the time spent on the other side, chronologically out of whack with the real world, took a physical toll on one’s body as well. He’d been in a hurry to get his gear and get out of the house after his unorthodox arrival and so he hadn’t felt the effects of his most recent journey into the Beyond until he’d been on the road a bit. Now, a couple of hours later, he felt tired and out-of-sorts and he knew it was only going to get worst after this trip.
Still, what other choice did he have? He needed to get to the Archives quickly and he needed to do it in a way that kept him off the Order’s radar, at least until he had what he needed. Besides, entering the Archives by way of the Beyond helped him avoid not only the guards outside but the locks on the entrance doors as well. It really was the best option available.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, that nagging little voice in the back of his mind said to him, but Cade brushed it off.
The time for debate was over; now it was time for action.
He slipped his arms through the straps of his go-bag and hefted it onto his back and then picked up his sword. The weight of the bag would slow him down a little, but he’d have to make due. He had no idea if he was coming back the same way and he didn’t want to lose what little equipment he had at his disposal by leaving it behind. The Jeep would probably be towed if his trip took too long, but at least it would be safe at the local lock-up, not sitting around the lot waiting to be broken into.
Cade took one last look around the room to make sure that he hadn’t left anything behind and then, satisfied that he had not, he stepped up beside the mirror he’d placed on the floor beside the bed.
He wanted to spend as little time finding the proper path as possible once he was across the barrier, so he began preparing himself for that process now. He stood there a moment, head bowed, clearing his mind of extraneous thoughts. When he was ready he began picturing the oversized dressing mirror he’d seen in the Archives the last time he’d been inside. It was the kind of thing he’d expect to find in the bedroom of a guy like the Edgar Allen Poe or the Marque de Sade, with its thick pewter frame covered with finely sculpted figures of witches and demons and devils, all caught up in acts that would make a back alley prostitute blush. Cade didn’t know where the mirror had come from or what it was doing in the Archives, but he was fairly confident that it was still there. Once an object ended up in the clutches of the custodians, it would take something like the apocalypse to get it out again.
That mirror was going to be his backdoor into one of the most protected vault’s known to man.
When he had the image firmly fixed in his mind, when he could practically see every detail well enough to just reach out and touch it, he took a step forward and disappeared through the surface of the mirror.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Colin Ferguson stared at the red light blinking on the screen of the security monitor next to his desk. In all the years he’d served as the Templar’s Seneschal, he’d never seen this particular alert. Nor had he ever really expected to.
And yet there it was.
He rose from where he’d been sitting by the fire, reading, and walked over to his desk. He tapped the glass surface and waited a moment for the touch-screen keyboard to appear. When it had, he tapped in a series of commands, querying the security system to be certain he remembered correctly what that symbol signified.
He had.
Someone was in the Archives.
He frowned; he didn’t remember giving anyone access to the vault this evening. Or any evening, for that matter. The archives were off limits to all but a few, select individuals and only he and the Grand Master were allowed inside after the sun went down.
As the Templar’s Seneschal, it was Ferguson’s duty to manage the day-to-day running of the Order, leaving the Grand Master free to deal with
Still, what other choice did he have? He needed to get to the Archives quickly and he needed to do it in a way that kept him off the Order’s radar, at least until he had what he needed. Besides, entering the Archives by way of the Beyond helped him avoid not only the guards outside but the locks on the entrance doors as well. It really was the best option available.
Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, that nagging little voice in the back of his mind said to him, but Cade brushed it off.
The time for debate was over; now it was time for action.
He slipped his arms through the straps of his go-bag and hefted it onto his back and then picked up his sword. The weight of the bag would slow him down a little, but he’d have to make due. He had no idea if he was coming back the same way and he didn’t want to lose what little equipment he had at his disposal by leaving it behind. The Jeep would probably be towed if his trip took too long, but at least it would be safe at the local lock-up, not sitting around the lot waiting to be broken into.
Cade took one last look around the room to make sure that he hadn’t left anything behind and then, satisfied that he had not, he stepped up beside the mirror he’d placed on the floor beside the bed.
He wanted to spend as little time finding the proper path as possible once he was across the barrier, so he began preparing himself for that process now. He stood there a moment, head bowed, clearing his mind of extraneous thoughts. When he was ready he began picturing the oversized dressing mirror he’d seen in the Archives the last time he’d been inside. It was the kind of thing he’d expect to find in the bedroom of a guy like the Edgar Allen Poe or the Marque de Sade, with its thick pewter frame covered with finely sculpted figures of witches and demons and devils, all caught up in acts that would make a back alley prostitute blush. Cade didn’t know where the mirror had come from or what it was doing in the Archives, but he was fairly confident that it was still there. Once an object ended up in the clutches of the custodians, it would take something like the apocalypse to get it out again.
That mirror was going to be his backdoor into one of the most protected vault’s known to man.
When he had the image firmly fixed in his mind, when he could practically see every detail well enough to just reach out and touch it, he took a step forward and disappeared through the surface of the mirror.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Colin Ferguson stared at the red light blinking on the screen of the security monitor next to his desk. In all the years he’d served as the Templar’s Seneschal, he’d never seen this particular alert. Nor had he ever really expected to.
And yet there it was.
He rose from where he’d been sitting by the fire, reading, and walked over to his desk. He tapped the glass surface and waited a moment for the touch-screen keyboard to appear. When it had, he tapped in a series of commands, querying the security system to be certain he remembered correctly what that symbol signified.
He had.
Someone was in the Archives.
He frowned; he didn’t remember giving anyone access to the vault this evening. Or any evening, for that matter. The archives were off limits to all but a few, select individuals and only he and the Grand Master were allowed inside after the sun went down.
As the Templar’s Seneschal, it was Ferguson’s duty to manage the day-to-day running of the Order, leaving the Grand Master free to deal with
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