The street is quiet, almost peaceful in the moon's shadows. The light shines down on the city like an angelic presence sent to watch over those passing through. I stand at the top of the stairs looking out onto the street. The raw iron looms around the yard, grass tries to grow but dies too quickly, the cobblestones are broken, and the raven is now gone.
"Quoth!" I scream into the air.
There is no responce only the silence that rides the wind and follows the moon. I hold the key in my hand, looking it over, feeling its texture, and struggling to think how it could fit into the larger game that is being played here. What door could this unlock? I finger the key, twisting and turning it in my hand, then place it around my neck and walk down the stairs towards the gate.
I turn and look at the building. It's so much larger on the outside that I couldn't have seen half of it. I walk the street, heading into the moon. It hangs over head, high in the sky like a natural lamp. It's at its peak in the sky and getting ready to begin falling to make way for dawn to rise. Time is running thin, and I haven't a clue what to do next, where to go, how to find my wife, how to save my daughter, or how to stop this pope. Perhaps that is how all great hunts are, limited in time and looking for that which is lost.
I look down and see a small trail of blood leading down the street and into a dark alley. I do not see the gargoyles looming over me from the top of the buildings, just crosses. Some buildings are bigger than others, as if they are growing taller the further I walk into the city. Some of these reach out to the stars, so close they could touch them with their stepples that mark their top.
Still, there is no noise as I turn down the alley, following the trail of blood that seems to be getting thicker. I'm coming up on whatever is leaking. A sense runs down my spine, and I look around but see nothing but brick walls to either side of me, no windows, no bar, just brick and moonlight. Then, I see the things leaking blood.
A girl lay on her back in a pool of bright liquid, her eyes closed, hair caked. I see no wound. I bend over her and check for a pulse, but there is none, and she lies completely still. She seems at peace. Her skin is fair, matched with her blonde hair that is scattered around her; the clothing that she wears is dirty with blood and mud. It doesn't look like she has been there long; she must have been attacked and crawled here before death.
"Pull out the book..." The raspy voice echoes.
I ask no questions, simply pulling the book from my pocket. Its black leather is slick, like it will glide from my hands with a gust of wind. It's not a very big book, and it's empty, so I don't understand how it will help. Though this demon inside has yet to let me down. There has to be more to this book than I can see or feel.
I open to the first page, and text begins to appear, written in flames and scorched onto the page. I read and begin to understand.
'Magic is a tool of the imagination, accessible by all who open their eyes to see the truth which lies before them. Some do not wish to see these truths and thus are never able to see magic. If you are reading this, then you have opened your eyes and are seeing magic firsthand. Congratulations.'
The scorch marks begin to fade, and before I blink, it is like there was never anything there. Flames rise, and scorch marks start to once again appear on the page.
'To cast this spell, you must believe that you can. Place your hands over the body, then begin to chant "a-th-bhe-o-tha-cha-dh" while focusing energy into the palms and out through the fingers."
I place the book beside the body as everything fades except the words to chant. My hands hover over the girl, and I read the words over and over, committing them to memory before closing my eyes and chanting. I do not focus on fire like when I cast the flames from my hands, instead of thinking of life. Of my daughter's first steps. Of my daughter being healed. Of the love between my family and me.
I open my eyes, but nothing has changed. The girl is still dead in a pool of blood. This book is nothing more than a stupid trick. Probably controlled by the demon, now he is toying with me. Anger rises in my stomach.
Then, the girl coughs loudly with aggression. Her eyes tighten shut. A black butterfly molts from her mouth, dripping saliva. Its wings are closed and streaked with red; everything else is devoid of color. It shakes, spreading its wings, and taking off into the cool night breeze. She has a pulse, and I watch her chest rise and fall with each breath.
She's come back to life.
I've brought her back to life. A tear falls into the pool of blood under my realization that I could use this to save Evelyn. This black leather book holds the cure to her disease, and I now have that.
A chuckle echoes in my mind, but I ignore it.
"Don't move, you've been hurt. Stay still. I will tend to your wounds." I say, picking up the book and flipping to another page.
'Congratulations, it would seem that you have the touch of magic. You've brought a soul back from the other side, but now you need a spell for healing. Are you a healer or a destroyer?'
The scorch marks wavier but the words healer or destroyer linger on the page, not fading but glowing brighter. Then one fades, and all that is left is the word destroyer, which fades in a blaze.
'It seems that you are not a healer, but have brought back life. How interesting… You've got something inside you, something of great interest. You will not be able to heal this child's wounds. Though you can try. There is no guarantee that it will or will not work. Perhaps the thing inside you is the destroyer?'
'To begin, place your palms over the area of interest. Gather light energy and expel it from the palms, not the fingers. Then, simply say "Lai-mh-sea-ch-a-dh" and watch to see what happens.'
I look down at the tiny body, which I hold at arm's length. My hands are soiled with blood. No matter how hard I concentrate, the blood continues to leak from her tiny body. There are holes that I cannot see, holes that cannot be filled by the arcane. Her eyes shudder as her breathing flows away.
I've done nothing but bring this child back to die in my arms.