Operation Witchcraft

Chapter 5: Missionary

Ollie had been surprisingly chipper given the sudden revelation of magic. But, that was Ollie for you. She was like a duck on a wave, she let it wash right over her.

Ella had been enjoying the walk through the Sanctuary, it gave her a quick scout around the whole thing. All Sanctuaries are built the same, more or less. Some are bigger, with more fancy rooms, some smaller, with less living areas, but they're all the same. Plus, Wendall had filled her in while Ella stood vigil for Ollie. She had sat herself down next to her friend for the whole two days Ollie was out, and no one came up to the infirmary except for nurses and Wendall.

That was why she hadn't met or seen any of the other mages at the Sanctuary.

That is, until she had taken Ollie around the Sanctuary.

The mission room was always the busiest, she remembered that from when she stayed in one as a child. Not this one, but close enough. She took Ollie there to show her the fun part of magic, the part where they tracked down Nox, Dark Ones, and demons, and took them down. True to tune, the mission room was bustling with people left and right, people at computers and dashing about. Some held various weapons, some were talking on phones, some flipping through files full of paper.

Ella ran her eyes over the whole of the room, trying to gather all the people in at once. There were more here than the last time she had sat foot in a Sanctuary.

That was when she was Demma. Demetri.

He had been a childhood friend. He had been there through... He had disappeared when she was eleven.

Her heart stopped. His eyes connected with hers, and the world froze.

His eyes went wide, exposing the whites around his deep blue eyes. She could feel her stomach plummet, and her knees seemed to give out under her.

"E? E!" Ollie appeared before her, shaking her out of her trance.

Ella looked between Ollie and Demetri. Ollie's eyes were as wide as saucers, and Demetri's eyes were set into a hard glare. The room seemed to fade ever so slightly, then it snapped back into place. She took a deep breath, trying to clear out her lungs. Looking at Ollie, Ella pulled herself into reality.

"Olivia, meet Demetri. A decorated mage, I'm sure." Ella's voice was ice. Ollie flinched at the sound of her full name coming from Ella.

Demetri's body language turned cold, turning away from Ella and Ollie, "More than you might ever know." Ollie glanced between Ella and Demetri, trying to size up the situation.

"I'm Olivia, pleasure to meet you," Ollie walked toward Demetri, hand extended, bubbly personality in full swing. Demetri shook her hand, curiosity evident on his face. Ollie kept on chattering, flitting around him like a butterfly in a flower garden. He watched her as she spoke, replying with just enough curiosity to keep her going.

Ella, standing back near the elevator, was fuming. He had disappeared and now he had the nerve... the nerve... to stand there and... be him? She watched Ollie and Demetri interact and Demetri slowly start to warm.

"Demetri Wiseman. New order. Head to the Library to receive mission details." Demetri's head whipped up to the sound of the speakers, bowed his head to Ollie, and left the room. Ella decided to follow behind him, leaving Ollie to say hello to the other mages of the Sanctuary.

The hallways had carpets, so her steps were hidden from the echoes of the hallway. Demetri slipped into the library, and she stuck her foot in the door just in time for it not to close. Ella entered the library, pleasantly surprised by the modern atmosphere and slightly dimmed lighting. The bookshelves reached to the ceiling, creating little pathways in the Library. Ella could see Glyphs etched on the floor here and there, and the room was definitely bigger than the Sanctuary had square footage. One Glyph she understood, it meant 'space'.

Demetri was weaving his way through the rows. He passed by lounges and little rooms, some filled with people, most empty. The further in they went, the less modern the library became, and the more the books became filled with old magic. Demetri occasionally touched a book here or there, an almost loving touch.

Nestled into the east side of the library was a small room, which looked like a miniature version of the mission room. Demetri entered with no hesitation, and Ella shrunk down near the doorway.

Ella pulled her headphones out of her pocket, and plugged them into her phone. A few moments later a matching glyphs adorned her phone and the door. The sound came through, with a bit of static, but it came through.

"-here?" It was Demetri's voice.

"We have a reconnaissance mission for you." This time it was a different male.

"There are forces at play here that even we do not understand... We need the book." A female voice.

"Need it? What for? You know what that thing did the last time it surfaced." Demetri again.

"You know there are other uses for that book." The female's voice was soft, Ella almost couldn't hear it.

There was a deep sigh, Ella assumed it came from Demetri.

"Is this an order?"

"No, but -"

"Then I'm not doing it."

"De-"

"No! I just saw Ella outside, did you know that? Did you know she was back? Her family got the brunt of that damn book and they were supposed to be the protectors for it!" Demetri's voice was loud enough to hear through the door.

"Would you rather the book fall into the hands of the Nox?" The man said.

There was a long pause. Demetri groaned.

"Fine. Fine! I'll look into it." Ella could almost feel the smile on the woman's face. There was a shuffling movement in the room.

Ella dived deeper into the library as fast as she could. The door behind her opened right as she swung around a bookshelf. Three pairs of footsteps left the room, two headed toward the front. One started to move, and then paused.

"E... Please don't hate me." Demetri's voice wavered. Ella put a hand over her mouth, the other one holding her stomach. Even if Demetri knew she was there, she didn't want to alert him further. She wanted to stay hidden, as much as possible.

Demetri's steps faded away, toward the front of the library. Ella slid down to the floor, tears threatening to spill.

The book the trio were referring to was the only copy of a much older book that was locked away in another realm. The older copy is inaccessible without an incantation that only a few in the world knew, and those people were sworn to never tell another. The only copy of that book was supposedly lost, after the wrong people tried to summon the wrong thing. The book is partially sentient, the very words that were copied into the book infused with the magic that it carried. It lashed out to all the people nearby when that spell was used, sensing the true intents of those who were trying to use the book.

Some of the people nearby the book were Ella's family. She had been away, on a low-level Sanctuary mission. When she returned, her family was gone, Demetri was gone, and she was alone. The Sanctuary had cast her out, and she was... alone.

Ella's thoughts were racing, two tears slipping down her cheeks, unnoticed. Her thoughts went to a book, hidden at the back of her closet. They could never know. They must never know.