Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

“ N ana, how much further do you think we need to go?” Stella whispered. Her voice was loud in the oppressive silence. We all wanted to get far away from that abattoir.

The cave’s interior was a maze of twisting tunnels which made maneuvering in the place a challenge. We tried following our noses to the entrance but none of us had very refined sense of smell. The occasional drip of water echoed eerily through the damp, musty air and was accompanied by the sound of waves crashing against the rocks in the distance.

“Not much longer, I hope,” Nana replied as she continued to shuffle forward. “Stay vigilant. We want to avoid being added to that heap of bodies. And we need to find the others.”

We moved cautiously, each step measured, until we stumbled upon a chamber. The moment we stepped inside, the air shifted, thick with an unsettling energy. The walls glistened, reflecting our torchlight in strange, shimmering patterns.

“What the actual?” I blurted. My feet carried me closer to the walls, and my breath caught in my throat as I realized what we were seeing.

The walls were covered in pictures. Not ordinary photographs, either. These seemed to be constructed from water. They were clearly held together by some kind of enchantment. Each image was a perfect, almost lifelike representation. Whoever did this, captured moments and froze them in time, literally.

“This is... incredible,” Nana murmured, stepping forward to examine one of the watery images. “I've never seen magic like this.”

I gaped at my grandmother. “What? It’s horrifying.” It highlighted how I wasn’t safe anywhere.

“Who could do something like this?" Stella asked.

That answer seemed easy since all of them featured me. “Can witches create these frozen pictures?” I asked. A chill skittered down my spine. These were scenes from different points over the last year or so. They were depicted in exquisite detail. It felt invasive, as though someone had been watching my every move. “This is like a stalker's wall.” My skin crawled.

Stella's face betrayed the horror she felt. “Phoebe, look at this.”

I turned to see what had caught her attention. There, among the watery images, was a picture of Stella and me in the garden at the rest home with her mother last week. The scene was tender. It had captured a moment of peace and companionship as we shared lobster rolls with Rosemary. Seeing it in this context felt wrong.

“Why would they have this?” Stella's voice wavered, and her hands clenched into fists.

"I don't know," I replied. My heart ached at the sight of so many private moments displayed in this horrible cave. “But whoever it is, they have been watching me for a long time.” They showed the progression of my baby bump. My stomach seemed to have a glow to it in the images after I got pregnant. As if being pregnant with triplets at forty wasn’t hard enough.

Nana moved closer. Her face was grim. "This isn't just about you, Phoebe. This is about all of us. We need to find out who did this and why.”

Stella's anger turned to sorrow as she stared at the image of her mother. “It's not fair,” she whispered. “She was trying to find some peace with her Alzheimer’s and now this.”

I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “We'll get to the bottom of this, Stella. I promise. But we have to stay strong and keep moving forward. We can’t let whoever did this win.”

Tears glistened in Stella’s eyes, and determination hardened her expression. “Let's find the others and figure out what all of this means.”

As we turned to leave the chamber, a renewed sense of urgency filled me. This sight confirmed that we were up against something more. Lyra wasn't capable of creating something so beautiful. Not that whoever was responsible was necessarily good. We were up against someone who had been meticulously tracking my every move. This spoke of attention to detail and patience.

The atmosphere was somber as we stood there in a tight circle with the flickering orb of light casting long shadows on the damp walls. I couldn’t make myself leave yet. “Why would someone make these images?” I asked.

Stella’s gaze darted from one distorted image to another. She lingered on the one of us in the garden. “I still want to know who could even do something like this.”

I took a deep breath and let the cool, damp air fill my lungs. “Those answers will lead us to the culprit and hopefully your mom,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t get past why go to all this trouble.”

Nana shook her head as she thrust her hands on her hips. She had that look on her face she got when she was trying to get down to the bottom of something when Stella and I had made mistakes as teenagers. She was searching for a deeper meaning hidden within the swirling water. “I don’t know enough about supernatural creatures in general, but my gut tells me a siren is behind this. And not one of the hybrids Lyra made. This takes too much power.”

“A siren?” I echoed, looking over the creepy pictures again. The way the water moved to create our likenesses was both beautiful and deeply unsettling. “Why would sirens be working with Lyra? I assumed she’d kidnapped the others and forced the change upon them. That is her specialty.”

Nana's expression grew even more serious, and her lips pressed into a thin line. “Sirens are known for their manipulative powers. They’re driven by destructive impulses. I don’t know why they would care about a witch on land. But if Lyra is controlling or has allied with them, it could explain everything.” She gestured around us. “Including the magic behind these images.”

“ This would be a member of the royal family. Their ability to shape water like this is almost unheard of. Only those of that bloodline have this ability ,” Tarja interjected. I told the others what Tarja had said. She couldn’t speak into all of our minds across distances.

“I remember Fiona, Violet, and Aislinn talking about their troubles with a siren in England," I added as my mind raced through everything. I could almost hear their voices recounting the harrowing tale. “It was a difficult ordeal, and they barely made it out. And I believe the Twisted Sisters had a run-in with sirens at a birthday party they threw. Sirens are cunning and dangerous. ”

Nana walked over to one of the walls. Her steps were deliberate and careful on the slick cave floor. She pointed to a section where a water-damaged mural was faintly visible. The colors were muted, but the shapes were still discernible. The mural depicted a siren whose eyes were incredibly lifelike. They even seemed to follow us as we moved.

“Look here,” Nana said. She traced the outline of the mural. The stone was cold and damp to the touch, and she shivered slightly as she made contact. “There are runes beneath the image that are partially obscured by moss.”

Stella leaned in closer, squinting at the faded symbols. The moss had grown thick, making it difficult to see the details. “What could this mean?” she asked.

I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort despite my gnawing uncertainty. “I wish I knew, Stella. Do you think we can decipher the symbols and figure out what it says? They aren’t witch or Underworld runes.”

“These runes could be a clue,” Nana started with a low hum, “or even a warning. But whatever they mean, I doubt we will get many answers about Rosemary. These have been here a while.”

The siren's eyes seemed to watch us as we spoke, adding to the weight of her words. They glistened in the orb of light almost as if they were alive. We were in the middle of a web of secrets and Dark magic. From the last cavern we were in they were the kind that cost lives. I was with Nana. These markings didn’t seem vital to our journey, but I couldn’t deny that understanding our enemy better would help us in the long run. The problem was none of us were fluent in siren.

I was jolted out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps echoing down the tunnel. I pressed a finger to my lips, telling Nana and Stella to be quiet, and then crept to the opening. I poked my head out, ready to toss an offensive spell at the newcomer, when I saw familiar faces. Relief washed over me. Aidon, Layla, Murtagh, and Tseki had found us.

“Aidon!” I cried out. The sight of them lifted the heavy weight of fear from my heart.

He rushed toward me, closing the distance in a heartbeat. His arms wrapped me in a tight embrace. And for a moment everything else faded away. The cold of the chamber, the eerie ice pictures, the looming threat of the siren, and the need to find Rosemary. It all dissolved in the warmth and safety of his hold.

“Phoebe,” he murmured against my lips. The relief and love in his voice echoed mine. He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. Without another word, he kissed me. It was a soft but urgent press of his lips against mine. I felt his need to reassure himself that I was truly there.

I melted into the kiss. The fear and tension of our journey eased away. When we finally pulled apart, I rested my forehead against his. I drew strength from the connection we shared. “It’s good to see you guys," I admitted.

He nodded as his eyes searched mine. "Me too. What did you find?”

I stepped aside and gestured to the chamber. “A stalker’s lair,” I replied.

The four of them gaped at the sight and moved forward quietly. Watching their expressions as they looked over the images sent shivers down my spine. We updated them on what had happened and our theories about a siren being involved. Before anything else happened, I cast the magical earplugs for them as well. I wanted us all protected.

Stella, Nana, and I stood in the center of the room while they scoured it. We’d already seen the pictures and the mural. And I didn’t want to be any closer to them than necessary. It was Murtagh who first noticed the small, weathered leather-bound book nestled within a narrow crevice in the cave wall. He pulled it free with a grunt of effort. The old leather cover was cracked and brittle in his hands.

“What do you think this is?” he asked. His voice echoed slightly in the chamber. He handed the tome to me. I carefully opened it, noting how the pages were yellowed with age and faintly smelled of mildew.

I squinted at the faded ink, my heart quickening as I realized what I was holding. "It's a journal," I said, glancing up at the others. "It belonged to a mage. Someone who encountered the siren and chronicled their vile rituals."

Stella leaned closer, her eyes wide with curiosity and fear. "Holy shit. I bet he was connected to Lyra.”

I nodded and began to read aloud. My voice barely rose above a whisper. “The mage writes about a hidden lair deep within the Chamber of Shadows. He describes the siren performing sacrifices and conjuring powerful spells. 'The siren's lair is a place of Dark magic,' he writes. 'A place where the shadows themselves seem to whisper secrets and the air is thick with the scent of blood and despair'." The words came alive in the eerie silence of the cave

Nana's expression grew more serious with each word. "That sounds like the room we ran across earlier," she said quietly. “At least we know why there was the bloody mess in that cavern.”

I continued reading, my fingers tracing the delicate script. "The mage also mentions something about a key to bringing down an imposter Pleiades once and for all. 'The siren holds the key to ending the chaos the imposter has caused.’.”

Stella's face paled as she absorbed the implications of my words. "What does that mean, Phoebe? An imposter Pleiades? Could it be talking about you?”

My heart pounded as I considered the possibility. “I'm the only one in history known as an imposter. Why would this be documented so long ago? This is really old. I’d bet I wasn’t even born when this was written.”

Layla frowned and flexed her claws nervously. “Maybe this is why the siren is working with Lyra. That doesn’t explain why it was written before your time, but helps the rest make sense.”

Tseki's dragon eyes glowed softly in the dim light. “We need to find this Chamber of Shadows. It sounds like it’s important." I pointed to another passage, and I read aloud again.

“'Beware the guardian of the Chamber,'” I recited. “'A beast of nightmares that protects the siren's secrets. Only the brave and the foolish dare to face it.'” I paused and thought about what I’d read. "The room with the abattoir came to mind when I first read this. Now I wonder if it is somewhere else,” I added.

"There’s only one way to find out. Let's keep moving," Aidon said as I closed the journal and tucked it safely into my bag. "The Chamber of Shadows is our next destination. We have to find it and put an end to the threat the siren poses once and for all.”

Stella grabbed Aidon’s sleeve as we left the chamber. “We can’t forget my mom. We have to rescue her.”

Aidon patted her hand reassuringly. “I haven’t forgotten that. I know this case has thrown several curve balls, but there is a reason for everything. Growing up with the Fates, I know better than anyone that nothing happens without design or reason.”

Stella’s face went pale. “You suck at reassuring people. That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Aidon chuckled and wrapped an arm around her in apology. We fell silent as we traveled in pairs through the tunnel. The deeper we ventured, the more oppressive the darkness became. I cast a light orb that went from blinding to barely visible and I swore the shadows were conspiring to smother us.

After what felt like an eternity, we arrived at a vast, cavernous space. This had to be the Chamber of Shadows. It was creepy and foreboding, as the name suggested. Our torchlight flickered when we stepped inside. Shadows began dancing on the walls. My heart pounded against my ribcage as I took in the sight before us.

At the center of the chamber was a disturbing tableau. The ground was stained with blood. I crouched and noticed we had left the sand behind and were standing on light-colored slate. I expected it to be covered in dark, corrupted runes and sinister symbols. It wasn’t. I could feel the writhing, pulsing energy beneath us.

Nana stopped next to Tsekani. “This feels like the place.” She pointed to the blood. “It appears to be the siren's sacrificial site. Now what?”

Layla's claws flexed nervously. “Get rid of the magic here.”

Murtagh moved closer to the center. "It smells like death.”

A sudden, ominous sound echoed through the cave. The entrance behind us slammed shut with a resounding thud, trapping us inside. My heart skipped a beat and settled in my gut. I turned to see the solid rock wall now sealing our exit.

“Oh, hell. We're trapped," I said, trying to keep the panic at bay. “I didn’t feel any power that might have triggered it.”

Tseki stood protectively next to Nana. He was vigilant as he looked around the chamber for any sign of danger. “We need to find a way out. This place doesn’t feel right.”

Aidon wore a grim expression as he inclined his head. “Phoebe, can you sense anything? The source of the power here? Any weaknesses in that magic, by chance?”

I closed my eyes and focused, reaching out with my magical senses to probe the energy surrounding us. I was acutely aware of being trapped. It was difficult to concentrate between that and the way the air hummed with malevolent power. My stubborn nature meant I pushed even harder. I looked for ways around what was keeping me from getting a feel for things.

“It's strong,” I said, my voice strained. "If there are weak points, I can't find them. And there’s nothing to indicate there was ever a doorway. We’re trapped.”