The Bone Scroll: An Elemental Legacy Novel

by Hunter, Elizabeth

  Sadia leaned on Zain’s shoulder, brushing his long locs to the side. “We went to the museum today in the morning time. Then we had a nap. Right, Zain?”

  “Yep. Sadia, Dema, Chloe, and I saw… What was her name?”

  “Lucy!” Sadia said. “She was the first… Um…”

  “Do you remember?” Zain asked. “She was the first one who…” He leaned over and whispered to Sadia.

  The little girl started bouncing. “She was the first human ancestor to walk on two feet.”

  “I see.” Ben nodded. “That is very impressive.”

  “And we saw her with our own eyes.” Zain winked at Ben. “Even though I’m pretty sure the actual skeleton is at Addis Ababa University with all the archaeologists.”

  Mika smiled. “I am very sure you are correct.”

  “Chloe met one of them, in fact.” Zain sipped his wine. “It was just like you predicted, Ben. This woman was working at the museum and says something to Chloe in Amharic, and they ended up striking up a conversation. I think she did her doctoral work or something at UCLA.”

  “Really?” Ben’s brain started churning. “She was an archaeologist?”

  “Yeah, teaching at the university, I think? I’m not really sure. Chloe got her number though. They were going to get coffee or something.”

  Mika said, “That’s so nice. People are so friendly here. I’m glad she’s already made a friend.”

  “And the skeleton,” Sadia said. “Lucy! She was, like, shorter than me, Ben. It was so funny.”

  “Wow. That sounds amazing.” Ben wasn’t really listening about Lucy anymore. Something Zain said turned on a light bulb in his mind.

  The real skeleton would be at Addis Ababa University.

  With the archaeologists.

  Of course. Of course.

  “Zain, did you say Chloe got this girl’s number?”

  14

  The meeting with Hirut, earth vampire of Saba’s line and current administrator of the immortal community in Addis Ababa, happened at midnight in the gardens of Zoma, a contemporary art museum in the Mekanisa neighborhood. Ben flew to the site and waited just inside the green metal gates for Giovanni and Beatrice to arrive. The neighborhood was asleep, and only a few streetlamps were visible burning on the narrow track to the main road.

  He nodded to the guard, who gave Ben a small salute but otherwise didn’t react to seeing a foreigner flying into the garden like a bird. Clearly he was in Hirut’s hire.

  Distant headlights flashed, and a few minutes later, the black Land Cruiser stopped in the small cobblestone parking lot. Giovanni and Beatrice got out of the truck, looking like the sleek and sophisticated vampire power couple they were.

  Would Ben and Tenzin ever look that cool? Probably not.

  They strode toward the gates and waited for the guard to open them; then they proceeded down a path to the left that led them beside intricately handmade mud-and-straw-constructed buildings molded into various shapes. Waves and chains, birds’ nests and flowers. It was nothing like anything Ben had ever seen before.

  “This museum is extraordinary,” Beatrice said. “I can’t imagine how long it must have taken to make all this.”

  “And the gardens are beautiful,” Giovanni said. “Also, I think they’re entirely edible. I believe this is an experimental project in urban agriculture and building.”

  Ben nodded at a sign in the distance, visible in the moonlight. “There’s a school here too.”

  A school with guards. Lots of guards. Ben felt them all around him, vampires waiting in the shadows, wandering the grounds, and at least one overhead. Hirut might have been meeting them in a friendly location, but she was taking nothing for granted.

  “Fascinating.” Giovanni paused at the end of the path; then he waved them toward the left. “This way. I can already smell the coffee roasting.”

  They followed twisting paths through towering alleys of false banana trees and found themselves at the top of a large, rectangular green. In the distance, a flame tree bursting with red-orange flowers was blooming, and beneath it, a woman in a pure white dress was sitting under the tree on a low stool, roasting coffee over a charcoal fire.

  Another woman in white sat a little in the distance at a table sprinkled with flowers. Four wine goblets were in front of her along with a pitcher full of fresh blood. She wore a traditional Ethiopian dress with intricate embroidery at the collar and a shema shawl over her head and crossed on her shoulders. Her jewelry was pure gold and—Ben was guessing—quite old; an amulet rested on her forehead with a large red ruby at the center, and gold chains draped along her temples, holding it in place.

  Giovanni paused at the foot of the table. “Hirut Gedeyon, thank you for your welcome. I am Giovanni Vecchio, son of Andreas, water vampire sired to fire. And this is my mate.”

  Beatrice stepped next to Giovanni. “Thank you, Hirut. I am Beatrice, daughter of Stephen, water vampire sired to water. And this is our son, Benjamin.”

  Ben was getting to be a professional at protocol, and he caught the nuances of how Beatrice and Giovanni had introduced themselves, which was formal but familiar, emphasizing family connections and not professional associations.

  “Thank you, Hirut.” Ben bowed a little, as befitting a child of Zhang. “I am Benjamin, son of Zhang, wind vampire sired to wind. Thank you for hosting us in this beautiful garden and in your city.”

  Your very secure city. Ben felt at least three more vampires creep closer.

  He could smell the coffee roasting, along with the scent of frankincense wafting from under the flame tree. The woman roasting coffee had her head covered, focused on her task.

  “Welcome to Addis Ababa.” Hirut rose and gestured to the empty chairs. “I have prepared a pitcher of fresh blood for us tonight.”

  “That’s so thoughtful,” Beatrice said. “I’m sure you’ve heard that our son is young.”

  “Young.” Hirut sat again and crossed her hands in her lap. “But very powerful.”

  Well, that would explain the guards. Clearly Hirut knew who he was—unfortunately, most vampires did—and was suspicious. Fair. Irritating but fair.

  “Has your partner accompanied you on your journey?” Hirut poured blood into each goblet and passed them to each guest. Then she deliberately drank first.

  Ben took a drink and enjoyed the sweet rush of fresh human blood against the back of his throat. He was young enough that it was a challenge to focus and not gulp down the whole glass. “If you mean Tenzin, yes, she has. She sends her greetings; she is currently at our compound with my little sister, who’s only seven.”

  Leaving one immortal in the party to guard the human members was a perfectly acceptable gesture, especially when a child was involved. At Ben’s suggestion, they’d chosen Tenzin, which left the compound very well guarded.

  Also, it kept Tenzin from sticking her foot in her mouth and causing an international incident. Ben liked to think ahead.

  Hirut’s attention seemed to be focused on Ben. “I understand that you work with your uncle, but in a more… acquisitive capacity.”

  Ben answered very carefully. “We find lost items, mostly for immortal clients who have misplaced them or had them stolen over the years.” Ben glanced at Giovanni, who only gave him an encouraging nod. “We recently retrieved a lost icon for a leader of the Poshani people in Eastern Europe, a valuable cultural item which had gone missing because of a human theft.”

  “An honorable deed then,” Hirut said. “To return such a treasure to her people.”

  “We were happy that it found its rightful home again.”

  Giovanni said, “Hirut, you have known my work for years. I retrieved a manuscript from Berlin that is now in the Ethnographic Museum at the university.”

  “Indeed.” Hirut nodded. “That service to my father is why you have been welcomed here despite being in the company of those who have… murkier reputations.”

  Ben tried to pretend it didn’t sting, but it did.
“Hirut, I hope you know that Tenzin and I—”

  He stopped speaking when she raised her hand. “Giovanni, you know the history of this place. For centuries, humans and vampires have come from outside our historical borders and taken cultural heritage from Saba’s people, human and vampire alike. We have reason to be wary.”

  Giovanni placed a gentle but firm hand on Ben’s shoulder before he could respond. “Knowing that I know that,” he said, “you have my word that there will be no manuscript, no artifact, not even a paperback book taken out of Ethiopia without your queen’s permission.”

  Ben kept his eyes steady on Hirut. In the distance, the scent of coffee came closer. The woman roasting the beans was passing around the freshly roasted coffee on an intricately carved wooden tray, wafting the smoke from a small brazier over each guest with a dark, graceful hand.

  For a moment, Ben looked up and gazed at the woman, who locked eyes with him.

  Large eyes, so dark brown they were nearly black, were rimmed with black kohl and thick lashes.

  Old memories flashed in his mind.

  The smell of green earth and growing things.

  Power, the air redolent with it.

  Boy, you are faithful… Your time is not now.

  The smoke cleared, the woman walked away, and Ben was left with tears in the corner of his eyes. From the smoke? Was he imagining things?

  The woman in white seemed to go unnoticed by everyone but him, just another human woman preparing coffee for guests. The shema she wore covered her face as she sat in the shadow of the flame tree; Hirut and Giovanni were still discussing the terms of their visit.

  “…to go north,” Giovanni was saying. “The historical sites in Gondar are something I’d love to share with Beatrice, along with the island monasteries on Lake Tana.”

  “And Lalibela,” Hirut said. “Your family should not miss that.”

  Giovanni bowed a little, and Ben internally rejoiced. Lalibela was far closer to their search area than Gondar was, but they hadn’t wanted to appear too eager to visit that historic city.

  Hirut said, “While you are there, you might offer us the benefit of your expertise. There is a priest in Lalibela who has been studying a newly found manuscript of the Gadla Lalibela.”

  “The hagiography of King Lalibela?” Giovanni asked.

  “Yes, exactly. He might benefit from your expertise in some regards,” Hirut said. “Since we have an expert on ancient manuscripts visiting, it would be delinquent of me not to ask on his behalf.”

  “I would be honored to help in any way I can.”

  “And Beatrice?” Hirut turned to Beatrice. “I know your reputation as a scribe. If there are manuscripts you would like to study while you are here, I can try to arrange it.”

  “Obviously, the Garima Gospels are compelling, but I understand the difficulty at the moment.”

  “You are correct.” Hirut nodded. “It is not currently possible, but at another time this can be arranged.”

  Giovanni continued. “The trip to the north is the primary reason for our visit. Beatrice hasn’t seen the historical sites, and our daughter is old enough now that she can appreciate them as well.”

  Hirut turned to Ben. “And you? What is your aim? Do you and your partner have a client?”

  The plan had been for Ben to avoid answering anything close to Hirut’s question directly, but he glanced at the woman under the tree, then back to Hirut. “I do.”

  Giovanni and Beatrice froze.

  Ben looked Hirut directly in the eye. “I cannot tell you her identity, but I can confirm everything my uncle promised: There will be no artifact taken from your country by my partner or me without Saba’s permission. We are not here to steal; we are here to restore.”

  A hint of a smile touched Hirut’s lips. “Your honesty and directness do you credit, son of Zhang. I am glad you were truthful with me; I would not have believed you otherwise.”

  The woman under the tree returned with small cups of strong coffee, but again she was obscured by the brazier of charcoal she put in the center of the table. The scent of frankincense overwhelmed him as Hirut offered sugar and honey around the table to sweeten the coffee.

  Was he imagining things? Was his memory tricking him? What was going on? Still, no one other than Ben seemed to even notice the woman, and there was no hint of amnis coming from her. She moved like a ghost in the night.

  His memories of Saba from when he was human were of a being of immense power. Even as a teenager, he’d been able to feel how completely inhuman she was. Was his mind playing tricks on him? Or was Saba hiding in plain sight and somehow fooling his aunt and uncle?

  “Ben?” His uncle’s voice brought him out of his reverie.

  “Yes?” Ben looked up. Everyone was looking at him.

  Hirut appeared amused. “Do you not like the coffee? It’s very strong. Some young vampires don’t care for it. I can get you some warm water if you’d like.”

  “No.” Ben sipped the traditional Ethiopian buna, double boiled in a clay pot until the taste reminded him of dark chocolate. “I love it actually. Much smoother than espresso.”

  “Thank you.” Hirut finished the coffee in her tiny cup and set it down. “Before we go, is there anything I can tell you about immortal resources in the city that you don’t already know?”

  Ben wanted to return to the compound immediately after the meeting with Hirut broke up, though Giovanni and Beatrice accepted the woman’s offer for a tour of the garden. As he was walking back to a shadowy corner of the garden to take to the air, he scanned the area, looking for the woman in white, but he saw nothing.

  Questions swirled in his mind. Had that been Saba? How had she seemed so human? If she was in Addis, why wasn’t she meeting with visitors herself? And if that had been Saba and she’d cloaked her power so effectively from Giovanni and Beatrice, why had she revealed a whisper of it to Ben?

  The last thing he’d expected to run into as he was descending into the compound was Tenzin and Sadia flying up through the trees.

  Both of them froze when they saw Ben, staring at him with wide eyes.

  Sadia was not supposed to be flying. Tenzin had done it when she was a toddler, and it had been quickly outlawed. Not that anyone really thought Tenzin would drop Sadia, but the sensation of flying made the baby puke more often than not.

  Also, it just freaked Beatrice out.

  Sadia stared right at Ben. “I asked her.”

  Ben looked at Tenzin.

  “I said yes.” Tenzin was wide-eyed but clearly unapologetic.

  He was not getting in the middle of their terrifying girl gang. “Okay, you probably have about thirty minutes before Giovanni and Beatrice are back. I don’t want to know.”

  He floated down to the courtyard and sat under the mango tree where Dema was lounging with her feet on a footstool and her hands around a large cup of tea.

  Ben glanced up at the sky, then to Dema. “So you’re not worried about—?”

  “Do you actually think anything would happen to Sadia when she’s with Tenzin?”

  Ben considered it. “Intentionally? No.”

  Dema shrugged a little. “It’s not my job to protect her from accidental bumps, bruises, or a scratch from a random tree branch that Tenzin gets a little too close to. If anyone came after that girl, that vampire would flay the skin off their bodies without a second thought.”

  Ben nodded. “You’re not wrong.”

  “How did the meeting go?”

  He decided to keep his suspicions about the strange woman under the tree to himself. Until he could speak to Tenzin. “It went well. Her main concern was me and Tenzin stealing stuff, and I think I reassured her well enough.”

  “If anything, you’re putting things back, right?”

  Except a superdangerous object of immortal power. “Yep. That’s absolutely what we’re doing.”

  Dema stared at him as she sipped her tea. “The number of words you took to answer that tells me you�
��re definitely stealing some stuff too.”

  Yeah, he couldn’t lie. Even after he’d become a vampire, Dema was scary.

  15

  Ben lounged in a pair of loose shorts, enjoying the promise of rain in the air. Tenzin hated the rain, but he was enough of a Californian that he loved it. He loved the smell of it in the air and the heaviness of the clouds. He loved it when the clouds broke open and the sky poured down.

  He watched Tenzin change from a pair of leggings and a loose tunic into a clean shift that drifted to the middle of her thighs. Before the shift fell, he noted the delicate line of tattoos that arced across her hip bones and the dots down the back of her legs.

  Those were secret things that no one saw but him. Precious insight to her habits and eccentricities.

  She was meticulously clean, never letting the clothes she wore out in the world even touch the bed they shared. Unless they were stuck in a cave somewhere, she had never deviated from that.

  She didn’t sleep, but she always lay with him until he did. She pressed herself to his body from breast to foot, twining herself around him like a vine. She said far more with her body than she ever did with her mouth.

  “You’re staring at me.”

  “I like to look at you.” He’d missed looking at her for two years. There was a knowledge between them now, a realization of what they had lost and what they had gained. Beyond the newness of their sexual relationship and their deepening intimacy, there was a realization they had both learned in the most painful way.

  They did not want to live without each other.

  But for how long?

  Despite her age, nothing about Tenzin felt permanent. She was like the wind slipping around him as he flew. Grasping onto her would be a lesson in futility, and Ben couldn’t shake the feeling that Tenzin was still hiding things. A large part of him didn’t want to know.

  She will always have secrets.