Cerberus' Heart

Cerberus' Heart 11

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I groaned. I had been through every book in this God damned library and not a single book had what I sought. Glancing out the window, the distant foggy orbs of city lights decorated my window against the pale midnight of the sky.

I realised that I might have to search elsewhere for answers. And with that realisation came another. Violet. I couldn't afford to leave her unattended with someone out to get her. That someone possibly being Isadora. But it's too easy. There also was the thought that despite it all, it actually might just be that easy. That culprit was Isadora. But the fact remained that two of the three men had a common link to Ixchel as well. And while he'd never dare take someone else's plaything, I couldn't say he'd stand by and let me get away disrespecting him.

I dropped my forehead against the desk's shined mahogany surface and let out a frustrated groan. There were just too many mysteries popping out at any one time and it was hurting my head.

Creaking footsteps up the spiral staircase to my lower right, behind me, caused me to face my guest. A head of chocolate soft curls popped up, followed by an awed sapphire gaze drifting around the room.

"I didn't know the library continued up here too!" She cried, a childlike joy encapsulating her form.

"What brings you here?" I asked, causing her attention to drift to me now.

"I was looking for you," she murmured, seemingly shy. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Whatever for?"

"I'm... uh," she stumbled over her words, before forming a coherent response, "I was hungry!" She finally rushed out.

A smile spread across my face. "Is that right?" She nodded her head quickly. "We just had dinner not very long ago, Ms. Violet. Are you saying that you lied when you said you were satisfied?" At my question, she blushed. Deciding to tease her as well as distract myself from the sounds of her blood gushing through her veins, I devised a little plan.

Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, tapping my left forefinger against the tabletop, "Are you not curious about the fourth level library, then?" I asked. She hesitated, before shaking her head. Looking towards the glass dome atop the library, I saw the clouds thinning out, which gave me another idea.

"Not even the observatory?" I pushed further. She stilled at this. Her eyes were wide and mouth slightly ajar. Cute, I thought. Smiling, I got up, and stretched my limbs before heading to a door behind the many bookshelves occupying the library on this floor. I gestured for her to follow and she trailed a few paces behind.

Pulling the door handle down, I pushed it open into a room bathed in darkness. It was a rare night that the sky was clear and Violet happened to be in luck. Stepping into the room, I held the door open for her to enter. Timidly, she placed one foot infront of another and entered, standing by the threshold. A shiver shook her frame, her hands clutching at her arms to try and cope with the cold.

Sliding my coat off my shoulders, I placed it on her thin, shaking shoulders. She glanced up at me, "Wha-?"

"I'm not taking care of a sick human. Just saving myself the trouble," I explained.

Regardless, she smiled, "Uh huh. Thank you anyways, Edgelord."

I groaned, brushing past her and heading towards the large telescope. Opening the observatory's roof, the room was cast into lazy deep blue hue, I then made to stand by the telescope's eye-glass. Motioning her over, I focused the telescope on the moon and moved away, patting the seat. She gingerly took her place and placed her eye to the eye-glass. A wider smile danced on her lips.

"I've never seen the moon through a telescope before," she murmured. "I can't believe that regardless of the darkness surrounding it, I can still make out the edges of the whole moon! Who would've guessed!" She laughed. A smile of my own played on my lips.

I left her to stare at the sky for a little longer before I called her back into the library, shutting the roof of the observatory closed. She begrudgingly walked back into the warmth of the castle. Slowly, she moved to the railing, overlooking the three lower floors in the middle of the room. Glancing upwards, the light shining through the clear glass dome, highlighted her face in a ethereal glow of a heavenly blueish silver.

Across from her, the ornamental columns glint in the moonlight, throwing faint reddish browns and vibrant navy blues around the room. Glancing back at me, she gasped, "This is amazing!" She turned back to admire the glinting expanse of the library around her.

Approaching her, I stood at the railing to her left, a little ways from her. "It was constructed using Moonstones," I murmured. She heard me all the same despite my low voice.

"Moonstones?" she echoed. I nodded, "Yes. However, they are special Moonstones."

"Special? How so?"

"Well for starters, they are infused with ancient magic. Magic that has been lost through the eras," I began. "These stones would only show their true worth when bathed in moonlight. And the best part," I paused, turning to face her only to find her already looking at me, "They can illuminate this entire space for three days with only the bare amount of moonlight touching their surfaces."

She turned back to admire the myriad of colours dancing across the level and the lower levels, "That's awesome," she whispered, awe-struck.

She yawned softly, tiredly staring at the brilliant room. "Come, we best get you to bed," I said, continuing to watch her.

She waved her hand dismissively, "Nah, I wanna stay up a little longer. Besides," she sent me a scalding glance, "I'm not a child. I can get there myself."

Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "Well, you're acting very childishly for someone who claims they're not."

"Must you rain on my parade?"

"It's not my fault you chose to parade where I rain," I countered, a smirk on my lips. She groaned, "Darn you and your word play! I'm going to bed!" She marched down the stairs to the third floor and exiting through the door. I listened till I heard her room door open and close before tuning out the rest and making my way to my own room.

Once inside, I took a seat on the edge of my bed, the curtains open, allowing the moonlight to invade the space and tint it a silvery hue. Across from me, the vanity table caught my eye. A bright glint temporarily blinding me. Getting up, I approached the vanity and the object. The source of the brilliant light was a snow-globe. My mother's to be precise.

She treasured it. The tiny fragile glass dome encasing a water-like liquid within its confines that had thousands of tiny white specks acting as snow that danced whenever the little object was shaken. In the middle was a lone woman, dressed in a white garb, a white hood over her moussy brown hair and in her arms, a bundle of cloth huddled around her child, to whom she cast a smile, her eyes closed in bliss and maybe happiness. Her lips were parted, almost as if she were singing a silent lullaby.

The base of the snow-globe on the outside, was characterized by rough blue stone and was jagged in all but one area. The name plaque, where in cursive font resided my mother's name, etched into the stone by a delicate hand. Adara.

Picking the object up gently, I swirled it within my grasp. The white little fragments twirled within the liquid, dancing down slowly to the ground within the glass dome. Staring again at the name, my thumb traced over it fondly. I could barely remember what my mother looked like. However I did remember her smile, and her silky straight dark hair that went down to her waist, that shone brown in the sun. Her smile was timeless, not marred by age or wrinkles. It shone like the sun when I was in the dark. It made me feel warm. I sighed, remembering the feeling. Opening my eyes again, I fondly looked down at the object in my hand once more.

I should pay her- our- home a visit. It's been years, I recalled. Setting down the object back in its place on my vanity, I strolled towards my bed. Collapsing on my back, I wondered how to do that with all the current issues on my hands at the moment.

It took me a while to figure out a solid plan but when I did, I found my myself staring out at the night through my window, peacefully.