by Dannika Dark
Gem leaned toward the door, yanked a handful of napkins out from under her backside, and tossed them onto his lap. After wiping his fingers, he opened his window and threw out the sticky napkins. They stuck to the hood. One blew onto the windshield, and when he turned his wipers on, all it did was smear chocolate in a beautiful arc.
In the midst of all the drama surrounding Niko, Gem found her breaking point. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was the look of horror in Claude’s eyes as the last napkin blew away, but Gem doubled over and laughed like she hadn’t laughed in a million years.
Chapter 7
After arriving at Keystone, Gem dashed to her secret study while Claude took his car to the garage to wash it. She called Viktor to join her, certain that the section describing the Creator and Destroyer was referencing Niko’s book. Were there others like it still in existence? The very idea set Gem’s imagination on fire. What kind of world had this been twenty thousand years ago? Were some of these spells the origin of certain Breeds? Maybe they were the reason behind Mage gifts or the creation of stunners.
Viktor stood next to her, his palms on the table as he stared down at her new acquisition.
Gem feverishly flipped through the pages. “Here it is.” She pointed at the image of a snake eating its tail and then opened the red book to show him the same image.
Viktor stroked his chin as he compared the drawings. “They are the same but not identical. See the markings on the snake?”
“I don’t think it being an exact replica matters. The symbol itself expresses the meaning. Egyptians believed it represented the beginning and the end of time. It’s a popular symbol in alchemy and is one of the oldest symbols in the world. Some associate it with eternity while others see it as death and rebirth.”
“Perhaps this is referencing a different book.”
“I think it’s referencing all books that were made with the same power. That symbol was purposefully chosen. Niko said other books like his existed but were destroyed.”
“And you sure he used the word destroyed? Not lost or—”
“I’m positive. He told me his sensei knew about them, and I believe him. Nobody would create something this powerful without a way to destroy it. I can’t even put a date on this book since there’s magic preserving it. Maybe they were written by people who wanted to be all-powerful, so they made the book indestructible. Humans back then were hunting and burning immortals, so it would be careless to create powerful spells that could be burned on a pyre with their owner. Don’t you see? Protecting the book with magic would give them time to recover it, and they wouldn’t have to worry about someone destroying their power. Copying the spells would be pointless since the only way to activate them is by a Mage touching the ink, and I seriously doubt that anyone figured out how to use it, let alone read the language. But someone sure figured out a way to destroy them.”
“If they cast a spell to protect it, why give it an Achilles’ heel?”
“In case. If someone did figure out how to work the spells, the only way to stop them would be to destroy the book. Everyone needs a backup plan.” Gem took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Her hands were trembling from excitement, but also from fear of being wrong.
Viktor touched the pages. “As interesting as this is, I do not understand how it helps our situation.”
Gem turned to a page with a quill sketched on the left and a small knife on the right. But it wasn’t a knife. She reached into a box beneath the table, found the object she was looking for, and set the identical piece on the table.
Viktor looked between the picture and what Gem had originally assumed was a letter opener. “Where did you get this?”
“Raven found it at the pawnshop. She gave it to me as a gift.”
“Ah. I remember this now.”
“They must have come together in the same shipment. I bet the owner knew this was the same blade as in the sketch or else he wouldn’t have kept it. See the shape of the handle? The stone placement? He’s dead now, so we’ll never know if he was the one who translated passages in that book or if he just acquired it from someone else.” She slapped her hand on the blade. “This is the key. This is the Destroyer.”
Viktor turned the page and looked over the text. “And what else is in this book?”
“I haven’t read every page, but what I saw covers a plethora of historical events and facts. This might be the only section referring to Niko’s book. It doesn’t give instructions. It just says that a knife in the heart will destroy its power. That’s not the exact phrasing, and it could mean anything.”
Viktor lifted the brass instrument and rubbed his finger over the opal stone in the handle. “Whose heart? Your heart? You summoned the spell.”
Gem clutched her chest. “Gosh, I hope not. Maybe the heart of the person who wrote the book.”
“Nyet. That is illogical. Would you create something that can only be destroyed by your own death? Think of how eager others would be to carry out such a task.”
Gem rested her forearms on the table. “Unless they were pious men. Then anyone seeking to destroy the book would face a moral dilemma. Nobody wants to murder a holy person.” She propped her chin in her hand. “On second thought, you’re right. If the person who wrote the book died another way, the book would exist forever. I don’t think this blade was meant for the original owner or person who wrote it.”
Viktor sat in her chair and pushed up the sleeves of his cotton shirt while staring at the brass blade. “I know we talked about not using the red book, but did you come across a spell that mentioned this instrument?”
“Not that I remember. Well, there was one involving a knife, but I couldn’t figure out what the objective was. Something about a Shifter’s spirit animal.”
Viktor shuddered. “If it was to split man from animal, this book is an abomination.”
“And abominations must be destroyed.” Gem straightened up, the wheels in her head spinning. She lifted the dull blade and turned it in her hand. “If the Destroyer had been made into a dagger, it would always be vulnerable to theft. People covet weapons. But a brass blade with dull edges and a stone? You said the best hiding places are in the most obvious ones. Someone designed a weapon to look like a decorative keepsake. What if this wasn’t meant to pierce a person but the book itself? Nobody would ever think to destroy a book that way. We’re thinking too much like a criminal when a brilliant, resourceful person was behind this.”
The very thought of destroying a book went against her nature. Gem had always loved and protected books, and so much would be lost by destroying this one in particular. All that power. All that knowledge.
Viktor stood up and circled the table. “How can this destroy a book?”
A glint of light caught in the opal. When she traced her thumb across the oval stone, she felt that strange current of energy that Raven had first noticed. It wasn’t strong enough to draw unwanted attention, but it was curiously different.
She set it down. “Stones hold energy, but this one doesn’t feel like the others. What if a Mage infused the stone with power that would allow it to hold more?” Her eyes met his. “What if this is a conductor? Science isn’t my area, so I don’t have any logical explanations. All I know is that the book requires my energy in order to work spells. Whenever I cast a spell, it pulls my core light like some kind of energy magnet.”
“If that is true, it would require an incredible amount of energy to destroy the indestructible.”
Gem wielded a tiny energy ball in the palm of her hand. “I think I know where we can get that kind of energy.”
Viktor backed up against her bookshelf as if she were holding a nuclear bomb.
She quickly crushed the light, showering the floor with tiny sparks. “Who better for this task? I know you’ve always seen me as cerebral, but I’m also a Mage. I can’t ignore my gifts. This could be our chance. Maybe the fates led Niko here for a reason. We have to try.”
He wiped beads
of sweat from his brow and shook his head. “You could die wielding that kind of energy. You do not have enough experience with your own power.”
“What choice do I have?” She threw her hands in the air. “What other options are left? Niko’s never waking up, and I can’t suffer the thought of ending his life without trying.”
“By doing this, you could end his life,” Viktor snarled. “Destroying the book could destroy Niko.”
“And if I choose to do nothing, you’ll end his life. Does it really matter which way he goes?”
“But I could lose both of you.”
Ah. Now it made sense why Viktor was trying to talk her out of it. He knew the risk to Niko, but he didn’t want anything to happen to her either. Losing one Keystone member was bad enough, but two? Would Claude and Blue become partners? How long would it take Viktor to find suitable replacements? Or would this be enough for him to dismantle the team and give up on his dream? Gem didn’t break his concentration with more words or reasoning. He needed a moment to process it just as she did. If this didn’t work, then she would be directly responsible for Niko’s death. Not Viktor with his orders, not Shepherd with a lethal injection, but her. Maybe that would be a more appealing option for Viktor.
“If I don’t try, Viktor, you’ll definitely lose Niko. We’ll always regret not having done everything in our power to save him. Each one of us shared blood in a ritual. We put our lives on the line every day for total strangers. Why wouldn’t we do the same for each other?”
Viktor held his forehead as if he had a headache. Candlelight played with the shadows on his profile. “I will agree to this. If there is a chance, we must take it.”
Gem scratched an itch on her scalp and felt her palms sweating all of a sudden. “Do you want me to do it outside? If something goes wrong, this whole place could blow. I can’t promise I’ll be able to control it.”
He turned and folded his arms. “It must be done away from the team. They can’t know what you are doing. If you cannot destroy the book, I must still keep its secrets.”
She snapped her fingers. “The garage! We need the mansion, but everyone can live without their cars.”
Viktor chuckled. “Tell that to Claude. He loves his car more than his own life. Nyet. Do not do this in the garage. Outside is best.”
“Should we do it now?”
He mulled it over. “Let me gather the team to say goodbye. If your plan does not work, this may be the last time we see Niko.”
She smiled nervously. “It may be the last time you see me.”
Viktor suddenly erased the distance between them and pulled her into a warm embrace. He wasn’t a demonstrative guy, but when he kissed the top of her head as a father might, a warm feeling nestled in her heart. “You have courage, little one. I am honored to have you on my team. You have done so many great things.” His eyes were shining as he looked down at her. “Do you wish to say goodbye to the others? I cannot explain to them why, so it might cause confusion.”
She shook her head decidedly. “Then I’d have to tell them everything. I’m a terrible liar.” She searched Viktor’s eyes for empathy. “If Niko dies, I’ll take the blame. Everyone will want answers, and you’ll have no choice but to explain. But if he lives and I don’t, please don’t tell them I was responsible for the spells. Not unless Niko does. I don’t want people hating me when I’m dead.”
He cupped her cheek. “They will remember your bravery. We all make choices, little one. It is up to the fates to decide the outcome. Perhaps today they will decide in our favor.”
“Oh, Viktor!” She hugged him tightly and felt a lump forming in her throat. “You’ve always been so good to me. You’re the only one who gave me a second chance, and I’ll never forget that.” Just as fast as she’d gripped him, she let go and collected the book and blade in her hands.
Viktor blew out a candle on the table. “Find a secluded spot in the back where you can see the high windows. You know Claude’s room?”
She nodded. Claude had a giant clock window made from blue glass on the second floor.
“Look at the windows beside his. When I open them, that will be your signal. Give me time to return to Niko’s room and clear everyone out just in case something goes terribly wrong. If this does not work and he stays in that condition, I will have Shepherd gather his equipment and assist me. There is no point dragging this out any longer.”
Gem couldn’t let her mind go there. Would destroying the book break the spell? Would it kill anyone still under the spell’s influence? What other spells had this book cast in the world that were still in effect? What if it was the creation of a species, and by destroying it, she would destroy an entire race?
No, no, no. Stop thinking about it.
But she couldn’t. During her long walk down the hall and across the expansive estate, it was the only thing Gem could think about.
In a patch of high grass, Gem noticed tiny white blooms sprouting from wild weeds. May weather was magical and breathed life into the world. She found a spot that wasn’t too overgrown and sat down in the warm sunlight. A caterpillar was munching on a nearby leaf, and Gem let it crawl on her finger before moving it safely away. The clouds were puffier than usual today, like cotton balls drifting across a blue ocean. When a light breeze picked up the ends of her hair, she wished she could hear the deep melody of wind chimes. Not the small ones that sounded like fairies giggling, but the tubular ones that were as tall as her. She’d once put wind chimes in the courtyard, but Christian had taken them down. He hadn’t done it to be mean, but it hadn’t occurred to her how something like that might drive a Vampire crazy.
After thirty minutes, she glanced up at the windows. At the same moment, two sashes opened, and Viktor stared out. Could he see her?
How could he not? She probably looked like a flower amid all this green grass with her lavender locks and floral dress. When he turned away, she took a deep breath.
Gem held the blade in her right hand but hesitated as she looked down at the red book. She imagined Keystone filing out of Niko’s room and standing in the hall while Viktor closed himself in the room to watch Niko for any changes.
A breeze skated across her skin, and she took it all in. What an exceptionally beautiful day. Branches creaked in the nearby trees, and a sparrow swooped low before ascending into the sky. The sound of leaves rustling in the trees soothed her broken soul. Books referred to it as psithurism, but to Gem it sounded like the world telling her, “Shhh. Everything’s going to be okay.”
The sun warmed her arms, and she was glad that she’d worn a dress. The purple-and-yellow floral prints against the white fabric blended in with the scenery. The only downside was the itchy grass rubbing against her legs.
“Now or never,” she said, turning the blade so the tip pointed down.
She gripped the handle tightly, enclosing the opal stone so it pressed against each of her palms on either side of the knife. With her fingers laced together, to anyone observing, it would have looked like she was praying.
Maybe she was.
Gem channeled her core energy and formed a ball of blue light. It crackled between her palms, and she tightened her fingers to keep it contained. She hoped the spell wouldn’t backfire and blow her to smithereens. Energy channeled into her hands like a gathering storm, and the ball spun like a vortex as she struggled to contain it.
The fiery blade vibrated in her hands, and the heat intensified by the second as her energy flooded into the opal. The stone absorbed it like a sponge, and though she couldn’t see the size of the energy ball increase, she knew it was growing. As the power became stronger, the grass beneath her burned away, and steam rippled from her hands.
Gem grimaced from the searing pain. The energy culminating within her was so violent that she thought she might fly apart. When her hands began to weaken and she could no longer contain the power, Gem raised her arms to the sky and drove the Destroyer into the book. The tip of the blade pierced the red leather c
over like hot metal through flesh, and rust-colored light poured out like blood. It wasn’t the force of her strike that split the book apart; it was the power in the stone.
Whispers of a language she had only read but never heard spoken aloud escaped the pages. It filled her ears like biting ants, and she cried out. The blade had impaled the book, but something else was happening. Her hands shook violently, and afraid to let go, she held on tight.
The ground shook with tremendous force. A streak of light escaped the opal at a sharp angle and struck a tree, setting it ablaze. Gem’s face heated as if lava filled her veins. That heat radiated to her eyes, lips, mind, and core light—the very thing that made her immortal. She heard what sounded like trumpets, but the noise was coming from the book. The pages turned to molten lava and burned away at the edges. Embers flew into the air and transformed to ashes before floating to the ground.
Her hands glowed with blinding light. Gem held on, refusing to let go as her core energy continued funneling into the book. Page by page burned away, and hot tears streamed down her face.
This was it. There was no turning back. In just moments, Gem would become a pile of ashes, and the wind would carry her away.
“Gem!” a voice called out from the distance.
She couldn’t tell whose voice it was or how far away the person was. Maybe from the window, maybe from right behind her. It didn’t matter anymore. She had a destiny to fulfill. Her skin iced with cold sweat. The ground beneath her had turned black with soot, and flames were engulfing the tree.
The remaining pages of the book swirled in a magnificent vortex that resembled a snake eating its tail. When a powerful burst of energy exploded from the blade, the last thing Gem saw was a shower of golden light.
So beautiful, she thought. Death is so beautiful.
Chapter 8
Claude said a heartfelt goodbye to an honorable man who had given his life to save Claude’s partner. That was how Claude had chosen to accept Niko’s death, even though no one was certain as to why he’d fallen unconscious.
