by J. R. King
“Then break it,” Kaleb said.
“You changed your tone quick. And yet you still haven’t done a thing to help. Besides, we’re not trying to leave evidence behind.”
Kaleb sighed, inclining his head with a curious squint. There, underneath the edge of the bed skirt, protruded the corner of a briefcase. “Haven’t done a thing?” he said, standing and moving into the bedroom. He slipped the case out from under the mattress, lifting it casually into the air. “So what do you suppose is in this?”
They cracked it open on the bedspread, staring at the miscellaneous stack of papers housed inside. Rome started snapping pictures of as many of the documents as possible, frustrated by how many lines were completely blacked out. The further he got through the stack, the more he realized what he was looking at: confidential files on dated Collective experiments. Rome’s phone buzzed in his hand, and he stared down at the screen, reading the text from Danny.
Dean headed your way. Stay quiet.
Kaleb moseyed over to the desk as Rome continued working on the briefcase. He could hear the sound of the dean’s shoes as he passed. “Make sure to put everything back in order.”
“Already ahead of you…” He snapped the metal brackets closed, practically tossing the thing back under the mattress. That’s when his phone buzzed again.
Trouble.
“We’ve got to go,” Rome said. When he turned around, Kaleb was hovering quietly over the opened desk drawer. He sucked in a breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
Kaleb looked up, his expression lacking apology. “We needed to know what was in here,” he said.
“So you busted it?”
“Can’t you fix it?” Kaleb asked.
“No!” Rome said. “He’s going to know we were here now.”
“He’ll know someone was here. Though I’m sure we’re not the only two who will fall suspect.” He glanced at Rome amusedly. “We could always make it look like a prank?”
Rome hurried over to the desk, about to slam it shut. “We’re leaving,” he said. “Now.” It was then that the objects sitting inside drew his eye. A flat silver disc covered in etchings shone curiously up at them. It was nearly the size of his palm, with a braided cord wrapped around half. Beside it lay a wooden box, perfectly round and fitted with a sliding lid.
“What is all of this?”
“That,” Kaleb said, indicating the disc, “is a traveler’s token.” He met eyes with Rome. “It’s used to gain passage to the two worlds. You’d need one, in order to enter Lumara.” He lifted it from the drawer, clutching it firmly in his hand. “That’s strange,” he muttered.
“There’s no time,” Rome said. “Richard’s on his way.”
Danny appeared in the room then, suddenly and without warning. “What’s taking you guys so long?” he said. He watched Kaleb right himself, slipping the token into his jacket and retrieving something from the desk. The lock clicked from across the room, and Danny grabbed each of them by the arm.
“Hold on,” he said.
The air grew dense around them, and Rome inhaled sharply. There was the sense of time slowing down, and then, a loud snap as they were zapped out of the apartment. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes. They’d all but blinked, and they were on the floor, in what was presumably Danny’s bedroom.
“Dang you guys are heavy,” Danny said.
Kaleb sighed. “Not bad, for a crash landing.”
Rome felt like he was going to lose his lunch.
“Give yourself a minute,” Danny said. “It’ll settle.” He sat on the edge of his bed, giving a quick content check to his messenger bag. “So, what did you guys find?” Rome looked like he wanted to answer. “If you throw up on my floor, you’ll be the one cleaning it up.”
“Fair enough.” Rome waited for his stomach to settle, watching as Kaleb held the disc up to the light. “I hope that was worth taking.”
Kaleb flashed a grin at him. “It’s my ticket out of here.”
Rome got to his feet then, handing Danny his phone. He watched him thumb through the pictures with haste, frowning at the fuzzy screen.
“We need to get these sent to my computer.”
Kaleb made himself comfortable, perching on the footboard of his bed. The other two swarmed the laptop, pulling up the photographs and arranging them across the screen. “What do they say?” he asked.
“Nothing good,” Danny said.
“It’s mostly jargon,” Rome added. “I think you’d need a PhD to understand it. I’m getting: disease, infection rate, and inconclusive.”
“They’re testing genes or something,” Danny said.
Kaleb frowned at the news. “Infection?”
Rome turned to look back at him.
“Weren’t you just having a conversation with him the other day, about symptoms of infection and their consequence?”
“I don’t think this has to do with that,” Rome said. “These files are older than anyone in this room. This catalogues something… bizarre. Something that’s taken place over the last couple decades.”
“Well,” Danny said, “at least it wasn’t a total loss. Someone got a massive silver coin out of it.” He shook his thumb in Kaleb’s direction, smiling like an idiot.
“It’s not a coin,” Kaleb said. “And it’s worth more than gold. If you so much as touch it, I’ll break your hand.”
“Whoa… no need to jump straight to the threats.”
Rome slipped his phone back into his pocket, staring at Kaleb thoughtfully. “Do you really intend to just leave?”
Kaleb huffed. “I haven’t decided. But it will be useful, if ever I need to run.” He took his leave then, in search of the little comfort his room provided. Rome stepped into the hall, only seconds behind him.
“Wait up,” he said.
Kaleb slowed his pace to a petulant speed.
“Don’t you think we should talk about this?”
“Are you offering to go with me?” Kaleb said. Rome walked quietly at his back, and Kaleb tried not to chuckle. It was funny having Rome following him for once. “I didn’t think so.”
“I didn’t say that…”
“No, you just said nothing at all.”
Rome leaned back against Kaleb’s door, blocking his escape. “Are you hungry?” he asked. He was fishing for more time. Kaleb’s smile turned predatory, and Rome was thinking about rescinding the invitation when Kaleb’s hands fell to his hips. Rome’s shoulder bit into the doorframe as he tried to put some distance between them. “Hey,” he said. He managed to get his hand around the doorknob, opening it and sending them stumbling back. The door closed an instant later, and it took Rome a moment to realize that had been Kaleb’s doing.
“You’re being a bit aggressive, don’t you think?”
“You smell better than usual,” Kaleb said. He glanced around the room before turning his attention back to the boy in front of him. “I find it curious, though.”
“What?”
“We’ve apparently been friends for some time now, and I’ve yet to meet your love interest. Don’t you think a friend should know who it is you’re dating?” Rome apparently wasn’t following, nor had he noticed the way Kaleb was slowly backing him against the shelf. “Don’t you think she should know… about this?” he said.
“It’s not like I could exactly—” His back hit the bookcase, and Rome was suddenly very aware of what was happening.
“And why not?” Kaleb said. “With her father running around meddling in my affairs, it’s unlikely to think she doesn’t already know. We could find out for certain. And if she threatens to tell…” Kaleb shrugged, a sharp smile decorating his face. “I can handle it.”
“What’s with you?” Rome said.
Kaleb sighed into his skin. “Frustration. Nothing that this won’t fix…” His teeth scraped across the curve of Rome’s neck, and he felt him tense beneath his touch. “You’re not putting up much of a fight.”
“Because it’s a fight
you’re looking for, and after last night—”
Kaleb responded by pressing into him at the waist. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re too weak to fight back?” He locked eyes with him. “You really shouldn’t have told me that.”
“I’m starting to think that this wasn’t such a good idea.”
Kaleb let a quiet laugh go beside his ear. “Why, suddenly, does it seem as though you don’t trust me?” He hovered in front of Rome’s face, locking eyes with him in concealed glee. “Do you think I’d hurt you?”
“I think I don’t like your games,” Rome said.
“Then maybe now isn’t the right time to play.” Kaleb let go unexpectedly, backing away and moving towards the door.
Rome was beside himself. “Where are you going?”
“Where I always go.” Kaleb glanced back, features relaxed despite the hostility rising from his skin. “Wherever I please.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The Choice Is Ours
Import and Trade Co. sat on the corner of Jefferson and Twelfth in a two story brick building. The windowpanes were cracked and faded, and despair seemed to hang from every stone. An old Laundromat occupied by some shady looking men leafing through magazines was its neighbor. The rest of the street was barren. Several advertisements in the empty storefronts proclaimed they were for lease, but it seemed as though the properties had been abandoned for some time. Ariahna stepped onto the curb, surveying the desolate street.
“Does your cousin really own this place?” she asked.
Danny nodded. “He owns the Laundromat next door, too. But I don’t suggest trying to wash any clothes there.”
Rome stopped to put change in the meter, leaving his car out front. He reached for the glass door, holding it open for the other two as they shuffled inside. A bell chimed as Aria crossed the threshold, alerting whoever was manning the front that they had customers.
A stout man with broad shoulders and a thick neck stood up front. He turned towards the black, narrow staircase, shouting up the stairs as they approached. “Eh Johnny, ya favorite cousin’s ‘ere.”
Rome drifted through the shop, touching a few items as they moved towards the counter. The store was crammed with wall to wall shelves, and almost every available inch of floor space was occupied by tables, mirrors, and other large items. Smaller objects and knickknacks littered their surfaces. Some of them looked new, but most were covered in a light layer of dust. It was an eclectic mix, to say the least. Rome smirked. “Does he ever actually sell anything?”
“Don’t ask stupid questions,” Johnny said. He stopped on the last step with a creak. Johnny took a drag off the cigarette pressed between his lips, blowing the smoke towards the ceiling. “These your friends?”
Danny introduced them, but Johnny’s eyes never left Aria.
She coughed lightly as he came closer, bringing his cloud of smoke with him. The thing she noticed first was his eyes. They were dark, almost devoid of color, and fiercely intimidating. The burning cigarette reflected in those dark irises, making them glitter as he stared back at her. Sharp, slanted eyebrows accentuated his bone structure, making the widow’s peak along his hairline seem even more menacing.
In several subtle ways, he reminded her of Danny. He had the same black gauged earrings, tattoos stretching down both arms, and a similar shaven haircut. Unlike Danny, though, Johnny’s hair was smoothed suavely back. A few loose strands fell near his temples, and something about them just looked entirely touchable. He was smiling at her. She’d definitely been staring too long. Ariahna covered her mouth, stifling another cough as he stopped beside her.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.
Her face set in a mask of confusion. “Should I?”
“I suppose not,” he said. “It was a long time ago.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Danny said, “but we are on a time crunch. New management has a stricter curfew, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ve heard,” Johnny said. He led them through the maze, winding back through the crowded shop. An old wooden door was adorned by a crooked, hanging sign: Employees Only. Johnny stopped shortly in front of it, turning to address them. “These are my personal belongings, and they are not all what they appear. I suggest for your safety not poking around. I can’t promise anything in here won’t bite.”
“We’re not interested in anything else,” Rome said.
Ariahna followed them into the moderate storage room, enchanted by the trinkets set out on display. The walls were decorated with objects both extraordinary and mundane (everything from swords in scabbards to hanging herbs, and all that could be imagined in between). Strange gems sat on cracked shelves, separated by bowls and bells and tomes of substantial size. It was a cornucopia of curiosities, and Ariahna struggled briefly, recalling they were not allowed to touch a thing.
“Are they all catalogued?” she asked.
Johnny’s eyes flicked over her frame. “Meticulously.”
They came to stand near a large table not far from the door, scattered with books that seemed to share a common subject. This was what they had come for, information on the curse.
Aria turned to Rome then. “I know we talked a little on the ride, but why the renewed interest in that odd man’s story? You don’t really think…”
“Curses are real enough,” Johnny said. “Or yours is, anyway. There are a substantial amount of accounts that give credence to it. And while it’s not common conversation in the community, many have long believed those wands to be cursed.” He turned a worn hourglass on its top, setting it on the table. “Now enough talk. You have until the sand runs out. I can’t be stuck babysitting all day.”
Rome exhaled. “You don’t have to stick around.”
“I think he should,” Danny said. “Because I know when someone knows more than they’re letting on.”
The conversation paused as Johnny observed Aria drifting towards the opposite corner of the room. Danny opened his mouth to warn her, but Johnny waved him off. She had fixated on a tall idol, covered by a blanket made of canvas.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Take a look.”
She gazed back at him for approval before pulling the sheet smoothly away from the stone. “Wow,” Ariahna breathed, admiring the gargantuan statue. It was a life-sized effigy, bearing the visage of a weathered old man. A short, knotty beard curled around his chin, and his face was set in a hard look of determination. Gripped in his hand was a spindly staff made of solid wood. The staff curled into a wide half circle near the top, and a gorgeous green gem sat wedged between the ends.
“Azbadon and the Emerald Staff,” she mumbled, reading the placard near his toes. She ran her fingers over his cold gray cheek, surprised to feel the thrum of magic pushing back. “This… this has to be a fake.”
Rome frowned at her as she regarded the hunk of stone with reverence. “Was he some famous witch or something?”
“A legend,” she replied.
“And Azbadon, saddened by the descent of witch and mortal, shed his last tear; and then stood atop the hill, unmoving, unseeing, untouched by the falling of the stars.
“He turned himself to stone,” she said.
Johnny moved from the table, coming to stand by her side. “Never again, shine on mine face, sun. Never again, moon, light mine nights. The waters will swell with the blood of the risen. When the hour is darkest, shall I then return to fight.
“You know your history,” he said. “And it’s real, by the way.”
Rome turned to look back at the books. “You’ve read all of these, haven’t you?” He figured that was a fair assumption.
“I have,” Johnny said. “Twice. It does a man little good to simply own knowledge. It’s my understanding that it must be possessed.”
Rome eyed him thoughtfully. “Why don’t you enlighten us then?” he said.
A smile spread across Johnny’s face. “I thought you’d never ask.” One of the books opened in a flutter, pages flippi
ng back and forth before finally settling somewhere in the center. He watched Rome slide his fingers over the depiction of a seven-pointed star encased in a circle. “That should look familiar to you,” Johnny said.
Rome took a shallow breath, turning to regard Ariahna. “Do you remember when I asked you about those etchings?”
“The sigils?” she said.
He nodded. “I asked because one day my mother started carving this symbol all over our house. She carved it on the doors, beneath the windowsills, into the porch columns…” Rome’s eyes narrowed and he turned his suspicion on Johnny. “How did you know that?”
“I was the one that told her to do it.”
Ariahna took a closer look at the drawing. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I thought we were talking about a curse? This symbol is used to control spirits, to prevent them from manifesting.”
“And so we get to the heart of it,” Johnny said. “What do you think a curse is?” He looked around the room at their baffled faces. “Will. It’s the darkest manifestation of a person’s desire, set out to do you harm. Energy like that is a slow poison, undetectable until it’s already too late. Which is why, unfortunately, those sigils didn’t work.”
“Are you trying to tell me we’re being haunted?” Rome said.
“From the moment you were told that story.”
Ariahna circled him, coming to stand beside Rome. Their circumstance was beginning to feel a bit more real. “You have experience with this,” she said. “Firsthand experience. So, what do you think we should expect?”
“You can expect things to go from bad to worse.” Johnny took a slow walk around the outskirts of the room. “Especially since neither of you seem to be listening to reason. But there is a silver lining… I think you’ve got time.”
Danny’s frown deepened. “What do you mean?”
“It’s only a hunch, but even curses have their contingencies. Especially one as complex as this.” Johnny lifted a long box from one of the shelves, revealing its contents to the room.