Fates Intertwined

57. | Dead Man's Graveyard

"Here. This will calm you down." Angel said, handing over a cup of tea to Nara. After Lina's disappearance, the group relocated to one of the sitting rooms in the castle. Nara hugged a pillow to her chest, her tears finally slowing.

Aurora stood near the fireplace, her arms crossed as she focused on the flames that crackled and burned against the firewood.

Eric and Zyran sat on the same couch as Nara, and Angel and Esme sat opposite. Evelyn sat in one of the chairs near the fire, Oliver standing beside her with his hand on her shoulder.

"I totally knew Lina would do this." Evelyn blurted, sipping on the cup of tea Oliver had made for her.

Oliver sighed. "No, you didn't."

"Yeah... Sorry, I don't do well with awkward silences." She grimaced when the four glanced at her. "She was one damn good actress, though."

Zyran blew out a breath. "Yeah, no kidding."

"We should relocate." Aurora finally spoke. "Her necklace drops our location to Van Helsing, and it won't be long before he's showing up all high and mighty."

Evelyn snorted, but Esme was the one who spoke, "Relax, Aurora. The entrance to Solaris doesn't stay in the same place for too long, and the barrier doesn't allow for portals into Solaris."

"But it allows portals out of Solaris." Zyran stated, remembering the portal Lina opened up.

"Mostly for Evelyn's benefit." Angel answered.

"So what do we do now?" Nara asked, glancing around them.

"I don't know." Evelyn sighed.

"Aurora?" Nara called, Aurora dragging her attention from the fire. She was looking at her expectantly.

Aurora sighed. "I don't know. The safest place for us to be right now is here."

"What if Van Helsing's here? In the Enchanted Woods?"

"Even if he was, he can't get in." Esme stated. "He'd have to find the entrance, but even that is a task in and of itself."

Aurora blew out a breath. "I need to do something." She murmured before she was walking out of the room. They watched her leave in silence, and once she was gone, Nara sipped on the cup of tea she was given.

"Well, she seems well." Evelyn blurted.

"Ev."

"Sorry." She grimaced into her cup that she brought to her lips.

Aurora grunted as she pushed open the heavy oak doors to Evelyn's library. While many parts of the castle were still under construction, the library was not one of them.

Inside was ornate and cluttered with shelves of books that reached the ceiling. Walking further inside, she could see the tables that were organized by a fireplace, along with a few couches and cushioned chairs.

Despite it being musty and smelling of books, it was beautiful. Almost original.

Aurora walked down the hall, looking at the shelves. Then she realized they were alphabetized. Maybe her task at finding what she needed would be easier.

Only, it wasn't and two hours had already passed. She was having no luck.

She cursed as she kicked at the floor, scowling. How hard was it to find a book on Dead Man's Graveyard?

Evidently, very hard considering she hadn't found a single book in the time she had spent in the library. But then she heard something slide and then thud against the floor. She turned, confused, finding a book laying on the floor.

"Weird..." Aurora murmured. She hadn't even taken a step before the book was sliding across the floor toward her. Aurora glanced around, confused on how it had moved, but decided not to question it. She bent down and picked it up, blowing dust off the cover. "Forgotten Landscapes of the Enchanted Woods. Talk about 'to the point'." She murmured.

She carried the book to the table and set it down. Sliding off her jacket, she threw it onto the table and blew out a breath. "May as well." She shrugged and began to flip through the book.

The book was old, and smelt just as it looked, the pages turning brown due to their age. She wondered how long the book had been sitting on the shelf, how long it sat unused and untouched.

The fire crackling was the only thing that filled the silence, aside from the sounds of Aurora turning the pages. Finally, after a long while of skimming through, the book flipped through on its own. Aurora watched, hands held up by her head as she stared.

Something wanted her to find whatever was in this book. She couldn't figure out whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

The book stopped. She leaned closer, reading the header. Dead Man's Graveyard.

"Bingo." Aurora whispered, a smile pulling at her lips. "Thank you, mystery ghost."

She skimmed over the page, trying to find where it was. ...Only the purest...can enter...deadly...dangerous...

Aurora slowed. It was on the outskirts of Solaris. Outside of the barrier.

She shook off the anxiety, throwing her leather jacket back on and brushing her out from under the collar. Leaving the book open, she left the library and hurried to her room. She grabbed a bag and packed a few weapons — that she totally hadn't stolen from Evelyn's weapon room — just in case.

Then she was making her way through the gardens to the woods.

***

Aurora slowed as she found a clearing in the woods. There were four large rocks that stood towering over a patch of dead grass. At the back, there was a cave, where Aurora assumed the magic of Dead Man's Graveyard resided.

Skulls and bones were scattered around the patch of grass. The victims who have come before her. She exhaled a deep breath. She really hoped she didn't become another.

Glancing back, she took the first step forward. Then the next. Then the next.

Nothing happened.

She took another step forward, only to drop down as an arrow whizzed past her head. She glanced up, finding a piston reloading another arrow. She turned back to the entrance of the cave and zipped toward it. She made it to the opening with not so much as a scratch.

She turned her arm, noticing the cut along her sleeve. She frowned, then made her way down the cave entrance. Water dripped from the ceiling, a few landing in her hair and along her skin. It was cold, despite the warm weather outside.

Aurora was thankful she had worn her jacket, because while it was hot outside, it definitely was not in here.

She blew out a breath, her puff of air billowing around her in a cloud of smoke. She pulled her sleeves down and rounded the cobblestone platform. There was a hole in the middle that she couldn't see and above her was a huge assortment of crystals.

She didn't make a move toward the cobblestone, out of fear that something would go wrong.

She didn't know how it worked, as the book didn't tell her. Or if it did, she didn't see it.

"Okay..." Aurora whispered, peeling off her backpack and pulling out a pocket knife. She dragged the sharp ridge of it against her palm, wincing as she drew blood.

Before it could heal, she held a fist over the ragged platform, dripping the blood into the crevices. She held her hand like that until it stopped dripping, her hand healed. She watched as the blood made its way through the maze, leading to the hole in the middle.

She took a careful step up, watching as a crystal rose from the ground. Then a looming voice spoke, "Tell me, child, what is it that you seek?"

Aurora exhaled. "I want to know who my parents were."