#demithejackal | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

goldsmile-ent · 2 years ago

Text

Notes of Aria: Starlight Chapter 10

A soft breeze rustled through the tree branches. The afternoon air came in cool and light. It carried the smell of sea salt up through the docks and up to the residents living on the forested crags of upper Aldcrest. Alas, to Lily and Isabella, it did little to move the quickly intensifying smell of sulfur. The freshly opened book was emitting the scent, and it was getting stronger by the second. The word ‘crap’ fell out of Lily’s mouth as she held the book at arm’s length. Turning to face her friend for some kind of direction, the look of stunned horror only did the opposite. Though she couldn’t see the bat’s eyes, the reflective lenses blocking them, the visible eyebrows hanging over them did little to settle her nerves.

“W-what do I do?” Lily’s ears stood straight up as her eyes sat as wide as dinner plates.

“Like, I don’t even know what you did,” Isabella responded, a bump of worry in her voice that only inspired more trepidation. The bat snatched the book from Lily’s hands but immediately dropped it with a yelp. The book was searing hot. Before, it felt like it had sat in the sun for a few hours. Now, the book felt fresh out of an active oven. The bat looked at her hands, expecting minor burns, but found nothing amiss. They were fine, if not a little moist from Lily’s sweaty palms.

Lily didn’t move to pick it up. Any distance between her and the weird tome felt like a good thing. Continuing that train of thought, Lily stepped back and tried her best to collect her thoughts. Isabella wasted no time retrieving the book and shoved the book into her chest.

“Close. It.” Isabella growled

“You know I would love to, but-”

“Then do it. Esmeralda is going to freak if I hand over an open book.” As Lily stammered for a response, Isabella could feel the book growing warmer. With a bit of a push, the bat’s fingers left its cover just as the heat became too much.

Lily stumbled back a little before pulling the book from her chest. She looked at the runes that marked the cover. Since its opening, the runes had started to change. They were plain white originally, but now the white was replaced with black. Not black as in color but black as in void. The markings now looked like windows. Through them, flames could be seen dancing and writhing behind the cover.

“I-I don’t know how Izzy! I just said some noise, and it opened. What do you want from me?”

“I want you to close it. Like…just…” The bat stopped mid-sentence as her words failed her. In the end, she ended it with a frustrated groan. It was bad enough that it was taking as long as it was. Handing an ancient spellbook reeking of brimstone would get her chewed out even worse. This wasn’t the first book Isabella was tasked with dropping off during her tenure with Starlight. Not a single one had been opened, and Isabella would be more than happy never to see another one open after today.

Isabella ran a hand through her curly white locks before an idea struck her. “Hold on.” she spoke, hope sparking in the flat delivery, “that noise you said. Like, if that opened it, then it should close it.

The look of worry was quickly replaced with an apprehensive relief. It was the first option the pair had found, and, honestly, it made sense. Looking at the cover, Lily took a deep breath and held the book at arm’s length. Watching the flames dance, that relief quickly faded back into worry once again. After a few agonizingly long seconds, the breath slipped from her nostrils, along with a whispered confession at the end.

“Nope. Got nothing.” Lily admitted while dropping both her head and arms.

“Lily,” Isabella placed her hands on Lily’s cheeks and looked right into the rabbit’s orange eyes, “If you don’t fix this, you aren’t getting that bottle of Sharpshooter I saved for tonight.” Lily’s worry switched to disappointment. Her ears flopped back, and her mouth fell open in stunned silence.

“Oh, come on! That’s not fair,” claimed the rabbit, complete with a stomp of her foot.

“Open book, closed bottle. Simple as that.”

Lily laid her head back and let out a loud, slightly overdramatic groan. Dropping it back down, she gave out a few frustrated okays while looking at the book again. Rummaging through her admittedly unorganized mental database, Lily thought the words would have to come easy. She just said them and felt them on the tip of her tongue. Yet, as another soft breeze came off the beach below, the only sound she could find was consistent static.

“Come on…” Lily whispered as she pressed the book against her forehead. She repeated the two words while tapping the strangely warm book against her forehead. Nothing. Not a single hint of the three syllables could be found.

What did come to mind, however, was the thought of her grandparents. The whole reason Lily found herself in this situation was due to a gift they had given her. Her grandfather, Juniper, was an archeologist who frequented the valley where Lily would be born. He was always jolly with a story to tell from his time in the Honor Guard and ruin diving. He stayed because a mystic doe named Lilac managed to capture his heart. Lilac went on to become Lily’s grandmother. She was the sweetest person Lily had ever known. The old woman loved all of her grandchildren but spoiled Lily absolutely rotten. A walking encyclopedia of myths and fables of the valley’s past with a lesson for almost any situation. To Lily, Sandra and Lilac had much in common, even down to the love of baking.

Her racing mind came to rest on a single memory. It was summer, and a particularly rough thunderstorm had rolled in. The wind outside whistled, and the windows shook as the lightning struck. A much younger Lily sat in her grandmother’s lap. She was holding a music box that was just wrapping up its song. Lily asked Lilac to make it go one more time. Of course, Lilac agreed and spoke a string of words that caused the box to open again. It was a moment Lily had thought about countless times during countless storms. The rabbit’s heartbeat began to slow as she could swear she could smell Lilac’s naturally earthy scent.

As another breeze wrapped around the two, Lily heard something. It was her grandmother’s voice, as clear as it was in the memory. The phrase that brought the music box to life repeated in her mind, with the last two words sticking out.

The words ‘Kpuar Dej’ came from her mouth and were followed by a soft click. The sharp inhale Lily pulled through her nose lacked any trace of sulfur. She pulled the book away from her forehead and saw the markings had returned to their original white coloring. Giving the book a shake, she found the book was, once again, locked.

“I did it,” Lily whispered. She repeated the declaration as a proud shout while holding the book over her head.

“Hey,” Isabella spoke, snapping her fingers, “Celebrate later. Give it here.”

Of course, Lily was more than happy to hand the troublesome thing over. She jutted the book into Isabella’s waiting hand. The bat wasted no time heading down the path once she had the parcel in her hand. Isabella had prepped herself for any heat from the book and moved to hide any response. It was there but far less than expected. Any that was there faded quickly, so quickly that the scaled cover was ice cold in seconds.

While maintaining the list of questions Isabella was making in her head, she hurried down the remainder of the path and up towards their destination. They didn’t share words during the rest of their trip. Enough had happened that both parties just wanted the cursed thing gone.

The path emptied out near the entrance of a large cave mouth. Near the opening, the bare trees stood out with their lack of foilage compared to their verdant neighbors. Above their heads, along the cave entrance, were seemingly random collections of bones and leaves bound and hung by twine. Lily didn’t know their purpose, but their presence made her uneasy all the same. The natural formation only went in a few hundred feet before hitting a massive wall of solid granite. Out of the featureless stone poked out part of a house. Well, ‘house’ may be a bit generous. It was more the front facade of a shed. It comprised a rough tin roof with walls made of rough wood planks. A solid, almost pristine, steel door appeared to be the only visible way in. Before crossing into the cave mouth and under the hanging bones, Isabella stopped walking and placed a hand out to halt Lily.

“Alright, not a word of this to Esmeralda. Just hang back and try to avoid eye contact. Like, she probably won’t even speak to you. I’ll give her the book. I make some small talk. We leave. Clear?”

“Crystal,” Lily said with a nod.

Together, the two ventured into the cave, with Lily stopping halfway between the entrance and the featureless steel door. Isabella stepped forward and placed a hand on the center and, after a second, a mighty gong sounded from somewhere beyond the stone. The noise caused Lily to flinch while Isabella was unphased. Once the powerful sound faded into nothingness, Isabella pulled her hand away, and a thin line appeared in the metal door near eye level. It was roughly a foot in length and slid apart wide enough to reveal a pair of glaring eyes.

“You are late.” hissed whoever was on the other side of the door.

“Apologizes, Lady Esmeralda. Blame the runner.”

“Useless Lot.” The eyes moved over to Lily. She watched the rabbit scan the hanging things at the cave entrance.” Who’s that?”

“That’s Lily. Like, she works with me at Starlight.”

“Ah yes, Gonzi did mention something about a rabbit. Hey, Long ear..”

Hearing the raspy voice address her snapped Lily out of the vacant staring she was doing. She looked back at the slit in the door and the unfriendly eyes. “Yeah?”

“Don’t move; I’m about to open the door. Try anything stupid, and you won’t walk out of here.” A hole opened near chest height, and a slender grey-furred hand supporting multiple rings reached out.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Lily responded, staring back at the glaring eyes. “Can’t do much from over here. No magic.”

While reaching out for the book, Lily’s comment made Esmeralda pause. The eyes lingered on Lily, their gaze only adding to the unease, before darting back to Isabella. A flurry of rapid clicks and growls followed in a language Lily couldn’t understand. Isabella responded in kind, paused, and added a few more clicks along with a mention of Gonzi’s name. A moment of silence proceeded Esmeralda snatching the book out of the bat’s hand. The hand and book disappeared into the door, with the circle vanishing once they were out of sight.

“So…we good?” Lily whispered. She watched as Isabella stood motionless. After a bit, the circle reappeared, and Esmerlda’s hand slid back out. In her bony hand was a glass case containing a deck of cards. The rabbit listened to more of the bat’s native tongue and understood absolutely none. While eavesdropping, something about the hand caught her attention.

In the ash gray fur was a marking. It was a circle cast in red with arrows matching the arrows matching the four cardinal directions. The circle in the center was split into five equal sections, with the top fifth being filled. Though she never thought about it before, it was a symbol she had seen as recently as that morning on Sandra. It sat upon her eyepatch, but her filled part was at the bottom left.

Before Lily could dwell longer on the symbol, Esmerelda’s hand disappeared into the hole, and Isabella returned to the rabbit’s side. Without a word, Isabella stuffed the card box into Lily’s satchel before starting back down the stairs. The rabbit raced down the stairs past the bat, who was already pulling her phone out.

“So, everything good?” Lily asked, waiting for Isabella to catch up.

The bat silently joined her friend at the bottom of the stairs. She took her time to type out one more message before putting the device away and responding, “Yeah, Esmerelda doesn’t like you.”

“What? Why?!”

A smirk appeared on Isabella’s face before making her way down the path back towards the fork. ”Trust, that’s not a bad thing. She hates most people. Like, I think she only dislikes you because we’re cool.” Isabella’s words caused Lily’s head to tilt in confusion.

As the fork came back into sight, Lily retrieved the caramel corn from her pouch. Unrolling the crumpled-up end of the small paper bag, the rabbit cleared her throat to get her friend’s attention. A quick twitch of Isabella’s ears informed Lily they were listening.

“So, Gonzi’s not gonna hear about this, right?”

“Like I would sure as hell hope not. Not sure who would tell ‘em.” Isabella stuck her hand down into Lily’s bag and retrieved a fist full of caramel corn. Lily didn’t stop Isabella from helping herself and grabbed a handful once she was finished.

The rest of the walk back was uneventful. Lily spent most of it thinking about the book and its rune-covered lock.

‘What did those words mean?’

‘Were those words?’

‘Why did I hear them in Mawmaw’s voice?’

Even more would have bubbled up from the still anxious mind, but the loud snapping of bat fingers in Lily’s face pulled her back out. When she joined Isabella back in reality, the two stood before a Golden Leaf. Holding up her phone, a message from Danniel asked for a soda, and the bat offered to treat her. A way to thank her for such an…interesting delivery.

#demi_the_jackal #goldsmile_entertainment #furry #notesofaria #in character #noa:starlight #demithejackal #my writing #furry writing #urban fantasy #modern fantasy

0 notes

goldsmile-ent · 2 years ago

Text

Starlight Chapter 9

"Alright, where are they?" Danniel whispered to Isabella. They were alone, Lily was out helping a customer, but the wolf kept his voice low. She had a way of appearing when you least expected it. Even in a hushed tone, his impatience was clear. While Isabella rang up a customer, Danniel stood to the side of the counter with his arms crossed. Starlight's delivery, according to Isabella's contact, was projected in by eight o'clock, an hour after the store's opening. Checking his phone, Danniel could see that it was currently half past ten.

"Like, would you ease up?" Isabella groaned. She rolled her eyes before scanning the people milling about, “Can you please go bother someone else? They'll show when they show.” Her usual deadpan expression cracked slightly as her maw curled into a smirk, "Don't worry, I'll be sure to call you when Lil gets back."

"No clue why you would have to."

“Sure you don't, pup.You're just lucky the girl's clueless. Now could you move? I don't want you scaring the guy off. You look too law-abiding."

"You have yet to explain what that means, by the way," Danniel remarked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, cool, shut up." Isabella raised her hand as she focused on someone posted near the entrance. A bat, like herself, had entered the store about ten minutes prior and only moved a few feet inside. Isabella had noticed him as soon as he walked in; his short, dyed blue hair was hard to miss, but she wasn't quite sure what his deal was. His smokey gray fur lay under a black button-up shirt and gray pants with a gold chain running from his belt to something in his right pocket. Across his chest was a strap that held a leather bag against his back. Though reflective sunglasses obscured his eyes, it was pretty clear he was stealing glances at the front counter.

Danniel, following Isabella's line of sight, came to see the same bat milling about near one of the displays. It took him a moment before the visitor's identity came to him. "Wait, is that Butch?" He watched as the bat flinched, hearing his name called.

"Uh-huh. Guess what Bonna said was true." Isabella said with a nod. She snapped her fingers to get Butch's attention and called to him, "Are you the runner, Butch?"

Butch responded by ripping his sunglasses off and staring brass-colored daggers at the deadpan woman. He motioned towards her as if he was waiting for Isabella to do something. Much to the bat's frustration, she simply blinked and shrugged. This caused Butch to slap his palm over his face in anger. After dragging his hand down his face, he growled at Isabella, "Are you for real?"

"Do you have the book or not?"

"Do the greeting!" Butch hissed.

“No. Book.”

“Tartus, woman. Do the greeting.”

"Okay, Isabella," Danniel jumped in, his tone clearly out of patience, "I don't want to get involved in your business, but we have a schedule. So, please just do whatever greeting he's talking about so we can get this moving." The gritting of Isabella's teeth was almost audible over her annoyed groaning. He watched as the bat's head snapped to look at him. Eyes narrowed into slits; the bat clicked at him in her native tongue of Chiro. He had no clue what the flurry of clicks and growls meant, but it was clear it wasn't friendly. Glancing over at the delivery bat, his wide-eyed expression pretty much confirmed it.

When she was done speaking at Danniel, Isabella looked at Butch. Taking two of her fingers, she knocked her knuckles on the countertop before holding her hand towards him. As he approached, a sigil appeared in her palm. It was a key with three teeth at the end of the blade. At the top of the blade sat an open eye wreathed in flames.

"Greetings, Tomerunner Bellton," Isabella spoke with a hint of positivity, dropping it instantly as Butched reached the counter. "I can't believe you made me do that."

"And greetings to you, Speaker Clovis." Butch chirped, barely containing his excitement. He straightened up and presented his palm to Isabella, flashing his own palm. His symbol was a simple, open scroll with a long ribbon encircling it. With a big smile, He pulled the bag from his back and began rummaging around inside. After a bit of blind digging, Butch removed the day’s delivery. It was a simple book. Its cover was smooth, featureless, and made of thick black wood. A flap covered the rightmost third of the exterior and was held in place by a metal circle at the center.

Isabella snatched the book from his hand before giving it a once over. "And the receipt?" After reaching back into his bag, the delivery boy nodded and retrieved a parchment scroll. The off-yellow paper was held shut by a clean white ribbon. Upon offering it to her, she grabbed the other end, and the ribbon started to flutter. Its once-white color shifted to a sickly gray. The only remains of its former self was the copy of Isabella's marking on the end of the ribbon.

"My first official delivery," Butch said, eyes full of pride. "Would have been done sooner if someone did the greeting right. Anyway, I have some other news but um," Butch gestured, motioning towards the wolf. "Hey." Isabella snapped her fingers at Danniel, getting his attention in the form of an annoyed glare. "Shoo. I need to talk business." She accompanied the command with a wave of her hand. He nodded, saying that he would go get Gonzi to watch the front. Once the two were alone, she leaned forward and waited for the news.

Butch did the same, glancing around before starting. "So, this place is owned by the Wolshires, right?”

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I overheard some intel guys squawking while picking up today's drops. It hasn't hit the papers yet, but there was some kind of attack on Blackhollow prison. A bunch of guys came up missing. Grimhart's one of em, from what I hear."

Isabella's eyes went from half-lidded to quarter-lidded as she heard the name. That name, or more the person behind it, was no friend of the store. She didn't have any personal experience with them, all of the knowledge being second-hand. Gonzi and Sandra did, however, and their tales of him were harrowing. Supposedly, Grimhart was responsible for destroying the second and fourth versions of the store. The fact they were no longer in containment was more than enough reason for alarm.

"Anyone manage to get eyes on them?"

"Nope." Butch shook his head. "His Speaker went quiet around the time it happened. Wager is that they were behind the whole thing. I would say check The Rumor Mill and let your bosses know."

"Guy's not gonna show his face here fresh out of a cell. I'll tell them later."

Butch shrugged while putting the receipt back in his pouch. After returning it to his back, the bat slipped his sunglasses back on and pulled his phone from his pocket. The gold chain running from his belt was now revealed to connect to his device's protective case. "Personally, I wouldn't wait, but then again, he's not coming for me. Well, I got a few more stops in Aldcrest, so I'm getting moving. Oh, and Bonna said to call her." He got a simple nod from Isabella before turning to head out. Just as he reached the door, Lily strolled back behind the counter, her eyes drawn to the book sitting on the counter.

"Was that Butch?" The rabbit asked as she picked up their parcel.

"Uh-huh, We were his first delivery. Get your bag; We'll leave when Danny gets back."

"Wait," Lily looked up from the book to the bat, "Why didn't Butch just take the book to your person? That seems like it would be easier."

"Esmeralda doesn't trust runners or really anyone. Working intel for the royal houses will do that to you.”

As Lily returned her attention to the book, Isabella took the chance to take Butch's advice. Part of her didn't want to believe what he said. Blackhallow was a maximum security prison, and Grimhart was serving the second year of a fifteen-year sentence. In a heist that turned bad, the criminal left a wake of destruction that took a bystander's life.

An escape like that would send the ever-chattering Speaker Corps into an uproar. Information travels fast, and a Speaker like herself would turn to their Rumor Mill at a time like this. This rumor mill was less symbolic and more an application. After a few taps, the bat's phone screen flickered and changed into a featureless white void. On it appeared a question mark. Isabella held her hand over the screen and made her Speaker marking reappear. The phone chimed as the question mark was replaced with an exclamation point. The screen flickered again and was replaced by a collection of links and messages. None of that mattered to her right now. What did matter was the red bar running at the top of the screen, sporting scrolling white text.

It read, '"Attention! Confirmed Blackhallow prison attack, Guildcoucil Order Level 0: Do not interact with any Black tier clients until further notice. Please halt all activity on current black tier contracts not currently in transit.'

For those who ran in the bat's circles, Black tier clients are the worst of the worst, but they did pay the most. Fallen royals and crime lords usually got this rating. Picking up a black-tier contract more than likely involved something illegal. Certain guild masters would work with these types while accepting all risks involved.

"Shit." The bat whispered before putting the phone away. Lily didn't hear her as she focused on clicking her satchel to her hip. Just then, Danniel returned with the pair's replacement. Gonzi stood a foot taller than the wolf. Despite his age, he was able to maintain his military physique. Though a bit of a gut was the only concession he made to time. His perfectly maintained coat was black as night. His mane was cut short, and its natural brick-red color had faded into a reddish-silver. He wore razor-creased slacks and a tucked-in polo shirt. As he approached the counter, the sound of clicking gears in his metal right leg could be heard.

"Alright, get moving." The warhorse grunted.

"Hey Gonzi," Lily spoke up.

"Chief," Isabella said with a nod.

"By the elders, Thorne, would it kill you to address me properly?"

Lily shrugged, "Maybe. I don't get why you make such a big deal about it. Izzy never does it."

"She does address me properly. Rank or title. You know the rules. Anyway," His attention shifted to the bat, "Tell Esmeralda that we moved card night to Thursday." She nodded, and with that, the pair started on their way.

As they passed one of the large windows of Starlight, Lily took a glance back at the pair behind the counter. She caught the wolf looking at her. Even with his hair covering his eyes, she knew when they were on her. The rabbit gave him a quick wave and smile. When he gave one in return, Lily could feel her cheeks start to warm. Her pace slowed slightly but speed up once she had noticed the bat's growing lead. "If you're done flirting with the girl, we need to discuss the plan," Gonzi spoke as he leaned on the counter. The wolf nodded and turned to face him, giving his full attention. "The guy from the Founder's Day committee is gonna be here soon. I need you back before they leave, am I understood."

"Of course, It shouldn't take too long. Just gotta make sure they can't see me."

"And the chime?"

"Sealed. I'm assuming you spoke to Eleven?" Danniel rolled his eyes as he walked away from the horse. Standing on the opposite side of the counter, the wolf faced his boss again, annoyance clear on his face. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him: Last year was a fluke. It won't happen again. Oh, and before I forget, Esmerelda needs to check the stand. Those cracks around the base are starting to worry me." With that warning, Danniel made his way out as well. The horse responded with a huff through his nose as a customer approached the front desk.

****

Lily and Isabella strolled leisurely down a sun-soaked path overlooking the shimmering waters of Aldcrest Bay. Isabella ran her hand along the wooden railing that separated the two from the steep cliff edge. Lily walked next to her on the inside of the path. She casually munched away on a bag of caramel corn while enjoying the sunshine. Overhead, seagulls flew and drifted on the warm air currents. A few had taken note of the pair, more so the treat the rabbit was eating, and began trailing the group.

"So, Bestie," Lily stepped closer to Isabella until her shoulder made contact with the bat's, "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?" Isabella responded while returning the bump.

"How did you talk Gonzi into letting me tag along on this drop-off? He always tells me no."

Isabella dropped her hand from the railing before sliding both hands into her pockets. "Some suit from the Founder's Day committee is coming by. Said if we put our best foot forward, we can get on the featured businesses list. Of course, you know when he says 'Best foot forward,' he means-"

"Deal with it directly so we don't screw it up. Yeah yeah yeah. Gonzi's kind of an ass. You think he would have some faith in us." Lily scoffed before throwing a few kernels of corn into her mouth.

"He only hired other people because he was sick of dealing with the customers. Like, that's a sign he has at least a little faith. Besides, schmoozing is lame. I'm sure he would rather me get special stock, and you throw out assholes."

"Guess you're right." The rabbit shrugged as they reached the top of the cliff path. It split, going right and left. Going forward wasn't an option anymore as before them stood a stretch of dense forest. Beyond the oak trees, a cluster of buildings could be seen but no direct path existed.. She looked at Isabella and followed her down the right path.

As Lily followed Isabella down the red brick path, she thought about their delivery. Pulling the book from her pouch, Lily examined it and found it wholly unremarkable. All the trouble everyone was going through to deliver it seemed really silly.. The only thing of interest was the metal circle that held the tome closed.

While the pair began to round a turn, they reached a thinner section of the oak canopy. Through narrow gaps, rays of sunlight illuminated the shady thoroughfare. The tome's cover began to shimmer while crossing through a rather large break.

"Whoa..." Lily whispered, stopping suddenly, "Um, Izzy! The book's doing something!"

Hearing her name, Isabella stopped and returned to her friend. Looking at the book, she watched the runic markings burn themselves into the leather binding. Seeing the worried look on Lily's face, she thought it best to try to calm the rabbit's worries. The bat pulled the book from her hands and moved it back into the shade. As the sun left its face, the cover returned to its featureless state.

While watching the runes disappear, something caught Isabella's attention. The book was warm to the touch. It might have been a warm summer day, but this was abnormally warm. Like it was sitting in direct sunlight for a few hours, not a few moments.

"It's written in sun ink," informed Isabella as the last of the markings faded from view. "Pretty typical for Quila Spellbooks."

"Quila? Are you making stuff up again?" Lily asked, crossing her arms.

"No, I learned my lesson from the marionette incident. Sun ink, it's an ancient magic thing. It only appears in the presence of sunlight or someone with a fire core."

Isabella offered the book back to Lily, but Lily waited. She watched closely as the markings returned. The wonder that showed on her face quickly shifted to confusion.

"Okay, but what does it say?" Lily asks while taking the book back. She stood in a patch of sunlight, and the longer she stood there, the more of the unintelligible markings came into view. Eventually, new markings stopped appearing. She studied them now that they were on full display. The runes emanated out from around the silver lock and formed nine half-circles. Three evenly spaced and unique markings along the outermost band completed the runes' sun-like design. The shimmering sigils covered the left two-thirds of the cover.

"Couldn't tell ya; Quila's a dead people with a dead tongue. Esmerelda's one of the few people who can speak it. The old woman's mad about the stuff, like totally obsessed. Now move; we're late enough."

With that, the two started walking again with Lily taking up the rear. The rabbit's gaze was affixed to the book and the fading and reappearing runes on its cover. She would look up occasionally to make sure the way was clear, but her attention was focused on the book.

The canopy overhead began to recede along the outer edge of the path. Noticing this, Lily moved out into the uninterrupted sunlight. "You know, I think I've seen these before."

"Sure, Lil,"

"I'm serious. There was something my grandpa gave me. Had markings just like these." Lily stopped walking and held the book closer to her face. The metal circle that held the book closed started to sparkle and shimmer. The binding began to show its set of runic markings. It sported ten sigils. Ten very familiar sigils. "They were…it was um…" She pulled the book away from her face and furrowed her brow.

The rabbit fell quiet again. The markings on the circle made her think of her grandfather. Being the granddaughter of an archeologist meant Lily was never lacking in interesting and unique gifts. One had markings similar to the ones on the book. No, after a closer look, Lily recognized them exactly. All brain power was diverted to digging through the deep recesses of her memory.

Having not heard footsteps behind her for a few seconds, Isabella looked over her shoulder and spotted Lily standing still once again. She turned around and glared at the rabbit through her sunglasses. Esmeralda was the last person she wanted to keep waiting. The old woman was about as trusting as she was patient, and they were already taking longer than Isabella intended. This being the second time the rabbit halted their progress, Isabella was starting to lose her cool.

"Like, would you come on?"

"Just a sec. It's on the tip of my tongue."

"Lily!"

As Isabella approached, Lily focused as best she could. Just as Isabella closed the distance between the two, the words finally formed. Without a second thought, Lily proudly called them out.

"Kpuar Dej."

A soft click drew the pair's attention to their parcel. The circular lock had cleanly split in two, and the flap on the front cover began to lift with the air suddenly smelling of sulfur.

#DemiTheJackal #GoldsmileEntertainment #NotesOfAria #NOA:Starlight #urban fantasy #original story

0 notes