Lily and Isabella returned to a far busier Starlight. The lobby was populated by a double-digit amount of customers checking out the merchandise. Sandra’s cafe was mostly full with the day’s lunch rush. At the front counter, Gonzi was servicing a line of customers led by a rabbit and her pile of items. The bell over the front door immediately drew the horse’s attention to the pair. 

“Clovis.” Gonzi barked while motioning to the spot beside him. Isabella understood his single-word command and shoved the bag into Lily’s chest before hurrying to join her boss. The horse turned his attention to Lily, who was already rummaging through the bag. “Thorne.” It was as if she didn’t hear him. He called her name again as she pulled out a jar of carrot juice from the bag. His irritated tone grabbed her attention and made her drop her drink into the bag. 

“Yeah?”

“We got a delivery.” The horse pointed at the stack of three boxes close to the Cafe’s entranceway. “Take those down to the basement and get back up here.

Lily groaned with a roll of her eyes. “C’mon, I just got back.” While she protested, Danniel stepped out of the cafe. The wolf popped the last piece of a pastry into his maw and whispered a quick thanks while he rummaged through the bag. She opened her mouth to offer further complaint but thought of a question after glancing at Danny. “Hey, can Danny help me?”

“Pardon?” Danny stopped just as he pulled his drink from inside. 

“Sure. Whatever, just get it done.”

“Sweet. Thanks, Gonzi.” Lily moved past the boxes to the corner booth just inside the cafe. It was the spot Danniel called his station. She dropped the bag and drink there and waited for him to catch up. Danniel did the same while aiming his narrowed eyes at her. She simply gave the wolf a sarcastic smile in return. 

After the wolf dropped off his bottle of black mango soda, the two moved to the packages. Lily grabbed the top and smallest of the three boxes and looked at Danniel expectedly. He eyeballed the two left behind. They were both larger and undoubtedly heavier than the one Lily picked up. A quick cast of Lovis on the bottom box brought them up and into his waiting hands. Once he had a secure grip on the boxes, Danniel led the way down to the elevators. 

After hitting the basement button with her elbow, Lily silently stood beside Danniel and watched as the numbers ticked down the lower they moved. Once the display showed five, it held on that number despite continuing to fall. There was a massive gap between the fifth floor and the basement. Something about the long shaft always made Lily feel uneasy. The windows only showed unbroken earth, and felt like she was falling into an abyss. With the wolf by her side, that sense of worry was lessened somewhat. 

A few minutes had passed before Lily decided she was rather tired of the quiet. She glanced up at Danniel from the corner of her eye. What wasn’t covered in his long dreadlocks looked almost blank. It was hard to guess what was happening in his head, but Lily wanted to pull him out. The rabbit started to rock back on her heel while humming some tune she made up. She eventually started to rock up on her toe and sucking her teeth. Something about that last sound drew Danny’s attention to her. As soon as Lily saw Danny’s head snapped to look at her, she quickly turned her gaze straight forward. 

“You know,” The rabbit started while standing still again. “You would’ve helped even if Gonzi didn’t make you.” 

“If you knew that, why didn’t you just ask me?” 

“We were already talking. Plus, I wanted to tell you about what happened when we dropped the book off. Apparently, I know Quila.” 

As the elevator car came to a stop, Danniel’s expression changed from annoyance to confusion. He watched the rabbit as she hurried out of the elevator and into the hallway to the basement proper. Moss-colored walls sported ornate wooden shelves. Along the cobblestone floor were matching free-standing wooden shelves. They were stocked with some of Starlight’s usual fare and a few items they just couldn’t move. Under the shelves were numerous paper-filed boxes. Dates and titles were scribbled in black ink. Things like ‘Sales,’ ‘Inbound,’ and ‘Damage Reports’ were among the records stored here in the basement. A few feet above their heads hung lamps that contained floating orbs of bright white light. Specks of dust drifted on the stale and slightly moist air.

The room always bothered Lily. Out of all the rooms in Starlight’s pocket dimension, this was the only one that gave her the creeps. It never really made sense to her. Most days, like today, the count of the shelves on the floor and along the walls appeared normal. Then there were the weird days. Sometimes, the room would sport a single shelf and cabinet. Others would see a room two to three times its usual size with enough shelves and cabinets to put a warehouse to shame. The one thing that always stayed constant about the room, no matter how big or small, was the second doorway. It was on the room's right wall and looked less like a door and more like a void cut out of the painted wall. Though it looked like a missing space, there was certainly something there. The rabbit’s curiosity got the better of her the last time she was down here. When she built the nerve to touch it, Lily found it was as cold as a starless winter night.  It was made of some kind of stone that absorbed any trace of light that touched its surface. The only detail that would reveal its existence was a purple diamond-shaped crystal near the top.   

The pair walked through the single room of the basement to the back wall. Lily slowed a bit to let Danniel take the lead. She watched as he moved toward a large pair of sapphire-eyed gargoyle statues. The cold gem eyes followed Danniel as he moved between them. Putting down his boxes first, Lily followed up and sat hers on top. Once done, she walked backward, not taking her eyes off the two stone figures. Once the rabbit saw the blue crystals fall dim, she let a sigh of relief before turning her attention back to Danniel. 

“Alright, did you say back there?” Danniel asked, clearly confused.

“First, let me back up and tell you what happened.” Lily went on to recap the day’s events in breathless detail. That was until she reached the part of the story where the book opened. When she tried to recall the words, it felt as if a hole was punched in her memory. The wolf spoke up in the subsequent pause caused by Lily trying to remember the words. 

“Wait, are you saying that you spoke Quili?”

“No, dreads, Quila.”

“Qui-LI,” Danniel spoke with extra emphasis on the last syllable,” is the language. Qui-LA are the people. Either way, how would you know about that?”

“My grandparents. Pawpaw was an archaeologist, and Mawmaw was into fables and stories. They gave me a music box as a kid, and apparently, they got it to work with Quila. Uh, Quili. Whatever you call that noise.” Lily found a dusty bench nearby and sat down while scratching her head. 

“So,” Danniel crossed his arms as he stepped away from the statues, “you just have a scrap of a dead language rolling around in your head?” The rabbit gave him a shrug. He stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. “I want to say I'm surprised, but it's you. So…” 

“It was the darndest thing, too. I swear Mawmaw was whispering right in my ears when I tried remembering it. That reminds me, I gotta call my folks.” 

“I’ll remind you after the party. Now, come on, we need to get back to the lobby. I’m sure Gonzi wants to get back to his office.” Danniel turned and started back to the elevator. 

Lily hopped up off the bench, making sounds of protest while moving toward the wolf. “Hold up, I’m trying to remember those words.” Her words brought Danny to a halt. The rabbit’s eyes moved around the room while she symbolically searched her mind for the two words of Quili. Eventually, she looked back at the wolf and could only shrug. “Crap, I forgot it. Give me a second.” Lily ran through the day’s events while placing her hands on her hips. Tapping her foot, Lily again got hung up and couldn’t recall her grandmother’s words. 

“Lily, if we don’t get back up there soon, Gonzi’s gonna come down and drag us upstairs personally. Would you come on?” Danniel asked, annoyed. 

“Maybe you can be patient and let me think?” Lily snapped back. As the rabbit continued to think, Danniel sighed and glanced at the time on his phone. Just then, something Lily said popped into his head. He reminded her that thinking of someone made remembering those words easier. Just the simple thought of her grandmother brought them to her almost immediately. ”Got it.”

“Well?”

“It was Kpuar Dej!” Lily answered proudly. 

The pride was short-lived, however. As soon as she spoke the two words, a deep booming sound rang out from the direction of the black door. As the walls shook, the orbs that lit the basement flickered and fell dark. The sound not only took the light but any other sound along with it. In a flash, the room quickly became black and featureless. 

“Danny?” Lily called out. No reply. She called again, a hint of fear peaking in her voice. Once again, nothing. Taking a few steps forward, she reached for where she last saw the wolf and found nothing. Dread now crept up the rabbit's spine. She took a few steps back and sat where she thought the bench was, only to come crashing to the floor. 

That's when she noticed it. Her body was still completely visible against the inky blackness. The rabbit examined herself and saw that she could see herself and nothing else. It was as if she was cut out of the darkness itself. 

The dread only intensified as the formally silent space began to fill with sound. Lily scrambled to her feet and looked around the void for the sound’s source. The voices crept out of the darkness and spoke a tongue Lily didn’t know. They started as whispers trickling in like water through a cracked pipe. It increased in volume quickly and echoed off invisible walls. It took no time at all for the noise to overwhelm Lily. She clasped her hands over her ears. Pinning them down to her head, the rabbit shrunk into herself as a sharp pain swelled in her head. 

A spark of heat awoke deep within Lily's chest. Her panicked breathing caused the warmth to grow. With each inhale, the heat swelled. On each exhale, sparks and smoke billowed from her mouth and nose. Lily’s throat felt like the chimney to the live furnace taking up residence in her chest.  

Then, the deep and bassy tone bellowed from the darkness again. The swirling storm of sound immediately fell silent in its wake. Along with the voices, the single note snuffed out the heat that burned in Lily’s chest. After a few moments of nervous waiting, Lily slowly uncovered her ears to test the new silence. To her relief, she found the only sound she could hear was her heartbeat in her ears.  

The newfound silence ended as abruptly as it had started, though the sound that replaced it was far more pleasant. It was a soft hum that came from somewhere off in the void. Turning towards the source of the hum, something finally appeared in the dark. She couldn’t distinguish what it was but could see large, ethereal bands of white light drifting around it.

Lily found herself drawn to the object. Something about it eased the rabbit’s mind. Moving closer to it, she could discern more detail. Come to find, it was an ornate windchime. Though she couldn’t see anything holding it up, it remained frozen in the air. The main body was roughly the size of an orange. A string connected to a colorful wooden tag ran from inside the hollow sphere. Etched into the wood was a gradient resembling a horizon at dusk. A simple white circle at the bottom of the tag completed the design. 

The deep tone sounded again after Lily had closed some of the distance between where she was and the ornament. The noise caused Lily to jump in fright before frantically looking around the void, turning her back to the strange object. 

“Okay, what is going on?!”  Lily shouted into the darkness while stomping her foot. Another scan of her surroundings provided nothing new. It was just her and the strange wind chime, alone in this space. She couldn’t bring herself to move any closer to it. It was clear to the rabbit that it was more than just an ornament. ‘What it was?’ was not a question Lily could answer, so keeping distance between herself and it seemed like a wise idea. 

Then, another sensation caught Lily’s attention. This one was a smell. The moment it hit her nose, Lily’s eyes began to water. It was the scent of the lilac flower. Along with the smell came the return of the chime’s hum. Behind the hum came the words from before. Instead of loud and omnipresent, they came in softly and from a single direction. Less ethereal and more familiar. As Lily looked back to the chime, what she saw caused her mouth to fall open.

There, in the chime’s glow, stood Lily's grandmother. Lilac was a stout elderly doe. She stood with her head bowed and hands folded together in front of her mouth. Her fur was a faded mixture of orange and black, and her silver-gray hair was tied up in a tight bun. Thin vines were woven into the bun, and a bright red bloom sat atop it. She wore a green and black short-sleeve flannel shirt and a pair of high-waisted pants, the same outfit Lily last saw her in. 

As burning tears ran down Lily's cheeks, Lilac lifted her head and held her arms out wide. From behind her spectacles, tears were rolling down her wrinkled cheeks. When the older rabbit spoke, her voice came out warm and comforting. 

"Muh lil sprout."

Without a second thought, Lily ran toward the chime and Lilac. Was it real? Was it some kind of trick from the void? The answer didn’t matter to Lily. Thankfully, she had enough wits about her to slow her pace so as not to run over the old doe. Throwing her arms around Lilac, Lily openly and loudly wept into her grandmother's shoulder. She could feel a hand softly stroking the back of her head while stifling a few sniffles of their own. A nonstop stream of 'I missed you so much!' and 'I'm so sorry!' were poured into the plaid shirt but were nearly incomprehensible thanks to Lily's sobbing. Eventually, the older rabbit pulled her granddaughter from her shoulder and looked her in the eye. 

“I missed you, sweetpea, but I need ya to focus.” She peered into a pair of bloodshot eyes. She listened to the sniffles and hiccups from a granddaughter trying to regain her composure. Lilac took a moment to study Lily’s face. It had been a year since she had last seen it. Lilac hoped it wouldn’t be in tears again, but just seeing it now was more than enough after this long. 

“Focus? O-on what?” 

“We only have a little time. Your realignment is almost complete.”  

“My realignme…” Lily interrupted, “What are you talking about? Where are we?” 

Before Lily could get a response, the deep tone sounded again. This time, the source was clear. Slowly, with a returning sense of confusion, she turned her attention to where the force came from. The metal body of the strange chime that hung above her and her grandmother’s heads was still vibrating as the tag remained completely motionless. She mouthed a slow, ‘What the?’ just as the change that rode on the tail of the boom took hold. Gently, Lily’s feet drifted from what could be considered the floor of this endless void. Whatever force was lifting her also drew her backward and away from Lilac. A panicked stream of ‘No’s’ soon followed as her paws grasped at her grandmother. 

Much to her shock, Lilac did nothing to stop Lily. The only thing she did was smile. That sweet smile painted every memory of warm summer nights and rowdy family get-togethers. The one she saw after every fight with her folks or nasty breakup. A smile that Lily swore she hadn’t seen in what had felt like an eternity. It was a sight that meant, ‘I love you, and it’s going to be okay.’  

“Please no…” Lily whispered. 

Lilac raised her hand and spoke. These words were not in Commontongue or Lupia, the rabbit’s native language. No, this was Quili. Lily was sure of it. The elderly rabbit said a single line, her voice booming through the dark. 

“r̊a niḩ kpuar ik mi̊b’aar fuu mi̊shúkparoún suu”

And the chime sounded again. Releasing its deep, otherworldly tone. Lily could feel this one down to her soul. Unable to move, each cell violently erupted with sharp, prickly heat. It bounced and echoed between atoms and radiated up and out of her skin and fur. Just as the last burst from the chime ended, she heard and felt the orb go off again. When it hit her floating body, it repeated the process of sending a wave of heat from her most basic building blocks into the air around her. This time, she felt that some of the warmth lingered in her body. Again, the chime sounded, and more heat burst forth. Over and over, the chime repeated this process, and over and over, Lily burned hotter. It soon became all-consuming. Each breath in only caused it to grow, and each exhale pushed out a fresh lick of flame. 

“I’ll see you soon, muh lil sprout,” Lilac called to Lily before uttering one final phrase. With it, she left and took the void and everything in it with her. 

“vuk viri̊gyoar!”