The Scroll of Osiris: An Eva & Lilura Novel

Chapter 10 Lilura

Chapter 10 Lilura

I was staring at Sadie’s house. Eva and Tyr stood on either side of me. Kodan walked the perimeter of the house sniffing.

“Why don’t you stay in the car Lilura,” Eva suggested. I broke my gaze from the house and looked at her.

“No, I’ll be fine. Let’s get inside before anyone notices.” I reassured. They followed me inside after I unlocked Sadie’s front door. The house was dark and the air trapped in the house was damp. There was an odd smell permeating the walls.

“Smells like death,” Eva stated. I reached for the wall switch and turned on the living room light. It looked the same, save for the dark brown stain on the carpet. Joanne and Mary-Beth had done their best to clean the place. 

“The armchair was where we found her body,” I added pointing to the now empty brown chair. 

“And the kitchen is where I found the belladonna with her tea leaves.” I pointed out the kitchen around the corner. Eva and Kodan examined the house sniffing various items.

“Anything?” I finally asked. 

“Yes, a faint smell but it’s there and it’s similar to the one from earlier. Definitely one killer.” Kodan claimed. I was starting to feel the negative air in the house and it was draining me. 

“I’ll leave you to finish up, I need some air,” I announced. I pushed past Tyr out into the front yard. I inhaled a deep breath of clean air. 

“Your energy is low.” It was Tyr he stood silently behind me. 

“Death places can do that to witches. Especially where violence has happened. It wasn’t bad when we first found Sadie’s body, but after a few days, the energy starts to fester. It feeds on our energy when we are there.” I explained, turning around to face him. My legs were shaking and I was using my last bit of willpower to keep myself standing. Tyr approached me, placing his large hands around my shoulders. He peered down at me, concern etched across his face. 

“What do you need?” He asked. 

“I only need a minute. I’ll be fine. My energy will come back with time.” I said, but my eyelids were feeling heavy and it was becoming difficult to keep them open. The bent his head and placed his lips on mine. There was a spark and a wave of heat rushed through my body. The weakness in my legs resided and my mind became clear. Tyr pulled away and looked down at me with a warm grin.

“Better?” He asked.

“Yes, much better. What did you do?” I inquired feeling energized by our kiss.

“Transferred some of my energy to you.” He explained.

“You can do that?” I was astonished, I had never heard of Fae doing that with witches before.

“Yes. But only when we want to.” He said his lips curving mischievously at the corners. Kodan and Eva walked out of the house both deep in thought. 

“Find anything more?” I asked. Tyr reached down and grabbed my hand lacing his long fingers with mine. Eva’s eyes widened and she tried to hide a smile.

“Yes. Some footprints left in the carpet. Also another male hair fiber.” Kodan waved a little plastic baggy that contained a single brown hair. 

“I’ll send it to my lab and have them compare,” Eva suggested, she plucked the baggy from Kodan’s hand. He gave her an astonished yet amused look. 

Eva was already on the phone, and Kodan walked toward us. 

“So this is a thing?” He asked, pointing I’m to Tyr and I’s clasped hands. I looked at him to gauge his reaction but he only smiled.

“Yeah, I guess this is a thing.” I mused happily. Kodan shrugged.

“Well, it’s good to see you happy Lilura. Especially after Corey.” He said smiling sadly. 

“Thank you Kodan. How about you? I feel like we haven’t had a chance to catch up.” I asked. I hadn’t seen Kodan in a year. The last time we had been face to face had been Corey’s funeral and that had been...difficult. 

“I’ve been good. Well as good as anyone can be. Claire and I broke up, but I think that was for the best.” He shrugged as if not bothered by anything.

“I am sorry to hear that. I am glad you are doing well.” I muttered and Kodan nodded his head, rotating his shoulders as if to throw off a bad feeling. Eva returned from her phone call. Kodan watched her move towards us and his pupils dilated. I glanced away as if witnessing something private.

“So now to Mary-Beth’s,” Eva announced. We all made our way back to her car. Tyr pulled my hand forcing me to stop and step back.

“Who is Corey?” He asked his voice deep and serious. His eyes were almost black. Was he angry?

“I’ll tell you later,” I whispered, I pulled my hand from his and slid into the front passenger seat. Kodan and Tyr shoved themselves into the back seat both too large for such a small space. 

We drove to Mary-Beths in almost near silence only making small idle conversation about the weather. 

Mary-Beth’s house was slightly smaller than Sadie’s and a dirty cream color. I let Kodan and Eva investigate the house while Tyr and I stood by the car.

I leaned against the car while Tyr stood a short distance away staring at his feet. The sun shined on his hair illuminating the warmer strands. He seemed distant and distracted. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked, still holding my place by the car. He sighed and walked over to me.

“Who is Corey?” He asked again. He ran a hand through his hair making it stand in weird directions. I let out my own sigh.

“He was Kodan’s older brother. A werewolf. He helped build my house. He died in a car accident. What else do you want to know?” I asked accusingly. We stared at each other for a few seconds.

“What was he to you?” He persisted. I hesitated. Fae were known for their tumultuous moods and I didn’t know which direction this conversation would blow Tyr. 

“He was a friend,” I began. Tyr said nothing waiting for me to elaborate.

“We had a small fling after he finished my house. It was a few nights together and then he went on his way. I never heard from him again and then he died.” I finished.

“What else do you want from me. It was two years ago and the guy is dead.” I snipped. Tyr lips drew a hard line across his face. 

“Did you love him?” He asked a dangerous note in his voice.

“What? No, of course not. He was my friend, and very briefly my lover. But I was never in love with him and he wasn’t in love with me. I’m sorry you aren’t the only man I’ve ever slept with, but I’m 26 years old and have had a very healthy s*x life.” I said placing my hands on my hips. Tyr’s face fell and the fire burning behind his eyes disappeared.

“Forgive me Lilura. Fae have a way of...being overly possessive when they get involved with someone. The way your face looked when Kodan mentioned Corey.” He paused, “ I made an inaccurate assumption. I’m sorry.” He finished. I placed my hand on his chest.

“This isn’t going to be easy or simple between us Tyr. Witches and Fae generally do not get together. We just need to be patient with each other. It’s going to take time to figure out all our quirks.” I expressed. He placed a gloved hand over mine on his chest. 

Kodan and Eva approached us.

“Well, not any new information from Mary-Beth's place. But we both picked up the human scent again.” Eva explained. Kodan nodded in agreement.

“Kodan you’ve seen all the crime scenes where do we go from here,” Eva asked.

“I don’t know? The human is masking his scent as much as possible. We know now it’s one killer, but not much else.” Kodan sighed as he rubbed a hand at the back of his head. 

“We still have the hair strand right?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s in my car. We can take it to the lab,” Eva started.

“No, I have a different idea.” I interrupted. All eyes were on me now. 

“I may be able to find out where the killer is going next,” I said confidently. 

“How is that?” Kodan asked.

“I can do a foresight spell. I just need the hair follicle and we can perform it at my house.” I described.

“Okay, then we will try that.” Eva agreed. We all piled back into Eva’s car and we made our way back to my house. 

———— 

My house was barely big enough to hold a Werewolf and a Fae. They looked massive in my small living room. Kodan had taken the armchair, Eva sat cross-legged on the couch with me and Tyr stood in the corner leaning against the window. He stared out into my lawn deep in thought. 

“So how do we do this spell,” Eva asked. The best foresight spells were almost dangerous. However, we needed to try something. There were a few spells I knew but I elected the one where I would be hurt the least.

“I’ll need to almost drown,” I said simply. Tyr’s head whipped around and Eva and Kodan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What? Why?” Eva asked with concern. 

“Water can be like a conduit. It can show me at the very least where he may go next. It’s the simplest foresight spell I know and also the safest.” I explained.

“Almost drowning is the safest spell you know?” Kodan asked in disbelief. I shrugged in acknowledgment. 

“Lilu, you know we can’t let you do this,” Eva said.

“You don't get to make that choice Eva. I am the only one who can do this and we are running out of ideas and time.” I asserted.

“We have options, we can send the hair to my lab…” Eva trailed off.

“That won’t tell us where or when. I can do this, I am going to do this.” I said, I placed a reassuring hand on Eva’s shoulder. Tyr stood up abruptly. The room got dark like the lights were being dimmed.

“You are not doing this!” Tyr thundered. I got to my feet.

“I am doing this. I am perfectly capable of performing this spell. If you don’t like it then you can leave.” I snapped back icily. Tyr’s face was white with rage. Kodan and Eva were half out of their seats anticipating having to intervene. Tyr turned his back and stormed out the front door. The lights returned to their full brightness, but in the distance, we could hear the large bang of a tree snapping off its roots and falling in the woods. 

“Lilura, I know you have every right to make your own decisions, but maybe we should think about this,” Kodan suggested.

“No, I’m doing this.” I snapped. I left the living room and walked to my kitchen pulling different ingredients out and shoving them into a basket. Kodan and Eva were quietly talking in the living room when I returned the both turned to look at me.

“You are both welcome to help, if not then I suggest you stay out here or leave,” I announced. They both got to their feet. They followed me to the shared bathroom where there was a claw foot tub. We all crammed inside. Eva lifted herself onto the bathroom counter, her feet dangling down. I ran cold water into the bath. Out of my basket, I pulled out different herbs and flowers. I held out my hand for the baggy of hair Kodan gently pulled out the hair follicle and placed it delicately into the palm of my hand. I deposited it into the ice-cold water. 

I kicked off my sneakers, pulled my t-shirt over my head and threw it on the floor. I had on a thin blue tank top and my jeans. 

“Okay, some additional things you should probably know. I will go into the water and submerge myself. I will need you to hold me down so I don’t pop back up before I see.” I started.

“What? We need to hold you down?!” Eva asked astonished.

“Yes, now this is the important part, when the water turns black you need to pull me up immediately. It’s very important that you pull me completely out of the water.” I emphasized.

“Why?” Kodan asked. I didn’t want to worry them, but they should be aware of what was going to happen.

“Water is not only a conduit for magic. It can also act like a doorway. At that threshold, I’ll be able to manipulate time and see a bit into the future. With a bit of the killer's DNA, I will only be able to see his future through his eyes. It won’t be perfectly clear but I will probably get at least a good idea about the next murder.” I explained further. They both looked hesitant.

“And what about the black water?” Eva prodded.

“Um, as I mentioned before the threshold. On the other side, could be. . . Another dimension.” I added quickly. Their mouths both fell open.

“And what happens if we don’t pull you out in time.” Kodan pressed.

“Then I could be pulled into that place unable to ever get out,” I mumbled.

“Oh, so no pressure then,” Kodan said sarcastically. He gave a quick glance at Eva.

“Well let’s just get this over with then.” Kodan clapped his hands together. Eva nodded in agreement. I exhaled heavily. I stepped into the water with both feet. The icy water burned my calves. I took another deep breath and sat down in the water. I leaned back in the tub and the water reached up to my chin.

Eva knelt beside the tub near my head and Kodan did the same at my feet.

“There is still time to not do this,” Eva said.

“Nope,” I said before dunking my head under the surface of the water. The icy prickling subsided and my vision was blurred by images speeding past. They were hard to make out and I reached out to stop the spinning. My hand touched a hot image and I grasped tightly. It slipped between my fingers and I reached for another image. This time it erupted around me immersing me in the scene. I was seeing through the killer's eyes. I was in a lush area and it was dark. I saw a tree line and an open grassy area. There were park benches. I moved past a bathroom building and toward the tree line. A small pixie danced in and out of the darkness of the trees. I approached her. She was a small woodland sprite. Her white hair bouncy against her shoulders. I reached into my pocket and pulled a long sharp blade. I snuck behind a tree watching the sprite continue to bounce around. She drew closer and closer and I held my place without moving. Finally, the sprite was right in front of me and she still didn’t see me. I reached out my hand and grabbed a fistful of her silver hair. Before she could scream I pulled the knife across her throat, she struggled but I was bigger and stronger and I held her in place, blood burst from her lips and she choked on her own blood. I pulled a flask from my coat pocket and pushed it against the stream of blood pouring from her neck. It filled to the brim and started to overflow. The sprite stopped struggling and her body went limp in my arms. I pushed her off and threw her drained body into a bush, vines were already starting to sprout through her skin and roots were bursting from the earth and wrapping around her small body. I screwed the lid on the flask and put it back into my jacket pocket. 

I stood and wiped my hands on my pants. I stuffed the knife into my belt and made me way out of the woods. The scene blurred and turned to water disappearing into the water. I was no longer the killer, I was myself again.

The water turned black and the world dropped out from underneath me. I was no longer submerged underwater in my tub. I was floating in a black abyss tethered to nothing. 

Something wrapped around my ankle and dragged me down. I screamed and acidic water filled my lungs. I thrashed and panicked trying to kick free of the ghostly hand tightly gripping me, pulling me deeper into the blackness. I looked down and saw thousands of dead white faces with their mouths agape looked sightlessly at me. 

“Lilura” the faces cried soundlessly. I screamed again fighting to get free. I turned upward trying to see where the surface of the water was but only blackness loomed over me. 

“Daughter. Don’t fight. Rest. Be with me. Be with me.” A bodiless voice called out to me. It was thunderous and loud I clapped my hands over my ears. The voice screamed over and over at me. I looked around the blackness and I saw a white arm above me reaching for me. It was a light in all this blackness. I reach for it desperately. I grabbed the arm with both my hands digging my nails in deep. The arm pulled me up through the darkness and my head broke the surface of the water. 

Someone pulled me violently out of the bathtub and we slipped on the flooded bathroom floor. I turned and coughed up black water as someone beat between my shoulder blades. I flipped back over and leaned against the body of the person. I blinked trying to get my bearings. Three faces loomed above me. Eva was even paler and her blue eyes were full of concern. Kodan looked shocked and pale as well. Finally, Tyr held me in his arms and he was soaked, his black hair like ink flat against his head. He was distraught and rage burned behind his eyes. I was just catching my breath when a white skeleton arm reached out of the water and grabbed my leg again, an animated skull broke the surface. 

“Found you.” It hissed, Eva, kicked the skull in the face and forced it back into the water. It struggled to keep above the water. Frantic, I reached up and grabbed the crucifix off of Kodan’s neck and ripped it off, tossing it into the tub. The black water began to boil and the skeleton started to melt as if by acid, disappearing again beneath the surface. The water turned clear and the boiling stopped. 

I collapsed again in Tyr’s arms, all of us drenched in water. 

“What the f**k was that!?” Kodan yelled, breaking the silence.

“A demon, it was a demon.” I breathed, my chest still rising and falling rapidly. 

“A demon!” Eva exclaimed. She looked at me with wide blue eyes. I had no more strength to talk so I just nodded. My body felt like lead. The edges around my vision were starting to blur and blacken. I couldn’t move my limbs. 

“She’s fading fast,” Tyr said. He lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the small bathroom and into my bedroom. Eva followed right behind. He placed me gently on the bed. 

“Tyr, I know where he is going. I know who is next.” I mumbled.  

“You need to sleep Lilura, you’ve exhausted yourself.” Tyr admonished. He pulled my wet clothes off quickly and tucked the duvet around me. Eva left the room briefly. I was shivering all over.

“She’s nearly hypothermic,” Eva said coming back into the room with a cup of hot tea. She handed it to Tyr who put it up to my lips. I sipped slowly, the hot liquid warming my insides. 

“She needs to sleep. I could transfer my energy, but I couldn’t give her enough.” Tyr murmured to Eva. My eyes were shut now and I had no strength to open them, but I could hear them whispering beside my bed. 

“I could give her blood,” Eva suggested.

“No.” Tyr roared in a hushed voice.

“Then what do you suggest we do.” Eva hissed.

“She needs rest, sleep is the best we can do,” Tyr mumbled.

“Then that’s what we will have to do,” Eva stated.

“I’ll put her to sleep,” Tyr explained. I tried to fight against the covers but my body was in pain and I couldn’t open my eyes. A warm hand touched my forehead. I felt the warm wave of sleep overwhelm me and I was pulled into nothingness.

—————————

My eyes started to flutter. Sleep was leaving me and my consciousness was edging back. My body ached all over but I felt some of my strength had returned. I opened my eyes to a dark room. My head was resting on a hard surface that moved rhythmically up and down. Someone’s chest I thought. I lifted my head gently. Someone moved beneath me and a light flared up. 

Tyr looked at me with worried dark eyes. He held me in his arms. He reached up and brushed the hair out of my face.”

“Hi.” I croaked. My voice was raw and scratched from coughing up water. He gave me a weak smile. His large hand cupped my face.

“Hi.” He said back. He pulled my face toward his and planted a warm kiss on my lips. 

“What time is it?” I asked my voice hoarse.

“Almost 10 at night.” He said. I sat upright. 

“Lilura, you need to rest.” He warned. He pushed at my shoulder. I fought him and stayed sitting.

“No Tyr. The Killer he is going to kill a Fae. We have to go. He’s in a park. I don’t know which one but we can take our chances and search for them. We have to stop him.” I panicked. I threw off the covers and climbed out of bed. I pulled jeans and a sweater out of my dresser and threw them on. 

Tyr came around the side of the bed. He placed his hands around my face.

“Lilura, we will send the others. You have to rest.” He pleaded.

“No, we all have to go we will split up,” I demanded. I tried to push past him but he grabbed my waist and held me still.

“I almost lost you today.” He whispered. His dark eyes pleading with me.

“You didn’t lose me. And you can’t keep me here. I’m strong Tyr. I can do this.” I said. I grabbed his face and gave him a long kiss. He rested his forehead on mine. 

“Fine, but you're coming with me, and the other two will go together.” He commanded.

“Okay,” I whispered. 

We left my room and headed out to my living room. Kodan and Eva were sitting very close leaning towards each other and they quickly moved apart when they heard us coming. They stood up quickly and watched us enter the room.

“The killer is going to murder a Fae tonight. In a park somewhere in Knoxville. There are two parks I have a feeling he would be at. Tyr and I will stake out one and you both can stake out the other.” I explained

“Lilu, are you sure you’re up for this?” Eva asked worriedly. 

“I’m fine. I’ve got this. Now we don’t have much time. Let’s get going.” I didn’t wait for anyone to reply and we all left my house and back to Eva’s car. I sat in the back with Tyr and Kodan took the front passenger seat. Kodan stared at Eva as she slid into the driver's seat. 

“Eva, we will need two cars so you’ll have to take us back to my truck, then we will each take a park,” I said resting my head on Tyr’s shoulder. 

“Alright, to your truck it is then,” Eva answered pulling onto the road. 

I fell back asleep on Tyr’s shoulder trying to rest before we did our stakeout.