The Book of Eden

by Alex Temples

“You two found it, so I should be the one to do this.”

  Claire and I glanced at each other, and then to the stone.

  “Fine by me.” I said, trying to sound lighthearted. I wasn’t sure how convincing I was.

  Claire nodded. “Alright.”

  Her voice was tight. She looked warily at the standing stone.

  Who knew what would happen if someone touched it? We could only cross our fingers and hope for the best.

  Tristan nodded with satisfaction, stepped forward and pressed his palm to the stone.

  Chapter Eighteen

  A flash of light exploded from the stone as Tristan touched it. A wave of magic slammed into me and Claire, throwing us. We fell backward onto the rocky ground.

  Claire let out a yelp. I cursed.

  The magic ebbed and the two of us climbed to our feet.

  I began dusting off the front of my pants.

  “Was that supposed to happen?” I asked, turning to the taller woman with a raised eyebrow.

  She shrugged. “It’s not unusual to see that sort of strong reaction when a power like Tristan meets with a power such as that in the stone.”

  Did she just refer to Tristan as a power? Hmm. Interesting. I tucked that bit of information away to consider later.

  “What do we do now?” I asked

  She eyed me curiously. “You aren’t familiar at all with the magical world, are you?”

  I raised my chin. “No, not very. Is that a problem?”

  She raised a hand. “I meant no offense, I’ve just never met another like me. I didn’t know what to expect.” She said, looking off in the distance, her gaze contemplative.

  I relaxed, sensing what she wasn’t saying. She felt lost too. I wasn’t the only one adrift.

  I wondered what it was like being raised by someone with magic, knowing that world existed, but being cloistered away, never allowed to meet another like yourself. It sounded lonely.

  Perhaps hers was a more unfortunate situation than mine. I hadn’t found out about my magic until recently. While I’d never quite fit in as a child, I’d only had a few months to feel like a true freak, an outcast, who didn’t quite belong in the mortal world or the fae world. Claire had lived her entire life like that. We were, Claire and I, two pariahs, who finding each other now, saw the possibility of belonging.

  I stepped towards her and pulled her into a hug.

  She looked startled, stiffening as I put my arms around her. Then she took a deep breath and relaxed, hugging me back. When we pulled apart, we considered each other carefully.

  I was the first to break the silence. She deserved to know.

  “The others, the ones like us, we have people looking for them. I want you to come back to Washington with us. Once we’re there I’ll send people to gather the others. Together, we’ll all figure out how to move forward, maybe even how to rescue our mothers.” I said the words slowly, so there could be no mistaking my words.

  Her eyes burned bright, their intensity growing as she processed what I said.

  “Together? You’re bringing us all together?” She asked, eyes bright

  I nodded.

  She took in a deep breath and nodded slowly, looking back out towards the horizon where the sun was getting ready to slip beneath the ocean.

  We stood there together, staring off towards the sea, waiting.

  The sun performed its magical dance. Pink deepened to orange. The clouds glowed as if aflame. The sun was almost below the horizon, a finale of purple streaks running through the clouds, when there was another flash of light from the stone, and Tristan appeared, clutching a brown leather bundle.

  I gasped at the sight of him, dread filling me. Something had gone horribly wrong.

  Tristan’s eyes were wild, his face twisted in pain. He tried to move towards us, but after taking a couple steps, his eyes rolled up in his head. He plunged to the ground.

  It was only then I saw the bright red stain spreading rapidly across his back.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Oh my god.” I said, my voice coming out in a whisper. I ran to where Tristan had fallen, dropping to the ground beside him before turning to Claire.

  “Hurry, help me roll him over!”

  Claire stood frozen in shock for a moment, staring at Tristan like a dear in the headlights. Clearly, she wasn’t used to men bleeding around her.

  “Claire! Pull it together. Right now, I need you focused, and so does Tristan.”

  That seemed to work. She sucked in a ragged breath and nodded, hurrying to kneel beside me. Her face contorted as she studied his wound. She blinked, then held a hand over the wound. A shudder ran through her.

  “Oh no. Not Tristan!” She cried, choking on a sob.

  “What? What is it?” I asked frantically. Clearly, I was missing something.

  His back looked like it had been clawed by an animal. It was gruesome looking, yes, but he was breathing. I didn’t see the bright red spurt of arterial bleeding, which meant we had time.

  Claire shook her head back and forth, rocking as tears streamed down her face. She turned silently to me.

  “It’s a wasting curse, Brin. They’re almost impossible to reverse.”

  I glanced down at Tristan, willing myself to remain calm. Panicking always made a bad situation worse.

  “How fast does it work?

  Claire swallowed, considering this before answering.

  “It depends on how powerful the person who cast it is, and what their intent was.”

  “Okay…” I said, waiting for her to elaborate.

  Claire studied Tristan’s back for a moment.

  “I’m not sure this was intended to kill quickly. The fae who twisted this curse was undoubtedly very powerful. It must have been Columba. I suspect he set the curse upon the folio,” she said, gesturing to the small leather bundle, “so that it would be activated by anyone who stumbled across it.”

  I grimaced. This was my fault. I’d sent Tristan through the portal. It didn’t matter that he’d wanted to go. The guilt was heavy as it descended upon me.

  I’d done this to him and I would fix it. Dammit. To think our last intimate conversation had been after the awkward kiss at the hotel.

  I’d confused him. I shouldn’t have done it, but I had to know. It was a great kiss, but it had told me exactly what I needed to know. He wasn’t Aiden, and while I loved him dearly, there couldn’t be anything romantic between us. The kiss just didn’t have that magical spark.

  Unfortunately, I was a chicken shit and I hadn’t told him this right afterwards. We’d just stared at each other until he’d suggested we go down for dinner.

  He thought he’d hidden it, but I’d seen the flicker of hope in his eyes after we kissed. He thought there could be something between us. I hadn’t had the heart to crush that hope. So, since the kiss, something had hung between us, unspoken words, this new thing I’d created -embers that either needed to be stoked or put out.

  Now, thanks to me, we might never be able to have that conversation.

  I glared down at the leather bundle on the ground. Tristan had risked himself to get it. We had to take it with us.

  I turned to Claire.

  “You said the pages were likely cursed.” I said, gesturing to the leather bundle. “If I pick that up, is the same thing going to happen to me?”

  Claire shook her head.

  “No. If it is the kind of curse I think it is, there would only have been enough power to attack one person.”

  I pursed my lips. “If it is that type of curse? How sure are you that it is that type?”

  Claire glanced down at Tristan again, her gaze intent on him as she thought. She looked up.

  “I’m pretty sure.”

  I sighed. Here goes nothing. I reached for the leather bundle, hoping I wasn’t about to get myself cursed. My fingers touched smooth leather. It felt warm to the touch, nothing more. My palm was flat against the side of the leather folio now.

  Claire an
d I both let out the breath we’d been holding.

  “We need to get him to Washington. Nia is a healer, and there are others. I’m sure someone will be able to do something.” I said, my voice firm and steady.

  Claire nodded, glancing down briefly, and then back up at me. “Yes, we have to try.”

  I looked around at the desolate landscape around us. It was dark now.

  “Just how the hell are we going to get off this island?”

  Claire looked thoughtful then, glancing over at the portal and biting her lip.

  “Washington D.C., you say?”

  I nodded.

  “Alright, that should do then.” She said, nodding in the direction of the portal.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can shift. She said. “I’ve never taken anyone with me before, but I think I could manage.” She muttered as an afterthought.

  “Shift? That’s like teleporting, right?”

  I was familiar with this concept thanks to Aiden.

  She frowned slightly. “I suppose you could say that. I’m not sure how the premise of teleporting is defined. Shifting isn’t like popping in and out of existence as they do in Sci-Fi movies. You’re simply allowing your energy to be transported to another area. Some can do this from anywhere. Others must be near portals or ley lines, to tap into that extra magic.”

  I considered this and then nodded.

  “And you want to use the portal to help get the three of us to Washington?”

  Claire nodded. “There is a portal in Alexandria, Virginia. There are also ley lines running through that area, but I think the portal is best.”

  “Great. That’s great. I live in Alexandria. Let’s do it.” I said, glancing down at Tristan, who looked pretty much the same. Feeling his neck for a pulse, I breathed a sigh of relief as I found one -strong and steady. That was good.

  “Let’s see if we can pick him up and throw his arms over our shoulders.” Claire said, moving into position.

  I nodded and moved to his other arm. Working together, the two of us put Tristan’s arms over our shoulders. Then, grabbing the back of his pants, we struggled to our feet with him between us. It wasn’t an easy task, but once we were up, I found Claire was just as strong as I was. Between the two of us we managed to get him to the portal with minimal effort.

  “What now?” I asked, staring skeptically at the solid rock in front of us.

  “Not much to it. Most all of it happens in my mind. You just need to make sure to hold on, so we all stay together.”

  I nodded. We each took a handful of Tristan’s shirt in our free hands, and then on Claire’s signal, we stepped into the portal.

  Chapter Twenty

  Going through a portal was a disorienting experience. It was like freefalling in slow motion, only there was a terrible roaring noise in your ears the entire time. I closed my eyes and held tightly to Tristan until we stopped falling. It took me a moment to realize the roaring was over and we were standing on solid ground again. I opened my eyes and gasped.

  We were in my garden. What the hell?

  I turned to Claire with an incredulous look.

  “Have you been through this portal before?”

  She glanced around. “Yes, I remember this garden. Though, last time I was here it was a bit wilder looking.”

  I frowned, looking around the garden. I’d been working on it for a short time each morning when I had the chance. I’d cleared out a lot of the weeds and had started taming the unruly vines. Yep. We were in my garden. I shook my head in amazement and bit the inside of my cheek, shifting Tristan’s arm to a more comfortable position over my shoulder.

  We didn’t have time to discuss it now, but I swore I would find answers to why there was a frickin fae portal in my backyard as soon as I had the chance.

  “We need to get him somewhere safe.” Claire said, gesturing towards the gate leading to the alley.

  I nodded. “Well, Claire. I’m happy to report that he’s already somewhere safe. This is my backyard.”

  It was her turn to be surprised. Claire’s eyebrows shot up. “It is?” She asked, looking around in surprise. “But, how?”

  I nodded. “Yep. That was my first question too, but we’ll have time to investigate that later. Come on, let’s get him in the house and call the cavalry.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The security in my apartment had been upgraded while I was out. Wards wrapped the entire house, forming an invisible bubble. There were also extra protections on the front and back doors, in the form of rune locks that required a coded password.

  Before we’d left, Oren had been introduced to Nia and Siddarth, who were going to catch him up on the magic happenings of the world while we were gone.

  I’d asked Tomas to send any information he had on the location of the keeper’s descendants to Oren. Apparently, Oren had taken his role very seriously. He’d not only used the information Tomas provided to create a file on each of the keepers, he’d had Nia glean whatever intelligence her seekers were able to get and included that as well.

  I wondered how much work I would have saved myself if I’ve clued Oren in to the world of fae sooner. I shuddered to think.

  After much activity, we finally had Tristan resting in my bedroom. The leather folio of papers he’d risked his life for were tucked safely in the top drawer of my dresser, nestled among a collection of mismatched socks.

  Siddarth, Nia, and I had stripped him down. Then, with Claire’s help, we’d applied a poultice to the ugly gaping wound in his back. It was large, about the diameter of a baseball, but shallow.

  Nia and Siddarth had performed a healing spell. It was very like a spell I’d seen Aelwen use on Aiden’s injuries in the past. Nia explained that because this was a magical injury, and not just a mortal one, he wouldn’t heal as quickly, and perhaps not at all.

  I didn’t want to think of that possibility. Though Tristan had remained unconscious since he’d collapsed at the portal, Siddarth had insisted on putting him into a deeper magic-induced sleep to try and speed up the healing process.

  Having done all we could, the three of us were sitting at my kitchen table when Oren retuned, toting a large brown bag, a tray of coffees, and a box of donuts. Knowing he wasn’t much use from a medical standpoint, he’d insisted on going out for sustenance.

  Oren set his parcels on the counter and unfolded the top of the brown bag. The smell of garlic and roasted meat filled the air.

  My stomach rumbled.

  “Is that Wild Chicken?” I asked, trying not to sound too desperate. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. Had it been in Edinburgh?

  Oren laughed and kept unpacking Styrofoam boxes from the bag, setting them on the counter.

  “It might be.”

  “Good. Did you get enough for everyone? We’ll have at least one other person joining us.” I’d invited Neil to join us.

  “I invited one other person as well. One of the council.” Nia said.

  Oren glanced between us as he pulled out the last box. “Don’t worry. I picked up 6 chickens, a dozen donuts, and 6 orders of yucca fries. I’m afraid I only got 4 coffees, because that was all I could carry, but we have some instant in the cabinet if anyone gets desperate.”

  I could have sworn he’d glanced at me during that last part.

  My kitchen was small, but I had a big, round table that fit all four of us with room to spare. It was time for a serious discussion. With the dark fae having found the first object of power, our timeline had moved up. It was critical we bring as many of the Keeper’s descendants as possible to Washington, where they’d be close at hand to help us uncover the locations of the other objects of power, and prepare for the solstice ceremony.

  We had to do all of this without the dark fae catching on. The longer we could keep them in the dark about our plans, the better.

  I rubbed my head, suddenly tired.

  “Are you okay, Brin?”

  I jumped as Siddarth touc
hed my hand.

  Embarrassed, I glanced up sheepishly. “I’m fine, just a little tired.” I replied. For emphasis, I hopped up and snagged a coffee from the counter.

  “Does anyone want one?” I asked over my shoulder, as I poured a liberal amount of half and half into mine.

  “Yes, please.” Claire called from the sofa. She’d been so quiet since we’d arrived, I’d almost forgotten she was there.

  I glanced over at her. She sat on the couch, legs tucked up and covered with her red windbreaker. Her voice was chipper, but I could see the weariness creeping into her eyes. It had been a long day for everyone, but I was sure the jet lag was hitting her particularly hard.

  “Cream and sugar?” I asked.

  “Black.” She replied.

  I picked up the cup and walked it over to her.

  “What about you, Siddarth? Nia? Do either of you want coffee? It’s going to be a long night.”

  Nia shook her head. Siddarth’s gaze lingered on my face for a moment too long, and I knew he was worried about me. Finally, he shook his head no and turned back to the quiet conversation he’d been having with Nia.

  I noticed many of the fae avoided consuming alcohol or caffeine. Tristan had told me some fae had trouble processing stimulants and other drugs because they were so concentrated.

  It must not have affected them all equally, as Aiden could match me shot for shot with a bottle of whisky.

  I shrugged, popping the lid off one of the coffees and shoveling in a couple table spoons of sugar before topping it off with half and half. Oren only liked a little coffee with his cream and sugar. I handed him his cup, and had just taken a seat on the couch next to Claire when there was a knock on the door.

  “That must be Neil.” I said, leaping to my feet and heading towards the stairs.

  I hadn’t considered what it might be like living in a place with three levels. I was grateful my living quarters were only on the second level, but there were still quite a few stairs to trudge up and down when you needed to answer the door.

  Nia called something out behind me, but I was halfway down the stairs and couldn’t make out what it she’d said.