I nodded. “Last night. In my room.”
“Did you tell Professor Pops?” He looked completely freaked out.
“No. I forgot.”
“How could you forget? Sheesh, Snow. He needs to know that stuff.” He crossed his arms.
“A lot’s happened lately.” I had no excuse except I really had forgotten about it.
He exhaled. “They are despicable creatures called changelings.” He clucked his tongue. “I’ve encountered one before. Evil and vile, but easy to kill.” He walked past the pixies. “They can morph into anything, hence the name, or they can be invisible. All are loyal to the vampire queen, but only a select few can see the creatures when they are in their true form.” He stopped in front of a small case. It was only about eight inches square. Inside was what looked like a moth, only it had two yellow eyes, like a cat. Salvatore pulled out the book and took it to the pedestal used for reading. “Appendix D.”
The old pages flipped to the back of the book. When it stopped, I gazed at the pictures. On the left page sat the changeling in its true form, and on the facing page were pictures of a wasp, an elephant, a beautiful woman, and a small puppy. The one telltale feature was the eyes—in all its forms it retained the yellow eyes of a cat.
“What did it say to you?” Salvatore asked.
“Hmm.” I paused, scared. “He seemed to be talking to someone else and stated that I had magic.” I shrugged, peering into Salvatore’s keen eyes. They were dark chocolate in color.
“We’d better tell Pops for sure. Come on.” He put the book back in its drawer and grabbed my hand, pulling me up the stairs.
My stomach tightened in knots. Kenmei would be here soon, if he wasn’t already, and I had a feeling our conversation would be about more than my fighting stance. I touched the necklace beneath my shirt. Its warmth enfolded me. Where are you, Christopher? I thought, wishing he was here.
Chapter 37
When Kenmei arrived, he took one look at me, and directed me into Professor Pops’ office. “You’ve changed, Shiryo-san,” he said as soon as the door closed behind him.
I gulped down my fear. “Have I?”
“No sense playing coy, revenant.” His voice sounded harsh; his eyes hard with anger. “If you intend to survive another month, you’ve got to trust Adam Henry, the brothers, and me. We are on your side.” He sat in the chair next to mine and took my trembling hands. His eyes softened. “I can help, Shiryo-san. Talk to me.”
I nodded, pushing back threatening tears. Heat spread from his hands into my skin. With my new abilities I listened for his heartbeat. He didn’t have one, though I sensed his innate goodness.
“Start at the beginning,” he ordered quietly.
I did. I told him everything. The more I talked, the more relieved I became. I hadn’t realized how much of a burden I carried, keeping all that happened—and there was a lot—a secret. As I spoke, Kenmei nodded occasionally but kept quiet. He didn’t ask questions—he didn’t seem to need to—and he didn’t interject. He listened.
When I finished, I pulled the pendant from beneath my shirt. “This is what Christopher left me,” I said. “He told me not to take it off, as did Pava, the pixilette I saw in the library today, before she died.”
He released my hand and took the gem between his fingers. It flared red, the essence permeating his fingers so they glowed. From the light of the pendant I watched his eyes fill with admiration. So close, I could smell the spicy scent of my bloodlust tea on him, and guessed he still carried it on his person, somewhere within his royal blue robe. After several moments, he released the jewel and sat back. “I’ll bet you feel as though you’ve lived a lifetime these past days,” he said quietly.
I nodded, overcome with emotion. “I do.”
“Let’s see how you feel after you’ve lived a century or two.” A sad smile, almost more of an echo of a smile, formed on his lips. “After seven thousand years, I’m tired, Shiryo-san.” His voice was filled with melancholy, his eyes glassed over like he was far away in another time.
I swallowed, unsure how to respond.
After a time, he cleared his throat. “Now then, thank you for your honesty.”
“You’re welcome.” My fingers fidgeted in my lap.
“Christopher is right. No harm will come to you while you wear the pendant. It gives the possessor strong magic. Perhaps there is more to your hunter then I first believed. He seems to care for you; otherwise he wouldn’t have parted with such great magic.”
“Oh?” I asked, sitting up. For some reason his words made me feel better. I was glad Christopher cared for me.
“There is only one of these in all the world, Shiryo-san. May I tell you a story?”
“Of course,” I replied, knowing he would even if I didn’t want to hear it, but I totally did.
“When the world began, vampires ruled.” I nodded. That piece of information I already knew. “Ah, so you’ve seen the pictures then, heard the story?”
His words hadn’t sounded accusatory. “Yes. Professor Pops told me they lived before humans. I’ve seen the pictures. He told me how the vampire queen was the fairest, and about the war.”
“Excellent. Did he mention who the first vampire was?”
I racked my brain. “No, I don’t think so.”
“The first vampire was a female by the name of Silindra. She and Sharra—the now vampire queen—were close friends, but they were also so much more. Sharra and Silindra were sisters. Twins.”
I gasped, recognizing the name as that of the realm Christopher took me to.
Kenmei nodded. “Yes, that is why her realm is called Sharra. Now she is known only as the vampire queen, though she allows a select few to call her by her real name.” He waved his hand, dismissing that fact. “Before Sharra’s rise, Silindra ruled Earth. She did so with kindness and equality. Her nature was such that everyone loved her, revered her, and even worshipped her above all other creatures.”
“Silindra.” I’d said her name without meaning to. When I did, the gem began to glow.
“She was the most powerful being in the world and that made Sharra jealous. In time, a male vampire named Gabriel, doing the bidding of Sharra, captured Silindra and took her deep within the earth where he tortured her for many days.” A darkness crossed Kenmei’s face, rippling with pain. “He was cruel beyond measure.”
I almost reached out to comfort him but resisted, caressing the gem within my fingers instead.
“On the tenth day of her imprisonment—when Silindra hovered between life and death, Gabriel raised a dagger above his head, preparing to slay her. But before he could, Silindra raised her hand and said…” Kenmei’s voice trailed off as though he’d been whisked away in the story and couldn’t bear it any longer.
“What did she say?” I asked, my voice hoarse with emotion.
“She said one word,” he finally continued.
“Which was?”
“Wait.” His voice broke and I leaned closer, thinking I’d misunderstood.
“Wait?” That word didn’t need a dramatic pause.
His dark eyes captured mine and held me. “You see, Shiryo-san, even near death, the love she harbored for all other creatures was foremost on her mind.”
At his words my throat constricted with sadness. Such love, I couldn’t understand it.
“Gabriel paused, asking what she wanted. Silindra begged Gabriel to place one of her tears in the golden gem around her neck, and then, after she was dead, requested he give the gem to a pixilette called Ryden.
“At her words, Gabriel’s heart softened, and he agreed. What he didn’t realize was that the gem around her neck already contained five magical properties—the courageous soul of a dragon, the eternal sight of an elf, the healing horn of a unicorn, the strength of a troll, and the giving heart of a fairy. Gabriel added her tear, stowed it in one of his pockets, and then killed Silindra immediately. He left Silindra’s body in the earth, found the pixilette Ryden and gave her the n
ecklace, thus fulfilling his end of the bargain.
“Within moments of the gem being in Ryden’s possession, she used its magic to take the final component needed to seal the magic within the gem—the blood of a hunter—Gabriel’s blood. With all seven magical components contained within, the gem changed from golden to red.”
I considered the pendant around my neck. Without a doubt I knew it was the same one Silindra had worn.
“It’s called the Seal of Gabriel, because without his blood the magic would’ve been lost.”
Kenmei’s words brought home the weight of the power I carried. “Why would she create this?”
“Ah, Shiryo-san. A very good question. She created that necklace for you.”
I looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Impossible.”
“With everything that’s happened to you over the last several days, how can you say that?” He took my hand and squeezed. “The magic contained within the pendant is powerful, and anyone who understands magic can use it, increasing their power at least ten-fold, but you… Shiryo-san, you can restore balance, bring peace back to Earth by destroying the vampire queen.” He studied me with awe. I didn’t like it.
I snorted. Very unladylike, I know. Super disrespectful too, but I wasn’t buying it. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” I rolled my eyes.
He jumped from his seat, fury flashing in his eyes. Like the strike of a cobra he grabbed me by the collar and lifted me in the air so that my feet dangled. “No, Shiryo-san! Never in seven thousand years has the gem worked for others the way it works for you now.” As if to prove his point a red ball of light shot from the pendant and into Kenmei. He dropped me and went flying backward into the bookcase. Books tumbled onto his head and he groaned. “Don’t you see?”
Fear, hot and thick, filled my throat. “No, I don’t.” I ran to the door. “You’re crazy. Leave me alone.” I threw open the door, startling the seven brothers and Professor Pops who hovered in the hallway. Startled, I yelped before regaining my wrath. Methodically I found each set of eyes. “I don’t want to see any of you ever again. Stay the hell away from me, all of you!” I stormed from the house, my body moving like the wind.
At home I ran up to my room and threw myself on my bed. Gatsby appeared in the window and jumped up, nudging me with his furry forehead. Rolling over, I picked him up and hugged him. He hissed and let out a pained yowl. In the same instant I smelled burning flesh. I released him and noticed the scorched fur surrounding a red welt on his side. “I’m so sorry.” Furious tears poured from my eyes and leaked into my ears. “I don’t want any of this. I didn’t ask for any of this.”
In the dark recesses of my mind, I knew I was freaking out. Truly, it was about time. I’d been handling everything so well. But this was all too much. Sitting, I reached around and pulled the necklace off, then chucked it at my dresser. I’d been aiming for the picture of Gabe—his stunning smile seemed to leer at me—but I missed, and it smacked against a perfume bottle before skidding off behind my dresser.
“Good riddance.” I flipped onto my stomach and fell asleep, hoping when I woke, this last week would’ve all been a bad dream.
Chapter 38
When my alarm went off the next morning I noticed my mother’s blanket covered me. I knew I hadn’t set the alarm, which meant either Dad or Vivianne had. They’d come back at least. After dressing, I went downstairs and noticed two significant items sitting on the counter. One was a cell phone. The other was a laptop. On top sat a note. Freakin’ notes! It was from my dad and said the phone was already programmed and they’d downloaded some necessary programs to the laptop. Then he said they’d gone out to breakfast and he hoped to see me after school.
I snorted before grabbing Gatsby’s food and water. I hadn’t seen him yet this morning and wondered if he was still mad. A pang of loneliness washed through me. The brothers wouldn’t be coming over today. I knew they’d abide by my wishes. Christopher was gone. My dad had Viv, and I had… Cindy! If she would forgive me. Time to patch things up. Unlocking my new phone, I dialed her number.
“Who the hell is this?” she answered.
I laughed, enjoying the sound of her voice. “Guess who got a cell phone? Come on, guess.”
“Snow? Is that you?” I could hear her happy relief.
I sighed happily. “Yes, it’s me. Dad and Viv got me a laptop too, so no more track practice. Woohoo!”
“They must feel really guilty about something. What’d they do?”
I grabbed a water from the fridge and opened it. As I drank, an overwhelming need for blood scorched my throat. No. No. No. I grabbed a soy yogurt, pulled off the top, and put a spoonful in my mouth. The yogurt tasted ashy, but I ignored it. Act human. That’s what Pops said. Another pang of guilt hit me and I ignored that too.
“Snow, you still there?”
“Yep. So you still want to get together after school?”
“Hells to the yeah. We can hang at my place if you want.”
The note my dad and stepmother left said they wanted to see me tonight. “How about we hang out at my house?”
“Okay. Are you genki?”
I giggled. “What is gen-ki?”
She laughed. “Basically the word means happy.”
“Oh, well sure. It’s been a while since my dad’s been home. I’m glad he’s back.” I didn’t tell her that I’d seen him all of half an hour the night before. And I definitely wasn’t happy, though I was happy to hear her voice. I just needed to roll with the punches of life and that’s what I was going to do.
“Cool. So I’ll see you at school in a few.”
“Yep.”
After we hung up, she texted me. U hav a cell. U so awesum!
Blood and Snow: Snow White Reimagined with Vampires and Magic (Seven Magics Academy Book 1) Page 16
