With reluctance Antonia let her arms drop so that she was no longer holding Chedworth, and he did the same. She stepped back, he took her hand as they once again descended the stairs to continue reading journals.
They must find an answer. There was no other choice.
“Retrieving what was lost,” Maia was saying as they walked into the vault.
“We do not need anything like that,” Petra reminded her.
“What of a lost spell, or words that can no longer be read?”
The order of importance of what they were looking for shifted in that moment. Antonia would first try once again to bring back the words once written by an ancestor, and then she would return to searching for a reversal for Chedworth, assuming that it was still necessary.
“I will go ask mother if this will work,” Maia said before she darted out of the vault holding the journal. Antonia still did not know what Maia had found but hoped that it could be used to solve one of their problems.
Petra and Samantha quickly followed. Antonia glanced at Chedworth, and he simply shrugged and soon they were rushing up the stairs too.
Chapter Sixteen
“We need permission to remove an artifact, or at least touch it,” Maia announced as she entered the back parlor without knocking or even greeting anyone.
“Why?” his mother asked.
“The Eye of Theia,” Maia announced.
“What is the Eye of Theia?” Philip asked, coming from behind Antonia.
“It is a bejeweled eye made of quartz stones and an amethyst for the pupil.”
“Is it a brooch or a necklace?” Philip asked.
“A necklace,” Maia answered.
“It is meant to be worn when seeking,” his mother answered. “Clear quartz is a rejuvenating stone and can reveal what is lost. The amethyst can be used to visualize.”
“But it is kept in the vault, so the explanation is not so simple,” Petra reminded them.
“What does the journal reveal?” his mother asked.
“It was crafted by witches during the 15th century to see danger as it neared, a protection.”
“Who is Theia?” Antonia asked.
“Titan of sight and shining light and brightness, a Greek goddess who had an oracle. Many believed her to be all-seeing. It is said that she could give the ability for a person to see ghosts and other forms of clairvoyance,” Petra answered.
“What else is written in the journal?” his mother asked.
“The Eye of Theia can be used to find what is lost, see the unseen, bring forth the light and reveal the truth,” Petra read from the journal.
“You want to use it to raise the missing script from the spell book,” his mother confirmed.
Petra and Maia nodded.
“What are the dangers?” his mother asked.
The reason the artifacts, antiquities and relics were stored in the vault and locked away was because harm could also come from using them. Many were good, when used as intended, but could have bad consequences when not. There were also antiquities stored that were simply too dangerous to be used and why the rule was to never touch a relic unless everything was known about it.
“The one who uses the eye must have good intentions in their heart. If it is used for a selfish purpose, the person who uses the Eye of Theia will be blinded.”
“That is too dangerous,” Philip said immediately. He knew that it would be Antonia who took the risk because it was her book and she had cast the spell, but he would not allow her to do so.
