Chapter 16 The Memory Crystals

'Six more days.’

Scarlett stood and gazed at the old almanac hanging on the wall. She ran her fingers over the thick, yellowed pages, marked with symbols shaped like sharp spikes, drawings of the moon in every phase, and complex calculations scrawled in between.

She picked up a flat, smooth crystal stone from her table and called Mia’s name after tapping its surface once. Immediately, Mia’s face appeared as a clear reflection within the stone, looking back at her.

“My Lady, is there anything else you require?” Mia asked, her voice carrying clearly through the magical link.

“Nothing for now. If you have finished the task I gave you earlier, you may rest in my old chambers until dinner is served. Do not disturb me here until then.”

Scarlett ended the connection as soon as she heard Mia’s obedient reply. She slipped the flat stone into a small pouch tied at her waist, then turned and began walking around the room, searching carefully.

‘According to what I remember, somewhere within the walls of this room lies a passage that connects to the great hall, and also to the hidden chamber behind it. But where exactly is it?’

She moved slowly along every section of the wall and examined every piece of furniture, looking for signs of a hidden door or a lever that might trigger it.

Just as her memories had told her she would, she found an iron lever, almost completely rusted over, set into the side of a tall, heavy wooden cabinet. She whispered a simple spell, and the mechanism turned easily, though it groaned loudly as the rusted metal scraped against itself.

‘Yes! Here it is!’

Scarlett stepped quickly through the opening revealed before her and entered a long, dark corridor, walled with rough stone that smelled of stale air and dust.

She ignited the flat crystal she held in her hand, using its glow to light her way through the darkness. She walked with confidence, and when the corridor split into two paths, she turned without hesitation. The branching passage confirmed she had found the way to the great hall and the secret room beyond it.

She moved with extreme care as she reached a stone lever designed to slide the heavy rock door aside. Slowly, soft light from the vast space beyond began to seep into the dark corridor. Scarlett dimmed the light of her crystal completely.

She scanned the large, empty room and confirmed that the main doors at the far end were firmly barred from the outside, with two guards standing watch on either side. Through a clear crystal pane set just above the outstretched hand of the Moon Goddess statue, she had a perfect view of everything happening outside.

‘Good. Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Now I must check if the blue crystals still hold the memories of what really happened yesterday, during the ritual.’

But as she looked closely at the blue crystals set in each corner of the room, she noticed fine cracks running through them, and a single dark spot deep inside each one. Scarlett frowned in frustration.

 ‘I knew it. Every one of these memory crystals has been tampered with. Judging by how far the damage has spread, they were ruined even before the day of the ritual.’ She let out a heavy sigh.

‘Was it Viviane who did this? She slipped that potion into my drink and pushed me aside just before the ceremony began. Yes, it must have been her. Only she could have done this, because apart from Grandfather, only the two of us knew exactly what these blue crystals were for.’

Scarlett stepped closer to the scroll hovering above the altar table and studied it intently. Finally, she reached out and touched it with her magic. She moved her fingers in three precise patterns and directed the energy toward the silver barrier surrounding the sacred parchment.

Her suspicion was confirmed instantly. A shower of sparks erupted, as if the silver circle was rejecting the energy approaching it. And within those silver flashes, thick, dark energy darted about, striking out at anyone or anything that tried to draw near or make contact.

‘So, Levi really did cast an illusion spell to hide what is truly written there.’ She glanced at her finger, now scratched and bleeding where the dark energy had grazed her skin.

 ‘He should have had no reason to worry once he did that. But why is he still so desperate? With his overconfident nature, he should have felt secure enough. Shouldn’t he?’ Scarlett circled the altar table, examining the glowing silver barrier with even greater care.

Then a slow smile spread across her face as she realized the truth.

‘Unless he used a low-grade illusion spell! That is it. Magic like that only lasts at most one or two days, depending on how much power is poured into it. Still, he could not risk using a permanent enchantment. Grandfather would surely have sensed it long before the ceremony even began.’

Scarlett snapped her fingers in delight. That explains why he has been so irritable and on edge since the delay was announced. He needs to constantly renew that illusion.

‘I am certain if Mia succeeds in provoking him enough, he will try to force his way in here tonight, no matter the risk.’

‘Especially once he learns I plan to meet Damian in secret. That alone will be enough to crumble his self control.’

She stretched both hands forward and touched every wall enclosing the large chamber, whispering a spell so softly it was barely audible. The stone absorbed the white light pouring from her palms. The glow spread across every surface, making the walls shimmer brightly for a moment before fading back to normal, as if the stone itself had swallowed the magic whole.

‘Done!’

Scarlett clapped her hands together, satisfied with her work.

‘You two will never guess that the blue crystals are not the only things capable of recording every moment you tried to erase. Consider this my special gift to you both.’