Page 68 of Tear of Destiny

“A cellar,” I observe, glancing around. I don’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved. Because nothing here seems to have anything to do with Kate’s prophecy. And yet I have this weird feeling, this apprehension that tightens around my chest like a wire. There’s something down here.

Noah takes a few steps, pulls linen sheets off furniture, checks out some books on a shelf.

“I don’t know how any of this stuff could be useful to us,” he mutters.

I take a look around too. It just looks like a totally ordinarycellar. Nothing unusual here.

“I’m sure that warrior statue was supposed to lead us here.” I walk around a bit too and run my hand over the wooden dressers.

“Maybe he was looking at something next to the door,” Noah suggests.

I hesitate, glance around one last time, then nod. “You might be right. Let’s go check.”

I turn around and follow Noah, who’s already on the stairs. But then I see something out of the corner of my eye. A faint glint coming from one of the dressers that I just ran my hand over. I quickly turn around and stare at the cat-like statues on it. Their mouths are open, and their pointed teeth look as sharp as knives.

Noah comes back, follows my gaze, and says, “Those are representations of a pair of key spirits. They belonged to two sisters who were close confidants of the goddesses. Later they joined the Noctu, but they were killed when the temple was attacked.”

I hear his words, but I barely take in their meaning. I’m too busy scrutinizing these figurines. Their fur is bristled, and their eyes are directed at the wall in front of them. But that’s not what makes me go to them. There’s something glinting under one of their paws. It emits a golden light, and once I’m standing in front of it, I recognize the object under the paw. A silver comb. I pick it up. It’s beautifully crafted. It’s engraved with the moon and stars, and between them there’s a tiny hole. I touch it and discover that the edges are smoothly polished. So the hole has been deliberately punched into the metal.

“Maybe it’s another puzzle,” I mutter, looking at Noah, who’s now standing beside me.

“I guess we were right after all,” he remarks.

I nod slowly as I pocket the comb and look back at the cats.Kate’s words come to mind again:Two beasts, ears pricked, claws sharp. Their empty eyes gaze upon death, watching as it goes about its macabre work.

I look at the eyes again and follow the direction of their gaze. They’re unambiguously staring at the opposite wall. I go to it. A few boxes are stacked in front of a shelf unit. I push everything a little to the side, and then I see it: some metal behind the shelves. Kate mentioned that too.

With Noah’s help, I move everything out of the way and then shift the shelves aside to reveal a metal door. Small, narrow. We’ll have to stoop to fit through it. If it even opens.

Noah tries the handle, but nothing happens. “No problem,” he says, and Rain appears at his side. His key spirit looks at the latch and closes his eyes, the way he did when I broke into Mr. Brian’s house. Smoke rises up from it, and when Rain opens his eyes again, Noah reaches out and turns the handle, and sure enough, the door opens.

We’re greeted by cold air and a smell that makes me retch. It’s so dark that Noah has to light the way with his phone. And then, I wish he hadn’t, because I know I’ll never get these images out of my head. They’re like something out of a nightmare, a monstrous hell that should never have come to light.

Death advances in secret. One after another. Their screams fade away in the gloom. Their rigid bodies found behind glinting metal. See the pain in their dull eyes, which gave up the ghost long ago,I recall Kate saying, and I realize how accurate her premonition was. There are cages everywhere, narrow, cramped, and dirty. In them are key spirits of various species. The ones with fur are disheveled, dirty, and blood-encrusted. Those that have scales are also stiff with filth, and I can make out deep wounds. A kind of iguana is lying on the floor, obviously dead and already decomposing. Its legs have been removed, which is presumably how it died. A bird lies on the floor of itsprison without wings; an owl’s eyes have been gouged out. Every single creature here is mutilated and has died an agonizing death. They all stare into the darkness with empty eyes, as if they’re still screaming in agony even after death. My legs quake, and the smell is almost unbearable.

“What the… what the hell…” Noah murmurs. He can’t contain his horror. At that moment, we hear noises. A door opens, and we hear footsteps on the stairs.

I hastily pull the door closed behind us, but I’m sure whoever it is will soon notice that the things in front of it have been shifted aside. Noah and I have no choice but to brace ourselves for a fight. Because what we’ve found here was definitely not meant for our eyes.

“You’re lucky I even made time for you. And then you keep me waiting. I’ll be right there – yeah right,” I hear Alessandro say in an irritable tone.

“I got here as fast as I could,” says a woman whose voice also sounds slightly peeved.

“I hope it’s worth it. I had to leave a party for this.”

Their footsteps approach. Apparently, they’ve reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Don’t worry, it’s exactly what you wanted,” replies the woman.

“I hope so, for your sake, because another disappointment like last time…” Alessandro breaks off mid-sentence. I’m pretty sure he’s staring at the shifted boxes and shelves.

For a while I hear nothing, then footsteps again. They’re moving toward us. My whole body tenses, and adrenalin pumps through me. Noah prepares himself for combat too. The door slowly opens, and I stare into Alessandro’s face.

Chapter 30

At first, Alessandro just looks at us in surprise, then a broad grin spreads across his face.

“Well, who do we have here?” He shakes his head. “You’re always sticking your nose into everything. And this time, you even brought a friend. Not a good idea, really not a good idea.”

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