I stared at Julie. She was losing me. I hadn’t thought that it was possible to top the farfetched idea of a vampire having heart surgery, but this Elder trap sure did it. The crazy things we were coming up with only highlighted the direness of my situation.
“Okay,” I said, exhaling slowly. “You’re not a hundred percent sure if this box really does possess the powers to trap an Elder. Your memory also seems to be hazy regarding how to work the thing… But let’s just say that old warlock really did give you an Elder trap, and your memory regarding how to work it is accurate… Leaving aside the fact that we’d have to get fresh human blood, the box is still with your father, right? Do you even know where your father is?”
A look of discomfort crossed her face. “I, uh… Of course I don’t know exactly where he is. I haven’t seen him since I escaped but… I would imagine that he would be near The Tavern if he sent two men to come and kidnap me. His ship wouldn’t have been far off that island’s shore. There’s no saying where he and his crew are now, but I would assume that they would still be close to that area—still looking for me.” She looked down at her feet, dodging a crab as it scuttled by. “Obviously, I couldn’t ask for or retrieve the box myself, but your jinni girlfriend—”
“Aisha is not my girlfriend,” I corrected her.
“Sorry. Your jinni friend, I’m sure, would have no problem airlifting the box… I could tell her exactly where it’s located on the ship—I don’t see what reason my father would’ve had for moving it when it’s been sitting in his study all these years.”
I held up a hand, catching up with Julie’s train of thought. “Okay, so if we assumed this was a working trap, and we knew how to use it, and we managed to find the box and steal it from your father’s boat without any problems, and get fresh human blood… Then what?”
“Then we would need to track down the Elder—Basilius, Arron said he was known as? He’s the one who imprinted on you, and he’s the one who has the influence over you. We’d need to trap him in the box.”
“But even if we did manage to trap him inside it, how would that stop his influence over me? He may not be able to glide out of the box and inhabit my body, but his influence would still remain with me as it has until now.”
“No.” Julie shook her head. “According to what the warlock said to my father, if an Elder was trapped inside this box, it would be truly trapped. Contained. It would not be able to have any influence on the world outside the box. That’s what was supposed to be so special about the gift.”
I couldn’t shake my skepticism, in spite of how sincere Julie appeared. “Let’s say everything you’ve told me so far is correct, how would we actually get an Elder to enter the box? We are nowhere near Cruor.”
My voice trailed off at the somber look on Julie’s face.
“We would use you as bait,” she said, “but we would have to travel to Cruor in order to get close enough to do this.”
At this, I shook my head. “No. Julie, I appreciate you trying to help me with this, but I can’t possibly risk setting foot in Cruor.”
According to the visions imparted to me by the jinn and my visit to the oracle, Basilius was currently the only Elder in Cruor who was strong enough to inhabit a vessel. So while I wouldn’t be in danger from other Elders there, the moment Basilius sensed my closeness, even the jinn wouldn’t be able to stop him from entering me fully and finally claiming me the way the oracle had prophesied.
“I know it’s not the simplest of solutions,” Julie said. I almost laughed. “But as crazy as it sounds, I thought it might be less risky than having your chest sliced open by a stranger who could be allied with a Hawk who clearly wants you dead.”
“I was willing to consider the box idea until you mentioned Cruor. As dangerous and uncertain as removing my imprinted heart would be, it still feels like the less risky option.”
Julie shrugged. “Fair enough. I thought I ought to mention it to you all the same.”
Having made up my mind, I looked toward the islet where Arron was waiting. He had begun pacing up and down over the rocks. “You didn’t want Arron overhearing this because…?”
“Because I don’t want him knowing about this box,” Julie replied. “As much as I dislike my father, he is after all my father. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for setting a gang of Hawks on him.”
That was understandable.
“So… that was everything you wanted to say to me?” I asked, my eyes traveling back to Julie’s pale face.