" I don't see how this interests me" Winter said coldly.
" It may not but do not be blinded by hate not to believe my words" Morbius said putting a hand behind his back. He had told winter the story he had told the king before. He knew it was of no relevance to her when what was in her heart, was war. " don't you see that whatever is going on now may be linked to you, you are the first of your kind, don't you want to know what you are"
" I know who I am and I don't need a pesty human to tell me that" Winter turned her back and began to leave. She had ordered Poa to stay at the gates entrance so, she was heading there.
" your mother was a fine lady" Morbius said and she stopped and turned around to look at him.
" what did you just say? "
"your mother was a fine woman, brave enough to have hid you for years "
"you know nothing of my mother"
" Believe me I do " He told her stretching out his hands to her "I have one more thing to show you". he then gestured with his hand for her to follow him. Winter followed with Morbius leading the way to his tower where he did all his study.
The place was warm and cozy, but his taste of painting was different. It seemed they all told a story. Some looked dark and full of secrets, they were bottles on the shelves filled with mysterious objects or powders and there were so many artifacts laying around on different shelves. It looked like a library but only the complicated type. There was a staircase that led to the upper part of the tower which was dark, it seemed private. Winter was angry with herself for not fufiling her mission to Arish the way she planned but, what ever this man knew about her mother urged her to stay. She had never really cared about her birth mother seeing she was raised by Antana but now, she wanted to know. Maybe some part of her wanted to know where she really came from and who her birth mother was. She recalled the incident with the little girl earlier maybe, things would be clearer now.
Morbius closed the door behind her when he noticed she was deep In thought he decided, to snap her out of it. " I am sure you have lots of questions that needs answers and I can help you with that" he said handing her a lamp and in turn she gave him a look that made him feel uncomfortable for the first time since he was with her. " You will have to go on now through the staircase on your own. For where you will enter, I must not follow, you will hear voices and you must not listen. But if they persist you must answer their questions truthfully"
" what voices do you speak of? " Winter asked.
" the voices of the dead and unburied, my father had designed this hidden place for you, I didn't understand then but I do now. He desperately wanted to correct his mistakes so he used the dark book of Ashanti to design this hidden place because he always knew one day you would come back. He knew your mother Aryan. You must not attack these shadows that linger in the dark or they won't let you enter, once in you will find the answers you are looking for".
Winter took the lamp from him and headed for the stairs. She had to do this or she'll be hunted with confusion forever after what she had come to learn about from the little girl and this strange man in front of her. Once she had stepped on the first stair, she was hit with a cold and icy feeling and her breath became heavy with a chill that ran down her spine. She looked back to Morbius who was standing and nodded for her to go on. Winter kept going until she disappeared into the inner darkness. Maybe a part of her wanted to know more truths all along. She felt a presence behind her so she turned back but didn't see anyone suddenly, she felt the presence in front of her but when she turned... still no one. Remembering what Morbius said, she continued to go on. Winter wondered if Antana had hidden anything else from her, maybe there was more to the story.
" who are you? " Winter heard a voice saying. She kept on going ignoring the voice. The stairs never seemed to want to end. " Identify yourself " the voice said again this time with a hint of aggression. Winter stopped for few seconds looked around and continued her journey up the stairs. The voice sounded feminine.
" sisters we've got ourselves a rude one". The voice said as if talking to yet another one.
" yes indeed sister", came multiple replies.
Winter felt her hand go numb as the lamp in her hand became unstable. For the first time in her Life she felt fear and it felt strange. Whatever she was going to face in the course of her little journey would not go down well and simple.
" Speak! " They ordered this time around.
" I am Winter daughter of Antana" Winter found herself answering. She suddenly felt strong wind pass across her.
" Do you lie to us Winter?" The first voice asked.
" No, I speak the truth "
" Lies ". They all screamed and a force pushed her to the ground but she protected her only source of light by shifting it out of harm's way as she fell. " tell us the truth".
" what truth do you wish to hear? " Winter said getting up to her feet. " The only mother I have known since the day I embraced wisdom was Antana and she's my mother " Winter looked around once more and shouted this time " None of you can tell me what truth to believe because I alone write my truths. I am Winter born of Aryan, daughter to Antana". She continued to go further but after a while.
" Why have you come? " The first voice asked again.
" To find out the truth about myself " Winter said not stopping this time.
" you seek the truth but will you be ready to embrace it? ". Another voice asked.
" I don't know" Winter simply replied.
" Didn't your master warn you not to speak to us? "
" No he didn't, he told me not to listen and he is not my master "
" Your soul is in war with your mind" Another voice said.
" Am afraid I do not know what you mean"
" you feel anger but you don't wish for war, why then do you wage for war against your own people" the first voice asked.
" They are not my people" winter said but this time unsure, she knew she was going to face a hard question now.
" You are unsure still of what you speak Winter, we smell your fear and the doubt of you not really belonging to the people who raised you. You fear you are turning on your real family " The voice replied.
" you all lie" Winter screamed not wanting to accept their words.
" you dare to tell us that..."
" the effrontery! "
" the nerve..."
" Tell us the truth... tell us... tell us..."
The voices echoed in rage. Winter ran up the stairs and this time saw the ending of the staircase with a door. She tried opening the door but to no avail there was no keyhole like the ones she and Morbius passed through the hall way. The voices became tormenting so she closed her ears with her hands and fell to the floor. Suddenly she heard a voice say "EMBRACE THE TRUTH and it will set you free" and in an instant the voices stopped and door began to glow revealing the carved symbols on it. Winter was astonished. There were five symbols carved into the door. The first symbol was carved like a flame, the second a tree ,the third a bird, the fourth a stream and the fifth which was in the middle was carved into a snowflake which she knew stood for Ice. She had seen this door in her dreams