The Grimoire

Chapter 4: Arcadia

While I was still inside the barrier, nakatitig lang ako sa kanila habang tinatali yung shape shifter. He has blood and injuries all over him. Hindi ko alam kung anong ginawa nila sa kaniya pero kitang-kita ang damage na binigay nila.

"That was odd. Someone was able to land here. This guy is something else," Leo said habang pinagpatuloy ang pagtali niya nito.

"Right. Sino ka ba at anong kailangan mo? Why were you inside and why did you attack us?" tanong ni Evie habang tinuturo ako. The shapeshifter jsut smiled and the crew of the ship around us began to summon their bows and arrows that was aimed at him, waiting for Cairo's orders to shoot.

"Hindi naman kayo ang pakay ko," he said. The shapeshifter glanced at me with a sarcastic smile habang tumatango ito. "I will come back for you, and you will tell me where they are hidden," he said, and he began to laugh. Hidden? What hidden? I don't know what he is talking about. 

"No, you will not," Cairo answered. He took Leo's weapon na hawak niya alng at tinusok niya ito sa leeg ng shapeshifter. He stopped laughing and he looked at me in the eye until his pulse faded. He laid on the ground causing a surge of blood at napatingin silang tatlo sa akin.

"I don't know what they are talking about! I don't even know him!" depensa ko kasi baka aakalain nila na traydor ako o baka kasama ko yun eh hindi naman. The barrier that Cairo put up faded at tinitigan niya ako. "Seriously, kahit patayin niyo pa ako dito, wala akong alam!" depensa ko ulit.

"Go back inside and let's head to Arcadia," Cairo ordered at umalis na siya. Some of the crews went inside while some of them began to clean the mess. Evie and Leo glanced at me at ramdam kong hindi sila naniniwala sa akin. Umalis sila at sinundan si Cairo. I stayed there for a couple of minutes bago ko naisipang umalis rin at pumasok sa kwarto ko.

I sat on the chair at pinagmasdan ang shelf na nasa harapan ko habang iniisip ko ang mga nangyayari. Sino ba yun at ano ba ang kailangan niya? As I stared on the shelf, I began to remember something. When I was a kid, my dad always told me that books are precious and that there were books that Babylonians sealed during that disaster which killed my parents.

Tumayo ako at lumapit sa shelf. I took one book out at pinagmasdan ito. The shapeshifter came to this room. He hoped that I was here, and he hoped to capture me. He wanted to ask something- something that was hidden. Binuksan ko ang libro at bumungad sa akin ang isang pahina kung saan nakalatag ang isang guhit ng dating Babylon kung saan kami nakatira. It was once a country, but it vanished into thin air. Something that was hidden he says. 

Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa libro nang maalala ko ang mga librong binabanggit palagi ng tatay ko. Is that what he came for? Why was he searching for it? Is he planning to resurrect him? 

"The Grimoires," I whispered at napalunok ako. Napahawak ako sa dibdib ko kung saan nakatago ang kwentas ko and ramdam ko ang pag-init nito. That shapeshifter was looking for the grimiores. This is bad. This is really bad.

"Grimoires?"

Nabigla ako sa narinig ko at nahulog koa ng dala kong libro at napabitaw ako sa dibdib ko. Napatingin ako sa gilid at nakita ko si Cairo na nakasandal  sa dingding. I wasn't able to notice him. How can he seal his magic just like that?

"Is that what he was looking for?" he asked at napalunok ako.

"W-W-What? N-No. I just read this," palusot ko at kinuha ko ang libro na nabitawan ko. I showed him the map of the old Babylon and pointed at a specific word na nasa baba. There was a word grimoire written there. Lumapit siya at tinitigan niya ito. He glanced at me coldly with suspicious eyes.