“It’s not that I don’t want to hear about it, Burk, I just... don’t get it. It sounds esoteric, for lack of better words.”
“Oh, that’s the perfect word, because that is what it is.”
“I kinda understand esoteric as occult and spooky and magic.”
“And you breathed life into a stone which now sits in your living room and talks to you without lungs.”
Meino dropped his fork. “Point taken,” he finally said and picked up his fork. His mind was going a mile a minute, and he wondered what the esoteric and fire breathers had to do with each other. “Isn’t the esoteric the heresy that people were burned at the stake and stuff for?”
“No, the fire-breather’s lack of understanding caused that.”
“Wait, are you saying the fire breathers are the Vatican?”
“Not all, but some of them.”
“So, the book I used to animate you is...”
“Esoteric. It is the book hundreds of people search for. Have for a hundred years. The book was the one lost and the reason for me and my fellow watchmen being hidden.”
“What?” Meino’s brain shut down. “I have a magical book?”
“No, the book is not magical. But it is one I will protect as fiercely as I do you. That, and the three other esoteric books on your shelf.”
Meino got up and went to his bookcase, knowing exactly which other three books Burkhart meant, because they were from his dad’s collection. He brought them back to the table and looked through them. “What’s in here?”
“Spells, esoteric knowledge. All of which can be used by the fire breathers to destroy life.”
“I need to hide them then.”
“They are. Under my watchful eye.”
“But, didn’t you say that with magic moving they’ll look for you?”
“Yes. But I will see any fire-breather before they come here. I have seen them before. I have warned of them before.”
“But that’s many years ago. They’re probably dead now or molding in some retirement home.”
“Their magic is the same, and it lives as a crown beneath their skin.”
Meino got mental pictures of people with magical crowns on their heads. The fact that he had possessions that people sought after made him think about the level of security his house had, and it was nothing in the line of what was needed.
“Don’t be afraid, Meino, I will watch over you.”
Meino looked at the Gargoyle, once again being reminded of how strong and able he seemed. His own ignorance stood clear to him. Yeah, he’d kind of gotten the reality of magic slapped in his face, and he knew it existed, but all the things Burkhart described were so far from his perceived reality that he just wanted to go fix a car. At least there he knew what the world consisted of. It was tangible. If it was broken, he could fix it. If it was dented, he could make it look good again. But magic?
“What do you fear is coming, Burkhart?”
“The fire breathers.”
“And if they do?”
“If it is daytime, I will warn you as soon as I see them. Then you must run and bring the knowledge lying on the table before you. If it is at night, I will collect you and take you and the books far away to keep you safe.”
“Where?” Meino heard the despair in his own voice.
“To the ones the Angels made us to protect.”
“The ones? I thought you were made for humans in general.”
“No. We were made for the allies. I will take you to the allies.”
“But only if they come, right? Or...” A sad reality dawned on Meino. “I took you away from them, didn’t I? You were never meant for me.”
“You have not used the knowledge in those books for selfish reasons.”
“What do you call me wanting to not be alone? How is that not selfish?”
“I meant doing harm to others for selfish reasons. Do not fear, Meino. I search the night for trouble. I will see them coming.”
Meino slumped back on the sofa, his mind no longer capable of catching onto anything in particular. God, Angels, people looking for magic, and he was in possession of magic important enough for hundreds of people to search for. Jeez, and not even a week earlier he’d thought he’d stumbled upon the most bizarre life had to offer—the animated stone looking at him worriedly from across the table. With him came a whole array of bizarre.
“My brain needs to sleep,” Meino said. He left it all on the table, unable to gather his mind to put the books back and clear away his plate.
“Sleep safely, little one.”
Chapter Nine
Entering the dining hall Monday morning along with Lucien, Jenny, and Ethan was a new experience, as more than a few apparently remembered Nathan and Jenny doing the limbo and chugging tequila. Tavi certainly remembered, and he stood to wave at them. They waved back and sat at their usual table, where Simon sat, grinning at them.
“Well, you made a new friend,” Simon said.
“Looks like it.”
“Want to borrow my notes from Friday?” The grin on the guy’s face stretched wider.
“No,” Nathan said, not caring that he’d woken up dizzier than he’d felt after getting fucked silly in the shower and taken to bed to sleep it off in Lucien’s arms. Date night had been different than planned, since Jenny and Ethan joined them at the—to Nathan’s surprise—Italian restaurant. But they got some time to themselves as Jenny and Ethan mingled with a few of the people they had gotten to know on campus.
Nathan glanced Alex Rhoden’s way. He seemed better. Well, his face was less colorful, and he smiled when talking to his friends.
“Did you seriously need a day off?” Simon continued.
“He took a day off because he had some business to attend to with me,” Lucien said. “It was planned for a week.”
Nathan smiled thankfully because he found it almost embarrassing to not be able to keep up with school because he’d gotten drunk. He hoped the introduction of Jenny and Ethan helped them do their job to help Alex Rhoden.
“Gotta go. We’ll be back later.” Lucien got up along with Ethan and Jenny.
Nathan leaned his head back and kissed Lucien goodbye. “Yeah, you guys have fun today.”
The three of them left together, and Nathan hoped Jenny would have a productive day. So far, Nathan’s plans were to catch up in class and go pay Professor Gershman a surprise visit at four.
During the day, Nathan had wondered how he was to approach the topic of how Alex and Gershman had met in Paris. He didn’t want to sound like he was nosey, and he certainly didn’t want to make it sound like he was accusing the professor of knowing something about or having anything to do with Alex getting injured.
He finally pushed the thoughts away. Gershman was a kind and levelheaded man. He wouldn’t think either.
Nathan summoned up the courage to knock on the door to Gershman’s office.
“Come in,” sounded the friendly voice, and Nathan’s worries subsided even more.
“Hi, Professor, can I have a moment of your time?”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Grewe, come in. Would you like a cup of tea?” The old man got up from behind his desk and pointed Nathan to a set of armchairs in his office. Nathan loved speaking with the professor over a cup of tea, and he felt hopeful about the pending conversation.
“Thank you.” Nathan sat and watched as Gershman put the kettle on. He sometimes wondered how the old man could keep up with walking around campus to the different lectures and climb the stairs to his office. His body was definitely getting old, even though his mind seemed as sharp as any young mind could claim to be.
“What brings you by? Are you nervous about the assignment I handed out?”
“No, not at all. You’ve presented a real mind boggle, and I love it.”
“Ah, I think you may be one in four of all my students, then.” The old man chuckled.
“I’m actually he
re because I worry about a fellow student. I’d even think him to be one of the four you mention.”
“Oh?” Gershman sat with a worried frown. “Who are you worried about?”
“Alex Rhoden. Looks like quite a beating he’s taken.”
“Yes.” Gershman sighed, nodding to himself.
“My best friend came by last week. She’d been in Paris for a month. When she came here, she recognized Alex and told me she’d seen him there. Boarding a train with you. He was fine then.” Nathan sighed and slumped in his chair. “I was just wondering how he’d gotten so hurt, whether you knew anything?”
Gershman looked sad. “Are you and Mr. Rhoden close?”
“Not at all. But I know how scared you can be after being attacked. I was attacked a few years ago. Someone I didn’t know came in and pulled a gun on me. I noticed Rhoden isn’t the most social type and just... I’ve been in study groups with him, and he’s hard working, and I really like the guy. Guess I just feel useless. But if he’s scared, I’d like to help, but I don’t want to go ask him what happened if he’s not ready to talk. I hoped you could shine some light on the situation, so I wouldn’t cause trouble by saying the wrong thing.”
Gershman smiled and got up to pour them the tea. He returned and handed Nathan a cup before he sat. “I spotted Mr. Rhoden at the train station in Paris and surprised him. We talked about where we were spending our vacation. When he learned that I was going to the Museum of Fine Art, where a friend of mine is a curator, he offered to accompany me, since he had no fixed plans. We spent many hours there before we parted ways. I don’t know where he went after that. I’m so sad to learn of the timeline, but I’m happy to learn that he has friends who worry about him here at school.”
Nathan nodded, wondering if he as a protégé of the Order was allowed to make contact with another under the pretense of merely being a fellow student. To just offer whatever comfort he could and maybe help Jenny and Ethan learn a bit more. He’d ask Severin before he asked the professor to maybe let Alex know that he had a friend in Nathan if needed be.
“Do you know if they caught the ones who did it?”
“The ones? You think there were more than one?” Gershman asked.
“Yeah, if those bruises were more than a week old, then they were the remains of more than one fist. Or the result of a serious fit of rage directed personally at Alex.”
“Yes... I’m sorry, I don’t have facts to put your mind at ease.”
They drank their tea in silence, and Nathan enjoyed the fact that the professor had a fire going. It almost felt like sitting with Severin.
“May I attempt to lighten the mood before you leave by asking your opinion on the assignment?”
Nathan grinned, happy the old man had thought of it. “Yes, I’ll indulge you and put your worry to rest. I know for a fact that more than four students love the assignment. You’ve pulled something very interesting from the long forgotten. We had a student meeting about it in the dining hall a few hours later, and so far, I haven’t heard anyone air the theory that it is... logosyllabic.” Nathan glanced at the old man, hoping to gauge if he was on the right track by the expression on his face.
Gershman gasped and stared at him in wild excitement, making Nathan laugh loudly. “Tell me more of your theory,” the professor urged and turned in his chair to face Nathan more fully.
“Well, that’s about all I have right now, but it looks... Cretan.”
“Ah, you are ahead of the game, then.”
They spoke loosely of the time period, and Nathan noticed that he did most of the talking, the wise old man only asking questions or giving tidbits of information for Nathan to delve into later. Nothing to do with the writing itself, but more about the culture it had developed in.
If it hadn’t been for another student knocking on the door to the office, Nathan would have lost all time and not made it home before the sun ducked beneath the horizon.
He made it inside and tossed his backpack on the bed. Seconds later, Lucien stepped from the shadows, smiling at him.
“Hello, hot stuff.” Nathan went to get a kiss.
“Hello. So, not a lot of news from Professor Gershman. I like him.”
“Yeah. He reminds me of Severin and makes me miss my mentor when lounging around like that in front of a fireplace.”
Lucien just held him, stroking his back.
“I have to write Severin a letter. Would you drop it off at some point?”
“Anything urgent?” Lucien pulled back to look at him, but Nathan shook his head.
“What did you do all day?”
“Watched you. Ethan and I have been listening in on conversations among the people we met at the party. Not a lot of exciting things happening.”
“Yeah, I bet Tavi just has ideas for more drinking games.”
“Haven’t run into him, because I stay pretty close to you, and you don’t share anything but Latin with him as far as I remember.”
Two knocks on the door, and Jenny and Ethan entered.
“We could be having sex right now. Right here, on the desk,” Nathan said, pointing.
“If you were, you’d have locked the door,” Jenny said, unfazed, then closed the door behind them. “I’m seriously beginning to think we’re chasing ducks at this school.”
“I’m guessing your day was uneventful, too?” Nathan asked and went to unpack his bag.
“Yeah. So now what?” Jenny plopped down on a chair while Ethan helped himself to a can of soda from the fridge.
Nathan placed the new assignment on the table. “I’m gonna do some homework.”
“Exhilarating.” Jenny got up. “We’re gonna go do spy shit.”
Ethan chuckled and shared a look with Lucien.
“How long are you staying?” Nathan asked.
Jenny rolled her eyes. “You have time for sexy stuff before we return.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Nathan said. “I meant, how long are you staying with us at the school before you need to go do spy shit elsewhere?”
“Ah. We’ll be leaving in about a week.”
“So, until then, you just keep eyes on Alex Rhoden?”
“That, too. We’re forbidden to snoop in his room and listen in on private conversations, though, and the guy is so antisocial that we barely see him at all. He hangs out with the old professor, and that’s it.”
“Gershman?” Nathan asked, surprised.
“Yeah, why?”
“I was just there. Asked about Rhoden. He’s learned of the timeline and said they’d been at a museum in Belgium, but that’s it. He knows nothing more or anything about who did it.”
“And you’re sure he’s telling the truth?” Ethan asked.
“Yes,” Lucien said. “The man was sincere.”
“Why aren’t you allowed to snoop in his room?” Nathan asked.
Ethan shrugged while Jenny gnawed on her bottom lip. She finally turned Nathan’s assignment papers and wrote in the secret alphabet on the back. Demon may be involved. For our safety.
“Holy shit, for real?” Nathan exclaimed.
Jenny grimaced. “For real.”
They were both learning stuff. Since Jenny’s initiation two months after his own, they had shared their reactions to the Angel showing up at the end of the ritual. Apparently, an Angel wasn’t within her range of cool either, and Nathan wondered whether it was more a trade of the intellectuals in the Order. But Demons? Nathan knew too little about them and wanted to ask Severin about it. He was pretty sure he’d get a big fat no to getting closer to Alex Rhoden if Jenny and Ethan weren’t allowed close to him either.
“Okay,” Nathan said, nodding to himself as he stared at the word.
“Anything I need to worry about?” Lucien asked.
“No, but keep Nathan away from Alex, and you stay away, too,” Jenny said.
“I will then,” Lucien said.
“Now do your homework.
I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Jenny hugged Nathan and left with Ethan.
“Are you worried?” Lucien asked.
Nathan turned to look at him. “Only about Alex Rhoden.”
Lucien smiled and went to hug Nathan. “Wanna stay in and eat? I’ll cook, and you can do your homework.”
“You spoil me.”
“Yeah, I know. You can spoil me by reading with me later.”
“Deal.”
Chapter Ten
Sweeping the floor of the garage, Meino thought it actually looked big without any cars taking up space. He’d had a busy week with both spots full at all times, and he looked forward to a weekend without a car waiting for Monday morning. That meant he could focus on the Charger and Burkhart.
A favorite song began on the radio, and Meino ran to crank up the volume. “I love this song!”
The music blared through the speakers, and Meino danced around with his broom, doing less sweeping and fancier moves in the stacks of dirt than was productive, but he had fun. Even over the loud tune, he could hear Burkhart laugh.
Once the song ended, Meino turned the music down again. “This place is almost as big as a ballroom when there’re no cars in here. If I blacked out the windows in the gates, you could dance with me down here in the weekend. What do you say?”
I have never danced, only seen it on TV. If I dance with you, then I fear I might step on your foot and break it.
“We’ll dance something funky then.” Meino wondered what kind of fun dancing could ensure he wouldn’t get stepped on by the huge and heavy Gargoyle. “Don’t know line dance, but that could work.” Meino finally saw his attempt at sweeping the floor having been for naught and started over, still grinning at the mental images of him and the big Gargoyle trying their best moves down there.
The neighbor’s daughter claims that anything can be learned by YouTube.
Meino laughed. “Well, I guess if you really want to learn something, then yeah, you could learn line dancing from YouTube. My idea was more to just dance to let off some steam.”
Don’t you go out?
Gargoyle Rising Page 8
