In the previous chapter: Having decided Oriane and Robert will attend the meeting, they were to be bugged with Ozzy's special anchors. The master of the cultists spoke to the Morrigan.
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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
The tinkering only made her more nervous.
Scott fiddled with the anchor, a graphite carved into the shape of a keyring, attaching it to her belt. He was also tempering it to 'align' with Ozzy's electric system - that was what they were calling the massive array of rune stones hanging on the wall behind the Student Council meeting room. Electricity darted from the stones this way and that, shooting white sparks every now and then. However, the second stone Scott played with was dull and mundane.
Oriane had changed into worn cropped jeans and a simple navy blue tee. It was comfortable and let her wear her belt without suspicion. Meanwhile, Charlotte had brought out several crystals and decorative patches to skew the focus away from the strangely textured black shiny stone.
"Is it done yet?" she badgered impatiently. She had been standing there for about half an hour now but Scott was still fiddling it.
"Almost," Scott replied with a hint of amusement. "Stand still and stop fidgeting. I know, you just can't wait to get back to your boyfriend." He faked a disgusted expression and gagged.
Robert walked by and smacked him on the head lightly. "Concentrate on your work, man. We're on a schedule here."
"Aw! My head, my head! I can't work anymore." Rubbing the back of his head, Scott pouted and feigned the pain. "It's okay buddy. I understand you can't bear seeing another man near her, I'll just go and-"
"For the love of all that is holy, Scott," intervened Zachary. "You've been going at them for the last few hours."
"Oh," Scott wriggled his eyebrows. "So, you'd like me to go at you then. Jealous, my friend?"
He gave him a blank unamused look. "No," he drawled and returned his attention to the huge notebook sprawled out in front of him.
He and Robert were discussing the action plan. Edan had somehow managed to scour up from the libraries a copy of the underground repository map. Those plans belonged to the old fortress destroyed during the wars.
Which war? Oriane had no clue. It wasn't recent. The basement of the old fortress, however, was never touched and remained an integral and structural part of the college. As she had remembered, there was an exit behind the auditorium. Whether it was accessible was another matter.
Edan had been studying the fading sheets for some time now and was making a series of notes on loose scraps of paper.
Reviewing the plan, Zachary pointed to the notes he had made and reminded Robert, who had returned from his loo break, "If we can find a way into the repository without needing to go through the long winding hallways, it would be a lot safer. As you can see here," he turned and pointed at a position on the map. "-there are several air ducts. It's risky to pass through and I think they might try to take advantage our blindness."
"As Anna said," Robert considered, rubbing his chin back and forth. "I don't think they're trying to ambush us."
"If they took the both of you hostage, we will be hard-pressed to do anything," he warned. "Best not take the risk."
Lips pursed in thought, he tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. Then, he sighed. "If you think that's best. But what if there isn't a clear entrance? You've got a better route to suggest?"
"There's no need. Figured it out!" whooped Edan behind Zachary.
Instantly, he had everyone looking at him expectantly.
"There is a side panel designed into one of the walls of the auditorium. It was supposed to be a secondary exit for workers but you'd have to be daft to not build a way to open the door from the other side." He held up his scrap paper.
On it, was quite a realistic sketch of a wall and an imagined inner mechanism behind it. At the side, he used a red-coloured pencil to mark a rectangular panel to the side of the door.
"According to the prints, this panel is actually a lever. Press down on it, and it will open a path into the chamber."
"It's that simple?" asked Oriane sceptically.
"According to the prints, anyway." Eden folded his piece of paper in half and handed it to Robert. "Maybe the Rosicrucians found a way to modify it. Could be hexed or removed for all I know."
Robert inched up an eyebrow. "If you're wrong...?"
"Then you'll have to take a detour back to the entrance Oriane found."
"Or," Marian broke in. "You could simply not go. Why do you have to put yourself in danger? It's not as if it affects our lives. Maybe it's just another power game. Got nothing to do with us."
Oriane shook her head. Not this again... She felt like they had been over this argument too many times. "Who else will do something about them, then?"
"Maybe no one," she replied. "But why volunteer?"
Zachary stepped in. "This is about duty. Even if Oriane hadn't volunteered, someone on this Student Council would have to do something about this. Our personal affiliations may be at stake."
She could tell Marian was keen to persist her argument but simply sighed heavily and backed down. It was clear she cared and worried. Indeed, she was worried too. Jitters spread through her, goosebumps rising despite herself. Good thing this time Robert would be along with her. Though, she did worry if the cultist would do something terrible to them both. Instinct told her that wasn't the case. They needed her for something. As a liaison to Uilliam?
A thought came up and reminded her of a small detail. The master cultist had demanded she ask Uilliam if he had considered their proposal some time ago. It had got to be something about that. Strange he had gotten so defensive about it when she asked him a few weeks back.
With a final twitch, the device in Scott's hand sprung to life. Energy seemingly glowed from within and when it got close to the graphite stone at Oriane's waist, sparks flew between them.
"Okay! Looks like you're all set." he exclaimed. "Swipe under the stone to activate and deactivate it. Obviously, we don't need to listen to you guys running through the halls the whole time."
She nodded. Wasn't she glad he had finished his tempering... Standing so still only made her more nervous. She smiled gratefully at Scott.
"Can we make sure this works before we let them traipse into enemy territory?" asked Edan, ever the pragmatist, and hurried to take the stone from Scott to connect to Ozzy's system of graphite stones. Except, despite his genius with structures, he stared blankly at the wall.
Ozzy lifted the stone from him gently and palmed it. Raising it to his mouth, he blew into it. More sparks flew and within moments it was zapping along to the beat of the stones on the wall. It was a brilliant display of magicks. Like a light show, the sparks danced with one another.
With the number of lights bouncing off one another, Oriane realised that the glass behind the stones wasn't glass at all. Rather, it was a large flat piece of quartz. The same kind that Charlotte had in abundance for her scrying.
As she looked closer, she realised the faint lights produced by the electric sparks, bouncing off one another too quickly for the eyes to follow, had produced a faint hint of an image against the crystalline backdrop.
The image became more and more focused until Oriane's silhouette was distinguishable. Then Scott's and Robert's, Marian's and Zachary's, Edan's and Charlotte's, as per their current arrangement. The simple monochrome image shifted until it was as defined as a mirror would have it.
"Amazing," she murmured, in awe of what Ozzy could do with just a few stones.
"Amazing," echoed her voice, coming from the wall.
"Ozzy, cut the audio please," instructed Zachary.
It was clear that he was as connected to his stones as the stones were together by the electric pulses. Watching him reminded Oriane of meditation. So concentrated on the energy pulses, she was surprised he heard Zachary at all.
Fingers at his temples, Ozzy complied, the wall no longer broadcasting Charlotte and Marian twittering in the background softly. The feedback dimming slowly but surely.
Zachary gave a small sound of approval and patted Robert on the shoulder. "Stay safe, my friend. Try to come back to us in one piece."
With a little smirk, he replied, "We'll get out of this one fine. Don't worry."
"That's what they always say," grumbled Marian in the background, eyes narrowing at him.
Oriane couldn't help but head over to her and gave her a huge hug. Because she knew that despite her persistent nagging about them going, deep down, it came from her worry and concern. She was so grateful and touched for her unconditional friendship.
Ozzy suddenly looked up at Robert. "Make sure to keep the anchor on you, Rob," he said. "If you touch it, you'll be able to hear me telepath to you."
"Got it." He fingered the stone. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Ozzy."
Finally, when it was time, they were sent off, opting for the passage through the auditorium.
It was a heavy trek and somehow seemed longer than usual.
Strangely, there weren't too many people and practically none at the hall despite the occasion and the surprise free day off. One or two stragglers were there when they arrived and paid no attention to what they were up to as they headed to the back.
The wall was as unremarkable as she remembered it. Nothing stood out and in no way indicated a hidden chamber was behind it. She knew better now.
"One of these panels is a lever," repeated Robert next to her, studying the wall at all angles.
She stroked down a part of the wall and looked for signs of any markings.
To the left, up, and right was a thin barely visible line, delineating the entrance for when it turns up. Oriane looked further right still, pressing down against the wall and feeling for anything out of the ordinary.
As her fingers slid across the grainy texture, a slight dip in pressure made her pause. It wasn't so much the wall had a bump. Rather, a part of the wall sunk inwards when she pressed lightly.
Oriane cried out to Robert, "I've found it."
She lifted her hand and pointed at the small square cut into the wall. The naked eye would have easily skipped over this little button.
Just when she was about to poke the square button in, Robert took her hand.
Speaking into the anchor, he asked, "You sure? This is the right one?"
After a while, he nodded, letting go of her.
When she pressed down hard, until the button sunk in as far as it would go, something clinked beyond. The wall began its divide into two and, the one that glided out, moved over to the left side. The craftsmanship was soundless. Unless someone was deliberately looking at them, they wouldn't have paid attention.
"Come on," Robert hurried her, a hand at the small of her back pushing her through. "Before those guys notice us."
Once they stepped through, the wall moved back into place with little more than a swoosh. Both of them activated their anchors.
"Edan says they have definitely modified the door," transmitted Robert, his hand clutching the stone tightly. "They probably already knows we're here. Better be quick."
They moved through the hallway deftly and as quietly as they could. It was good Robert was with her. If she was by herself, perhaps she would've made the decision to turn back around, anxious as she was. The fear was nauseating but she overcame it with the sense of rightness, that she had to do this. Indeed, no one else would nor had reason to.
Oriane swallowed dryly. The situation more real now that she was seconds away from seeing the cultist again. She wondered if Elle knew what a terrible person her 'master' was. The way he treated her. Like she was no more than a loose chess piece on a large board.
She sighed inwardly. No doubt he treated everyone that way, reminded of the way he ordered Urien. Was that acceptable to Elle? Especially when she came from an affluent family? The advantages must weigh heavily for her to submit that way. She further wondered if she was under instruction to join their group or if she truly believed in what she told them last night. Oriane sure hoped it was the former. The other option was incomprehensible to her.
They entered the large chamber she recognised, stepping down some flights of stairs. The smell of gunpowder lingered in the air, but it had dimmed.
Right in the middle was the giant bonfire. It was as high and formidable as she remembered. The sight of it only fed her nerves.
"What is this?" muttered Robert at her side. She moved closer to him for comfort.
Around the bonfire were the cultists dressed in their white gowns. There had to be approximately fifty of them standing by. And the master of them all stood at the very front, reading from a text spread open in his hands. Latin words spewed rapidly, some phrases which Oriane recognised to be from the Bible.
It was bizarre. Immortals worshipping the Christian god? She was sure they had their own religions.
That was when the master cultist noticed her. He stopped his recitation and turned to them.
"Ah, Anna. You've arrived," he nodded in approval. A smile ghosted on his face. "I wasn't sure when Elle told me she invited you and your friend to our meeting this evening. Please, come and stand in our ranks."
He gestured at the group.
Oriane had no choice but to follow in step, not wanting to offend. Robert did so too, albeit much more reluctantly.
They needed to remember that they were here to find out what this group was planning. With this many members all meeting together, this was an important meeting indeed.
Though, Oriane couldn't figure out why he would let her and Robert both come and listen in. It sounded like a huge deal. Why allow outsiders in? Selected outsiders at that? What purpose would she and Robert serve?
Instinctively, she felt like she had been successfully manipulated. Though, in what way, she wasn't quite sure. Oriane was willing to listen in just to find out what was going on regardless.
"My brothers and sisters. Given the presence of our... guests tonight, we will resume our prayers for the end of the meet. Blessed be."
"Blessed be," answered the group collectively.
"First of all, yesterday's... plan had been executed perfectly. You will be pleased to know our grandmaster is pleased with our results. The scrolls have been destroyed and that means an opening for us to exploit the weak links between the treatises," he announced with pride. "No longer will the elementals have to contend with lesser creatures. The breaking of treatises ensures war, let me tell you. With this completed, we are now able to move on to the second phase of our plan. We've already come so far!" He flung his arms out, the long sleeves spreading with a whumph.
Murmurs of approval echoed through the small gathering. Oriane went frozen. The superiority of elementals was their ultimate goal? She could imagine the vampires, Weres, and others vehemently fighting such a prejudice.
He cleared his throat with a solemn cough and returned to his upright posture after the dramatics faded. "Secondly, I have called you all here tonight in preparation for the Samhain. This year, we're doing things slightly different. It has come to my attention that we are no longer effective in developing our magicks and knowledge. To improve our connectivity to the netherworlds, we must take advantage of the coming blood moon and perform our sacrileges then. I anticipate a good spiritual replenishment is exactly what our society needs to get to the final step of self-actualisation."
Murmurs sounded throughout the attendees at his announcement. They turned to one another and whispered both their approvals and disapprovals.
Oriane frowned. She doubted the master cultist was telling the truth. Was the blood moon ritual truly just a simple rescheduled Samhain ceremony?
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