Chapter Thirteen.

Fidal stoop by the window side thinking of what she and Lily had discussed earlier.

A child having an affair with her father and a mother willing to betray her child for payback.

It can also be said the other way around. A child who betrayed her mother's trust in her father.

In the world she was mixing up with, it hadn't taken her long to realize that revenge was the emotion that fuelled a lot of things.

'just like me ' she thought to herself but shook her thoughts away. she was the one who was betrayed, she didn't cheat or betray anybody.

She remembered Barrie had spoken about Grorhur once. It was on the exact day that she was to get the orb from the spirit lantern of the whisperers.

"I'm just going to get the orb," she remembered reassuring herself as she zipped her hoodie.

Barrie who was hovering atop a candle sighed heavily and ghostly white wisps of air escaped from her mouth.

"It's not a part of the orb, it's a key." Barrie corrected

"The orbs are all keys aren't they?" She asked Barrie who rolled her eyes.

"What you're going for is called Härfùsh, which translates into the word key. 'Grorhur kâ mà härfùsh', means a dynasty within a key. It is said to be a dull broken piece but it is a part that represents a whole." Barrie explained "A key to unlocking the orb." she finished.

Back then, Fidal had barely paid heed to Barrie's words but now, she was beginning to wonder if there was something hidden in it.

She hummed lightly and muttered a string of words under her breath. A black sling bag appeared in her hand. She searched the bag and brought out the orb that she had managed to take away from the whisperers before she tossed the bag to the other side of the room and it disappeared before it hit the floor.

She looked closely at the orb, the sharp-edged object was darkish in color and it was obvious that it used to be shiny.

She wanted to go by Barrie's and imagine that there was a whole kingdom in the dull object in her hand because that was the only valid explanation.

Where the Neraphims are cast to is called Grorhur, and she refused to believe that it was a coincidence.

She wiped the orb with her hands and raised it towards the bright moonlight. Nothing, there was nothing.

But strangely though, the orb was so dark that it was impossible to see through it so the moonlight didn't shine through but instead bounced off the surface.

She clicked her fingers and her bag appeared again, hovering in the air.

She snatched it from the air and rummaged through it, bringing out some candles and a lighter.

In the middle of the room, she kept the orb in her pocket and placed candles in the shape of a circle. She also made a triangle in the middle and began to light the candles.

Just as she lit the center candles, she felt the orb slip out of her pocket and her eyes flickered.

The falling object paused in the air and the candlelight directly reflected on it, projecting an image on the wall.

The whole room lit up in blinding red light and a murky smell mixed with the air. On the wall was a bright red door frame with splatters of fresh blood around it. The blood was used to carve out shapes. Beyond that, there was vast darkness like an endless abyss ahead.

'Beware of what you do not know.'

Fidal looked at the floating orb and walked towards the frame, her lips pursed.

Tentatively, she stretched her hand forward.

Just as she dipped her hand inside, a grey-skinned creature lunged at her and released a loud snarl.

She ducked sideways and the sharp nails missed her neck at hair's breadth.

The creature howled painfully and stumbled back into the dark upon seeing the light from the candles. It hated light but more snarling sounds came from the darkness as though they were advancing.

With a straight kick, she sent the creature flying back into the dark and dropped the orb, cutting it off from the light.

The red door closed sharply slicing the outstretched hand of the creature in the process.

The greyish arm left behind awry and turned. Fidal watched its movement and kicked it toward the light of the candle but it turned to ashes before it got too close.

She raised a brow and her ears picked up the sound of hastened footsteps.

Lily burst into the room with a mop stick. Her eyes and expression were vigilant as she looked around.

She spotted Fidal and sighed, her tensed shoulders dropped. "I thought she came back." She explained.

Fidal choose not to comment on the fact that a mop stick would have been useless had it been Ámāari who attacked.

"She didn't," Fidal deciphered and picked up the orb. She inspected it lightly with an eye of intrigue. No wonder the spirit whisperers protected the lantern fiercely. The dulled orb is Grorhur. The dynasty of the Neraphims is within a key.

"Then what was that about?" she probed carefully while walking towards Fidal.

Fidal turned and showed the orb to her. "I might have just opened the door to Grorhur."

Lily's eyes widened, "Where did you get that?"

"I got it before you came," she answered. They both tacitly ignored the fact that Lily was bounded along by her. "But, it's pitch dark at that side and probably filled with Tegirs in every corner."

"Tegir? Do you mean it was in the room earlier? Those creatures from the Teginarian mythology, with ugly grey skin, sharp teeth long tongues, and fingers and no eyes?"

Fidal rose a brow "Your knowledge is quite versatile," She remarked lightly "Yes."

"What if it's all false? What if that isn't Grorhur?" Lily asked.

"That is the key to Grorhur, We just have to apply wisdom when the time comes," Fidal retorted.

She waved her hand and her bag appeared. Under Lily's eyes, she kept the orb back in the bag and it disappeared.

She looked at the burning candles and decided not to call Barrie, she'll figure it out herself. Besides, she doubted Barrie knew anything else. The ghost would have spilled it at the beginning.

She proceeded to turn them off and pack them up.

"Go back___" She was saying when an electrifying feeling racked through her body.

Her skin tingled and she took a step back.

"Are you ok?" Lily asked Fidal who frowned.

The night sky turned even darker and a roaring thunder tore through the sky. It was accompanied by a bolt of bright lightning and it struck at a distance.

Lily gasped and jumped instinctively at the sound. She placed her hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart and her eyes widened at what she saw.

It all took barely half a minute and peace returned to the night.

"I've never seen anything like that," Lily muttered while Fidal straightened up and walked to close the window.

"Go to bed," Fidal said.

Lily shook her head, "I'll rather just stay with you." she sat on the floor of the bare room and rested her head on the wall.

Fidal ignored her and looked ahead into the night. It looks like the body of the mermaid she killed has been found.

The land is her base ground. If those mermaids wanted to find her they'll have to come on land and she'll be ready for them. She wasn't worried, it was only a matter of time before the mermaids come and they'll led her right back to their waters.

Her eyes held a speck of mysterious color as she turned to Lily who was watching vigilantly.

"Let's go to the sitting room, we can each take a chair there," Fidal said as she walked out.

Lily stood up immediately and followed her. To be around her was better than being alone.