Blackstar

Sixteen - Discovery

“I wonder where they are,” Raven said suddenly.

She and I were in the kitchenette area, peeling some potatoes that were growing not far from the herbal garden. I winced as I nicked myself with the knife again.

“Who?”

“My parents’ bodies,” she whispered.

“I wish I knew,” I said, holding her hand for a brief moment.

To my surprise, she giggled. “You’re not used to this kind of work, are you?”

I shook my head honestly. “All I know, is if I drag the knife across, it’ll peel.”

She put hers down and took my hands in hers. “It’s simple, really,” she explained and maneuvered my hands in the proper way. “You’re going too fast, though; that’s why you keep cutting yourself.”

“Did you learn this in the orphanage?”

She nodded. “We all had to learn a special skill and, since I had an aptitude for cooking, that’s where Madame Marie put me.”

I looked at the fire where the stew was bubbling. “It does smell wonderful.”

“What does?” she asked, distracted by gathering the peeled potato skins.

“Your stew.”

She dropped her towel, the skins falling on the floor, and I frowned. She hastily picked them up.

“Oh, yes, the stew.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked but she shook her head.

“You’re going to think I’m insane,” she mumbled.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed and she glared at me.

“Raven, love, you have a black star on your shoulder. You’re being hunted by a mad man. I have a red rose on my shoulder. We’re in a cottage where time seems to stand still. There really isn’t anything else you can say that will make me fear for your sanity.”

She smiled sheepishly and dumped the skins into a basket.

“When I was preparing the stew this morning,” she said, “I went to chop the meat. It was already done, though, and I watched as a woman put the meat in the kettle. She also added vegetables and herbs. Before she disappeared… I could swear it was my mother, Alexi. Or, a part of her.”

I hugged her. “It probably was,” I said. She wrapped her arms around my waist. “Did she say anything?”

“No. She just smiled at me.” She sighed and stepped back. “We need to rinse these and chop them up. Then I’m going to start searching.”

“I’ll take care of the potatoes,” I promised. “You go ahead and search.”

-Raven’s POV-

I left Alexi in the kitchen. The King, Queen, and Vera were at the table, discussing rough plans about what we were going to face.

“I’m going to start searching for those runes,” I told them and they nodded.

I went to my old room first. I had hoped that, since that was where I found everything that would be where the runes were hiding. I moved the beds but it was useless. They weren’t etched under the bed frames, either.

“Raven,” Alexi said and I turned. “Do you want me to add the potatoes to the stew?”

“Yes. And give it a good stir.”

I stood up and dusted off my mother’s old apron. The walls were bare and the door was just plain wood. I then went into my parents’ old bedroom. I paused in the doorway. There was something about the room that made me uneasy but I couldn’t understand why. Everything was normal. Or as normal as it could be here.

“Would you like help?” I heard Vera ask from behind me.

I smiled. “Let’s start with the bed first. Can you stand on the other side and pull while I push?”

She did so and I sighed in disappointment.

“Nothing on the floor,” I said and got on my back, shimmying under the bed. “But there’s something here on the bed frame.” Heart pounding with excitement, Vera ran to get Alexi and the King to flip the bed over. “It’s a rune!”

I clapped my hands in joy. Vera hurried in with the chalk and a roll of the blank paper. She copied it meticulously, down to the last stroke, and put the roll somewhere safe.

“Now where are the others?” I mumbled. I sighed. “We don’t even know how many there are.”

“Um, Raven?” the Queen called and I hurried out to the main area of the cottage.

“What is it?” I asked.

She showed me the picture on the mantel. At first I was frustrated. It was a painting of my parents, Joseph, and I. I tried to pick it up and, as soon as I did, the floor to the left pulled away. My breath caught in my throat as I looked around at them all.

“You first,” Alexi whispered and I descended the stairs.

It was pitch black. Vera ran back to pick up one of the smaller logs and lit the tip, passing it up to me. I held the makeshift torch in front of me, descending slowly and holding my skirts up to avoid tripping. The air got colder as we went further underground. Finally, my feet found the bottom.

“Careful,” I said to everyone. “We’ve reached the end. Stay by the stairs while I try to find a way to get more light.”

They murmured compliance and I walked deeper in. I made it about ten feet before I bumped into a wall. I ran my hand along it to the right; to the left it met the corner of the wall of the cottage. I walked slowly, using my feet to feel around the floor. I was so focused on the floor that I didn’t see the table in front of me until I bumped right into it.

I swore under my breath, rubbing my hip. A candelabrum with four candles stood on the table and I carefully lit them. I extinguished the log and set it on the floor, lifting the candelabra to inspect more of the room. There were three more tables, each with identical candelabra on it. I lit the candles and, immediately, light filled the basement.

I gasped, almost dropping the candelabrum in my hand.

The floor was covered in red chalk. Runes were drawn jaggedly on the rough wood. On each table, a skull perched, facing the runes. Red chalk marks encircled the room. It looked dark, demonic.

I looked over at the royal family, their faces mirroring my shock.