A MAZE OF GREED

***Flashback continues***

"Reznor, why do you wanted to meet me in person after all these years?" Mrs Payne asked curiously.

She was juggling many possibilities, but she had not considered what Reznor had to say amongst them.

"Isabella, as you know now that I am alone in Malvadogar, the risks for me has increased a lot." Reznor began in a serious tone.

"Has something happened Reznor?" Mrs Payne asked worriedly.

Reznor nodded his head with lines of worries itched on his face.

"A few months back someone tried to open the portal to enter Malvadogar."

"What? Who?"

"A human."

Mrs Payne was confused at his words. "A... human?! But-"

"She had seeds of a Vampire in her." Reznor explained what exactly happened then.

Little did Mrs Payne know that the human in the topic was no other than Florence.

"You mean... a Vampire is trying to get to you?"

Reznor shook his head. "I do not know if a Vampire is still trying to get to me because the dome did not show any such signs thereafter. It was only one failed attempt."

"Reznor, don't you think that it might be coincident?" Mrs Payne asked although she herself did not believe it.

"I do not think so Isabella."

She was silent for some time after that.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, seeing the wheels turning in her head.

"Do you know how Oscar died?" She asked all of a sudden, taking him by surprise.

"Yes, you told me that he died in an animal attack."

"And do you know which animal was that?"

Reznor had no idea what she was trying to tell him.

"It was a Vampire, Reznor.!"

A deafening silence fell around them. Even Muffy, who was bouncing from here and there, also sat silently in Reznor's lap. And Mrs Payne wondered if that creature could understand the words?!

"What is going on Isabella? Why did not you tell me this?" Reznor sounded more worried than before now.

She remained silent while Reznor continued. "Do they know that you are somehow connected to me or the magic world? Did they know who Oscar was?"

"No Reznor. I highly doubt it was the case. If not Oscar then someone else might be of their prey that night. And we are hiding with a fake identity for last twenty four years. There is no way of anyone guessing our connection with you or the magic world." Mrs Payne explained.

"Hmm", Reznor hummed in response.

"So why you wanted to meet me?" Mrs Payne asked again.

Reznor stood up and walked to one of the walls that had only two rectangular paintings. Mrs Payne watched him curiously as he moved his wand while his lips moved in chanting a spell.

She watched as those two untraditional styled paintings turned- one clockwise and the other in an anticlockwise manner. And when their borders met, they made a familiar symbol that was also drawn on that house's outer wall- an eye in a star.

The rumbling sound made her look around as she thought perhaps someone again tried to open the portal, and thus the dome above their head warned them. Instead, her eyes caught the wall visibly moving.

Every brick began turning in its place in different directions but in a horizontal plane. And in a minute, the wall completely parted, revealing a dark space.

A stand came out of that dark space that had a small porcelain plate on it. Mrs Payne had no idea what was Reznor doing, yet she kept silent as this was not the first time she was witnessing the wizard do some crazy magic.

Reznor stared at that small dish for a minute before he held his hand above it. He moved his wand again after closing his eyes, and before Mrs Payne could understand anything, she saw his skin peeling into thin sheets. She gasped loudly and stood up to run towards him.

But she halted in her place when his skin fell into that small porcelain dish. Reznor kept moving his wand in the air, his lips perpetually chanting the various spells that she had no idea of.

Her eyes grew in size as the beams of red light sparkled, illuminating the whole place bright. The beams seemed like living reptiles as they moved around in different directions. They intertwined, and the light caused her eyes to blink rapidly.

When her visions steadied, she saw a chest in the place of that porcelain dish.

Reznor finally opened his eyes. His greenish eyes met Mrs Payne's before he opened the chest and brought out a pouch.

He then moved his wand elegantly, and the wall gulped that stand and the chest. And then everything was as normal as before., the wall intact and the paintings in their right position.

Walking towards Mrs Payne, Reznor put that pouch in her hands. It felt heavier than she had expected.

"Open it!" He told.

She did what she was told, and what came out of that pouch made her awestruck.

"Th-this is... this is... Painite?!"

She looked up at him in shock.

Reznor nodded his head. "Yes. The only valuable thing I possess other than my wand. Isabella... I want you to protect it and return it to me when I will ask. Can you do that for me? For the sake of-"

"Reznor"

Mrs Payne cut him in between. The moment she understood that he needed her help, she had already decided on something.

"I will do it for you but... I need your help in exchange of that."

Now it was time for Reznor to get surprised. She did not ask anything about the Painite and the way she recognised it instantly, he assumed she had a fair idea of what it was.

Mrs Payne had many dots to connect, and she was already onto it. Although she knew Reznor for the most part of her life, and he had done nothing to betray her trust yet, she did not know if it was right to tell him more.

So she decided to bag a deal for herself and for Ruth.

"What do you want?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

She smiled. "Do not worry, I am not going to ask you for your wand or your heart Reznor. Nor I want a share of this Painite for me."

He looked visibly relaxed. "Then what do you want?"

She took a long breath before telling him. "I want you to help me in opening the secret place."

Reznor watched her for a long moment, and then it dawned on him. "But... that place is sealed by Sylvia's magic."

His mouth soured as she said her name.

Mrs Payne nodded her head. "Yes. Only you have the power to open it, Reznor. You must help me if you want my help in return."

He took a minute to think then agreed in the end. Without a word, he moved his wand again in the air, and soon their surroundings changed. Instead of Reznor's home, they stood in a forest of Warthford Island.

She smiled that he agreed. She walked towards a tree that was perhaps centuries old and was familiar to her. All the loving memories of her husband came rushing at her, and her eyes moistened again.

She stopped near the tree. She found the right spot and cleaned the mould on the trunk with her hand to reveal something scratched on it- 'O loves I'!

After so many years, the symbol of their love should have been faded, but Warthford Island was full of surprises that the common people- humans were unaware of.

A tear rolled down her eyes even though a smile played on her lips. Taking some moments to gather herself, she stepped aside, turning at Reznor...

He gave a small nod before he closed his eyes. He pulled out his wand from under his dress and began chanting a spell.

He was completely focused on the magic while his mouth and hands worked perfectly in coordination. Mrs Payne watched as the scrapping sound fell on her ears making her cringe.

The bark of the trunk scraped away, revealing the fibres underneath it. The greenish-white fibres also broke loose and a cavity formed in the middle of the trunk of that tree.

Reznor finally opened his eyes, yet he looked slightly tired. Sylvia's magic was stronger than he thought. But he did unwind it.

Mrs Payne stepped forward and looked inside that cavity. She let her fingers search inside the cavity, and when they found the right thing, she pulled her hand out of that cavity to reveal a weirdly shaped thing, which was in fact a key.

Reznor's job was done here, so he only stood at the side watching her curiously.

Mrs Payne then walked to the large rock, that had algae and lichens covered its surface. It took two minutes to find the right spot. She cleaned it with her hands to reveal a hole on the odd angle of the rock at its bottom.

She inserted that key in that hole and twisted it. The rock rumbled, and its surface slid under, revealing a secret place.

Mrs Payne took out a box from inside. Reznor's eyebrows frowned as he thought how she was going to open it without any key.

But when she pulled out that glass jar from her bag, he had everything figured out.

When she was done, they both decided to go for a short walk in the isolated patch of that forest where they were.

"You are doing this all for that human. You must love her dearly!"

Mrs Payne nodded her head in affirmation with a smile. "Yes but not more than Oscar did!"