Out of excitement, Tristan jumped inside of his grandfather’s house and ran back down to the basement to flip through that ancient manuscript.
Chapter 5
Several days later, Karena drove to City Hall for her meeting with the Council. Though it was Sunday, the Council still held meetings on the weekends. She had had the meeting on her calendar for a while now, and it seemed stupid at best that she needed to go when all she wanted to do was research hex locks. The Ancient Library was probably one of the only in the Sundarin Nation that would have information pertaining to them, but she needed permission to enter it.
The austere, stone buildings and rock gardens of the Fire district seemed to pass from her sight because her mind was elsewhere. She was thinking about the time that she had spent with Asher, and how the hours had felt like minutes. And now, she had to return to her own life. She wouldn’t be able to sneak away again to visit him until the next weekend, and it wouldn’t be just for a couple hours or even a night, it would be for the entire weekend. She was excited about that.
After parking, she trudged up the front steps of City Hall and walked into its grand foyer. It was a big bother to be there because her request to visit the Ancient Library should’ve been granted without question. Her mood soured.
At the main information desk, Karena showed the receptionist the letter that she had received in the mail. The receptionist looked at the date and time, glanced at the clock on the wall, and handed her a silver ribbon. Upon touching the silver ribbon, the wall behind the receptionist’s desk vanished, and a double staircase was revealed.
This wasn’t her first time seeing the Council, but nevertheless, it still unnerved her how the second level was off limits to the public. It was as though they were operating behind closed doors, as though they were separate from everyone else. In society, managers and bosses were seen at almost the same level as regular employees. Little distinction was made in ranking.
Karena walked past the desk and began her ascent up the stairs. Halfway to the second level, she turned to look back. Like sunlight filtering through water, the lower level glimmered because of the spell in place that kept that wall there. Runes to fuel the spell were etched into the surrounding walls, floor, and ceiling. Their glowing language were reminders that only a select few could cross through their imposed barrier. Karena shook her head, not liking them, and resumed her journey.
At the top of the staircase, she paused. The hallway that stretched left and right was deserted. She went left. The silence unnerved her. Even her feet didn’t make any noise as they padded on the maroon carpet. Beautifully carved, wood paneling accented the walls. Expensive vases stood on pedestals. Shields, crossed swords, and pieces of armor hung on the walls. She came to the Council’s door and stood there. Her eyes wandered to the fortified double doors a stone’s throw away. Behind those double doors, beyond the short corridor that ensued, and through the gold-framed, glass doors at the end of that corridor, the Ancient Library lay like a hidden treasure in City Hall. She hadn’t ever had a problem before with getting permission.
She knocked on one of the doors before her, and waited. After what seemed like forever, the doors opened, and she stepped in. It was dim like a cave inside. Thick curtains covered the windows. Decorative lamps hung from hooks on the walls, but they didn’t yield enough light to banish the shadows in there. The Council sat behind a curved desk. Two of them smiled warmly at her, while the other three stared and not a speck of warmth was conveyed.
“Good evening, Karena Oceania,” their voices said in unison.
They introduced themselves, but she already knew who they all were.
From where he sat in the center, Mark said, “You requested to visit the Ancient Library about hex locks.”
“Yes, I did,” Karena said. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous in front of them. It was as though she had done something wrong.
“There’s no harm in that,” Anthony said, having read her unease in her body language. He chuckled and elbowed Mark next to him. Mark’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything. Anthony was a round and jolly man, which was a stark contrast to Mark next to him.
“Why?” Corentine asked, her voice sharp as a knife.
“I found hex locks on several coffins in the underground crypts of a mausoleum in Oaksvale cemetery. There were ten of these coffins, and that was the only crypt we searched. There were more crypts in the cemetery, but my team and I had to move on to other assignments.”
Leonard asked, “What’s a hex lock?” He was a frail wizard with white hair that stuck out in all directions.
He was ignored, and Daray asked, “Why would this be of interest to you?”
“Because it looked like a sinister lock. A team member told me that if dialed incorrectly it would suck in your fingers and cut them off,” Karena said.
“A lie to scare you no doubt,” Corentine said, upturning her pointy nose at her.
“No. This teammate is knowledgeable about many things. I would have no reason to think that it was a lie,” Karena said.
Anthony said, “You should listen to your gut instincts.”
“You’re one to speak,” Leonard said to him. “I’m surprised that you don’t have more of those gut instincts because you have the largest gut I have ever seen. It’s called intuition as well, in case you don’t know.”
Like children, they leaned forward to shoot irritated glances across the table at each other before laughing at one another.
Mark’s right eyelid twitched. He said, “Captain Valmar already brought the issue of those hex locks to our attention. However, the coffins were moved, and no one knows why or where they went. They don’t just grow feet and walk off. Do you have any idea what happened to them?”
“I don’t remember this,” Leonard said. He scratched his head and static sparked from his hair.
“You probably forgot,” Mark said to him, and then to her, “Karena, do you know what happened to those coffins?”
“I don’t. Why would anyone take them?” Karena asked.
“Because death waits for no one! Get it?” Anthony said and heaved as he laughed. He clapped Mark on the shoulder and shook him. Mark looked like he was a volcano about to explode, and if he did, Karena was sure that he would take Anthony with him.
Corentine’s face scrunched up like a dried prune. Daray put his face in his hands.
“Anyways,” Corentine said. “Why there were hex locks on those coffins isn’t as important to us as where those coffins went to.”
Karena persisted, “I still want to find out why hex locks are being used on coffins. It might help us figure out why those coffins were taken.”
“I don’t see the connection,” Mark said.
“This is a serious issue. These locks could mean that there’s a necromancer around, or something else.”
With his hands held in a prayer position on the desk, Daray asked, “Like what?”
“I don’t know, and that’s the thing. We should stay as informed as possible about what could be going on in this city. Letting things slide can only result in disaster. Ignorance is a disadvantage in most situations,” Karena said.
“I think she has a good point,” Leonard said, and Anthony agreed with her.
“Why are you being such cranky, old geezers here?” Anthony asked Mark, Daray, and Corentine.
“For goodness sake’s, she just wants to do a little research. After all, she is a cryptid hunter, and a brilliant one from the looks of it. She has incredible observation skills,” Leonard said and beamed at her.
“As I said, locate the coffins, and then we’ll talk,” Mark said, and dismissed her.
When Anthony and Leonard protested, Mark raised an eyebrow and said, “Or we could vote on it.”
They shut up. She had the sickening feeling that it would be three against two, and that Leonard and Anthony were destined to always lose.
Karena stared at Mark, Daray, and Corentine in disbelief. They were
n’t acting as wise as they were cracked up to be as Council members; instead, they acted haughty and unconcerned. Anything sinister that was found had to be rooted out of their society before it could take hold. And yet, they had decided that a hex lock, which was clearly dark in nature, was of no consequence.
Anthony and Leonard gave her sorrowful looks, whereas the other three looked down at her as though she was an overly inquisitive child who needed a nap. She left before she lost her temper with them. Getting permission to visit the Ancient Library wasn’t supposed to be hard. All that was needed was a valid reason to enter, which would be documented and kept on record so that if there was a repeated pattern of researching dark material in there, the authorities would be notified.
Karena handed the silver ribbon back to the receptionist downstairs. Out of anger, she drove to the cryptid hunting headquarters. Even though it was her day off, and she should be enjoying it before the work week started, she wanted to search the books in there to see if she could find anything about hex locks. She doubted that she would, but she was too angry to see reason.
Upon arriving, she went in and whisked through the building. Inside of the Warren room, she climbed onto one of the ladders and combed the top shelves of the mini library in there first. Locks were an obscure and generally insignificant topic, therefore any books about them wouldn’t be at the bottom, within casual reach, where the most important and useful books were.
After a few minutes, there were footsteps.
“You do know that it’s your day off, don’t you?” Captain Valmar’s voice asked below her.
“I’m not stupid.”
“I apologize. Sometimes, I wonder if Hadrian’s stupidity is contagious.”
“Apology accepted.”
She scanned the book titles, picked up one labeled Sinister and Inconspicuous Torture Devices. She flipped through it, but there wasn’t anything about locks, so she put it back.
“What are you looking for?” Captain Valmar asked from below.
As her eyes flicked from spine to spine, Karena explained, “I’m looking for information about hex locks. The Council denied me access to the Ancient Library, and now I can’t research them. I have to see if I can find something about them elsewhere. The Council said that if I found the coffins that had gone missing, then I would be granted permission. Apparently, that’s more important to them than there being evidence that a possible necromancer or other evil entity is on the loose in the area.”
“Hex locks are a mixture of fine tuning and imbued black magic. Clockmakers used to make them, if they had the mind to.”
“How long ago are we talking about? Because from what you have implied, you’re very old.”
“More than seven hundred years ago.”
“And what were they used for?” Karena asked, looking down at him from where she was perched near the top of the ladder.
“They were used to keep people out of things, just like what locks are normally used for.”
“Where do they originate from?”
“They are a relatively new invention. They originated from these lands during the Vampire Regime. The hags and warlocks often made them for the vampires. They’re evil devices, and something that even a necromancer would like to get his hands on. Most were destroyed, though obviously some remained.”
“Do you know where the coffins went and who put them on the coffins?”
“I don’t. We’ve been monitoring the crypts ever since, but it’s hard to do so. The Nightguards can only monitor so much when there’s a lot of ground to cover at night on their patrols.”
Karena looked at the books in front of her, sighed, and climbed down the ladder. After stepping off of it, she said, “Then someone here in this city has vampire relics and obviously knows something about them.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
“You know more than what you’re telling me.”
“I always know more, and it’s not for you to be burdened with. I’m sure that you’ll trust that I’ll do the right thing.”
Karena looked at him. She did trust him. It surprised her to think that she trusted him more than the Council.
“I do trust you,” she admitted.
“Good. Now run along and enjoy your day. Wherever you are, Hadrian is. I don’t want to have to see that idiot until tomorrow.”
She thanked him and left.
In the parking lot, Karena started up her car, but sat there with her hands on the wheel. The Council weren’t concerned about hex locks. Captain Valmar was aware about the issue and actively trying to keep the crypts monitored. There wasn’t anything she could do to help the situation further. She figured that she should just let go of her worries about the hex locks, and focus on other things. She had done her best in trying to get to the bottom of the issue.
Her thoughts switched to what she and Asher had talked about previously that day during lunch. It was far more pleasant to think about than hex locks. They planned on escaping the city for the coming weekend, and spend it together in the mountains. It would be awesome. There wouldn’t be any talk about the feud, and they wouldn’t have to worry about being seen together. They would be able to enjoy what everyone else had, which was the freedom to love who they wanted to without conflict.
Now dwelling in happy thoughts, having abandoned all concerns about crypts and coffins, Karena drove off.
Chapter 6
Karena resisted nodding off. It was early in the morning, and the sun had yet to rise from the distant horizon. However, a dash of smoky blue in the otherwise black sky meant that it approached. The road snaked as it came from out of the mountains. It was one of the few paved roads that went up and down it. The headlights of Asher’s truck stretched across the asphalt. Upon hearing his vehicle, creatures scurried away from the road. Every so often, their eyes flashed from catching the glow of the headlights.
She yawned. “Thank you for driving. I’m way too sleepy still,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” Asher said. His hand stole over to take hers and squeeze it. He let go in order to return it to the wheel.
They had spent the weekend in the small town of Luchite, where they had visited the waterfalls nearby on horseback and dipped into hot springs. The weekend had ended too soon. They had both contemplated not showing up for work, but that would’ve looked suspicious.
The road broke free of the dense forest, and began to descend into the foothills. Below, the city of Archelm twinkled like a thousand candles clustered together. A heaviness took hold of her. They would be returning to the oppression of it.
The feud didn’t exist in the town of Luchite because it was far enough away from Archelm City. They could be seen together without worry of being found out. They had been like a normal couple, carefree, loving life. Now they had to go back to their lives, and find a way to navigate the tricky waters of the feud. And at the same time, they would have to maintain the hope that they could prolong the evitable, which was the day when their forbidden romance was discovered. It was going to happen; it was just a matter of when.
“I don’t want to go back,” Karena said. She slouched in her seat, and leaned her head against the window.
They rounded a turn and were plunged back into the dark forest. The sight of Archelm City disappeared.
“I feel the same. I wish we could do this all over again, where I pick you up from your house Friday afternoon, and spend the entire weekend together,” Asher said. His tone echoed what had been in her own, which a sense of wistfulness and sadness.
“It will all work out, won’t it?”
“We’ll find a way.”
“I keep thinking about it, but I don’t see how that’ll be possible unless the feud resolves itself.”
He sighed, not because of what she had said, but because he knew that it was true too. The feud was four hundred years old, and not about to disappear any time soon.
Asher said, “Let’s just enjoy our relationship for as long as we
can. If we can’t any longer, then I guess we’ll have to part.”
Tears welled up and trickled down her face. Asher pulled over onto a vista lookout point. Below and ahead of them was Archelm City, a glittering utopia with its own set of problems.
“Why are we stopping?” Karena asked. She hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
Asher parked, clicked off her seatbelt, and pulled her across the bench seat towards him. She took comfort in his arms.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” he whispered.
“I know, but it will. At some point they’re going to find out and try to keep us apart forever.”
“If they succeed, which I doubt they will, I’ll be single for the rest of my life. I won’t find someone like you again.”
The side of her face rubbed against his chest and neck as she nodded and agreed that she would do the same. “I won’t meet anyone like you too. What if we just move away to a different city or town?” she said.
“Everything we know and love is in Archelm City. Our friends and family are there. It would hurt just as much to move away.”
Asher was right, but she didn’t want to believe that it was so. She wanted there to be another option, an option that involved them staying together while living in Archelm City.
Through watery eyes, Karena looked out at Archelm City as it shined in the distance. It was home, but it came at a cost. It was a city that was divided into four districts, and the northern ones didn’t mingle or tolerate relationships with the southern ones, and vice versa. Waters could marry other Waters, or they could marry Earths. It didn’t matter if they were elementals, magical people, or nonmagical folk so long as they had an affinity, a bloodline, or a history with those two districts. There wasn’t any other choice.
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