Chapter 12 #2
“It’s harmless,” she answers. “All I need is a drop of blood from all the witnesses.” She jerks her head to Lorraine, then rises from her seat. “I’ll prepare everything right away.”
Mrs. Geeny walks out of the ballroom, two guards following closely behind her. The heavy doors close again, leaving the room thick with tension and restless whispers. At the old woman’s words, the room falls silent again. Everyone sinks into their own thoughts.
Mrs. Gertrude’s lips twist into a deep frown, her eyes fixed on Lorraine. Beside me, the girl closes her eyes. Her head lowers as if she’s fighting back disappointment. Then she gives a faint shake of her head. It looks like the two of them are speaking through their mind link.
A moment later, the ballroom doors open again. Mrs. Geeny returns with two servants carrying a large brass cauldron. Inside it sloshes a strange silvery liquid. Beneath the cauldron sits a small fire pit that hasn’t yet been lit.
The servants place the cauldron carefully in the center of the ballroom before stepping back to the walls. Mrs. Geeny walks forward and crouches beside the pit. With a simple match, she lights the fire and a small flame flickers to life.
Within seconds, the silvery liquid inside the brass cauldron bubbles. Soft popping sounds echo across the quiet ballroom.
“Alexa, Lorraine, Harlow. Come on over here,” Mrs. Geeny says, motioning us forward with a slow wave of her hand. We stand and walk toward her.
“Hold your finger over the cauldron,” Mrs. Geeny instructs Lorraine and Harlow.
They extend their index finger above the swirling silver liquid. Thin wisps of smoke rise from its surface.
Mrs. Geeny reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small knife. Several people in the room stiffen as the old witch presses the blade against Lorraine’s fingertip. Lorraine flinches when the knife slices through her skin.
A drop of blood falls. Then another. The crimson drops sink into the silver water, staining its pale glow. The red spreads, swirling through the bubbling liquid as the colors merge. Then she does the same with Harlow, prickling his index finger until drops of blood mixed in the cauldron.
Mrs. Geeny sets the knife down. Then she raises both of her hands toward me. Without a word, she signals for me to take them.
I follow the silent command and clasp her hands. Steam rises around us, carrying a faint metallic scent like warm iron. Mrs. Geeny chants in her hoarse voice.
“O Moon Goddess, shine your light upon us. Let that light drive away the dark. O Moon Goddess, reveal the truth. Every truth within our blood becomes your guidance.”
With every word she speaks, heat spreads through my hands. The warmth crawls up my arms and flows across my entire body. My blood feels strangely hot. I can sense the magic moving between Mrs. Geeny and me, circling through us like a closed loop of energy.
“Tell us the date and time you witnessed it,” Mrs. Geeny says to Lorraine.
“I… I’m not sure,” Lorraine murmurs, shaking her head. Her eyes flick toward me.
“Come on now. Think harder,” Mrs. Geeny presses. “Tell us when you saw him cheat during the Alpha trial.”
“October, nine years ago. One in the afternoon.” Harlow looks toward Mrs. Geeny. “I remember it,” he says. Harlow and Lorraine lock eyes. Something silent passes between them.
My stomach tightens with an uncomfortable feeling. I don’t know how much longer I can endure the heat flowing through my body. Steam bursts upward.
The vapor thickens, turning into dense silver-white smoke that spills across the ballroom. It spreads through the air until the entire room fills with the shimmering mist.
My eyes sting. My vision blurs. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the burning sensation. Instinctively I want to lift one hand to rub my eyes.
But Mrs. Geeny only tightens her grip. She pulls both my hands down and holds them firmly. Coughing erupts throughout the ballroom as people choke on the thick steam. The sound grows louder by the second.
Only Mrs. Geeny remains silent. Her grip on my hands tightens even more. The steam burns inside my nose with an unbearable intensity. Pain surges through my head. When I force my eyes open again, the world around me turns black.
* * *
October, nine years ago
A faint light slowly returns to my vision. I open my eyes and I’m no longer in the ballroom. I stand alone in a narrow hallway. Mrs. Geeny is gone. Lorraine is gone. The elders, the cauldron, the crowd. Everything has vanished.
A door creaks somewhere nearby. The sound makes me turn. Ahead of me, a door stands slightly open. Through the narrow gap I can see a small office. Three men gather around a desk inside, speaking in low voices.
Their words drift into the hallway. I lean closer and sharpen my hearing. My body shifts forward so I can see them better. I don’t want to stand here listening, yet my body remains planted beside the door, silently eavesdropping.
My body moves on its own. This isn’t my will guiding my steps. As I look at my hands clutching the door, a strange realization settles over me. I’m not seeing through my own eyes anymore. I’m inside Lorraine’s memory.
“You are gonna leave markers by scattering some of these bug carcasses at every intersection,” Gabriel says as he rises from his chair.
“Nobody’s gonna suspect a thing. Ants or spiders might even drag the pieces back to their nests.
That’d make the trail even easier to follow.
” He gestures toward the desk where several small insect bodies lie scattered across a map.
“What do you think about that plan?” Gabriel continues. “This way we both make it through the next stage of the trial. And you don’t gotta waste your time memorizing the whole route.”
“Then what happens if we end up facing each other in the final duel?” Harlow asks calmly. “You expect me to just lay down and surrender?”
“Hell no,” Gabriel replies with a grin. “If we both reach that last duel for the Alpha title, we fight fair and square.”
Harlow pushes back his chair and starts walking toward the door. Toward me. I step back and turn away. My hand bumps into a decorative vase sitting on a nearby table. The porcelain clinks softly.
At that exact moment the door swings open. Harlow steps out of Gabriel’s office. Our eyes meet. For a brief second, he looks straight at me. Then he walks past without saying a word.
My vision blurs again. The hallway melts into darkness. When I blink again, I’m somewhere else.
“Lorraine? Can you hear me?”
I lift my head toward the familiar voice standing in front of me.
“Sorry, Mama,” I answer. Mrs. Gertrude stares down at me.