Redemption

Chapter Five: The Coven

I watched as Jerry moved the coffee table and rug aside, revealing a secret trapdoor in the hardwood. He grabbed a key from the inside of a nearby vase, and used it to unlatch the door, exposing a set of stairs leading to a lower level of the house that I never knew existed.

Kate descended to the lower level, motioning for me to follow. I hesitated, a dozen questions floating in my mind, But instead of asking them, I followed Kate blindly down the staircase, trusting her lead in the pitch-black room.

Terrified that I was going to fall, I felt my way down the steps until my feet found solid ground at the bottom. A light flickered on above us, illuminating the room and leaving me temporarily blinded by the brightness.

When my eyes finally adjusted to the intense glow, I noticed that we were in a hidden basement. Several cabinets lined the walls of the underground room from floor to the ceiling. Curious, I opened one of the doors and found countless containers lined up along on the shelves. 

I lifted one of the jars containing a flower-like substance, and found it labeled "Root of Valerian". I picked up the next vial, but put it carefully back on the shelf when I saw that it was labeled "Bat's Blood". Hundreds of jars and bottles were assembled on the shelves, ranging from everyday substances like cinnamon sticks, to rarities like chinchilla fur. I couldn't help but wonder what Jerry and Kate could possibly need with all of this.

On the wall, beside the massive cabinets, I saw a large map of the United States, identical to the one that Abigail left in my bag. A key to the right explained the various colors more thoroughly.

Green:             Trustworthy

Yellow:           Tentative

Red:                 Known Traitors

Black:              Deceased

It realized that this map was a list of the members of their "coven". Although many of the dots were now black, there were still several colored dots showing. I found it worrisome that the yellow dots more than tripled the green, and was even more alarmed to see that there were as many red dots, as green and yellow combined. 

If what what Kate and Jerry had said was true, it seemed that there were far more people who would be willing to betray me than help, if it came down to it.

What really caught my eye, however, was a large, star-shaped symbol covering part of Southern California. It looked very similar to the North Star necklace I was wearing around my neck, and I couldn't help but wonder how the two things were related.

I turned to ask Jerry and Kate about this, but noticed them standing on the opposite side of the room with their arms wrapped consolingly around one another, as they stared at a wall full of candles. Most of the candle wicks were bare, but there were a few that still had small flames burning sporadically.

As I approached them, I could see the solemn look on their faces. This was the expression of people who had suffered a great deal, who were haunted by things beyond my comprehension. I wanted to hold them and tell them that everything would be fine, but I had no way of knowing that because I wasn't even sure what was wrong yet. 

"What's wrong?" I asked, as Kate let out a sob.

"This room was a place where many members of the Aurea Lux would come to practice the craft. Each of these candles represents one of our members," Jerry explained, his voice nearly inaudible. 

I stepped forward to look more closely at the candles, and saw names etched in small writing in the wax. 

"These candles are lit using magic from a wellness ceremony, which sends peace and prosperity to the object of the ritual. The candles were magically manipulated so that they can burn for eternity. As long as their flame is burning, it means that that person is alive and well," Jerry continued.