Disclaimer: see Verse 1.

The Everblack Bible

Verse 6

The Best Hiding Place

By Random1377

Yuri yawned as he leaned back against the broad wooden fence, taking a quick look at the church's open, moonlit doors before turning to his companion and asking, "So you just barely got the place open?"

Zhuzhen gave him an irritated glance.  "It was heavy," he said sullenly, "and none of the townspeople would help me, since the place is supposed to be haunted by the spirits of all the Kaisers that have ruled the town for the last five hundred years."

"Right," Yuri winked, "and Keith couldn't help you because…?"

At this, Zhuzhen's irritation turned to embarrassment.  "Alright, alright," he muttered, giving a quick look around to make sure Keith was not within earshot.  Finding the vampire digging idly in the garden of one of the local people, Zhuzhen whispered, "I didn't want to ask him."

"What?" Yuri blinked, "Why not?"

Zhuzhen made a sour face.  "Listen kid," he murmured, "if someone came to you and asked you to harmonize for them… would you ask them to knock on the demon's door to wake it up for you?"

"Your analogies suck," Yuri said lightly, "but I guess I see your point.  If he had to help you, why have you come at all, right?"

"Something like that," Zhuzhen nodded, "I have my pride, you know."

"Could have fooled me."

The adept let the comment go, glancing instead at the cloudless evening sky.  They had chosen to open the church at night so Keith could be present – not that the sun was truly harmful to the vampire, contrary to popular belief, but it was slightly painful to his night-bred eyes – and Alice and Margarete had ventured into the building less than ten minutes prior to give it a preliminary once-over.

And to hell with having anyone accompany them, Zhuzhen thought ruefully, Margarete can be quite headstrong when she's feeling 'empowered' – and so can Alice, when you think about it.  He frowned.  Alice… Margarete… even Koudelka.  Hmmm…

"Don't you find it… interesting that we've all found our way back here?" Zhuzhen said idly.

"Well it could just be a coincidence," Yuri said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself of this argument.

"Right," Zhuzhen coughed, "sure.  So you don't find it the slightest bit interesting that Koudelka and Halley barely set foot on American soil when – after hearing nothing for ten years – they come across a rumor that Halley's father is back in London, prompting them to return almost immediately?"

"That's a little weird, yeah," Yuri admitted, "but everyone else stays around here anyway… except you."

"More or less," Zhuzhen shrugged, "Paris isn't that far from here – or rather, it's at least on the same continent… but isn't it odd how Margarete's latest assignment was cancelled, allowing her the freedom to travel with you two again?  And didn't Keith say he was tired of adventuring and planned to sleep for a few hundred years?"  He watched Nina tugging on Keith's hand, an expression of pouting visible on her features even at that distance.  "And when you get to it," he said slowly, "why bring me all the way from Shanghai to re-sanctify the church?  Alice would have been more than happy to do it – as would any number of local sages, adepts, and exorcists… they live for this kind of stuff."

Yuri forced a smile, waving to Alice as she and Margarete stepped out of the church, gesturing emphatically for him to come over so they could show him something.  "Do you think someone's pulling the strings again?" he asked quietly, taking a step towards the women.  "Like Dehual?"

"Not really sure yet," Zhuzhen said lightly, "but I think it would be best if I stay here and try to figure it out… believe it or not, I think that very church is significant somehow."

"Alright," Yuri nodded, "we'll stick around for a day or two, then head back towards Rouen, kinda start looking around that area."  He shrugged.  "Alice said she had a good feeling about heading that way… and since she's the one with the 'Demon Eyes,' I figure what the heck."

"Sounds like a plan," Zhuzhen replied, "watch your back."

"Always."

"Right," Zhuzhen snorted, "you're a regular model of self-control."

"Oh stuff it, old man," Yuri grunted, "like you're any better."

"Y-Yuri?  Zhuzhen?"

"Coming," Yuri yawned, turning to face the two women, "don't get all hot under the col-"

He cut himself off as he found Alice and Margarete wide-eyed and pale, their attention glued to a small bundle of cloth in the exorcist's arms.

"What's wrong?"

Alice slowly unwrapped the package, her hands shaking slightly as they uncovered a simple, jet-black book.  "I think…" she swallowed to clear her throat. "I think this is it."

**

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

Yuri's stunned exclamation broke the silence that had fallen over the small group, startling everyone with the explosiveness of its utterance.

"Well, umm," Alice stammered, giving Margarete a bemused, sideways glance, "no, I'm not… I think this is the Everblack Bible."

"And it was just tucked in the some corner of an old abandoned church??" Yuri sounded outraged at the very notion.  "That's just… too easy!"

"It wasn't just tucked into a corner," Margarete sniffed, folding her arms over her breasts and trying to hold in a huge grin. "It was sitting on the pulpit… wide open."

Yuri's mouth dropped open.

"I guess the best place to hide something is in plain view," Zhuzhen mused, stroking his chin as he regarded the book, "with the church in such a state of disrepair – and with a reputation for being haunted – no one would think of looking there for such a powerful artifact.  Very clever… but-"

"But who put it there," Yuri cut in skeptically, "you don't just leave something like that lying around!"

"Calm down, boy," Zhuzhen chuckled, "you sound like you're mad we found it at all."

Margarete laughed as Yuri scowled.  "So we've got it," she said thoughtfully, patting the harmonixer's shoulder in a consoling fashion, "now what do we do with it?  Hey, you guys are both mystical types… what kind of 'aura' does it have? Is it evil?"

"It doesn't have any aura," Alice laughed nervously, running her fingers lightly over the book's smooth cover, "it's like… it doesn't exist."

"Come again?" Yuri asked, confused.

"Everything has some aura," Zhuzhen clarified sagely, "be it the natural spirit of Gaia in the trees and rocks or the residue of past owners or creators, everything in the world has some kind of aura, no matter how faint."

"But not this book," Alice said, sounding somewhere between fear and awe.  "It's like it just… isn't there."

"Or maybe," Zhuzhen said thoughtfully, tapping the spine of the book, "maybe it somehow hides its aura, or masks it."  He narrowed his eyes.  "If you focus your attention on it, you can get the impression of something… but the harder you try, the vaguer it becomes – as if the book itself were trying to-"

"Oh cut the crap," Yuri interjected impatiently, "you're telling me the book doesn't want to be seen?  What a load of-"

"Mind your tongue, boy!" Zhuzhen snapped, showing the first traces of real anger, "This book is not to be taken lightly.  Many men have died in trying to uncover its secrets… many more have died trying to possess it – and no one that has come in contact with it has remained unscathed."

Yuri considered the Bible for a moment, then shrugged.  "If it's so bad, why not just burn it right now?  We have it right here."

Zhuzhen grinned… then stepped back and planted his staff in the ground.

"Ahh!"

Alice barely had time to raise her hands, instinctively holding the book out in front of her as Zhuzhen quickly incanted his Ogre Flame Dance.  Instantly, a series of small fireballs shot from the tip of his staff, seemingly eager to consume anything in their path… but as they got to within ten feet of where the exorcist stood, they were drawn into the Bible's cover, vanishing without a trace.

"So you see," Zhuzhen began with some satisfaction, "the Everbl-"

He cut himself in mid-sentence as Yuri stepped forward, his eyes blazing with malice.

"Don't you ever," he whispered, his muscles flexing dangerously as Margarete took hold of his right arm and held him back, "ever do something like that again!"

A long uncomfortable silence descended as Zhuzhen slowly pulled his staff free of the ground, using his sleeve to wipe a trickle of sweat from his forehead.  "Forgive me," he said formally, bowing first to Yuri, then Alice, "a simple explanation would have been much more appropriate."

"It's… fine, really," Alice said awkwardly, finally lowering the Bible and putting a hand on Yuri's tense shoulder.  "Really," she repeated gently, "Yuri, it's – I'm fine."

Yuri took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair.  "Sorry," he muttered, his sullen tone indicating that he was anything but.

"Think nothing of it," Zhuzhen said lightly, frowning as he noticed the dark expression on Margarete's face, "but as I was saying, the Everblack is more than simple leather and parchment – it is a powerful creation, born in a time long forgotten, when abilities such as ours were considered run of the mill… it will not allow itself to be destroyed by something so common as fire or water."

"So how do we do it?" Margarete asked in exasperation, shooting a glance between Yuri and Alice.  "I mean, we can't just hang around with it and wait for someone like Jones to come take it from us while we're trying to figure it out!"

"There… is a rumor," Zhuzhen said slowly, "God, it's been so long since I've read it… how did it go?  Ahh yes – I remember now."  He took a deep breath.  "I was once privileged enough to tour the Vatican's secure archives – not unsupervised, of course, and I was only allowed enough time to assist the Cardinal of Moscow with a particularly troublesome phantom."  He raised his hands as Yuri rolled his eyes impatiently.  "Yes, yes, I'll save that story for later, but as I was saying."  He cleared his throat and rubbed his brow, clearly trying to recall the details that would be most important.

"In the tome I was studying I happened to find a passage relating to a 'Most Darke Bible.'  The passage described the Bible as being entirely lightless and valueless – a book of the Devil himself, fit only for dark and chaotic undertakings… but it did mention that should anyone come in contact with this book, they should immediately cast the Nocturne Sephilim to keep the book from taking their soul, and deliver it forthwith to the Temple of the Fallen Star near Naples to be cleansed in the waters of the spring there, as they are the purest, holiest fountains in the world."

"Naples, huh?" Margarete mused, "Nice little town.  I've been there a few times… maybe I can get us a place to stay.  Should I put in the call?"

Yuri nodded, the idea that there was any choice other than going never even entering his thoughts.  "So cast the Nocturne thing for us, old man," he said, clearly wondering why this had not been done already, "I kinda like my soul where it is."

Zhuzhen coughed.  "I umm… don't know the Nocturne Sephilim," he replied softly, "only the most trusted demon hunters of the Church know that incantation due to its power and complexity – oh, don't think I didn't try to learn it while I was in the archives… believe me, it is a very tightly guarded secret."

Alice, noticing the grim expressions all around, made a show of taking off her backpack and slipping the Everblack Bible into it.  "I don't think it will be sucking any souls in there," she said lightly.

"Treat it carefully," Zhuzhen said seriously, "and do not use it in anger – that, above all else, is the advice that every rumor of the Everblack agrees on."  He scratched his chin thoughtfully.  "Actually," he said slowly, "many of the legends say that someone pure of heart can safely use the Bible's powers.  Now I'm not saying you should try, dear girl, but if you find yourself in an untenable situation, remember that it is a powerful tool… and tools were made to be used."

"Koudelka said that only those of purest or most tainted soul can truly use the bible," Alice said quietly, "will you not journey with us, Master Zhuzhen?  I am sure that you are far purer than I."

"Him? Pure?" Yuri jerked a thumb at the old man.  "Don't make me laugh."

Zhuzhen uttered a gusty sigh.  "Sadly," he lamented, "the boy is correct – I am not as sinless as I should be, nor am I as strong of body as in my younger days. I fear that if I were to attempt to draw on the Bible's powers, I would cause far more harm than good.  No, Alice… as much as I would love to take it from you, your purity dictates that this is a burden you must shoulder alone."

"Well, not alone," Margarete said dryly, slapping Alice almost playfully on the shoulder.  "We'll be with her."

Alice rubbed her shoulder and glared as Yuri nodded.  "That's right," he said boldly, "and if anyone's taking her purity, it's gonna be me!"

"Yuri!"

Zhuzhen winced as Yuri's face was introduced to first Alice's, then Margarete's open palm.

"Ow…"

"I'll make preparations for your departure," he sighed, grinning as he turned away, "and I'll get you some ice."

**

"Yuri?"

Yuri sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes as a weight settled onto the edge of his bed.  "'s'it time to go?" he murmured blearily.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been out of bed the second his door opened… but it had been a very long, very taxing day, and with the spells of protection Zhuzhen, Alice, and Keith had all cast on the inn, Yuri felt safe enough to let his guard down and actually sleep for once.

"No," the soft voice whispered, "I just… came to say I was sorry for slapping you so hard."

Yuri blinked in the darkness, trying to pick out the shape of the woman intruding in his room.  "Margarete?"

"Call me Malkovich when I break and enter," the spy replied with a soft laugh, "you know I get a kick out of that."

Yuri shivered as a soft hand settled against the center of his chest.  "Mar-"

"Shh," Margarete whispered, "don't move."

Yuri felt his breath catch in his throat as Margarete leaned forward, brushing her lips against his cheek.

"There," her breath tickled his ear, "all better."

He could feel Azreal's Tear tap his shoulder as the woman slowly brought her lips around from his cheek, barely grazing the corner of his mouth as a shuddering breath escaped her.

"I, umm… sleep well," Margarete blurted, quickly rising to her feet and taking a step back, "we've… gotta get an early start."

"R-right," Yuri muttered, trying to decide if she had meant to do that or if it had simply been an accident.  "G'night."

Suddenly, Margarete was back on the edge of the bed… and this time there was no mistaking that her lips meant to find his. Before Yuri had a chance to return the kiss, or even blink for that matter, she was gone, walking quickly from his room without so much as a backward glance.

Slowly, he leaned back in bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what had just happened… and trying to pin down exactly how he should feel about it in light of what Alice had told him moments before stealing into her room and locking the door.

Half an hour later, he rolled onto his side and closed his eyes, deciding that it would just have to wait.

Continued…

Author's Notes: well I guess the old expression, 'it's always the last place you look' doesn't really apply here, now does it?  ^_^  Why have the Bible just lying around, you ask?  Well, two reasons really… first, I didn't want this to be a story about finding the Everblack Bible, I wanted it to be a story about what happens once they had it.  If I had them looking all over the place before finding it, this would end up being a long, long story – because I have several little adventures planned for our little group now that they have it.  The second reason is… ummm… ok, I forgot the second reason, but the first is pretty good, no? _  Oh wait, I just remembered the second reason – it would have been cliché!  :D  You always see the heroes going off into a dungeon or tower or Place That No One Else Dares to get the Mystical Item of Power… so I figured hey, why not just have them stumble across it?  Who put it there? Well… wait a chapter or three and I'll tell ya. ^_~

Big thanks to Aegis for pre-reading again.  She just rules. ^_^

Feedback is welcome on this site or by e-mailing me directly at random1377@yahoo.com