Black Wings

Chapter 13

On every table is a candle.

That is the only thing I realize X owns. Candles. I keep wandering around but I keep my footsteps silent, I land heel to toe. Heel to toe. Heel then my toes bangs on the floor. Our feet hit the stone in sync, if we weren't so loud, we may have been able to get away as one person. I keep that in mind while I look around.

There are multiple tables of which have been banged together, lost legs and been burnt.

"Anything of interest here?" Kai yells toward Irene and I but we have not. All I have seen are several candles with meaningless names and patterns carved into them. The light sources flicker and dance with one another and each pile of wax is steadily getting shorter. None of them have died out, they all glow brightly.

"I have lots of candles my area. I think he has enough to last a life time." Irene responds and looking around I'm in the same situation.

"Reckon X is a candle maker? He has melted wax here and a carving knife. There's a candle with S inscribed on it so I assume and hope that he is carving words into them and not whatever he does to kill people."

There's a silence that echoes around us that one second we might open up a closet door and find the age old mangle of bone from all the time he has been alive.

"Oh and do not touch the candles. There is a sign that says that guys. Do not touch the candles!" Kai screeches out ruining the silence but it is for the best seeing as when I turn the corner there is one candle that catches my eye, on the wax reads: Cecelia. I catch my breath and reach out to touch it when delivers the message. I fall back and land on the floor, nudging some tables but nothing falls down.

"I heard the first time Kai. I think your scream scared Olie though."

I sigh and clamber up, "Nothing happened!" I yell and hurry out of the room before I catch the names of everyone I use to know gathered by one another. I bump into Kai on the way.

True to his word, the only thing nearby him is a table and a pile of wax. The candle does read X but what I find intriguing is that if he intends to light the newly made candle where is the match? There is not a match to be found on the premise and it sends some shivers down my spine, even with fire magic to light so many candles permanently would take a lot out of you.

That and the fact that X is not capable of fire magic, it seems out of place. Everything in the cave feels wrong but we cannot leave until I have proof that Jelly was playing a prank on me. With slim odds, we can still get her back. Looking around at the surrounding I think I may be in the wrong place. The only thing to be found here is enough candles to light up the world.

Irene approaches us looking as if she had spotted a ghost. Her face is pale and her eyes are wider than I have ever seen them. I look up concerned before heading over to her and lingering back when Kai runs forward and hugs her. We ask the same question at the same time, "Are you okay?"

Her head rises and she bobs it in a unique way of saying, I am fine just haunted.

"Reckon this place has ghouls?" I joke trying to lighten the mood and see if she is horrified at paranormal sighting. She does not say anything but grabs Kais arm and drags him over to the area she was assigned. At first glance there is nothing special about the area but when you get up close you can see the edgings on the candles.

It may be Astoria who reads runes the best but it does not take a genius to realize the runes read 'Black, hang in there'. The candle is green and glistens the same colour the kindness SOUL does, on the edges and slowly creeping down however is black lines threatening to engulf the warm presence. On the candle written in the English alphabet is 'Astoria' and all of our hearts land up blocking any words that can leave our mouths.