The Serenader

Chapter 14

Calya's POV
Later that evening, a knock came at the bedroom door. Both of us jumped at the sudden interruption.
Atlas was busy studying the map, and I was preoccupied thinking about Lyle, Juliette, and everything else that had happened.

"Hello?" A young female voice called, one much too young to be Mrs. Wixx's. I assumed it was Liesel. "My grandma wanted me to ask if you need anything."

Atlas and I had already settled in, though that hadn't been very difficult with what little supplies we had on us. There was a washroom a little ways across the hall, and I was grateful for that. Using the tub of water as a mirror, I was able to wrangle my long curls back into something presentable and - despite only being in the woods two nights - remove the numerous dirt smudges from my face.

After that, we had an amazing meal dropped at the door. The hearty meat, potatoes, and corn made me realize how little energy the berries and rolls had given me over the last few days. For the first time since I had used my Illusion at the Region Meeting, I felt less exhausted and drained; I was simply tired. There was a big difference.

I opened the door and came face-to-face with a girl a head shorter than me - and I wasn't very tall. She was young, maybe ten at most, with her long blonde hair braided down her back. She held a gleaming silver cornet in one hand and an instrument case in the other.

I was surprised. Based on what I'd heard, I'd expected Liesel to be my age or older. But here she was, barely old enough to pass as double-digits.

"I-I'm Liesel," she introduced shyly. Then she asked again, "Do you need anything?"

Atlas and I looked at each other.

"Just staying here was more than enough," Atlas told her. I nodded in agreement.

Liesel looked uncomfortable, as if she wasn't sure how to respond. She held out the instrument case to us. "My grandparents and I want you to have this."

I took it. The unfamiliar leather case was heavy in my grasp. It looked about the size to fit Liesel's cornet, but I'd seen that a lot of instruments were similar sizes. "What is this?"

Liesel hesitated as if she wasn't sure what to tell us. "It's not my cornet case, if that's what you want to know. It belongs to you."

Atlas took the case from me and ran his fingers over a small engraving on the side of the case. To me it just looked like the start of the alphabet etched in calligraphy: A, B, C, D, E - but to Atlas it seemed to mean more.

"Was this our mother's?" He asked softly, as if he was afraid the answer would change if he spoke too loudly.

I realized what the engraving meant. Those letters, the start of the alphabet, were our initials: Atlas, Blythe, Calya, Desmond, and Eclipse.

Liesel gave a subtle nod in response to Atlas. "It's been stored in the attic for twelve years; happened to be here around the time of..." she trailed off. When she continued, she was much more somber, her green eyes sorrowful. "My grandparents always said if we ran into a member of the Ionian Noble family, the first thing we'd do was give it back."

Atlas set the case on his bed. He stared at it as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then, he slowly lifted the lid, revealing a deep chestnut violin and matching bow. I couldn't help but smile. It looked to be brand new; the Wixxes really knew how to keep an instrument in good shape.

"I apologize for my... I never... I-" Atlas struggled for words. "You have to understand - I thought this was destroyed with the rest of the music room," he said, astounded. "This was her main instrument. I... I never thought any of us would see it again. I don't know what to say." I could tell how much this mattered to him. The day the music room had been torn down was a sad day for everyone - it was like the last of our mother's spirit, her influence, her passion, had been severed from the castle. That day was in the past for me, for Blythe, for the twins, but for Atlas, the wound was still fresh. "Thank you doesn't even begin to cover it."