Blood-tied Lies

~Chapter 22~

Ananta

Novia tossed and turned in her sleep and Ananta jumped as a string of words came screaming from the young enchantress's mind. That girl really didn't know how to keep her thoughts to herself. Every now and then, Novia would unknowingly project her thoughts and it was usually while she angrily stormed about after fighting with her mother that it was loudest. This morning, however, was so loud that it made Ananta's mental ears ring.

Groaning, Ananta stretched, raking her claws across the wooden floor, and padded over to Novia's bed. A bloodcurdling scream made her cringe so she hurriedly grabbed her friend's arm and bit down to wake her up.

Novia shot up, breathing hard with sweat beaded on her forehead. It wasn't the first time Ananta had dealt with Novia's strange dreams but this one seemed different. The girl's face twisted from surprised to crushed to hatred as she calmed her breathing and scooted to the edge of the bed. No no NO! It can't be right!

Ananta sat and silently listened, stored each piece of information away, every scream, every word, and every expression. She noticed and understood far more than she let on and cared deeply for Novia who was, after all, her closest friend. She knew her friend well from the meaning of the most subtle twitch to layers of complicated tension between her and her mother. It seemed this dream was the final piece that answered whatever question swirled in the back of Novia's mind and though most of her churning thoughts were shot into Ananta's head, this one question never escaped the confines of her subconscious.

Novia clenched the bedsheets so tightly, her knuckles were white but nothing else shot out of her swirling thoughts. She said nothing and Ananta could only imagine the gears turning in her head. Novia sat in silence for a long time though it could have only been minutes. Ananta had never seen her friend so bothered by something before which was saying something considering how the girl and her mother had definitely had their fair share of differences over the years. Slowly, she rose to her feet and quietly walked past Ananta to her dresser where she pulled out a brown jacket and slipped it on over her shirt. Neglecting to fasten the buckles on it, she stepped out of her bedroom and slipped out the front door of the house.

This was new territory that Ananta was treading in. Never in the years Ananta had known Novia had she ever seen a more blank and empty look on her face. Still, she tried to piece together what she did know. She knew that Novia often had dreams that shook her, that she and her mother didn't always agree and that Astra had been hiding things from her daughter. But that had changed on the night of Novia's birthday.

Ananta found Novia on the roof, spellbook in hand, ready to jump into the sky. Where are you going? A careful question, not prying but at this point, Ananta didn't know what would send her friend over the edge. Novia could get a little moody when something was bothering her and Ananta knew all too well that if she said the wrong thing, Novia might snap at her.

The abandoned library. The tone took Ananta by surprise. While Novia appeared calm and focused from the outside, she was raging and angry on the inside, unlike anything Ananta had ever heard in the girl's voice.

The journey was silent. Neither of them said a word as they flew over the rolling hills of the Spring Valley and across the river. When they landed at the vine-covered doorstep of the ancient library, Ananta pushed the door open with her head. The original locks had long since worked and were now a rusted hunk of trash still stuck to the wood. The inside wasn't much better. The shelves were buried under a thick layer of dust and the stone floor was covered in patches of moss and dead ivy. Ananta hated this place even though she came almost every time Novia went.

Novia rushed over to a stack of books and began laying them out in no apparent order on the floor. The books were all bound with leather covers and strange symbols imprinted on the fronts. Some of the pages were torn and sticking out of them. Centuries of abandonment and weather damage would have destroyed these texts long ago but they managed to survive since the library had been left in ruin.

Novia picked up a book with a black leather cover and a title written in gold that Ananta couldn't read. Then again, she was a dragon and dragons couldn't read anything. The pages were worn but still intact as Novia flipped through them. What are you looking for?

There was no reply. Ananta gritted her teeth and asked again. When Novia didn't say anything, she huffed and curled up next to the stack of books. Her stomach grumbled and she was reminded that there had been no breakfast this morning. Whatever you're looking for in there, I hope it's a food spell, Ananta joked. Immediately she knew it was the wrong thing to say when Novia snapped at her.

It's a book of dark curses and you didn't have to follow me here if you're so concerned about eating! Novia's face melted into shock and stared at Ananta whose eyes were just as wide as hers. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I've been a little distracted this morning. And I'm looking for a curse that I came across a while back when I was here with Rivit.

Why a curse? Ananta asked.

Because my mother lied to me, Novia replied with a straight face.

Ananta shook her head. You are going to curse your mother because she lied to you! Are you crazy?

No, I'm not crazy and the curse isn't for her.

Then who is it for and do you even know how to cast it? Ananta didn't know what to make of this. She knew Novia's power was still growing and she'd never tried anything remotely as powerful as a curse before.

There was a short pause before Novia spoke. Her voice was quiet but full of certainty. Ananta, she used it to curse my father in my dream. I need answers from her but if there was any truth in it, then I think I know who he is.