The Anaerris Code: Part 1 The Gemma (A Gemma Sinclaris Series)

by LK Kelley

  Unconscious of the turmoil developing around her, Gem put on her white cotton gloves, before lovingly sliding her hands over the surface of the book. There was – something – about this book! She didn’t know what it was. She just felt drawn to it somehow. Pulling her hands away from it, she turned them over expecting them to have black on them. However, turning them over and over revealed nothing at all. No smudge, no black, not even a tiny grain of gray appeared on them! Strange. Very strange, and no matter how much she wanted, it was a thought that continued over and over in her mind.

  “My gloves are totally clean! How could this be?” she said to herself in a silent whisper, repeating many of the same things over and over. “It’s so beautiful! It doesn’t reflect light; it doesn’t absorb light. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

  Gem didn’t tell Taylor immediately, and in a way, she almost felt a bit scared. Gem just knew that Taylor would think she was mad as a hatter, or nuttier than a fruitcake. But, she couldn't help it. The book called to her – as if it were hers! She felt something coming from it. A power? She had no words with which to describe the feeling the book was giving to her! Words failed her – miserably! Geez! This book and feeling, combined with her uprooted emotions about the Professor, as well as all those really scary dreams she’d been having all her life, were enough to give her the heebie-jeebies! But, still, she couldn’t resist as her gloved hands picked up the ancient book up from its resting spot on the table. She turned it sideways noting it had a lock on it. The lock was most unusual in that it mimicked a very familiar embossed symbol that was on the cover. Gem looked at it, and surprise covered her face as she recognized it! It was the same symbol that was on her….

  “Uh, maybe you’d better put it back, Gem! It’s the strangest book I’ve ever seen,” Taylor interrupted her thoughts. “At least until we can get an ancient manuscript expert to look at it.”

  Taylor didn’t touch it, and shook her head when Gem offered it to her to put back.

  “Come on, Taylor! It's just a damn book! Don’t you want to see it?

  Again, Taylor was silent, and shook her head, again. Gem huffed at her.

  “No!” Taylor whispered.

  Gem’s eyebrows drew together.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Gem whispered to her, then giggled as she repeated, “It’s nothing but a damn book! It won’t bite, you know!”

  Taylor didn’t move from her spot; she was frozen. Gem looked down at the book in her hand, then back up at Taylor’s terrified face as understanding dawned.

  “You know, don’t you? You know what the book is!” Gem’s voice was low., and almost threatening. Gem watched Taylor’s eyes dart to her in terror, while her head shook from side-to-side in denial.

  “Of c-course n-not!” Taylor answered shakily.

  “Yes! You! Do!” Gem accused her.

  “Shhhhh! This is a library, for heaven's sake!” whined a patron, who sat at a table that was across the room.

  Gem grabbed Taylor’s arm, and towed her to the CCR shutting the door with the book in hand. It wasn’t just climate controlled, but it was also sound proof. She dropped Taylor’s arm, and turned to her in anger.

  “Taylor! I’ve never seen you so terrified before. What the hell is this thing?” she demanded, holding out the book.

  Taylor’s terrified eyes looked at Gem. There was only one who could touch the Codex. And, that one was standing right in front of her! She shook her head as the realization hit her. The legend was no longer a legend! It was real!

  “Did we get a note about the book, Taylor?”

  “Huh?” she asked.

  Taylor's eyes widened in surprise. She shook her head as she realized she had zoned out once again.

  “Taylor! What the fuck is wrong with you? I said...did we get a note about the book?” Gem asked once more.

  “Right, uh...well, now that you mention it, I don’t think we did.”

  “Well, I found it hidden in a spot underneath the bottom shelf in the back of the lowest shelf, covered by other books – as if trying to hide it. Either Ms. Sinclair didn’t know about it, or she did, and didn’t provide one on purpose.”

  “Well, that makes sense, I guess,” Taylor muttered to herself, while doing her best trying to come to the realization that her best friend in the world, standing before her had to be “The Jewel of Anaerris”, the Protector of the book! THE BOOK! She couldn’t believe it! All Anaerris could sense each other, so why did she not sense Gem?

  When the library first came to them, it had also come along with notes about each book. A single letter accompanied all of the books stating that the anonymous donor was sending the library collection to her only living relative, but it had made no mention who the relative might be! As such, when the building was rented to house the library, Taylor and Gem had been the obvious choices to be the librarians due to their backgrounds. Their boss was adamant that the old woman had been an eccentric, and didn’t know what she was writing. But, now, it was obvious to Taylor that the relative the old woman had spoken about in the letter had to be Gemma! Taylor also remembered something odd about the day the books were placed into the building. The books in the CCR had been placed inside by someone sent by the donor, until she and Gem had been trained how to handle ancient books.

  More unbelievable, it was very clear that Gem, obviously, had no idea who she was. Gem had been left on the doorstep of the Elwood’s home. And, it also meant that she had to be protected at all costs – and without her knowledge – at least for the moment. Oh, Creator! Taylor thought. Her friend was in danger!. As long as she didn’t know who she was, she might be alright for the time being, but it was only temporary at best. Taylor watched the Anaerris Code allow Gem to caress it gently. Her eyes were fixated on it.

  Taylor’s musings were interrupted by Jaxx trying to come through the door. Hell! It was bad enough trying to explain that the book was real to Rick, who had been scared all along that it would be found. Taylor had even laughed at his concern! However, what was she going to tell Jaxx? She was his mate! How would he react to this astounding revelation? She walked toward the door, effectively stopping Jaxx from entering.

  “No!” Taylor whispered to him, dragging him away.

  “What the fuck, Taylor?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

  In the meantime, Gem hadn't noticed Taylor leaving.

  “I’m going to open it,” Gem said softly to herself. “I have to open it!”

  Suddenly, Gem had to feel the cover with her bare hands. Against her training and better judgment, she removed her gloves, and touched it. Surprise followed her sharp gasp as she watched the book change the instant she touched it! The symbol she had seen before, glowed bright crimson on the front of the book shocking her to her core! She frowned. Why is it reacting to her, now, when it had not before when her bare hands touched it? She shook her head as her curiosity took over. The lock bore the same symbol as the amulet in her blue velvet box! She was sure of it! Suddenly, Gem heard a click, and the lock split, and spread open from the center. However, the symbol had more on it on the front cover. Gem’s shaking hands hesitated, before she opened the cover to reveal very thin sheets of shining metal that looked like silver.

  “Shit!” Gem exclaimed, quietly as if she were in church. “What is this?”

  Jaxx felt Taylor pull him away from the door with her finger on her mouth. He frowned at her, and tried to speak only to be silenced by Taylor.

  “Wha…?”

  “Shhhh!” Taylor told him, glancing over to make sure that no one could see them.

  “What the hell, Taylor?” he whispered.

  “It’s not possible, but it is! It's her! It's not possible, but it's the Jewel!” she told him with her eyes fixed in a state of awe. She grabbed the lapels of his trench coat, and shook him. “She's the Jewel! The Jewel!”

  Jaxx yanked her hands off of his coat, and smoothed the lapels back down, while Taylor just stood there in shock her arms at her si
des.

  “Have you taken leave of your senses?” he asked her quietly. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Gem! It's Gem!” she gasped.

  “What? What about Gem?” Suddenly, Jaxx felt a sickness invading his stomach. “Taylor! Is she OK? Is she hurt?”

  Nothing came from her. He grabbed her shoulders, and this time, shook her.

  “Focus, Taylor! What about Gem? Is. She. OK?”

  Taylor shook her head.

  “It’s her! She’s the one!”

  “The one what?”

  “Jaxx!!” Tears were flowing down her cheeks, as she tried to make her words coheren so Jaxx would realize what she was telling him. “The Jewel! I can’t believe it! The Jewel! She is the Jewel!”

  “Will you stop it, Taylor! What the hell are you babbling about?” Jaxx demanded, this time shaking her so hard, her head bounced forward.

  She gulped, gasped, and sputtered, but still managed to keep her voice down to a whisper.

  “G-Gem! She’s the Jewel! The Jewel of Anaerris!” Taylor stammered. She grabbed his shoulders to shake him. “Did. You. Hear. Me? Don't. You. Get. It?” she kept enunciating, shaking him as she emphasized each word. “Jaxx! Gem is part Anaerris! She is the Jewel!”

  Jaxx didn’t believe his ears, and dropped his hands from her arms in surprise. Was Taylor saying what he though she was saying? No. No way! She’d lost it.

  “Taylor! Get a grip! You have lost your mind! For her to be The Jewel, she would have had to have found the Anaerris Codex. I’ve been looking for it for thousands of years! Seriously? How could she have found it?”

  Her tearful eyes lifted to meet his. He waited for her to grin, and to tell him she was just joking. But, she didn’t. Her head nodded slightly.

  “The Book?” he whispered.

  Again, Taylor nodded.

  “The Book?” he whispered, dropping his hands form Taylor's arms. “She found it? Gem? My Gem?” he stopped, then continued as he uttered the two words he’d been avoiding. “Taylor? Gem? My mate is the Jewel of Anaerris?”

  “Yes,” Taylor answered with a sudden, quiet calm.

  In a move so fast, no human could see him, he rounded the corner, and came to a sudden halt staring through the door at his mate. The woman who had bound him to her forever was reaching for the book.

  “If we're wrong, Taylor, she'll die! I can't let her touch it!” Jaxx made a move toward the door, and Taylor stopped him, earning a growl from him.

  “No, Jaxx! Look!” she pointed.

  Both he and Taylor watched as Gem’s bare hands caressed the cover of the book. Jaxx opened his mouth to cry out to his mate to not touch it, but for whatever reason, no sound would come! He looked at Taylor who was also trying to make a sound, but also could not do it. Certain Gem would be cooked to a crisp, Jaxx began to move forward to stop her, before she touched it. But he was was too late. He came to a stop, and waited in horror for her death to come. Instead, they saw a lock appear on the cover, and quickly, Gem opened it. Both Jaxx and Taylor gasped in shock as they saw very thin silver pages appear. Jaxx had to face reality, because he was just hit with the truth! His mate wasn’t just anyone. She was “the one” – the Jewel of Anaerris. Gemma Elwood was the legend – the Protector of the Anaerris Code.

  ~ 6 ~

  “Geez! I thought that Death would Hurt More!” ~ Gem

  Unaware that she was being watched, Gem stared at the silvery metal pages before her.

  “So beautiful,” she whispered reverently, still caressing it.

  It was so beautiful, and the book called to her to touch it. Her hands reached out, and she stared at the silvery metal pages before her. Her hands automatically began to turn the pages carefully. Strange writing was engraved on each page, both back and front. Her fingers brushed lightly over them. As she looked, suddenly the same nightmare dream she had over the span of her entire life became a...

  Waking Day Dream

  Gem found herself looking down from that same bluff into the blackened valley below her. As she watched that same river of red flowing toward the large, red and black moon in the sky, she wondered if she could probably reach out to touch it. They seemed so much closer and much bigger than in any of her other dreams. Strange thought when there was a great battle raging below her. She felt something pierce her back, and looking down, saw a blackened spear that sliced through her chest. Her first thought was “What the hell?”, and her second thought was she imagined being stabbed should be much more painful. But, it didn’t hurt even as she sank to her knees as her life blood poured from her body onto the blackened ground. Like the river of red below, her blood sped toward the precipice, which disappeared as it spilled over the bluff. Hearing a noise behind her, she turned her head to see what it was. Two large men stood behind her…one with red eyes that glittered with the lust of a kill, and a hand on the spear as he shoved it deeper into her body. The other man also had red eyes of hatred as he slit the throat of the one who killed her, then took his head off in one, swift blow with his sword.

  She knew she was dying. Nothing could bring her back. He was her love. The love of her life, and they had both risked all, yet, Gem didn’t know what that meant. No. It wasn’t her love. It was someone else’s love. As she fell to the ground, he moved with a speed that could not be seen by her standards. He caught her before her head hit the ground, and cradled her in his arms staring with love from his red eyes. His hair was blonde, his skin darkened by the sun, and his body strong and unending.

  “Please?” he silently begged her.

  She stared up at him, then felt her head nod slightly. She would be unable to live in this form. She had to change to protect the great secret that only they knew. Praying that this change would not hurt that secret, Gem jerked as she saw his fangs descend, and his head bend toward her neck, sinking them deeply into it. A stinging fire of unimaginable pain streaked through her body. She felt like a fish out of water flopping around. The last thing she saw was his reddened eyes full of terror as his fangs dripped with her blood. Were they too late?

  End of Day Dream

  Closing her eyes, Gem felt a jerk back into her own reality, and upon opening them, she realized she was not standing on a blackened world of death, but she was in the library.

  “Oh, crap!” Gem said aloud. Silently, “Why the hell did this time feel much more real?” she said to herself.

  She blinked her eyes several times. She’d had the dream so many times, but this was the first time she had it while she was awake! But, why? She looked at the book, which closed with a thump without anyone touching it, and locked itself. Gem stepped backward, and almost hit Jaxx, as she fell to the floor. He caught her just before her head hit, and Gem found her green eyes staring into his brown ones – just as the woman did into her love’s red ones in the vision. The only difference was that she wasn’t dying, and she wasn’t on a blackened world. She was in the library, again, and in the arms of the man that she loved. They stared at each other for what seemed like ages, and she was drawn into his eyes. Into their depths. They were ageless – ancient. She saw…she saw a blackened and scorched ground with two moons shining down upon a world that no longer reflected nor absorbed the light from them just like the book! He held her hand as she saw through his own eyes great pain, hatred, loss, self-loathing, revenge. He stood with a sword in hand. She watched him swing the sword as he took lives of those who had taken innocent lives in such brutal combat – her people. The Anaerris.

  “WTF?” Gem whispered.

  As Jaxx’s eyes bore into hers, he drew back in shock as he felt her mind delve into his. Stunned, he blocked her while trying to figure out how she could enter his mind at all – something that she should never have been able to do! Moments later, he saw her eyes go from her beautiful green to blood red in seconds! Gem felt rage within her own mind and body. Drawn back into her own reality, she stared at Jaxx, turning to look at Taylor who registered the same shocked look. Gem was confused. Why were
they staring at her as if she were an enemy? She loved both of them very much, so why did they show fear and shock? Was something wrong?

  Gem glanced around, but saw no one else near her. Her eyes turned back to Taylor who was still registering shock.

  “What?” she asked glancing back and forth between them.

  “Your eyes, Gem!” Taylor gasped in a tiny voice, stepping back.

  “Huh?” Her eyes? Gem was completely confused, now. She looked at Jaxx, half expecting him to withdraw from her in disgust as Taylor had done, but he didn’t. If anything, his eyes softened into love. He loved her! But, how was that possible? OK. So, they’d almost lost control last night, and would have if that damn car had not passed them, but still…?

  Jaxx glanced at Taylor quickly, then helped Gem to her feet.

  “Taylor, we have to get her out of here, now. She cannot be seen like this!” Then, he turned back to Gem to softly say, “Let us show you.”

  “I-I don’t understand. I don’t want to leave! I need the money, and I’m not leaving the library, Professor!” Gem gritted her teeth at him. Who the hell did he think he was? No matter what happened last night, by damn, he did not “own” her, and could not tell her what to do!