Page 286 of Mayhem and Minnie

Minnie nods numbly.

“The most powerful being in the universe,” she whispers.

Katrina doesn’t seem fazed. She simply smiles at Minnie and pats her hand.

“You vow to open the letter only when that mark appears on your chest?”

“I-I vow.” Minnie nods.

“Good. Then my duty here is done. You may eat, sleep, and replenish your strength. There’s a portal not far from here that will take you to your desired destination.”

Katrina rises from the table.

“Wait! How do you know our desired destination?” I ask.

Even we don’t know our destination. It was supposed to be random, no? Somewhere to blend in and lose ourselves in the crowd.

Katrina slowly looks up.

Both Minnie and I follow her gaze, where a large painting covers the entire ceiling. It’s a portrait of a couple, their faces painted with a myriad of colors. The man has long, white hair, a stark contrast to the paints on his face. His eyes are a light shade of blue. The dark-haired woman next to him is smiling brightly at the artist, some of the paint cracking around the corners of her mouth.

Minnie releases a loud gasp as she grasps onto my sleeve to keep herself upright. She squeezes my arm, her mouth opening and closing.

“What? I don’t get it?” I whisper.

“But you do, don’t you?” Katrina addresses Minnie.

“That’s it, Marlowe. The sanctuary,” she says as she points at the painting.

I frown, unable to understand what she’s talking about.

“Behind the couple. Look. It’s the same as the drawing,” she continues as she materializes her book in front of us and points to the page with the illustration of the sanctuary.

I look at the painting on the ceiling, then at the illustration.

There’s the same stone formation in the back, down to the discoloration of the wall and the placement of the stalactites.

“Where is it? Where do we need to go to find that place?” Minnie asks excitedly.

Hope shines in her eyes, and she’s barely keeping herself from jumping up and down. Her cheeks are red with joy and optimism, and it slowly dawns on me that this is it.

We can finally be together.

I grab her hand, squeezing it tightly.

Katrina glances from Minnie to me, her lips tipped up in a pleasant smile.

“Arkgor. The place you’re looking for is in a realm called Arkgor.”

38

“We should be resting,” I tell Minnie, who’s currently jumping on the bed, squeaking with happiness. Which, granted, is pretty justified. She’s been holding onto this hope for so long, that she deserves to express her joy however she wants.

Katrina insisted that we spend the night at her house so we can recoup our strength and prepare for what is to come. She let us use the attic to have more privacy, which includes a bedroom and a bathroom. She was a sweet lady, giving us food and everything else we needed for the night.

But while Minnie is happily rolling around on the mattress, I can’t help but think that everything was…too fortuitous.

How the hell did we get so lucky that some random person dropped two letters some fifty years ago that held the key to solving all our problems. Not only do we now know where the sanctuary is, but we also have the potential weapon to destroy that Azerius dude.

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