by Laney McMann
“What the ring symbolizes is the rise of the serpent, being all of demon life, and the fall, of not only humanity, but all life the Daemoneum believe to be beneath them. It symbolizes the end of the Universe. The gift of life, given by the egg, will now end in death by the snake.”
“The heaven and hell analogy,” Cole said. “When, or if, the Araneum is destroyed, Primordial and human life will end.”
“Exactly. Which we know, have known, for quite some time. But to end life only to the extent that the nether planes would still exist—the life of the lowly would continue. The Infernal and Nocturnal Planes—which quite honestly, we know little about—would remain.”
Cole knew that. All Primordial did. The Daemoneum’s goal was turn the planes into hadean planes, blacking them all into a virtual hell. The problem was, it was almost impossible for the Primordial to explore any planes that were fatal to their kind. Although they knew of the underworlds and could close off the negative energy lines leading to them, they couldn’t go into those planes for long without dying.
“So what does all of this have to do with the ring itself? With Kade? She’s being hidden and poses no threat. No one will be able to get to her.”
The Warden gave a quick shake of his head. “Unfortunately, I do not believe that to be true.”
Cole paled of all color. “Excuse me?”
“I need you to ask Kadence when the last time she saw this ring was. Where, if she can recall, she was when she saw it. It is imperative we retrieve it. And soon.”
“Oh, my god … that's what they’re guarding.”
“Who is guarding?”
“Grandfather, I’m not positive Dracon died.”
“Why would you think that?” the Warden asked, slightly alarmed.
“Danny and I, and Lindsey ... we found an access tunnel from the sewer lines underneath Crystalline. It led into a pit—I'm not sure what it is or where it leads—it was too dark to see, but there were Nefarius guarding something. The smell that permeated the space was reptilian.”
“Go on.”
"Danny and I went back a little while ago, through a different access, and there’s an intricate energy grid—unlike anything I've ever seen—blocking the pit now. It’s in midair. Hundreds of Leylines—all blacked. Inaccessible to manipulate in avian form. And inaccessible altogether in human form. Dan thinks Dracon is down there. If this ring is as important as you think it is, that’s possibly what the Nefarius are guarding. If not, if it's something else entirely, and I’m completely off base, and Dracon is dead, then the ring could be anywhere, in anyone’s hands. Especially if it holds the kind of power you’re talking about.”
The Warden stared at his grandson, proudly. “I will send someone to investigate the grid you saw and then we will set up a team to shut it down and find out what the Nefarius are guarding. At this point, I am not sure what Dracon needed, how much he knew, or if he had any idea how to use this ring, but we cannot take that risk. We need the ring.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
The man sighed. He could never get anything past his grandson, as much as he tried. “I do not wish to alarm you.”
Cole stiffened.
“The magnetic field, I believe, is running through Kadence—the fact it is likely both positive and negative energy, gives her, as I said, a very special gift. A gift we have never encountered before. Not until now.”
“And …”
“I believe this ring may act as a relay to her specifically. A transmitter. To her location.”
“What?” Cole was on his feet.
“As an Anamolia, she may be programmed to receive and transmit magnetic currents, positive and negative energy, to this ring and the ring to her. I believe it can find her.”
“And if the ring finds her—“
“Whoever is in control of the ring could become the Patriarchae. And could find her. And if she is indeed acting as a relay coil, which I believe, whoever has possession of this ring, could, in theory, be drawing information about the Primordial race, possibly our secrets, through you and to her.”
The cords in Cole’s neck bulged, hands in fists at his sides. “Wait … hold on a second.” Cole’s breathing became erratic. “This is,” he stared at the drawing of the ring and then up at his grandfather. “She’s the snake.” His eyes were wild. “Kade is the snake.” He’d gone eerily still. “And I am …” The words died.
His grandfather’s eyes shifted toward the desk. “The egg. Yes. I believe Kadence has been placed within the Primordial race so we might be monitored—and worse. This is the reason Dracon wanted you and Kadence to be together. The marks on your palm, on Kadence’s palm, was a means to that end. It connects you in some way, which is why I’ve been monitoring the lines on both of your hands. Just as her inner workings seemed to have tapped into your inner workings to create the map we saw previously on your palms—identical lines—it is possible more information could be derived from you.” His gaze pierced Cole’s. “I have ordered the Araneum moved. It will take tremendous effort on the part of all those guarding it, but in case Dracon was able to convey its location before he died, or if, in light of this new information, he is still alive, I have no choice.”
Cole was already out of the office.
“Cole.”
He stopped, dead in his tracks, and turned around.
“We do not know the repercussion of her knowing this information, how she is possibly being monitored, and we cannot, in light of this possible new information, let her anywhere near the Eldership.” He averted his eyes back to his desk. “I must go to Stella Urbem this evening, and you must leave in the morning.”
“Leave? Grandfather—”
The man held up a hand. “I will be fine. I have alerted all the Principals as well as worldwide government leaders in case of emergency. With the Daemoneum having gone silent, the risk of attack on megaliths and monuments around the globe is heightened. I will leave word for the Principals to investigate the sewer tunnels underneath Crystalline. If Dracon is there, we will find him. You need to find your uncle and take Kadence with you before sunrise. Leave no word with Plumb. The Eldership will question her, and she cannot know anything more than she does.”
“What about Danny?”
The Warden shook his head. “No one. Heru can shield you and Kadence in a way no other Primordial can, including me. He knows you’re coming. If we are lucky, the Principals will find the ring and Dracon in one fell swoop. In the meantime, I need you to keep Kadence hidden. If you notice anything suspicious about her behavior—anything at all—alert your uncle.”
“What else? What else do I need to do?”
“For once, I need you to stay under cover instead of out in the open.” Warden Caelius knew that was out of Cole’s comfort zone. He was a fighter.
“But—“
The Warden held up an aged hand. “That is your order.”
Cole gave a curt nod and stared into his grandfather’s eyes. “Will I see you soon?”
The man gave a sad smile. “I hope so. Be safe.”
“You too.” Cole hugged his grandfather and left the office. He was down the hall, out the front double doors, and across the basilica grounds within seconds. Inside the abandoned coffee house on the other side of the street, he withdrew his phone from his pocket.
Danny answered on the first ring.
“Go to the bunker. Make sure Kade is there and stay with her. Don’t leave. I’ll be minutes at most.”
“What’s wrong?”
Cole had already hung up and made the jump through the Leygate from the Ward in Rome and back to Boulder, Colorado.
You know that no matter where you go or try to hide, I will always find you, my fledgling. We are wasting time. And you are putting the boy you love in danger. Come back to me so we may talk. There is much to say—much you need to hear. The ones who will soon be hunting you cannot be outrun. Let me help.
Kade shot straight up off the couch. She
must have dozed off without meaning to. The bunker was dark, empty. Giselle had been staying out later and later. She wondered if she should tell Cole but thought better of it. The more time spent “guarding” Kade, the less time Giselle had to spend with Lindsey, and the more irritable she’d likely be.
Kade glanced at her cell phone on the coffee table, the newest dream rattling in her thoughts. She wanted to stop having them—turn her brain off—stop thinking about her dad, or uncle, whatever, in general. It was so stupid and pointless. Her “dad” had been someone she didn’t even really know. But still, he was the only family she’d had, and as much as she might want to deny it—even with Warden Caelius as her guardian—the only father she would ever have.
She sat on the couch and turned on the T.V., flipping mindlessly through the channels. Nothing was on. Not that she could focus on anything, really. Her leaving for the Eldership the next day, without Cole, was a reality she couldn’t shake. Just when she thought everything might be falling into place, she’d been uprooted again, and since Cole had stormed out of Plumb’s office, she was worried about seeing him. Maybe he was too mad to even talk to her.
The red mark on her palm was stinging again. Sort of like a burn but also cold. It made no sense. How could something feel hot and cold at the same time? She was glad to know Cole’s spider-webbed mark was doing the same thing. Maybe it was normal. Kade glanced at the kitchen counter. It had been a week since one of the Principals from the Ward, a younger man named Stephen, had taken her Astrum necklace from her room in the bunker. Cole told her they had to run tests on it. She had no idea what that meant, it was just a gold necklace—but she assumed maybe they thought it was cursed.
It lay on the kitchen bar top now, glinting starkly against the granite. Kade hadn’t touched it since Stephen had showed up with it at her bunker apartment half an hour ago. He was the first Principal she’d met from the Ward. He’d spoken politely when he’d brought it to her room, Plumb at his side, and it reminded her of the way Cole had spoken the first time he met her dad—her uncle—she had to keep telling herself—not her father, her uncle. Cole’s tone had been so formal that day, surprising her, and Stephen’s manner had been the same today. Cole mentioned to her once that Primordial were taught proper etiquette from birth. Clearly it was the case.
Stephen told her the Astrum necklace was safe for her to have. After thanking him, she’d set it on the counter and hadn’t touched it since. Although the Ward obviously thought the necklace held some kind of plague, Kade knew the reason it had been left in her bedroom, she just hadn’t wanted to admit it to herself, to Cole—to anyone.
She’d seen Cole hurl Dracon into the side of the mountain after the attack, saw the blood even though she’d squeezed her eyes shut as Danny held her upright, her weight like a rag doll’s in his arms. Kade saw her dad die. But her necklace on the counter screamed a different truth.
He had left her Astrum necklace in her bedroom for her to find. There could be no one else—no other explanation.
A shiver wracked her body from her spot on the couch, as she stared at the necklace. She knew—every sensible bone in her body told her—that she shouldn’t think about her dad—shouldn’t even think of him as her dad, because he wasn’t. But she did. And worst of all, she missed him. Not the demon, but the man.
Standing somewhat shakily, she walked to the kitchen’s bar. Stretched out on the granite, the necklace looked tiny, a baby’s necklace, made for a newborn child as Cole had told her when he’d first seen it in her photo album. Kade had loved it when she was a little girl. One of her earliest memories—she had to have been about four years old—was watching the star glint in the full-length mirror when she twirled around in circles. She’d been devastated when she lost it.
She had so many memories from her childhood, both good and bad, but they were hers—the only ones she had, would ever have with a parent. An unwelcome tear rolled down her cheek, and she reached for the necklace, unclipped the clasp, and put it on. The tiny gold star rested in the hollow of her throat, but her T-shirt and sweatshirt covered it from view. It was cool against her neck—welcoming, familiar.
Someone pounded on the front door, and she jumped, covering her throat with her hand. Adjusting the oversized, navy blue sweatshirt Cole had given her, making sure the necklace was hidden, she walked to the door.
“Kade!” Danny yelled.
She swung the door open. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re okay?” Danny glanced around the room, breathless, and pushed by her into the bedroom, the bathroom, Giselle’s room, and finally came to stand in the living room. “Where’s Giselle?”
Kade closed the front door. “I have no idea. What was that about?”
“I don’t know, Cole just said—”
The front door burst open again, missing Kade by inches. She yelped and swore as one of the hinges broke under the force of the shove. Cole, white-faced and heaving, strode into the bunker and across the room, taking both her and Danny in.
His arms went around Kade like he’d forgotten what it felt like to hold her or touch her. “You’re okay.”
“Yeah.” She hugged him. She’d never seen him so upset. “Are you?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I ran out of Plumb’s office earlier.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
Cole eyed Danny. “Where’s Giselle?”
He shrugged. “Not here. Mind telling me what’s going on?”
Cole heaved another deep, staggered breath, obviously trying to calm himself down. He let go of Kade’s waist and held her hand, tugging her to the couch beside him as he sat down.
“Cole?” She turned to face him.
“Sorry. Just let me sit here for a second. Can I have some water?”
Kade glanced at Danny, who was visibly shaken. Cole seemed out of it—completely unlike himself. She went to the kitchen and came back holding a glass of ice water. Cole downed it.
“Thank you.”
“Okay, so you’re starting to scare me,” Danny said. “I’ve had enough of a scare to last me a while with the Kyle incident in the mine.” His dark brows squeezed together, highlighting his sharp green eyes. “What happened?”
Cole turned toward Kade. “Remember when I asked how you knew what Et mortali spiram meant—or what the symbol was?”
“Yeah.”
“You said Dracon had worn a ring with that symbol on it.”
“Right.” She nodded. “An ugly silver thing with the Mortal Coil signet on it.”
He let out a breath. “Can you describe it in more detail?”
Her eyes narrowed, but she did. Every detail. “Why?”
He leaned back on the coach, staring up at the ceiling. “I saw it today—or I saw a picture, a drawing, of it today in an old Primordial text my grandfather had.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. For now.”
“For now?” Danny questioned. “What does that mean?”
“And?” Kade pressed, eyeing Danny to shut up a minute.
“It seems that ring is an ancient relic called the coiled ring. An ancient relic that holds some untold power over the magnetic field.” He glanced at Danny, and then Kade. “The ring is said to be linked to the Patriarchae.”
Danny let out a low whistle.
“The who?” Kade asked.
“The Patriarchae. It means father. Or leader.” Cole was still staring at the ceiling. “I’ve been really stupid.” He let out another sigh and stared at Dan. “So stupid. He was right there. Right in front of me. Right in front of us.”
“Not stupid,” Danny said. “Distracted. It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. None of us did.”
“I could have stopped it.” He still hadn’t moved. “We could have stopped it.”
“Stopped what? You’re both talking in riddles. Care to fill me in?”
“Your dad, uncle,” Cole said, “Dracon—is, was, the Patriarchae. The Nefarius I killed, the one who was t
racking you at Crystalline—it told me the Patriarchae had found the Araneum. And that the Anamolia would kill us all.”
She paled, blood draining from her cheeks.
“Your dad, sorry, Dracon, was the Patriarchae. The fact that he had the ring proves it.”
“But he’s dead,” Danny said, eyeing Cole in a suspicious way Kade found unsettling.
“Which means someone else has the ring, possibly, and we need to find it,” Cole stared at his beta. “Warden Caelius is going to investigate the pit we found.”
Danny nodded like there was some secret between them. Kade hated secrets.
“There’s some link related to this web on our palms,” Cole faced Kade, “that connects you to me, makes you stronger,” he glanced at her palm, the red lines scrawling across it, and sounded bitter, “but you’re only one piece to this puzzle. Dracon is another, dead or not. I guess I am, too, and the ring is another piece.”
“The Nexus is transforming,” Danny said. “That’s what the Nefarius in the alley outside Crystalline said.”
Cole’s eyes closed. “’The days, they change; the fields, they shift; the moon and stars align.’” He quoted the Nefarius’ words from their previous battle.
“Didn’t you tell me the Nexus and the Araneum were the same thing?” Kade asked. “A single point where all the lines of the magnetic field converge, right? Just different terms used by the Primordial and the Daemoneum to describe the same thing?”
“Yeah.” Cole didn’t open his eyes.
She reached for his arm, resting behind her on the couch and held his open hand in hers. Putting her own hand in line with his, she opened it and said, “When we were convincing Plumb to hide me down here in the bunker a couple weeks ago, you showed her our palms and said the matching lines were a map of underground Great Britain—a map to find the Araneum.”
