Mystery Noir

Gates and Trials Part 1

The snow had remained after the storm had passed, though the clouds had disappeared, leaving a cold expanse of stars scattered above the trees and mountains that circled around us as we silently left the house and climbed into Enzo's SUV. We had spoken minimal words after I woke up to Enzo cooking supper, eating and getting ready in a utilitarian fashion. It wasn't that I was regretting what we had done, my body felt satisfied, and I was at peace. It was that we were both in 'mission mode', focusing on the tasks ahead of us.

I had my Walkman in my pocket and the books I had put in my backpack in case we needed them for some reference. Enzo drove, his large SUV far better in the snow than my mustang had been, and far warmer, seeing as how it wasn't a convertible from the sixties. The road was empty and dark, and the surrounding forest seemed more like silent, forbidding sentinels than they had earlier. Though that was possibly because of my mindset more than a change in the forest itself.

I opened my mouth to point out the fence to Enzo as we began to pass it, but looking at his expression, cold and distant, I found myself silenced. I wondered what he was thinking about. Going into a dangerous situation without Ver? Whatever experiences he'd had in the past with magic? Perhaps just silencing his mind and preparing it for whatever was to come. Whatever it was, I did not want to interrupt him.

I felt the odd stillness, the certainty, that often fell over me when things were getting 'real' as they say. And my own urge to talk was non-existent, as if I had to summon a great deal of energy to try to break through this oppressive seriousness that had fallen around us.

Silently, I motioned to the upcoming driveway and was opening the door before Enzo had the SUV fully stopped. I climbed out, trudging through calf deep snow and pushing the gates open for him to drive by, then closed the gates behind the SUV and climbed back in. It wasn't until we were halfway up the drive than I frowned and turned to him.

"I didn't have to invite you in." I whispered.

Enzo offered me a strained smile and a shrug. "Wards are weird things. Who's to tell what they've been set for."

He was right. It had only been a theory that Penny had merely been an outsider. Maybe it was different from that? Maybe her type of magic wasn't accepted, or something far more specific than me being from the area and her not.

So I nodded and mulled it over as I pulled on my backpack, grabbed one box of treats that Enzo had made and started up the stairs, hearing his soft footfall behind me. When I got to the top step, the two doors opened for us, followed by a scattering of shadows and pattering of footsteps as most of the Urisks fled from sight.

But standing in the centre of the doorway was Breeeee.

The little creature smiled and hopped from foot to foot, though it avoided looking at Enzo and shifted so that I was in between the two of them.

As I pulled out my flashlight, Enzo paused, glancing around the room with a disinterest that was odd, though I couldn't place why. He then strode to the centre of the room and put his box of treats down, opening it up and stepping backward toward me.

The doors closed firmly behind the two of us, though in the light that rapidly closed with it, I saw a swarm of the creatures converge on the box that contained cupcakes, cookies and other small treats that Enzo must have been up the whole time to make.

I frowned when I saw Breeeee pushed away from the box by the larger creature; it sent her tumbling back to the ground where she sat, sadly watching the frenzy of happiness and somewhat chaos.

"Breeeee." I whispered and crouched down, catching her attention and waving her over before I reached into my box and pulled out a cupcake.

With a joyful noise, she skipped over to me and snatched the cupcake out of my hand, before scurrying behind my leg to devour it. When a couple other Urisks turned around to look at me hopefully, I did my best to look firm. "You should have shared when you had the chance."