Branches of Life

The other side of the barrier was drastically different. For starters, we were now standing at the entrance of a long and abandoned hallway. Moonlight streaming in through the dingy window behind us was the only light in the dim space. A chill filled the hall. The kind that occurred in abandoned houses. Dust coated the mirrors lining the walls, each made up of various sizes and shapes. The floor was coated as well, making it so I had no clue what its original color was. Our footprints were the only disruption in the dust, the only sign of life in this place in who knows how long.

Goosebumps rose along my arms, and I was unsure if it was from the cold or from the hallway itself. I didn't sense any malignant energy as I had with the forest. Not like it actually meant anything. I wasn't as sensitive to magic as some of the other races. And if the caster was skilled enough, they could hide their signature to an extent.

Dozens of questions swirled around in my mind all at once. What in the worlds was this place? Who created it? And where were they now? From the illusion magic hiding the entrance, I suspected it had to be a sorcerer or sorceress who created this strange place.

Hanging between the mirrors every few feet were rusted over sconces. I couldn't help myself, I reached for the one nearest to me. When my fingers made contact with the frigid metal, a bright ball of orange light appeared. Not only with this sconce but with every single one lining the hall. Letting out a small squeak, I leaped back.

Wyatt observed the lights with a long sigh. "Of course it was you," he muttered when his gaze landed on me. "I thought the whole no touching anything part was obvious." Wyatt's laugh lacked any real humor. He shook his head as he walked down the hall, his steps careful.

I let out an indignant huff but didn't respond past that. At the back of my mind, I knew how lucky I was. Traps or alarms hadn't even crossed my mind. We had no clue as to the intentions of the Mythic who built this place. It may not have been intended as shelter from the forest's residents, but instead a trap. I needed to be more careful from here on out. Just because this place appeared harmless and empty, it didn't mean that it actually was.

Wyatt led the way down the seemingly endless hallway. The air smelled musty and stale, irritating my nose. Our footsteps were muffled by the dust blanketing the ground. After the cacophony of sounds in the forest, the silence of the hallway was deafening. Even I didn't attempt breaking it. The idea of speaking made me nervous. Like if I disturbed the stillness, all hell would break loose.

The decor remained the same as we followed the bends of the hall, with an unnecessary amount of mirrors lining the walls. There had to be over two hundred. Even if they were clean, I didn't see the purpose of all these mirrors. And quite honestly, I didn't want to know. I had the sneaking suspicion it wasn't because the Mythic had been a vain asshole.

Finally, the hallway opened up into an oversized circular foyer. Windows sat behind a half landing, where a set of stairs led. Moonlight flooded the in through the dirty floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting up the room better than the scones spaced around the walls ever could. Two flights of stairs branched off from the landing. Situated to the right of the stairs was a table full of objects indistinguishable through the grime. The same could be said for the red cushioned bench seat—I assumed it was red, but it was hard to be sure—set to the left of the stairs. At opposite ends of the room were open doorways, leading to what appeared to be more hallways.

More questions popped up in my head, but only one made its way out. "What the fuck?" My voice was nothing more than a breath, but with the permanent stillness of this place, it felt and sounded as if I was yelling.

Wyatt chanted under his breath, waving his hands in a series of gestures. A wave of silver and golden energy exploded from his hands. Spreading throughout the room, up the stairs, and through the door frames on either side of the room.

Now wait a fucking second. I opened my mouth to call him out for breaking his own rule, but he cut me off. "No."

My mouth snapped shut as I watched him continue chanting. All the while I continued scanning the room, half expecting a ghost or some sort of creature to emerge from the shadows or doorways. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Harmony sneezed, the sound echoing through the room.

The silver and gold energy found its way back to the foyer, returning to his hands. His eyes snapped open and scanned over the room before facing us. "From what I can tell, there is no other being here, as well as no traps—magical or otherwise—alarms or surveillance."

I was barely able to swallow down my screech when Rowan violently sneezed, shaking her head. 'All of this dust is making it hard for me to catch any scents.' I relayed Rowan's words to the others after Rowan sneezed again.

Other than the stagnant air, the only other scents I could find were ours.

"I doubt there are any lingering scents. It's been a long time since anyone has set foot here," Wyatt confirmed.

"Figured that out all by yourself?" Koa asked, raising an eyebrow.

I choked back a laugh, amazed that he was being sarcastic. Again. I had thought the first time was a fluke or due to the stress of the situation. It was sort of jarring and almost normal of him. Was this how he usually was when he wasn't on missions? Was he not always a growling and dominant asshole?

Wyatt tilted his head back and stared up at the high-arched ceiling. Probably searching for the patience to deal with us. No doubt he was wishing he was back in his cabin. Alone with only his thoughts for company. "There are no magical signatures of any sort. Meaning, either there was never any magic used here, other than the entrance, or—"

"The magical signature faded over time. Yes, we already know this. We all attended lessons growing up," Ander interrupted, impatiently waving his hand.

"From what I have witnessed from you all today, it isn't obvious." Wyatt rubbed his chin, drifting to the center of the room. "I'm beginning to suspect you were sent on this mission, not because they trust you or think you're competent, but because they wanted rid of you morons."

Starling scoffed, looking at Wyatt like she was considering her chances at landing a punch. Either that or kicking him in the junk. Or maybe that was just me. "There that charming personality I love so much," I said as I padded across the floor toward the table. Fogged-over decanters lined the front of the table. I could see through them enough to know they were over halfway filled, with liquids I wouldn't attempt drinking or touching. Even if it was just standard alcohol and I was in desperate need of a shot. Or two.

Sitting between each decanter were crystals, each the size of my palm. With all the grime covering them, it was hard to recognize what type they were. Reaching out a hand, I brushed off the layers of dust and revealed an unfamiliar crystal. It was green with swirls of purple and yellow. I wasn't an expert, but I was pretty sure this type of crystal wasn't common.

Ari's shoulder brushed mine as she joined me at the table, startling me out of my single-minded focus. I hadn't even heard her approach. "Is it bad that I want to taste test what's in the bottles?"

"You two are the reason the sorcerer thinks we're idiots," Starling muttered from across the room.

The only response I gave her was my middle finger as I kept my focus on the table. More specifically, on the five vases spaced across the back. "You really need to get laid," Ari shot back.

My laugh lacked genuine amusement. All of my attention was aimed at those damn vases and I had no clue why. All other sounds faded into the background as I reached out and grabbed the one in the middle. It was heavier than I expected and cold. So cold my fingers went numb nearly right away. It seeped up my hands and into my forearms. I didn't release the vase. Instead, I committed and picked it up. I mean, Wyatt did say there were no traps. Hopefully, he was as good at magic as he thought he was.

I stopped shy of blowing off the dust—nearly proving Starling and Wyatt's point—and instead wiped my hand over the side, revealing a black vase. It wasn't pure black, golden designs were engraved into the sides. A sense of disappointment sat in my chest, as I thought it was just an ornamental vase.

Not ready to let this go for some reason, I kept wiping the dust free. Once it was clean, I realized my initial assessment had been wrong and I couldn't be more relieved. It wasn't a design, it was some sort of archaic language.

With rushed movements, I cleaned off the remaining vases, each different colors with different writings, a couple of which seemed vaguely familiar, I couldn't read any of them, but I was pretty sure I had seen them somewhere before. They also felt different from one another. Where the first one had been freezing, the one after it felt warm, almost steadying in its energy. I shook off that weird thought. How the hell could a fucking vase be steadying? A beautiful deep blue—like the ocean, but more vibrant—was the background, with a dark silver as the script. This one had more loops and graceful arches.

The next one had a wild energy buzzing over my skin, and I wondered for the first time if I shouldn't have been messing around with these. Wyatt had said he didn't sense any magic. But what I was feeling from these vases was definitely magic. I continued my task of cleaning and observing. I'd already made it this far, might as well commit to being a dumbass.

A deep forest green, but way more vibrant, was revealed next. Along with a light silver script. This one was written in yet another ancient language, one that had me wracking my brain trying to remember where I had seen it before.

The last two went in a similar fashion. One was a rich crimson, sending jolts of burning energy into my hands, with bronze script in yet another language. The copper writings on the white vase, were more flowery with flicks and curves throughout, with an electric energy pouring off of it.

A hand reached in front of me and traced the copper writings of the vase I was still holding. There was no containing my surprised shriek, or hiding how I jumped a couple feet in the air, dropping the vase in the process. Before it could hit the ground and possibly smash—who knew the purpose of the electric magic buzzing around in that thing—it stopped in midair before flying into Wyatt's hands where he stood beside me.

I'd been so focused on these little mysteries, I hadn't even noticed that everyone had stopped talking, or how they were now standing around Wyatt and me. I really needed to work on that shit.

"What do we have here," Wyatt said to himself as he slowly spun it around. His brows were furrowed and I didn't know if it was because he was unable to read it also, or if he didn't like what it said. Deft fingers traced a couple of the symbols, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip.

Ander pushed his way closer to the table, scanning the other vases before retrieving the crimson one. Like Wyatt, a frown quickly appeared on his face. He was confused by it, but again I didn't know what the cause of his confusion was.

Koa picked up the green vase next, almost like he didn't want to be left out.

Silence stretched out across the foyer once more as the guys continued frowning and squinting at those damn vases, that I was now regretting ever finding. I was pretty sure none of them could read them but were too damn stubborn to ever admit it.

"We might as well get comfortable. If those two are anything like my brother, it'll take forever for them to admit they're clueless." Starling sighed, leaning back against the wall next to one of the doorways.

"We could explore while they're busy. Who knows, maybe Jay will find something else for them to ponder—that is after they admit defeat," Ari said. The guys were as engrossed in vases as I had been, that they must not have heard Ari, and instead continued their pondering.

Starling gnawed on her lip, glancing at the guys. Her uncertainty was clear on her face.

"You don't have to come, but Wyatt did say there weren't any magical threats," Harmony reassured.

I was so sure she would refuse, and insist on staying with Koa. So I was surprised when she asked, "Left or right?"

"I vote we take the stairs. I'm not in the mood for any more creepy hallways," Harmony said with a shudder.

At the same time, Ari cheered, "Hell yeah!" Her voice reverberated through the room, making us cringe. Somehow the men still didn't notice. Their single-minded focus remained undeterred. Ander and Wyatt both resorted to using magic.

Stubborn jackasses.

With one last backward glance at the room, I followed Harmony up the stairs.