“We should’ve asked your brothers for help.” I said, as the dusty farm door of Denaux’s old family home flew open inward at the force Isaac’s kick.

  “And leave them the opportunity to dangle us as bait any further?” Isaac scoffed. “I think not.”

  “I’m just saying,” I through my hands up, “a little backup would be nice.” I slipped inside, our all black clad sleuthing outfits almost matching as I came up beside him.

  “What is it that we’re even searching for here?” Isaac pondered aloud, his foot tipping over an old cracked footstool as he made room to venture forth. “It’s almost certain that Perrault wouldn’t hold Denaux here.”

  “I know,” I nodded, “it seems unlikely...but he is about pageantry and game playing.”

  “The torturous nature of it, indeed,” Isaac agreed, stepping over some more debris.

  “Exactly,” I said. “I’m sure he wants us to find something.” I nodded to my own words, as I remembered Denaux’s bedroom and trudged upstairs.

  “Where are you going?” Isaac asked, following slowly.

  “You, of all people, should remember this spot.”

  Isaac’s head titled, him squinting through the confusion as he pursued me upstairs.

  We navigated the hall into the busted down bedroom door of Denaux’s old room. “Ah,” I said, “here it is.”

  “Oh,” Isaac said, “yes. I do recall this location. This...occurrence.”

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  “You saved me,” I turned to him with a slight grin. And Denaux. I knew you couldn’t be all bad after that.”

  Isaac smirked. “It was a long night.”

  I nodded, hoping, waiting for him to open up, to say more, but it never came. “Yeah.”

  “It’s still here,” Isaac said, walking past me to the shrunken head perched on the desk. “Still watching Perrault?” Isaac asked. Clenching his fist, he wound up and punched straight through the head, tearing through like paper mache, before whipping it to the ground, in tatters.

  “Maybe we should’ve held onto it?” I said. “It could’ve given us some more information, something to research.”

  “I’m done with research. This war has raged on far too long as is. It’s time for resolution. I refuse to see the forest for the trees any longer.”

  “Wait,” my head piqued with interest. “I've got something.”

  **********************************

  We pushed through the brush, trampling over sticks and dirt towards the tree house. Denaux’s old tree house.

  “Why must we continue sight seeing?” Isaac groaned. “Let us just confront Perrault at his own residence.”

  “Because he might not be there?” I said, climbing up the ladder.

  “Annabelle, wait,” Isaac said, daring to use my full name, as I climbed the ladder. He must have been really agitated now. I lost my footing though and fell slightly. Luckily, Isaac’s hands caught me at the bottom, or on the bottom, I should say. I blushed inadvertently, thankful for the masque of the darkness draped across it at the moment.

  We remained still for a moment, his hands unmoving, even though I was braced and regrouping upon the ladder.

  “Um...” I started up.

  “Oh, yes,” he sounded shocked, for a moment, and removed his hands, the sensation tickling me as he did.

  I quietly ascended and looked through the tree house.

  “Anything?” Isaac yelled from down below.

  A slew of nostalgic magazines were littered across the floor, large holes garishly cut out of the center of them, punctured sharply.

  “I don’t know,” I shouted back, before looking out of the small side window back to him. “Holes?”

  “What?” Isaac yelled back up in confusion.

  The faint moonlight clipped Isaac from above and illuminated the grounds around us. That’s when I noticed an odd pile of leaves in an ornate circle. “Wait,” I yelled, my eyebrows narrowing.

  I quickly descended and pulled Isaac with me to the leaf pile. “I don’t remember seeing this before.”

  I grabbed a large stick from nearby and waved it into the pile of leaves. Immediately, they fell apart and were swallowed into a deep cavernous hole into the ground.

  “What in the world?” Isaac looked over with trepidation.

  “Holes,” I said, almost chuckling to myself. “I guess we found our clues.”

  Isaac looked at me with a furrowed brow.

  “Well,” I looked up back at him, “care for a bit of spelunking?”