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Chapter Six

“ T his means you can find the book,” said Gray, locking his eyes onto Serena.

“I-I would have no idea where to start,” she stammered.

Her protests fell on deaf ears as he grabbed her hand and dragged her inside.

His hands were large and callused, uncharacteristic of a scholar, and she couldn’t help but notice how he moved with a lethal kind of grace.

It was hard for her to make sense of any of these things however, because tiny butterflies were now flapping around in her stomach.

In the study, he faced her, his dark eyes shining. Excitement colored his cheekbones, and his dark hair was finger touseled. A crooked grin hung from his lips, lighting up his face. She tried to ignore how handsome he looked in that moment.

The butterflies were now seagulls flapping their very large wings in her stomach.

“Stupid birds,” she muttered.

“You- sorry, did you just say something about birds?”

She threw him a beaming smile.

“Of course not.”

With a wary glance, he continued, “The reference to Fortune’s touch confirms there’s some kind of blood magic tied to the book.

Don’t worry though, blood magic is not as complicated as people seem to think.

Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of focus.

So, take a look around the room and see if you’re drawn to anything in particular. ”

“I’m drawn to the exit,” she muttered, cursing her traitorous heart.

He glared at her.

“Oh, all right, I’ll give it a go.” She sighed. “You might want to let go of my hand though.”

He looked down to where their fingers were still interlocked and dropped her hand like it had burned him. She tried to not take it personally.

Shifting uncomfortably, his cheeks tinged a little pink, he gestured for her to proceed.

She stood in the middle of the room, feeling like an idiot.

“Well, this isn’t working,” she said after a minute.

He came up behind her .

“That’s because you’re not focusing, and you’re starting off with doubt in your mind.

The rhyme said know what you seek; that means you have to focus on the fact that you know that the book is here somewhere.

The second part means you shouldn’t be focusing on looking for what the book looks like, just concentrate on knowing it exists. Here, close your eyes.”

Warm hands landed on her shoulders, and she tried to repress a little shiver at the contact. His body felt much larger up close, and she was glad he was standing behind her, because she was pretty sure her cheeks were aflame at this point.

“Now imagine that there’s a little light emitting from somewhere in the darkness,” he murmured in her ear. “Stretch out your senses—feel around for it. If there’s not a light, then maybe a warmth?”

Focusing on his velvety voice as an anchor, Serena did as he said.

She imagined something like the ball of light she had encountered in the woods and tried to look for it in her mind’s eye.

There it was, an invisible tug coming from the corner of the room.

She took a few hesitant steps, eyes still closed, supported by Gray’s hands on her arms. Feeling a warm glow, she stepped closer, and then kept going until it felt like she was standing in the midst of it.

She opened her eyes to see that she was standing in front of one the bookshelves in the corner. Rows and rows of books greeted her, and before she knew what she was doing, she found herself picking out a title from the topmost shelf.

Manners Maketh Me : A young lady’s guide to polite etiquette.

“ Manners Maketh Me ? This is what we’re looking for?”

Gray frowned, “What are you talking about? The book says, Apple Cheeks for Weeks : An Intro to Smiling . ”

“Firstly, that is a ridiculous title. Secondly, you need to get your eyes checked.”

“Hold on,” said Gray, his face lighting up with understanding. “That’s it! The book is hidden but under a different title! No doubt a title the seeker would never pick up otherwise.”

“Of course!” cried Serena, clapping her hands together in delight. “So what now? There’s no way I’m letting out a single drop of blood on that thing.”

“You don’t have to,” said Gray with exaggerated patience. “Blood magic doesn’t always require you to do that, unless it’s of a darker kind.”

“And…you know that how?”

As soon as she asked, he clammed up.

“It’s not uncommon knowledge. Now, we need to move on to the next part of the riddle. It said something about Fortune’s touch. Try putting your hand on the book.”

She complied.

“Do I say some fancy rhyme or something?” She giggled nervously. “Badabee Badalook, open up, you silly little book.”

He rolled his eyes at her antics. “Just say your name, and try asking it to reveal itself for now.”

She cleared her throat and thought of the right words to say. Once she had decided, they seemed to flow with unnerving ease. “I, Serena Rose, descendant of Arcana Fortune, command you to reveal yourself.”

For a minute nothing happened, and then right before her eyes, the book seemed to shimmer, the words changing until the title said:

The Tales Of Arcana Fortun e

It worked.

It had actually worked. And they had used magic to accomplish it. She had been this close to believing it was all hogwash, but there it was, Arcana Fortune’s secret title that most people had no idea existed.

She should feel elated, and yet…

And yet…

This meant that the search was over, Gray would leave in a day or two, and she would be alone again in this cottage with nothing and no one to break the monotony and loneliness.

In contrast, Gray was in much better spirits, seemingly unaware of her turbulent thoughts.

“I cannot believe we actually found it,” he said, and then whispered, “I could be free.”

Serena’s head whipped to look at him, uncomprehending, and she was just about to question him when the book burst into flames.

“Look out!” He swatted the book from her hands as she stood paralyzed with shock.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, just startled.” She looked at the book again, which strangely bore no signs of having burst aflame.

“We shouldn’t touch it further for now,” said Gray over her shoulder.

She ignored him and bent to pick it up.

“How odd,” she murmured. “It’s almost like it reacted to my presence.”

She opened the book and flipped through the pages, which were curiously blank. There was a small red mark on the title page, and she rubbed her finger against it, squinting to make out what it was. As soon as she had done that, ink lines began to appear until they formed an eerie sentence.

“Look, I think you should leave that be for now. ”

Ignoring his edgy tone, she read aloud: “Once upon a time, there were no Happily Ever Afters.”

As soon as she read those words, the book became engulfed with a black mist that suffocated her senses. It spilled from the tome relentlessly, and she tried not to heave at the oily sensation.

A laugh, low and cold, reverberated through the room, and she felt a flash of bone-deep terror at the evil in that sound.

“What a lovely surprise. I was quite tired of waiting for someone to finally find me,” the voice whispered. “Who are you? Are you friend or are you foe? Let me see you.”

Serena flinched, drawing back, but the mist had now receded enough that she could make out a shadowy figure stepping into her aunt’s study, sucking out all the warmth and light with its presence.

All she could make out was a being of shadow with a vaguely male silhouette.

The only color on him was the slit in the shape of blazing eyes—ruby red, full of malice.

Gray tensed at her side.

“Who-What are you?”

The being tilted his head in amusement and gave a mocking bow.

“My true name, I can no longer use. You may call me Lore, for I exist only within the world of these pages—nothing but another tale to be told. Now, why don’t you both introduce yourselves so I can thank you for this opportunity to finally break free of my paper prison.”

He gave Gray a cursory glance and shifted his gaze to Serena.

“You were the one to break the seal, were you not? I heard a woman’s voice saying the words to free me. Tell me, what is your name?”

Terrified as she was, only a fool would give an evil immortal their real name.

“No one of consequence,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

He laughed and glided forward.

“There is something about your aura that is so incredibly familiar… Sugar and light and spring; you smell just like—” He stopped dead, and Serena looked into the unholy red eyes that were smoldering with an emotion she could not place.

“Arcana?” he rasped. “No it cannot be—you are not…but the resemblance…”

“I wouldn’t come closer to us if I were you,” said Gray in a deadly voice she hadn’t heard him use before.

The demon looked at him as if he were no more than an irritating bug. The shadows around the creature rose and struck Gray, throwing him across the room. The man hit the wall with an alarming thud, and she watched in horror as blood trickled down his forehead while he struggled to get back up.

“Stop!” she whispered, frozen in terror as he moved even closer toward her, the tendrils of black wrapping around her legs, her waist, until the foul energy radiating from him made her head feel like it was bursting.

He inhaled deeply, and she was drowning, drowning—she would never feel happy again, never feel clean, never stop feeling like she was being choked by this oily, disgusting feeling.

“That’s it,” he whispered. “It’s been so long… give me a taste, yes, that is divine. Your soul is so potent, I am surprised she hasn’t gotten her hands on you yet.”

Over the roaring in her ears, she heard a loud sizzling noise, and then the darkness was gone.

She was on the ground, eyes streaming, gasping for air.

Gray stood in front of her, his body surrounded by a crackling energy, his hair floating around his head in a dark halo; the very portrait of a fallen angel.

“That magic!” hissed the monster in disgust, as if noticing Gray properly for the first time.

“There’s more where that came from, demon,” replied the man in front of her, his voice gravelly, as if whatever power emanating from him had seeped into his voice.

Serena stood up on shaky legs, trying to make sense of what was going on. The world seemed to tilt before Gray took hold of her arm, helping her stay upright.

The shadow man let out a chuckle.

“I see you found your knight, Serena .”

“How did you—”

“I got a very entertaining look into your mind just now,” he crooned. “So enlightening, so na?ve for a girl your age. I will say, the white knight in your imagination is a lot different than the one standing next to you right now.”

Gray’s hands lit up, and the demon turned to him with a sharp smile.

“I wouldn’t do that again if I were you. Maybe you should listen to what I have to say, unless you want the lovely young lady to suffer.”

He fished what looked like a wand from his shadowy robes, twirling it idly through his fingers.

Looking at Serena, he said something in a language she could not understand.

Her chest constricted, a burning sensation spreading through it.

She clawed at it gasping for air, barely aware of Gray’s voice calling to her.

A minute later the pain receded, but as she looked down at the offending area, she gasped in horror.

A network of inky black vines slithered under her skin, surrounding a tattoo that was in the shape of crimson rose.

“What you have on you right there, my dear, is a nasty little curse that will spread a slow poison through your entire body over the course of ten days. Don’t worry, you’ll hardly feel it until the seventh day. Well, mostly. But fret not! I have a solution, if you would like to hear it?”

When it became clear the demon intended on making her say it, she hissed out an affirmative.

“Excellent choice! Now, what I have in mind is a little game you and I can play.

You see, when I was in your mind, I saw such interesting things.

A lonely, lonely girl, misunderstood by her family, left behind by her aunt, shunned by the very town she tries to help.

She spends her days reading fairy tales, dreaming of becoming a hero, but also for her very own Prince Charming to come sweep her off her feet. To understand her, to see her.

“Well, beautiful Serena, if it is a fairytale you want, a fairytale you shall get. Or shall we say…Fairytales? You shall live out a tale of my choice every night. Complete it to my satisfaction, and you shall be returned to your world as if almost no time has passed. You pass my trials, you complete the tales, and I will lift the spell. If you do not… Well, you must choose between giving me your soul or being trapped in the trial and eventually dying in excruciating pain. Have we got a deal?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered. “What do you even gain from this?”

All mirth fled his expression.

“I need to…send a message. You just happen to be the perfect person to send it.”

He drew closer, and Gray raised his right hand, which was glowing again.

The shadow flinched at the movement, seeming almost hesitant to approach her now.

He turned back to Serena, raising the wand in his hand.

“ Seven nights, Seven tales

To see whether darkness wins, Or light prevails

A tale I will weave each night

You must figure what path to choose, what choice is right

A fight for your life, a struggle for your soul

A journey of strife, to reach your goal ”

Green mist shot into her, making her gasp.

“Wait,” said Gray, “if you are going to curse her, then I invoke the right of Accompaniment.”

She whipped her head to look at him, but his gaze was fixed on Lore.

“I don’t think so,” Lore sneered. “There is no room for a knight errant in my tales.”

“You can’t refuse,” replied Gray steadily. “Look, the wand is already reacting.”

And sure enough, another cloud of emerald mist emerged, ramming into Gray this time.

Lore snarled in fury, the wand disappearing.

“It matters not,” he said, eyes glittering with barely leashed malice. “You shall not make any difference. The tales will all be up to her, you will be but a familiar face she can look at while she must get through my trials.”

Was it her imagination or was he fading?

“It seems as if my time in this world is coming to an end. For now. Enjoy your fleeting freedom, Serena Rose, for come tomorrow night, you will be in my tale, and no paltry spirit magic can stop me there.”

With that, he disappeared, the ominous parting words echoing in the cold room he left behind.

Serena turned to Gray, face pale, but shaking with a mixture of fear and anger.

“Who the fuck are you, and what did you really come here for?”