ceiling, and squatted down. I pressed my
fingers into the dirt looking for something that would
work—something that would be small enough.
I needed a shard, a single
small piece of human bone. The bones of the dead would amplify the
shadow’s ability to conceal Eric’s scent. It would smell of someone
long deceased. I honestly didn’t know what I was doing, or if it
would even work. But, it had to work. Something inside me told me
that it would. But, I needed something to bind the shadow to the
bone, too. What was powerful enough to do that? And it had to be
something within my reach. Just find the
bone, Ivy. I thought to myself. Figure out the rest later. My fingers pressed against something smooth and hard. I dug
it out of the earth. Eric asked what I was doing. I ignored him,
and continued to dig it out. The bone shard was the size of my
pinkie, and perfectly smooth. I cracked it in half and threw the
other piece on the ground.
Turning to Eric I held up the bone and
said, “You’ll have to wear this around your neck.” He looked at me
oddly for a moment, and then nodded.
Now the hard part. I had to infuse the
bone with shadow and keep it there. I focused and called the
shadows to me, and when they responded I redirected them into the
bone. I felt the shard turn icy cold in my hand. It worked! But,
when I stopped focusing and trying to control them, the shadows
spilled out. A bone wasn’t a shadow container. It wasn’t enough.
There was nothing to hold them in place. What kept the shadows
inside of me from spilling out?
Nothing.
They just stayed because I told them
to. I looked at the bone. Talking to it wasn’t going to do
anything. No, that had to be only part of it. The shadows came
because I called them. But why did they stay? What held them inside
of me? I rubbed my finger along the sharp edge of the bone. It was
a nervous habit. I fidgeted when I was tense. And it was a good
thing too. By accident, a spike on the shard snagged my pinky and
opened up a bright red wound. Blood seeped out and the bone soaked
it up like a sponge. I looked at the bone, still white, but the
tiny drop of blood was gone.
Acting on instinct, I pressed my
finger hard across the jagged edge of bone. The flesh tore open and
a scarlet drop of blood appeared on my fingertip. The bone was old
and porous. Its tiny holes absorbed the blood flowing from my
finger like a dry quill soaking up ink. Eric and I both knew that
the substance that flowed through my veins was nearly entirely
demon blood, with very little Martis left. Demon blood was
powerful. That must be what commands the shadows and contains them.
It’s not my mind that controls the shadows—it’s my
blood.
When I was done, I swallowed hard
wondering if Eric would take it. He detested demon blood. I handed
the bone amulet to Eric wondering what he would do. I also wondered
what it meant if he took it. “It has to touch your skin or it won’t
work.”
Eric took the bone, nodding. He
attached it to one of the woven necklaces he always wore. I
expected him to say something, but he didn’t. He quietly threaded
the bone and hung it around his neck. Then he hid it under his
shirt against his chest.
When he looked up, he asked, “Are you
wearing Apryl’s necklace?”
I nodded, as my hand reached for the
necklace. Feeling the pendant beneath my fingers reassured me in a
way I didn’t understand. The ivory peonies were rough against my
fingers while the brimstone disc was smooth against my thumb. I
never took it off. My sister had sent it back with my Celestial
Silver comb last year before she died. It was the last piece of her
that I had. It was stupid, but when I wore that necklace, I felt
like she was there with me.
But, why did Eric want it? What would
Apryl’s necklace do? Understanding flashed across my face. I smiled
and said, “It opens the portal, doesn’t it? The same way it did the
night the Valefar used it to open the portal on Long Island? It’s a
key.”
fingers into the dirt looking for something that would
work—something that would be small enough.
I needed a shard, a single
small piece of human bone. The bones of the dead would amplify the
shadow’s ability to conceal Eric’s scent. It would smell of someone
long deceased. I honestly didn’t know what I was doing, or if it
would even work. But, it had to work. Something inside me told me
that it would. But, I needed something to bind the shadow to the
bone, too. What was powerful enough to do that? And it had to be
something within my reach. Just find the
bone, Ivy. I thought to myself. Figure out the rest later. My fingers pressed against something smooth and hard. I dug
it out of the earth. Eric asked what I was doing. I ignored him,
and continued to dig it out. The bone shard was the size of my
pinkie, and perfectly smooth. I cracked it in half and threw the
other piece on the ground.
Turning to Eric I held up the bone and
said, “You’ll have to wear this around your neck.” He looked at me
oddly for a moment, and then nodded.
Now the hard part. I had to infuse the
bone with shadow and keep it there. I focused and called the
shadows to me, and when they responded I redirected them into the
bone. I felt the shard turn icy cold in my hand. It worked! But,
when I stopped focusing and trying to control them, the shadows
spilled out. A bone wasn’t a shadow container. It wasn’t enough.
There was nothing to hold them in place. What kept the shadows
inside of me from spilling out?
Nothing.
They just stayed because I told them
to. I looked at the bone. Talking to it wasn’t going to do
anything. No, that had to be only part of it. The shadows came
because I called them. But why did they stay? What held them inside
of me? I rubbed my finger along the sharp edge of the bone. It was
a nervous habit. I fidgeted when I was tense. And it was a good
thing too. By accident, a spike on the shard snagged my pinky and
opened up a bright red wound. Blood seeped out and the bone soaked
it up like a sponge. I looked at the bone, still white, but the
tiny drop of blood was gone.
Acting on instinct, I pressed my
finger hard across the jagged edge of bone. The flesh tore open and
a scarlet drop of blood appeared on my fingertip. The bone was old
and porous. Its tiny holes absorbed the blood flowing from my
finger like a dry quill soaking up ink. Eric and I both knew that
the substance that flowed through my veins was nearly entirely
demon blood, with very little Martis left. Demon blood was
powerful. That must be what commands the shadows and contains them.
It’s not my mind that controls the shadows—it’s my
blood.
When I was done, I swallowed hard
wondering if Eric would take it. He detested demon blood. I handed
the bone amulet to Eric wondering what he would do. I also wondered
what it meant if he took it. “It has to touch your skin or it won’t
work.”
Eric took the bone, nodding. He
attached it to one of the woven necklaces he always wore. I
expected him to say something, but he didn’t. He quietly threaded
the bone and hung it around his neck. Then he hid it under his
shirt against his chest.
When he looked up, he asked, “Are you
wearing Apryl’s necklace?”
I nodded, as my hand reached for the
necklace. Feeling the pendant beneath my fingers reassured me in a
way I didn’t understand. The ivory peonies were rough against my
fingers while the brimstone disc was smooth against my thumb. I
never took it off. My sister had sent it back with my Celestial
Silver comb last year before she died. It was the last piece of her
that I had. It was stupid, but when I wore that necklace, I felt
like she was there with me.
But, why did Eric want it? What would
Apryl’s necklace do? Understanding flashed across my face. I smiled
and said, “It opens the portal, doesn’t it? The same way it did the
night the Valefar used it to open the portal on Long Island? It’s a
key.”
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