Chapter 5 Salem

Salem decided to close the shop and move back into the attached apartment of the store. This was where she lived. It was just a three-room extension. One was dedicated to the bath and the others a kitchen and bedroom.

The young batbane moved to sit down at the makeshift table in the kitchen. Here, the walls were lined over with tacked paper drawings. Salem had been busy rendering her new surroundings in the last year.

And still, there are more places to go, Salem thought. And books to read.

Salem proceeded to take out the chocolate-colored lenses to reveal her golden ones. She placed them on a book she had read just before the woman came in. She left it rashly on the table before going out into the front of the shop. And here it had remained until now.

As Salem removed her contacts, she had to wince in pain. They always hurt to be taken out. But they also burned when they were kept for too long. Either way, Salem was going to be in some measure of pain.

Salem rubbed her eyes, then leaned back in her chair. She gazed up at the hanging herbs. They were swaying gently. It was hypnotic and soothing for her to watch, and she soon fell silent. Her mind, however, began to think.

Edgar, meanwhile, flew in after her and perched himself on the head of another chair. James followed behind. He, in turn, climbed up that same chair and sat down. Both looked after the distracted Salem for a moment before Edgar fluttered his wings.

"You seem troubled, Love. What's wrong?" Edgar spoke in his baritone voice. Salem didn't hear him at first. She was still watching how the rosemary bundle swayed to and fro.

Where was that breeze coming from, she wondered.

"Salem, Love? What is it?" Edgar asked and hopped over to cuddle into her neck. The sensation of his soft feathers against her porcelain skin brought her back. She looked at him with a weary smile before getting her hand to smooth out his soft and warm plumage.

Edgar gave a deep purr and nuzzled closer to her neck. Salem continued to spoil him for a moment longer. She then rested her hand on his back. She was still feeling unsettled about what had just occurred.

"Something...doesn't seem right. I keep repeating in my head how that hag smiled at me. I….it's making me uneasy."

Edgar leaned away to look up at her. She could see the worried look he gave.

"You...don't think her a Gleamer, do you? If its Greenhouse-" Edgar shuddered, shaking his whole body. James gave a short gasp of shock and covered his mouth with his little hands. Salem furrowed her brows in thought.

"I can't say if she was or not. She didn't act like it, though." Salem said and looked over to James.

If she were, she would have had no problem arresting James right then and there. Edgar too- no, something else entirely was at play here, Salem concluded. She looked up at the rosemary. It swayed without concern.

"But that doesn't mean much. Greenhouse is unpredictable." Salem said. She then reverted her memory to the gloves. Salem was now confident that it had been some disguise.

Undercover? But why? If so, then who was she working for? Salem pondered. Suddenly Salem's gold eyes grew wide as a thought crossed her mind. She looked back at her friends.

"He wouldn't do that, would he?"

It would be a fool thing for him to involve them. But, of course, Salem knew him to be much more intelligent than that, but he was still a child.

And it might not have been. Salem then considered and narrowed her eyes. She could already think of two suspects. One was very likely to make such a mistake.

"But if that were the case…." Salem's voice trailed off as it went back into thought.

Then the woman would, of course, not make arrests, Salem thought on. Edgar and James wouldn't be targeted. Her sole mission would have been to investigate and see if I was a batbane. And the only way she could prove that would be to-.

"Oh, crap," Salem said aloud. She quickly jumped out of the chair. Then, she began to search the room.

"Crap! Where did she put it?" Salem cried as she searched. She began to panic and, in turn, ran all about the room. Edgar flustered his feathers in a disturbance.

"Love, what is it? Who is 'he'? Do you mean your brother?" Edgar asked as Salem let out a sigh of relief.

"Found it." Salem exhaled and began pulling out a purple skull with a pentacle etching inside a cupboard. She carried it back to the table and set it down. She then turned to the two of them.

"I need you both to start packing everything- I'm going to call the witch now and figure out what to do from here. After that, we're out." Salem said.

"Oh my!" Edgar gave a startled squeak of fear.

"Hn," James quickly jumped from the chair and ran to the bedroom. Edgar flapped into the air.

"Is it that serious, Salem?" Edgar asked gravely. Salem nodded, then bit down on her finger.

"I didn't think it would come to this." Her fang cut deep into the flesh and drew blood. Once bleeding, she pulled it out and began to trace a circle around the skull.

"You know I'm never wrong," Salem said, and Edgar gravely nodded. That was the whole reason Salem had made it this far. She trusted her intuition.

When Salem had completed the circle, she closed her eyes and raised her hands towards the ceiling. Then, she began to call each tower and invoke her matron deity, Nyx.

"With swift flight, lend me your might, reach the ears of Madame Madeline this daylight, so mote it be." Salem conjured, and the skull began to rattle. It moved in a juddering vibration up and down until a voice spoke out from its jaws.

"Hello? Salem?" The voice of a mature woman began.

"Madame Madeline-"

"It is Salem! Hello there," The woman spoke with animation. A soft roar of a dragon pup could be heard in the background. Someone made a quiet "hush" after it.

"How are you, sweetie? I haven't heard from you since I left for BlackWood-"

"Where are you, exactly?" Salem interrupted, and the skull grew quiet. When the witch spoke again, her voice had altered. She was serious now.

"Something's wrong. What's happened?"

"I think he -or someone's involved Greenhouse to find me. There was a gleamer here-

"You fanged, didn't you." The skull spoke knowingly. Salem could feel the disappointment in her voice. She nodded to the head.

"I fell for it. She threatened James, and I lost it."

"They would do that, wouldn't they." The skull growled back with a hint of anger. Salem bowed her head. She was disappointed in herself. How could she have been so stupid to have fanged? Now, everyone was in danger, she thought with a guilty conscience.

After a moment, the skull began to speak again.

"I'm in BlackWood. They call this part Gray Wood, to be specific. Use the map I left for you. You know the one. See you soon. Be safe." The skull said, then clicked off. The ring of blood then evaporated into a puff of black smoke. It was over.

"Salem, love, you didn't know." Edgar began, at her side now. She raised a hand to silence him. She wouldn't let him talk her out of her guilt. This was her fault. She should have known to keep her calm.

Salem turned on her heel and headed towards the bedroom. There she saw that James was hurriedly packing. He had stuffed almost the entire room into the gobble bag. Salem gave him a tired smile.

"You're a good little gnome, James."

Salem couldn't help but think she didn't deserve a friend like him. Nor Edgar. They were the only friends she had ever had in her short life.

And here I am, putting them in danger. Salem felt just awful. The little gnome paused and gave her a curt nod.

"Hn," he said, then went back to packing. Salem lingered a moment to watch him, then forced aside her feelings. This was not the time to wallow. She needed to get them to safety.

Salem turned back to the kitchen and over to the sink. Underneath was another gobble bag. She grabbed it and quickly started stuffing all the kitchenware, food, furniture, and whatever else. Regardless of what it was, the gobble bag gobbled it up without filling.

Salem was soon finished with the kitchen and snapped close the bag. She then threw it over her shoulder as it weighed nothing but air.

"James, you ready?" She called over her shoulder. The sound of something being dragged from behind her made her turn to look back. James was pushing the bag out of the room. She smiled.

"I got that." The raven-haired girl said and took up the second bag and James. In the front of the store, someone knocked loudly on the door. Everyone fell silent.

"They're here." Edgar cawed in a harsh whisper. Salem gently tucked James into her bodice to hide. She narrowed her eyes at the door.

"We'll take the tunnel. She told me once it would lead out to the edge of town." Salem said, remembering the hidden tunnel she'd been shown.

She turned to move the red throw rug away. Underneath, hidden, was a wooden latch. With her free hand, Salem effortlessly pulled it open. It creaked up with a gust of cool, damp air.

Salem could see nothing but darkness. There was a stairway carved in stone leading down. Edgar made an uncomfortable caw.

"It's so dark." He bellowed.

Salem let out a soft laugh.

"Not for the likes of me." She joked with her golden eyes blazing. She moved to take Edgar into her free arm.

"Stay put. I got this." She said, and Edgar gave a weak caw of 'okay.' Salem began to descend the stairway. The latch slowly pulled down closed behind her.