JARHARIS by Fawn Lowery

cat and squeezed the amulet in his fist. He had taken it from the neck of a witch—but he couldn’t remember seeing a cat in the stronghold. Still, he presumed that black cats and witches were synonymous. Or was that just around Halloween? He scratched his head suddenly. His era had no such holiday to his recollection.
    He watched the cat lying near the ceiling and held the amulet in his hand. For the past two days he had been aware that he knew various things about the time period he had been transported to and at times questioned how he had come to have such knowledge. He opened his fist and gazed down at the gem. It glowed pale amber against his palm. Heat radiated from its glassy surface. He blinked his eyes and raised his hand nearer his face, staring unblinking at the faceted stone.
    A murky shadow seemed to form within its interior, drawing his eyes ever closer. The shadow swirled, changed from murky to opaque, swirling as it began to change form. The swirling halted suddenly, suspended within the walnut size amulet then began to separate, spiking long lustrous ribbons that rose upward as though driven on a breeze within the stone. Momentarily the ribbons became arms and the milky swirl centered into a being.
    His breath caught up in his throat as he realized he was staring at a picture of Selena, her long hair forming a pale halo around her head. He could see her face, her expression. A fear unlike any he had ever known gripped his insides. He stared as the mirage moved, turned and seemed to look right at him. A slow smile pulled at her mouth, until she was grinning broadly. Suddenly she parted her lips and the unmistakable sight of fangs gleamed forth.
    Jarharis closed his eyes and shook his head. Perhaps he had imagined the vision. His thoughts were consumed with the woman. Perhaps he had lost the ability to concentrate properly. He drew in a long breath and returned his eyes to the gem in his palm.
    The vision had vanished. The gem appeared as it had since he first possessed it. He turned it over in his hand as though examining it for the first time.
    “You have been shown the future, Jarharis .”
    He glanced upward, searching the ceiling for Mi. She had resumed her pixie body, hovering in one corner of the large room. She flew closer to him when he saw her.
    “Join the vampire club and help Selena.”
    “That’s not a very good idea, Mi. They are mortals who profess to hunt vampires. I would not be accepted.”
    “You are vulnerable to Aston. As for Aston’s thinking about the mortal club, he considers their efforts futile.”
    Jarharis contemplated the fairy’s words. Aston had openly jeered at the vampire club the first time he met him. He gritted his teeth. He should have destroyed him on that night. He should have torn him to shreds and left him lying in the alley, bits and pieces scattered about. He closed his fist around the amulet.
    “Heed my words, Jarharis .” The fairy waved her wings and flitted from the room, leaving Jarharis staring after her.
    Perhaps there’s something to the pixie’s words. If Aston has no fear of the vampire club—perhaps they could lay a plan for him without him being aware of it. A doubt stabbed at his mind.
    The members of the club are not knowledgeable enough about vampires to properly set a plan and execute it to the end. For an instant he thought back to his days as a warrior. The times had been brutal and bloody, a deathly trial by man’s strengths. And in the end, many lives were lost, but victory was won. Could he possibly compare going to battle with Aston to that of the Crusades? Surely Aston didn’t have that big a legion on his side.
    He considered Mi’s words and the vision he had seen swirling inside the amulet. Its magical powers were still his to discover. He released the gem inside his shirt. His hunger gnawed at his insides. He needed to feed before he turned his thoughts to dealing with Aston.
    He left his sanctuary, the search for a victim to