Open up the door

𓇢𓆸 𓆤 𖧧 𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𖧧 𓍊𓋼 𔓘

𝕄𝕖𝕝𝕠𝕕𝕪 paced nervously back and forth in the dimly lit room, her anxiety palpable. Philo, checking his pocket watch with a furrowed brow, stood nearby. Aline, the room's atmosphere heavy with the scent of his cigar, observed the scene from the window. "So... you're Breakspear's bastard children?" Aline finally spoke, his words cutting through the tense air. Philo met Aline's gaze before responding with a measured tone, "So it would seem."

Aline shifted his attention to Melody, who continued pacing relentlessly. "Dragonfly? If you carry on like this, you are going to create holes in the floor," he remarked, a touch of concern in his voice. Melody stopped abruptly, her eyes meeting Aline's. "Sorry," she muttered, her nerves evident.

Philo, sensing the need for space, nodded silently and left the room, leaving Aline and Melody alone. Aline, retrieving a book from his drawers, handed it to Melody. As she glanced at its cover, recognition and a hint of nostalgia flashed across her face - it was the same book she had given Vign on a day filled with fond memories.

"Here," Aline said, his cigar now back in his mouth. Melody accepted the book, her fingers tracing its familiar contours. Aline's serious tone pierced the moment. "Promise me something," he began, taking the cigar in his hand. "Promise me that you will take care of him, that you will live both of your dreams with no one in the way. And I mean no one."

Melody looked at Aline, sincerity in her eyes. "I promise," she affirmed. Aline, satisfied with her response, pulled her into a heartfelt embrace. The sound of rain outside provided a soothing backdrop as they shared a moment of understanding and commitment.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

Philo's gaze shifted from the window to his pocket watch, a sense of unease settling upon him. "Something's not right," he voiced his concern, turning to face the two seated on the couch just as thunder rumbled in the background. Aline, with a hint of disbelief, questioned, "Well, surely he wouldn't have forgotten, would he?" Melody, however, felt a foreboding sensation, her eyes locked onto her brother.

Their attention was abruptly seized by a voice echoing through the air, screaming, "Moira!" The urgent cry belonged to Fleury, a fae woman. Rushing to the door, they found her standing there, breathless and distraught. "She's dead," Fleury announced. Moira, perplexed, inquired, "Who?" Fleury's response sent shockwaves through the room, "The Haruspex."

Thunder rumbled once more as the trio rushed outside, glancing down at the balcony below. "The Haruspex?" Moira questioned, concern etched on her face. Fleury, amidst tears, elaborated, "The Haruspex is dead." The news left the crowd in shock and worry. Philo, sensing the urgency, retrieved his hat from the room and led the way to the crime scene, with Aline and Melody following suit. Melody, wearing a jacket given by Vign, discreetly hid her wings under the hood as rain poured down.

Upon arriving at the Haruspex's shop, a curious crowd had already gathered. Philo, announcing their passage, led the way through, with Aline and Melody following. Inside, the atmosphere was filled with an eerie assortment of books, animal skulls, bones, and jars of herbs. A caged crow squawked near the door.

Entering a back room, the trio confronted a gruesome sight-the lifeless body of the Haruspex lay on the table. Philo sighed, and Aline gasped, speculating, "Was it the Darkasher? Why her?" Melody, examining the body, offered her insight, "She knew something. Or she saw something." Observing the untouched liver, she added, "It didn't take her liver, though."

Suddenly, the seemingly lifeless body showed signs of life catching all their attention in alarm, and Melody, distanced herself from it, "Oh, hell no". The Haruspex, against all odds, spoke, "Inspector... Melody... I've been waiting for you," fixing her gaze on the two siblings with an unsettling intensity.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"The press has got wind of the incident. They're starting to ask questions," Winetrout informed Absalom, who was still in bed. Absalom inquired, "Anything else?" Winetrout retrieved a paper from the folder, stating, "You were holding this when you were attacked." He handed the document to Absalom, who expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you." Concern etched on his face, Absalom asked about the arrival of the magister of police. Winetrout responded, "He's still on his way." Frustrated, Absalom urged, "Damn it. Hurry him up," prompting Winetrout to leave the room.

Shortly after, Absalom's wife entered. "You sent for me?" she inquired. Absalom discreetly hid the document under his blanket and spoke, "I did." As she approached his side of the bed, she asked, "Darling... is there anything I can get for you?" Placing her hand on his head, Absalom replied, "No."

Expressing her concern, she suggested getting him some water. While pouring, she spoke, "I hate to see you like this. Some water." Absalom took a moment before revealing, "I just wanted to tell you that I spoke to Jonah earlier." She paused in pouring and asked, "Oh? How did that go?" Absalom shared, "He may have inadvertently helped me solve a little riddle that I've been mulling over lately." With a soft chuckle, she inquired, "Oh? What sort of riddle?"

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"Is she still alive?" Aline urgently asked Philo as they stood in the presence of the enigmatic Haruspex. Before Philo could respond, the Haruspex's voice resonated in the room, "I am... suspended in the gloaming, between day and night... between the breath and the silence, with the warp and weft of creation unfurled before me. I can see it all so clearly now. Every thread. Every intersection." Her words carried an ethereal echo, and her blind eyes illuminated a mysterious shade of blue as she gazed up at the ceiling. The profound revelation hung in the air, leaving Aline, Philo and Melody captivated by the otherworldly presence before them.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"What if my dear wife always harboured some private reason to doubt her boy was my son?" Absalom questioned, his gaze fixed on his wife. In response, she gently placed her hand on his head, dismissing his words, "You're delirious."

Insistent, Absalom continued, "But it was my son who was augured for greatness. And I had no other. Until, by some means known only to her, she discovered a secret." The weight of his words hung in the air as his wife stood up, concern etching her features. "I'm getting the doctor," she declared, moving to leave.

However, Absalom, driven by urgency, interrupted her, "A secret that even I didn't know. That there, was somewhere in the world, another son and a daughter." The revelation struck his wife with shock, freezing her in place as the gravity of Absalom's words sank in.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"Who did this?" Melody urgently inquired of the Haruspex, seeking answers amidst the grim scene. The Haruspex, with a tone of regret, responded, "Should have seen it sooner. It was right in front of me all along. The interest she took in my work." The weight of realization settled in the room as Melody absorbed the implication of the Haruspex's words, recognizing the significance of the seemingly innocuous details that had now taken on a darker meaning.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"Now she had a problem. She had no way of knowing if the future promised to her child, the future she gambled everything on, belonged, in fact, to two others. But she knew at least that it couldn't belong to a dead man," Absalom spoke, his gaze unwavering as he looked straight into the woman's eyes. Leaving a sense of unease in the room.

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"She was always such a curious girl. Too curious," the Haruspex mused, a touch of melancholy in her voice. Melody turned around, her eyes catching a photo of herself and a little girl. Intrigued, she approached the photo, examining it closely. Aline, sensing the significance, asked the Haruspex, "Who? Who was?" Before the Haruspex could respond, Melody spoke with realization, "The chancellor's wife."

ଓ༉‧.⭒ֶָ֢⋆.

"Where are they?" The wife confronted Absalom with a demand. "I've met them, Piety," Absalom responded as Piety sat on the bed, urgency in her voice, "Where?" Absalom, attempting to downplay the situation, asserted, "They can never amount to anything. Not here. They're a half-blood. They're not a threat to us..." Piety, however, interrupted him with a determined tone, "Where are they?"

Absalom, feeling the weight of the revelation, confessed, "Jonah is the one. He is my son. The future you've been promised belongs to him. Only him." Piety, refusing to accept the potential threat, pressed further, "I can't take that chance. Tell me where they are." Absalom, desperately trying to reason with her, pleaded, "Piety, Piety, no one needs to know any of this. But this must stop now."

Piety, unmoved, insisted, "No. Tell me." Absalom, realizing the gravity of the situation, tried to reveal the truth, "God's noose, Piety! It's just a circus trick! Pay any pig charlatan 50 stivers, and they'll tell you anything you want to hear!" Piety, undeterred, repeated her demand, "Tell me, tell me." Absalom, now desperate, confessed, "It's not real! You have to tell me." Piety, driven by her determination, pressed a pillow on his face, muffling his cries. "Tell me. Tell me," she insisted, her actions growing more forceful. Absalom struggled for breath, futilely attempting to resist. "Tell me! Tell!" Piety shouted, intensifying her efforts until Absalom ceased to struggle, his muffled cries silenced. Piety, breathing heavily, declared, "Tell me! Tell me! You will, one way or another."

𓇢𓆸 𓆤 𖧧 𓋼𓍊 𓆏 𖧧 𓍊𓋼 𔓘

By: SilverMist707