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We walk a few more steps and reach the edge of the meadow.Utterly captivated, I bend down and touch the petals of one of the flowers, which look like glass. The entire flower is made of this pale blue crystal that emits a soft bluish light. Some of the plants are small and delicate, while others are tall and lush with numerous healthy flowers.
“Those are Odylia,” Noah explains. “Every Noctu is linked to one of them. The more dying breaths we gather, the larger and more vibrant the flowers.”
“They look really impressive,” I admit, although the idea of what feeds them makes me a little uneasy.
“They’re also a monitoring device to see if everyone is doing their job,” Noah admits in a cooler tone. He turns away. “Let’s keep moving.”
A path runs between the flowers, leading directly to the shrine, which is made of roughly hewn stone. The arched windows have all been walled in. A small tower rises from the center of the roof, and I can make out a tiny square window in it. There’s an entrance on one side only – a large wooden door, which is open.
As soon as we enter the chapel, I see the shrine standing against the opposite wall on a stone pedestal. It appears to be made of pure gold and looks like a small, ornate cupboard. There are various symbols and depictions on it. Its two doors are open, providing a glimpse inside, and there I see a silver urn, which looks unremarkable at first glance.
I take a deep breath and follow Noah to the shrine. So, I’m about to find out the truth. I carefully take out the ring, remove it from my chain, and look inquiringly at Noah. “What do I do now?”
But he doesn’t need to say anything. Silver smoke rises from the urn, groping its way through the air like thin fingers, and winds around my ring. I get goosebumps all over as I watch the smoke pour into the black stone. And suddenly, something changes at its center. A golden light emerges and begins to take shape. Iquickly realize what’s happening, and for a moment I watch with bated breath. They’re letters. Even before they’re fully formed, I can make out the name. Seconds later, there’s no longer any doubt. The nameFrida Mitchellis clearly visible in glowing golden letters in the stone. I feel a knot in the pit of my stomach.
“I’m really sorry,” says Noah. He puts a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. “I was hoping we might see something else.”
“Hmm, if only you’d followed your aunt’s example and chosen the right side,” says Frances.
I glare at her furiously and hiss, “I’ll never be like my great aunt. She killed innocent people.” I look at the ring and say quietly, “I hate to think about how many lives she took.”
“Now that we know she was a Noctu, I can try to find out more about her,” Noah suggests. “I could ask around. Maybe someone remembers her.”
But I shake my head. “No, it’s okay. I already know enough.”
And none of that knowledge helped me in any way or did me any good. It only ever caused me pain and disappointment. I recall Kate’s vision, the dark smoke swirling around my aunt. I thought she was being pursued by a Noctu. But in reality, they had no intention of harming her. Frida knew they were nearby; they were confidants, allies. My great aunt was a traitor and a murderer. I look at the ring again and then hold it a little farther away from the urn. I’ve seen enough. I just want to get back to my world and try to process all of this somehow. I know I’m not responsible for my great aunt’s actions, but discovering the truth sure isn’t easy.
Another thought pops into my head: What happens if the Tempes learn that my great aunt was a Noctu? Would that reflect badly on me? Should I report my findings to Mr. Collins and show him Frida’s room? I don’t know. It’s hard to believe that my great aunt, with whom I felt a special kind of connection, could have done such monstrous things.
“I just want to go home,” I say, turning to leave. As soon as I raise my head and look in the direction of the door, I see a dark, imposing figure. Its face is disfigured, its teeth sharp and deadly. But the worst are its lifeless eyes. A low growl vibrates in the creature’s throat, and it stretches out its scrawny arms, looking from one of us to the other, as if trying to decide who to lunge at first.
“Damn it, what is this?” Noah hisses at the creature. “What are you doing here?! Get out of here, now, or you’ll regret it.”
The creature doesn’t seem fazed by the warning. It keeps growling and looks at me. It knows I’m a Tempes! Noah seems to realize this too.
“Go! Run!” he calls to me as he charges at the monster. Rain joins him and bites into the creature’s right leg, holding it in check for a moment. Meanwhile, Noah merges with Rain, and a little dark smoke begins to swirl around him. The wolf’s eyes glow; and frenetic black flames curl around him.
“Frances, get Teresa out of here,” Noah commands, throwing a black fireball at the creature. Noticing Frances’ hesitation, he repeats with more urgency, “Go! Hurry!”
She stiffens and then grabs my arm, swiftly pulling me past the fallen creature that Noah continues to hold in check. We reach the chapel door and run as fast as possible back along the path through the flowers. I keep glancing back, looking for Noah – but I can’t see him.
“Just focus on moving faster, and then I can go back and help him,” Frances hisses at me.
I’m sure that a single one of those creatures is no challenge for Noah, but I’m still worried about him.
“We need to get a little farther from the temple. Then I can summon a door,” she pants. “I knew this was a mistake. If anyone finds out, we’re screwed. But you just had to come and see with your own eyes that your great aunt was one of us. As ifyou couldn’t trust Noah.”
“I had to see it for myself to fully grasp it,” I retort. I can’t explain it any better than that, but Frances is clearly not satisfied with this justification.
“Did you figure your people were all saints? They kill us, hunt us, and help themselves to the key spirits that live in the Odyss. But they’re not prepared to get their hands dirty maintaining the place. They point the finger at us Noctu because we collect people’s dying breaths. Learn to live with it! Your aunt did horrible things. So what? That’s life.”
I can already see the place where we first arrived, and I’m glad we’ve made it. But Frances’ words make me angry. “That’s bullshit! There’s always a choice. What Frida did was just plain wrong.”
“Oh, is that so? There’s always a choice?” She glances sideways at me, still running. “You just make it so damn easy for yourself. I don’t understand what Noah sees in you. Your great aunt may have made some bad decisions, but at least she chose her own path. You’re the type who’s totally dependent on other people, which you demonstrated just now. You expect them to protect you and let them risk their own lives. And for what? So you know what your great aunt did however many years ago?! Noah has to fight one of the fallen for that? He might be forced to kill it. Stay out of our lives! You don’t understand the Noctu; you don’t understand Noah, and you’re no good for him!”
Her words, so full of hate, shock me, and I stop abruptly. Is she right? Do I not understand Noah? Have I asked too much of him? Can Frida’s behavior be justified somehow?
Frances summons a door. “Go, get out of here, and if you care about Noah, then think long and hard about what you do in the future.”
