)Go to the Bookstore. +1 Wisdom
As the decision crystallized in your mind, you sat up, eyes latching onto the shelf of books. Your father's book- and his memory-were important to you, and you couldn't help but feel the the state it was in symbolized your own fragile life. You needed to fix things before you were too late.
As a spark of determination rose up within you, you stood and walked over to the case, carefully sliding out the book. With one last glance around the room, you sighed, and walked out, careful not to disturb your tried to ignore the loud sobs and murmured denials as you walked past.
The bookstore was a familiar one, a small, cozy thing that sat just a few blocks away from your apartment. From the front you couldn't see much through the thick clouded glass of the windows, and the only recognizable trait was an old faded word missing most of its letters etched into the you opened the door, however, all of that was swept away by a powerful sense of nostalgia and comfort.
The shop's insides could not be more different. The scent of wisdom and knowledge hung heavy in the air, recognizable by the musk of parchment and leather. The room was lit by candles, scattered about as they cast a warm glow all around them where they sat on small round tables and balanced precariously on the top of bookcases. The place was empty of people for the most part, with only a tall, scraggly boy possessing fiery red hair and a disturbing number of freckles lounging behind the counter looking bored.
"Hello, and welcome to McNauley's." The boy said tiredly, glancing up from the magazine he was reading. When he saw you, however, he perked up slightly,a hint of interest coming to his eye. "Jenna! How are you?"
"Fine, Shaun." You muttered, trying to avoid eye contact. Shaun McNauley had an unhealthy fascination with his own attractiveness, and testing it out on practically anything with legs. As a long-time customer, you were well-acquainted with the older boy's horrible flirting and had no desire to deal with it today. "I came to get a book repaired." You held up the two torn halves, wincing when Shaun's eyes widened.
"Right, I'll go get my father then. He'll fix you right up" He said, moving with an impressive speed towards the back room. You weren't surprised; Old man McNauley was the one who usually handled repairs, not to mention Shaun must have been shocked at the sheer level of damage. You had always been one to take care of your books. Luckily, that meant it wasn't long until he returned with the older man trailing along behind him.
"Ah, Miss Law. It is good to see you." You smiled at the warm voice of McNauley, happy memories springing to life at its sound. He was an older man, with grey starting to edge into his fiery hair and the lines of long years smiling stretched across his face. The age did not lessen his presence, however. McNauley stood tall as he walked towards you, powerfully built with a lithe body that spoke of his military history. Dressed in a dark suit and holding a well-crafted cane topped by a dragon's head, the proud man with twinkling blue eyes looked more like a well-aged gentleman than a shopkeeper.
"Hi, Mr. McNauley." you greeted, tilting your head in respect. He smiled, and did the same, before tapping lightly with his cane and turning serious.
"So, what is it that has brought you to my little realm, Miss Law? Surely you have not stopped by just for a chat." Your lips twitched at the humor in McNauley's voice, memories of long hours spent drinking tea and simply talking flooding your mind. McNauley had been one of the few to grant you comfort after your father died. He had, in fact, served with the man, for a time. But it had been years since the last time you simply visited, and it would be at least another day.
"No, sorry." You answered, smiling apologetically. "I… had an accident, with a book, and needed it repaired." Again, you held up the torn halves, handing them over when he gestured.
"The Return of the King." McNauley murmured as he ran his hands over the front cover, a small frown stealing onto his face. "You are normally very careful with this tome, as I remember. What happened?" You winced, looking away. McNauley knew how important the book was to you, and to your father. The look of disappointment in his eyes twisted the knife already buried in your heart from your failure.
"I tripped." You lied, struggling to keep your voice level. You didn't want to. It would be so easy to spill, to tell Mr. McNauley and his son all about the three bitches and what they had done, but… McNauley would destroy them. You knew he saw you as family; a daughter, even. And hidden under the genial old man persona was a soldier who had been to war, and would stop at nothing to protect his family. But if he dealt with the three, you would never get the chance to stand up for yourself. "I was reading at the time, and landed awkwardly."Even as the words came slipping out of your mouth, you knew McNauley didn't believe them. For a long time, the old man gazed at you searchingly. You met him, however, with a steel you hadn't quite been sure you possessed, and after several long seconds, he sighed.
"As you will." McNauley said, before waving to the reset of the shop dismissively. "Feel free to browse while you wait. This may take awhile." You felt something squeeze inside you as you heard the heavy disappointment in his voice. Before you could say anything, however, he was gone, striding away without a glance backwards and leaving you to stand with Shaun awkwardly.
"So… you free tonight?" Shaun asked after several seconds of silence. Flinching at the sudden sound, you frowned and walked away, throwing your response over your shoulder.
"No."
XXX
The shelves were silent as you lost yourself within them, blissfully so. You trailed your finger lightly over the titles of their contents, struggling to distract you from the gnawing guilt in your stomach. You hated lying to McNauley. Just as he saw you as a daughter, you saw him as a father figure. It was even worse since he always knew. WIthout fail, the ex-soldier sensed any untruth passing your lips, and didn't hesitate to show his disappointment, as shown by his brusque dismissal. Shaun being Shaun hadn't helped, either.
Sighing, you pushed those thoughts away, locking them in the back of your mind as best you could, and lifted a book from the shelf. It was familiar, an old tale of knights, dragons, and wise old wizards that you had fallen asleep to more than once. Even as you opened it gently and ran your fingers over the aging parchment within, you couldn't help the small smile that curved your lips. It reminded you of younger times, simpler ones, when you could dream of those kinds of stories. You had always fancied yourself a decent wizard.
Ting-ting. The sudden sound of a bell ringing shocked you out of your reverie, and you snapped the book in your hands shut from the surprise even sa you drew in a sharp breath. For several seconds, you stood still, trying to calm yourself. When your breathing finally evened, however, you leaned your head around the bookshelf you were behind curiously to look at the front of the shop. What you saw there both surprised and confused you.
The man standing at the counter across from Shaun was not McNauley's usual sort of customer. With short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that burned like cold fire, he had a terrifying aura around him despite his young age. The strangest thing about him, however, aside from the scowl he was giving Shaun, was his clothing. The man almost looked like he was going to a fancy party, With a dark suit that hugged his chiseled body and a snowy white fedora to match.
"Good afternoon. I am here to speak to Elder McNauley." The man's voice was a smooth, rich tenor as he addressed Shaun, but there was a tautness to it, a cool disdain that instantly had you narrowing your eyes. Shaun's reaction, unsurprisingly, was similar as he answered, frowning.
"My father hasn't gone by that title in years. Who are you?" As soon as the wrods left Shaun's mouth, you knew they had been the wrong thing to say. The stranger's eyes sharpened, and he took a short, sharp step forward. The air seemed to chill as he locked gazes with Shaun and his mouth tightened until it was nothing more than a thin line.
"That, is none of your business. I will deal with the old man, not some whelp who thinks his bite is worse than his bark." For a second, there was silence as the two boys stared at each other, a silent conversation burning in the air between them. As a flare of rage shot through your body, you pondered interrupting them. Yes, Shaun was an ass. Yes, there were times you wished you could smack some sense into him, preferably at the end of a baseball that didn't give this jerk the right to just walk into a shop and start insulting people. Before you could step forward, however, Shaun finally looked away, jerking his head to the side with an irritated tsk.
"Fine, I'll go get him. Stay here and try not to kill anybody." You stared in shock as the redhead turned and walked away, muttering a string of choice curses. For the next several minutes, the shop was silent as you struggled to understand what had just happened. You couldn't quite believe Shaun had just left like that. The McNauley's were prideful men, who never took a slight, perceived or otherwise, without returning it three-fold, at least. To see one of them be so casually brushed aside, and then slink off like a beat dog, just didn't compute in your head. It was impossible.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Chase McClaire."McNauley's voice, cold in a way you hadn't heard in years, snapped you out of your mild panic attack, and your eyes shot open wide as you once again took in the scene at the , as it appeared his name was, had been looking around the shop boredly as he stood, with only the slightest spark of interest in his eyes. Now, however, he had snapped to attention and was turning baleful eyes on the old shopkeeper. That, however, wasn't what caught your attention the most. No, that particular honor belonged to McNauley himself.
The elder redhead was angry, in a way you had never seen him before. Utter fury radiated off McNauley's form as he glared at Chase, his eyes frozen into shards of blue eyes. His lips, so used to a cheerful smile, were pale, hard lines set in a cast of iron. You could even see his muscles coiling under his clothing, tensed and ready to leap into action at any second as McNauley's battle instincts, still sharp from his days of war, teetered on the edge of snapping.
"Elder McNauley." Chase's voice, surprisingly, was nothing but cordial as he tilted his head to the older man in greeting, though even you could see a slight wariness about his eyes. "It has been a long time."
"Not long enough." McNauley spat out, taking a short step forward. Almost instantly, Chase reacted, shifting backwards to match as he too tensed. "What are you here for, boy?"
"The Liber Judicii." His answer was steady, but you could tell even from where you were hiding that Chase was struggling to keep calm as he stared down McNauley. You weren't surprised really, even amidst the confusion you were feeling as you watched the conversation progress. The man could be terrifying when he wanted to be. To your undying surprise, however, it was McNauley who took a step back this time, stiffening in shock.
"You know I can't-" He started, only for Chase to suddenly cut him off with an iron tone.
"He's back." In an instant, McNauley's words died on his lips, and your own thougts stalled hard as you witnessed something you had never thought to see. McNauley paled.
"What-what did you say?" The old man, who normally was so fierce and strong, practically squeaked out the words, tongue flicking out to lick suddenly dry , somehow, looked little better, though not from mere fear. Now, you could see an overwhelming sense of sheer terror in his eyes, even as the younger man visibly tried to calm himself.
"I said he's back. And he's coming for all three of the Gifts."McNauley paled even further, and it took all your self control not to freak out as you watched the extremely terrifying conversation progress. You had no idea what was happening, but obviously, McNauley knew this Chase person, whoever he was. That in itself wasn't unbelievable, if a little surprising. He barely looked out of high school, if that. And yet, whatever they were talking about had scared McNauley. Nothing scared the old man, not for as long as you remembered knowing him. It was enough to make sure you shut up and continued listening as Chase spoke up again. "I've been ordered to collect the Liber and move it to a more secure sight."
"Instantly, the terror faded from McNauley's countenance, and you almost breathed a sigh of relief. Now the man you recognized was coming to the forefront, the old soldier with a will of iron who took no shit from anyone as his features hardened into a vicious scowl.
"Now listen here, boy. There is a reason was was named guardian." You almost smirked as Chase flinched. Oh yeah, that was definitely the traditional McNauley 'bullshit' tone.
"I don't doubt that." Chase replied, and now you could hear sas he struggled to keep his voice steady, this time from anger. "But you don't realize just how severe this situation is. All the Gifts are being recalled, and he's making his move tonight. I don't have time to argue with you." And just like that, McNauley was back to pale, though this time he managed to keep most of the fear from his features. You shuddered at the sight. Whoever this person was that McNauley seemed so terrified of must have been bad news if the old shopkeeper was scared of him.
"Alright." McNauley finally grumbled after a long moment of silence, glaring at give me a few moments to get it. And no," The man said suddenly as Chase started to move forward, cutting him off. "You stay here. I won't have all my security breached for this." You could tell Chase wanted to argue, but he kept silent, and you watched McNauley's retreating back intently. You had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, it was bad, and your favorite shopkeeper was deeply involved. You had to fight your own curiosity back as you waited for the old man to return. You had a feeling that this conversation was meant to be private, and had nothing to do with you. As much as that might grate, whatever mess McNauley was in had terrified the old man himself. You had no business trying to involve yourself with something like that, especially considering your own problems at the moment. Thankfully, the old man returned quickly, and you turned your attention back to the conversation just as he handed Chase a thick leather-bound book.
"And thus I pass on my responsibility, and place this weight upon your shoulders. Bear it well, Child of the Path." You blinked as McNauley intoned the distinctly ceremonial sounding words. A moment later, Chase nodded and responded with his own.
"I accept the burden, and shall guard it with my life and soul, blood and bone, heart and mind. Fare thee well, Elder, and may your path be brighter than before."Even as you struggled to understand what the two men were saying, Chase nodded again, spun in a tight circle, and walked out the door of the shop with little more decorum. With him went the tense air that had pervaded the shop since he first entered it, and you almost collapsed at tis absence. Before you could collect yourself any, however, you heard a heavy sigh.
"You can come out now, Jenna. The show is over."You jerked at the sound of McNauley's voice, before scrambling out of the shelves towards the counter sa they registered.
"I swear, I wasn't trying to-" You babbled out, attempting to explain yourself well enough that McNauley wouldn't beat you black and blue for spying, but cut off when the elder raised a calm hand.
"It is fine, Jenna." He said in a tired voice, smiling gently at you. "The conversation did not concern you, but it does no harm to have heard it. Put it from your mind, and all will be forgotten." At this, you nodded eagerly despite knowing that it would never be so easy. Still, you smiled and agreed as best you could.
"Of Course, Mr. McNauley. It was none of my business, anyways." The man's smile widened a touch more, and he nodded contentedly. "Good. Now, I believe I have something for you." ALmost without warning, the old man slid something over to you, and as soon as your eyes landed on it, they widened.
"My book!" You gasped, grabbing it and pulling it close. And indeed, in your hands was a small tome bound in thick leather, with 'The Return of the King' embossed upon its front. With a fierce sense of joy you clasped it to your chest, beaming at McNauley. "Thank you, a thousand times over."He did not speak, merely nodding lightly and smiling once again at your reaction as you searched frantically for your you tried to hand him the money-his usual fair for such things-McNauley placed a thick hand upon yours and closed it, pushing the payment away.
"For this, child, I am glad to help. Just don't go tripping anymore, understood?" Instantly, your face was consumed with a bright crimson crush as you looked away, just barely remembering your excuse for the book's destruction.
"I won't." You swear with utter conviction, and for a moment, you see the light of surprise in his eyes. It disappeared a moment later however, to be replaced with a broad smile.
"I'll hold you to it. Off you go then, I'm sure a young woman like you has better things to do than stand here and gab with an old man like me." McNauley shooed you away with light flapping motions, and grudgingly you complied, moving to the door. Just before exiting however, you grinned, shaking your head.
"Never."
XXX
You were lost. A grove of trees surrounded you, ancient and creaking as they swayed in the wind. You stumbled through them, desperately searching for something. Then, just as you began to despair, you burst from the thick brush into a clearing, flailing in surprise.
The clearing was strange, you thought. Circling its edges stood seven massive stone thrones, weathered by long years and covered in intricate carvings. Seated upon each, their eyes settling on you with unerring accuracy, were seven people, each as diverse and unbelievable as their surroundings.
"Ah. It would seem you have finally decided to join us." The first spoke from where he sat directly across from you, and unbidden your gaze was drawn to him. He was an old man, withered and bent as he clutched a gnarled staff of pale bark, but his eyes were kind as he smiled at you. Draped across his form was a robe of dark, shimmering material that glittered with tiny lights like stars in a night sky. His throne, in contrast, shone a pale shimmer of moonlight, soft and inviting.
"You make it sound like she had a choice." A gruff voice barked out, and you turned your head to find its owner. This man could not be more different from the first if he tried, you thought numbly as you took him in. Seated upon a throne that looked as if it had been drenched in blood, he was tall and broad, with his features cloaked in a heavy suit of steel armor colored to match. Leaning against his throne was a massive golden axe that gleamed dimly in the soft light filtering through the trees.
"Where-where am I?" You manage to stutter out, despite the shock and confusion closing your throat. You remembered returning home, falling asleep, and then… Nothing. The next thing you could remember was stumbling through the woods, just minutes before finding this clearing.
"Safe, child. You are safe." A third replied softly, and this time you couldn't help the strangled gasp that escaped your throat. The speaker, a woman for once, was beautiful. Tall and graceful as she reclined luxuriously in the golden throne that matched her long hair, her skin seemed to glow like a dying sun. She was clothed in a brilliant white dress that hugged every curve she had, and her smile was that of a goddess as she looked at you with unbelievable warmth. That smile disappeared, however, when the person seated next to her spoke up in a hollow, rasping whisper.
"For now, at least. We all know it will not last." You were forced to suppress a shudder as you turned your eyes to this speaker, though whether it was of terror or pleasure, you could not tell. She was… beautiful, was a word, but not the one that first jump to mind. This woman, shrouded in a cloak and cowl that seemed to be cut from living darkness, was a terrible sight to behold. Her emerald eyes glittered with venomous amusement as they rested upon you, and yet you could not help but notice the terrible sadness that lurked behind it. Her smile, as well, seemed to be filled with just as much grief as sharp, vicious teeth. Her hair, unsurprisingly, was as dark as her throne.
"What do you mean by that?" You asked, your voice shaking. Surprisingly, any answer was cut off by a sudden laugh, low and cackling with madness.
"Oh, oh, the creature does know how to ask, doesn't she? What indeed? Perhaps we should throw a party!" Almost afraid to look, you turned once again. This person, ironically, did not surprise you, so much as you were too confused as to what should be shocking the most. His throne, more a motley assortment of randomly colored blocks and-were those fish?- matched his wild features and crazed smile to a tee. Everything from the bucket on his head to the whoopee cushion he was brandishing towards you with undisguised glee spoke of utter chaos, and the less said about his clothes, the better.
"Enough, brother, do not scare her. You know better." A pale, slender hand struck out from beside the mad being to slap him upside his head, and without prompting your eyes traced up its length, down the arm connected to it, and all the way back to its owner's body. Once there, you were again struck speechless as you stared. Seated upon the pristine white throne carved out of marble was a woman who looked remarkably similar to your mother. Her demeanor, however, was one you had never seen upon the insane woman in your life. She sat erect, a stern expression on her face as she pursed her lips in disappointment. She wore armor, lighter and slimmer than the warrior's as it hugged her curves, and colored a majestic burnished gold that shone brightly. In her free hand was held an equally brilliant golden spear.
"What is going on?" You asked, your desperation finally breaking free as you stared around the circle of thrones. You were so lost, and confused. Who were these people, where were you, and why? Nothing made sense anymore.
"You are dreaming." A coy voice said, little more than a whisper as it slipped into your mind, and almost fearfully you turned to the seventh, and last, of the throned men and women. She was young, more girl than a woman, and as her lips stretched in a playful smirk and her emerald eyes sparkled, you were struck by her youthful exuberance. Flaming red hair, wild and proud, cascaded down her back in loose curls as she lounged sideways on her throne of glass with one long, pale leg thrown over the armrest. You watched as she popped a grape into her mouth from the bowl beside her, grinning widely at you. "Of course, that won't last long, but then the fun begins."
"Jenna Law." You were drawn from your gaping to look at the first of the seven once again, his kindly blue eyes glimmering as he smiled softly at you. "You are confused, and that is understandable. But we brought you here to deliver a warning, and do not have time for explanations." For a long, long moment, you stared at the elder. You could feel the gazes of the others upon you as your gazes locked, but you pushed them away, sensing that to allow yourself to be distracted at this moment would be bad. You gulped loudly.
"What is the warning?" Your voice was surprisingly steady as you asked the question, with a calm resolve you didn't quite feel. It seemed enough, however, and you were rewarded with a broader grin.
"The Gift has chosen you, child, and for that, you should be honored. But with every boon there is a cost; When you awaken, you will be in grave danger." As you listened to the old man, you couldn't help but wonder if you had well and truly gone insane. All of this was… so confusing. You weren't stupid; far from it, actually. But even if this weren't just a weird dream, you did not like the sound of the his words.
"And so what? Am I supposed to go on some epic quest to save the world?" You spat out, venomous sarcasm coating your words. You felt a measure of satisfaction well up as he flinched, but it was stomped out by another voice interrupting before you could say anymore.
"You will fight." Your head snapped to the side to glare at the armored woman, but the expression was ignored with stoic grace. "Whatever you choose, you will fight. Our warning is thus. If you wish to live, keep the book safe. It is your shield against a world far more vast and terrifying than you know."
"What do you mean? What book?" You demanded, taking a furious step towards the woman. You got no further, however, before the one dressed in black spoke again, cutting you off.
"We grow short on time. Farewell, Jenna Law. I pray you live through the night." You opened your mouth to speak, sharp words on the tip of your tongue, but a moment later she waved a hand, and dark, inky blackness swept out from it. You blinked, stepping back, but it moved far faster than you could see, and a second later your entire world was consumed.
XXX
You gasped awake, cold sweat staining your brow as your body launched into a sitting position. For a long second, you sat there, breathing deeply as you struggled to calm your racing heart.
"Fucking hell." You muttered to yourself, finally managing to draw in a semi-deep breath. That dream… you flinched as the memories flooded your mind. It had been so vivid, so clear, you couldn't help but wonder if it had been true. It was impossible, of course, dreams were simply dreams. And even if it had, what would you have done about it? Those people had been more than confusing, and the only coherent thing you remembered them saying was something about being in danger. You snorted, about to push the thought away, but then you froze as something caught your ear. A faint, whispering sound, coming from deep in the shadows of your room. "Who's there? Mom?"
You didn't see the thing when it came. One moment, you were sitting on your bed, breathing heavily as you struggled to stifle the primal fear rising within you, and the next, something struck your throat, tightening around it in an iron grasp. An instant later you were slammed against the wall with inhuman strength, eliciting a gasp from you as pain blossomed in your skull.
"The book! Where is the book!?" You flinched at the hissing voice in your ear, useless as it was. You were held helpless against the cold plaster by some sort of shadowy beast, a living darkness that shifted and writhed as it tightened its grip.
"I don't… know what… you're talking about!" You gasp out scrabbling at the dark hand around your throat. The shadow didn't respond to your efforts; instead, it pushed what looked like its head up against your cheek, and you shivered as something cold and wet touched you.
"Liessss," the voice whispered as it made loud snuffling sounds, and suddenly you felt a desperate urge to vomit. The thing was sniffing you. Revulsion crawled up your throat at the realization. "You knows where it is, I smell it upon you." The grip tightened even more, and finally, you collapsed limply in its grasp as your strength faded.
Whoomph. For the third time that night, you found yourself wondering just how fortunes could shift so swiftly. One moment, you were collapsing in the shadow-beast's grip, consigning yourself to your fate. The next however, the door to your room was crashing open as if someone had run a battering ram into it. Behind was a sight you were both terrified and unbelievably relieved to see.
"Lumens incidens!" Chase's shout, in a language you didn't recognize, rang in your ears, and you watched in amazement and surprise as a blinding flash of light burst from his hand. It struck the monster, and a piercing shriek echoed loudly as it released you. Gasping, you collapsed back onto your bed one hand flying up to rub your throat. You kept your eyes open however, and focused upon the two beings who had invaded your room.
The shadow beast hissed in pain, its anger apparent as it seemed almost to unfold until it filled nearly half the room. Chase-for yes, it was the young man you had seen conversing with McNauley- didn't even flinch at the sight. Instead, he held out a hand as if to be handed something, before intoning more words in what you could almost swear was latin. "Ensium lux." Your eyes widened as, instead of Chase appearing like a nerdy idiot, he was suddenly cast in sharp relief, and a sword of pure light formed in his hand.
"You shall die, little mage." The creature hissed, but you thought you could see a sudden uneasiness in its shifting form. Indeed, it seemed almost to recoil from the blade and its surrounding light. Chase didn't seem bothered either as he took a confident step forward and grinned.
"We'll see." he stated calmly, and even you quailed at the piercing fire that burned within his gaze. The shadow-beast, however, became enraged, throwing itself forward. You watched, with wide eyes, as the apparently not-a-normal-guy sidestepped with the ease of long practice and swept his blade up in a vicious arc that bisected the monster. The was a scream, even louder and more piercing than the one before, and the next second it burst into a cloud of shadowy substance that dispersed almost immediately.
"What was that?" You asked into the ensuing silence after a long moment of staring at the shadowy remains and Chase standing like an avenging angel in the middle of your bedroom. As soon as the words left your mouth, he turned his piercing gaze upon you.
"A demon." He answered shortly, and with an almost thoughtless flick of his hand, dispelled the light blade. He took a step forward, and suddenly, you were wishing the light was still there, even if it cut cut shadow-demons. Chase looked far more terrifying with the shadows obscuring most of his face. "Where is the book?"
The sudden request, so reminescent of the demon's, had you flinching. You looked up, meeting Chase's gaze. "What book?' You asked, just barely keeping the quaver out of your voice. You honestly had no idea what was going on anymore, and everybody seemed to be obsessed with this damn book. What was so important about it, and why did everybody think you had it?
"The book." Chase replied irritably, turning away to scan your room. A muttered word summoned a small orb of light in his hand, and you suppressed a sigh of relief as he raised it to look at your bookshelf. "The book Elder McNauley was supposed to fix for you." Suddenly, your eyes narrowed, and you rose from the bed to move beside him, catching his free hand as it trailed the leather spines.
"Why do you care about my book?" You asked with narrowed eyes, hostility dripping from every word. Chase, for his part, froze, before turning a wintry glare upon you.
"One, do not touch me." The words were even, disturbingly so, and yet there was something so sharp about them that you almost feared you would bleed as he jerked his wrist free. And two, I care because it is not your book. It is mine."
You stared as the man turned from you once again, resuming his path along the book spines until suddenly his finger stopped, and he breathed a small "Aha!" A moment later, your father's copy of The Return of the King was in his hands, and you blinked as ran one over the cover thoughtfully.
"Hey, that's mine." You said after several seconds as your brain finally caught up to what was happening, and you lunged for the book. Almost as if he were expecting it, however, Chase simply shifted, moving the book out of your grasp.
'I can see where you would think that." he said cooly, not even looking up at you. "But you would be wrong."
"Oh yeah?" You challenged, making another grab for the book. "That was my father's book. He gave it to me." That, it seemed, got his attention, and the infuriating man glanced up, a hint of a smile quirking his lips.
"I'm sure he did. Or at least, he would have, if this were actually the book you had repaired." That brought you up short, and you froze, staring at Chase.
"What do you mean by that?" You asked, a dangerous edge slipping into your tone. As you watched, the man's smile stretched into a devious smirk, and he flipped the book open to a random page. Morbidly curious, you leaned over, scanning it. Surprisingly, he was right. Where Tolkien's iconic literature should have been, you were instead faced with a full page of archaic calculations and symbols that made no sense to you. As a cold burning settled in your gut, you glanced up at Chase, quirking an eyebrow. "What the hell is this."
"The Liber Judicii." He smirked at your befuddled expression, and you felt an ever-growing urge to punch the man in the face. "It is an arcane tome of unimaginable power, one which many beings-including that demon I just killed, which you're welcome by the way- would slaughter entire nations to get ahold of. And you had it sitting of a shelf to collect dust."
"But-but… how?" You stuttered, not quite able to believe what you were hearing. It was one thing, of course, to see the guy stab a creepy shadow thing with his awesome sword of light. It was, however, another thing entirely to think there were more things like that out there in the big bad world. You hadn't even fully wrapped your head around the first bit, let alone your dream just before waking; and wasn't the Liber Judicii what he had asked McNauley for at the bookshop?
"SImple, really. McNauley thought he would be clever and pull a bait and switch with you. Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, it didn't work, and now I'm stuck cleaning up his mess." As you stared at Chase, trying to process what he had just said, the man snapped the book closed and turned, stalking towards your room's door. "Now, I have a rather lot to do at the moment, so you be a good girl and stay here. I might come check on you later to make sure you're not dead." For a brief moment, you stood there staring after the man, too shocked to do anything, just before he stepped out, however, you ran forward, grabbing his arm and turning him.
"Wati!" You shouted, face red as a thousand thoughts ran through your head alongside your annoyance at being so casually dismissed. "How did the demon know where to find me?" You asked the first question that came to your mind. For a moment, you almost wanted to hit yourself. How was that important? But you couldn't take it back, and so were orced to stand there, blushing furiously as Chase answered.
"Another demon possessed McNauley, I imagine." The man said almost flippantly, and your jaw dropped as you stared at him. Wait, what? "That's partly why I'm off to free him. If you don't want to die or be possessed as well, I suggest you stay here and out of my way."The last few words were spat out harshly at you, and you recoiled from him as Chase tore his arm free of your grasp once again. Without another word he whirled and disappeared from your room, leaving you there to stare after him. Now what were you going to do?
1( Follow Chase. He knows what's going on, and you don't want to be left alone if another demon shows up again. Not to mention, McNauley might be in danger, and you can't just leave him like that.
2(Stay. Chase knows what he's talking about, and it would be better to follow his orders. You might risk getting McNauley killed if you get in his way. Not to mention, your mother was helpless. If another demon came looking for you, she risked becoming demon food.
XXX
Alright, that's that. So, first, I would like to apologize for the delay on this. I've had a pretty hectic few weeks, and things have been difficult to keep track of. To make up for it though, I present an extra long chapter, yay!
On to other news, I have decided that after this and one more chapter, I will be posting the character sheet for Jenna. So make good choices, and please, talk in the thread. I would love to hear your opinions on the stories and why you chose how you did. Have fun, and don't forget to vote!
