balanced between
us. “What is that?” She leans in to get a better look.
“Think of it as my tool chest.” I crack a smile. “Paloma gave it to me, along with all the tools I keep locked inside.”
“Tools of the Light Worker trade?” Auden says. He’s the least initiated among us, but that’s about to change.
“Something like that.” I spin the wheel of the combination lock I placed there shortly after Paloma passed on. How silly it seems now in light of all that’s just happened. Like
this simple, metal lock could ever keep a Richter at bay.
Then again, a Richter would never have the slightest interest in the tools I’ve stashed here.
And that just may turn out to be one of my biggest strengths.
In every encounter with Cade, every time he seemed to get the upper hand, he always made sure to mock the wisdom of my ancestors—my collection of magickal talismans. The pouch I wear at my
neck—the small double-edged knife imbued with Valentina’s essence—it’s all a big joke to him.
Cade relies solely on his devious mind, his abyss of a soul, and the snake-tongued monster residing within. Though last I saw, the beast had abandoned him. Unlike my tools which have never once
failed me.
Where failure’s concerned, I’ve only failed myself.
But no more.
I kneel before the trunk and raise the lid. Aware of my friends gathering closer, as I remove the soft, hand-woven blanket I placed on top, then set the tools upon it, one by one.
“Oh,” Lita murmurs, her voice, like her face, betraying her disappointment. “I thought there’d be cool stuff. I thought you’d hidden an arsenal in there.”
“Make no mistake, in the right hands, this is an arsenal.” I shove the bag Dace left well out of the way. I don’t have to look to know what’s inside. It’s his
blowgun and darts, but there’s no way I’ll use it on them. And, with my friends all too willing to turn on him, they don’t need to know it exists. Then after arranging the pieces
so the rawhide rattle on the long wooden stick lies beside the large drum bearing the face of a purple-eyed raven, I place the three feathers that came from a swan, a raven, and an eagle all in a
row, and finish by adding the pendulum with the small chunk of amethyst attached to its end.
“Grab some pizza,” I say. “Refill your drinks, and get comfortable. I’m going to teach you how to use everything here. And it’s probably going to take the better
part of the night.”
FIFTEEN
LITA
“I feel so guilty.” I bite my lip and frown at the overcrowded rack of dresses before me.
“Why? What’d you do now?”
I slew my gaze toward Xotichl. “What do you mean, ‘
what did I do now’
?”
“Well, I figure if you’re feeling guilty, there must be a reason.”
“Sheesh.” I roll my eyes, shake my head, but it’s really more for dramatic effect, my heart isn’t in it. “Will I ever live down my diva past?”
“Not likely.” Xotichl inches her purple glasses up the bridge of her nose with the tip of her finger.
“Anyway, I didn’t exactly
do
anything. The reason I feel guilty is because everything around us is either falling apart, on the verge of falling apart, or, according to the
Codex, destined to fall apart. And yet, despite the forecast of gloom and doom with a ninety-nine percent chance of complete world annihilation, deep down inside I’m still bursting with the
absolute euphoria of unbounded happiness, and I know it’s not right.”
“That’s what love does.” Xotichl bobs her head as though listening to a song only she can hear. Choosing a dress from the rack, she scrutinizes it for a handful of seconds,
only to exchange it for another, and then reject that as well. “Love is irrational. Nonsensical. Makes you feel things that seem wildly inappropriate when you consider the surrounding
circumstances. And yet, you shouldn’t ever question it, shouldn’t ever doubt it. You should just accept it for the gift that it
us. “What is that?” She leans in to get a better look.
“Think of it as my tool chest.” I crack a smile. “Paloma gave it to me, along with all the tools I keep locked inside.”
“Tools of the Light Worker trade?” Auden says. He’s the least initiated among us, but that’s about to change.
“Something like that.” I spin the wheel of the combination lock I placed there shortly after Paloma passed on. How silly it seems now in light of all that’s just happened. Like
this simple, metal lock could ever keep a Richter at bay.
Then again, a Richter would never have the slightest interest in the tools I’ve stashed here.
And that just may turn out to be one of my biggest strengths.
In every encounter with Cade, every time he seemed to get the upper hand, he always made sure to mock the wisdom of my ancestors—my collection of magickal talismans. The pouch I wear at my
neck—the small double-edged knife imbued with Valentina’s essence—it’s all a big joke to him.
Cade relies solely on his devious mind, his abyss of a soul, and the snake-tongued monster residing within. Though last I saw, the beast had abandoned him. Unlike my tools which have never once
failed me.
Where failure’s concerned, I’ve only failed myself.
But no more.
I kneel before the trunk and raise the lid. Aware of my friends gathering closer, as I remove the soft, hand-woven blanket I placed on top, then set the tools upon it, one by one.
“Oh,” Lita murmurs, her voice, like her face, betraying her disappointment. “I thought there’d be cool stuff. I thought you’d hidden an arsenal in there.”
“Make no mistake, in the right hands, this is an arsenal.” I shove the bag Dace left well out of the way. I don’t have to look to know what’s inside. It’s his
blowgun and darts, but there’s no way I’ll use it on them. And, with my friends all too willing to turn on him, they don’t need to know it exists. Then after arranging the pieces
so the rawhide rattle on the long wooden stick lies beside the large drum bearing the face of a purple-eyed raven, I place the three feathers that came from a swan, a raven, and an eagle all in a
row, and finish by adding the pendulum with the small chunk of amethyst attached to its end.
“Grab some pizza,” I say. “Refill your drinks, and get comfortable. I’m going to teach you how to use everything here. And it’s probably going to take the better
part of the night.”
FIFTEEN
LITA
“I feel so guilty.” I bite my lip and frown at the overcrowded rack of dresses before me.
“Why? What’d you do now?”
I slew my gaze toward Xotichl. “What do you mean, ‘
what did I do now’
?”
“Well, I figure if you’re feeling guilty, there must be a reason.”
“Sheesh.” I roll my eyes, shake my head, but it’s really more for dramatic effect, my heart isn’t in it. “Will I ever live down my diva past?”
“Not likely.” Xotichl inches her purple glasses up the bridge of her nose with the tip of her finger.
“Anyway, I didn’t exactly
do
anything. The reason I feel guilty is because everything around us is either falling apart, on the verge of falling apart, or, according to the
Codex, destined to fall apart. And yet, despite the forecast of gloom and doom with a ninety-nine percent chance of complete world annihilation, deep down inside I’m still bursting with the
absolute euphoria of unbounded happiness, and I know it’s not right.”
“That’s what love does.” Xotichl bobs her head as though listening to a song only she can hear. Choosing a dress from the rack, she scrutinizes it for a handful of seconds,
only to exchange it for another, and then reject that as well. “Love is irrational. Nonsensical. Makes you feel things that seem wildly inappropriate when you consider the surrounding
circumstances. And yet, you shouldn’t ever question it, shouldn’t ever doubt it. You should just accept it for the gift that it
Similar Books
