“Lara?” Destiny called as her twin ran for the door.
Lara threw it wide and ran into the hallway, stopping some distance away from the room. Destiny gasped as worry washed over her. She bowed with a hastened apology, then chased after her sister.
Once she caught up with Lara, Destiny grabbed her by the elbow, turning her around. “Sister, are you okay?”
Lara didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she yelped, looking to her sides. The Elements must have been speaking to her again.
“Sorry, Destiny,” Lara said, her expression downcast. “I couldn’t hear the Elements. I panicked.”
Destiny frowned. “Couldn’t hear them? They don’t always speak to you, though, do they?”
Lara frowned at something to her side. Destiny followed her gaze, but it was just the door to another room. “I-I’m sorry, Wind. Honestly, I couldn’t hear you in there.” Lara nodded, then blinked. “Ah. Weird.”
“Is something the matter?” Destiny grabbed Lara’s hand, squeezing it lightly. She smiled and waited patiently for the answer, as always.
“Not anymore,” Lara sighed. “The Elements are angry with me now.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Lara shook her head. “They stopped talking to me when we entered Melody’s room.” She squeaked and lurched to one side as if someone were scolding her. “Okay, yes, I couldn’t hear you. Yes. Yes, I know there’s a difference.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Sister.”
Destiny shook her head, smiling wider. She looked over her shoulder to see Tristan and Ravyn casting bewildered looks in their direction. She shook her head and gestured for them to continue without them.
“Something about the room?” Destiny asked. “Is that why you couldn’t hear them?”
Lara blinked, then mumbled something Destiny couldn’t hear. “Um. Maybe.” She sighed, then put a hand to her chest to calm herself down. “Shouldn’t we have felt something, though?”
“It’s possible,” Destiny said, reflecting on the hundreds of Enchantments Celestia had placed around Venicia. At first, it was strange being surrounded by so many Spells. But over time, Destiny could pinpoint the effects and sensations of certain Enchantments. Something about the air changed. As if the wind blew in a direction it wasn’t meant to. Destiny felt no such thing here. “Could it have been something else?”
Destiny had to be careful how she phrased her questions around Lara. She believed Lara’s claims of her ability to speak with the Elements and took the opportunity to voice it when she felt it was appropriate. But Lara had become accustomed to being degraded whenever she mentioned them. While joining an official Party had helped her be more open about the topic, Ravyn’s chiding wasn’t doing her any favors.
“No,” Lara said, shaking her head, “the Elements say they feel bonded to me.” Her gaze veered to some imperfection on the wall, and her shoulders slumped. “The bond has never weakened. I’m not like other [Conjurer]s. Something was bad about that room. I don’t know what, but I don’t like it.”
“What would you like to do?” Destiny asked quietly.
For as long as she could remember, Lara was the type of catgirl to trust her instincts in most situations. She had difficulty finding the words to express how she felt about things, at least in complex ways. As Lara had explained it, speaking was often akin to walking through a fog, following the faint silhouettes of distant objects, only to be met with something that didn’t resemble what she’d been looking at.
Lara followed her gut—a term she’d learned from Tristan—and it often paid off for her.
“I don’t want to go back in there,” Lara said, drawing a deep breath.
“Okay,” Destiny nodded. She looked back to see the door had been shut. It could be some time before they left, but Tristan would surely divulge details when they were done. She turned back to her sister. “Let’s wait for them in the reception room.”
—
Destiny found a comfortable spot in the corner of the hall where a pair of decorated chairs stood beside a polished marble table. She sat down in one of the chairs, her sister taking the one beside it.
“I don’t like that we left them alone in there,” Lara admitted. She adjusted her skirt, then sat down, looking over her shoulder at the elevator.
“They’ll be okay,” Destiny said with a smile. “Tristan’s reliable and intelligent. And as…rambunctious as Ravyn can be, her heart seems to be in the right place.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Destiny wasn’t sure if she believed that, but she knew it would set Lara at ease.
Ravyn could afford to be nicer. The bird, too.
Destiny and Lara didn’t have to wait long. Ten minutes later, Tristan and Ravyn came off the elevator, Destiny and Lara rushing over to meet them at the center of the room. Tristan was smiling, but Ravyn had her arms crossed as she mumbled something.
“So, what did you find out?” Destiny asked, her hands clasped in front of her lap. Lara came to stand by her side moments later.
Tristan raised a book made from lacquered leather. There was a dark brown tint to it, and studs of silver lined the spine. The bindings alone looked like they could fetch a year of tuition at the Venicia School of Etiquette. “Melody allowed me to check out a ledger from last month.” The tome was massive. Tristan held it with both hands, extending it so everyone could see. “This is how large a month’s worth of Bell trading is, from what Melody told me.”
“That’s…concerning,” Lara said, frowning.
“So you didn’t investigate any of the records yet?” Destiny asked.
“Of course we didn’t,” Ravyn said incredulously. “If Melody is accounting for all of the cu—” She sucked in her lips, then made a popping sound as she released them. “If Melody is accounting for every Bell Cailu has, as well as the trades coming in and going out, we’re going to need time for that. Time we don’t have right now.”
Change your tone! Doesn’t hurt to ask! Goddess above! “Ah. She just let you stride out with a ledger?”
Ravyn snickered and crossed her arms. “She doesn’t have much of a choice. Tristan could sink this island if he felt like it.”
“That’s not in the plans.” Tristan blushed, then continued, “This book is a good start for a few reasons. I can spend the night researching how last month’s Bells were distributed. Chances are, not enough has changed to make this book irrelevant. In fact, it will likely remain relevant for years to come if my…very brief course in economics is anything to go off of.” He wore a complicated expression. Destiny knew it well. He was buckling under the pressure, and she desperately wished to take some of the load off his shoulders. “But there’s another reason I wanted it.”
Lara blinked. “Why?”
Ravyn rolled her eyes.
Don’t roll your eyes at her! Be nice!
“After Lara practically ran for the door, I insisted we take one of her books,” Ravyn explained. “I didn’t feel any Enchantments, but Ball was uncomfortable the entire time.”
“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong, squawwwk!” The parrot’s voice screeched against the walls, and its sharp cry echoed loudly enough that even Ravyn covered her ears.
“Bally?” Ravyn started, tapping his beak with a finger. The bird cocked its head at her. “Shush.”
Ball waddled to Ravyn’s other shoulder and began to preen his feathers.
He’s cute when he doesn’t talk, at least.
“We probably won’t find anything in the ledger,” Ravyn continued, “but it was a sign of trust to let us borrow it. If she refused, she’d look like she was hiding something.” She shrugged. “Could be nothing, but I don’t trust any bitch in Shulan.”
Language! Again! You’re Emberlynn’s daughter? Conduct yourself with grace!
“Yeah,” Tristan said with a hint of discomfort. “So, let’s find an inn nearby and call it for a day. I want to spend some time with the book, and I could use everyone’s help in making notes.”
“Yes, Tristan,” Destiny said, smiling. “I saw a wonderful place on our way here. The—”
“Shaven Civet?” Ravyn asked. “The place is a dump, but it’ll have to do for now.”
Must you take the light from everything?
“I’m sure it’s fine,” Lara said, taking Destiny’s hand. “I remember where it is. Let me lead.”
Destiny had her reservations about letting Lara take the helm. Memories of getting lost as kittens resurfaced, and with them, the fond feelings she had as they made the best of their circumstances returned.
Ravyn groaned as Lara led them through the streets, following the advice of her Elemental friends. Lara turned to make the occasional comment about Fire, but Ravyn paid her little mind.
Once they’d arrived and booked a room for themselves, Tristan snapped open the tome and sat on the floor. It was a simple room, humble to be certain, but far removed from the ‘dump’ Ravyn claimed it to be. There were four beds, two against each wall, with a bedside table in the middle of each pair. A single garnet lit the lamp above, casting its scarlet light against the room. The boards were squeaky but charming, reminding Destiny of the older homes in Leche.
It felt like home.
Tristan’s face fell when he opened the book. Destiny came to his side, gasping when she saw how small the print was. There were brackets upon brackets of numbers and notes; all scribbled in text that she had to squint to read properly. She put a consoling hand on Tristan’s shoulder.
Ravyn moaned, leaning forward on her knees to see better. She’d already switched out of [Combat Mode]. Ball hopped to her side, tilting his head side to side. “Saoirse’s tits, this is going to take all night.”
Goddess above, you need a bar of soap for that mouth!
“Yeah,” Tristan said simply.
“What’s that?” Lara asked, pointing to a strange symbol at the top-left corner of the page. It was an eyeball drawn with two overlapping hills that mirrored each other, forming the sclera. Inside, a small black bead represented the pupil. Beside it was an X.
“Let me see,” Ravyn said, her tone more serious than usual. She turned the book around, glaring at the picture for some time before turning the page. She mumbled with each page turned, then grabbed a clump of pages, thumbing through them with impressive speed. After a time, she stopped, then turned the book back around to Tristan.
“Something wrong?” Tristan asked, glancing from the book to Ravyn repeatedly.
“No.” Ravyn shook her head. “It just looked familiar. Really familiar.”
Destiny stared at it for some time but couldn’t make claw or tail of it. “Where have you seen it before?”
Ravyn frowned. “My mother’s house.”
[https://i.imgur.com/5H25t3h.png]