The Mirror Guardian

Chapter Twenty: Are You Kidding Me?!

The clock chimed 6pm, and Mailee, seated from the small table in the library, looked up from her piles of books. She should be doing other things, or at least trying to talk with Mira. Nooroo, dozing in her lap, yawning from boredom. They had been in there for the past six hours straight.

Mailee stroked her on top of Nooroo's head and ran a hand along the page of the book in front of her. The  First Iron Blood Witches' Punsad (Dead) markings stared up at her, their intricate curves and angles speaking a language she couldn't yet really finish to decipher. She wondered darkly, "How could their power possibly still work when magic itself was gone in this realm?"

She hadn't seen Lady Mira since that first encounter, didn't dared to approach her yet, or tell anyone what she'd learned. Mailee swallowed the tightness in her throat and turned the page. Her heart stopped.

There, looking up at her, were the symbols she'd seen near the clock tower. And in the margin, written by someone centuries ago, was the explanation: For sacrifices to the Daalwal (Darkness): using the victim's blood, marks the area around it accordingly. Once the creature has been summoned, these marks guide the exchange: for the flesh of the sacrifice, the beast will grant you the victim's life-force.

Mailee fought to keep her hands from trembling as She flipped through the pages, searching for anything about the marks around the castle. When the book yielded nothing, she returned to the summoning spell. "A Daalwal-- that was the name of the beast? What was it? Where had it been summoned from, if it wasn't-- The Punsad gates!"

She pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes. "Someone was actually using the Punsad marks to open a portal to summon this creature. It was impossible, because magic was gone on earth, but the texts said Punsad marks existed outside of magic. What if their power still worked? But... But the cook, the maid, and the keeper? How could they do such a thing? Is this whole festival just so that they could gain more life-force from others? And how could they keep everything hidden so well?"

Mailee took a steady breath. "The festival wasn't real-- that was certainly true-- and I know there was nothing normal about this whole thing to begin with. Unless..." Ice moved through Mailee's vains. "Unless the cook, the maid, and the keeper was here to start something bigger-- unless all they seek is eternal life. In which it's no longer safe once they fine out about the phoenix that is right under their noses. But why kill different beings from different realms? Why not target the Earthlings of this realm? Their plans would have been perfect for that. Why use Punsad marks?" Mailee's eyes rose from the book.

She looked around the library walls using the spectacles to see if she can pinpoint a secret passage writing on them. She may not have found anything but a book did appear to glow to her faintly to her left. She went to fetch it and returned to her seat.

The Creators Enchantments by The First Iron Witches.

It was weird that she found The Creators Enchantments almost immediately-- discarded on a lonely table between some stacks. As though it has been waiting for her. And it had been the work of a few minutes to find a spell inside that claimed to unlock anything. She quickly memorized it and decided to try it on Soveless tonight later after dinner. But before that she cleaned up her area and picked the spectacles inter her back pocket for later.

As she was walking back she has managed the small cake from the kitchen. Nooroo just raised an accusing eyebrow at her actions. Mailee just smiled as she commented. "Dè, Cha do rinn duine tagradh air an turas seo. Bhiodh e na sgudal mura itheadh duine e. Mar sin carson nach mi. (What, No one claimed it this whole time. It would be a waste if no one ate it. So why not me.)" Nooroo just signed at her with a small smile.