Constant Wistlebrook's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

Constant stepped into the morning cold, the brass lantern and detector heavy in her pack. She needed to learn how the detector worked before heading into the wild territories. Her fingers traced the metal spirals, searching for a switch or button. The device hummed when she turned a small dial on its side. The sound matched the rhythm of magic, like her grandmother had described. She walked toward the forest edge, watching the spirals glow faint blue near an old stone marker. Good. It could sense even weak magic. Now she needed to test it against something stronger, something that might feel like a Melody Stone. She turned back toward the house, where Ember's cursed voice still held traces of the ancient power. The detector would either work or it wouldn't. Either way, tomorrow she'd leave to find the first stone. Back inside, Constant spread the map across the table and marked the first location with charcoal. Three days' walk north, through the rocky hills where water sources were scarce. She climbed to the storage room and found her grandmother's old backpack, the leather straps decorated with elven patterns that had faded over time. A water sack hung beside it, the craftsmanship still solid despite years of disuse. She secured the map on top of the pack with leather cord and carried everything downstairs. Ember watched from the fireplace, her eyes tracking each item. Constant filled the water sack from the well and tested the weight on her shoulders. Heavy, but manageable. She set the pack by the door. Tomorrow morning, she would begin the real search. Tonight, she would stay with Ember one more time before the journey started. Outside, behind the house, Constant cleared a flat workspace on an old wooden table. She found canvas map panels in the storage room and stretched them across a display board her grandmother had built. The board leaned against the table, steady enough to hold the maps and organize supplies. She laid out each item in order. The detector. The lantern. Empty pouches for herbs. A knife. The water sack and backpack. This workspace would help her prepare before each search, keeping everything ready and organized. She studied the mapped locations again, tracing routes with her finger. Three days there, three days back if she found nothing. Ember couldn't wait forever. The curse was spreading. Constant packed the board away and returned inside. She sat beside her sister and took her hand. Tomorrow the real work would begin, but tonight they had each other. Morning came too fast. Constant woke before dawn and checked her supplies one last time. The display board showed everything she needed. But something was missing. Knowledge. She needed to understand what the Melody Stones really were. The village archive vault stood at the forest's edge, its thick oak doors marked with bronze hinges. Inside were records from before her grandmother's time. Constant walked through the empty streets and pushed open the heavy door. Dust filled the air. Shelves lined the walls, packed with scrolls and old books. She found maps marked with symbols that matched her grandmother's notes. One scroll described protective magic tied to singing stones. Another showed locations that lined up with her own map. She copied what she could into a small notebook and tucked it into her pack. Now she had what she needed. The tools. The knowledge. The plan. She locked the vault behind her and headed home to say goodbye to Ember.