Page 34 of The Shadows Beyond
“And nobody ever notices when people are magically healed and buildings miraculously get repaired overnight?”
“You’d be surprised. People in these crises rarely have time to stop and think about these things. Plus, we’re very adept at hiding our processes. Anyway, Béatrice’s body was found alone at the top of a mountain by one of her friends. The details are all a bit murky, but Auri’s autopsy examination reported enigmatic wounds consistent with motepower trauma. They concluded there was some sort of ‘blast’, because…” Julien stared intently into the fire, body very still, clearly reliving some of the worst days of his life. Cinn’s hand twitched to reach out to him.
“Large patches of her skin were burned off. Mostly around her chest and arms. The conclusion was that she channelled too much motepower at once,” he finished, then scoffed.
Cinn drained his tea in four gulps, then dared to ask, “So… why is that suspicious?” tensing while he did so.
“Very few deaths have ever been blamed on channelling too much motepower.” Julien’s eyes crinkled. “Heard the wordmoteblownyet? It’s what we call it when we channel too much. It can be dangerous, occasionally causing one to faint or even require medical aid. It’s rarely fatal though. And it certainly doesn’t cause physical trauma such as that found on my sister.”
Three knocks on the slightly ajar living-room door.
Cinn instinctively jerked his leg away, then glanced at Julien to see if he noticed, to find him wearing a knowing smirk.
He scowled back in return.
“It’s my bath and yoga time!” Darcy called through the door. “Time to go!”
“Anyone would think it was her house or something,” muttered Julien, rising to his feet.
Darcy waited by the door to see them out, a slip of paper in her hands. “Auri reopens tomorrow. Madame Sinclair sent this note to my bedroom fire to pass on to you. Shall we pick you up tomorrow at nine?”
Sent a note to a bedroom fire?!But Cinn had absorbed enough information for one day, and didn’t have the strength to question it.
“If it’s not too far out of your way,” mumbled Cinn, glancing at Julien. He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d get to Auri without him.
“Oh, and let’s do lunch,” Darcy continued brightly. “We’ll show you the café we usually eat at. They do the best pastries. Even Julien approves of theirchoux à la crème.”
She passed him the handwritten note, which informed him he had a meeting with Noir in the morning and another with Eleanor Sinclair herself in the afternoon.
Good thing he had no other plans.
As Cinn slid the note into the back pocket of his jeans, Darcy and Julien exchanged a hurried glance, worry laced on Darcy’s face.
“Don’t…” started Julien. “Don’t mention today to Eleanor. Or anything about Béatrice.”
“Why? I thought she was your close family friend or something?”
“It’s complicated.”
Of course it was.
Cinn rolled his eyes and bit his tongue. If they still wanted their secrets, they could have them.
nine
Julien
Waving goodbye to the others, Julien’s feet dragged him towards the Cerulean Auditorium, unable to resist its macabre pull.
He joined the trickle of people making their way there, all wearing sombre faces and pulling their coats tighter to their bodies in the cool morning chill.
The auditorium was, unsurprisingly, a ruin.
A haunting silhouette against the bright sky, the charred remnants of the building still stood in the centre of Auri, although in a sorry state. Amidst the blackened debris and rubble, mourners had placed bright flowers—petals of white, crimson, and gold interwove with the edge of the desolation, providing a stark contrast. The very subtle shimmer dusting the flowers, was a telltale sign they’d been grown in the Verdant Conservatory, and would likely remain beautifully fresh for many months.
There would certainly be many months of mourning ahead for Auri.
Huddles of people gathered around in small groups, soft cries coming from many of them. Snatches of sentences containing the words ‘Arcane Purifiers’ drifted over to him on the light breeze.
