Page 81 of House of Malice
Alecto cast a spell and lit up a few light orbs. She wished there were a fireplace or something to help warm up the space.
“I hope they get back soon,” Jolene said, glancing at her pocket watch. “It’s been fifteen minutes since I contacted Val. Avalon Hills is like twenty minutes away with a carriage.”
Alecto took a seat on one of the benches. She looked down at the canvas in her hands, inspecting the details.
It was a beautiful piece. Dark and gloomy, with tons of shading and mystery. She would have wanted this hanging on her walls, especially if it were bigger.
She turned the canvas around and noticed a small little scribble in the top corner. She pulled the canvas closer, squinting. The writing was so small and faint. It was hard to read.
“What’s up?” Jolene asked, coming over.
“It seems like there’s something written, but it’s too faint to read,” Alecto said. She handed Jolene the canvas. “Can you try?”
Jolene looked at the writing for a moment. Then she went closer to one of the light orbs hovering in the air and angled the canvas so the light hit it better. She turned the canvas around, upside down, to one side and another.
“‘To’… something I can’t decipher…‘my eternal life,’” Jolene read out loud, frowning.
Alecto’s stomach sunk. “To theloveof my eternal life?”
Jolene hummed. “I can’t tell, but it would make sense.”
Right then, the door on the side opened, and the rest of the Inner Circle walked in.
“What did you get?” Val asked.
Jolene lifted the painting and waved it in the air. “We’ve got his art!”
Val blinked, taking the canvas from Jolene. She looked over it from all sides, then brushed a finger over the Dean’s initials. “It looks like an original.”
“It is an original,” Alecto said. Blaze came over to where she sat and took a seat next to her. “We spoke with the owner of the art gallery, and he said that the Dean collected all his artwork at the beginning of last summer. This one he found later and forgot to contact Gondalez about it.”
Val nodded, pleased. “Well done, girls.”
“We can use this to track the other paintings,” Jolene said. “We might finally know where he stores all the magic.”
“Is the painting not protected with spells?” Andro asked.
“We don’t know,” Alecto said. “That’s what we should figure out first and then perform the locator spell.”
“Let’s get on it,” Val said. “Jolene, do you have your stash here still?”
Jolene nodded. She went over to one of the walls and murmured a spell. A small wooden door appeared, and when she opened it, it revealed a cluster of herbs, crystals, and other ingredients for rituals.
“Huh, that is so convenient,” Andro said.
“I know, right?” Jolene chirped. “Much better than having to go all the way back to our house.”
“Do we have all the stuff we need for a spell there?” Val asked. “For both spells?”
Jolene ruffled through the stash and then nodded.
“Good, let’s set up a ritual circle,” Val ordered.
They all got to work. Alecto and Blaze drew the circle and the five-point star with chalk. Andro set up the bronze bowl and the candles.
“This is the crystal we can use to scan the canvas for any spells,” Jolene said and handed Val a sea-green crystal.
“Alright. Do we need a full circle for this one?” Val asked.
