Blessing Moon

Eighteen: Forbidden Practice

Beanni awoke on the cold, stone floor of a damp, barely lit room. The only light came from a doorway on top of a stone staircase. Peering into the darkness, she tried her hardest to make out any shape, but the shadows were too overwhelming. She reached for her light orb, but her pouch was missing from her waist.

"What?" she gasped, and scrambled to her feet, fumbling in the dark.

She stood, holding herself up against a cold, damp wall. The only sound she could hear was her panicking breath as the shadows began to play on her claustrophobia, making her feel suffocated.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?" she screamed into the abyss.

Suddenly a door opened, causing a faint light to spill upon a staircase, then a silhouette filled the doorway, making shadows take over the little light that crept in.

"Hello, you're awake at last," a woman's velvety voice said. She then took out her light orb that threw rays of magic upon her mauve cloak and her tan face; such a sight made her feel for her pouch again.

"What have you done with my light orb?" she demanded.

"Oh, its safe, don't worry."

"Give it back!"

"No, I think I'll keep a hold of it for now. I can't risk you using light magic to escape."

"Why are you doing this?" Beanni's voice trembled. "Who are you?"

"My name is Genelle," she announced, and made her way down the stone steps. Torches that lined the staircase, sensed her orb's magic and lit up their orange flames in a perfect sequence as she moved.

"Genelle? Genelle who?" Beanni instinctively took a couple of steps back, away from the approaching stranger.

"Fiosolim. I believe you know my older sister, Nani?"

"I didn't know she had a sister..."

Beanni found Genelle's responding facial expression hard to read; she couldn't tell if she was sad, irritated or indifferent by this revelation. The mauve clad woman got to the end of the staircase and the remainder of the torches, which lined one wall of the dingy room, lit up with the same orange glow.

Beanni took this opportunity to take in her surroundings, she looked around and saw many shelves full of boxes of varying sizes, some that looked like coffins.

"Where am I?" Beanni asked, not able to take her eyes off the ominous setting.

"You're in Petra Marbh," the strange woman answered simply.

"What?" Beanni squeaked in disbelief. "We're in the old Fiosolim burial place?" she added, barely able to speak above a whisper.

"That we are."

A cold shiver shook uncomfortably at Beanni's spine.

"W-we can't be down here! W-Why did you bring me here?" she stammered, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest as fear of what being in this forbidden place meant clawed at her mind. A hand then gripped her shoulder and made her turn swiftly to gaze into large olive-green eyes that stared intensely into her soul.

"Don't worry, Beanni, everything will be fine," Genelle said in a gentle, yet untrustworthy voice.

"H-how do you know my name?" Beanni stuttered, and watched the woman raise a finger up to her pursed lips.

"Shh..."

Genelle then grabbed Beanni's wrist and led her to a wooden table with three chairs surrounding it - all of which had clearly seen better days.