Shaking and out of breath, I arrived at my doorstep and flung the door open. Once inside, I called the cops, reholstering my gun.
It didn’t take long before two police cars showed up outside, and once I had explained what happened, I led the way to where I’d seen the dog. My hands shook the whole way.
I hadn’t expected the dog to stay around, obviously, but I had expected us to find at least a trace of a struggle—blood, shredded clothes, something. Nothing was there.
Detective Evans glanced at me, confused. I didn’t blame him—my reputation here was sound, and he’d never had a reason to believe me capable of exaggeration.
“Let’s head back to your place, and you can tell us everything you saw in detail,” he said. “We’ll take a full report and put it on file in case anyone else sees something—or you do again.”
I nodded. Where had the dog gone? But more importantly, where had the man gone? Because I knew I hadn’t imagined it.
We trudged back to my house. Okay, I trudged, the officers walked. We’d only been there for a couple of moments when a knock came at the door. I checked my phone—three texts from Nicole, letting me know they’d taken off, landed, and were on their way. I got up from the couch in my living room and pulled the door open.
Sure enough, my best friend was there, along with a man I didn’t recognize. I flung my arms around Nicole, so glad and grateful to see her, and not just because I’d experienced something traumatic that morning. Then I stepped back, letting them in.
Nicole’s eyes, which were already wide, widened even more when she saw four cops in my living room. “Is something going on?” she asked. “Or are they just here for fun?”
I half smiled, barely able to stop myself from bawling. Come on, Lizzie, I thought, get a grip. “You won’t believe what I saw,” I said. “I’ll tell you as soon as I finish up with the police.”
Neither of my two visitors seemed to mind waiting, and they both took seats on the couch where I’d been sitting.
Chief O’Hare, who’d arrived last, finished asking me questions. I knew it was unusual for a police chief to get so involved, but he felt personally responsible for my protection and would do anything to make sure nothing happened to me. He was one of my first friends when I moved here.
“Tell me if you see anything, okay?” he asked. “And we’ll do the same.”
I nodded, then watched as he and the other police officers left to search the area more thoroughly. Once they were gone, I sank to the couch next to Nicole.
“I’ll get you something to drink in a bit,” I said. “Just need a minute to recover. I think I’m still in shock from what happened because my hands and arms don’t seem to want to function right now.”
“I’m fine,” Nicole said. “But I can’t speak for Alexander.”
Alexander—good to know his name. “So, who are you, Alexander, and how do you know my friend?”
“I met her while you were both in high school. She resolved something for me, and we’ve recently come into contact again.” He nodded toward the front door. “What was that all about?”
I sighed. “You won’t believe it, but I swear, I didn’t imagine it.” I sat up, reenergized by the topic. “I was out walking Sia when I saw a dog. It was on the other side of the train tracks. It was big, gray, and definitely not happy. Not only that, but—”
I paused when Nicole and Alexander looked at each other. “Do you already know what I’m about to say?”
Nicole frowned. “Maybe. Go on.”
“It was standing over a man, eating him.” My stomach twisted just thinking about what I’d seen. “I screamed, and the dog looked up and started after me. But then a train came, and the dog had to stop so it wouldn’t get hit. Sia and I ran back home.”
Alexander leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands. The expression on his face was intense. “The dog—did it see where you live?”
I shook my head. “No, it was several blocks from here. And the train was a long one, so there’s no way it would have been able to follow me.”
Alexander didn’t relax. “That’s good, but the situation is still bad,” he said. “Very bad.”
Nicole nodded. “Lizzie, you need to be very careful.”
“Of course,” I said, slightly annoyed that she would even say something like that. And besides, how was I supposed to be careful when I didn’t know why the dog had been attacking the man? “What did I see? What’s going on?”
Alexander answered first. “There are creatures on this planet that do not belong here. We believe they are being drawn here partially because of you and partially because this place is so ripe for them. It has been hundreds of years since demons from other planets have come out of sheer curiosity. I’m worried they’ll like it enough to stay.”
I tilted my head, still stuck on the first reason he’d given for the creatures coming. “Because of me?” How ridiculous. “Why would they be coming here because of me?”
Instead of answering, Alexander pulled a music box out of a satchel, setting it on the coffee table in front of him, then scooting it toward me.
I recognized the box as one of Nicole’s. “Isn’t that yours?” I asked her.
She picked it up, handing it to me. “Yes. It has information in it that I sealed a long time ago in an effort to protect it.”
In a music box? “What sort of information?”
“Things about you,” Alexander said. “Some of the creatures are hunting you and would do anything to destroy you.”
I raised my eyebrow. Did he really believe that? “You’re kidding, right? It’s Nicole who has made enemies all over the universe—not me. I didn’t even go with her on most of her adventures.”
Alexander shook his head. “I wish I were kidding. No, they’re drawn to you partially because you’re a Fire Impeder, but mainly because of a prophecy that was given specifically about you many, many years ago.”
Chapter Five
“A prophecy?” I snorted, then pushed my incredulity aside as another question popped into my mind. “Wait. Are you saying that dog is one of those creatures, and that it’s hunting me?”
Alexander didn’t meet my eye. “The less you know right now, the better. The fact that you’re drawing attention already, though, says that the measures put into place to protect you years ago are starting to fail.” He looked up at me. “As you get more powerful, your essence becomes so strong, they go into a frenzy over it. We can no longer guarantee your safety by withholding all information from you—just some of it.”
I looked at Nicole. Had she really been keeping things from me this whole time? “What do you know about this?”
Nicole put a hand to her stomach, and I was reminded of the fact that she was pregnant. So exciting! Instead of going all giddy on her, though, I waited for her to respond.
“As Alexander hinted to earlier, while you and I were in high school, he approached me to help him with something. It was all about this prophecy. I sealed it, hiding it. As a way to protect me, and anyone who interacted with me during that time, Alexander removed my memories of the event.”
“You mean, all through college—all the time we spent together—you had no memory of any of this.” I wasn’t really asking, just stating, trying to understand.
Nicole shook her head. “The memories began coming back slowly, then all in a rush over the last few days. It almost felt like they were fake until I talked to Tiffany.”
I raised my eyebrow. “You went to your mom?” Her mother was an awful person. In fact, Tiffany and her husband were serving time for trying to kill Nicole and accidentally killing someone else instead. Awful, awful people. “What does she have to do with this?”
“Well, she owed a powerful person a favor, and in return, that person magically forced her to protect the music box until I was ready to learn more. Tiffany doesn’t really care about Aretes, as you know, and because of that, it wasn’t dangerous for her to learn a little a
bout what was going on. And she didn’t care enough about me to find out more, so as soon as she knew what she was supposed to do, she did it, then put it from her mind.”
“What am I supposed to do about all this?” I asked. “Hide? Put it from my mind? Buy a sword and go all Conan the Barbarian?”
Alexander half smiled. “You need to travel to Mount Koven in Alaska. Deep in the heart of Denali, beneath Koven Peak, is a place where knowledge is stored. If you take the data chip in this music box with you, you’ll gain access to information about the prophecy and what you need to do to protect yourself.”
“Protect myself? You mean, from all these dangerous creatures that are seeking me?” If the dog was one of them, I was on board with the protection thing.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. But you can’t really do it without the Shade Amulet. And in order to get that, you must travel to Alaska.”
“The Shade Amulet?” I asked. “What’s that?”
“I can’t tell you. Not without getting you into trouble. But don’t worry—you’ll be finding out soon.”
“Why can’t I know now?” I asked.
“If we tell you what you want to know, the creatures that are hunting you will sense your increase in knowledge. That will lead them straight to you, and they will destroy, then devour you.”
“Okay, that’s intense.”
Even though my thoughts immediately went to the man and the dog, I still found it hard to believe any of this. The fact that Nicole was here, though, said that the situation was more serious than I thought. If Nicole believed, I should probably believe too. But still, my brain didn’t want to wrap itself around this whole thing. “Aren’t prophecies a little clichéd? I mean, it’s like, ‘Harry Potter, you’re the Chosen One’ all over again.”
Alexander looked confused, but Nicole smiled.
“She’s talking about a popular book series for teenagers.” She pushed her smile aside and said, “It’s not exactly like that—if you fail, the whole world won’t be destroyed. No great, powerful wizard will take over everything. So you’re not like a chosen one who will save everyone on the planet.”
Alexander tilted his head. “That’s mostly accurate,” he said. “Devastation is always a possibility. More likely, though, is that after the beings destroy you, they’ll either get bored and move on, or they’ll take over the world and steal the knowledge that anyone on earth gains.”
Getting destroyed wasn’t high on my list. “Why are you telling me all this?” I asked. “If knowing more places me in danger, why tell me at all?”
Alexander leaned back, putting his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He didn’t respond for a moment. “Because there’s a fine line between knowing too much and not knowing enough. In either case, you’re in danger, especially since as you gain power and ability, you attract their attention. You need to have enough information to keep yourself protected until you can gain all the information.”
My head was starting to ache. Could his explanation be more convoluted? “But why me?” I asked.
“As I said, you’re a Fire Impeder. Choosing that profession led you to begin fulfilling the prophecy.”
Nicole glanced at Alexander, an eyebrow up. “You never told me that.”
Alexander looked embarrassed for a moment. “I’m sorry I wasn’t upfront with you. But even if you’d known to discourage her, she eventually would have become a Fire Impeder anyway. It just might’ve happened years and years in her future, when she wouldn’t have been nearly as youthful, energetic, and powerful as she is now. Getting older obviously creates limitations, especially when it comes to magic. When Aretes overdo it, magic takes away from their senses, right?” He motioned to her. “You lose the ability to feel pain when you’ve done too much.” He motioned to me. “And Lizzie, you stop recognizing the things you’re touching.”
Alexander didn’t wait for me to respond before continuing. “Some people lose their eyesight. Imagine what would happen if their eyes were already going bad due to old age. The magic would pull from somewhere else. And experimenting with powers as an older person, not knowing which sense is being drawn from, is unwise and dangerous. It is better that she became a Fire Impeder at a younger age so she would be able to understand her powers and fight back while she’s in her prime.”
He motioned at Nicole again. “You’ve seen me fight. The age I chose to become when I turned into a human has limitations. I chose it because I didn’t want to have to deal with all the passions of the flesh humans experience as youths, but in exchange for more levelheadedness, I tire easily and do not have nearly as much physical stamina.”
I looked at him for the first time—really looked at him. I’ve never been good with details. I couldn’t tell you what I’d worn yesterday, or even what I was wearing right then without looking down. This was the first time I’d noticed that Alexander’s light-brown hair was graying. He wore blue jeans and a tan leather jacket, both of which gave off an air of casualness and an approachability.
“Are you magical?” I asked. “An Arete?” I had my doubts—I couldn’t sense any magic flowing around him like I could with Nicole.
Alexander didn’t answer for a moment. “In a manner of speaking, yes, I’m magical, but not an Arete. I’ll tell you more about myself later, but for now, we need to get you up to Mount Koven.”
Nicole didn’t act like anything he said was a surprise, and it made me wonder something. “Why is it okay for you to know so much?” I asked. “Isn’t it dangerous for you too?” If she got injured now that she was finally expecting a baby, I’d be one angry Fire Impeder.
“Of course it is,” she said. “But the draw these creatures have toward you is stronger than the draw they’re experiencing with me just knowing who they are. Basically, they’ll take care of the greatest threat before moving on to lesser threats. Lucky for you, I’m a lesser threat.”
Even though I knew she was being sarcastic, I still couldn’t keep from bristling. “How is it lucky that my best friend is in danger, even if it is ‘lesser’?” I asked. I didn’t mean to be sassy or rude—I just didn’t like the fact that if I got destroyed, she would be next in line. “Can’t you hide her somewhere?” I asked Alexander. “Does she have to be so vulnerable?”
Nicole bristled. “I’m not vulnerable,” she said. “I do have access to a great deal of magical items, I have Austin and his parents with me, and not only that, but I’m a Silver, for crying out loud.”
I nodded. She was right. She was super strong on her own—being a Silver meant she controlled all the elements, and anyone would be an idiot to go up against her. She’d also married into one of the most powerful Arete families in the world. Her husband, Austin, had Restarted when he was fifteen—super young—and from what I’d heard, his parents had both Restarted around sixteen. Anything before seventeen is really rare.
I leaned forward. “So, I have to go to Mount Koven.”
“Yes.” Alexander handed me a small map of Anchorage and Denali. “Koven is this peak here,” he said, pointing to a part of Denali.
“What do I do once I get there?” I asked.
“First, you need to go to Petersville, right here.” He pointed at a tiny little spot on the map maybe two inches above Anchorage, right at the base of Denali. “An elderly woman—a friend of mine—will find you there.”
“And then what happens?” I asked.
“She’ll take you to the Akashic.”
I blinked. “Come again?”
“It’s a Sanskrit word that basically means ‘atmosphere.’ In other languages, it means ‘heaven.’ Several humans have theorized that there’s a place in the heavens where all knowledge is stored, and that it’s accessible only by appointed people. They call it the Akashic records, and they are partially right. It’s not in the skies, but deep under Mount Koven. And yes, it is where all knowledge is stored and protected.”
“What do you have to do with this?” I asked.
“I’m a guardian of knowledge,” he said.
Nicole looked at him. “I thought we weren’t going to tell her who you are.”
“There’s nothing wrong with her knowing I guard knowledge,” he said. “And I didn’t tell her who I am, just what my job is.”
“Fair enough,” Nicole said.
“Anyway,” he said to me, “you need to leave today.”
“I’ve already checked into flights,” Nicole said, looking at me, “and I purchased a ticket for you. Your plane leaves Salt Lake City at one o’clock this afternoon.”
My head started reeling again. I’d need to find someone to take care of Sia. “That doesn’t give me a lot of time to pack and get to the airport. And this feels so premature.”
Alexander didn’t argue or agree. “Just trust us on this one. Once you get the Shade Amulet and the other information you seek, you can do with them what you will. But if you choose not to fight these demons, everything Nicole did for you in high school will be for nothing.”
Chapter Six
It was low, and he knew it—I could tell he didn’t enjoy manipulating me that way. So why do it at all? Probably because it would work. I loved Nicole, and thinking about her going through crap for me made me want to do anything for her. “Fine. I’ll go.”
Nicole smiled, relaxing against the couch. “Oh, good.” She reached over and pulled on one of my stray curls that had escaped from my messy bun. “Why is your hair up? You never used to wear your hair up. And what on earth happened to the red?”
I shrugged. “I put it up because I don’t have time most days to really do it. And I dye it brown now because I found I was getting way too much attention with the red. The moment I would enter a dangerous situation—a shooting, robbery, or bomb threat—and they saw my red hair, most people correctly assumed I was a Fire Impeder. Especially while doing my trainings with Mr. Sizemore in Washington D.C., it got to the point where people were yelling ‘Fire Impeder’ when I first arrived. I gave in to his recommendations only a few months after I started. I miss my red hair, but I’d so much rather not have bombs go off when people see me coming.”
The Shade Amulet Page 3