As Roy searched, Steven’s mind returned to the markings. I wonder if Jason is marked, he thought. If he is, maybe I shouldn’t wait to tell him about the gift. I need some way of seeing these markings, something like Judith’s planchette glass.
Eximere. All those objects, just sitting. One of them might have the properties I need. Another reason to go.
“I’m driving to Eximere tonight,” Steven said. “Want to come with me?”
“Tonight?” Roy said.
“I’ll come back tomorrow, but I want the night to explore the library and the objects out there. You’re welcome to come with me if you want – or not, stay here with the book if you’d rather.”
“No, I’ll go with you,” Roy said. “I can read in the car on the way. Are you looking for ways to deal with Evie? Or are you looking for ways to deal with your markings?”
“Both,” Steven said.
Chapter Five
“I got a call from Jason,” Roy said, sitting in the passenger seat of Steven’s car as they drove to the peninsula. “He wants to come see me tomorrow.”
“Don’t,” Steven said instinctually.
Roy looked at him. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t meet with him.”
“I figured something was up with you two,” Roy said. “He’s never been one to meet with me out of the blue.”
“He wants to talk to you about a dream he’s been having,” Steven said. “He talked to me about it the other day.”
“Why does he want to talk to me about it?” Roy asked.
“Because the dream is about the gift, and he knows there’s something I’m not telling him. He thinks it’s some deep, dark family secret, and he’ll try to pry it out of you.”
“He won’t have to pry,” Roy said. “I’ll tell him all about it if he asks.”
“No, you won’t,” Steven said. “I’m his father, it’s my prerogative.”
“Well then, you tell him,” Roy said.
“I’m not ready to,” Steven said. “I want to wait a year, let him graduate first. I know him. This thing will be a huge distraction to him. If he learns of it before he finishes college, he’ll drop out. And I won’t have that on my conscience. Sheryl would come unglued.”
“Who cares what Sheryl thinks?” Roy said. “I’m not sure you can control it the way you want. If he’s dreaming about it, then it’s emerging in him, and he’ll want to figure it out. You can’t stop that.”
“Not for long,” Steven said. “I told him one year. He completes his education, and I get better at tutoring. Hell, I can’t even trance yet! How am I going to teach him anything? One year gives us both a chance to get on better footing.”
“If he’s dreaming about it,” Roy said, “you’d better address it.”
“He’s been dreaming about it for ten years,” Steven said. “I don’t think another year will really matter.”
“Ten years?” Roy said. “Then why’s he calling me now?”
“This time his dream was different. Something in the dream made him think he needed to talk to me about it,” Steven said. “So that’s why he wanted to meet… and that’s why he’s calling you, since I stalled him. In the dream, something or someone told him to tell me that ‘he knew’.”
“Knew what?” Roy asked.
“That there’s something we’re not telling him,” Steven said. “And the book is in the dream, too.”
“I say tell him,” Roy said. “We could use the help.”
“And I say, as his father, no. His education comes first. They’ll be plenty of time for it after he has his degree.”
“Fine. But I’m on record as thinking it’s a mistake.”
“Like I said, one more year won’t hurt.”
“It might,” Roy said. “You can’t bottle it up, you know.”
“What about me? I wasn’t interested until now, and I’m nearly fifty.”
“You bottled it up yourself,” Roy said, “with your rationality. It’s different with Jason. He’s open to it. He’s seeking it.”
“If he comes to see you,” Steven said, “I forbid you to talk to him about it.”
“Forbid?!” Roy scoffed. “Hilarious!”
“I mean it,” Steven said. “He’s my son, and you will respect my wishes on this, understand?”
“Jesus Christ, the drama!” Roy said.
“I want to hear you say you understand,” Steven said.
“I understand!” Roy said. “Christ!”
“And promise me you won’t discuss this with him?” Steven said.
“Fine, I promise,” Roy said. “But it’s a mistake.”
Always with the last word, Steven thought. Let him have it. Not worth fighting over. Never is.
◊
An hour later, they pulled onto the forest road off County Road 15 and drove up to a locked chain link fence. Roy hopped out of the car and opened the fence while Steven drove through, then he locked the fence behind them and joined Steven in the car. They drove a few more hundred feet on the old forest road that they recently had graded for easier access. After a few bends in the road, they came upon the large metal doors that covered the old prohibition tunnel. Once again Roy left the car to open the doors for Steven, then locked them behind him once the car was safely in the tunnel.
They’d driven this route many times in the past six months since they liberated Eximere from James Unser, its creator. The underground house contained hundreds of books and objects belonging to gifteds who had been murdered by Unser, and in the course of liberating the place they decided to take on the task of returning as many of the books and objects as they could. It would take years, since returning a book meant figuring out who it initially belonged to, finding their living heirs, and contacting them, as they’d done with June Williamson. The objects were even harder to return since there was no record of ownership, and they didn’t know how most of the objects functioned. Eliza was convinced that many of the objects were very powerful, but without knowing what they did or how to use them, they were like inert museum pieces, quietly sitting in display cases.
Steven drove the car through the tunnel to the end and parked the car where another metal door awaited. Roy used his keys to open it, and they began their descent. Long stairways and two doors later, they emerged into the large open cave that contained the house and yard. In addition to having built the house, Unser had arranged for a permanent day/night cycle in the cave, and evening had set. Lights from the house streamed out, and small lights at ground level lit the path they followed from the stairwell to the house, passing through the dark front yard.
As he stepped through the open archway that acted as the front door to the house, Steven stopped and took a long, deep breath, as he always did upon arrival at Eximere.
God, that feels good, he thought. It’s nice to be back.
He felt a warm breeze pass through the house, and he walked through the entryway to the back archway, looking out into the back yard. He could see the shape of the large banyan tree, and the reflection of the house lights in the pond beyond. Roy joined him, enjoying the view.
“I never get tired of it,” Roy said. “Sometimes I can’t believe it’s ours.”
“On loan,” Steven said.
“Percival will never come down here,” Roy said. “And we own the property with the access to it. It’s ours. And you’ll need to figure out how to pass it to Jason someday.” Roy turned and walked back into the house.
He might be right, Steven thought. I wonder if we’ll live long enough to return all these books and objects. And even if we did, what then? The place would still be here, available. We’ve agreed to not tell others about it, but Jason is family. He will have to know. He’ll be able to use this place for another fifty years at least. Not exactly the family cabin I imagined.
◊
On the opposite side of the house from the library was the room Steven thought of as “the object room.” It was filled with cases and tables, and each glas
s case contained dozens of objects. Some looked unusual; others looked ordinary. In the River, the objects took on their true form, though their purpose was still not revealed. An old, half-burnt wax candle looked innocuous, but within the River it appeared as a knife with no handle, sharp edges all around. Steven saw it glowing with a faint blue edge. The color must mean something, Steven thought. Someone must know the meaning of these colors, there must be people who are experts on these things. Steven, Roy, and Eliza had agreed they would not reveal the existence of Eximere to anyone without a group vote, so if an expert were to be brought in to examine the objects, they’d all need to agree. The problem with bringing someone in was not knowing their intentions. Steven had learned there were as many unethical gifteds as ethical ones. They might want to sell the items, or steal them. Eliza had said the value of the objects in this room was inestimable; bring in the wrong person, and the whole room might be plundered before they could return a single item. It was probably wiser to take the items out for assessment, rather than bring someone it.
“Any luck?” Roy asked as he entered the room.
“Not yet,” Steven said. “Honestly, most of them are intimidating. Who would pick up this thing?” he said, pointing to the wax candle.
“Maybe it’s just meant to be looked at,” Roy said, smiling.
“And what does the blue haze mean?” Steven asked. “They all have different colors. The color must mean something – just like the red of my markings.”
“I’ll bet it’s in a book somewhere,” Roy said, walking through the room, observing the items. “We just have to find it. Hundreds more to go through in that library.”
“You said you don’t like going through other family’s books,” Steven said.
“I don’t,” Roy said. “Feels like prying. I wouldn’t like someone going through our book. Unless it was to find out who it belonged to, to return it.”
“Exactly,” Steven said, picking up an object that looked like an old wooden letter opener. “So while you’re looking through them for the owner, keep your eyes open for info on these colors.” There was a small indentation on the side of the letter opener, a worn area of the wood. It looked as though it had been made by thousands of thumb imprints over many years. He pressed his thumb into the imprint, and felt immediate intense pleasure – and the unmistakable rise of an orgasm. He set the opener back down, but the orgasm continued. He turned away from Roy as inconspicuously as possible, trying to hide what was happening to him.
“Well I think that’s a little unethical,” Roy said. “Why don’t we just locate a book about colors, or consult someone who would know. We don’t have to pry through other people’s stuff to figure it out.”
Steven hunched over slightly as the wave of the orgasm passed through him. It seemed like it would go on forever. If Roy wasn’t here, Steven thought, I’d really be enjoying this.
“You have to have some kind of moral base, and stick to it,” Roy said, still walking round the room behind Steven, looking at objects. “An ethical foundation is important. I want those people to get their books back without feeling as through we’ve pawed through them. They should feel that their family secrets are safe.”
Steven turned to leave the room. “Bathroom break – I’ll be back in a minute,” he said as he walked to the door and down the hallway to the bathroom located by the kitchen.
When he returned, Roy was holding a planchette similar to the one Judith had used. “I think I’ve found it,” Roy said. “It’s not exactly the same, but it’s close.” He handed it to Steven.
Steven examined the planchette. This one was wider than Judith’s, and heavier. The glass inside the center circle was darker. There were markings around the opening that were strange. Steven entered the River and held the glass over his hand. The double diamond marking reappeared, but this time it was more vivid. Steven felt a fear rising in his stomach, as though he was looking at something truly horrible. He wanted to keep examining himself with the glass, but the feeling overpowered him and he lowered it.
“What’s wrong?” Roy asked.
“Take a look,” Steven said. “Tell me what you see.”
Roy took the planchette back from Steven and placed it over Steven’s left hand. He entered the River and looked through the glass.
“Well I’ll be,” Roy said. “No wonder you wanted to know more about it.” Roy pulled the glass back and examined more of Steven. “Seems to be just on the hands, but you should check yourself out and see if there’s more under your clothes.”
Roy turned the glass on himself, looking at the tops of his hands and the parts of his body that weren’t clothed. “Nothing,” he said. “Only you.”
“How did you feel,” Steven asked Roy, “when you saw the markings on my hands?”
“What do you mean?” Roy asked.
“Look at them again,” Steven said, holding up his hand. Roy held the planchette over Steven’s hand and looked through the glass again.
“What am I looking for?” Roy asked.
“Not what you’re looking for, how you feel,” Steven said.
“I don’t feel anything,” Roy said.
“No sense of dread?” Steven asked.
“No,” Roy said. “Why? Is that what you felt?”
“Not when I looked through Judith’s glass,” Steven said. “Only with this one.”
“Interesting,” Roy said. “This glass might be different, able to convey a sense of the reaction evil creatures get when they see your mark.”
“But you don’t feel it,” Steven said. “Only me. Why? I’m evil?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Roy said. “Of course you’re not evil.”
“They why can I feel it, and you can’t?” Steven asked.
“I don’t know,” Roy said. “Maybe because you’re marked, and the glass doesn’t differentiate between evil and marked. We don’t know for sure. But I know you’re not evil.”
“How do these markings occur, exactly?” Steven asked. “Were they inherited?”
“As far as I know, none of my ancestors had markings,” Roy said.
“Mom’s side of the family maybe?” Steven asked.
“It would have to be latent!” Roy said. “Your mother hated the gift, insisted I never use it around her.”
“Maybe she hated it in the way James Unser hated it,” Steven said. “Because she was familiar with it.”
“Don’t know,” Roy said. “We never talked about it.”
“Do you think she knew about these markings?” Steven asked.
“I doubt it,” Roy said. “With her, it was always Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
“Maybe that’s why all the churching,” Steven said. “She knew I was marked.”
“Pure speculation,” Roy said.
“I could try to contact her,” Steven said.
Roy dropped his head and sighed. “Please, don’t,” he said.
“Why not?” Steven asked.
“Because I’m asking you not to,” Roy said. “You want me to respect the relationship with your son by not talking to him about the gift, fine. But you respect my relationship with your mother by leaving her at peace.”
“OK,” Steven said, a little hesitantly. He’d strayed into uncomfortable territory with Roy and wasn’t sure how to back out of it.
Roy wasn’t done. “Your mother went to her grave believing that she’d spared you and Bernard from my abilities. I didn’t agree with her on that, but her happiness was always important to me. So I’d like to keep things the way they are with her.”
“But surely she must know by now,” Steven said.
“I don’t think so,” Roy said, getting worked up. “Your mother believed what she wanted to believe. You digging her up to show her your markings would just crush her. Out of respect for her – and me – you are not to contact her. Do you understand?”
“Alright,” Steven said.
“I…I forbid it!” Roy said.
“Touché,” Steven s
aid. “You win. I won’t.”
“Thank you,” Roy said, calming down. He began browsing the objects again. One caught his eye. It was a small wooden box, about the size of two cigarette boxes side by side. It had intricate carvings on it.
Shit! Roy thought. That’s the same box Daniel’s bugs came in. Roy knew Steven didn’t share his memory of the bugs, and how they killed Daniel. I need to warn him somehow, Roy thought.
“There’s some dangerous things in here,” Roy said. “Come see this one.”
Steven walked over to where Roy was standing. Roy pointed to the box inside the case.
“You best be on high alert with these items,” Roy said. “I wouldn’t suggest opening or activating any of them before you know what they do. I’ve seen this one before. The last time I saw it, it contained bugs that would bore into you and kill you. And they moved fast.”
“Jesus,” Steven said, looking down at the box through the case. “I would have opened it without a second thought.”
“You’d be comatose within seconds,” Roy thought. “So be careful with this stuff. Don’t even accidentally activate or open anything.”
“I think I’m done anyway,” Steven said. “I’m going to relax under the tree for a while.”
“I’m going back to the library,” Roy said. “I think I stand a better chance of finding something that will work on Evie from my book than these objects. Let’s leave early tomorrow morning, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind,” Steven said, turning to leave the room, Roy following him.
Steven wandered out of the object room and into the entryway, where he strolled slowly to the back archway, still examining himself with the planchette. He was able to look through the glass at anything else just fine, but when he landed on his markings, he felt fear begin to rise, and he removed the glass before it felt as bad as it had been in the object room. He walked outside and sat under the banyan tree. Even though it was night, the temperature inside and outside the house was always the same, seventy degrees. Lights from the house lit the backyard. He took quick glances at his markings, never letting the glass stay long over his hand.
The Suicide Forest (The River Book 5) Page 6