When We Were Still Human Vaughn Foster (the kiss of deception read online .txt) 📖

The aether swirled around them like muggy air after a storm. Even stranger, its main force wasn’t coming from the stage alone. Instead, the entire space was charged with energy. Avia shook her head with an exasperated sigh. “That act took a lot of magic,” she whispered. “Very old, very strong magic.”

“You’re right,” Castor said. Paris’ green eyes were now set with determination. “It appears we made a good call coming here.”

Paris nodded. “Let’s just see what else is in store.” Gemini then leaned back in their seat and waved over a boy selling popcorn.

Chapter 21

The door was exactly where Dove had said it would be. Though the room had only been a few paces off the stairwell, Val was still mildly surprised that the hall hadn’t taken her somewhere else. She’d expected a towering frame with heavy bolts, chains, and angelic guards with fiery swords. How else were enchanted, forbidden rooms to be guarded?

Apparently not at all. A small wooden door lay within the stone, so ordinary that she nearly missed it. It had a brilliant coat of silver that made it “pop” against the dark walls, but that was about the extent of magical properties.

On first try, the handle stayed firm. No repulsion. No stoic, disembodied voice. Just a locked door. Val was about to try again but was stopped by a mild pulse coming from the wood. The silver paint began to swirl, and thousands of tiny white runes swam to the surface.

Tipa

Esro

Dölj

Hëdv

Lock. Guard. Conceal. Force. The markings continued one after another, looping along the wood in incomprehensible patterns until she was forced to look away. It was then that Val remembered the feather in her hand. She held it up. Nothing happened and Val waited or a flash of light or an audible spell. Instead, the runes simply stopped. As quickly as they’d appeared, each rune vanished into the silver and the door became just a normal door. Tentatively trying the handle again, it twisted freely and the door opened inward.

Bookshelves, scrolls, and science equipment greeted her as she stepped inside. The room was remarkably clean and showed no signs of abandonment. Her steps padded softly against the sapphire flooring as she neared the closest desk. A bottle of ink, a quill, and pages of scribbled text were sprawled out as if the owner had merely excused himself for a glass of water.

Val squinted at the topmost paper but couldn’t read it. Unlike the city signs that transmorphed from Ynsri to English, these writings stayed the same. She wasn’t familiar enough with the language to be sure, but the blend of strange characters and jagged runes seemed to be something else entirely. Something... older.

The air felt thick. Not like the stuffiness common in closed-off spaces, but something marked with the hum of magic. Val restlessly flexed her hands as she turned away from the desk. The room wasn’t huge, but it was large enough for shadows to web across the darkened corners. The contents of the various shelves were obscure shapes and Val had the uneasy sensation that she was being watched.

A spark of light flared on her left, and the door closed behind her. Turning to the glow, Val narrowed on two sconces of twisting metal. Each held a silver candle. She stared in wonder as black fire danced on the wicks. The metal pulsed and the flames reflected the darkness. The light cut through the shadows like a talon. In its wake, Val found herself in stasis.

The wall held more of the strange writing. But this time, it was paired with images. Between the onyx flames was a simple, almost child-like sketch. A solid black line stretched the length of the wall. Monsters, presumably demons, were crawling out of the line. Beneath it were white, winged figures—the angels. She couldn’t make sense of it, but now that she was this close, face merely inches from wall, the heaviness gripped tighter. The restlessness was now a twisting and straining in her chest. Her teeth reflexively sharpened, and her hand rose to trace the image with a clawed finger.

The dark line started to grow, shadow spreading along the wall, consuming angel and demon alike. Something like ash began to fall onto Val’s skin, soon joined by a single black feather. Her mind was still held by the darkness as the wall now stood entirely enveloped in black.

A second later, she stumbled back, bruising her tailbone against hard ground. Glancing up, the study had been replaced by an all-encompassing grey. No color, no shape—only an endless expanse as far as the eye could see.

“Well, this is a surprise.”

That voice. Val whipped around, then leaned back, finding her face inches from that of a towering man in a top hat. His skin was blue. The long curls that veiled his eyes were a radiant violet.

The phantoms of memory wafted through the floorboards of her mind. This had happened before. Right here. With him. The only difference was that he’d only been a white silhouette.

“What are you?” Val asked evenly. The man tilted his head in confusion.

“Not quite sure myself, deary.” He burst into a round of maniacal laughter, causing Val to leap back. He stopped a second later, face sober and alert.

The man stepped closer and Val could smell, could see, could feel the magic in him. The air around his suit rippled as he moved. The same sweet smell that wrapped the city blanketed him as well—only this scent had the tinge of burning; something that had been left too close to the source.

“It was an accident this time, believe me!” He quickly held his hands up defensively. Val flinched, but didn’t jump. She was getting used to his sporadic movement.

She crossed her arms. “Bringing me here?”