“You had a vision? How? I didn’t even notice.”
“Not a vision! Not exactly… It was like a very realistic premonition. I’ve never been able to do this before. Well, aside from earlier when I saved you from that bolt in your chest.”
“Bolt in my what—?!” Bart clutched at his chest. “Are you saying someone tried to kill me? With a crossbow?!”
“They didn’t try to kill you. They did. Or they were supposed to. And I guess I saved you.” June let out a nervous chuckle. Her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath from the sudden turmoil. “Something is happening to me, Bart. I don’t know why now. Maybe without all the stressors from home, I’ve finally somehow been able to hone my ability. A short-form future sight. Blessed madness, I’ve always dreamed of this!”
“Oh brother, another headache.” Bart slid a hand down his face in botheration. “Well, I suppose this is a blessing… From the Mad Mother. Which is odd, considering we are currently running away from her. Just the other day you were cursing Macha again and now here you are, reveling in her gifts. I’m sure Our Lady gets a kick out of the fickle piety of a capricious princess.”
“That has to be it, Bart! Lady Macha has blessed our voyage! How could I have been so blind? Err—You know what I mean. She wants us out here—to continue our search. But why this town of all places? Why now?” June splayed herself against the wall, again searching the surface for some kind of clue. As she rubbed around, she felt an odd, rough-hewn impression beneath her fingers. It was a flurry of appendages all arching in different directions sprouting below a spherical head with a subtle curve of a mouth along the side. What seemed to be some esoteric depiction of an alien creature was completely encased in a circle. “Here! Some kind of strange symbol. Do you recognize it? It seems… familiar.”
“Hmmm.” Bart scanned the engraving, rubbing his chin as he recalled something. “Why, isn’t that one of the symbols from your visions? Those ones you’re always jotting down for the Psycho Superioress? I remember this one in particular because of how unsettling it looked. Especially now that I’m seeing it beyond just a crude drawing.”
“Wait, you’re right!” June aggressively ran her hands all over the relief, taking note of some familiar features. Pressing harder and deeper along the grooves. “I do remember… I remember now seeing this symbol quite a few times actually. It’s so hard to remember my visions sometimes. They’re always hazy—like dreams. But this symbol… always repeating itself in my head across multiple visions. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize it right away. I just wasn’t expecting to see it here of all places. Bart, this place is an enemy to the Scarlet Church.”
“A-Are you sure?” Whether it was from the cold or out of fear, Bart couldn’t help his teeth from chattering. “And their royal figurehead has just walked straight into their laps? June, if we get caught it’s all over. You’ll be taken as a hostage!”
“You’re right. The Church can handle my disappearance, but my powers falling into their enemy’s hands would call for a state of emergency. Isn’t that ironic? It’s like a rebellious teen trying to get her parents’ attention by falling into the wrong crowd. Do you think these people would let me join them voluntarily?”
“June, please do not joke about such a possibility. I’m afraid of what the Church would do to us if we actually attempted such a thing.”
“I’m just fed up. You know I wouldn’t dare, Bart. Not in a million years. They would simply use me for their evil ploys and that is something I cannot abide. I suppose that is just my lot in this life.” June’s shoulders slumped as she uttered that last sentence.
“Don’t despair, June. It’s not like you. You’re usually such a cheerful girl, but lately you’ve been on this strange independence kick and it feels like the weight it has placed on you has been grinding you down and very soon all you will be is dust.” Bart gingerly places a consoling hand on his sister’s shoulder. “It hurts to see you this way. I wish I had understood your pain sooner. If you had just come to me with these feelings sooner, rather than let it stew until it forced you to make a break for it, then maybe we could have enjoyed another evening in at the castle. But it doesn’t matter now. I may be cowardly, but just know that I would never abandon you. We’re in this together and I will definitely do all in my power to keep this from being the end of us.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
June took her brother’s hand, turned to face him, and smiled. “I knew I saved your life for a reason. Thank you.”
“Well, what are brothers for and all that,” Bart replied sourly.
“For being my eyes and ears! Bart, we have to go inside! I don’t know exactly who we’re dealing with, but I believe they are very important enemies. The times I’ve recalled this symbol in my visions. Afterwards, when I am laying there, strapped to their cold, metal operating tables, I will sometimes overhear Antoine and the other scientists speak of an otherworldly order known as the Knights of the Lost… something or other. I never delved too deeply into their findings or what they did with them. Frankly, a lot of it was lost on me. It was always just gratifying to be doing a solemn duty for my Goddess and it felt disrespectful wanting to be too nosy about it. But being here, in this place, right now. It no longer feels like coincidence. She is finally speaking directly to me!”
“Very well.” Bart sighed a breath of surrender. “If we’re going to dive straight into the heart of darkness, then let it be on behalf of Our Lady of Perpetual Madness.”
The inner walls of the dark cathedral were as cold as they had been on the outside. June was slowly being guided deeper into the building by her brother, her free hand tracing the interior of the building as they snuck in. Even without her sight, she could feel a sort of malevolence within the walls that she had only ever sensed during her auguries. Her sense of smell, however, was as powerful as ever. Trails of dust particles amidst the humid, musty air had been kicked up by their trespassing and were constantly hitting her nose every few seconds, causing her nose to tickle uncontrollably. She did her best trying to stifle the various sneezes coming on in fear of being caught. Despite that, it appeared that the empty chamber they had entered had not seen a living soul in a very long time.
As Bart looked around, he noticed the room was dimly lit by overhanging archaic lanthorns—a surprising detail for creatures that surely congregate in the sunless crypts under Sarracas. Long, white pews surrounding the pair on each side with seats stretching higher than the height of an average human. At the end of the aisle were the yawning entrances to shadowy chambers sitting right behind the pulpit. Walking up to the end, Bart noticed a faint outline on the ground right before the murk encroached from those dark halls.
“I… don’t think we sufficiently thought this through,” said Bart.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“This place is a veritable maze. I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for that girl, or even if we should. Not to mention this place is incredibly dark.”
“Bart! We’re not giving up now! Maybe I can predict the right way for us to go? Like I can see each outcome and decide which one is best!” June knelt down and kept her eyes shut in an attempt to focus.
“…Well? Can you?”
June furrowed her brow in frustration. The only thing she accomplished was giving herself a headache. “…No. Nothing is coming to me. I guess I can’t just turn it on and off whenever I wish.”
“Don’t be dejected, June. That kind of power seems a little too omniscient, if you ask me. We’re probably better off not having to rely on it too much. I’d be too afraid of what it might do to you.”
June sighed dejectedly. “Maybe you’re right. In that case, you’ll have to lead the way.”
“Right. Like I didn’t have enough responsibility hoisted upon me.” Bart walked around the chapel area before coming back to their original spot. Looking down, he once again spotted the faint seam along the ground. Upon further inspection, he found what looked like a heavy, brass handle connected to the top center. “A trap door. A subterranean vault is the last place I’d prefer to look, but it might be important.”
“A passage leading underground? Good work, brother! Come on then, what are we standing here for?”
Bart had to grip the large handle with both hands to get a good hold on it, but try as he might, the stone door would not budge from its place. He stood up and wiped his forehead. “Um, perhaps you could give me a hand with this. This door is far heavier than it looks.”
“Sure! Where? Here? Like this? Like—” June gave the door a good pull and instantly regretted it. The pain shot through her hands and the coarse metal rubbed against her skin. “Perhaps we’ll try somewhere else.” June knelt down and pressed her ear against the door. “I think I can hear something struggling to breathe down there. Something far larger than you and I.”