Chapter Text
V Act 1 - Chapter 7 V
- Smoke And Mirrors -
*V*V*
“You wanna draw the sigil with your hand, tracing its shape. You know?” Azariah explained, sitting across from me on the makeshift table in the Cherubs’ room. He moved his hand gently through the air, demonstrating “All as you perform the spell. As usual, you can say the incantation out loud or you can perform it in your head. Whichever works for you.”
I nodded, he already explained everything else to me. Now all that was needed for me to get it right. I took a deep breath and focused my gaze on my hand. Trying to channel everything in me into every movement as I glided it through the air. I kept the visual of the sigil in my mind as I traced my finger through the air over and over, recreating it. Finally, a spark began. A glow followed my finger, literally visualizing the sigil.
I smiled as the sigil completed and it vaporized in the air, the magic having nothing to cling to. I did it. “I think that’s a new record for me.”
Azariah shrugged, smirking. “Less than twenty attempts and under an hour? Yep, definitely. Congrats. Ready for the real thing?”
I looked at Azariah, wide eyed and thought for a moment. Glancing at my hand, I half-smirked and shrugged. “Yeah… let’s give it a try. Just… the same thing, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Azariah nodded and shrugged, pulling the sleeve of his shirt. “Just try not to put too much energy in. That can cause… damages.”
“Damages? Wha-what does that mean?”
“It’s nothing to worry about… I…” Azariah paused, hesitating or reevaluating his words. “I have confidence in your ability. And any harm can be reversed… I’m pretty sure. Just-just don’t focus too much on that.”
“Wha-I-I’m sorry but now all I can focus on is messing up.” My mind was already starting to spiral, my heart pounding. I was already a far cry from the confidence I was just moments ago. “Now I’m not sure if-“
“Hey, hush now…” Azariah softened his voice, speaking matter of factly. “If you spiral and only focus on the negative, then the negative will be all there is. Keep an open mind and focus on the desired outcome. Sure… the negative is still possible, especially with you, but… you're not some mystic-phobic, who can only mess up. You have more to you than that and, if you put your mind to it, you can do it. You can surpass any hurdle. You’ve made it this far, yeah?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. Looking down at my hand again with a furrowed brow, “Okay… yeah, I can do this… Ready?”
Azariah gave me his hand, nodding. I rested it gently in my left hand, hovering my right over the back of his. I took a second, adjusting my headspace before pressing my finger against his skin.
“Can… can you talk to me?” I asked, hesitating once more. “About why we’re doing this? Keep me… focused?”
Azariah exhaled but nodded. He spoke softly, “This sigil is for disguise magic, specifically a human disguise. It’s drawn by your magic, becoming a physical manifestation of it. Allowing me to use a sliver of your magical energy, to disguise myself as a Human so long as the sigil remains on my hand.”
As Azariah spoke, his words keeping my mind focused on the desired outcome, I traced the sigil in his skin with my finger. Mumbling the incantation under my breath. As it did just moments before, a spark came and light followed my finger. Slowly drawing the sigil. However, a sizzling sound began as well.
Azariah winced as I completed the sigil, its glow brightening and the sizzling growing louder. I recoiled my hand away, it began to tremble. “Oh Satan… did I burn you? Or… did I do too much?”
Azariah gritted his teeth, moving his hand with the sigil engraved on it towards him. He examined it and shook his head, the glow diminishing. “No… no, I think you did it perfectly. It’s just… you’re, like, a fire elemental. Flame and heat is embedded deep into every spark of your magic. I’m fine… didn’t really hurt. More surprising, really.”
“Oh, I… never thought about that.” I glanced down at my hand once more. Holding it in my other before resting both of them in my lap. “It makes sense, actually…”
Azariah continued examining his newly branded hand, sliding his sleeve back down. “Yeah… I hadn’t either, not until after I saw you burn the library’s caretaker. Still pretty crazy your fire was able to stop him so easily.”
I nodded, feeling a sense of pride mixed with anxiety. I never figured my fire could be capable of such a thing. I couldn’t help but worry over the possible explanations and what that might mean for me. Though I tried to snuff out that worry, knowing it was irrational. Or at least that's what I told myself.
A day had passed since the library excursion. We decided to take a day to thoroughly study our new materials, then we’d put our new knowledge to the test the next. It was a long day but also a rather fun and interesting one. Some of the books were actually very interesting and refreshing to go over. Even helpful and encouraging. Gave us all, me especially, new hope that our goals weren’t entirely a fool’s errand or ill-fated.
Azariah grabbed his suit jacket and put it back on. Smirking at me as he stood before me, adjusting the jacket’s fit. “Alright… moment of truth.”
Azariah closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He held his right hand over the left, covering the sigil as they both hovered over his chest. A sparkle and twinkle of purple and blue light started to swirl from his hands. It twirled and orbited around Azariah, starting at his feet and working up past his shoulders. As the orbit completed, my eyes went wide with a smile. It worked, the sigil worked.
Azariah examined himself, outstretching his arms with a smirk. Displaying our success. To my surprise, he looked rather good. His suit worked really well with the look and I found myself not minding the bandana as much. He didn’t look any different in terms of structure, though his hair was now a dark black with some lighter strands. His curls were also far more dominant than before. He also now had a dark complexion, balanced between lighter brown and darker brown. His eyes weren’t as extraordinary but still reminded me of a blue moon. Overall, he appears like a descendent of the Māori people.
“It’s been so long, I've almost missed this form.” Azariah huffed with a smirk, messing with his hair before shoving his hands in his pockets. The sigil on his hand had noticeably hidden itself. “See? Nothing to be worried about. You’re making amazing progress, Tavi.”
I smile, nodding as the realization of my success and progress sets in further. But then the name he called by me registered in my mind, a brow raising. “What’d you call me?”
“Tavi.” Azariah glared proudly at me with a smirk. Though the faint redness in his cheeks indicated he felt more conflicted then he wanted to let on. “You know… a nickname.”
“I can tell but… what kind of nickname is that?”
“Tavi… Octavia, Oc- tavi -a. Tavi.” His blush seemed to heat up as he explained it.
I rolled my eyes with a scoff, trying to suppress the smile and giggle his stupid name was bringing on. “Don’t call me that.”
“Okay…” He averted his eyes with a sigh. Shaking his head with a click on the tongue. Then he perked up, like nothing happened. “You think you're ready to find the Grimoire?”
My eyes widened and they stared at the wooden floor. I began fidgeting with my sleeves, still feeling a little nervous. But I nodded, “I think so… it’s worth trying at least. And it’s probably not a good idea to delay any longer if we don’t have to, right?”
Azariah smiled, nodding. He stepped closer and gently slapped the side of my arm. “Hey! Exactly! I’m glad we’re starting to get on the same page! This should be easy. Cast the spell, follow the sigil. We should be golden.”
I backed away with a raised brow, rubbing where he nudged me. “I think you're oversimplifying it but… I guess you're technically not wrong.”
“I’m not wrong. We can do this. You can do this.” Azariah gave a thumbs up, an earnest smile on his lips. I shrugged, smiling reluctantly. He then glanced over to the back corner of the room. Collin was sitting on a box and reading one of his books. “Right Collin?”
The sheep perked up, looking at us with wide eyes. “Huh? Oh, cool. Yo-you-you guys got the disguise working. Congrats.”
“Yes, Octavia did amazing. We both think we’re ready to find the Grimoire. Don’t you?”
Collin smiled, nodding his head. “I-I do. We have everything we need and… know-know what to do. And if-if Octavia’s doing good with her magic then… yeah. I-I think it’s time.”
I glanced at Azariah and him at me, he nodded and I shrugged again. The thought of finally being able to get the Grimoire back was exciting, though having the responsibility solely on my shoulders was very daunting. Even now, with everything we had and all the work we did, I couldn’t snuff out the anxiety. But I wasn’t going to let that little thing hold us back when we were so close. They were right, we can do this. I can do this.
Azariah and Collin left me to fetch the others, who had gone to another part of the loft for some privacy. I supposed they had enough of our company from yesterday. When Azariah returned, he was alone. He closed the door behind him and groaned with a head shake. “I guess we’re doing this alone.”
I raised a brow, “what?”
“It’s gonna just be you and I,” Azariah placed his hands on his hips, furrowing his brow, “I talked to Cletus and Keenie and… they’re refusing to go with us. Saying there’s no point and they can’t really disguise, so it’s just easier for us. Blah, blah, blah.”
I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. Though shrugged nonetheless. “Yeah, great good… those two …”
“They’ve done their part.” Azariah claimed.
“Have they? They didn’t do anything at the library but got attacked, they’re lucky that Keeper was chill. And yesterday all they did was protest everything we did. Interrupting me every time I spoke or tearing me down. Collin pulled more weight than those two combined. Now they won’t even help us with the Grimoire? It’s like they don’t even want to go back to Heaven.”
Azariah rolled his eyes, “I think you’re exaggerating. They’re not that bad. They’ve helped plenty. They’ve…”
“Why do you always defend them?”
“I don’t know!” Azariah exclaimed, “they’ve been helpful in the past. I guess I just have faith in them!”
“Well they’re not helpful now. It’s not about faith, it’s about facts. I’m not saying there’s no chance they can be helpful, rather they’ve set up a pattern of disappointment.”
Azariah sighed then shrugged, “I don’t know what you want me to say, Octavia. Just… just give them a chance. Once we have what we need to… start correcting things they’ll prove themselves. They’re just going through it.”
I shook my head with an eye roll, “whatever… as long as they don’t get us hurt.”
Azariah nodded, “exactly. Yeah, exactly. That’ll never happen but if I ever thought it possible, I’d be with you. That’s too far. But let’s get back to the task at hand, yes?”
I sighed with a nod, “Yes… yes, let’s…”
Trying to put my conflicting thoughts aside, Azariah and I gathered what we needed. Azariah fetched the book to read out the ritual one last time as I grabbed the candles the humans got us. Arranging them in a circle around me, in a spiraling order from smallest to biggest.
While Azariah went to find the jar of salted water, vanilla extract and pure vinegar made for us; I began lighting the candles. Snapping my fingers and lighting a flame, I muttered the incantation as I lit them in reverse order. Biggest to smallest. The beginnings of the sigil followed my finger as I moved from candle to candle.
I finished out the sigil as Azariah returned. I sighed as I took the jar. “This better work…”
“It will work.” Azariah nodded, looking with pity as I took a big swig from the jar. I wasn’t entirely convinced but I wasn’t going to not try.
I grimaced at the taste of the crude liquid as Azariah took the jar back. My tongue felt like it was burning and it was hard to focus. But I closed my eyes and managed to anyway.
Now, I needed to think. Think and focus on the Grimoire. A significant and powerful memory that connects me to the book. I clenched my fists as I did. The sigil glowing and humming, the violet fire burning the candles away faster.
The memory, the connection, that came to me was… stargazing. All the times my dad used it to show me the stars. Used it to take me away to places to view the beauty of Earth and the universe. Then I tensed up… my mind wandering, to his failures. To his betrayal, to giving the book away and leaving me to see the stars on my own. The book felt like the only thing tying him to me. Now it was gone… and so soon would he be.
My eyes shot open. Humming with an ethereal heat. A purple glow replacing the usual reddish-pink. The white tips of my fingers glowed the same color and I felt the sigil collapse and begin to swirl around me. I followed it, spinning as the candles burnt away and their remnants joined the light of the sigil.
Then I stopped, the mystic substance now falling into my palm. I clenched my hand into a fist as I brought it to my face. Watching as familiar sigils formed up and down my arm, stopping at my shoulder. I glanced at Azariah then took a deep breath. My tongue didn’t burn anymore, I didn’t taste the crudeness either.
I let out a concise and powerful breath through my lips as I opened my hand. The substance once in my mouth mixed with the mystic energy in my palm. Creating a powder-esque stream that flew through the loft, before going completely invisible to the eye.
A new sigil, however, remained on my palm. It was big, hardly even fitting. It was like a compass but the middle was more akin to a radar. Pointing us in very precise fashion to where we needed to go. A smile crept on my lips…
Collin clapped and Azariah just stared with stars in his eyes before shaking that off. Walking up to me and glancing down at the compass sigil. “See? You did it. This is going to work. Now we just-”
“Follow the trail to places the Grimoire left an imprint on, where the energy lingers to try and… lock onto the Grimoire itself.” I took a deep breath and nodded. “Easy as pie…”
***
“Son of-!” Azariah cursed as we tripped through the most recent portal. He huffed, dusted himself off and looked around. Nodding, “this it? We finally made it?”
I narrowed my eyes at the compass sigil and nodded. “Yeah… we’re here…”
Once we finished the ritual, we hastily began our search. The sigil had us running all over. Going from place to place on Earth and even in Hell. It was awkward, since we had to avoid being spotted or making too much of a scene. But since all we had to do was go to the location and linger, it wasn’t too hard.
Though I must have done something wrong in the ritual, or perhaps my magic still wasn’t very good. As the sigil lagged occasionally or disappeared when I didn’t intend it too. Causing confusion or inconvenience. It also seemed I still needed to work on my portals, still messing up locations or creating unstable doorways. This seemed especially problematic after reliving certain memories I wasn’t prepared for.
The sigil took us to locations I remembered visiting in my childhood… with my father… Crucial moments full of countless feelings, and immense impact. It was rather troubling and I tried not to let it get to me but it’s safe to say I failed. So I tried to shut everything out and stay focused, snuffing out all feelings and thoughts in favor of tunnel vision. Hoping that would help as we traversed the lands, getting closer to pinpointing the Grimoire.
And it kind of did, until we began traversing Hell. One of the last locations that we visited was my home… seeing the familiar scenery instantly made my blood run cold. Then watching as the building came into view had me in a daze. I knew I wouldn’t need to go inside, and the estate is too big for any likelihood I’d get seen. But that didn’t make it any easier. I already hated being down there again but having to step foot near the home I now knew was made of sand? I wouldn’t dare if I had the choice… It felt like this chase for the Grimoire was cursed, and every step was haunting me. Like the book itself was punishing me for how foolish I was.
Azariah seemed to catch on from the beginning but this was the last straw. He tried to ask about it. He already knew about my family problems and pieced together this was my home. I guess he just wanted to know more, to understand what it was specifically that had happened. I don’t know why he suddenly cared so much, or why he became extra uptight once we got close to the palace walls. I didn’t want to talk about it, which only bothered him more.
Once we got what we needed, I instantly tried to portal us away. The portals weren’t very stable, so it took several attempts. Eventually ending up in familiar city streets. Azariah and I began walking, both in our human disguises. My gaze fixed almost immovably on my hand, the sigil exposing my real hand under its glow.
Azariah grimaced with a faint groan as he looked around, “ugh… Los Angeles… I hate this place. Why’d the Grimoire have been here?”
I didn’t answer at first but we had to stop at a crosswalk. Azariah repeated the question as I looked to see if we could cross. I huffed with a gulp, “Because of me, I got lost here before I got to Purgatory. I mentioned this before, remember…?”
“Oh… Right, yeah.” Azariah averted his eyes with a sigh. His brow furrowed. He actually looked ashamed or annoyed. I wondered later if it was at me, or himself?
We followed the compass, keeping to ourselves in silence. My heart wouldn’t stop pounding and my mind wouldn’t shut up but I didn’t pay any attention to it. Though the weight felt lifted almost when I stopped. Staring in wide eyed disbelief at where the compass had taken us. The Star Owl Souvenir shop…
My mind only sped up and my heart thumped harder. I had hardly thought about Ryleigh since I left. Not to say I didn’t think about him but I had no hope of ever seeing him again. He was a good friend and, while his idea didn’t pan out as intended, his help meant more than I could express. So the thought of getting to see him again? I couldn’t tell if it eased me, or pained me further.
Azariah snapped me out of my haze, literally, by snapping his fingers in my face. “You having a seizure or something? What’s wrong?
“What? No, nothing’s wrong…” I blinked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Pff, yeah right. Tavi, you look like you seen a ghost.”
“It’s not…” I looked away. Clenching my fists, watching as the sigil vanished and my hand turned human again. “I said not to call me that.”
“Hmm… sorry.” Azariah huffed, pacing around me. “Seriously, what’s wrong? Is it gonna be a problem?”
I sighed and looked up at the poster for the shop. It was a different one but with the same character, me . Now she was commanding a fleet of shooting stars. It was… amazing. I shook my head, “No. Not at all…”
“Then what’s wrong”
“It’s… hard to explain… I might have a friend here.”
Azariah stopped pacing. Standing firm next to me and glanced at the shop, then back at me. “A friend?”
“Maybe…”
“How jolly for you.”
“Shut up.” I rolled my eyes and went to look at the sigil. But it wouldn’t appear when I opened my hand. I shook it and even hit it against myself, only then did it flicker to life. Without a doubt, we had to go in the shop.
“Look at you… getting around.” Azariah scoffed. Crossing his arms, “friends with a human and an Angel? Wow .”
“We’re not friends.” I glared at Azariah, my fists clenching once more. Though I saw his expression falter, his smirk twitching and his eyes barely holding back a flinch. I huffed and looked away. “Look… I just want to get the Grimoire, master my magic and… then go home. And we’re gonna do that, helping you is gonna do that… But right now, I might want to take a breather and talk. Maybe…”
Azariah averted his eyes, his posture tensing up a bit. “Yeah, whatever, I don’t care. So long as we get this done.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, holding myself almost as I glanced back at the shop. He’s weird, but I supposed I am too. What a pair we make…
I rested my arms at my sides and swallowed. Ryleigh or not, friend or not, we had to go in. So that’s what we did. Entering through its door, the bell chimed and echoed through the vacant shop. Only one or two other people inside, not counting the employee at the front counter. Who I couldn’t recognize right away.
I glanced at my hand and followed the sigil further in. Though I closed it at my side after a single step. My focus on the employee as we approached the counter. Was it him? They were doing something on the computer, the screen mostly obscured their face.
Before we could even say anything, the employee glanced away from the computer at us. Then shifted to greet us properly, that familiar laid back, tender smile on his face. It was Ryleigh.
“Hi… how can I help ya?” He asked softly, leaning on the counter. He wore similar attire to before, though now had a white long sleeve underneath his black oversized shirt. He clearly didn’t recognize me, now that I looked human.
I swallowed, a timid smile shifting on my lips. I began playing with my sleeves, “Hey… we’re actually… I’m here to talk to you.”
Ryleigh’s eyes flickered and widened as soon as he heard my voice. His smile grew and he pushed himself off the counter. “Wait… it can’t be… Octavia? Or, Via?”
I nodded, my smile growing as well. “Yeah, it’s me…”
He looked over me, taking in my familiar outfit and walked out from behind the counter. “Holy shit… it’s really you? You… damn, you look…”
“Like shit?”
Ryleigh scoffed, shaking his head. “No! Not at all, I mean-“
“No, I know what you meant.” I exhaled, glancing down at myself then back at him. Opening my arms as if to display my human form. “Yeah. I’m… you know, disguised…”
Ryleigh nodded as he took in my new form one last time then. He glanced back at the other customers then back at us. Gesturing for us to follow him. “Come on, let’s go in the back… I’ll have the manager clock in my break.”
I smiled and glanced at Azariah before following. He was tense, glaring at Ryleigh with furrowed brows. He looked at me, his expression softening almost, shaking his head. I huffed and turned back to Ryleigh, following him. The Angel rolled his eyes and did the same. Though it was clear he was only following me.
Ryleigh stopped by his manager’s office and informed he was going on break. The guy nodded and headed out while we entered the breakroom. Ryleigh closed the door behind us and sat at a table, his right arm propped up as he smiled at the two of us.
“So… tell me, what’s happened? What’s going on? Fill me in!”
Azariah, standing tall next to me, narrowed his eyes as Ryleigh spoke. Contrastingly, I was relaxed and smiling back. I stepped forward, averting my eyes with a shrug. “Well… your idea didn’t really work out… it was good but… my magic problems are a little deeper, I guess…”
“Oh…” Ryleigh averted his eyes as well, his smiling vanishing steadily.
“But I’m okay… despite how messed up things got I found some… some footing.” I continued, trying to keep my smile up. “I got to see the meteor shower and-and… it was amazing! And, well… I have a new plan for everything. Kinda…”
Ryleigh perked up a little, though he didn’t smile again. “Yeah? I’m glad you got to see that meteor shower! I hope it was everything you wanted!”
I swallowed, averting my eyes once more. My breathing hitching, “Yeah… it was… and more.”
“What’s this new plan? What’re you up to now?” Ryleigh looks at me then at Azariah, “and what brings you back here? Can’t just be for me.”
“Uh… well …” A little timidly, I explain that I lost the Grimoire and am now trying to find it. Showing him the sigil on my hand even.
“Oh, o-okay, I get it… so you're following the trail and since the Grimoire was here, now you have to be.” I nodded and Azariah shrugged. Ryleigh nodded as well, shifting in his seat as he thought. “Yeah, okay… I’m glad we got to see each other again! And it’s nice that you seem to be getting better. I mean… that disguise… you really look human. I literally didn’t recognize you at first! You’ve clearly come a long way with your magic already!”
“Heh… yeah, I kinda have I guess…” I averted my eyes with a shrug. Rubbing my arm as I look at Azariah, “and that’s definitely thanks to him.”
Ryleigh looked at Azariah, who seemed to soften at my words and timid demeanor. Though he tensed up again as he met Ryleigh’s gaze. Ryleigh stood up, approaching Azariah with a soft smile. “Ah… I’m glad she has you! You’re the one she met in Purgatory? I’m Ryleigh.”
“ Azariah .” The Angel huffed with narrowed eyes.
“Yeah, he and I have been working together…” I began to explain further. “He helps me with the Grimoire… and I help him in return, helping with my magic too along the way. And so far it’s… going well…”
Ryleigh nodded, backing away from us as he looked away from Azariah. He tilted his head, “I’m glad you found some help. He clearly knows what he’s doing and is reliable… seeing how far you’ve already come. I knew you had it in you.”
I smiled softly as I looked back at Ryleigh. He was always supportive, huh? Accepting that truth made me genuinely touched, even further than I already was by his friendship. Only, when I went to speak, Azariah stepped forward. His arms, once crossed, dropping to his sides. Standing between Ryleigh and me as if to defend me.
“Yeah? Well, your idea for her was awful. Not helpful at all,” Azariah growled, one hand held out near me and the other pointing at Ryleigh accusingly. “She could’ve missed the meteor shower, or worse. What if she got lost forever? Or hurt? And not to mention she actually did lose the Grimoire!”
Ryleigh looked taken back by the sudden aggression and just stared blankly at Azariah. I took a step forward, forcing his arm in front of me down, “Azariah, stop! Ryleigh was just trying to help! Ryleigh… don’t listen to him-”
“And what’s your deal, anyway?” Azariah continued, “you know she’s a Demon, does that not bother you? What do you want from her? What are you trying to do here?”
Ryleigh narrowed his eyes after glancing at me once more. Taking and letting out a deep breath, “I’m not trying to do anything. I don’t care what Octavia is, she’s proven more than enough that being a demon doesn’t change that she’s a person. She’s been kind and understanding and funny. I care about her, as a friend. And I’m sorry… truly, I don’t know anything about magic. I just did what I could… with the little time. I gave her the advice I knew and, from what I’ve heard, it worked out in the end. So get out of my face , please .”
Azariah clenched his fists as they fell to his hands and huffed. Though he reluctantly took a step back. Glancing at me before back at Ryleigh. He nodded slowly, “Okay…”
“Ryleigh, don’t listen to him… I know you did your best and…” I swallowed and nodded, smiling timidly, “I appreciate your efforts… and even if it didn’t help at first, your advice did help. So thank you…”
“It’s okay, Via…” Ryleigh looked at Azariah then back at me, “I can’t blame him for wanting to be cautious… I’m okay.”
“No, it’s not okay…” I glared at Azariah, growling almost, “what is your problem ? That angry I said we aren’t friends? Or over this delay that’s hardly a delay? Or trying to compensate for something?”
“I don’t have a problem.” Azariah crossed his arms.
“Oh, you clearly do…”
“Not anymore.”
“You-”
“It’s okay, really!” Ryleigh stepped in again, “Look, I don’t wanna get between you two. No harm done, okay?”
I backed off Azariah and softened as I looked at Ryleigh, exhaling. “Fine… if you say so…”
“Good. Really, I don’t care,” Ryleigh put his hands in his pockets then smiled softly at me, “I’d hate to delay your search. But… Via? Before you two continue, can we talk? Privately real quick? It’s unrelated to this, I promise.”
Azariah scoffed, “unrelated, sure .”
I rolled my eyes and shrugged, “yeah, I guess…”
Ryleigh nodded and gestured to a door in the back of the room. I followed him, Azariah huffing as his gaze followed us. Eventually, sitting at a table and holding his head in his hands. I almost felt bad, for whatever reason.
***
The door led outside, to the back. Ryleigh and I came out this way before. As the door shut behind us, Ryleigh pulled out something from his pocket and brought it to his mouth. A vape, taking a deep hit before removing it. A cloud of white, fruity yet awful smelling smoke blowing in my face. I coughed, waving it away with one hand covering my face. Nasty…
“Sorry,” Ryleigh spoke, some smoke still lingering.
“It’s… whatever…” I coughed one last time, waving away the last of it.
“So, uh…” Ryleigh returns his vape to his pocket. Averting his gaze, “know any Hellhounds?”
I perked up, narrowing my eyes with a tilted head. “No?”
Then as Ryleigh’s eyes meant mine, I remembered. Loona… My eyes went wide and I took a deep breath. Ryleigh swallowed, “Well… after you left, a girl came in the shop and… like you now, she was disguised. A Hellhound… asking about you.”
“Oh… Satan,” I looked at the asphalt, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. “Nevermind, I do know a Hellhound… Loona. She found me at that park, after the meteor shower…”
Ryleigh sighed, nodding. “Yeah… thanks to me… I’m sorry. I tried not to say anything but she got physical. Gave me no choice.”
My eyes darted to Ryleigh, my fists clenching at the thought he got hurt. “What? Fuck, she better not have! Are you okay? I’m so sorry…”
“Oh, no don’t worry! I’m fine!” Ryleigh shook his head, then rubbed the back of it. “She just gave me an awful concussion… but it was a while ago, I’m fine. Really.”
I sighed, bringing a hand to my mouth as I furrowed my brow. “I’m really sorry… I didn’t even know they were looking for me when we met…”
“You're fine, don’t apologize… I just thought I should let you know.” Ryleigh brought his vape out again and took another hit, though made sure to keep the smoke away from me this time. “You said she found you? How’d… that go?”
I crossed my arms, shrugging and averting my eyes. “Fine… I guess. Told her I didn’t want to go back… I needed time and space… She promised to trust me.”
“Hm…” Ryleigh nodded, “do you want to talk about it? Why you’re doing this?”
I gulped, fearing that question. But I sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know… I still don’t know what to think…”
Ryleigh watched as I began to pace. He nodded, leaning against a wall as he silently waited for me to speak. Patiently giving me a chance to collect my thoughts and make my decision.
“It’s more than just a broken promise,” I finally began, my voice soft and shaky. “It’s a series of broken promises, lies and betrayals and secrets… I… I feel completely alone. My family, it’s all a lie. My dad doesn’t care about me and never did… I heard him. He was talking to my mum, about their divorce. They’re marriage was arranged . They never loved each other. And me? I’m just an obligation, a duty he had to fulfill… a precautionary heir. He only cared because he had to… but now? I’m almost eighteen. He found his new love and he’s done! He wants out and he’s…”
I let out a shaking breath as I stopped pacing. Leaning against a wall and sliding down to the asphalt. Hugging my knees to my chest. Ryleigh watched, his gaze soft and conflicted. He swallowed and walked up to sit across from me. His legs crisscrossed.
“He’s gonna leave me… all alone…” I finished, tightening my hold over myself.
Ryleigh averted his eyes for a moment and sighed. He fidgeted with his vape before looking back at me, “I’m sorry. To hear all that… I can’t imagine what you're going through. I don’t even know what to say. Cause I mean… I don’t understand. I don’t know what’s all gone on or what’s happened and… I don’t know. Things like this are so complicated…”
“I just don’t know what to do… I’m out here, trying to figure things out. Hoping being away from it all would help… but…”
Ryleigh sighed, “Yeah, I don’t know either… May I ask if… things with your dad have been bad before? Like… if you look back, are there signs? Things that hint at this conclusion? Or is this all very recent?”
I looked at him for a moment before looking away. My initial reaction was to say I should’ve known and I was a fool for ever hoping for the best. But the more I thought… the more I wasn’t sure. I found it difficult to answer, so I didn’t.
Ryleigh took my silence as confirmation, taking a deep breath. “Octavia… I know this is hard. It’s very hard. It’s hard for me because I can’t even fully understand what you're going through or what all has happened. And it’s even harder for you… Both because you don’t know what’s all going on and because you know so much more. Then there’s all the personal stuff, the connection and memories and feelings… the hurt and love and hope and then betrayal… all coming together to make something so awful, so hard and… so complicated. But that’s the thing-”
Ryleigh shifted in his spot. Sitting up straight as he gestured to me with a stern yet sincere expression, “this is serious. This is important. Big… this is your family, your life . You can’t jump to conclusions and rush through this, you can’t let all these things get in the way… you can’t let it push you down or too far. Because anything that you do or anything that happens… will change everything. Will change your future, your life… Regardless of what the truth of the situation is, what you’re feeling matters. But… you can’t let yourself act on these feelings before your thoughts have a chance to catch up.”
I kept my eyes away from him as he spoke. Holding myself a little tighter ashis words sank in. I didn’t enjoy admitting it but he had a point. My uncertainty of whether my dad’s past hinted towards the current revelation was proof. My thoughts told me I was wrong, that this is all new and recent. Despite his faults, my dad always cared for me and showed it wholeheartedly. Why didn’t I realize that sooner? But did that even change anything?
“My thinking is… if I was in your position,” Ryleigh averted his eyes as well, though looked at me again as I finally looked at him. “I’d be careful. Step carefully and treat this as fragile as it is. This time away is good. Give yourself space and time to process your feelings and thoughts… so you can be ready to face things so you can then make a decision. And what I mean is… you have to talk to your dad. Cause you haven’t, have you? About what you heard? About your feelings?”
I tense up further, swallowing then huffing. “No… but I’ve talked to him before. And it never changes anything…”
Ryleigh nodded, “I understand, I do… but here’s the thing. Neither of us know the whole story. There’s so much that may be going on behind the scenes for him that explains, not excuses but explains, his behavior and actions. Maybe he still loves you and cares for you, but he has something going on or has been through something that’s brought the worst out of him? Something that’s stopped him from doing his best or knowing what his best even is? Point is there’s so much more to this story, there always is… things are complicated, especially this. No matter what our minds want to tell us, things aren’t ever as simple as ‘he loves me, or he doesn’t’. So until you know the full story, or are confident you know enough… don’t rush to your decision. Because once you make your decision, a decision that will change everything. Your family, your future, your life … forever . If you make the wrong decision, there’s no guarantee you can take it back.”
I swallowed as I looked away again. Why did he have to make so much sense? And why did it only hurt more? Why did things have to be so complicated? Why…?
“So… all I’m saying is…” Ryleigh began his conclusion, bringing my eyes back to his, “be careful, collect yourself and… talk to him. Confront him on everything and be open and honest. Force him to do the same and… most importantly, keep an open mind. Then… only then, should you even consider making a decision. Be careful, be prepared, be thoughtful and… please, no matter what happens… keep an open mind .”
I stared at him blankly as I tried to process everything. It didn’t exactly make things easier, a bittersweet truth. But, in the end, it did help…. As I found a comfort in the thought that I should take my time. I smiled timidly, “I’ll try… I really will…”
Ryleigh returned the smile as he slowly got up, “I know you will. Just don’t forget, okay? Please, don’t ever forget. And I know everything will be okay.”
“Thank you…” I said softly, my smile becoming a little stronger.
Ryleigh stood before me, nodding as he gave out a hand to help me up. “Only returning the favor, Via.”
I hesitated for a moment, looking at his offered hand. Taking a deep breath with a nod, I accepted his help and firmly took his hand as I stood up. Dusting myself off then smiling as Ryleigh took a step back, returning my smile.
“So… anything else I can do for you?” Ryleigh asked, a small spring in his stance. “Anything I can do to help you guys find the Grimoire or… anything at all?”
I averted my eyes as I shook my head. Glancing down at my hand, I clenched my fists repeatedly until the sigil finally appeared. It was already locked onto the next location. I looked back at Ryleigh, “No, but thanks… I should probably just get going, before Azariah gets more pissy. You know?”
Ryleigh scoffed, smiling softly with a nod. “Yeah, I understand… What’s his deal anyway? He’s really the guy you found in Purgatory?”
I nodded, “yeah… I don’t… he’s a… an Angel.”
“Wha-wait… an Angel ?” Ryleigh’s eyes went wide and he scoffed with more sincerity. He examined me for a moment, judging if I was serious, then gulped. “That’s… really? Like, from Heaven?”
I nodded and shrugged. “Yeah… for real. It’s… complicated though. He got exiled or banished… broke the rules but they don’t want him to fully fall. So instead they had him on, like, house arrest… forced to live in and tend to Purgatory. It’s all kinda… pitiful?”
Ryleigh laughed under his breath with a shrug, “yeah? Pitiful is one word for it… Never would’ve guessed. He ain’t exactly exemplary Angel material.”
I huffed, a soft… almost tender smile on my lips as I glanced over my shoulder. Scratching my cheek as I suppressed a laugh, looking at the door back inside. “Yep… he’s… he’s definitely something…”
Ryleigh sighed, his face going serious and soft again. “And you're sure this is safe? That you can trust him?”
“I don’t know… he’s been fine so far… Part of his exile is he lost all his magic. So he’s powerless, not too dangerous…” I crossed my arms and shrugged, “he thinks… if I help him, he can get around his sentence. Prove to Heaven he’s innocent or something like that. So that’s where this all came from. I help him and he helps me…”
“Well… just be careful, okay?”
“I am, I will be… he’s harmless… They all are. The others are almost entirely useless.”
Ryleigh’s eyes went wide again, “wait, there’s more? Others?”
“Oh…” I’m such an idiot. “Yeah. Three others… back where we’re staying. Cherubs. Acquaintances of Azariah’s… he insisted we help them too…”
“ Via… ” Ryleigh sighed with a shake of the head, “look, I trust you, okay? But… four Angels ? Exiled or not, powerless or not… that’s a huge risk. If they’re so desperate to get back to Heaven that they’re willing to accept help from a Demon? To me it just… feels off. Maybe they’re honest and maybe it’s fine but… doesn’t seem likely to me. So…”
I averted my eyes, holding my arms around myself a little tighter. He had a point, I knew he did. I even used to think and feel the same way. I guess I just got comfortable, or too lazy and tired to keep caring.
“So just be careful, okay?” Ryleigh continued, my eyes moving back to him as brows furrowed. “Remember everything I said about your family and… when it comes to the Angels… please, be careful .”
I swallowed and nodded, averting my eyes again as I thought for a moment. “Yeah… yeah, I will. I promise.”
“Thank you… I trust you and… clearly things have gone well so far. Still… don’t take any chances, okay?”
I nodded again, eventually smiling softly as I reiterated my promise. I l found myself growing a little too comfortable with my Angel associates. Azariah especially… I forgot the risks, or wanted to forget them. I’m not sure which, or even why… but I won’t let myself forget again.
Before heading back inside, Ryleigh offered one last gesture of reassurance. We exchanged numbers, putting our contacts in each other’s phones. The last official step for us. As we handed our phones back, we smiled softly. We’re friends.
Heading back inside, we saw Azariah sitting up and examining the clutter around the break room. He looked over his shoulder at us and stood out of his seat. “Hey… took you two long enough.”
“A lot to talk about,” Ryleigh admitted.
“We just checked in… personal stuff… Nothing to worry about,” I added.
Azariah smirked with a scoff, “Uh-huh…”
“I’m serious.”
“Hey, no need to start anything,” Ryleigh interjected. “You guys gotta get going anyway… I don’t wanna keep you any longer. And I gotta get working again, got a deadline.”
“Deadline?” Azariah raised a brow.
“Yeah. The boss wants a new batch of artwork for Halloween.”
“Huh… you make all the art for the store then? Seems like a bit of a mare for someone so young.”
Ryleigh tilted his head for a second then shrugged, “oh? Yeah, I guess it can be. But it’s not like I make it all on my own. Just most of the promotional material. Like the posters outside.”
“Hmm… what got you doing this anyway?”
“Well, I’m a bit of an artist. Always have been. Got a unique style that the store meshed well with. And I’m not terrible with people… so it kinda just worked.”
Azariah shot me a look like he was skeptical of Ryleigh’s story. I nodded with a smirk, I knew he was right wholeheartedly. Azariah shrugged with a small smile before it vanished. As if he didn’t want Ryleigh to see it.
“And, I guess… I dunno… I didn’t want to be doing this, since it can be hard with school and all. But my aunt needs the help…” Ryleigh continued, “having to move down to LA for my college, then needing to pay for all the stuff my scholarship doesn’t cover. It’s… been real hard on her. She’s almost never home and… nevermind. I just want to help any way I can. She’s already done so much for me.”
Azariah narrowed his eyes as his breath hitched. Glancing at me then back at Ryleigh. I didn’t know he was struggling. If anything, I thought he was well off. Azariah sighed, “and what were you going to say? Before saying ‘nevermind’?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing… none of your concern anyway.”
Azariah scoffed, “and can I ask whether your hoping we’re going to help you in some way? Maybe by-”
“No. I don’t need your help. I wouldn’t even ask anyway. Your not genie’s or fairy god parents. I assure you, Azariah, I have no ulterior motives. I shouldn’t even have to say that. I just care about Octavia. Is that so hard to grasp?”
Azariah narrowed his eyes further as if to study Ryleigh. The boy didn’t falter under his gaze. The Angel swallowed as he softened, averting his eyes. “No… not at all. I’m sorry for your troubles.”
“Yeah…” I stepped forward, a soft smile on my face. “And if there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask. I’d… like to help, as a friend. If I can…”
Ryleigh shook his head, smiling back. “No, really. I’m fine. Thanks though… just get yourselves sorted out, okay? I hope everything works out for y’all.”
I nodded, expressing further gratitude for his friendship and support. I glanced at Azariah and finally made the call to return to tracking. He nodded back before looking softly at Ryleigh, huffing as he gave a nod. Then followed me out of the store. Leaving Ryleigh again as I portaled to our next destination.
***
We visited another couple locations. From a farmer’s market, a mall, to an old lookout tower. I couldn’t believe the Grimoire, in some way, had been to all those places. I could tell some of them had to be from when it vanished, perhaps it went on a spree until it cooled off? Was that even what happened? How it worked? While others… I couldn’t piece together how the Grimoire would have left an imprint there. Some of the possibilities I didn’t like thinking about.
My magic still wasn’t making things easy. With the sigil constantly glitching or the portals messing up. One instance, the portal opened up right over a rocky river. When I walked through, I nearly fell right in and who knows what would’ve happened.
But Azariah hastily put his arm around me and pulled me back. Holding me tight behind him and away from the edge. He huffed and, once I processed what happened, I freed myself. I wanted to complain but when I saw the rapids below, I sighed. “Thanks… nice reflexes…”
Azariah just shrugged, backed away from the edge and gestured for me to follow to a nearby trail. “Portals aren’t supposed to work like that, you know.”
I rolled my eyes as I returned to his side, glancing at the sigil. “ I’m aware … I’m trying my best. This is the first real… genuine attempt at using them… It’s a lot…”
“I know. But this is great practice,” Azariah softened his gaze and tone, “I wasn’t trying to be patronizing. I’m sorry. Don’t worry about it, you're getting there.”
I huffed, trying to focus back on the sigil and where we needed to go. We walked along the dirt trail, soft greenery and still lush trees surrounded us. A chill wind passed, blowing my hair back. It was actually kinda nice…
“Love that breeze,” Azariah hummed. It was a surprisingly soft and pleasant sound. “You know… this has been kinda nice.”
“Has it?” I perked up, my brows furrowed. I was genuinely taken back by that. Last thing I ever expected to hear from him.
“Yeah… I guess… Just walking, exploring. Getting fresh air… seeing places. It’s kinda easy to forget why we’re out here. Haven’t really done anything like this in… don’t know… but it’s nice.”
I looked away again. My brows still furrowed but less so. When he put it like that… “I… I guess it has been nice…”
“By the looks of it… we’re in… Europe? England? Or…” Azariah looked around, taking in the surroundings. He slowed and stood tall to get a look at something through the foliage. “Ireland. Definitely Ireland. Like Ireland.”
I scoffed, skeptical yet amused. “How do you know?”
“I’ve been all over. Doing things… helping people.”
“Yeah? Then guess you got a lot of work cut out for you…”
“I know. That’s why the quicker we get started the better.”
“I’ve heard…”
I returned to following the sigil. Though internally I couldn’t focus again. Ryleigh’s words and warnings rang in my mind. Why did Azariah so suddenly become friendly? Not that it’s that sudden but… he was pretty uptight at the shop. And he used to be way more hostile… What made him jump ship? Has he at all? Whatever the case, I wasn’t going to let him trick me into getting comfortable again.
I thought back to his surprisingly good reflexes, the way he caught me and would hardly ever fumble. The way he attacked the Keeper at the library. His athleticism and his previous mentions of his mother… whom he seems to imply, or straight up admit, is an Exorcist. And then Ryleigh’s warnings and advice for caution came again. I tensed up. I know being the son of an Exorcist doesn’t change much but… it’s still a disconcerting thought. I had to know.
“Azariah? Could I ask you something…?”
The Angel perked up, though his face remained blank. He nodded, “what?”
“You’re a… um… a Seraphim, right?”
Azariah raised a brow but nodded again, “yes. I’m a Seraphim… but before you ask, my rank is Archangel. It can be confusing, I know.”
I sighed and nodded, glancing at him before looking back down at the sigil. I swallowed, “but um… you’ve mentioned… several times that your mum was an Exterminator . Er… Exorcist . Doesn’t that… mean you're an Exorcist too?”
Azariah narrowed his eyes at me, “why does that matter?”
“It does because… Exorcists are fighters! Bred specifically to kill Demons… yeah? And… I don’t know, I just feel that’s an important thing to know about you… maybe you don’t have magic but that doesn’t-”
”I’m not a danger to you, I can’t hurt you and, obviously, have no desire to,” Azariah interrupted, his voice both stern yet almost assuring. “You’re a Goetia, you’re so much more powerful than you can even imagine. Even if I could fight you, I couldn’t even begin to overpower you. Nothing I could do right now could even come close to hurting you. But none of that matters because I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t know why I need to even convince you of this at this point.”
I glanced over my shoulder, looking into his eyes as they stared into mine. The look was different than what I was used to… annoyance, sure, but also betrayal? Yet genuine softness, assurance. I turned away, facing forward as I began playing with my hair. I shrugged, “I’m fine with believing you, just try telling me about yourself. Awkward as it is, the more we know about each other, the more this thing will work. Right now, I just want to know what your deal is, man.”
This seemed to finally get Azariah to snap. He furrowed his brow with a scoff. “Oh, oh okay! That actually makes sense. If I’m gonna be sharing so much, how about you share a little too? First question, since you're asking about my mum, who’s your mum? Actually wait, I think I know this one… Is she the ugly duckling?”
Azariah smirked at me with his eyes still narrowed, clearly feeling a bit proud of himself for such an elementary joke. I didn’t even humor him with any kind of reaction, just stared at him blankly with a hint of impatience. Why does he have to make something so simple and- I think- understandable, so hard?
Azariah crossed his arms as I looked ahead again. He let out a huff, “what you're asking is none of your business. None of your concern. We don’t need to know each other for this partnership to work. We just need to work together and cooperate, which has been working just fine… You said it yourself, we’re not friends.”
I stopped dead in the m tracks, spinning around with a furrowed brow. “Is that what this is about? Why does it matter if we’re not friends! Why do you care so suddenly?”
“I don’t!” Azariah snapped back, “it’s just you want to talk about trust and being open? When you’re the one who didn’t tell me about Ryleigh? Or whatever you and him talked about behind my back!”
I scoffed, “what? So that’s what this is about then. What’s your fucking problem with him? Why does it matter if I have a human friend? I didn’t know we’d see him again, but regardless he has nothing to do with our arrangement! So what’s the problem? Insecure? I didn’t say shit to him about you! He’s my friend! He was worried!”
He furrowed his brow with a huff, looking away with faintly… flushed cheeks. “Tch… yeah right… I’m sure you and him were just out there united over a cool pint, catching up… a moment sweet and tender as… I’m no muppet you ratbag.”
I scoffed again, shaking my head. “What are you on about? Have you lost it?”
“No! I haven’t! I…” He glanced at me then looked away, sighing. “I’m trying to say that while you're on about trust yada yada… well… I don’t trust you either. So why would I tell you anything? Trust you? When you’ve not earned it.”
“Earned it? I thought…” I tensed up, “I thought I had and that’s why I’m so upset! You fucking… I’ve tried so hard and worked so hard, what more can I do?”
Azariah looked at me, his eyes wide and brows furrowed. His mouth agape before he averted his gaze again. “Listen… all you need to know is that I’m a Seraphim at the ranking of Archangel . And you’re a Goetian royal, a Wyvern . Even if I knew how to fight, regardless of who my parents are, I am no danger to you. Innately, as a Goetic Demon, you're very powerful magically and your current skill doesn’t diminish that. And only magic can truly harm a Goetia. I had my magic taken from me and, even if I knew how to fight, I couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to. Which I do not . Does this satiate you, Octavia ?”
I scowled a bit further with a swallow, huffing. “Whatever…”
Azariah swallowed too as I turned around, moving forward again. Though he attempted to maintain his demeanor. “Good… now just drop this… we have a job to do.”
I didn’t give him any sort of response. Just looked down at the sigil and kept moving. We were getting close by then. I didn’t know what to make of this moment. Other than that I suddenly found myself hating him… Why did he care so much about Ryleigh? Why was he suddenly being such an ass? Especially in such an… offended manner? What did I do to him ? What changed between us? About him? I didn’t know and… at the time, I tried not to care. Emphasis on tried .
***
After about an hour, we did it. Walking along a remote mountain trail, the sigil buzzed. The sensation traveling all along my arm. The compass shifted and expanded, the information it read and displayed rapidly changed. I hurried for Azariah to come and watch.
“What’s going on?”
“I think we did it… I think we got a lock…”
Eventually it stopped, coordinates and details widely displayed for me to use. The sigil was still expanded and buzzing. Hovering over the location that the Grimoire had to be at.
I smiled, glancing at Azariah who shared my excitement. Though he hastily tried to hide it once his eyes met mine. “Well? What are you waiting for? A hug? Get going!”
I scoffed but nodded, brows furrowed with determination. I took a second to collect the information given then opened a portal. Though the first didn’t work, after a few more attempts we seemed to arrive. The location was just some town. Far from what we’re expecting, but I guess we had no reason to expect anything different.
We followed the compass and we got closer to the town square. Expecting this to be a cake walk as we were brought to a large ornate fountain. We looked around some, even watching some of the passersby but… nothing. No Grimoire. And the sigil wasn’t changing so we had to be at the right place… right?
As we regrouped, Azariah’s eyes narrowed at me then the sigil, something happened. Before either of us could speak, that buzzing got worse. The sigil spun and shifted. A rhythmic clicking and ticking as the information displayed rapidly changed. Jumping between different numbers and images and locations.
Then it stopped, returning to how it was just moments before. But now it displayed a different location. Azariah and I looked at each other, brows furrowed and or raised.
“What just happened?”
“I… I don’t know… I thought you would…”
“Why would I know? It’s your book.”
“It’s not… ugh… maybe, maybe it’s still on the move?”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know… let’s just try again. Maybe we need to be quicker?”
“Well, then I guess it’ll be the third time’s the charm. Since we’ve been standing here chatting!”
“Shut up…” I huffed and opened a new portal. Heading to the location now displayed on the sigil. Another town, but this time we were taken to a random business.
I hate to say it but Azariah was right. The second attempt ended the same as the first. The sigil went haywire with those weird sounds, before it showed me another new location. Though he was only half right, as the third time ended that same way too. And the fourth, fifth, sixth… you get the point.
“What the fuck?” Azariah exclaimed, pacing around with clenched fists. We had just cleared another random location, this time some town’s river walk. “What are we doing wrong? What are you doing wrong? Is your magic still this bad? That you’ve completely sabotaged us? Come on!”
I tensed up, holding my right hand to my chest. Clenching my shirt with a furrowed brow. I didn’t say anything despite wanting to. He said exactly what I was thinking… Was this really all my fault? We had issues throughout the day but… had it really gotten this bad?
I moved my hand, looking down at the sigil again. Another thought came to my mind… I clenched my hand again and sat down on a bench. I sighed, “or… whatever I did… whatever happened to it that made it vanish… is still affecting it. Did I… did I ruin it? Did I damage it? Corrupt it? Is it… is it gone? Forever?”
Azariah glared at me, watching as I sat down, clenching his fists. He walked over to me, scoffing. “You… Tch, how could I have expected anything else? From you of all people. I've seen how awful you are, saw what you did. I should’ve known… that book’s a lost cause. You’ve sent us around on a fucking wild goose chase… wasting time! All of the work I did trying to…”
Suddenly, he stopped. His face softened as he looked down at me. My head in my hands. He swallowed with a shaken exhale, looking away. He covered his mouth for a moment, as if he was thinking about being in my position. Letting out another breath, he kneeled down near me. His voice quiet, “hey, look… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I shouldn’t have said it at all.”
I rested my arms on my knees, sighing. Refusing to look at him. “You're right though… how could I… I’m such a fuck up… I-I…”
“No, shut up, stop it,” Azariah furrowed his brow. His voice far more stern but less sharp, “you’re not a fuck up… you’ve done so much better with your magic. I don’t know what’s wrong but… we must’ve missed something. Done something wrong… we could go back to the loft? Look through the books again?”
I looked down at my hands with a sigh. The sigil appeared again. I wanted to be angry at him, to not listen to him or to throw him away from me. Considering everything that happened earlier. But I couldn’t… I was desperate and so devastated. The last thing I could even think about was my feelings towards him. I needed that book, I needed this to work out. And the thought it wasn’t going to, for whatever reason, was too much.
I shook my head, “no…. We’re definitely missing something… but… This whole day, the spell worked fine. Nothing this bad. You saw that yourself… Something changed. We need to figure out what…”
Azariah looked away and sighed, nodding. “Yeah, I guess you're right… but how?”
I sighed as well, glancing at him then back at the sigil. I went to say something but then didn’t. My eyes narrowing as I caught something. The numbers… the coordinates… I looked over them multiple times to make sure I wasn’t confused and I wasn’t. “Az… look…”
The Angel perked up, his eyes narrowing as well as I gave him my hand with the sigil. Gesturing towards those same numbers.
“They’re the same… they’re always the same. Every time the location changes, the numbers don’t. They just scramble. They don’t even change spots, just order. The same amount total and of each individual kinds… no eights nor sixes. They’re the exact same numbers every time, just scrambled to form different coordinates.”
“I dunno, I… are you sure?” He looked at the sigil then at me, a brow raised. “Even if that’s true… what does that… does that even matter? What would that mean?”
I took a deep breath and shrugged. Glancing at him as I stood up, “I don’t know but… listen, just trust… just give me a chance. I have a feeling, okay?”
Azariah stepped back, averted his eyes with a sigh, and nodded. “Okay… what do you have in mind?”
With that, I glanced once more at the sigil then opened another portal. The current coordinates led us to an open field, part of a farm. As suspected, the sigil began to change again. I was right, the coordinates didn’t change. The numbers were the same, merely scrambled. But that wasn’t it…
The sounds… I listened, my eyes closed, and began to snap my fingers. It was like music… I told Azariah and he didn’t seem to believe me until I did my best to repeat it. Putting proper emphasis on the rhythm, the beat. “Ba… Ba… Ba-ba… Ba-ba… Ba-ba… Ba… Ba… Ba… Ba… Ba…”
Azariah furrowed his brow as he listened, slowly nodding as he attempted to join in the rhythm. He wasn’t very good at it, off-beat despite his best attempts.
I smirked at the sight, chuckling a little. Causing Azariah to scoff, shoving me in the shoulder a little. “Shut up, it’s not even music… It’s more like Morse code.”
“Code?”
“Yeah… ‘ba-ba’ is like the long pulse, ‘ba’ is the short pulse.”
“You know code?”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Why would you?”
“Why would you know how to pick locks?”
“Fair enough, I guess… if it’s code, what’s it saying?”
Azariah sighed as he looked away, taking a moment. Then he shrugged, “I don’t know… it’s kinda incoherent… I think… Maybe it’s incomplete? Only part of the code?”
“Then maybe…” I furrowed my brow at the sigil in my palm. “We need to start moving again?”
Azariah nodded, “You’ve been right so far. There’s definitely something here… so yeah… fine… lead the way.”
I huffed with a smirk but didn’t say a word. Glancing at the sigil once more before opening the next portal. Following the sigil as we had before, though this time we only paid attention to the beats it made when it changed. Which were different with each location.
Azariah began writing down the translations, though he continued having a hard time getting the beats right. Which I continued to enjoy until I decided to help him. I got a quick grip of the translations and managed to do them myself. However, it wasn’t easy translating and remembering the code at the same time. So eventually I caved and tried to help Azariah get the beats right. It took him manifesting the beats through movements to get them right. Subtle gestures and shuffles as he translated, then writing them down together.
With each location, most of which were places we had already visited, the picture became clearer. The beats were directions, to draw out a new sigil. After the dots were drawn out, I had to connect them by piecing together the proper order. It was simple, despite how Azariah made it seem. The outline was like many constellations I have studied and connecting the dots to form the final picture was possibly the best part of the day.
With the sigil completed, all it took was actually using it. Tracing out the sigil and allowing it to manifest, it came together with the original. Covering it like a mask. Azariah and I watched as the compass shifted under it. The coordinates scrambled to an order yet unseen and a wholly new location shown to us. It would seem that we had… finally, actually done it.
A new hope between us, I opened another portal. Stepping through it together to an evergreen forest under a gray sky. A location we truly had yet to see, another good sign.
We followed the path laid out to us by the compass sigil until we arrived at a clearing. A large and withered cabin. The wood decayed but the windows cleaned, porch swept, fresh flowers displayed, and curtains drawn. We glanced at one another, a strange feeling falling over us.
“ This is where the Grimoire is? Or at least… where the sigil took us?” Azariah whispered, his eyes never leaving the shack.
I nodded, glancing down at the sigil once more before closing my fist. Dropping my arm to my side. “It’s here… all that work… it has to be here…”
“Feels fitting.” Azariah scoffed.
Almost instinctively, we stood closer together as we approached. But before we could even step foot on the front porch, the door creaked open. Lingering peeked just a crack before swinging all the way. A tall but elderly woman stepped out to greet us. Her hair gray and white, styled in a long braid that she wore over her shoulder. Slender frame draped in a silken gown with loose fitting sleeves. Stood glaring down at us like a bird of prey, one hand behind her back.
Her faded auburn eyes narrowed as she examined us. Her face scrunched in a grimace, though it was all angles already. Then she scoffed, a mischievous smirk on her crusty lips.
Her voice an elegant alto, bearing an accent not unlike one I know from home: “Why… lookie here… I didn’t foresee you at my doorstep already. If ever at all… though I suppose I should’ve expected nothing less. From the hands who managed to so magnificently misplace such a priceless piece. Let’s get straight to it, shall we? Yes, I do possess your Grimoire of Worlds. No, I won’t be giving it back. Why don't we discuss the matter over some tea and stew? It’s been oh so long since I’ve had any company…”