Sigil | Ghost The Band

Memoria

"What do you mean 'complicated'?" Calliope asked Terzo, sensing a headache forming behind her eyes.

"I can't disclose too much, but whatever you do, don't anger Imperator. Stay on her good side, lie low, I don't care. Just... don't do anything that would whet her suspicion of you in any way."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I anger her? What would happen if I did?"

"She'd send you to our sister location, it's not too far from here but it's..." He inhaled deeply. "It's fucking awful."

Cal's head swam with confusion, a foreboding cloud fogging her mind. "If I bother her so much, why... why doesn't she just let me go?"

It was Terzo's turn to look confused. "Let you... go?"

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I never knew why she was so desperate to keep me around, I promised her I wouldn't go to the cops or anything like that, like, a million times. Why is she so insistent on keeping me here?"

Terzo's face fell, his expression nothing short of mortified. He shook his head slowly, mouthing something Calliope couldn't make out. Pushing her own horrors aside, she focused on him. He looked like he wanted to pass out, his eyes not focusing on anything, too deep in his own thoughts.

Unsure of what to do, she tried to keep him steady on his feet as she nudged him toward the benches in the hall. He unsteadily sat down on it, still quiet. Cal wondered what she should do. Should she snap him out of it? Give him space? She wasn't equipped to deal with an anti-Pope in the midst of a mental breakdown...

She backed away slowly, but his hand shot out to grab her wrist, keeping her next to him as he tried to articulate something that wasn't nonsensical.

Crouching down in front of him to meet his gaze, Calliope spoke softly, scared out of her wits.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Too much to explain..." He murmured, staring off over her shoulder before his attention snapped to it. His hand pushed her hair to the side, his finger tracing there. "Where did you get this scar?"

"What does that have to do with-"

He spun her around, pushing the rest of her ebony hair out of the way. Cal dropped her head as she realised what he was looking at.

"Fuck me..." He groaned, stepping back.

She kept quiet, facing him, waiting for him to speak or do something or just... anything at all. Calliope crossed her arms, eyeing him uncertainly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't important at the time. You didn't need to know."

"The hell, I didn't!" He snapped and realization dawned on his face. "My brother has something to do with this, doesn't he? This is why you despise him..."

She nodded once.

"It's... oh, god, it's happening." He collapsed back onto the bench, burying his face in his hands. She'd never seen anyone this... tortured before.

"What? What's happening?" She finally forced out, taken aback that he said the word he chastised her for constantly. Terzo wiped something from his eye. Is he... crying?

"Just give me a second to think. Please." He sounded annoyed with her, which irked Calliope more than it should've. Who was he to be annoyed with her ? She didn't ask for any of this.

"Don't get fucking snappy with me. I didn't ask to be left in the dark about this shit, and I didn't ask for anyone to make decisions for me. " His head snapped towards and he stood, she froze at the sight. Not only was his expression something from her worst nightmares, but half of his face was also covered in blood.

The blood pooled around his white iris which told her that was the source.

"No one made any decisions on your behalf, trust you me. This was all done for personal gain, and I am merely trying to fucking help." He bit back, stalking toward her, stopping inches away from her as he glowered down at her.

She stood her ground, glaring up at him despite the fact that she was so scared she could barely feel her legs anymore. "Then tell me what the hell is going on because I don't know."

"You want to know so badly? Hm?"

"Yes! Please, enlighten me."

"They're going to sacrifice you, like a godforsaken lamb. That little memoria on your back? Yeah, that's the priming of the fucking ritual. It's already begun. Are you happy now? Are you glad you know that you're dying in here?" Terzo told her maliciously, his hands on his knees so he could stare into her eyes and patronize her.

He stood upright again, walking toward the stairs without another word.

Frozen in place, she stared after him. Where would she even begin to process this?

Pushing it to the back of her mind, she hurried after him. He was at the end of the corridor, heading toward the library, halting once he spotted her.

Anxiously looking between her and the door, he whisper-yelled something at her. Confused, she mouthed 'what?'.

He did it again. Hide. He was telling her to hide. Looking at her surroundings, she darted toward an alcove in the ancient walls of the chapel, obscured in shadow.

Forcing her heart to slow down so she could actually hear what was going on. She heard Terzo speaking to someone. Italian. Of course, it would be a shame for me to hear a single word being exchanged.