“I''m not sure what to do." I say over my shoulder to Brianna. "The window felt right,


    but nothing here does." I feel stupid. The magic looks so easy when the witches use it, and I don''t know why I thought it would be easy for me to spot it or feel it or whatever with the amount of time I have spent around casters and being constantly on the defensive of magic being used against me.


    "Keep looking around. It might not be something they wanted to keep. It could be something they wanted to guarantee was destroyed. The only way to truly know would be to be able to get in here and check."


    "And ''who'' could have done this?" I ask with an edge to my voice. I know it''s not her I''m mad at, but I''m tired of always guessing, wondering what is going to happen next. I feel like I am looking over my shoulder constantly and not always for the unknown.


    "You do seem to have many enemies at the moment." She smiles a knowing smile. Not an answer. She is very skilled at giving non-answers in a way that isn''t open ended.


    "Well, that I think I can exin." I say moving to another bookshelf full of things my dad thought worthy of keeping. "We went through the barrier today." I wait for her reaction, and as expected, she tenses. "You know what''s inside, don''t you?" I run my hand along a ss box holding a copper medallion and stop as my fingers feel a chilling from the ss. That can''t be possible. Leaning in, I try to see what is etched into the design.


    "I have a suspicion." She says vaguely. "What did you find?"


    "What is your suspicion?" I ask not taking my eyes off the metal. "I deserve to be in the loop. I have been nothing but forting to you and your coven has been, mostly, safe here. I don''t think understanding the full picture is an unreasonable ask. Do you?"


    "No, it isn''t. And I am sorry. You do have many questions that deserve answers. Unfortunately, I don''t have a clear picture and can only specte."


    "I would appreciate the spection over silence. At least then I might be able to help prove or disprove your theories say to the shelf as I try to pick up the ss box. "What is this? It looks like a smashed coin with some symbols. I assume they are runes." It''s heavier than it looks when I finally get the right grip to pick it up.


    The ss box has rounded edges, but they are uneven. These edges have been worn down from use, not when it was made. I feel where my fingers fit into faint grooves in the ss. The metal in the middle doesn''t move as I jostle it around. It doesn''t look like there is anything physical holding it in ce. There must be magic stored inside. Copyright 2025 Miss L Writes and Ember Mantel Productions


    "What does it feel like?” Brianna breaks me from my focused inspection.


    "It''s cold. It shouldn''t be cold after that fire and even after being in my hand for the few minutes I''ve been holding it. Is cold normal?"


    "In this case, yes. It means the artifact is calm. It trusts you enough to not react poorly, anyway."


    My head snaps to her. "What?! What do you mean, ''react poorly''? Is it conscious?"


    "In a manner of speaking, yes.” She moves closer, but doesn''t try to take the artifact from me. She doesn''t even move her hand to touch it "This is" She whispers with a reverence in her voice. "The key to the Rift, And seems to have it chosen you as its keeper"