she was embracing it. Keira debated whether it was worth asking her if she was okay, but the teacher spoke up.

    ¡°Alright, the itinerary for today is that we''re going to go to the beach and look at the preservation effort there. This includes measuring the height of the pebbles build-up either side of the barriers, assessing how aesthetically pleasing they are to look at and how worn they are. Afterwards we''ll have a break for lunch before you take survey questions from the residents. The questions are already on your sheet, just make a tally of different answers and write anything you think you can use down. Now make sure you don''t leave anything on the coach and let''s head off."

    The teacher led the group around the statue in order to get to the stairs, with Keira and Iris trailing at the back, but movement from the corner of Keira¡¯s eye caught her attention. She looked in the direction and locked eyes with the woman who was sitting on the base. The woman who was now staring at her. Keira averted her gaze away from the woman and instead decided to take note on how all of the shops around them were closed, even though some of them said that they should be open.

    As they got down to the pebble beach though, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t needed to get out the umbrella as the precipitation had faded into a slight mist. Accompanying it was the smell in the air that there always was when it rained after a dry spell. Keira put her backpack down next to a particularly large stone that her teacher had decided to sit on and pulled out a pen. Iris approached from behind holding a couple of clipboards with the survey sheets fastened on them. She held one out for Keira.

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    ¡°Get into pairs and start measuring, we have to finish this data collection and sketches before midday.¡± Iris shared a look with Keira, gesturing to one end of the beach, and they unanimously decided to go to the one at the far end so they wouldn¡¯t get interrupted by the others. When they took the spot five barriers down, they didn¡¯t talk much. Only sharing the measurement information, and Keira decided to take the time to truly take in how quiet it was aside from the other groups. The sounds of the sea was the only accompanying sound to their work.

    ¡°Hey, Iris?¡± When Keira got a hum in response to her questions, she continued, ¡°don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little weird that there aren¡¯t any seagulls?¡±

    ¡°¡­Maybe they migrated? It is getting pretty cold¡­¡± Iris had taken a moment to even answer Keira, probably only just noticing the absence of the birds.

    ¡°Like the people?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. We knew that it would be underpopulated before we came. It¡¯s why we came, actually.¡± They moved onto the next barrier down and did the same measurements.

    ¡°Hey, Iris?¡± Keira asked, unperturbed when all the response she got back was a hum. ¡°What would you say if I said I could end all this supernatural stuff soon? All I have to do is find someone willing to shoulder the burden instead.¡±

    ¡°First¡­¡± Iris paused, before course adjusting. ¡°Why don¡¯t I ¡®shoulder¡¯ it for you?¡±

    ¡°Because you don¡¯t believe it¡¯s real?¡±

    ¡°Why bring it up then? Surely you¡¯re not asking my opinion on whether Morgan would agree?¡±

    ¡°No- well, yes. But what I¡¯m saying is whether or not I should ask him.¡±

    ¡°Only ask him if you¡¯re prepared to pass it onto him. Though I doubt that he¡¯d agree.¡± Keira conceded with a half nod and they moved onto the next barrier. Only on this one, Keira noticed something small and white peeking out of the pile of stones. She moved some of the pebbles aside to reveal a seagull corpse through the late stages of decomposition. What she had seen as a piece of bone that had been stripped clean by the ebb and flow of the ocean. Keira made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, which was something which Iris picked up on.

    ¡°What are you-¡° Iris cut off with a gag, leaning back over to her side of the barrier and dry heaving. Keira moved to quickly cover the body, as a favour for her friend.

    "Do we have enough measurements for this one?" Iris nodded, arm still covering her mouth. Keira clapped her hands. ¡°Then let¡¯s move onward.¡±

    On the third set of measurements they took, Keira found another body. And from the commotion that came from another group, she wasn¡¯t the only one unearthing bodies. Iris looked completely done by the time they were wrapping up gathering their data, and Keira couldn¡¯t blame her. She had always heard of buried treasure, but skeletons and corpses were very different from what she would picture that to be. Iris sat down on a large stone and pulled out a bottle of hand sanitiser, giving herself some generous squirts before holding it out for Keira. Keira nodded and took the bottle, not giving herself quite as much as Iris. Then the two started their sketches.

    Midway through the sketch, Keira noticed that a dog walker had made his way onto the beach, defeating the notion that the town was utterly dead. As she and Iris had been moving very quickly once they saw the body, they had finished far ahead of any other group. The rest that had started on the closer section of beach were still on the last couple, which made them the first people to greet the dog walker and his dog. His dog was very enthusiastic, jumping up and pawing at the others. Keira frowned and continued with her sketch, making notes and rating the appearance of them, alongside making any deductions on the impact on tourism. By the time she was finished with the first one, the guys had come stumbling back in a large group.

    They had lost the same fervour they had a few minutes ago. Especially considering that one of them was looking very pale and was leaning very heavily on his friend. The teacher stood up and walked over to the boy and put the back of her hand on his forehead. She frowned a little.

    ¡°You¡¯re not running a fever¡­ Do you want me to call someone to pick you up?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling really tired all of a sudden.¡±

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s because you caught anything?¡± The boy shook his head and the teacher sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t really call off the school trip¡­ why don¡¯t you sit next to me and rest to get some of that energy back. You can use your friends notes for the rest of the day if you need to.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Ms.¡± He mumbled before slumping down and the ground next to her spot. Others were coming back now, some were asking him how he was and what they could do but he just waved them off citing exhaustion. A couple of the guys in his group sat down next to Keira and started talking.

    ¡°That really came out of nowhere though¡­¡±

    ¡°Seriously? He was complaining about itchiness and dizziness earlier.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ He just seemed to recover from it so quickly so I thought it was a passing thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine¡­ Oh! I have some snacks. Maybe that will help to get his energy up?¡± Some of the others sitting around Keira voice their general agreement and he went to go and pass some energy bars to the boy. The rest put their heads down and finally got back to work. Keira took this as a sign to do the same. Eventually they were all pulled out of their focus when the teacher called an end to the beach portion of the data collection.

    ¡°So we¡¯ll have a quick break for lunch, feel free to buy something from one of the stores if they¡¯re open, and be ready to move in twenty minutes. The second part of today includes surveying residents and the use of housing in the area, I¡¯ve provided the necessary sheets behind the first part. Stick in your pairs and on the main street, please.¡± The teacher finished her speech and stepped off of the stone that she had stood on. The guy who had looked sick earlier looked a little better now, if not a little twitchy, and was talking with the people who were in his group. Turned to her side and reached into her bag to take out her lunch and then she saw that the dog that was running around earlier and greeting the students was stood stock still and staring at the group. It could¡¯ve been a statue if she didn¡¯t know better. Keira met its gaze and that seemed to stir it back into action. It ran around a few times to chase its tail and then scampered back towards the steps. The man who had been walking with it was waiting by the bottom of them, also staring at them. As if only just noticing her stare he smiled and waved before following his dog up the stairs back into the town.

    Keira frowned and looked back towards Iris. She was still writing up the evaluation, and even if she wasn''t, she wouldn''t want to talk to Keira about her thoughts. Wouldn''t want to encourage them. Sighing she just did her work as fast as she could.

 Chapter 22

    After they had finished their lunch, and the teacher knew that they were all there, they moved back to where the statue was. When the group got there, Keira noticed how the street was much busier. There were people walking up and down either side of the cobbled road and the stores that had been previously shut were now open. A few of the residents were even walking into them. Keira¡¯s attention was pulled back to the teacher who had pulled out some coloured pencils and was handing them out.

    ¡°The second part of your survey, the human part, is after the physical part. Please speak up if you don¡¯t have it.¡± No one said anything. ¡°Good. I¡¯ve already mentioned the basics before but to put it in more detail, I want you to make a key and shade in what buildings are residences and what are residential, mixed can be any colour as well as anything that deviates. I also want you to ask the questions on the survey sheets to the locals, do not harass them if they don¡¯t want to answer. We will meet back here in three hours to get on the coach to leave, and I will be here during that time so come to me if any more of you feel ill. Everyone okay with that?¡± The teacher was answered with a chorus of agreement and then they scattered. Keira and Iris went to the end of the main road. Much like with the beach protection techniques they wanted to work backwards to avoid the rest of the class. This also meant that Iris had an end of the street covered where the residents hadn¡¯t yet had their mood soured by interacting with the class.

    Which should be pretty useful as even though it was supposed to be the main street, it was still fairly quiet. Not as much as when they first arrived, but the main square did have a few more people in it. Iris pulled aside an old couple and started talking to them. Keira took this as a sign that she should also start on her task, which was to colour in boxes. It might have been more boring if she didn¡¯t get to choose the colour scheme.

    When she looked across the road to fill in those houses, she noticed the boy that had been complaining about feeling ill earlier was now standing stock still at the back of his group of friends as they interviewed another resident. It was rather interesting to watch, she felt. How he stood there with an ever growing smile on his face, occasionally nodding along to what someone was saying. Keira paused in her colouring and really began to focus him. The way his head moved like it was attached to a pivot point. His eyes suddenly snapped to hers and Keira quickly looked away. Iris gave her a strange look before turning back to the old couple who were beginning to move on. One of them gave her a hearty pat on the shoulder before they left.

    Iris approached Keira, scratching the back of her neck.

    ¡°That was a little weird¡­ Are you okay there?¡± Keira nodded, so Iris continued. ¡°Good. Because someone here needs to be. I¡¯m too spooked.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Did they remind you that we¡¯re all going to grow old and die one day?¡±

    ¡°Why would I need them to do it when you¡¯re good enough on your own? But no. They just kept on looking at each other and giggling like some idealistic newlywed couple.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they just found your questions funny.¡± Iris gave Keira a flat look before she exaggeratedly looked at the survey sheet.

    ¡°Question one: how would you say the implementation of coastal preservation techniques have impacted tourism?¡±

    ¡°See? Comedy gold.¡± Now that Iris had mentioned it though, Keira was starting to notice strange things about the inhabitants herself. They were smiling widely and walking around in brightly coloured tropical shirts and shorts despite the fact that the rain was still a cold mist in the air. ¡°Now that you mention it though, everyone seems to be cosplaying a holiday brochure... If it bothers you too much, I could handle the surveys for you.¡±

    "No. I can manage it. Carry on with that shading thing." She did so with only mild hesitation, edging closer to Iris when she pulled aside someone else. It was a middle-aged man that was dressed in the same attire as everyone else, including the wide smile that never reached his eyes. In fact, Keira wasn¡¯t sure whether or not his gaze was reaching Iris. He seemed to stare right past her and into the grey stone of the pavement.

    "Oh! Are you here to ask about the tourist industry?" His tone was far too cheerful for the type of weather they were in. Keira adjusted her grip on the clipboard, ready to wield it a bludgeoning weapon if need be.

    ¡°We are¡­ How did you know?¡± The man blinked a couple of times, expression frozen before he seemingly found his answer.

    "I was just answering the same questions of your compatriots further down the road."

    "Oh... well. I hope you don''t mind being asked them again?" Iris replied, completely skipping over the fact that he approached from the other side.

    "Of course not! Ask away." Iris asked the first question and the man nodded along. "Oh! It has certainly made the town less popular, but it has brought you here. And may yet bring many others." Iris''s face froze and she nodded slowly making some notes, taking a break in between notes to scratch at the back of her neck again. She then began to ask the ones that requires a numerical response. Once she began to ask those, the man stopped smiling as much and the responses became robotic. Most of them were a neutral five, but occasionally different ones were given. Keira found this a little strange so she came in from behind Iris and spoke.

    ¡°Would you mind giving detailed explanations for your answers? There¡¯s an optional sections that I think we should fill in.¡± She got a look from her friend that said ¡®there is no section like that,¡¯ but Iris didn¡¯t say it out loud. Then she finally got a reaction that wasn¡¯t suspiciously happy or robotic. It seemed like panic for a moment before the expression he was holding before crashed back down and settled on his face.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t have to explain, then I won¡¯t. Will that be all?¡± Iris nodded slowly and watched with curiosity as the man backed away with speed. Keira narrowed her eyes at Iris.

    ¡°That was a little shorter than the other one.¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I skipped a few questions.¡± If Iris didn¡¯t look disturbed before she certainly did so now. Keira decided to have a shot at lightening the mood with a fake gasp.

    ¡°Not doing your work? What will the teachers say?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can say anything. Did you do anymore colouring while I was talking to him?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject.¡± Iris laughed a little and scratched the back of her neck.

    ¡°Sorry. It¡¯s just that his answers were almost exactly the same as the other two I interviewed, and it started to feel like a waste of time.¡±

    ¡°Understandable.¡± Keira felt like Iris had relaxed but then her eyes to widen and she looked around in a panic. Then, without warning, she took off into a sprint. Keira stood there in confusion before taking off after her, falling far behind due to her lacklustre running skills and late start. Fortunately Iris hadn¡¯t ran a long way, stopping at the mouth of an alleyway after a minute which allowed Keira to catch up and put a hand on Iris¡¯s shoulder. Iris looked at Keira and frowned.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°What- am- I¡­?¡± Keira swallowed, taking a moment to catch her breath. ¡°What are you doing? We¡¯re supposed to stay on the main street.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to leave unless I had to. I just had to help¡­¡± Iris turned her gaze back to the alley. ¡°Do you know where they could have gone?¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°The person who screamed!¡±

    ¡°I heard nothing.¡± Iris whipped around to face Keira fully.

    ¡°How could you have heard nothing? It was so loud!¡± Keira frowned.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Iris blinked a couple of times before shaking her head.

    ¡°The headache is gone but¡­ maybe I really do just need to sit down.¡±

    ¡°Maybe we could take a wall that¡¯s to the side of the park. Or we could head into one of the gift shops. I¡¯m sure at least one of them has a stool or something that you could sit on.¡±

    ¡°That¡­ sounds like an idea. Let¡¯s not wander too far though.¡± Keira nodded and the two headed down the road, closer to the meeting point. She noticed that her teacher was busy talking to someone, so she didn¡¯t call out. Instead she made a mental note to go and bother her if Iris started to feel any worse. As they walked down the road Keira looked into the stores to see if they had anywhere to sit. On the third window she checked, she found what she was looking for. Someone was just walking back behind the cash register, the wall behind him was covered in seaside memorabilia, chocolate and cards. More importantly though, there was a stool in the corner.

    Keira tugged Iris into the store and shared a smile with the clerk. Both of them were forced, but the clerks was significantly more stiff. Not that it mattered. Keira sat Iris down on the stool and then pulled out a water bottle from her bag. Iris offered a small smile.

    ¡°Thanks. I don¡¯t think I should be drinking the water here.¡± Keira huffed a small laugh and looked over to the clerk to check that he wasn¡¯t offended. He was still smiling and staring at them. She would have read the smile as offended if she hadn¡¯t just been receiving the same one from everyone else. It was a little concerning that he was still staring at them though, he hadn¡¯t moved since they had entered the store. Keira doubted that he had moved at all, judging from his clean white shirt that had yet to earn any wrinkles, the only accessory was a name tag that read Jake in semi-neat cursive. A little disturbed she turned her attention back to her friend who was starting to look pale and had taken to holding her head in her hands, resting her elbows on her knees.

    ¡°Maybe we should get some sugary food in you.¡± Keira eyed the chocolates on the shelves and grimaced when there was thick layer of dust on the packaging. None of the other pieces of merchandise were fairing any better. ¡°Or maybe not.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ It¡¯s just a headache.¡±

    ¡°Are headaches supposed to make you hear screaming?¡± Iris scratched the back of her neck again and sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not just screaming now. At first, I thought it was something like tinnitus as it was similar to a muffled ringing. But it¡¯s progressed¡­ It- It¡¯s voices now. Whispering and I can¡¯t make too much out, but what I can is telling me to run.¡± She noticed that Iris was starting to shake a little now, so Keira covered Iris¡¯s hands with her own.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here.¡± A man¡¯s voice sliced in before she could finish her sentence. Startled, Keira turned to look at the person who had spoken and was surprised to see that it was the clerk with his perfectly styled hair that had seemed as static as the rest of him. She frowned.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to stick to the main road, no? One of my previous customers mentioned it.¡± The sheen of dust over everything showed that no one had shopped there for a while, but instead of mentioning it she tugged Iris up. Her friend stumbled a bit and wrapped her arm around Keira¡¯s shoulder in order to stop herself from falling over.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right there¡­ Excuse us while we take our leave.¡± The man nodded and continued to give them a wide-eyed stare as they left the store. Keira turned to Iris. ¡°Should we go and talk to the teacher?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t want this trip to be called off because I¡¯m ill. Just¡­ give me a few minutes out in the open and hopefully I¡¯ll start to feel better.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ The park should be open and have benches, even if they¡¯ll be a little wet.¡±

    "Isn''t that off of the allowed area we can be?"

    "Since when did you care about that." Iris laughed a little and adjusted her grip on Keira''s shoulders.

    "You were never one for flights of fancy." She knew what Iris was talking about. Keira didn''t think that they were at the point where they could joke about it, mostly because it was still an active threat in her life. Her jaw clenched slightly. She hated to admit when she was wrong, and she knew that she was right on this. And it wasn¡¯t like Iris was faring any better, with hearing voiced and such. But her friend was ill and in pain, so she didn¡¯t argue. All she managed was a deadpan response.

    "I suppose kidnapping would do that to you."

    "I didn''t... we''ve just spent so much time apart you know? We''ve both changed."

    "Enough for you to care about coming off the beaten path?"

    "Absolutely not. Break those rules." Keira chuckled and put Iris on one of the benches in the park, noting with pleasure that there wasn¡¯t any animal waste. The silence permeated for a beat, the only thing breaking it was the occasional rustle in the leaves. Then there were scraping footsteps up the path. It was another person from their class.

    Iris offered them a tight smile and they returned a sympathetic nod. Then she growled and moved her hand to the back of her neck and began to scratch more vigorously. Keira moved to take the hand away.

    ¡°You¡¯ll hurt yourself if you keep doing-¡° She cut off when her hand made contact. Suddenly, all she could feel was searing pain.

 Chapter 23

    Excruciating pain travelled through her, so much so that she couldn¡¯t even tell where it was originating from. It didn¡¯t take long to guess however. When she had withdrawn her hand as though she had been shocked, the pain died down, only leaving her with a sore hand. Keira looked properly at the back of Iris¡¯s neck and realised that there was something there. She pulled her sleeve down to her hand and took out a sheet of paper from the survey. Then she worked at the thing that had attached itself to Iris, she edged it off much like she would a leech and once she had a better look at it, the description felt accurate. It was small and translucent, with a small group of feelers where she guessed its head might be, and its slug body now lying limp in the palm of her hand.

    Iris was shivering now, dry heaving and clutching the back of her neck. Then her head snapped up and she saw the thing that was in Keira¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What. The. Fuck.¡± Keira opened her mouth to answer, but a mangled scream cut her off before she could. They both turned to see a woman charging towards them with a look of fury on her face. Keira was momentarily stunned, like a deer in headlights, but Iris had reached her limit confusion and grabbed Keira by her arm. Pulling her up and out of the way as the woman barely missed her before stumbling and falling onto the ground. Keira looked to see what she had tripped over, only to realise that it had been Iris¡¯s foot. Then Keira was pulled away out of the park.

    After that she hadn¡¯t needed anymore encouragement to follow Iris into an alley, panting heavily as even though Iris was still recovering from the thing in Keira¡¯s hand, she was in better shape than Keira. So while Keira was busy catching her breath, Iris looked around and made sure that the woman wasn¡¯t going to turn up again. Then she turned to Keira.

    ¡°Explain. What is happening?¡± Keira returned with a shrug of her shoulders. ¡°Seriously? You know nothing?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Believe it or not, I¡¯m just as clueless as you right now.¡±

    ¡°But you got rid of-¡° Iris cut herself off and gestured to the creature that Keira was still holding. She almost dropped the leech in response, but a strong pulsing sensation from her wrist stopped her, causing her fingers to wrap around the thing even tighter. Keira frowned. Did Palotl want her to keep a hold of it?

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t me.¡± Keira was still looking at the leech, trying to think of any possible reason that it would be worth keeping. Then pain flared up in her wrist again and her head whipped around when she heard why.

    More footsteps were running towards them and Keira made the choice to grab Iris with her free hand and lead the way this time. They started off again in a sprint, but the head start only meant that they weren''t in immediate danger and had some time before the people running caught up again. Iris wasn¡¯t quite on the same page as Keira yet, however.

    ¡°Why are we running? Couldn¡¯t they help us?¡±

    ¡°Trust me Iris, I¡¯m attuned to this kind of thing. They are not here to help us.¡± It was obvious that the answer wasn¡¯t sufficient to Iris, but she did stay quiet and keep pace with Keira. Their pace was a fast one, but not enough as scratching sound approached from behind before a searing pain spread up her leg. Keira screamed and stumbled down to her knees, turning to kick the familiar looking dog in its face. It let go and moved out of the way, but as it went in for another bite, a cheap wooden clipboard smashed into the side of its head sending sawdust and splinters across the alley way. It also sent the dog careening into one of the walls surrounding them.

    Iris looked at the now broken clipboard and then tucked it under her arm, holding up her other hand to help Keira up. She grabbed it and took her turn to be supported. Then she looked behind her to the body of the dog to check that it really was dead. It was twitching. Broken head still twisting and moving around with the rest of the body, trying to stand up and carry on its mission. That was the least of their worries, as it turned out, as a man sprinted into the mouth of the alleyway and headed straight towards the two girls. Keira swore and urged Iris on, who moved as fast as she could, given the extra weight. She then felt the sudden urge to take the next left, and so she did. Her mark flared up painfully and the world tilted slightly, throwing her back to her knees. From the retching of Iris beside her, she guessed that the feedback hit both of them. Keira crawled over to the entrance of the alley and saw that the man and dog were no longer there.

    It was how Palotl was communicating with her, she realised. It couldn''t speak directly to her while she was awake, but it could still give her urges and vague suggestions. At the moment, it would be in her best interest to follow them.

    ¡°What- what.¡± Iris did actually throw up this time, opening the lid of a bin to do so. Keira was pretty close to doing the same thing herself. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t care right now. We need to leave.¡±

    "Glad- you agree." Keira was panting heavily now. Pain and exhaustion mixing together in an unpleasant mess. She opened her bag and fished out the scarf that she brought, but something stopped her from wrapping it around the wound on her leg. Another pulse from her wrist paralysed her and she dropped the scarf on the floor with a yelp. Iris looked at Keira, and then the scarf before sighing and picking it up, bringing to Keira¡¯s leg for her. It got as far as touching the wound, soaking in some of the blood before Keira¡¯s hand shot out without her permission and stopped Iris from tying it. Palotl wasn¡¯t going to let her dress the wound she realised.

    ¡°Keira? What are you-¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Keira got the sudden urge to push Iris away. Instead she squashed it and focused on what to tell her friend. ¡°Do you trust me?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s starting to wane.¡± Iris remarked, still holding the scarf up to the rip in her leg.

    ¡°For some reason, I¡¯m not allowed to dress this wound, but for the same reason I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Iris looked at her like she was insane, Keira probably was, but when she took the scarf away from the tear in Keira¡¯s leg, she blanched. Keira frowned and looked down to see the flesh starting to knit together, blood darkening from presumably drying quicker.

    ¡°You know what. You¡¯ve got this. Do you need me to do anything?¡±

    ¡°The coach will be coming to pick us up soon, but I¡¯m not sure how capable people will be to get to it. Could you go and round people up?¡±

    ¡°That might be possible¡­ but it seems like everything is out to get us. This,¡± she held up the broken clipboard, ¡°isn¡¯t going to protect me for much longer. And you¡¯re injured, so it¡¯s not like you would be able to help me much.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be the bait then.¡± The idea had come to her suddenly, and she hadn¡¯t had the chance to censor herself before it came out. Now that she was actually thinking about it though, it made sense. ¡°I¡¯ll draw them to me and away from you. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have ways to protect myself after all.¡± Iris eyed Keira¡¯s leg, which had stopped healing but was still dripping slightly. A moment passed before she nodded.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°Fine. If you¡¯re the last one left though, I¡¯m coming after you.¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t. Be safe.¡± Iris snorted and stood up, helping Keira up while she was at it. Then she walked out of the alleyway and took off into a sprint. Keira also began walking, choosing the opposite end of the alley. When she made it onto the street she was immediately greeted by one of the town residents, his face contorted in rage as he began to charge at her. She, in turn, began to run away. The wound on her leg felt like it teared slightly from the sudden usage, and it was only one person, but it was a start. As she rounded another corner she came face to face with a group of around five to six of them and she began to regret her decision.

    Keira ran up the street with more vigour than she thought she could manage and threw herself into another side alley, collapsing to her knees as she felt the world tilt yet again. Ears popping when everything snapped back into place. With shaky breaths she stood up and stumbled over to the alley mouth to note that yet again, she was somewhere else. The pain in her leg was a steady, throbbing, omnipresence and she glanced down to see that the colour of her blood was darker than it was previously. And it was leaving a trail. It would lead them to her, or it would lead them to her if her path wasn¡¯t like someone had crumbled up a map and stuck a needle through it. The oozing blood brought another, much more prevalent concern to her. Blood loss. She would have assumed that Palotl was handling it if not for the fact that there was already a black haze overtaking her peripherals and threatening to consume her. Keira moved on through it all though. Even though she was limping more than walking and gritting her teeth against the agony of the bite, she wasn¡¯t about to be caught by anyone in the town. Palotl had proven that it would step in if needed, but she didn¡¯t know the extent it could act to. She didn¡¯t want to test it.

    This meant that slowly her focus shifted from making a scene and luring people away from Iris to moving from one location to the next, trying to stay away from the encroaching hoard. And after every relocation, after every wave of nausea when she entered a new alley only to find it somewhere completely different from where she was expecting, she found herself struggling more to retain consciousness. The constant shifting of her location did nothing to help her retain coherency of the situation, with one particularly nasty wave having her lean over a bin to throw up what remained in her stomach. Everything blurred for a second and she felt her consciousness wane, causing her to brace her hand on the brick wall behind it.

    A rancid smell invaded her nose, emanating from the bin. She would have thrown up more if she had anything left in her stomach, but at least it did a small favour in helping clarity return to her mind. An itchy feeling on her hand had her looking up and seeing that the alley had gone dark. Was it night already? But then what was that crawling sensation on her hand? It didn¡¯t feel like the brick it was a minute ago. She pulled her hand off of the wall and stumbled back uncontrollably.

    Then, she saw it. A writhing mass of butterflies were perched on the wall with them, much like the rest of the alley, looking like they had all of the colour drained out of them. Their wing opened simultaneously, the sounds combining into one. While the undersides of their wings were stained in greyscale, the rest wasn¡¯t. A vibrant red butterfly appeared on the wall in front of her. Burning its way into her brain through the grey monotony. Its only patter being two black smudges that twitched as the thousands of butterflies that made up the mural moved.

    ¡°You are tired friend. Why don¡¯t you rest and let me take over for a while?¡± Maybe she wasn¡¯t more awake after all. Maybe it was a delusion her mind was under as she dreamt. Or maybe the delusion was her finally waking up and seeing the world beneath the prison of awareness. Keira shook her head and shut her eyes. Opening them to the alley and the dim light of the sun that had filtered through the rain clouds.

    Was she loosing too much blood?

    Keira looked down at the bite mark in her leg and the trail it was leaving behind. It was black. Blood shouldn¡¯t be black? Another wave of nausea knocked her out for a moment, enough for her to see the darkened alley again, to see a singular red butterfly float out of its mouth. When the desaturated colour returned to the world, Keira felt like she had no option other than to follow it. The mark on her wrist that had been permanently itching spiked again in intensity and this time it stayed at that level as she walked out into the town square. It was so empty¡­ was this what Palotl was trying to do? Another wave of nausea but instead of a dark mirror of the town her mind blanked completely, the only vision in her mind was a white symbol breaking through the black. It burned itself into her mind and she couldn¡¯t help but feel like she had always known it. It was familiar.

    Collapsing to the ground she gazed at the pavement and wondered how she would inscribe it onto the stone. Her pens or pencils wouldn¡¯t work¡­ The darkness invaded her vision once again, and then she was back to the fake reality. Only this time she wasn¡¯t crowded by tall buildings and rooves that hung a little too far over the walls of their houses. This time she could see her god in the stormy clouds that overlooked the monochrome landscape. Her finger moved without her permission and pushed itself into the pavement. The dull pressure barely registering before pain pierced the haze. The rough surface of the floor tore her skin and her finger started bleeding again. Keira shouted and pulled her hand off of the pavement. Looking up she saw that it was once again light.

    Only for a moment. She did not blink this time. It was like the world seamlessly shifted into its grey tones. A sun setting all too quickly. Leaving the sky to something far more powerful. Her hand was back on the stone and tracing the pattern she saw perfectly. It didn¡¯t matter how much she was resisting, how much her hand was shaking from the pain of slowly grinding her finger to the bone, the lines came out with robot like precision.

    Keira looked up into the clouds and met Palotl¡¯s gaze. Two white spotlights in a shroud of blackened cloud that moved ever so slightly with the phasing in and out of its multitude of wings.

    Fingers stopped moving and she saw that the pattern was complete. She didn¡¯t even feel any pain. The black ink blending in with the dark asphalt.

    Something itched on her face. They followed the natural path of tears from her eyes down her face, but they were too thick to be so. Her free hand moved then, to take the leech out of her bag and put it in the centre of the pattern of circles and lines. Both of her hands moved to the bottom of the pattern and she once again gazed up at Palotl, wanting an explanation and not trusting her voice to convey it.

    She also wanted to see it. To watch its wings manifest and collapse without the protection of the oncoming storm. Her gaze were drawn to where the largest rifts in reality were. Windows unto the plane. Its eyes. The only thing that was clear about it. They had no depth yet they offered a glimpse into the abyss.

    A rotten taste filled her mouth as a heavy silence settled across the world. Centred on the drawing in front of her, a shudder ran through the earth. It jostled her enough that she threw up the vile taste in her mouth. Watching in horror as a black sludge came out and splattered over the pattern and the leech that sat on top of it.

    And then the blood on her face, in her mouth, on the floor, everywhere. It converged on the leech in an oil like substance. The liquid kept flowing to it. Then the screams filled the air. The screams of the dying. Soon the red and black blood was carrying more translucent creatures. Crushing them all into a sphere in the centre of where the symbol once was. Then it passed.

    As if the world let out a breath. She had. Keira breathed shakily and picked up the dark red orb in her trembling hand. It had the consistency of glass, her mind supplied, before she slumped over and the world faded away into nothing but a single dot in the sky.

    Lying on her back she had nothing to do but look at it. To see the figures that were around the edge and it felt like they were watching them. Names were scratching at her memory, just beneath her awareness. An eye opened above all of them, snake like and golden. This time a name did come to mind, said with enough vitriol to pierce the fog in her mind.

    Traitor.

 Chapter 24

    The first thing that Keira felt was the rain on the back of her head. Quickly followed by the push of the asphalt in her face. Her head hurt. Everything hurt but her head was the worst of it. Another thing that was weird was that her heart was racing, even though she herself wasn¡¯t out of breath. In fact she felt rather calm. There was still a fuzziness to her consciousness, something that stopped her from thinking too hard. But her heart was racing and there was a clenching pain in her chest, almost as if she was anxious about something. She wondered what. Staying here? That makes sense, though she couldn¡¯t connect the dots at that moment.

    Her eyes cracked open and she sat up, waiting out the sudden bout of nausea as the world spun. She felt her heartrate pick up even more, opposing the slowing chill that had come with the rain. Even with clarity returning to her, she couldn¡¯t understand why she had to rush. Wasn¡¯t the immediate threat over? Why the panic?

    Is that what humans call urgency?

    Keira froze. It hadn¡¯t been a voice, at least not how Palotl had previously spoken to her, but instead it was tacked onto the end of her inner monologue, like a thought that had only just occurred to her. But those words didn¡¯t come from her. Legs shaking, she stood up and immediately fell to her knees as everything moved too much for balance to be kept. Groaning, Keira tilted her head up to the sky and let the rain wash down her face. Letting it refresh her. When her hand moved up to wipe some of the larger droplets out of her eyes, it came back with the water being a diluted grey. Keira braced her hands against the ground to stand up again and that was when she noticed something sitting where the leech would be, if it hadn¡¯t been replaced with a small glass orb.

    It was black, but not completely. The centre of it was a deep onyx but it had a gradient to it as the further away from the centre, the lighter the colour got until it reached a familiar diluted grey. She didn¡¯t know what it was doing there, but something was telling her to pick it up. And considering the circumstances, she felt herself agreeing. It was cool to the touch and felt like regular glass, though she could tell that there was something¡­ different about it, so Keira felt like she could put it into her bag without cushioning it. Keira made to stand up and this time succeeded. Though she was still a little shaky, she could walk and make her way back to Iris. On her way she decided to organise her thoughts, or more precisely, ruminate on why she didn¡¯t need to do much organising.

    At the moment she wasn¡¯t feeling¡­ anything really. It was as if she was coming off of a great catharsis. It was intoxicating in its own right. No more emotions clouding her mind. That also meant that there were no emotions that weren¡¯t hers in her head, though Keira doubted that Palotl felt things. There were other things that were scratching at the back of skull, persistent enough that they seeped into her brain. Memories from eons ago and memories that never were. Fading from clarity. It was a mess and there was so much that whenever she tried to hold onto one of the memories, it slipped into the darkness like sand through fingers. A shame. Such knowledge would benefit her greatly.

    No, Keira didn¡¯t want anything to do with that. Her experiences with the supernatural have left her scarred and in a forever worsening position. After Palotl was out of her head, she was going to live a normal life until she died, whether it be of old age or an ancient god descending onto the mortal plane didn¡¯t matter.

    By the time she had reached the outskirts of the town, the noise in her head had died down and the curtain over her mind was instead replaced by a splitting headache. Her footsteps were slow and uneven, something which only got worse as time went on. It had only taken a few minutes for her to reach where the coach was supposed to pick the group up from but her legs could hardly support her weight. Which was why she was so glad when she felt a warm body press up against her side and support her the rest of the way. Someone was talking but she couldn¡¯t hear anything over the pounding in her head. All she wanted to do was fall asleep until she was feeling better. Maybe that was what the person holding her picked up on, as they soon fell silent. Didn¡¯t do much aside from help her up some stairs into something that felt uncomfortably warm, and then steady her as she fell into a seat. And then fell asleep.

    Blissful darkness enveloped her only for a few moments before light shined onto her eye lids, turning that black to white. Keira sat up with a groan and rubbed her tired eyes. Then she tilted her head up towards the sky and braced her hands against the sand. Then paused. She was nowhere near sand when she fell asleep, in fact, the beach they went to was specifically a rock beach. Her eyes zeroed in on the ground and the first thing that came to her attention was the fact that this sand was a shade of vibrant red. With a gasp Keira stood up and looked around her surroundings.

    Large canyon walls stretched up either side of her, the same colour as the sand, and not too far away, there was a perfectly circular hole. Keira cautiously edged towards it, foot knocking against a black scale as she got closer. What her foot caught against didn¡¯t catch her attention for long, but it was enough for her to notice something in that glossy sheen. She would have enjoyed looking at it closer, had a breeze not brushed past her face and beckoned her closer to the perfect circle in the ground.

    As the distance shrunk, however, something crawled into her mind and nestled itself there. Echoes and whispers that sounded like screams that were carried for miles by the wind. It was a famous characteristic of the whispering pit, residing far south of Aria and in the middle of the ruins of the first known civilisation, Akanzag. The most common theory was that the unique architecture of the landscape allowed the wind to whistle in such a way that it sounded like people, though studies to confirm this had decreased thanks to the local government locking the site down.

    Getting closer would give her a once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it was a dream. Peeking into the pit she saw something truly horrifying. Those familiar countless rifts, larger ones could be the eyes of Palotl, or they could be closer sections of its body. Suddenly everything crashed into her, emotion that had once been suspended in the back of her mind entered free fall and before it could even start, she screamed at it.

    ¡°WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK WAS THAT?! YOU JUST- JUST- OVERWROTE EVERYTHING! YOU STRIPPED ME OF MY CONTROL AND THEN PRETEND LIKE YOU¡¯RE ON MY SIDE?! FUCK YOU! HOW DARE YOU!¡± Keira continued to scream and cuss at it until all of the anger had left and all she had left was overwhelming indescribable feeling. She sunk down and rested her head on her knees and dissolved into sobs.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°You are done.¡±

    ¡°Fuck you.¡±

    ¡°I chose a memory closer to the start of our ascension as to not disturb you, as my previous option seemed to have disturbed you. Was this in vain?¡± Keira tilted her head up to the clear blue sky and sighed. It would be truly idyllic without the present company.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Good. Now that we have moved past your tantrum, let us talk about your next steps.¡± Keira breathed in and out before removing her head from her knees.

    ¡°No. You are answering my questions about whatever that was, and then we are setting up some new boundaries.¡±

    ¡°It matters not child. Soon this shall all be over. Better not to delay.¡±

    ¡°Good idea. So, first question, why didn¡¯t you explain more at the town? I know that you were capable of talking to me.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Whilst awake your mind is active. Your own thoughts and feelings are echoing around your head, blinding you to my will. Whilst asleep, you are more open to me. We can hold a conversation."

    "But possession is easy?!"

    "Yes. The physical body is far easier to manipulate than the mind, and in the points where your body was breaking down, where your mind slipped into unconsciousness, those were the only times I could truly communicate. Is that what you are upset about?¡±

    ¡°No- I mean yes, but the worse part of it was the possession. That was not necessary. I could do what I needed to on my own.¡±

    ¡°If you could have done that on your own, I would have left you to do it on your own. Possession is only viable when the risk you are under outweighs the risk of me taking control. This does slightly go against the clause in my contract wherein I give you my protection.¡±

    ¡°¡­What risk?¡±

    ¡°The same risk that happens the longer I stay attached to you. I realise that you are quite oblivious on these topics, so I shall keep it simple. In order to maintain this connection across the planes, you are serving as a temporary open gate. Though this means that my power, as well as the power of the plane I currently reside in, are always flowing through you. These levels of power are not dangerous to you, however when I possessed you, they became fatal. It certainly didn¡¯t help when I had to pull more power onto this plane to fuel the ritual. This is why I''ve pulled you into this memory to help you recover.¡±

    ¡°Fatal?!¡±

    ¡°Indeed. As your body had yet to adjust, it was torn apart and so I have been providing ample assistance in helping you move back to your rendezvous. As this solution is unreliable, I have been stitching your body back together as you have been resting.¡±

    ¡°Is there anything else that you have failed to tell me?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Keira wasn¡¯t sure she believed it. Even if she should take everything Gastele said with a grain of salt, she had outright said that Palotl could lie. Though she had no way of even telling whether or not it was telling the truth.

    ¡°I¡¯m serious Palotl. I may not be able to call off this deal, but if you keep hiding things from me I will turn myself into the authorities.¡±

    ¡°A sufficiently threatening bluff, I¡¯m sure. I have fully divulged the risks you are currently under, however, so if you wish for me to prove my investment you shall have to ask another question.¡± Keira sighed and looked around her surroundings for a clue on what to ask it about. She would have asked more about the area the memory was taking place in, but she was reasonably sure why she was brought there. Then her eyes fell upon the palm sized black scale that she had kicked aside earlier, and she went to grab it. Upon touching it with bare skin, she shivered and memories flashed before her eyes, too fast for her to pick out anything in particular but Keira was still left with a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. She brought it back over to the edge of the pitch and held it aloft.

    ¡°Fine then. What¡¯s this?¡± A pause.

    ¡°Remains.¡±

    ¡°Of what?¡± Keira asked with a frown, squinting further at the scale and trying to remember whether or not there were any animals that matched it. Maybe some extinct species but given that the canyon looks exactly the same as it does in her time, it couldn¡¯t have been too long. And she felt like a recently extinct giant snake would generate a lot of news.

    ¡°One of my kin, the one who turned against me.¡±

    ¡°You can be killed?¡±

    ¡°Hmph. Not in the traditional sense. We were born before the concept of time; therefore we exist at both the start and end of everything. If we were to be killed between then, it would create a paradox. For one of us to die, we would have to be completely obliterated. Wiped from reality itself.¡±

    ¡°Then how do you have remains on the mortal plane?¡±

    ¡°In order to inhabit the mortal plane we need vessels, even when dully ascended, but it is impossible for us to exist on this plane as we walk in one too many dimensions. To exist here with our full power, in our full glory, our vessels will shed and decay, no matter what they are made from. Sometimes, the decrepit remains survive and become shards of our power residing in this plane.¡± Keira was silent for a moment before letting the scale fall to the ground.

    ¡°You left this in the memory on purpose¡­ Why would you want me to know about this...?¡± Realisation hit her and her eyes widened. ¡°You have remains on the mortal plane too.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Wheels have now been set into motion that cannot be stopped, and now that you have decided to trust the parasite, you are now forever embroiled in this. Our corpses have a large amount of power inherently in them and have an innate connection to us, if you are to hand my fate over to her, she will bring me onto this plane in such a way that is unstable. For this to become resolved before reality itself is ripped apart; I would need to be reunited with my past body.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her. It¡¯s just that she holds all the cards, and from the sounds of things my time is running out. Though she refuses to explain why... as do you. And quite frankly I¡¯m not going to change my mind. Gastele has more idea of what she¡¯s doing than I do, and I trust her motivations more than I trust yours.¡±

    ¡°The stunt that we pulled has garnered attention, and those that have remained passive observers are soon to be spurred into action. You should be thinking about changing your mind.¡±

    "We?"

    "You did not want to leave more to that fate, and I did not disprove of the decision." Keira grunted.

    ¡°To be more honest, however, I believe that it sounds like it''s more beneficial for me to never complete the deal."

    ¡°I am obliged to tell you, under the conditions of protection, that if I were to remain in your body at my current state, that your body will become so inclined to my power that it will smother your own soul and consume you in your entirety. Already the process has accelerated due to the liberal use of my power in the ritual.¡±

    ¡°You- Is that why I¡¯m on a timer! Because if I take too long you¡¯ll push out my own consciousness and my body will become your little puppet?! This is not happening- I¡¯m turning myself in and I am dealing with you without inflicting this on anyone-¡°

    ¡°I have tried let your stupidness run its course with patience, child, but I think that you are due for a stark reminder of what I truly am.¡± And with that the darkness shifted, and the cold lumpy hand that she had shook in those caves gripped the edge of the pit and Palotl began to rise without a veil. Keira gazed upon it and oh, how wrong its body was. Without a veil to shield her mind it crammed itself into her head, all sharp angles digging into her nerves and her eyes. White hotness flared across her mind and a lashed at her brain until she had the most painful migraine that forced her awake.

    She was back on the bus. Gasping in a cold sweat. To her right Iris raised an eyebrow, but mercifully said nothing. Keira decided to not go back asleep.

 Chapter 25

    Once the coach pulled into the school grounds everyone got off, though a little groggily, and began to shuffle towards where the buses would pick them up. Keira was the last one to exit, and she only managed that because Iris was helping her down the steps. Whilst they were waiting for the next bus to take them back to their little village, Iris set her down on the floor and then sat next to her.

    ¡°Keira. Do you want to tell me whatever the fuck that was?¡±

    "I-" Keira''s voice came out hoarse and broken, as though she had been screaming for hours. She hadn''t, it was only for a few minutes. But it felt like hours. "Don''t know. There was something inhabiting the villagers there and¡­ I did something.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good answer. Can you tell me more?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t, I really can¡¯t. I¡¯m-¡° Keira broke off into a coughing fit and Iris leaned back to rub her face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll talk this through with Morgan, since he seems more able to talk. You¡­ just get some rest, and figure out a way to properly explain this.¡± Keira nodded silently and settled her head down onto her knees, only pulling it back up again once she heard the noises of a vehicle pulling up close by. Then a sudden bolt of panic shot through her.

    ¡°What about the others? What did they see?¡± She felt her voice fade towards the end of her question and ended up coughing again.

    "They were out for the whole thing and about ten minutes after, which is about when you dragged yourself to the meeting point. I don¡¯t know how much they remember from the actual trip, as my memories are a bit fuzzy but I still have a vague idea of what happened." Keira grumbled something in response and then fell silent again. And after getting onto the bus, she felt sleep claim her once again.

    The second time she woke up, she felt a slight more coherent, albeit that may have made things worse when the sudden onslaught of emotions from the past day hit her. Iris nudged her side and Keira realised that she hadn¡¯t moved yet, so she stood up to get off of the bus. Bones cracked as they shifted and all of her muscles felt sore. A hand snaked under her armpit and Keira was surprised to find that Iris was currently supporting her weight. As soon as they got off the final bus Iris spoke to her.

    "Do you need help walking back to your house?"

    "No." Keira''s voice cracked when she responded, and she recoiled at hearing it.

    "Are you sure? It doesn''t add much to my travel time." Keira nodded and began to walk back to her house, only pausing when Iris called out, "stay safe. I''m here if you need me."

    She finally got home and unlocked the door. Fortunately both of her parents were at work so she didn''t have to talk immediately. Her first order of business was to wash the awful taste out of her mouth. Which meant heading to the bathroom immediately, Keira didn¡¯t even bother taking off the bag. She filled a glass with water, gurgled a portion of it and then spat it out into the porcelain sink. It came out grey. Resisting the urge to throw up again, she repeated the action a few more times before brushing her teeth viciously.

    Finally having sorted that out she splashed her face with water and headed into the kitchen to eat some food that hopefully won''t end up in the bin. And she needed to sort out the summoning for Gastele. It was time she got rid of Palotl.

    As she headed into the kitchen, the lights flickered. Keira ignored it and put some bread in to toast and then began to fish around for some matches. She found a box and tucked them into her back pocket before the lights faltered again and she looked up to see a small azure light hovering in the garden. It flittered off to the side and out of sight. Sighing, Keira stopped the toaster and headed out the back door to follow it.

    The light was waiting for her by the gate that lead into the woods behind the house. It was a little hard to see due to the fact that the sun was still out, but the mild shade provided by the trees helped it stand out enough. As the distance between them closed, the flame faded completely and left Keira to open the gate by herself. At least as far as she knew.

    ¡°I was wondering whether you¡¯d noticed.¡± It was a familiar voice at that point, and as usual, came just out of view. Keira turned to face Gastele with a scowl on her face.

    ¡°Here I thought you prided yourself on subtlety.¡±

    ¡°Someone¡¯s not in a good mood. Though I suppose it is understandable considering the presence that I can sense in your bag. And the one in your body.¡± At least Gastele sounded more amused than upset at Keira¡¯s response.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. So if we can get this summoning thing out of the way then I can get back to living my life.¡±

    ¡°Ah! So, you¡¯ve come to a decision then!¡±

    ¡°As you have brought up before, you know what you¡¯re doing more than me. So if you can put in appropriate safeguards then it would be best for you to do it. Even so, I still have my stipulations.¡±

    ¡°Understandable, but I think that you¡¯d be more malleable once you hear that there is a way to use your original idea.¡±

    ¡°There is? I thought that you¡¯d said we couldn¡¯t because it needed a conscious mind to supress Palotl¡¯s?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that is still something that needs to happen. Fortunately for you though, your most recent ordeal has left you in possession of some remains of its most ancient enemy. It wouldn¡¯t take much to put both fragments into the body and watch them battle for dominance.¡±

    ¡°The orb?¡± Keira asked, putting her bag down and pulling it out of its resting place. Gastele clicked her fingers and nodded.

    ¡°Indeed. Now, if you could hand it over we could get the ritual underway and you can go back to living your boring life.¡± She made to give it to Gastele, then she paused, pulling her hand back a little.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°You won¡¯t keep this, will you?¡±

    ¡°Another stipulation? You are already in no position to make demands; this is already the most favourable situation for you.¡±

    ¡°From what you¡¯ve said this strikes me as powerful, and I don¡¯t trust you with anything like that.¡±

    ¡°Good, and you have my word that I will give it back. We really don¡¯t need to drag this out any more.¡± Keira nodded and handed it over, letting settle in the palm of Gastele¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to be present for the summoning, correct?¡±

    ¡°You do not need to, but it is something I don¡¯t mind. Especially considering you were the one who originally made the deal.¡±

    ¡°Oh. So if anything goes wrong you can point it in my direction?¡± Gastele nodded with some enthusiasm and started to walk deeper into the woods. Keira wanted to ask why they couldn¡¯t just do the mystical summoning ritual in her garden but decided against it.

    Five minutes later she was in a strange clearing, sitting on a rock and staring down at the corpse of the otter, looking exactly as it used to weeks ago. Keira was very glad that she wasn''t handling it as it was still smeared with black blood. There were some stones and more of the cursive writing that was on the box, but this time it was on paper that the body was resting atop.

    "How much of this is for the safeguards? Or is this all ritual?"

    "Not important. Now for the final ingredient. Will you transfer what is necessary for the ritual over to me so you may complete your end of the deal with Palotl?" She held out her hand for Keira to shake and hesitantly, Keira did so. As their hands touched, the mark on Keira''s inner wrist changed. Some of the dark lines moved from her hand to Gastele''s, like strings of smoke, while others started to rearrange themselves into a different pattern on Keira¡¯s own wrist. Then Gastele pulled her hand back and inspected her new tattoo. Keira looked at the spot that the mark rested on her arm and was happy to see a black circle that was slowly fading.

    ¡°So, all that¡¯s left is the ritual?¡± Keira asked. Gastele nodded and then crouched down so she could reach the corpse comfortably. Then she held her hand over it, palm facing downwards and began to mutter. The pattern that had only recently settled itself on her wrist moved again, the lines and circles dissolving into a single black stream of ink that dripped onto the pile. It followed the writing on the paper until it had covered all of them and then it started to soak into the paper itself. Stain expanding outwards from the writing until the paper could no longer take it, dissolving into a black sludge that started to flow into the corpse. Then as the body began to absorb the slush like a sponge, flesh expanding as it did so, it began to twitch, and the quartz that had surrounded it began to pulse with a faint light.

    Then, with one robotic motion, its head moved up and looked directly at Keira. It still spoke into her mind, but it was more disconcerting now as she was looking at it physically. An image began to form, like a thin film overlaying the body giving the impression that someone had superimposed a prettier picture over the rotting corpse. The broken bones appeared to be smoothed down and black blood cleared, but the most obvious change were the eyes. There were now black beads surrounded by skin where before it was merely two sunken holes in the skull, though if Keira focused too hard on the body beneath the projection, she could still see the fractured body. Then it smiled at her. Or the image did, the figure beneath it remained static after the initial movement.

    "Hello, friend. I must say this is quite unexpected. Or it might have been entirely expected. But the job is done."

    "You''re not mad about... this?"

    "Anger is such a temporary emotion. Why bother when it will pass. I am here now. My ambition on a most basic level has been achieved. Every step forward is progress, no matter the size, and I have confidence that the remainder of this journey will be completed before irreparable damage is done.¡±

    "All right..." Gastele was still crouched down by Palotl.

    "Now that we''ve done that, I shall take you to someone more qualified to look after you." Palotl''s head snapped to Gastele, rather the head of the body did. The picture that had been projecting onto it blurred as the corpse dragged the overlay after it.

    "There is someone qualified to look after me? My, my. I would like to meet them."

    "You already have, if I recall correctly." Palotl hummed in response. It was an oddly reflective sound, for the thing it was coming out of.

    "There are a few things that may fill those criteria. Very well. You have peaked my curiosity."

    "It was not intended to be a choice."

    "Yet here we are. Do be careful parasitoid. No matter how much a leech drinks the blood of a human, it will never become one." Gastele''s smile faltered slightly.

    "Parasite. Parasitoid implies that I kill my host." A laugh echoed through Keira''s mind.

    "Of course. Though you must tell me, how did you get that body?" Gastele didn¡¯t necessarily frown at the remark, but Keira could guess that she didn¡¯t appreciate it. With a wave of Gastele¡¯s hand, Palotl was gone.

    ¡°Now, let us finish off our business.¡± Gastele held out the hand that had kept the glass orb for the entirety of the ritual. Keira raised her hand to meet it and felt the cool weight of it drop back into the palm of her hand. It hadn¡¯t been warmed, despite spending so much time in body heat.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t disappeared yet. Is there something else we need to discuss?¡±

    ¡°There is, actually. What you hold in your hand is a mixture of great powers, and as such it is giving off quite the unique, and strong, signal. If you truly intend to keep a hold of it, I recommend something to dampen it.¡±

    ¡°Do you have something in mind?¡± Keira asked. Gastele titled her head as if in contemplation, but Keira felt like she had enough of a grasp on Gastele¡¯s personality to know that she already knew what she was going to say.

    ¡°Of course. But it will cost you.¡±

    ¡°How about more information from my Grandfather¡¯s journal? One of the first interesting entries had Nikolaus and Florian in it, as well as some woman named Liselotte.¡± If Keira had thought that the first two names had gotten a severe reaction out of Gastele, she was pleasantly surprised to see that the name Liselotte had gotten the strongest reaction yet. The woman¡¯s smile widened into something truly vicious.

    ¡°While I normally wouldn¡¯t trade information for objects, I am inclined to make an exception.¡± Keira took that as her cue to go into detail about a couple of the fewer journal entries, especially focusing on Liselotte. After she had divulged everything Gastele stood there with a genuine smile on her face and Keira couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she had gotten played.

    ¡°So¡­ about that storage method¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I have recently acquired a box that hides the power that radiates off of certain objects. Though once you put something in it, it will no longer be accessible to you. Only I will be able to extract it. You may call me whenever, but I will not be at your beck and call. You can summon me to open it once, and that should be when you have found a more convenient storage option.¡±

    ¡°And how will I summon you?¡±

    ¡°Burn the box.¡± Keira blinked. Maybe she should have expected that as it was the same as the card, but it did bring a pattern to her attention.

    ¡°You have an odd fascination with burning things... and the way you lured me to you. It reminds me a lot of wanderer¡¯s lanterns. Though there¡¯s only one account of one being any degree of sentient.¡±

    ¡°Ah.¡± Gastele¡¯s smile softened. ¡°The Wanderer¡¯s Flame. You are right in your thought process, those were true events. Though the reason that the writer¡¯s loved one released those letters to the public was to persuade people that fae were real and needed to be treated seriously. This was roughly a hundred and fifty years ago, when the general view on things such as magic had suddenly shifted from accepted to disbelieving. As such, it didn¡¯t take much to nudge a publisher and get the letters published as fiction. It was one of my more pettier moves, I¡¯ll admit, but whenever I remember it I always get a smile on my face. Anyway, this does conclude our conversation. You have the means to summon me if you need to.¡± Keira opened her mouth to respond, but Gastele was gone before she could get any sound out. With a sigh, she went back to the house, intending to fall asleep and wake up in the next decade.

 Chapter 26

    Marshall was in a bit of a rush. Almost all special cases officers were called into a sleepy town called Oceanview that had such a large spike in power that the main headquarters three countries north could detect it. Already he could feel the anxiety piling in. He had gotten a decently thorough report from his boss and from the sounds of things the situation came from at least two entities. One they were extremely familiar with and one unknown which he suspected had something to do with Keira. It did leave some questions on his mind, however.

    If such a large event occurred, what would be people¡¯s reaction? Would the media finally have enough solid evidence that not even the various organisations around the world could suppress it? From the brief update he got from his superiors it seems like it¡¯s under control but he still sent Maxwell ahead to make sure there was nothing of immediate concern, and to check the others from the field trip. That left just him to go from house to house in order to check whether or not those that went to Oceanview were still under the control of what was there. He left the main suspect, Keira, until last as there was a higher chance that she was protected from the parasite, and he wanted to properly detain her until they got some answers. There was little to no doubt in his mind that she was responsible for this and as he walked up to her front door, he mentally rehearsed what he was going to say.

    His fist hit the door far louder than he would normally knock, but considering the situation he didn¡¯t really pay it much mind. After roughly ten seconds an older gentleman which Marshall recognised as Keira¡¯s farther opened the door with a frown on his face.

    ¡°Marshall! How can I help you?¡±

    ¡°Something has happened in the town in which Keira¡¯s geography trip went to. We''re checking up on the kids to make sure none of them got hurt. Keira in particular, since we''ve found reason to believe that she might be in danger."

    "What can I do to help?"

    "Not much. We''ve decided that it would be best for Keira''s safety if she was taken into protective custody after making sure she has no serious injuries.¡± Her father nodded and called out into the house.

    ¡°Keira! Special cases are here!¡±

    ¡°All of them?!¡± Was the returning shout, and it confirmed to Marshall that Keira was alive and awake. And that she had not been taken over by the parasite. It would take much longer than the time its had to develop individual personalities for its hosts.

    "No. Just Marshall, he says that he wants to speak to you about the trip you just came back from." That was met with silence and then shuffling. Keira appeared from the room adjacent to the front door and eyed Marshall up and down. The first thought that came to Marshall was that she looked awful. Obviously tired, skin too pale for it to be healthy and her hair still looked damp from either the rain or a shower. He would have guessed rain as she was dressed in a muddied shirt, her trousers were black so it was hard to see whether or not they were in the same shape. He took in a deep breath and tried to use a kinder tone.

    "Hello, Keira. My apologies for disturbing you, but I''m here to check something." He saw her eyes widen but she swallowed and nodded her head, taking a shaky step forward. Her father moved off to the side but he didn¡¯t move away. "Could you move aside the hair at the back of your neck?" She did so and Marshall pushed the skin at the base of her skull. "Thank you. You can settle it back now."

    ¡°Are you done then?¡± Keira¡¯s voice was hoarse and there was a small warble in it.

    ¡°No. I would like to take you into protective custody, at least for the night.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ okay. Would you like me to pack anything?¡±

    ¡°Your father can gather the bare essentials once we know how long you¡¯ll be staying in the cell, for now you should come with me immediately.¡± Keira nodded and crossed her arms over herself. She was breathing pretty hard and Marshall suddenly became unsure on what to do, especially when her fingers began to dig too deeply into her arms and drew blood. A look of horror flashed across Keira¡¯s face as she looked at the red liquid that dripped down onto the floor, only to visibly relax after a second.

    ¡°Keira! Are you okay? Do you need to me to get you some cleaning material?¡± Her father started fuss over her almost immediately, checking her arms.

    "It¡¯s fine. I... think that it would be best for me to go into custody for now." Marshall nodded in understanding and moved to the side to let Keira walk out. He turned to her dad.

    ¡°I will update you when I can.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Please¡­ catch them quickly.¡± Marshall nodded in response and let the door shut on his face, then he turned to Keira and gestured for her to lead the way. She started to walk away slowly but stopped after a couple of steps.

    ¡°I know this isn¡¯t protective custody.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to go too far into questions and answers right now, not without a camera. So, I¡¯m just going to have to ask you to keep quiet.¡± Keira nodded and they walked the rest of the way to the police station in silence. She didn¡¯t resist him when he showed her the cell, nor when he asked her for her phone.

    Marshall didn¡¯t know what he thought about that. He hoped it meant that she would cooperate with them moving forward, but he didn¡¯t want to be too optimistic. Especially now that he was supposed to rendezvous with Maxwell at the new site. He took the local police car, as he was expecting some trouble getting close enough to the scene to park and set off for the long drive. When he finally got to the scene though, he was shocked at just how many reporters had already made it considering special cases had only caught wind of it three hours ago. He found himself putting on the sirens in order to get the line of news vans to move enough for him to fit on the side of the road outside of the quarantine zone. As he stepped out there was an immediate reaction of clicking cameras and questions yelled at him.

    "What happened?"

    "We heard that there was an outbreak of a new disease."

    "Is it true that the entire town has disappeared?" They were all ignored as he approached the fenced area and lower ranked officers watching the perimeters. With a quick flash of the badge, he was let through and told that the centre of the town was where most of the personnel was. There was an oxidised statue of a fisherman in the centre of the town and at the foot of it were two men standing behind a cheap plastic table. Marshall recognised the one in the clean three piece, and the second man who was smoking was one he only recognised from files.

    ¡°Boss!¡± Marshall called out to the man in the three piece and he looked up from the sprawl of maps and pieces of paper.

    ¡°Marshall! Glad to have you here.¡± The man next to his boss gave a grin that was all teeth as he turned his head in Marshall¡¯s direction. His sunglasses completely hid his eyes but Marshall knew that he was looking directly at him.

    ¡°I would say that the feeling was mutual but from what I¡¯ve gathered this is a bleak situation. Which begs the question of him.¡± The man in sunglasses chuckled slightly and went back to looking at the papers, tugging one from out of his boss¡¯ hand.

    ¡°Kheka was the one who originally called us about this. He was also the first to arrive and make sure no poor souls stumbled onto the scene ahead of us.¡±

    ¡°Did he arrive fast enough to catch the person responsible for the ritual?¡± Marshall asked. Although he already knew the answer, it was something someone who didn¡¯t would ask. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was put Keira in Kheka¡¯s crosshairs. With a sigh that blew a puff of smoke in his boss¡¯ face, Kheka answered.

    ¡°The wave of power that came from the ritual didn¡¯t travel fast enough. I came as soon as I felt it, but alas, it was too late. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m disappointed though, the last thing I want to do is Darian¡¯s job for him.¡± His boss frowned.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve thought catching the culprit would¡¯ve been mutually beneficial.¡± Darian replied, keeping his very obvious annoyance in check.

    ¡°I have complete faith in in your abilities, Darian. After all-¡° He brought his voice down to a conspiratorial whisper, ¡°you are a bit of a triple threat, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°I shall take that as a compliment.¡± Darian said through gritted teeth before abruptly turning his attention back to the papers in front of him. Kheka only barked out a laugh at that, before flicking his cigarette behind him and approaching Marshall.

    ¡°Your little buddy Maxwell is talking with the few remaining survivors, why don¡¯t we go and say hello?¡±

    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Marshall let himself be led away by the hand on his shoulder. Once they got far enough away from Darian, he dropped his voice. ¡°You¡¯re not the type to let someone do all the work for you. Why are you actually unbothered?¡±

    ¡°Marshall, Marshall, Marshall. Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s best to quit whilst you¡¯re ahead? Maybe I know more than you think I do.¡± That¡­ was unsettling. He didn¡¯t say anything else until they rounded the corner and saw Maxwell getting into a rather heated discussion with someone that Marshall didn¡¯t recognise. There were a few shell-shocked looking people watching the argument from a distance, but it winded down once they got closer. Kheka tutted. ¡°Don¡¯t stop on my account gentlemen!¡±

    ¡°We were just finishing.¡± Maxwell spoke in a clipped tone, sending a glare toward the man he was arguing with. In return the man just threw up his hands and went to the victims. ¡°Kheka. You finally get bored.¡±

    ¡°Oh yes. I was only really staying around to see how you reacted to the Order being here, or how they wanted to mend relations. It¡¯s a shame you stopped so early into it¡­ In any case, I do have a small piece of advice for you. Or more of a warning really. You have a lot of eyes on you now Weil, more than usual. Be on your best behaviour now!¡± Then he patted Marshall on the shoulder and turned the corner into a nearby alley way. They both waited a moment before Maxwell sighed and turned to Marshall.

    ¡°Has Keira been taken into custody then?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Are all the other kids free of the parasite?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Say what you will about the unauthorized use of force, it was damned effective. Probably saved most of their lives.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the reason the boss isn¡¯t too focused on catching someone yet. What¡¯s the official statement going to be? Kheka pulled me away before I could finish up with Darian.¡±

    ¡°Well it helps that there was announcement a few weeks ago about a disease killing all the birds. We¡¯re going to say that the residents weren¡¯t careful enough and didn¡¯t follow the guidelines put into place. It will cause a bit of a panic, but it¡¯s better than what would happen if the actual truth got out.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. Though I noticed a few media outlets that weren¡¯t run by any of us by the perimeter. Will that be an issue?¡±

    ¡°Hopefully not. Just like how these survivors shouldn¡¯t be an issue going forward as well.¡±

    ¡°I have been meaning to ask, Maxwell. How did they survive? Once the parasite fully integrates with it¡¯s host the only way to get rid of it is to get rid of them both.¡±

    ¡°Oh, it never reached them. Once they noticed everyone starting to act weirdly they locked themselves in their houses, and then barricaded the doors once the behaviour got more erratic.¡± Marshall nodded with a frown.

    ¡°I just pray that they can get some semblance of normality back. As well as Keira¡­ Though I think she might finally be willing to cooperate now.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Maxwell huffed. ¡°My old colleague is handling the survivors so let¡¯s finish sweeping this sector for him and then we can go back and get some answers out of Keira.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like an idea.¡±

 Chapter 27

    For Iris, it had been a very long day. She would have liked some explanation for it, but it seemed that Keira either couldn¡¯t explain it to her or wouldn¡¯t. And while they had been distant until pretty recently, Iris had hoped that their shared history would be enough for Keira to know to trust her. It didn¡¯t matter in the end however, as she had managed to get a decent run down from Morgan. In the middle of updating him on what happened in the town, and why Marshall had visited the house, she noticed a shadow outside the house. A humanoid shadow.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m alone.¡± Iris had cut off Morgan, but he didn¡¯t seem bothered about that.

    ¡°Is everything okay?¡±

    ¡°I could have sworn I just saw someone watching me from the end of the garden¡­ Do you think it¡¯s just the stress of today?¡±

    ¡°Fuck no. I wouldn¡¯t chance it. Call the station or-¡° There was a knock at the door. ¡°Iris?¡±

    ¡°Still here.¡± She picked up the crumbling clipboard that was still flecked with blood and looked out the peephole of her front door. ¡°It¡¯s Amelie. She looks¡­ distressed.¡± There was a hole in her tights, her hair was in a mess and there were lines down her face where mascara had mixed with tears. She was looking around frantically and began knocking on the door again. This time not stopping until Iris had opened the door slightly, still keeping the chain on.

    ¡°Oh- oh Iris. I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re here-¡° she let out a slight choked sob, ¡°it was Archer. It was all him and now the police think he¡¯s innocent and he¡¯s after me because I threw him under the bus and please- please can I hide in your house until the police come?¡± Iris looked around the surroundings and though she didn¡¯t see anything, she remembered that brief flash of a figure in the garden.

    ¡°Do you know where he is now?¡± Amelie shook her head and then yelped as the bushes nearby rustled. Iris cursed under her breath and turned her attention back to Morgan who was still waiting on the phone. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to hang up to call the police station.¡±

    ¡°Ring me back when you¡¯re done please.¡±

    ¡°I will if I don¡¯t have to stay on the phone.¡± Then she hung up on Morgan and quickly took the chain off so Amelie would be able to go inside. In the end though, that was her mistake as the second she turned her back of Amelie, there was a sharp pain to the back of her head and the blackness.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Keira was currently experiencing a mixture of intense anxiety and boredom. She knew what was coming and she didn¡¯t think that she was ready for it, but she knew she wouldn¡¯t be ready for it anytime soon. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to get it out of the way then? But no, she was currently waiting for an indeterminate amount of time in a small concrete room stewing in her own worries. The only comfort she could give herself was the fact that there was quite literally nothing that could happen that would make her situation worse.

    After sitting on the temporary bed that had been set up in the corner for some time, she decided to get up and do another lap of the cell. The movement did nothing but break up the monotony that permeated every corner of the little grey room. It did however get the blood in her legs moving, and physical exercise helped alleviate the anxiety somewhat. It also meant that she was right next to the door when she noticed a commotion happening outside in the main waiting room.

    Morgan was there gesturing wildly to the police appearing as though on the verge of tears, and they were in turn making placating moves with their hands. It wasn¡¯t working though, and Morgan seemed to be getting more and more frustrated until he looked to his left and made eye contact with Keira. They shared a look of mutual shock before Morgan turned back to the officers and they started talking again. There was much less wild gesturing but even from that distance, she saw his hands trembling. Keira could tell that they were talking about her as there were frequent glances in her direction, and after a few seconds they all approached her. The one of the officers on duty opened the door and let Morgan slip under his arm.

    ¡°She¡¯s in protective custody at the moment, and I¡¯m not usually allowed to do this, but I feel like these are extenuating circumstances.¡± Morgan nodded at the officer.

    ¡°Thanks Gary.¡± Then he turned to Keira. ¡°Iris has gone missing.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°She was on the phone with me for a while earlier, getting caught up on the¡­ drama, and she mentioned seeing a shadow near her house. Then Amelie knocked on the door and Iris hung up on me. I rung a few times after a couple of minutes, and when she didn¡¯t pick up I went to her house and the door was unlocked.¡±

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°We sent people to investigate when Morgan initially rung, but it seems like he wants more of a play by play of the case. I also agreed that this is something you should be aware of.¡± Keira nodded mutely. ¡°I need to close and lock this door now, but rest assured that we will keep you safe.¡± Then the door was shut and Keira was left staring out the tiny square window at Morgan who quickly turned away.

    It was strange being on the receiving end. Not knowing whether or not Iris would survive, whether or not she would walk out of it in a similar situation to Keira. Honestly she didn¡¯t know which one would be worse. There must be something she could do¡­ right? Taking another look at the smooth expanse of skin on her wrist Keira sighed. It had caused her so much unnecessary pain but it would have been useful to have something to work with. If she¡­ she did have something to work with, didn¡¯t she? Keira had picked up Gastele¡¯s calling card just before Gastele showed up at her house and had never put it back. And the officers wouldn¡¯t have picked it up because it was literally a small card and a half empty box of matches¡­ the only issue was making sure the camera in the top corner didn¡¯t see her. There wouldn¡¯t be any cameras in the toilet though, and it would be private from the outside as well as the station was a renovated house. It didn¡¯t have stalls, just the occasional room.

    Keira walked over the door of the cell again and knocked loudly.

    ¡°I need to go to the bathroom!¡± She pretended to not see the anxious looks that were shared in the waiting room before the man came back over and opened the cell door.

    ¡°Make it quick.¡± Keira thanked him quietly and walked over to the room and locked it. She was anxious about calling Gastele, but what else could she do? She needed to make sure Iris was safe. Her hand flew to the card and match in her pocket.

    Gastele could keep her friend safe. She could find them in time. She might not even need to hurt Amelie in order to do so. It would also mean that Keira would have to decide at that moment whether she would need help in escaping the cell. Or the authorities. Keira took out the card and lit the match, using what she had taken out just a few hours ago. The card then flared up like a bright blue flame that cast a brilliant azure light across the cell. Keira yelped and dropped the card as she swore the flames licked her fingers and watched as it lit up into a brighter bonfire that towered over her. Then in the centre of the scorched floor, stood Gastele.

    "Ah, you used my card. I know it''s a little flashy, but one must make an entrance if one wants to make an appropriate impact. Now. Why did you call me?" Keira gave a worried glance to the bathroom door. The flames crackled loudly and for a brief moment she thought that the officers outside would hear. Gastele, however, may have sensed this concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. Senses such as sight, sound or the perception of time can be easily manipulated. They won¡¯t be bothering us. Now, why am I here?¡±

    "Is Amelie responsible for what happened to me?"

    "Ah, finally figured it out. Good, good."

    "Is she planning to do something to Iris?" Gastele smiled.

    "Could be." Keira took in a deep breath.

    "What could I give you to stop her? Without killing her."

    ¡°Well first things first, I¡¯m not going to accept information for a favour anymore. Secondly, that¡¯s such an impractical restriction. What better way to keep someone from hurting people than to take them out of the picture.¡±

    ¡°Amelie¡­ she- can you stop her without killing her?¡±

    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re saying that you would exchange Amelie¡¯s life for another¡¯s?¡± Keira gave Gastele a hard look which caused the fey to burst out into a fit of giggles. ¡°Not the point anyway. It is possible for me to do, but rather dull don¡¯t you think?¡±

    ¡°Then do it. She needs to answer to her crimes by our law.¡±

    ¡°Better than ours, are they? And you¡¯re forgetting the payment.¡±

    ¡°I- I could do you a favour in return? You do something for me now I do something for you later?¡±

    ¡°Hm. I¡¯m assuming that you¡¯ll want to follow your current morals, which makes the jobs I could bring you in for a limited¡­ Although you still have that¡­ Oh! Now there¡¯s an idea! How about you get something for me in return for rescuing Iris?¡±

    "What will I have to do?"

    "I shall give you more details when it gets closer to the time, but it should not leave much of an impact on your life. Unless you cause it to."

    "Why can''t you get it yourself?"

    "Do you want me to save your friend or not." Right. No matter how cautious she needs to be, she was on a time limit.

    ¡°I accept those turns. Find some way to stop her without killing her and I¡¯ll go and fetch¡­¡±

    ¡°An artifact. And I¡¯m not going to tell you anything more until I have all the details hashed out with all parties.¡±

    ¡°Alright. And Iris comes back as healthy as she can be.¡±

    "Oh dear, you do like making things awkward. Very well, Iris will come back in her best state with no strings attached and I won¡¯t kill Amelie for you. In return you shall collect an artifact when I request it and as long as you chose the most efficient methods everyone will make it out alive.¡± Keira immediately noticed how much more detail Gastele put into the statement than she did. If this was going to be a common occurrence then that¡¯s  the sort of thing that she would need to be on the lookout for. Potential loopholes and how to close them.

    "Good... Then I accept those terms." Gastele''s smile widened to an alarming degree before she clapped her hands together.

    "Excellent. Is there anything you would like me to do about this?¡± Gastele gestured to the toilet and locked door, ¡°I am always one for another deal."

    "No... I think I can handle this." Gastele gave Keira an appraising look.

    ¡°If you say so. However, as someone who has recently invested in you I feel the need to leave you with a small warning.¡± She leaned in closely. ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Keira mumbled in response. This seemed to be enough for Gastele as she then pulled back with a smile.

    "Do call again if you need me!" Keira blinked and then Gastele was gone. Only leaving her card in her place yet again.

 Chapter 28

    Keira sat handcuffed to the table with two detectives staring down at her from above. She did look slightly uncomfortable, which was quite understandable, but it didn¡¯t mean that Marshall was going to go any easier on her. Firstly he wanted her to know what had happened in Oceanview, or at least make it so that she can¡¯t pretend to be oblivious if she did. When he put the beige file down on the table all eye were on it, and then Keira picked it up and started to read through it. It seemed to be slightly awkward for her as she was still restrained, but as she read through the block of text that weren¡¯t redacted, a frown formed on her face. One that only deepened as she got to the end of the document. Once she had finished Marshall looked at Maxwell and shared a similar thought. She didn¡¯t know. This didn¡¯t completely excuse her from anything, but it hopefully meant that the interview would go a lot better. Marshall decided to break the silence first.

    "We would appreciate it if you told us the truth. It would make things go a lot more smoothly." Keira nodded at his statement so he continued, "what was the thing that you originally made contact with?"

    "I don''t know. It asked me to call it Palotl and that it could help me out of the... situation that I found myself in." Maxwell decided to take initiative then and kicked off the back wall, walking forward until he could brace both hands on the metal table.

    "I''m going to ask you a couple of questions about the nature of Palotl, and if I feel you''re being honest I''ll tell you what I know about it."

    "That sounds like a good deal, what¡¯s the catch?"

    "It''s not for your own benefit. It''s so you understand how dangerous it is and know that it is in your best interest to answer the most important question I have. So, firstly, how did you originally make contact with this Palotl?¡± Keira hesitated a little before going into the series of events rather shakily. The descriptions and story were disjointed at first, with her going back and adding amendments every now and again, but then she got to her initial meeting with Palotl. The retelling after that point was smooth and stated in a detached tone. By the time she had finished Marshall had a lot to think about, but before he could delve into any questions he may have, Maxwell cut him off.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ have you ever heard of Mictepeh?¡± Marshall narrowed his eyes at him.

    ¡°The City of the Dead? Yeah, a friend of mine has mentioned it.¡±

    ¡°Good. What he probably hasn¡¯t mentioned is that it¡¯s one of those places of power that Palotl mentioned. As the fabric of reality is thin there, people are attracted to them and the secrets they whisper in the quiet but it also means that strange phenomena can happen. There¡¯s a reason these sites are restricted access, and it¡¯s not just cultural. Before the sites were closed off however, there were drawings and old photos released of the tunnels and while I don¡¯t think the drawings got as intensive as you described, I do think they share similarities. Coupled with what we know of their ancient burial rituals and your situation, I¡¯m guessing that you may have been in what was believed to be the transitionary tunnel between life and death. Though I¡¯m not sure on the full relationship between them.¡± How did he know that? None of that information was standard knowledge, even within the special cases unit. He must¡¯ve been staring at Maxwell¡¯s face for too long because Keira cleared her throat, gaining his attention, before she asked another question.

    ¡°Is there anyone who does know more?¡±

    ¡°Yes and no. There are those out there who are more in tune with the nature of our reality, but who aren¡¯t willing to share that information or don¡¯t care enough to look at cultural similarities. There are others who know more about the cultural links but don¡¯t know more about mystical side of things.¡±

    ¡°If you clear our suspicions, we¡¯d be happy to make some enquiries on your behalf.¡± Marshall took the reigns of the conversation back. He didn¡¯t want Maxwell to share too much more, even if it was useful to him to. ¡°In the meantime, let¡¯s get your version of events at Oceanview.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ something I¡¯m less sure on. Everything was off about that town as soon as I got there, nothing seemed alive until we got there. And then it was like it was trying to look like the perfect ideal town, but it just missed something. Once my friend Iris had fallen ill, I felt this¡­ immense pain, and like I wasn¡¯t me anymore. Then I actually wasn¡¯t. Palotl took over my body and my surroundings, throwing me in whatever direction it wanted until it was ready to channel its power through me.¡± Keira broke for a slightly insane laugh. ¡°I talked with it afterwards, you know. It could have killed me.¡±

    ¡°Could you give more details? When did your control slip? Was it all at once or were there still sections of lucidity? Can you remember the details of the ritual you did?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m- It¡¯s too painful to talk about. Can we move on?¡± While the details of those answers didn¡¯t satisfy him, he looked at Maxwell and a quick nod confirmed that it was the truth. He moved onto the next big question hanging above them.

    ¡°Are you at risk of being possessed again?¡±

    ¡°No. I made a deal with someone called Gastele who said that she could put some precautions in when summoning Palotl and she completely exorcised it. I¡¯m now just your regular traumatised teenage girl.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re leaving the supernatural business behind then? Cutting all contact?¡±

    ¡°Well-¡° Keira paused. ¡°How am I supposed to get a therapist that doesn¡¯t institutionalise me without contacting someone already in the know?¡±

    ¡°What were you originally going to say?¡± Maxwell cut in. It seemed like he wasn¡¯t going to let her moment of hesitation go like Marshall was.

    ¡°I- um. I was originally going to say yes, but I realised that it might be more difficult than that to get out now that I¡¯m in.¡± He huffed at her answer, eyes still narrowed in suspicion, but he didn¡¯t interrogate her further. Marshall decided to steer the conversation back onto topic.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°Ah. Very fair, we¡¯ll send someone your way if the interview ends well. Beyond that though.¡± Keira grimaced and seemed to give it some thought before sighing.

    ¡°I won¡¯t unless anything paranormal approaches me.¡± That would probably be the best he could get out of her, and another look at Maxwell told him that she hadn¡¯t lied yet. Keira did however bring up an interesting name, one that was quite infamous in the general community.

    ¡°How did you first meet Gastele?¡± At Keira¡¯s questioning look he elaborated. ¡°She¡¯s one of the few fey who still get involved in human affairs, as such she is a person of interest. Any information we can get on her will be appreciated.¡±

    ¡°Officially she approached me almost a week after the deal was made. She hasn¡¯t approached me after I handed Palotl over to her. On how much information I have on her¡­ it¡¯s not much. I know that she bears resemblance to the wanderer¡¯s lanterns, but those aren¡¯t supposed to be sentient¡­ or human looking. And when she summoned Palotl, it told her that no matter how much blood a leech drinks, it¡¯ll never become a human. She said that she could leave it with someone more capable of looking after it.¡± Marshall felt his face flatten. ¡°Do you know who she was talking about?¡±

    ¡°I have a strong suspicion. In any case, you¡¯re right about her hailing from a wanderer¡¯s lantern. Though she¡¯s been very cagey on her history we know that beings that don¡¯t have a physical form can take over other living things and use theirs.¡± Keira paled at the implication. ¡°Thank you for talking with us today, Keira. We¡¯ll be conducting a separate investigation in order to corroborate what you¡¯ve said, and may bring you back in for clarification on some matters, but for now you¡¯ll be shown back to your cell.¡± She nodded in agreement and Maxwell stuck his head out of the door to call for a regular officer to come and take her back. Once she had left Marshall turned to the camera and spoke.

    ¡°You can come in now.¡± A giggling echoed through the cell and suddenly Gastele was sitting in Keira¡¯s place.

    ¡°Is it my turn now, Vengeance?¡± Maxwell cringed a little before motioning Marshall to stand up from his seat so he could sit there instead.

    "I will give you my true, full name, if you stop calling me that."

    "Ha! I would take that if I didn''t know that you''ve got some protection on it. And if I didn''t know it anyway. Maxwell Will Weil, bane of the supernatural, hotel goers and people with stutters."

    "I forgot how pleasant you were... In any case, I¡¯m sure you weren¡¯t watching for your own entertainment.¡±

    ¡°Whatever makes you say that.¡± She put her hands on the table, close together as if they were bound. ¡°Maybe I just wanted to watch how this soap opera ended. And to see whether you two were going to get outsmarted by a teenager.¡±

    ¡°Did we?¡± Gastele burst out laughing and took her hands off of the table to tuck them into the pockets of the dress trousers she was wearing. Then she leaned very far back in the chair to give them both an appraising look.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t use your marginal goodwill to ask me that Maxwell. Come on, let¡¯s get to the important stuff.¡±

    ¡°Fine. Was Keira telling the truth? Or rather, was there anything she missed out that she knew?¡±

    "Oh? I''m a lie detector now? Now that isn¡¯t something I¡¯m going to do for free, I hope you realise. I want something from you in return.¡±

    ¡°I can ask Lise something for you, as long as it¡¯s a similar calibre of information. We can reach a more specific agreement when the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Hm. Tempting. Very tempting. A good deal for a little sliver of confirmation. I¡¯ll accept that. She was being honest all throughout your interview, you haven¡¯t gotten that shabby in your years away Maxwell. Though I am not omnipotent. I can¡¯t answer that last part.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t even give me a little bit of insight?¡± Gastele hummed thoughtfully before shrugging.

    ¡°She told you everything she knew, as far as I¡¯m aware.¡±

    ¡°Good. That¡¯s all I needed to know. You can leave now.¡± Maxwell made to stand up from the chair, but Gastele hooked a stretched-out foot around the chair leg and pulled him back down.

    "Tut, tut Weil. Trying to get rid of me so soon? There are still some things we have to discuss together!"

    ¡°Like what?¡± He responded through gritted teeth. Marshall sighed and pulled the second chair out from under the table and sat down.

    ¡°Like the convergence of ley lines.¡± And for the first time in that meeting, she sounded serious. Maxwell opened his mouth, but she held up a single finger. ¡°I realise that the one in this town is on its way out, however there is one happening a little under a year from now elsewhere. A large one at that.¡± Weil scoffed.

    ¡°Temporary ley line convergences aren¡¯t that big.¡±

    ¡°Usually.¡± Gastele hummed, ¡°this one is par for the course on that one. No, the real reason this is a risk is because it¡¯s occurring in the Forest of Junein.¡± Marshall stiffened and he saw Maxwell¡¯s eyes widen sharply.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ already a convergence point. A permanent one. The chances of that are-¡°

    "Low. I''m well aware of that Marshall. In fact, this will be the first time such an event has happened in almost two thousand years, so you can imagine the types of people who want to take advantage of the sudden surge in power."

    "I''m looking at one of them right now."

    "I''ll concede to that, but you know that I''m not the biggest threat to your way of life. I''d argue that the biggest threat to you would be those who organised the world''s largest Pioneer gathering in the right spot, at the right time." Marshall was hit by a wave of comprehension, and he glared at Gastele.

    "They''re children! Using them as fuel for a ritual would be too far, even for them."

    "The children won''t know it''s even happening. But the consequences will be dire."

    "What is the ritual even for?"

    "I''m unaware of the specifics at the moment, but I know that it ties into getting a hold of the shards."

    "They''re still after them?" Maxwell spoke up from the side. He sounded more broken than before, and Marshall could sympathise. It seems that the hope that some things were too far for the Followers was misplaced. Gastele seemed more entertained by his reaction though.

    "Of course they are. The replacements for their power are few and far between, not to mention that the majority are lost to time. And the ones that aren''t..."

    "Yeah. I got it." Maxwell replied, grimacing. "I''d have just thought they would have given up by now and look for another way."

    "Another way doesn''t exist."

    "That you know of. But-"

    "Do have any plans to interference?" Marshall cut in. Gastele hesitated a moment before switching tracks.

    "Aside from setting you lovely gentlemen on their path? Not much."

    "I see. You''ll be too busy taking advantage of the situation, I''d wager."

    "Amongst other things." Marshall frowned.

    "So you''d let them go through with it then?"

    "Have a little faith in yourselves. And if your self-esteem is lower than I imagined then take comfort in knowing that you''re not going to be the only pawns on the board."

    "You-" Maxwell started, before taking a deep breath. Marshall could practically see him count backwards from ten. "That is interesting to hear. It would be more so if I knew which pawns you are referring to."

    "Now that would ruin the surprise. As much as I enjoy catching up, I really must get going now."

    "We will see you around Gastele." Marshall said and Maxwell echoed the sentiment a little half heartedly. Then in a blink, she was gone.

 Chapter 29 (Arc 1 End)

    Amelie dragged Iris¡¯s unconscious body through the undergrowth, not caring about the broken branches and dirt that stuck to her back. Now that she would be getting the proper ritual circle though, Iris would not be alive to complain. Through the gaps in the tree trunk she noticed Archer leaning down and completing the new ritual circle with a robotic precision that she hadn¡¯t seen in him before. She was glad that she managed to persuade him in order to get him on board. It saved her some significant difficulties and put her in a good position in regards to his organisation. Amelie almost called out to him, but paused as he stood up straight and pulled the phone out of her pocket. Curious, she dropped Iris and stepped closer.

    "Of course she doesn¡¯t know. If she did, she wouldn¡¯t be here¡­ Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll call back once we¡¯ve sorted it. Don¡¯t worry, Amelie will be dead before the day is out.¡± The world around her paused, the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat. Archer had planned on betraying her? She had planned on betraying him at some point but she hadn¡¯t expected the idiot to try and outplay her. She turned and ran, almost tripping over the sprawled body of Iris before sprinting off into the forest. The rhythmic thumps of Archer¡¯s feet echoing behind her, so close that she dare not even look. So close that she sometimes mistook them for the beat of her heart.

    Which made it all the more obvious when those sounds faded into the background, and then disappeared entirely. At first this didn¡¯t bother her, it meant that she would be able to reach the village before Archer reached her, and then she could hopefully spin things her way¡­ Though she would have to dispose of Iris in a less mystical way. All she had to do was-

    ¡°You seem to be in a rush.¡± Was whispered into her ear. Amelie stopped and spun around to see the source of the voice. It was so close that it felt like it was right next her ear. No one was there though. The woods around her seemed shrouded in fog, to the point where she couldn¡¯t see ten feet beyond where she had stopped. A small blue light in the distance was the only break in monotony. ¡°Ah, finally. You have stopped.¡±

    ¡°Who- who are you?¡±

    ¡°Hm. I am someone who would like to talk to you about your current position, and how to change it.¡± The voice was far away that time, from the direction of the blue light. Then the fog cleared and Amelie realised that the blue light was the pulsating iris of a woman in blonde hair. Someone who had been standing at where the clearing met fog.

    ¡°I would accept any help I can get, but I have to move. I can¡¯t let Archer find me.¡±

    ¡°Archer won¡¯t find you unless I want him to find you.¡± She threw her arms out wide. ¡°As you can see, I am perfectly capable of hiding you.¡± Amelie looked around and then took a deep breath.

    ¡°What- do you- want?¡±

    ¡°To help. I am in an¡­ antagonistic position regarding Archer and his organisation. I believe you can help me in taking them down. I don¡¯t want you to get put into protective custody, to be locked up like that like Keira has.¡±

    ¡°What¡­ do you suggest?¡±

    ¡°We make a deal. I¡¯ll make it so that Archer and his associates will not be able to hurt you, in return you offer yourself to help me.¡±

    ¡°Help you how?¡±

    ¡°I need to fulfil another deal, and I want your help in order to do it. Fortunately, it shouldn¡¯t take too long, two minutes at most.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ Then yeah. This sounds like a good deal for me. I accept.¡± The woman clapped her hands together, the biggest smile that Amelie had seen yet was plastered on her face. She held out an inconspicuous looking hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m a little old fashioned, you see.¡± Was added with a wink. Amelie chuckled and accepted the offered hand in a firm handshake. Once that was done she made to take her hand back, but the strange woman kept a firm hold. Smoke began to rise from the where their hands met and Amelie yanked her hand back with a firmer tug, this time freeing it from the grip. It also freed the blue flames from their captivity.

    Amelie screamed in pain as her arm quickly caught fire and it started to spread past her shoulder. She dropped to the floor and began to roll around on the dead leaves to try and attempt to put them out again. The fire was a magical nature though. Such efforts were futile. Brown leaves remained in the wake of the flames as the consumed Amelie and her broken screams turned into a dying croak. As the light died to embers, small ribbons of blue fire trailed off of Amelie¡¯s blackened skeleton to Gastele, who clicked and completely cleared the mist. Behind her stood Archer, blank faced and staring emotionlessly at the charred body on the ground.

    ¡°You played your part wonderfully puppet. All you have to do now is play the final part and I¡¯ll be done with you for now. Call your boss and update him on your situation.¡± Archer gave a stiff nod and pulled out his phone, only stopping when Gastele laid a hand on his phone. ¡°Tell him that you never received a package from him too.¡±

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Of course.¡± He dialled a number on his phone and held it up to his ear. ¡°Hello. I fear that my position has been compromised. The detective is on high alert and I will be unable to get what you wanted. Out potential sacrifice has also been compromised and won¡¯t be able to be the catalyst to complete the ritual.¡± There was a groan on the other end.

    ¡°What a shit show. After we just found someone suitable as well. In any case, you¡¯re approved for extraction. Get back to the headquarters and we¡¯ll settle you into your new home.¡±

    ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Then Archer hung up. Gastele felt a cruel smile grace her face and she patted him on the head.

    ¡°Good boy. As a reward, you shall get a brief reprieve.¡± Then she was gone, leaving a very confused Archer in the clearing.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Euan had lived a good life. A fulfilling one too, able to pursue whatever passions came up to him. Such as research in the paranormal. It was because of this research that he knew what was coming when he saw that ghostly apparition in the mirror. One that looked just like himself, albeit cheeks more gaunt and a glassy fog already overcoming his eyes. At first he chalked it up to the trick of the light, or the consequence of old age. When he saw it again however, standing in the middle of the garden with its eyes fully rotten from its skull, he knew what it was, and that he wouldn¡¯t make it past the full year.

    Doppelgangers were rarely a welcome sight. Often they were heralds of death, an unavoidable one if they were born of someone¡¯s malice towards the recipient, but they were known to be more passive if the person who saw it was supernaturally inclined and was about to meet a violent end. A deep sense of melancholy settled in as he realised that if he did not take initiative, he may never see his family again. And of course, he couldn¡¯t leave them truly unprotected to the horrors of the world. The garden was large and while it would be physically challenging to set up a ritual circle, it would be possible. He would need something from all of them to put inside the circle, but he also needed to say goodbye to his family. A multipurpose visit then. As soon as possible too, for he did not know when he would die. In some ways it was fortunate that he got this warning. It would mean that he would be prepared in some ways.

    So, seven months after this holiday when he felt his death coming, he didn¡¯t mourn it. He was searching for the book that Gallagher had given him in its usually hiding place, but when he didn¡¯t find it he groaned and looked in the wardrobe where his journals were. There is was, sitting on top of the pile of boxes. Euan sighed aloud.

    ¡°Harriet! What did I say about moving the book away from where I¡¯ve hidden it?¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯ve hidden it, how do you expect to find it again? And you¡¯ve put it underneath my section of the bed! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that is? Why don¡¯t you-¡°

    ¡°I get it! I get it.¡± Euan sighed. This wasn¡¯t the note that he wanted to end on. ¡°You know I love you, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡± Harriet poked her head around the corner and met his eyes. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°No, no. I just¡­ need to get some fresh air.¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t be too long. Dinner will be ready soon.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it in mind, but don¡¯t wait for me if I am late.¡± They hugged for a very long time. He didn¡¯t want it to end, but it had to. Euan pulled out of the embrace and opened the front door, giving his home one last look before setting upon the path to the park. His plan to die a peaceful death amongst nature, however, was interrupted by a weird sight.

    A flock of crows, a murder. A horde. Euan wanted to say hundreds, but there probably wasn¡¯t more than fifty. All looking at him. Continued looking at him even as he moved deep into the park and found a bench to sit on. As he rested there, four rats crawled up to his feet carrying a notebook and then left it there.

    ¡°Can¡¯t pick that up. I have a bad back.¡± They all looked at each other, then the closest rat opened the notebook and on its first page was written a simple introduction.

    Greetings. I am the Keeper.

    ¡°Hello? Is there any reason you¡¯re bothering me now?¡± a crow dropped a pen and the rats scurried around to write another entry with something that can be described as precision.

    I have heard of you only recently, you are difficult to track.

    ¡°I see¡­ and why did you wish to track me?¡± This time it appeared that the rats had a prepared answer.

    I am a Keeper of knowledge. One more generous than the others. Is there anything you wish to pass on?

    ¡°Ah. Everything I wished to pass on, I already have. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me. I had a dream of dying peacefully surrounded by nature. And the next park is five minutes away.¡±

    Are you sure? There is nothing?

    Euan thought about it, and then it seemed as though something just occurred to him.

    ¡°There is something actually. You know of the book Gallagher left me I presume, it¡¯s currently residing in the bottom of my wardrobe in the bungalow. I was planning to hide it in that room, but my wife had other plans. You are free to take it as long as you give it to my descendants should they need it. That wouldn¡¯t be too hard, would it?¡±

    I can take many forms in many animals. From otters to crows, your descendants will never be out of my reach should they need help.

    ¡°Then those are my terms then.¡±

    The rats seemed to deliberate, then they flicked through the notebook. Through pages of predetermined answers interspaced between blanks, until it reached towards the end.

    I¡¯ll be seeing you then.

    ¡°Sure.¡± The birds scattered high in the air simultaneously, then they flew in different directions. When he looked down, he noted that the rats had also disappeared. Euan briefly lamented the fact that he didn¡¯t have a chance to investigate this further, but he decided to put it behind him. He wasn¡¯t going to die troubled just because the local wildlife gained sentience. So, he shut his eyes. And they never opened again.

 Chapter 30

    Darian Moss sighed as he scratched his clean-shaven head, staring down at the file in front of him with his usually clean three piece incredibly crumpled and his eye bags of designer quality. The reason why was pretty simple. One of their field operatives, who had been previously excommunicated to prevent complications with the rest of the organisation during his arrest, was having issues with being readmitted back in. Archer Hamilton had performed wonderfully considering the sort of liability he was working with, so when it inevitably didn¡¯t work out no one had been surprised. They¡¯d welcomed him back to their main headquarters in Duroria with open arms, however when he left they¡¯d had to completely wipe the systems so it was taking time to re-enter everything. Most of it had been cleared by hand but some of the information had been set to automatically wipe and the guy who had set up the code had been killed, so they¡¯ve been having trouble hunting it down.

    It was a shame having a useful asset off the field so long, but they couldn¡¯t risk him being vulnerable without having him put his name in their registrar. Of course he had been trained when he initially joined the organisation on how to avoid common fey scams, but one could never be too careful when it came to things like these. Darian pulled his key out of his pocket and unlocked his office door, keeping his eyes focused on the documents in front of him. That was until a polite cough caught his attention.

    There, sitting in his office chair, behind his desk, was Gastele. Only it wasn¡¯t his desk anymore as the nameplate that had been laid on top of it read Gastele Lichter instead. Darian seethed.

    ¡°What are you doing here? This building is a place of residence and you have no permission to enter.¡±

    ¡°Not even a hello? I come bearing new business opportunities and yet you scorn me!¡± The rejection of her welcome should have forced her out, if it didn¡¯t keep her out initially, and yet she still sat there. Playing with his favourite pen. ¡°You look surprised Darian. Is it not common knowledge that the only one who can revoke a welcome is the one who gave it?¡±

    ¡°And who was it that gave you it?¡±

    ¡°Ah, now that would ruin the fun. And stop the game before we¡¯ve even started.¡± Gastele dropped the pen on the floor and leaned her elbows on the desk. Stapling her fingers so she could rest her chin on them. ¡°Take a seat.¡±

    ¡°You dare-¡° Gastele cocked an eyebrow up and Darian¡¯s jaw clicked shut. He sat on the seat opposite and gestured for her to continue.

    ¡°Excellent. The game I am proposing is a simple one, a race to an object of power. Which is something I am aware that you¡¯re always chasing after.¡±

    ¡°Indeed we are. It is unfortunate then that often the ones we find are extremely lacking.¡±

    ¡°Not this one. Tell me, how familiar are you with the realm of the fey?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a set of backroads that allows for instant travel between ley line convergences with the central hub being based in Junein Forest.¡±

    ¡°Ah. Not much then.¡± She paused for a moment to savour Darian¡¯s indignant splutter before carrying on. ¡°While it does allow for the travel along ley lines, it is more than a set of backroads. It¡¯s almost entirely a different plane of existence, one where the fey don¡¯t have to worry about being bothered by boring, stupid humans. Now obviously something like this could never be maintained on the skill of the fey alone. Creating and maintaining another plane of existence? Outside most of our skillsets, however it has recently come to my attention that it would suddenly become within our skillsets with a little bit of assistance.¡±

    ¡°And how did you come across such information? I can¡¯t imagine someone gave it to you for free.¡± Gastele barked a laugh.

    ¡°Of course not! The source I have however is extremely reliable. I might even be willing to answer more questions about this object.¡±

    ¡°How did you originally think the fey plane was managed?¡± Asked Darian, and Gastele blinked as though she wasn¡¯t expecting an off-topic question.

    ¡°Much like how we are created. Human belief. Of course such otherworldly creatures couldn¡¯t exist on our plane, so they must come from another. It also explains how it occasionally changes to reflect the human world, but it seems like our previous assumptions were wrong.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t sound too unhappy about that.¡±

    ¡°Why would I? It was a learning experience. Quite frankly, this revelation has only increased my interest in this object. It would be a fascinating study should I get my hands on it. Which brings us back to the matter at hand: the race.¡±

    ¡°What are the specifics behind this race then?¡±

    ¡°We both chose someone to send to Junein Forest with nothing but a set of clues that will be decided on now, and whoever receives the object first wins.¡±

    ¡°So you could have someone sit outside Junein Forest, have them jump my team and as long as it reaches your hands first, you win?¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°That is a possibility.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. Whichever team touches the object first wins, and I know you can weave together some deal to enforce that.¡± Gastele gave a half nod, so Darian continued, ¡°what are the clues then?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a written sheet that you can hand over to your candidate, but they go as such: Death peacefully slips into new beginnings and in the still waters of an eternal garden there rests a blossom ever so fragile, that holds an ever-larger potential. I will give a little assistance on the location, if you accept.¡± Darian laid back in his chair and made thoughtful noise. While it was unnecessarily poetic, the whereabouts of Morsemt¡¯s Lotus had been a point of contention for years, so it was quite obvious what it was talking about. If it was truly in the fey realm, then it would explain why there was such difficulty trying to pin it down, or why its very existence was under such contention.

    ¡°Very flowery. I would expect nothing less than that for Morsemt¡¯s Lotus, but that still leaves the question on why I would accept such an offer. If the rumours are to be believed it is an extremely powerful artifact, but the deity its attached to doesn¡¯t exist. How can we use such a thing to accomplish our goals?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Now this is where I bring in the insurance.¡± Gastele reached into her grey waistcoat and pulled out a dark piece of glass. While she could barely wrap her fingers around it width wise, lengthwise it was far longer. She put it down gently on the desk between them and Darian immediately felt his eyes drawn to it. Black fog danced behind the grey sheen of its surface, slightly obscuring the reflection of the ceiling above them.

    ¡°A shard¡­¡± He muttered weakly. He could still refuse of course, but to have something so contested casually placed in a bet like this didn¡¯t sit right with him. ¡°I suppose now we can get to the true reason behind your visit today. You never intended to get the Lotus out of this, clearly you could do that without telling me, so that leaves the question of why make this bet in the first place?¡±

    ¡°Good, good. We can stop dancing around the point. I want you to put everything you have in this company as your bet.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! I would never agree to such terms.¡±

    ¡°Normally, no. But this isn¡¯t equivalent exchange, this is a bet. And to my knowledge you will already have a lot of personnel on site. You may have chance at winning.¡±

    ¡°If you¡¯re so confident in my chance at winning, then why are you putting something so important as a wager?¡±

    ¡°Because if you win or lose, it doesn''t matter. The shards are useless on their own. You¡¯ll have to go and get the other ones, and I am not the scariest thing in possession of one of these.¡± Darian sighed. She was right. Though it would remove one of the more difficult obstacles, there were still three more that he knew of that would prove more challenging. And it wasn¡¯t too risky for him, even if he lost. The most important thing he put into the organisation was his name, and that was protected by the registrar. That did lead to him wondering on their candidate though.

    ¡°Who are you going to putting in the race then? Because I am not letting you send Kheka, or any of the other shard keepers. I realise that this will go both ways, so I will reveal that my initial candidate would be one of our field agents.¡±

    ¡°I must say that Kheka is an appealing choice, but if you¡¯re forbidding me from sending one of the shard keepers, then I must forbid you from sending someone in your organization.¡±

    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll send¡­¡± Darian¡¯s eyes drifted from Gastele to the papers that he was going through on his way in. Archer had experience in the supernatural and he had yet to technically be readmitted to the organization. It would be a little loophole exploitation, but he felt as though Gastele would appreciate it had he not wanted to keep this idea from her at any cost possible. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about it, then.¡±

    ¡°I shall have a think about it too.¡± Then she stared off into the distance for a second before giggling.

    ¡°Now that I think it¡¯s pretty obvious that I¡¯ve accepted this deal. What clues are we giving for the location?¡±

    ¡°Remember that you can only give them-"

    "and anybody else."

    "Or anyone else this information.¡± Gastele ammended with a wink and then the lights flickered and she was gone. Darian leaned over the desk to see a sheet of paper with the clues she had said on it, and on the bottom of it read Reach into nature¡¯s heart. So that was the location clue. Darian leaned back in his guest chair and pulled out his mobile phone to dial one of his direct superiors who picked up after the third ring.

    ¡°This is unusual. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve just made a deal that could be quite beneficial to us in the long run, though it requires Archer to be kept off of the registrar for a little longer.¡±

    ¡°Are you thinking of sending him out on the field without proper precautions?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was one of the prerequisites.¡±

    ¡°It sounds dangerous. Was it the right decision to make?¡±

    ¡°That remains to be seen, but there are certain things we can do to decrease the risk. Such as the fact that the mission occurs in the fey realm, one of the entrances to which can be accessed from our little operation in Junein Forest. If we could relocate some of the personnel working on that to watch over him, then victory should be ours.¡±

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t convinced me on why I should follow your lead on this. In fact, I should have you exhumed for being such a liability.¡±

    ¡°Well first of all, I¡¯m still doing that undercover work for you. Secondly, if the deal comes through properly, we could have one of the shards.¡± There was a pause on the other end of the line.

    ¡°Why wasn¡¯t someone more important consulted on this?¡±

    ¡°It was a surprise for me too. I didn¡¯t have much time to manoeuvre around it.¡± There was a second, longer pause.

    ¡°Very well. I hope you understand that if this falls through, we will find a punishment for you that won¡¯t affect your undercover work.¡± Then the line went dead and Darian sighed. That was the harder of the calls he had to make, so now that he had the go ahead from his boss, he could call Archer who picked up on the first ring.

    ¡°Sir?¡± Archer sounded slightly robotic, though it was at a late hour so he couldn¡¯t fault the boy for being tired.

    ¡°I have a mission for you to do before you are fully readmitted back¡­¡± As Darian went through the clues, he felt his eye being drawn to the name plate on his desk. It had read Gastele¡¯s name, but he thought it was an illusion that would clear once she had left. He lifted it up with a frown and ended the call with Archer to put his phone back in his pocket. Then he muttered something as he ran his hand over the metal engraving to check whether an enchantment had been stuck to it. Darian scowled. She had physically replaced his name plate.

 Chapter 31

    Keira observed the crystal bird as she turned it over in her hand. It still had an ink like stain lightly spread through it and she hadn¡¯t gotten the crack on its body fixed either. They were in the last leg of their three hour coach journey, but unfortunately there was still a five hour flight to go, not to mention airport bullshit that would inevitably add couple of hours onto that, and another few for the coach journey to whatever university was hosting them. It wasn¡¯t like Keira hadn¡¯t come prepared for it. She had a couple of thick books in her bag. They were rather tame though, she didn¡¯t think she could stomach the ones with horror and gore at the moment. It had been eight months since her run in with the supernatural and the whole business with Amelie. While Amelie was nowhere to be seen, Archer had left to head back to the capital of Aria to continue working for whoever was brave enough to hire him in the first place.

    Naima made a muffled noise beside her and Keira dropped her hand and tucked the bird back into her bag. Naima had a face full of hoodies, courtesy of Keira, and to the fact that she had fallen asleep right next to her. Keira is not one to usually ignore an opportunity like that. As Naima made another muffled noise, this one slightly louder than the last, Keira realised that Naima was waking up. Something that was only proven when a hand came up to remove the cloths from her face and drag them onto Naima¡¯s lap. Then she turned to Keira with very frazzled hair that was accentuated by the early morning light. Naima tried to make eye contact but as Keira had taken the aisle seat, the sun was in her eyes and she had to dig out some sunglasses.

    ¡°Why?¡± Her voice was still groggy from sleep and it was enough to make Keira snicker. Naima¡¯s confused look fell into a more fed up one. ¡°Where did you even get all of these? I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t bring that many.¡± That question was answered by a louder round of snickers from the seats around them.

    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m charming.¡±

    ¡°No, you¡¯re not.¡± Naima grumbled, fishing Keira¡¯s hoodie out from the pile that had formed on her lap and threw it at Keira, who was still giggling. ¡°How much longer until we get there?¡±

    ¡°Looking at the signs¡­ about five minutes. Providing traffic is good.¡± Keira answered, shuffling the hoodie around so she could tie it around her waist.

    Traffic was not good and it took another fifteen for the coach to be able to stop at the front of the airport, which didn¡¯t really matter as they had left a lot earlier than they had to so they were certain that they would be able to make the flight. Keira had seated herself close to the front, so she was one of the first people off, leaving her in the role of helping people get their bags from the storage space.

    ¡°So, how are you feeling about being in a separate country to you parents?¡± Naima asked as she approached Keira from her side, not bothering to help with the ferrying of bags.

    ¡°A little nerve wracking, since it¡¯s been a while, but it¡¯s not my first time away from my parents. Our school may not be large, but we can still take trips across the border to Duroria.¡±

    ¡°Oh. That must be a pretty long coach journey.¡±

    ¡°Eh.¡± Keira grunted, spotting pulling out another bag. ¡°It¡¯s tolerable.¡±

    ¡°Then you have a lot more patience than me. Would you mind teaching me your ways oh wise one?¡±

    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s called making yourself busy. I like¡­ liked to stare out the window and watch the scenery pass by on long car rides. On planes and boats I crack out the book.¡±

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t have a book on me so any other recommendations?¡±

    ¡°You have your tarot cards on you, right? Just mess around with those.¡±

    ¡°You think that I should just read my future for five hours straight?¡±

    ¡°Yes. You would become unstoppable, and by proxy I would too.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Then the only thing standing in your way would be your mountain of mental issues. Speaking of which, what about your therapist? Are you going to be doing online sessions?¡±

    ¡°No. He said that I can take a months break and that it would be good to gauge progress.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Naima. I have developed a lot of issues, but abandonment ones are not a part of them. Now,¡± Keira said, hauling out Naima¡¯s bag, ¡°this looks like a nice bag so you¡¯re going to have to take it off of my hands before I get any ideas.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Naima snatched it out of Keira¡¯s hands. ¡°We have the same bag!¡±

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Not necessarily. Mine has a lovely little flower painted onto it.¡± Naima had a look at the blue and white duffel bag at Keira¡¯s feet and sure enough, there was a little flower painted onto it. It was white with light blue highlights, something which matched the rest of the bag, and large enough to be visible from afar but not so it eclipsed the Pioneers insignia on top. The flower was a nice addition and it had the practical application of helping Keira tell it apart from all of the other thousand bags in the airport.

    ¡°It looks terrible.¡±

    ¡°My mother painted it.¡± Naima flushed and started to stutter out an apology but Keira just chuckled and hauled the bag straps over her shoulder. It knocked into her backpack, but she didn¡¯t pay it any mind. ¡°Shall we get going?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Getting through the initial set of security was not as painful as she imagined, and they ended up with forty minutes before they had to board their flight. While Keira would have loved to spend that time buying something overpriced, she had somewhere else she needed to go first. So, she left her backpack with the instructors who were running the trip and took a quick toilet break.

    While the gate they had to board was at the opposite end of the airport from the entrance, which was a nightmare since they were in one of the largest airports in the country, there were still quite a few stores dotted around. So, there was a lot of foot traffic. Something she expected the toilet to reflect, but when she walked in, there was literally no one. Keira frowned and walked back outside to check whether she had missed a sign on the door or yellow tape, but there was nothing. She walked back inside the bathroom and looked around, noticing that the lights were either dimmed or completely turned off. Then a voice interrupted her thought process.

    ¡°Hello again.¡± Keira sighed, counted backwards from ten and then turned to face Gastele.

    ¡°I¡¯m on holiday.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m here to call in that favour you gave me, and you can¡¯t refuse it. Though it won¡¯t take up all your time, if you¡¯re worried about that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so I can sleep?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! In any case, I won¡¯t keep you here for too long, here¡¯s the instructions on what I want you to get.¡± Gastele handed Keira a sheet of paper that had a poem on it, that while pretty, provided very little to go on. Keira mouthed the words as she read along and then she locked eyes with Gastele.

    ¡°What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?¡± Gastele made a lips sealed sign and shrugged. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you assign this to someone more qualified?¡±

    ¡°Well, I would say that you¡¯re qualified, and you owe me. Oh! And before I forget.¡± She grabbed Keira¡¯s hand and turned it so that the palm faced upwards. Then a circle of black ink slowly started to fade onto her wrist, or rather a screen that was placed before it was taken away. There was a sinking sensation in the pit of Keira¡¯s stomach, but she pushed it to the side and asked the obvious question.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°During the hand over of the ritual with Palotl, I said that I would take everything I needed to, but what Palotl had attached to your soul was more than necessary. This is the little window of power it gave you so that it had access to some of its power when it ascended, but as you can see, it¡¯s now yours.¡±

    ¡°Is this safe? And why hide it from me? And why didn¡¯t you keep a hold of it?¡±

    ¡°One question at a time, if you could. To answer them though, the question of safety and why I didn¡¯t keep a hold of it are both in the same category. For you, it will slowly seep into your soul and alter it, but to be honest, humans don¡¯t live long enough for such a thing to demonstrably change them. Now if you had a larger window to that plane, it would be a different story, or if you were to use that power consistently, which are details that Palotl most likely skipped over. For me however, it is a different story. Unfortunately, you and I are made of different stuff, so what you may be able to tolerate would tear me apart.¡±

    ¡°And why would you hide it from me?¡±

    ¡°When they asked you on your involvement in the supernatural, I needed you to say minimal, and I needed you to be honest. You had to believe what you were saying for the deception to work. And it did! Look at where we are now. Ready to go international!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a fucking asshole.¡±

    ¡°Hey now. I may need you in one piece at the moment, but your shelf life is limited. And when that insurance runs out, well, it¡¯d be best to stay on my good side.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard fae appreciate honesty.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a generally good lesson to remember, but another one is that fae value politeness and charisma. So, if you do wish for one to die to their face, do so in a roundabout manner.¡±

    ¡°I find myself likening the words that are coming out of your mouth to what-¡°

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. But don¡¯t worry! You¡¯ll have time to work on it. Now if that will be all-¡°

    ¡°I do have one more question. It¡¯s about what happened to Amelie. I do realise that I wanted Iris out of harms way, but what did you do? No one¡¯s seen or heard anything.¡±

    ¡°Hm. How best to answer this¡­ I made her disappear. Like smoke in the wind.¡± Then Gastele laughed a little and made eye contact with Keira. She knew that she had asked the woman to not kill Amelie, but is there another way she could have gotten rid of Amelie that was equally as awful but not classed as killing? Was there a loophole that she found in Keira¡¯s wording? It was a possibility but not one Keira wanted to entertain.

    ¡°Right¡­ Is there anyone I can ask for help with this?¡± Keira asked, holding up the little slip with instructions on it.

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime, have a little gift from me and don¡¯t miss your flight.¡± Gastele shoved a brown block of wood into her hand and with a flicker of the lights, she was gone. Keira backed away slightly and ended bumping into a woman right behind her. She muttered out a quick apology and did her business.

    When she approached the rest point, Naima lit up and then frowned as she tilted her head to get a better look at the block of wood in Keira¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I haven¡¯t brought the shit with me.¡± Keira stated, going to put the wood in her bag.

    ¡°No, no. I wasn¡¯t thinking that. I was just wondering who Darian Moss was.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± Naima then picked up the block of wood and turned it over to the side that had been facing away from Keira the entire time to find the name engraved on it. ¡°Ah. I have no idea.¡±

 Chapter 32

    The group did eventually manage to get out of the airport once they landed, albeit with a little more difficulty as Keira had now brought two wooden things in her carry on. Once it was determined that they were harmless, however, they were off. It was another few hours as the campus that they were staying on was at the other end of the city with a mountain of cars between them, but after arriving food and accommodation was sorted out quickly. They had to share rooms, but they could also chose on who they wanted to share with. Keira had chosen Naima, and while she had woken up with a face full of her own medicine in the shape of blankets and spare shirts, they still got along quite well. It was while they were waiting on the coach the next day when the topic of what they were going to do came up.

    ¡°So we will be dropped off and picked up at Morsemt¡¯s Temple, those of you who want to go on the bike ride around it are more than welcome to, however in the case where you don¡¯t want to do that we have someone willing to take you for a quick walk around the temple and surrounding area. Any questions?¡±

    ¡°Do we have to pay to enter the temple?¡±

    ¡°There will be an opportunity to donate at the entrances, but it is not necessary. It is necessary to rent the bikes however.¡± Clarified the teacher. Naima grimaced and then turned to Keira.

    ¡°Well, that cinches it. I¡¯ll be doing the walking tour.¡±

    ¡°I thought you were going to be doing the walk anyway, to let it all sink in.¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ It still might¡¯ve been nice to ride around with you though.¡±

    ¡°Oh no. I¡¯m doing the walk too. I get severe anxiety whenever I ride a bike.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Naima quieted down and turned her head to look outside the window. Not long after, the questions dried up and the driver was given the go ahead to drive straight into the city of Memorstadt. Furdanism was the most common religion in Junein, it had been since the inception of the country, so most of the major cities were homages to different aspects of nature. Memorstadt represented death, with multiple famous statues and memorials for historic battles and figures. Most famously it had murals on every surface one would fit on which included buildings, walls and sometimes the ground in the main squares. It made sense then, that Morsemt¡¯s Temple would be in the centre of the city. As it was in the centre of the city, it was nowhere near as long a drive as it had been to the campus and about half an hour later they were all stood with their backpacks outside the entrance. A different leader to the one who had spoken in the bus stepped to the front this time.

    ¡°Those of you who are not going to do the bike ride are going to come with me. As we¡¯re all going to be meeting here after we¡¯re done, the temple will be our last stop. Our first stop will be some of the tourist places here so we can get souvenirs. Will that be okay with everyone?¡± There was a quiet muttering amongst those at the back of the group, Keira included, and he seemed to take this as a positive response. They then split off and began their walk across the city. Naima took this as an opportunity to do more talking.

    ¡°So Keira! What are you hoping to get? I¡¯m probably going to get a few snow globes, maybe a post card for Mum, keyrings for friends¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get a few things for Morgan and Iris, and a fridge magnet for Grandma Harriet, but not much else. At least for other people.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Why fridge magnets for your Grandma? Does she have a really nice fridge?¡±

    ¡°Grandad Euan used to get a fridge magnet from wherever he travelled to with work so she¡¯s ended up with quite a collection. Me and my cousins still get her some when we travel, even got her a magnetic board she can hang up in her room at the home for her last birthday.¡±

    ¡°So she doesn¡¯t even have a fridge.¡± Keira gave Naima a deadpan look before speeding up her walk a bit. The question wasn¡¯t entirely unappreciated as it got her to think along the lines of what the hell she was supposed to do. All she had was a cryptic piece of paper and an ever increasing urge to stab the fey. While she had faith in her deciphering abilities, she doubted that the group would agree to spend half of their day in one of the biggest cities in the world to hang out at the library with her and read books. The internet had also been surprisingly useless, which meant that the cryptic piece of paper was a dead end. Keira, now having caught up to the front of the group, flagged down the leader and gestured to a shop that had caught her eye.

    ¡°I think we should look at all the sorts of stores that Memorstadt has to offer.¡± Keira enunciated her suggestion with the most innocent smile she could muster. The leader looked at the store labelled ¡®Put out those Firearms¡¯ and then looked back at Keira deadpan.

    ¡°You¡¯re underage.¡± He said before leading the group into a much more appropriate store that had letter openers, flags and figurines on the window display. Keira skulked in after him and then began eyeing up one of the display cases in the corners. It held the same stock as the window display and Keira felt her eyes being drawn to one particular letter opener saying that is was coated in silver. While stabbing maybe less effective, it might still work the next time she ran into Gastele. Just in case.

    The rest of the shopping trip went smoothly, with them only going in a few more souvenir stores and tourist spots before the focus shifted more towards cloths. Due to Keira¡¯s pickiness with cloths she didn¡¯t end up getting any, but Naima had found a hat she liked. She walked up to Keira holding in her hands before twirling it onto her head.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Look at this hat Keira! It speaks to me.¡±

    ¡°That would probably concern me more than anything.¡± Naima gave Keira the most unimpressed look she had seen that day, bringing a laugh out of her. ¡°It does look good on you, though.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± Naima smiled and dashed off to the register, leaving Keira with the few guys that had come with them at the entrance while everyone was paying. Once everyone was done with that, the group walked back to the temple in order for their quick tour.

    Morsemt¡¯s Temple followed the tradition of other Furdan temples by being a walled garden with any holy sites and building residing inside of the high walls and large gates. The group passed one of the donation booths on the way in and Naima dropped in a few coins before jogging to catch up with the people who were trailing behind. Unfortunately they didn¡¯t have the time to fully explore the temple due to their quick tour of the city in the morning, but they did still visit the larger sites such as the buildings, stone mausoleums and the most infamous grave site. Keira thought that it was a little morbid, but it also made sense as Morsemt was supposed to be the Furdan representation of death. Eventually they got to the last stop on their tour. It was a large greenhouse at the centre of the garden that covered a large pond filled with white lotus flowers.

    ¡°This is where we¡¯ll be meeting the people who got the bike rentals. In the meantime take a look around.¡±

    Naima immediately grabbed Keira¡¯s arm and dragged her over to one of the information boards that were scattered around the greenhouse. The closest one they found themselves in front of was the story of a lost man who had gotten lost in the forest. He had found a stream and followed it, believing that is would lead to a large body of water and any town that would be beside it. However, the further downstream he went, the more the fog set in and he began to realise that he had found himself in Morsemt¡¯s domain. The man eventually found his way out again, but was still left lost in the woods for days and on the edge of insanity. Keira skimmed over it and began searching for some of the more obscure stories, though most of them she knew already and most of them included Moresmt¡¯s opposite, the Black Asp. It wasn¡¯t given a name as according to those practising Furdanism it claimed that it was the part of Morsemt that held all of the cruelty and misery of death that was often missing from the stories that talked about ferrying the dead.

    Keira stopped in front of an information board that held a particularly nice drawing of a lotus flower with ink running off of it¡¯s petals creating a stream of black. This continued down the edge of the board where it slowly took the shape of a snake. She already knew the story, as it was the most well known one, but that didn¡¯t stop Naima grabbing her arm and starting on an explanation anyway.

    ¡°This one is on Morsemt¡¯s birth. I did some research on the type of information this place would have and the sort of background behind the stories. For example, this one is thought to be one of the earliest to come around, though it¡¯s hard to tell since ancient Furdans didn¡¯t keep records.¡±

    ¡°If you did research before coming here, why are you reading these?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to show and talk about them with you. And I know that you know some of these myths, but maybe you don¡¯t know the historical detail surrounding them. Or the nice pictures they have attached.¡±

    ¡°I have to admit, that is the nicest depiction of the Black Asp I have seen.¡± Naima beamed in response. ¡°Give me a second while I read through this then.¡± Keira couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward as Naima watched her skim over the information, and as she was nearing the end, her reading was interrupted.

    ¡°So? Spot anything interesting?¡±

    ¡°I find the history behind the stories more interesting than the stories themselves, especially in how they have been preserved throughout the years. Usually there are fluctuations in the stories depending on the culture at the time or the sort of morals they wanted to push, but this one has stayed almost exactly the same through even empires.¡±

    ¡°Well some stories can stay the same.¡±

    ¡°They really don¡¯t, not to the extent that this one has. Through all iterations it has remained fact that Morsemt and the Asp came to the mortals at the same time, which was when the first human died. It has remained that the Asp takes care of the violent business that Morsemt doesn¡¯t want to attend to personally and that Morsemt eventually gives his body to house the souls of the dead.¡±

    ¡°You sure know your stuff!¡± A cheerful voice cut in from behind her. They both turned to see a man walking towards them. He was dressed far to nicely to be in what was essentially a garden with a neat waistcoat over a shirt, slick clack hair and tinted sunglasses that hid his eyes. Keira began to move away, reaching out to grab Naima who had a suddenly thoughtful look on her face. ¡°Always good to know that the youngsters are educated in Morsemt¡¯s sacrifice. And that the boards weren¡¯t a waste of money.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ Uh- we¡¯re going to get going¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that!¡± He cut Keira off and then took an expensive looking phone out of his pocket. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve visited. So naturally, I was just asking if you could take a photo of me.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± The man unlocked the phone and then practically threw it at Keira, who caught it with a little fumbling to stop it from breaking. When she looked on the screen however, she noticed that it wasn¡¯t open on the camera app. Instead it was open on a note that read ¡®I¡¯m here from Gastele. Keep an eye out and we¡¯ll meet at your earliest convenience.¡¯ Keira looked back up at the man who raised an eyebrow above the sunglasses.

    ¡°Well? What are you waiting for?¡± Keira quickly opened the camera app and snapped a shaky photo. Then she shoved the phone back into the man¡¯s hands and went to grab Naima¡¯s hand to drag her away. Naima resisted however, her concentrated face dropping into one of recognition.

    ¡°I know you. You¡¯re the guy who runs the AnnointAllure thing! The scammer!¡± The man grinned at this and titled his head towards them.

    ¡°Guilty as charged. The name¡¯s Kheka, if we ever run into each other again.¡± Keira couldn¡¯t see his eyes, but she felt that if she could he would be looking directly at her. She swallowed dryly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Then she finally managed to usher Naima away from him and back towards the entrance where they were going to be meeting with the other group. Keira spared a look behind her and paled when she saw that the man wasn¡¯t there anymore. Naima didn¡¯t say anything when she felt Keira pick up the pace.

 Chapter 33

    It was another few hours of driving before they finally reached the rest stop before the camp itself and Keira chose to share another room with Naima. She was unsure of how Kheka would approach her again, so she had resigned herself to keep an eye out all night until he showed himself. Or until the chance that he was just trying to get under her skin someway got too large for her to ignore. Though it turned out that she hadn¡¯t need to wait long, as while they were moving across the campus to get food she saw a small orange light in the corner of her eye. He was braced against one of the building walls, cigarette in hand, and still sporting the sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had long since set. He smirked and gave a little wave when he noticed Keira staring and she stopped. Unsure of whether she could separate from the group that easily.

    ¡°Keira! We have to stay as a group!¡± One of the leaders called out to her and she turned her head to respond.

    ¡°Coming!¡± When Keira looked back to where Kheka was, he was gone. She frowned. Previously she had thought that it would either be an honest proposition or someway to mess with her. But Kheka, much like all of her other encounters, seemed intent on doing both. Fortunately he didn¡¯t rear his head for the rest of the time she was eating or on the way back to their accommodation. Keira was becoming increasingly more concerned that he was just going to lurk just out of sight for the entire duration of her trip. Then as she was talking to Nadia, who was sitting on her bed next to the window, she saw a small orange glow in the dark. Keira was unsure whether that meant he wanted her to come outside, or whether it was an intimidation tactic, but she didn¡¯t feel comfortable leaving her backpack unattended with him in the area.

    She picked it up from where it was leaning against her bed and then turned to Naima.

    ¡°Hey Naima¡­ I¡¯m suddenly feeling a little queasy. I¡¯m going to go find a leader to get some painkillers.¡±

    ¡°Oh no! Do you want me to go with you?¡±

    ¡°It should be fine. Just stay here and hold down the fort.¡± And then Keira burst out the room and took the stairs two at a time. It wasn¡¯t dead quiet as she left the building they were staying in, as there were still other groups making their way back to the accommodation, but it was still empty enough that a suspicious man would¡¯ve stood out. Yet again, however, he was nowhere to be seen. Keira began walking towards the spot where she last saw him to look around, but as she got closer, she saw an orange glow tucked down an alley between two dormitory buildings. She began to walk closer but then it disappeared again.

    It seemed as though Gastele wasn¡¯t the only one that was keen on playing these sorts of games, though Kheka was slightly less annoying about it because he didn¡¯t appear behind her once they were in an adequately quiet area. He was just leaning against a lamppost on the edge of a completely abandoned car park. When Keira got close enough, he dropped the cigarette onto the ground and then put it out with the heel of his dress shoe. The he flashed her a wide smile that seemed a little off, maybe it was because it was too wide, or maybe because it was the stiffness. Keira still returned it though, and with it she pulled out her newly acquired knife.

    ¡°What do you want.¡±

    ¡°A pleasant conversation! Is that too much to ask?¡± Keira kept her distance. ¡°Come now. You know that¡¯s not going to do much against me. Not only am I not beholden to the same squishy laws of biology, but I also know what they say about bringing a knife to a gun fight.¡± With that he reached his hand behind him and then pulled out a hand gun.

    ¡°Oh.¡± He smirked at Keira¡¯s reaction before tucking the gun behind him again, with Keira following suit tucking the letter opener up her sleeve. He then clapped his hands together.

    ¡°So glad you could make it Keira. To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Kheka¡¯s tone was more than a little sarcastic, but Keira couldn¡¯t find it in herself to be bothered by it.

    ¡°You wanted to talk to me. Specifically.¡±

    ¡°I know. I was playing a little game, being a tad coy. It¡¯s something you should learn to do very well if you hope to get out of this operation in one piece.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ So, you know about what I¡¯m supposed to do then?¡±

    ¡°Of course! While Gastele may be forbidden from giving out such information to anyone, the same cannot be said for me.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s allowed to tell anyone but me the full story? That¡¯s fun.¡±

    ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t get too upset. It¡¯s technically a handicap more for others than for yourself, and it is only one of many she has set up in this race.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, is this a race?!¡±

    ¡°Did Gastele not mention it? Ah, well. It doesn¡¯t matter too much. You¡¯re on a fairly tight time frame, and while your enemy may have the advantage of being there longer and more familiar with the supernatural, you do have some significant advantages over them. Not to mention that those handicaps are nasty.¡±

    ¡°She did not mention any of that. Only that I have to get something for her and the only clues I get are these!¡± Keira held up the crumpled piece of paper Gastele gave her. ¡°And apparently literally anyone could fill me, or the opponent, in on the missing information.¡±

    ¡°Gastele isn¡¯t allowed to give any information out; in fact you have our roles reversed.  This was originally my¡­ request.¡±

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°If you have all the information, and this was your idea, then why do you need me to go and do it for you?¡±

    ¡°Please. You should be grateful! If it weren¡¯t for me, Gastele would have you on a far nastier mission. And I didn¡¯t need you specifically, I just needed someone to nip into the fey realm, get what I wanted and then get out again. Gastele was my original choice, but she¡¯s persona non grata there. Hence.¡± Then he made a circle gesture around Keira.

    ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me why you don¡¯t go and get it yourself. Is it that hard to get into the realm?¡±

    ¡°No. Due to its nature it¡¯s the easiest to access out of all of them, but it also makes it the most awkward to access for me, personally.¡± Keira waited for him to elaborate, but it seemed like he wanted her to prompt him. She sighed.

    ¡°And what nature would that be?¡±

    ¡°Great question! Tell me, what do you know about Morsemt¡¯s Lotus?¡±

    ¡°The lotus is the symbol of Morsemt, who represents death. The afterlife according to Furdanism is a stream that leads to a vast oasis populated by lotuses each representing the memories and experiences of humans past. So I would guess it¡¯s the lotus that holds Morsemt¡¯s memories.¡±

    ¡°Close enough. The main point is that it¡¯s a very powerful artifact that the fey are currently using to maintain they¡¯re little realm. However, it¡¯s not enough to make it another plane of existence entirely. It¡¯s balanced precariously on top of your own and as such changes to the whims of your own¡­ and anything really. Planes like that are extremely fluid. Very powerful fey can stop the movement and set up their own little empires and courts, like weights on moving fabric, but the in between is downright impossible to navigate without some assistance. More importantly, it puts them on the fragile side. Some of them can act quite well as intermediators between some of the more solid planes of existence, like a piece of cloth stretched between two cliffs. Even though I might damage their reality, I can travel there. Now the fey plane isn¡¯t a bridge between two others, it¡¯s like a flag that waves freely in the wind. If I were to travel there, not only would I fall straight through it, I would probably take the entire plane with me. And while that would be hilarious, I¡¯m enjoying the current status quo.¡±

    ¡°Okay. So, the clue I¡¯ve gotten is ¡®reach into nature¡¯s heart¡¯ and given how much you¡¯ve talked about the fey realm I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with that. Does it have a centre where the flower is kept? And how would I get to the fey realm?¡±

    ¡°To get into the fey realm would usually be difficult for non-fey, however the stars have quite literally aligned and the fey realm¡¯s main connection with ours, Junein Forest, is currently undergoing a massive ley line convergence. Merely going off of the beaten path would likely result in a few wayward souls if certain measures aren¡¯t in place. As for where the flower is kept¡­ It¡¯s not the centre in a traditional sense of the word. As I have mentioned before, the fey world is fluid. So while the place where Morsemt¡¯s Lotus is kept will remain solid due to the sheer amount of power there, the path there will be ever changing. Fortunately, you are more equipped to navigate it better than usual due to your¡­¡± Kheka tilted his head down to Keira¡¯s hand, ¡°situation.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use it, and I also don¡¯t want to use it. You know that if I start to it will slowly corrupt me.¡±

    ¡°Oh please. No one cares about that. And depending on who you are as a person, it might be a good thing! Think about it. The more it infects your soul, the more power you can wield. Doesn¡¯t that sound like a fun time?¡±

    ¡°I like my humanity! I want nothing more that to be rid of this and the sooner the better.¡± Kheka snorted.

    ¡°Boring. You¡¯re just another pawn in the game, then. Focus on completing your task first, then maybe you¡¯ll find a way to remove that little blemish. In the meantime I wouldn¡¯t shy away from giving a few nudges with that power. It takes a lot to corrupt a human soul, especially with something so similar in nature. You¡¯re purposely shooting yourself in the foot for no reason if you don¡¯t use all of the tools at your disposal.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it. If that¡¯s everything-¡°

    ¡°Not quite. You¡¯ve got a little something in your bag, haven¡¯t you.¡± Keira frowned and then took off her backpack. She rummaged around, taking out a few things like her hoodie and the block of wood belonging to Darian Moss so she was able to get to the things she tucked away at the bottom. Kheka snorted when she took the block of wood out, but other than that he stayed blissfully quiet. Until she got to the wooden box that contained the little black marble from the small, decimated village. He immediately took it out of her hand and gave it a once over.

    ¡°You could sense that?¡±

    ¡°Of course. While the box hides it well, it still wasn¡¯t designed for whatever is inside it.¡± With that he then grabbed the lid and before Keira could say that it was locked for everyone but Gastele, it flipped open with a crack. She stared speechless as Kheka took the small marble from its rest and rolled it over his fingers. ¡°Hm. It does have similar elements though, no wonder Gastele thought it an appropriate temporary solution.¡±

    ¡°How-¡°

    ¡°Shush now. I¡¯m working.¡± He then lifted the box and Keira watched in horrified awe as the markings around the outside shifted and the box made pained creaking noises as the etchings drifted into their new positions. Once he seemed satisfied with the results he hummed and then put the marble back into the box and clicked it shut.

    ¡°What did you do?¡±

    ¡°Well the first major change of this new and improved box is that now you should be able to open it whenever. The second is that I¡¯ve completely masked the power that it gives off. You¡¯ll be going into multiple hostile territories soon, and all of them would have been able to tell what was in there and paint a target on your back.¡±

    ¡°What about this?¡± Keira gestured to the mark on her wrist. ¡°Won¡¯t this put a target on my back too?¡±

    ¡°While that is more advanced than it would be had Palotl not used your body as a conduit, it is still weak enough that I was barely able to pick it up. When I say you don¡¯t have to worry about little usages of power pushing along the corruption, I was being serious. It takes a long time. They won¡¯t pick it up as long as you keep the mark hidden. Or tell everyone that it¡¯s a tattoo.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m underage. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d believe me.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come up with a better excuse. Now, while it has been mildly disappointing talking to you, we will be meeting again in the future. Enjoy your camp.¡± He then gave her a dismissive wave and walked down the road that led from the car park to the main road. Keira sighed and opened her phone to see multiple worried texts from Naima. There were a few issues in terms of opportunities for properly executing this plan. There was a permanent buddy system rule in place when they were on camp, and Keira didn¡¯t think she could get away with sneaking out every night to do her searching while going around the camp with Naima. Scratch that, she didn¡¯t even know where she should be looking. Would it be best to just treat it like a vacation until something came up? But what if she ran out of time?

    These were the sorts of thoughts plaguing her mind as she walked back to the shared dorm and gave some half hearted explanation to Naima on how she was feeling better. One thing remained certain in Keira¡¯s mind however, Naima couldn¡¯t know.

 Chapter 34

    Keira had been given much to stew over on the drive to the campsite. While they had been making the cross country trip in bursts, the final stretch still took a long time. Meaning that Keira was finding herself spending the better half of a day watching flat fields slowly fade into a lush forest, and eventually a mountainous region. Then they got to their destination, and she realised with mild horror that she had not accounted for the queue to get onto the site in the first place. As this was an international event there were quite a few people there, and although there were multiple roads leading onto the site and staggered arrival times for different countries, it could only ease the congestion so much. Keira spent most of the time in the queue looking at the map that was provided to them and trying to ignore some of the other members of the unit doing the worm down the bus.

    As the site was incredibly large it had to be split into six different sections, with five technical residential sections and one main one where a large portion of the activities were held. The five residential sections were colour coded which made telling where she was significantly easier, with the rows of tents being a specific colour and a tower with the section number situated in the middle. One of the sites was just for staff, which was useful to know. With the main section being the only place that wasn¡¯t colour coordinated making it easy to tell apart, even if there wasn¡¯t a lake in the middle of the site. Eventually they did get moving again, meaning that people had to get back into their seats, and as they got closer to their specific section the road got less and less congested.

    While Keira could have stared out the window and watched the scenery pass, she would have time for that later. Instead she checked the forecast to help determine what she was going to do that afternoon. Her nose scrunched in distaste when she read that there was supposed to be rain later, which was not only awkward as it meant that she would have to find an indoor activity, but also because they had to set up their tents once they got to the campsite. Though looking at the downright pleasant weather, they still had time. Keira snorted to herself. It seemed like it was the calm before the storm both literally and metaphorically.

    Once they had all gotten a hold of their bags from the storage area of the coach, they began to pitch the tents. Keira was surprised to see that despite the dryness of the ground, it was still moist enough to drive nails into and after they had finished pitching the tents, the leaders called for the group to congregate in the centre.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s getting fairly late we don¡¯t want to do the food shop today as we¡¯ll have to also sort out the plans for meals and do the cooking. Luckily the organisers have set up a group of tents near the middle of the entire thing so attendees can sample different foods from different cultures. These should be open as they have been running since the first arrivals. Does anyone disagree or need help with money?¡± There was a general murmur from the crowd, none of which seemed to be a complaint, which the leader noted. ¡°Alright, put your bags in your tents, make sure your padlock is on and let¡¯s go.¡±

    While they had been given a general direction to where the food tents were, Keira still ended up looking it up on the app provided by the organisers which included a map and any big events. While they had uploaded a less detailed one online, which was the one that she had been using on the ride over, she was able to search specific locations with the app. It looked like it was a good forty-minute walk through bits of forest and around a lake, with another big downside that there was a high percentage chance of rain soon. She ended up going with a waterproof coat that she tied around her waist and walking boots. Her friend Naima on the other hand went with traditional vacation gear including, but not limited to, flip flops.

    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea...?¡± Naima looked up at Keira and smiled.

    ¡°Of course! It¡¯s lovely weather and I want to enjoy this holiday as much as possible.¡±

    ¡°Those aren¡¯t made for walking though, not to mention there¡¯s supposed to be a storm later.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine! Just relax a little!¡± Keira burst out laughing. She couldn¡¯t help it considering the situation that was permanently weighing on her mind. Naima meanwhile looked very confused, but in the end shrugged her off and joined the group that was gathering in their meeting spot again. Once the head count ended, they were off.

    With the sun just setting and the weather not suffocatingly warm, it was a rather nice walk. The entire thing was set up around a massive lake in the centre and the walk down took them down dirt roads that passed multiple different campsites and eventually led into dirt paths that circled the lake. These paths weren¡¯t deserted either, there were plenty of people walking in groups and talking, which coupled with the sun gave the whole place a warm atmosphere. She felt herself slipping into a more relaxed mood, but she still kept an eye out for any strange occurrences. Kheka did say that walking in the woods deep enough might be enough to go to the fey realm, but she also remembered his phrasing around that statement. The way to prevent people from randomly getting lost would be to add protections, according to him, and considering not only the size of the gathering but the fact that it seemed at least the Arian government was aware of the supernatural, there should be some. Which made her job harder.

    Keira found herself spending the last leg of the journey looking at the map on her phone, debating where she should check out first. It had also given a list of events along with the time and place, but she was less interested in those. If her theory was correct then at least some of site staff should be aware of the ley line convergence and were also aware of any protections put into place, so that would probably the best place to start. However that also led to the question on how she could check whether or not the site staff were involved and if they were, how to get information out of them. She couldn¡¯t just go up to random people working and start asking them insane questions about the fey and different planes of existence. That would at least constitute a call home and her parents were already hesitant to let her on this trip. The only other option she could think of was to stalk the staff who she thought could lead her to something, but not only was that extremely creepy, but it would similarly be a massive time investment. Maybe she could get away with sniffing around the designated section where the site staff were staying, though she knew that she wouldn¡¯t blend in. And again, there was the issue that the regular staff would have no idea anything was even happening.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    As the group started coming out of the forested section around the lake, a security guard came up to them to check their passes and that was when it hit Keira. The organisers may have an idea of what was going on, but they are also going to be a lot harder to reach. Those who are working in security however¡­ she might have better luck. Though there was still the issue of how she was going to get the information, and if she did have to resort to following someone now was not the time for it as though there were still a few groups of people milling around, it would be far too easy to notice her. Maybe she should wait for there to be large event happening so it would be easier to blend in¡­ Keira switched the app on her phone over to the itinerary. There were a few things going on that night, such as a rave on one of the camp sites nearby but the top result was highlighted. The result was the opening ceremony on the next day. Keira couldn¡¯t help but smile at that. It would also give her an opportunity to ditch Naima as well since they were going as a group, hence they didn¡¯t have to think about the buddy system.

    By the time they made it to their destination the sun was beginning to set and dark clouds started to lurk in the sky. They had barely managed to make it into the central marquee before the storm came in full force and sheets of rain began pouring down. Keira patted Naima on her back.

    ¡°Good luck on the way back.¡±

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Naima sighed, but she didn¡¯t make any pleas for Keira¡¯s coat. Perhaps because she thought that since she was already in flip flops and shorts there would be no point. Various people in the unit had taken seats in the central marquee and were discussing which food options they would take. Generally speaking there were a few calls for various countries such as Cernian or Cascanoan, but then one voice rose above them all.

    ¡°The Arian one is right next to us. If we lift up the sheets on the side of this marquee and that one then we technically won¡¯t even have to go outside to get our food.¡± A silence fell over the crowd as everyone mulled over the option. Then someone chimed in from the back.

    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± A significant portion of the group cheered in response.

    #####

    ¡°Okay, so what parts of this are we investigating then?¡± Maxwell and Marshall had once again been assigned on a mission together, though this time it was less because of their history and more because of the fact that they were both there when they received the tip from Gastele.

    ¡°They¡¯ve set up certain protections around the perimeter and centre to stop the convergence from interfering too much with the event, or so the files claim. It¡¯s hard to gauge intent without an expert on hand, especially when we don¡¯t know who is involved in the supernatural side of things and who isn¡¯t. I would wager that those towers at the centre of every section are a part of the ritual, but the ones around the perimeter will be harder to spot.¡±

    ¡°Oh, great news.¡± Maxwell muttered sarcastically as he shoved more noodles into his mouth. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll let up poke around them?¡±

    ¡°Of course they will. We¡¯re stationed here on the order of the I.L.E.A. and they have to accommodate us when they are issued a warrant to.¡±

    ¡°Another benefit to moving over to the International Law Enforcement Agency, I guess. Don¡¯t suppose that the same courtesy has been extended over to the Order?¡±

    ¡°Absolutely not. They¡¯re a privately funded organization that is allowed special privileges, but search warrants are not part of them. Those are never given outside the I.L.E.A.¡±

    ¡°Fantastic. At least they¡¯re all special cases and I don¡¯t have to deal with my old co-workers.¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t have to deal with them officially. I think you of all people should know that the Order of Alzumah is going to be investigating this anyway.¡± Maxwell grumbled and continued snacking on the noodles that he had recently bought. All things considered it was once of the cushier missions Marshall had undertaken. While they had undercover agents and others camping outside the perimeter, him and Maxwell had been offered as extra security by the special cases unit due to the unique ley line convergence situation and they had been wholeheartedly accepted. They were even given some very nice accommodation and a certain percentage off at the food tents, which they were currently eating at.

    ¡°Nosy bastards.¡±

    ¡°Again, you should know that more than anyone.¡± Maxwell glared at Marshall and continued to eat the noodles. ¡°You know we would probably have an easier time if you had your girlfriend with us.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s busy with other stuff. You know what they say, evil never sleeps and all that.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­ Well, both the organisers and our bosses want us around for the opening ceremony tomorrow. You know, just in case anything from the fey realm decided to take advantage of the fact that there¡¯s been a huge influx of people. After that we¡¯re pretty much free to do what we want.¡±

    ¡°So I don¡¯t have to do any work?¡± Marshall glared as Maxwell who smirked and finished off his food and then stood up to take a look outside. ¡°Weather¡¯s getting pretty nasty, do you want to stay here for now or sprint back to the accommodation?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to say wait for a little bit and if it¡¯s more than a flash shower then we should head off.¡±

    ¡°Very fair¡­¡± Maxwell trailed off and continued staring outside the tent. ¡°Keira¡¯s here.¡±

    ¡°Possessed girl? What¡¯s she doing here?¡±

    ¡°From the look of things she¡¯s here as a participant¡­¡± Maxwell continued to stare outside the window. ¡°Though she is currently eating a potato wedge sandwich from the Arian food tent.¡±

    ¡°No she¡¯s not.¡± Marshall said with disgust, excusing himself from the table they were just sat at to look at what Keira was doing. ¡°Oh. She is.¡±

    ¡°Try not to sound too disappointed. You would be surprised at how nice it can taste.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that. She could have chosen any culture¡­ any food¡­¡± Marshall trailed off and ended up directing that disgusted look towards Maxwell instead. Then he went to sit back down, tugging Maxwell¡¯s shoulder with him slightly.

    ¡°In any case, we shouldn¡¯t engage. She¡¯s here for a relaxing holiday and to not get bothered by us reminding her of whatever trauma she might have.¡±

    ¡°Would that be okay? She was involved in a case, in which case this might be important for her to hear about.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s cleared of anything supernatural so she shouldn¡¯t interfere with the wards, hence there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about.¡±

    ¡°Then let¡¯s wait here until we¡¯re certain she¡¯s gone then.¡±

 Chapter 35

    The rain wasn¡¯t letting up, and with distant thundering threatening more both Keira and Naima decided that they should cut their losses and head back to camp. Unfortunately many in their group were not of the same mindset and they decided to attend a rave in the opposite direction. Which left both of the girls to walk back alone. And this time there were no crowds. It seemed like everyone were either sensible, like Keira and Naima, and decided to stay huddled in their tents, or they were like the rest of their unit and doing an activity.

    While the sun had still been in the sky when they were walking to the food tents, it had almost completely set when they set off back to their campsite. It produced enough light to see, but coupled with the storm clouds overhead, it cast a grey light over everything. Naima took off her flip flops and embraced the mud sloshing around on the ground, as well as the rain flooding down from the sky. Meanwhile Keira was huddled up in her waterproofs and shivered every time she felt droplets of water run into her coat and down her neck. She was only thankful that despite the awful weather, the wind kept calm and wasn¡¯t trying to tear her hood down.

    ¡°How can you like this?¡± Keira called out as Naima skipped along, occasionally turning back to wait for her to catch up.

    ¡°The rain? It¡¯s quite nice if you stop caring about your cloths getting wet. After the walk over here, a mild shower like this is downright pleasant.¡±

    ¡°So if it was any other situation you would hate it?¡±

    ¡°Not really. I remember this one time, when it was my fifteenth birthday, my parents hired this temporary hot tub for the week and I went in it every night. As it was during the colder months it was pretty cold, and one night it rained. Feeling the freeing rain fall on my face and shoulders while I kept warm was super relaxing. And the sound as well¡­¡± Naima slowed down her pace. ¡°My mother wouldn¡¯t let me stay like that for too long though. She insisted on setting up the little shelter that it came with. Her and Dad decorated it together with fairy lights and even though they used it too, they¡¯d always give me a little free time.¡±

    ¡°¡­You don¡¯t bring up your mother a lot.¡±

    ¡°Why would I? She didn¡¯t want me in the end. She gave Dad custody for most of the time and then ran off to another country with her new boyfriend.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Keira wasn¡¯t sure how to segue out of the suddenly awkward silence. ¡°Your Dad is still here though.¡±

    ¡°He let her. They had a mediator and a settlement. He never fought for her to be more present in my life. He never fights for anything! When I first told him that I wanted to follow Furdanism he was all accepting and shit!¡±

    ¡°How dare he.¡± Keira remarked dryly, which earned her a betrayed look from Naima. Keira shrugged and continued. ¡°Why do you want him to be angry at you? He obviously cares and while your mother may not be in your life anymore, it sounds like it was for the best.¡±

    ¡°Well, no. She¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore. Can we change the subject?¡±

    ¡°Oh- sure. Um¡­¡± Keira felt a little strapped for topics. Honestly she was tempted to recommend they walk in silence and enjoy the sounds of nature as their path slowly got muddier and took them away from the residential campsites and back around the lake. Eventually though, she decided that she was interested in what Naima knew of the area. ¡°What do you know about the history of Junein Forest?¡±

    ¡°It has a lot of history. The most interesting parts are the myths around the forest. Old druids, the first Furdanists, talked about how it was the beating heart of the world and how it housed the most powerful fae. Fae that represented impressively large sections of nature and kept everything in balance, ruling over the minutia in their courts.¡±

    ¡°Arch-fae?¡±

    ¡°Yep! Much like the name and design of most of the major cities in Junein, the Arch-fae ruling in the courts each represent major aspects of nature and there are other unaffiliated ones as well. So, mirroring the cities, we would have the courts of death, water, wind, fire and earth.¡±

    ¡°You mentioned unaffiliated ones as well. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not quite as aware of those as I am with the courts.¡±

    ¡°There are a lot of stories about those, but the most infamous are the boogeymen types. The ones that are supposed to teach children morals, ¡®don¡¯t go out at night¡¯, ¡®don¡¯t be superficial¡¯, ¡®don¡¯t grave rob¡¯.¡±

    ¡°That last one seems a bit-¡°

    ¡°I find those the most interesting, although there are more general ones that are about the changing of the seasons and dreams. Which ones are your favourite?¡± Naima asked, giving Keira verbal whiplash. She let the gentle sounds of rain and distant thunder permeate the atmosphere before offering her reply.

    ¡°Honestly I¡¯ve always had a soft spot for the local legends,¡± Keira began. ¡°We¡¯ve made an effort to remember as very little survived after the Conquest of Unnantus, which was exasperated as we only carved the important information in stone shrines. The local council managed to get enough information from the left over stones to fund the trail around the village, which you might have run into if you¡¯ve explored a lot.¡±

    ¡°Those little wooden statues around the area you went missing? I¡¯m pretty sure everyone is aware of them, even if they weren¡¯t before.¡± Keira shot Naima a look, and she decided to move the conversation along. ¡°What is the local legend?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a guardian spirit that lived around the village and protected the inhabitants from external threats. Specifically she was referenced to be a mother and extend larger amounts of her power to protect children and young adults, though her love extended to all villagers. It was also implied that she worked together with the guardian spirits of the surrounding settlements which is why some of the carvings are of women dancing in a circle together.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever done that when meeting with friends.¡± Naima mused, and a chorus of giggles sounded off to the side. They both stopped and looked in the direction of the noises, with Keira pulling out and turning on her phone light. The leaves looked grey under the faint light and cast shadows onto the trees behind them that looked far larger than she remembered. There was no one there.

    ¡°Must¡¯ve been a prank.¡± Keira mumbled. Though that was mainly for Naima¡¯s benefit than hers. She remembered Kheka¡¯s and Gastele¡¯s words well. The fact that they were supposed to be the only people around had not escaped her. Naima however seemed to accept the explanation and continued with her thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯d imagine confirming the existence of other guardian spirits would be easy if they also had shrines dedicated to them.¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Our village was the only one that survived the Conquest.¡± Keira muttered, turning off the phone torch light, but not putting it away. ¡°Or at least our ancestors were the only ones that survived. We could probably dig up a few relics if we knew where to look for them, but that would include going through multiple acres of forest to even find the remains. Anyway, enough about my favourite stories, what about yours?¡±

    ¡°Hands down my favourite stories are the ones about the Court of Death. I like how ancient they seem as Morsemt sacrificed himself to house the souls of the dead when the first human died, so any stories involving him are old and few. The few that do exist though, are really fun. There was one that stuck in my mind where the Lady of Fire lost some flowers, and after asking all of the others she became convinced that the Lord of Death took them. However, she couldn¡¯t find the court as no one goes there and it¡¯s supposed to be hidden. She wanders the lands and sacrifices more and more in order to trespass on different territories until Morsemt finally hears her motive and approaches her.¡±

    ¡°Is this where it comes out that she made assumptions, and the moral of the story is that looks can be deceiving?¡±

    ¡°No. He absolutely took her flowers. The actual moral is that things are only beautiful because they are fragile and that death comes for us all eventually. We should treasure what we currently have more.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Keira said, as she was a little unsure on how to follow on from that. Instead she decided to ask the question most prevalent on her mind, and the one that was most important. ¡°I¡¯m guessing the fact that no one knows where to find the Court of Death is a universal fact.¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. Or at least there aren¡¯t any stories that detail the journey there. After Morsemt left there weren¡¯t any fae left to occupy it, and it¡¯s separate from the realm of the dead so there aren¡¯t any reasons to go there. The only stories that are associated with the Court after Morsemt¡¯s passing are those to do with the Chamberlain of Stone, as their courts are closely associated with each other in the stories. Even then there aren¡¯t a lot as the Chamberlain only gets involved with the squabbles of the other courts when they have to step in to mediate.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that the two are closely associated with each other before.¡± Keira mused, shivering as another droplet of rain snuck through her hood. ¡°It does make sense though, as the Court of Stone is centred around stability. You can¡¯t really enter a more stable state than death. Not to mention the fact that stone isn¡¯t important in the cycle of life.¡±

    ¡°Earth is, but generally yes. That¡¯s not what the Court is known for.¡± Silence settled between them again, with the only sound being the white noise from the rain. Naima carried on after the pause. ¡°Why are you asking me these questions anyway. It kind of sounds like you¡¯re actively seeking out death.¡± Keira figured that she shouldn¡¯t answer honestly. Instead she let out a nervous laugh and wiggled her hand in the air to signify a ¡®kind of¡¯. Naima laughed and started walking ahead. ¡°Good to know this now, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I didn¡¯t give you a heads up.¡± Keira sped up to overtake Naima, not quite running but she was getting there. Naima started speeding up as well, taking the challenge for what it was, but then a flash of lighting stopped her. Keira slowed down and looked behind herself to see what Naima was staring at, but there was no one there.

    She didn¡¯t write anything off though. While she may have lost Palotl¡¯s watchful eye pointing out any supernatural dangers, she had faced them enough times to know the wrongness that usually permeated the area. Abruptly Keira recalled the distant giggles and the skin on the back of her neck prickled. The damp that had soaked through her coat suddenly felt a lot colder, and the trees that towered over them seemed a lot more claustrophobic. Their leaves looking like black clouds on the already dark sky, with the only light being from the moon that still managed to shine some light through the storm. Keira looked back at Naima to spur her into action once again, but then the lighting flashed once again and she knew what Naima had seen.

    On the ground, in the split second it took for the lighting to strike some tree or one of the towers, was a silhouette. There wasn¡¯t much she could discern, having her back to the subject and all, but she could see that it looked like a humanoid with a hat. The trees and bushes around them started to rustle constantly and voices drifted towards them from the woods. Keira met Naima¡¯s gaze, and she could tell that she was scared. Keira was too, but she kept that bottled as best she could. Quietly she spoke.

    ¡°Naima. Look at me, and keep looking. I¡¯m going to start walking backwards, and I need you to keep your eyes on me, okay?¡± Naima nodded. ¡°Good.¡± Keira started to inch backwards and used that bottled fear to reach for that sensation she felt during the ritual in Oceanview. While she had no idea what she was doing with the gift, Keira hoped that her fear would be a suitable driver for whatever power was there. That it would read her emotions and realise that she wanted to be somewhere safer, and not level that section of the forest if it were possible.

    Eventually the whispers died down and the voices sounded human again. Light shone in from the various campsites that lines the path, which had gone from a muddy sludge to slightly gravelly sludge. Keira turned around again and relaxed at the warm light coming from fairly lights and electric lanterns dangling from the rows of tents and marquees that they passed on the way there. She led the rest of the way back, and at some point Naima caught up to her and began walking at her side. Keira could sense her confusion, and admittedly she could get away with giving a reasonable explanation for it. Some Pioneers who wanted to play a nasty trick, or a strangely shaped stone. The more she thought about it however, the more she knew that something like that wouldn¡¯t work.

    If she came clean about the nature of everything now not only would it be good for their relationship going forward, but it would also be good for the investigation. They could align stories and while Keira could spend all of her free time in the fae realm and finding Morsemt¡¯s Lotus, Naima can enjoy her time on the holiday without being beholden to what anyone else wanted to do. Keira smiled to herself, but then the expression dropped when she thought how best to explain the situation. She should probably wait until they got back to the tent. While anyone could still overhear them, if they kept quiet enough they wouldn¡¯t be able to hear any specifics. And it would get them out of the blasted rain.

    As they drew closer to their marquee though, Keira found herself surprised at seeing a group of people back before them. There was one of the leaders looking at someone¡¯s head with two others standing around and looking halfway between giggling and being concerned. Even the leader was biting back a smile. They looked up in confusion when they saw Keira and Naima approaching.

    ¡°Did you do something else on your way here?¡±

    ¡°No? I though you guys were heading to the rave.¡±

    ¡°We did and then-¡± The guy she was talking to burst into a fit of snorts, leaving his friend to pick up the slack.

    ¡°This idiot got himself concussed by a fish.¡± Keira blinked at them and then looked at the one who was pouting as his head was being inspected by a leader.

    ¡°¡­How?¡±

    ¡°We didn¡¯t stick around long due to the whole injury thing, but one of the Junein units were stood in the corner of the place with a wheelbarrow filled with freshly caught fish, the big kind too. They were just throwing it into the crowd. One unfortunate placement of our friend here was all it took for it to turn into a bit of a disaster.¡±

    ¡°Okay, but how did they get the fish? And a wheelbarrow full at that. I thought there was a fishing ban on the lake.¡±

    ¡°There is. If you want to ask them yourself I think it was unit eighty¡­ eight? Something close to that anyway.¡±

    ¡°I might¡­¡± Keira muttered, and then found herself under the scrutiny of the leader who appeared to have finished with her patient.

    ¡°Are you sure you came straight back?¡± Keira wasn¡¯t sure why, she had known the woman for close to a year at that point, but she felt as if she was under intense pressure.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± Keira lied, ¡°I just said we didn¡¯t do anything. We got a little turned around in the woods, but we found our way back in the end.¡± The woman nodded her head and began packing away the first aid supplies. When Keira turned around to check on Naima, she found herself under a calculating gaze.

    Then Naima brushed past her and walked towards their shared tent without saying a word. When Keira went to talk to her, she found Naima rummaging through her bags with fervour before walking past Keira again without saying a word. She supposed the conversation could wait until the morning.

 Chapter 36

    The Order of Alzumah had been getting on his nerves recently. It was not because of his current predicament, being relegated to the passenger side of the car by his current partner, Lena. But more the missions they had been assigned. Though he did not appreciate that he wasn¡¯t allowed to drive. Apparently she had been a bit hesitant to let him drive after a previous mission had left them stuck in a ditch. Maxwell had argued that it hadn''t been his fault, but it didn¡¯t matter in the end. Fortunately they were both in the risky line of work, and the road they were currently driving along had a decently steep slope down one side, and a rocky cliff up the other. So, he was just waiting for his moment to take back the wheel. And when he did, he would do something more exciting than sitting behind a relic convey moving from some historical site in New Teotlan as part of a convoy with a large truck and another car at the front. He knew that Mictepeh had a lot of history and cultural influence on the region, but he couldn¡¯t really bring himself to care when they had to guard relics at a time so late at night that it could be classed as early morning.

    When in long cross continent car drives in the past, he would stare out of the window to admire the landscape, but thanks to the timing of the trip it was only becoming an option now. Unfortunately the side of the road that wasn¡¯t a rocky cliff, was equally as barren. Aside from the occasional interesting rock formation and yellow tuft of grass, it was as dead as a desert. So in order to pass the time, he decided to annoy Lena.

    ¡°So, if you-¡°

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even finish what I was saying!¡± A beat passed.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I knew what you were going to ask. You¡¯ve asked me five different variations of the same question in the past half an hour. If you¡¯re really that bored, play something on your phone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m conserving charge in case Louis spots something, or if something catastrophic happens back at the Order headquarters.¡±

    ¡°Oddly sensible of you. Are you sure there¡¯s no other reason?¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I do get travel sick.¡±

    ¡°There we go.¡± Lena muttered under her breath. Maxwell couldn¡¯t help but smirk at that. It wasn¡¯t much of a song and dance, but it was theirs and it passed the time quite nicely. He did decide against staying silent though.

    ¡°Seriously though. If you weren¡¯t with the Order, where would you work? I accept wrong answers too!¡±

    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but the only answer you would accept as wrong would be the International Law Enforcement Agency, no? You did enough complaining about their ¡®stupid¡¯ rules when we were trying to get permission to be here, especially when they insisted on one of their own joining us.¡±

    ¡°I was quite right in complaining about that. Besides, I would accept joining the Followers of Xanthopan as wrong too. Though we would end up in a very cushy job and a much bigger backing¡­ now that I think about it, it might be pretty nice.¡±

    ¡°Maxwell Will Weil. Ignoring the fact that that we would get killed before even approaching them? Yeah, we might get a nice deal. I¡¯d go for the Scholars though. Being a part of the neutral party might kill me on the inside, but they have access to some juicy secrets and cool rituals. Some that even the Keeper might not be privy to.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve seen some of the Scholar¡¯s rituals? How¡¯d that happen?¡±

    ¡°I am not allowed to say. But you haven¡¯t answered your own question.¡±

    ¡°Personally, I¡¯d probably go for one of the smaller ones. Smaller jurisdiction, less danger all around and I don¡¯t have to travel cross country, just to go back across that country at night.¡±

    ¡°Good reasons, though there are two issues with that. You would no longer have the Order¡¯s protection when the Followers turn up to finish the job, and you would no longer have access to the armoury.¡± Lena jerked her chin over her shoulder, gesturing to the large number of guns he had piled on the backseat. ¡°And I do know how you love your explosions.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I do. You know me so well babe.¡± Lena muttered something under her breath, but it wasn¡¯t loud enough for Maxwell to hear and respond to. He might have gone for a different angle, but then his phone rang, cutting off any thought to do that. He checked the caller name and became concerned when he discovered that it was Louis calling him. He immediately picked up.

    ¡°You have incoming from the front. One vehicle, six-wheeler, armour plated and accelerating. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the glass was bullet proof. Looks military and very big. You¡¯ve got about two minutes before you make contact.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡± Louis hung up and Maxwell pulled out his handgun from its holster and started to check that it was in working order. ¡°We have some visitors. Get to the front of the convoy.¡± Lena nodded and started to accelerate.

    Maxwell meanwhile undid his seatbelt and kicked the chair back to give him access to the stockpile of weapons behind him. They knew that the Followers of Xanthopan were going to jump the convoy eventually. Objects like these gave off a distinct aura that could be tracked by anything supernatural, and while usually this included things like old family heirlooms whose blessings had been running on fumes for centuries, or curses that had been unintentionally cast with dying breaths, sometimes there was a special case. When the hallway in Mictepeh has been opened it had been a treasure trove.

    After sifting through the items in the room it had been determined that they had unearthed a small section of the underground catacombs that was older than the rest of the ruins, and even had a door to the caves running underneath Mictepeh. However, discovering the hallway had opened a seal on a powerful object. One that felt very similar to others that the Followers of Xanthopan had been trying to gather over the years. So, when the clock started ticking it was fortunate that the Order of Alzumah had been close by to lend a hand and to keep them from achieving whatever goals they had with what was found. As the Followers had more funding and power though, they did not expect the convoy to make it to its destination unscathed.

    Which was why Maxwell may have come overprepared. They had given him free reign in the armoury and he had taken full advantage of that. There were quite a few options that he had, but considering what they were dealing with he decided to go straight for the thing that had taken the most bargaining. Draped across all of the seats in the back laid a rocket launcher. He had stored the ammo in the footwell behind the driver¡¯s side, which was not something Lena was happy about, but she had agreed that it was the most sensible place. While Maxwell was preparing the launcher, Lena had finished driving up to the front of the convoy. Then he started winding down the window.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Soon he heard the vehicle approaching, the roar of its engine sounding more beast than machine, and once it came into view, he understood why. Height wise it was almost as large as the truck carrying the relics, and it was certainly wider. At the front of it sat a battering ram, and above that was a windshield through which he could barely see the driver and his manic grin as it accelerated towards them. Maxwell manoeuvred himself out the window with the launcher and fired it directly at the thing.

    An explosion completely covered the front, but it didn¡¯t matter. The vehicle powered through it and Lena swerved to avoid a head on collision, instead being clipped on the side causing their car to spin out to the side. The other car in the convey was less lucky however, with the force of the collision knocking it off of the road and down the slope that was off to one side. Maxwell got dislodged from his position leaning out of the window and thrown to the road. He took it with a roll and landed in a firing position on his knee, drawing his handgun smoothly to unload a few rounds in the rear of the vehicle. As expected it did nothing and he watched on as it went for the truck with the relics. The drivers of said truck also swerved to avoid a head on collision, but unfortunately their vehicle was longer and more unwieldy than theirs. The man scraped the drivers cabin but hit the cargo hold in such a way that it sheared through diagonally. Pot shards and dust flew everywhere as the tail end of the truck burst apart. Behind him he heard Lena get out of the car and throw a high calibre rifle at his feet, holding a similar model in her hands.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything armour piercing, but these should be enough to take out the wheels. I¡¯ll go for the ones on the right, you go for the ones on the left.¡± Maxwell nodded and holstered his handgun, picking up the rifle and aiming it at the vehicle as it finished turning around and started another run up for the group. The two drivers of the truck had managed to make it out of the cabin and started running to get off of the road.

    Heavy gunshots filled the air as they unloaded onto the front two wheels, managing to bust them both before they had to roll out of the way of the second drive by. It barely missed them and drifted to turn around again, giving the two of them a wider range of wheels to shoot at. Only Lena kept on targeting the wheel though. Maxwell had dumped his rifle at Lena¡¯s feet and made for their car, opening one of the back doors and started gathering every explosive he could find. Including the box of remaining RPG ammo.

    He heard the engine of the vehicle starting up again so picked up the box and started to fiddle with the ammo inside.

    ¡°Get to the truck and get the mirror. You probably don¡¯t want to be around for this.¡± Lena nodded at him and then started sprinting towards the remains of the relic truck, with all of its bits of pottery and wooden shards scattered across the road. Maxwell, meanwhile, stood at an angle and stared down the driver, handgun once again out of its holster. He distantly noticed that one of the wheels had completely come off during the drift. Then, like a bull, it charged forwards.

    Maxwell waited for it to come closer. Watching it get faster and faster until he could see the driver¡¯s face in full. Then he dived out of the way, throwing the box of explosives beneath the vehicle, aiming for one of the wheels, and rolling off of the road and down the slope as much as he could. He cried out in pain as the fire licked across his back and sent him flying even faster down the slope, it appeared that he hadn¡¯t managed to completely escape the blast.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to come to a stop at the bottom of the slope, but it felt like an age when it felt like his back was still feeling like it had been ripped open. In fact, he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it had. He reached for his bell. The little silver thing that all agents on the Order carried around with them, something they were all trained to use. He rung it twice, feeling a soothing feeling run over his back. Unfortunately, Alzumah and her compatriots couldn¡¯t do miracles and heal his back completely, but numbing the pain and stemming the blood flow was possible.

    He stood up and noticed with no small amount of dread that the military vehicle was not only still intact but trying to start up again. Lena appeared in his peripheral vision and was walking towards the thing, holding a large white object that had small black scribbles on it. She threw it down to him without stopping her determined stride. Maxwell caught it, able to see the runes sewn onto the white fabric that was wrapped around the circular object. It wasn¡¯t big, it was no larger than his torso, but it was a bit heavier than he had expected.

    ¡°Run away, Maxwell. Get some distance and wait for Louis to pick you up.¡±

    ¡°There is no way that that thing can¡¯t offroad. Forget it. I¡¯m staying here and helping you.¡±

    ¡°I can deal with this by myself!¡± Her exasperated cry didn¡¯t stop Maxwell from climbing up the slope he had just rolled down. He pointedly ignored the trail of blood that painted the hill and rushed to where Lena was. On his way up he gladly noticed that the military vehicle had sustained some damage in the explosion. Losing it another tire and deforming one of its sides. However the road had taken the brunt of the hit, leaving a large crater that the thing had gotten stuck in. Further stranding it more than whatever internal damage it had.

    Lena was rummaging through the boot of their car, where they kept the spare tire, tool kit and excess explosives that Maxwell couldn¡¯t safely fit on the back chairs. Lena made a sound of victory and pulled out the power drill the kept there. She then climbed onto the front of the military vehicle that was still trying to start and started to drill the windshield.

    Maxwell could see the man driving becoming more and more panicked. He had lost his handgun in the explosion, but fortunately he was standing next to a massive weapon stockpile. After picking up a couple of hand grenades, he went around to the back seat and pulled out one of the submachine guns. The he pointed it at the driver side door and waited for Lena to finish what she needed to do. For a while there were only the sounds of the vehicle trying to start and Lena drilling through the windshield, both competing for dominance. Until one found victory.

    The driver grinned victoriously as the monstrosity finally started up again and it started to drive out of the pit. Only to stop part way. The wheel that had lost its tire screeched as it sawed against the edge of the hole it had found itself in, sparks flying everywhere. He could tell that Lena was trying to keep calm as she got started on a third hole in a triangle shape, this time not going the entire way through before moving onto the next one. The vehicle lurched forward and Lena was almost thrown off, but then it rolled back into the hole. She had decided that the lurch was enough warning however and jumped off calling out to Maxwell.

    ¡°Blow that shit up and give me your gun.¡± He gave a small nod and gave her the gun as he passed her on his way to the machine. Then he pulled the pin on the grenade in his hand and then he put it on the hood of the vehicle. As soon as he knew it wasn¡¯t going to roll off, he sprinted down the road towards his partner while Lena took on a firing stance, aiming the submachine gun at the windscreen. Maxwell could see the man scrambling out of the drivers seat to take shelter further in the back.

    Then the grenade blew up and Lena started firing blindly into the smoke. Meanwhile he started making his way back to their car to get another grenade out of the boot. And once he had it, once Lena had run out of ammo and once the dark cloud had cleared, he threw it in the hole. The subsequent explosion destroyed any glass that had been clinging to the edge of the windshield, blowing it outwards in a rain of shards that were as wide as they were thick. Lena dropped the submachine gun and pulled out her handgun, hopping back onto the hood of the vehicle to look inside. She scrunched her nose in distaste.

    ¡°Target down.¡± Maxwell sighed in relief and sent a text out to Louis to give an update on the situation, though he doubted the man needed it.

    ¡°What is that car?¡±

    ¡°It looks like a new version of the Raider. Only slightly illegal for civilians to own and very expensive.¡±

    ¡°So the Followers sent it then?¡±

    ¡°Most likely, but deny it if you¡¯re ever asked about it. The last thing we want is to be even further in their crosshairs.¡± Maxwell sighed and ran a hand though his hair. Then he got a message on his phone form Louis.

    Headquarters want you to take the mirror the rest of the way. Someone will arrive shortly to clean up the mess. Wait where you are, I¡¯ll pick you up.

    ¡°On the plus side, it seems like we¡¯re not stranded here. Go through the car and collect what you can.¡± He muttered. Lena nodded with a sigh and started to collect the discarded guns from the road while Maxwell walked to where he left the mirror. He only hoped that Louis would arrive sooner rather than later.