Myosotis - Exorcist's Beginnings

Chapter XIV: Forget-Me-Please

In the dark of night, the four went back to Lady Genevieve's house, since they had nowhere else to go. With all the pandemonium, Dumah forgot that he was not wearing a mask, but luckily for him, Genevieve was already sound asleep and it was actually the half-asleep butler Credence who opened the door for them. With a lot of struggle, they climbed up the stairs and bound the sorcerer to a chair in Macaria's room. Lucero stared at them with his yellow eyes, as if he was mocking them.

"Is this... legal?" asked the butler, conflicted.

"This is the man who we have been warning you about, Credence" Benedicta replied and grabbed his arm. "Come, let's go to sleep and let them do their job."

"May I remind you that it is terribly unwise to look right at his eyes?" said Dumah, and Lucero chuckled. "What is so funny?"

"Well, it is a funny situation and a pretty good one for me. Inquisitors usually kill witches right away to not risk being hexed, but you didn't, which tells me you want something from me and you won't kill me. And since you are with Miss Macaria in this house, I can assume what it is", Lucero replied with a pompous tone.

"How clever you are. Then, if you know the reason, it saves us the trouble of explaining. Start talking then" said Macaria.

"I have nothing to say, young lady."

"If you have nothing to say, I have no reason to leave you alive" argued Dumah, and Lucero sighed.

"You want to know about Virgil and I probably don't know more than you" Lucero replied. "May I ask you how you found out about me and my little event at the abbey?"

"With this" said Macaria, showing him his wretched book.

"Ah! What a curious little weasel you are. You found my little compilation of notes. It is too bad you didn't find your way into Mr. Dumah's pants" Lucero smirked, happy with himself. "Surprised? With just one look, I'm able to read you all like a book. So why don't you forget about me and your father and focus on seducing your friend over here."

Macaria scoffed. "So what? Keep going then. I have nothing to hide, so don't even bother trying your little tricks on me" she said.

"What a terrible boring woman. No wonder he is not interested in you", Lucero replied, and Macaria rolled her eyes.

"Stop trying to pitch us against each other and start talking. Your last name is Delacroix, just like the missing person, and you knew you had a brother and you were able to track down his family. How could that be possible if you had also completely forgotten about him?" Dumah asked.

"I see that you are well-informed. But why should I tell you anything? What will happen to me after I tell you what I know?" Lucero said.

"If you don't tell me anything, I will kill you now; but if you do speak, I'll give you a couple of hours in advance", Dumah replied.

"Will you really risk having a sorcerer escape your grasp just because of a missing man? Such an admirable desire to complete your job. Impressive" Lucero praised with irony. "Or perhaps you seek to impress some... lady?" he asked, looking at Macaria.

"You sure are nosy, Mister Delacroix. Can't you simply answer what is asked of you?" asked Dumah.

"I could, but that would be boring."

"You're the one who is boring us! Hurry up and just tell us what you know! You won't trick us, no matter how much you try to delay the conversation" exclaimed Macaria, upset with all the chitchat.

"How impetuous... Fine. I found out about my brother not that long ago, actually it was just months before I first came to this house. As you may expect, I was not on good terms with my mother, as she was an old-fashioned hag who did not approve of many of my ways, so I stopped visiting her for many years. I only went back to her house, after hearing that she had passed away and as I was going through her belongings, I found many photos which had a certain face burnt. Since I'm an experienced sorcerer, I knew exactly what it meant: someone hexed me. It was quite unexpected, as I have done that hex on so many people, but the same never happened to me. There is a reason for that. The oblivion hex can only be done by people who were taught by me or my ancestors. It is a sort of family legacy, you see? Knowing that, it was not hard to figure out that the faceless boy in those old pictures had to be my brother. There were pictures in which he was just an infant and then older, so he grew up with me and my family. That boy had to be my brother. After that, my task was more difficult, as his birth certificate or other documents where his name could be were either gone or burnt. Since there wasn't any physical evidence of his existence, I had to go back to reasoning. I figured he may have family somewhere, so I searched for households all across the country which had the same last name as me and that was how I found out about you. Then, I discovered that you were also searching for someone that you forgot and that was when I was sure it had to be him", Lucero explained.

"Nice story, but what else do you know about him? Anything that may help us find him" said Dumah.

"That I also do not know. As I told you, I didn't even realize his existence, since not long ago and being able to find out about his family was already quite a miracle", Lucero replied.

"We have been searching for you for this long and you give us nothing?" said Macaria in disbelief.

"What do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to lie? These hexes are very powerful and it's really hard to find someone that doesn't want to be found and even harder to find someone who was forgotten and wants to remain that way", Lucero argued.

"Do you suspect any reasons he may have done this?" asked Dumah.

"There are many reasons. I use that curse to make people forget what I've done to them. That way I'm free of rebound. Perhaps he has done something wrong too", Lucero said.

"How did you find out about his name?" asked Dumah.

"What do you mean?"

"You mentioned his name before. How did you know about it?" Dumah insisted.

"You were the ones who mentioned it and I just picked up on it" Lucero replied.

"We did?" said Macaria.

Lucero shrugged. "Of course, how else could I know about it? As I said, I'm pretty new to this investigation."

"Fine and since you were not helpful at all, I'll give you only an hour before I start chasing you" said Dumah, which shocked Macaria, but Lucero seemed happy with his statement.

"You can't be serious. Are you really going to let him go? He must know something else for sure", Macaria protested.

"You are being blinded by your desire to find your father, Macaria. You do not understand how powerful these hexes actually are. If he does not know anything else, there's no need to keep him here", Dumah said.

"But..."

"Oh, not only wise, but also a man who honors his word. I'll get going now" said Lucero, being unbound by Dumah himself, leaving Macaria in disbelief.

"Hurry up, before my bullet finds you", Dumah threatened.

"Are you crazy?! How could you let him go?! Why didn't we keep him here longer? Why didn't you beat him, like you did to that poor old man in the village?!" Macaria exploded, as soon as Lucero got out of the door.

"We must discuss the matter of payment" said Dumah bluntly.

"What?" she frowned.

"You must pay me five thousand coins now, before we lose grasp of him", Dumah insisted.

"Why now? You think I'm going to slack off or something?" she asked, insulted.

"It is as you say. That man is lying. He knew your father's name, when we never mentioned it. I didn't even know it. We need to follow him to his hideout because I'm sure it's full of his secrets."

"Then, let's go. What are we waiting for?" she asked, confused.

"I will surely need to pursue him and when I do, I don't know when I will get back to you or if I'll ever come back to you. We will surely find something decisive about your father in his place. Let's settle this now and after his house we are done."

"What are you talking about? I'll follow him too, then" she replied with a trembling voice.

"No, you won't, because Lucero is a case that you did not hire me for. You hired me to find your father and we will after tonight, or at least we will have a vital clue about him. After that, we are done. Let's not waste more time with words. He is getting away, as we speak" he hasted.

Macaria sighed and went over to her desk. "I really don't see what all the hurry is. What if there's nothing there? What if we already lost him and he's already outside town?" she asked, counting the bills that she had in her drawer.

"It's only been a minute and there aren't any trains at this hour. He can't have gone far", Dumah argued.

"Here you go then. I hope you're not fooling me" she said, giving him the money. "God, you're really eager to get rid of me, aren't you?"

Instead of answering her, he kissed her deeply to the point of leaving her breathless. "Let's not lose any more time" he said, and she was left behind for a moment flustered and taken aback.

While Macaria spent the whole day with her family, Dumah went around town and he already had an idea of where Lucero could be hiding. Shady people like him usually preferred discreet places, where if something happened, it was likely to remain unnoticeable by authorities. Dumah was also from Sta. Perpetua and he used to be an underground kid, so he knew exactly where people like Lucero would hide. They walked at a pretty hasty pace on the shortcuts Dumah predicted Lucero would use and soon they actually caught up to a man with long curly grey hair and dressed with a dramatic black cape. They stayed behind, watching his every step. He was going slower than they had expected. They wondered if he was just tired or actually believed that Dumah would give him an hour in advance, which they doubted. People like Lucero knew very well they should not trust anyone, since they were not trustworthy themselves.

"Do you think we are walking into a trap?" asked Macaria, from behind a corner.

"It doesn't really matter, does it? We still have to see what he's up to", Dumah replied.

Lucero entered a house way less discreet than what they had anticipated. It was between two other houses, which looked normal and they really contrasted with the middle house, which was golden. Both Macaria and Dumah were shocked by the fact they lived in Sta. Perpetua for so many years and never noticed a house like that one. It was as big as the other houses in that complex, but way shinier and it really stood out. Even the arabesque gate at the front was golden, unlike the neighbor ones, which were black. And unlike the green gardens and trees of the neighbors, his was made of gold, from the roses to the bushes and even the leaves and apples of the apple tree were golden. Lucero did not close the door behind him, as if he was indirectly inviting them in. They approached the house carefully and tried not to make any noise as they entered the front gate and made their way to the beautiful gold door, which had sculpted scenes of a forbidden garden with flowers, snakes and strange humanoid creatures. They pushed the door gently and took a look inside. It was almost too bright for their eyes, as they were used to the dark of the night. When their eyes finally adjusted to the intense bright lights, they were shocked by their own vision. Everything was made of gold, from the floor to the stunning ceiling. The only things that were not made of gold were the golden velvet couches, the crystals of the extravagant chandelier and the lion-skin carpet. They sensed someone running around and so they hid immediately. At first, they thought it was Lucero, but the steps made a metallic sound.

"Maybe he is wearing shoes made out of gold" muttered Macaria. "What is all this? I didn't know sorcerers were this rich."

"I told you he is very powerful. I didn't know he would flaunt it so shamelessly however" Dumah replied.

When everything went quiet again, they reentered the luxurious living room with a big gold fireplace and above it there was something which shocked them, and it was not the huge portrait of Lucero. On top of the fireplace, there were also small frames of other people. Macaria grabbed one of those frames, which had Lucero, a woman and a child.

"Me, my wife Leontine and my son Theodorus" Macaria read on the back of the frame.

"That kid looks awfully like your friend" Dumah pointed out.

"Yes, he sure does. What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

"What do you think? You have been mingling with the son of the devil", Dumah replied.

They heard the clinking sound again and they hid in the corner. This time they got a good look at the thing running around the hall, but they were not sure of what it was. It was a small humanoid, which was either made of gold or was wearing a gold type of armor. Dumah knew what it was; it was a homunculus and likely created by Lucero himself. They followed the noisy little creature that was carrying a tray with two cups of steaming tea. It climbed down the stairs that were at the end of the hall and then entered a room, which had a way more intimidating homunculus guarding the door. It was shorter than Dumah, but was beyond thick. His face was hidden by a gold helmet, just like his vegetal body that almost burst open his metal armor. They wondered if it could even see anything.

"Who are you? Where do you think you are going?" asked the creature with a crude, low tone voice.

"We are visitors and we want to go into that room" Macaria replied.

"You are not authorized. The master said only he could enter this room", the creature replied.

If what Dumah read in Lucero's book was right, then that creature was made out of mandrake, which was given life by powerful spells. Unfortunately for it, it was still just a vegetal and it was not the gold armor that was going to save it against Dumah's lighter. As soon as Dumah lit up his lighter, the big creature panicked and started to screech and then even more intensely when Dumah threw his lighter at it. All the commotion alerted Lucero, who came running right away and seemed quite shocked to see them in his house.

"Has it been an hour already? How time flies" said Lucero, with irony.

He tried to close the door to the guarded room, but Dumah pushed him inside and they finally entered said room. It was a typical alchemist's lab. It was darker than the rest of the house and it was not made out of gold, just complex old lab tools on a table and books lying around. There were also huge flasks with human parts floating, a green terrarium where all kinds of insects lived and vases with spectacular plants, including carnivorous plants and mandrake. The only thing made of gold were the bars of this one cage, which was big enough to imprison a human and... it did. Inside was a human with a face very similar to the one sketched by the boy with golden eyes.

"Father? Is that you?" asked Macaria, conflicted. The man widened his eyes, but did not reply and instead turned his face. From her pocket, Macaria took the paper with the sketch to be sure and the drawing was similar to the man in front of her, except the real one had quite a beard. "It is you! Father! It's me! Do you remember me?"

"Let me see" said Dumah, taking out the paper from Macaria's hands and taking a good look at it. "Who gave you this? Never mind, what a stupid question. Are you sure he is your father?"

"Well, I will leave you, so you can enjoy the reunion with privacy" said Lucero, and ran away.

"No, wait!" Dumah screamed at him. "Macaria, are you sure this man is your father?"

"Yes, I..." she replied, trying to look into that man's eyes. "I actually really do think he is my father."

"Very well, then. Take my advice and close your eyes", Dumah said.

"What?"

As she said that, in confusion at his words, he took out his pistol and shot the man in the cage. Macaria was mortified and did not know how to react. She just looked at the man bleeding fatally from his head and screamed.

"No!! Why did you..."

There was no one there to appease her or to answer her questions. As soon as Dumah shot her father, he did not lose any time and went after Lucero, leaving her there completely alone and baffled.

.............................................................................

The day after was Virgil's funeral. Only Macaria, Benedicta, Lady Genevieve and her mother Lady Rosaura attended it with white roses and little blue flowers bouquets in their hands. They were all wearing black. Their grandmother was wearing a black veil in front of her eyes and she also had a big black rose in her white hair; their mother preferred to wear a large black hat and an elegant and fitted dress. They also had white handkerchiefs on their hands, but tears were hesitant to drop. More than anything, they were conflicted. They were not sure of how to feel, it was a mix of sadness and confusion, as they did not know that man, but they were certain he meant a lot to them in the past. Pity overwhelmed them, as they realized that they did not want to bury their erased memories with him, but to keep searching for what they lost. Who exactly was that man and what did he mean to them? Those were the questions they wanted an answer, but did not get. The cemetery was filled with other graves and mausoleums and at the entrance there were cypresses. Macaria and Benedicta could have sworn they saw a dark figure behind one of those trees. Who knows who could have been and they were not sure if they cared to know. All their efforts to find that man were in vain, as none of their questions were answered. They could never have guessed they would only find him to just bury his body and so they cursed their mediocre fortune.

One month passed and they never heard of Dumah or Lucero again, or even of that boy with golden eyes who apparently was named Theodorus, son of that cruel yellow-eyed man. Macaria could not help but to wonder if Theo knew about everything and it was part of some miscalculated plan. Looking back on it, Lucero looked genuinely surprised when he found Macaria and Dumah in his house and he did not look like he was preparing any trap for them. He was strangely confident no one would find him in his extravagant and sinister gold house. However, the fact that Lucero had all of that gold did explain why his son Theo was so well-off and had expensive jewelry and clothes. Probably, he owed what he had to his father. She wondered why Theo was looking for his father or if that was another lie. Nevertheless, Theo did help her. After all, it was thanks to his sketch that she was able to recognize her father. But was he really her father or was that man in the gold cage just some man who was supposed to be killed, so Macaria and her family stopped looking for Virgil? Was Theo working for her father? Did he lead her to that man just to witness "her father" die? Was her father still alive and aware of her search, but just wanted to be left alone? The man that she found in the cage had a beard, which could be misleading. Was she giving in to false hope again? And how did Dumah fit in into all of this? Was he part of some plan? He sure did have a plan that he never told Macaria about and that was to kill her father. Macaria was sure Dumah knew from the beginning Virgil was a sorcerer, it was the only way to explain how he was able to cast the oblivion curse on them. In the end, Dumah only wanted her to come along so she would be able to recognize her father, so he could kill one more witch. After all, that was his job. He played around with her from the very beginning and as days passed, Macaria could not help but to start hating him. She felt like she had hired and paid a hitman to kill her father. It was doomed from the start. That was why he did not teach her Lucero's code. If he had done so, Macaria would have figured out his plans. She should have seen that he did not care for the victims by the case they had in Aganipe. He did not care for Lady Dora, he only wanted to get the demon out. It was the end and not only the old questions remained, but more came about.

She looked at the moon-shaped dreamcatcher swaying in the wind. Before, it brought her some comfort and peace of mind, but now everything was different. She couldn't help it, but to feel tormented by those questions and by the idea of the man who killed her father being out there. Hence, she decided to pack her black leather bag again.

Meanwhile, Dumah was once again in the attic of the infamous Bawdy Shirina. He was lying on the mattress naked and next to him was Beatrice.

"Are you still thinking about her?" Beatrice asked, unpleased, as she saw him once again pensive.

"I was not thinking of anything" he replied coldly.

"Ugh, I'm starting to get really sick of this" Beatrice said, getting up and dressing up quickly with the clothes that were scattered on the floor.

"Where are you going?"

"Downstairs. Cleaning up counters seems much more fun than being with you right now", she retorted, and slammed the door behind her.

He did not care and continued to contemplate his life choices. Suddenly, he heard the attic's door open again. He was glad she was back; he didn't really like to be alone those days. She did not say anything, just stirred around the clothes. He figured she must have forgotten to dress her undergarments and didn't even bother to lift his head, but then the sound stopped and there was nothing but silence, which he found peculiar.

"What are you doing?" he asked and it was at that moment he realized who he had in front of him.

Macaria was holding his silver pistol and was pointing it at him and he couldn't do anything but to stare back at her.

The End.