Page 58 of Witch’s Ruin

“What is this place?” Mina repeated, voice wavering. He couldn’t answer—couldn’t find the words. She spun towards the farthest wall, opposite the entry, then gravitated towards it. This was the only wall void of art, save for the elegant archway painted into the stone. It had scrolling letters along the arch, words, a poem. Except—

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Mina reached out.

He darted forward, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “Don’t—touch it, Lady Witch,” he hissed, eying the arch. It looked so very like a doorway, were it not made of solid stone. He blinked, then frowned. The stone flickered and his stomach soured.

There were streaks across the center, some of them aged, others fresh, all the color of—

“Blood!” Mina gasped, stepping closer, but keeping her hands to herself. His palm itched. He reached for it, rubbing his thumb across the childhood scar, unconsciously. “Why is there blood smeared on it?”

Chills skittered down his arms, setting the hairs on end. “We should leave,” he bit out. He didn’t know why, except that he wanted to be far, far away from here. Something in his memory flashed, but it slipped away before he could grab it. A…familiarity.

“Look,” Mina said. “Sometimes it flickers, like the stone is turning to liquid. It’s…it’s calling to me, Rix. It wants me.”

“Mina, we need to leave,” he said again, more forcefully. “Now.” He grabbed her hand. She hesitated, brow furrowed. Then she rubbed at her chest, eyes going unfocused, allowing him to lead her out of the room.

He practically dragged her, desperate to put distance between them. With each step, a weight was lifted. He took a deep inhale. Mina appeared to relax, too. Her glazed, blackened eyes sharpened, returning to normal. They didn’t speak. Not when they retreated through the ancient stacks, not when they made their way through the passages, not even as they emerged back into the dirt tunnels under the city.

Their desire to find a secret way into the palace was all but forgotten. Trumped by this new, frightening thing they’d found. And yet, neither of them spoke a single word.

Chapter 19

Mina

Some things are too frightening to be voiced. We didn’t speak of the strange room we’d found under the palace. Not after dawn broke across the sky, and we were permitted entry to the palace. Not when we bathed and tumbled into bed, exhausted. Not even as Rixon prepared for another odious council meeting later that morning, announced when his father’s assistant banged on our door to wake him.

We didn’t speak of it at lunch, nor that afternoon, when we visited the library so Rixon might collect more reading material, nor when we took Jarrow and Ferrah out for a ride beyond the city walls. We certainly didn’t speak of it when we visited Cora.

No, we didn’t speak of it at all.

But that didn’t mean it wasn’t thought of. It had been on my mind, consuming me since the moment I’d felt it, since the moment I stepped foot into that awful room. The oppressive weight I’d felt since entering the city, was finally unearthed. It reminded me of a rift, and yet, not quite.

Each time I opened my mouth to voice my suspicions, I closed it almost immediately. Rixon had been distant. The sight had scared him more than he cared to admit. I allowed him this kindness, so that he might come to terms with his fear.

But it was more than that.

In hiding from what we’d found, I could also hide from what I’d felt. The pull to walk right through the arch had been undeniable, even if it had looked like nothing more than a wall. The idea was absurd—that I might walk right through.

When I finally suggested that we venture back down there, Rixon flat out refused. I would have forced the matter, except for the expression on his face. The same expression he wore the day we’d come across a horde of demons during our travels. The way he’d looked at me in those final moments before battle—I’d hoped to never see it again.

So we didn’t venture down into the tunnels. When another day came and passed, we avoided it again. Soon, an entire handful of days came and went, and I was no closer to solving the mystery.

That’s not to say I languished.

I spent hours in the library, looking for anything that might help me understand what I’d seen. I spent countless hours wandering the palace, deep in my mind, thinking about the murals. But, it was the archway, the words branded into my mind, that I couldn’t forget.

I had recognized them, heard them before. So at last, when we’d been here for a little over a week, I ventured to the one place I might get answers. I took my sketch book and got comfortable, sitting on the parapet, overlooking the city below. I had already recreated several murals, crudely, from memory. I’d also drawn the arch, but I couldn’t quite remember all the words, so I left that empty. As I sketched, I waited.

And then…I heard it. The flutter of wings, a flash in my peripheral. I stayed still as its dark chuckle sounded in my mind. I kept my book open, the pages splayed and visible. The presence grew closer, until I felt it like a threatening cloud at my back.

“So…you have seen Uzzamon. The gateway into our world.”

Chills spread over my skin, even in the daylight. I didn’t dare move, didn’t dare scare it off.

“I have seen it,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind. I struggled to grasp them.

“Hmm…”

“What…what is it?”