The Death Dance ✓

Chapter Eight - "No really, don't judge a book by its cover."

Chapter Eight – “No really, don’t judge a book by its cover.”

 

“I don’t think we should do this,” Beatrice said worriedly, hands cupped around a big mug of hot tea, “I don’t trust anyone.”

Ma was currently looking through several books and journals piled on top of Beatrice’s kitchen table, a small frown of concentration on her face.

“We’re going to get them to use the agreement seal, not even the most powerful of entities can break it.”

Beatrice pouted and took a sip from her mug, still having a bad feeling about asking for help, “I don’t know, Ma. Why can’t we find the boy on our own? We could send out some sources to find him and capture him. I’m sure that without the potion you’ve been giving him, his natural glow will eventually come out, alerting any other Aethereuthean about him.”

“Exactly,” Ma hissed pointedly back at Beatrice, “once others find out about him, what makes you think they won’t want him first?”

“Not everyone knows the potency of the human soul.”

“But we can’t be really sure of that, now can we?” Ma drawled back and Beatrice had to admit that she was right.

If Beatrice had been alone on this, she would have just settled for Macy but because she was sharing with Ma, she couldn’t. Macy wasn’t going to be enough for both of them; she wasn’t going to satisfy both their hungers for more and so it went without question that they had to find Aaron and fast.

Ma had no clue where he was or how he even discovered the importance and rarity of his soul. It was all incredibly confusing and fishy at the same time. At first, she’d wanted to suggest that Aaron had gone back home – to earth, but Ma had been extremely sure that he was being projected from somewhere in Aethereus and now, she was searching for another entity – a more powerful one than them to help them find Aaron and bring him back.

Of course, the entity wouldn’t do it for free, so Ma planned on bargaining a part of Aaron’s soul in exchange. Beatrice didn’t like that idea but Ma said it was either that or they don’t get him at all.

“Found them,” Ma said excitedly, “we need to create a spell and summon them.”

Beatrice shivered when Ma showed her the picture in the old history book.

“It says they’re locked in the underworld,” she whispered, voice only shaking just lightly with fear, “do you think it’s wise to unlock them?”

“They’re powerful and they can’t break the binding spell once we make the deal. Seriously, Beatrice, do you want this soul or not?” Ma said, just a tinge of annoyance seeping out of her tone.

Beatrice licked her lips and took a sip from her tea, shrugging in response.

Ma grinned creepily, “Then we have a deal. We need to get the ingredients for the summoning spell and the agreement seal.”

Beatrice managed a small smile in response and then hid her grimace behind her big mug of tea. She was going to play along with Ma but that didn’t change the fact that she had a really bad feeling about it all.

*

Aaron woke up feeling groggy with his mouth tasting like he’d drank water from a sewer. Cringing and swallowing repeatedly to get rid of the taste, he sat up from the bed he was in, trying hard to remember what had happened last night.  He couldn’t remember much after he’d met the girl crying underneath the oak tree. What had happened? Was she okay? How on earth did he get back to Sae’s place?