Blood of the Underworld(48)

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Lord Gandrem says my word should be my bond, and to never break it.”

“John’s a smart man,” Melody said. “And you should trust much of what he says. But I’ve spent a few afternoons with him, and he is lacking in knowledge of the gods. Tell me, Nathan, what do you know of Karak and Ashhur?”

As she asked this, she pulled out a small wooden box from the far recesses of the closet. Nathaniel stepped closer, his curiosity too strong to resist. Her question itself, though, nearly deflated him. His teacher of numbers had been devoted to Ashhur, always telling Nathaniel lists of rules, expectations, and everything Ashhur would be sad about for him doing.

“My teacher made me memorize some things,” he reluctantly admitted.

“I don’t mean prayers and sermons, Nathan. The gods are not figments, not boring lessons with names. They were real. They wielded blades, raised armies, and conquered the wildlands Dezrel used to be before their arrival.”

Nathaniel’s eyes widened. Now this was more like the bards’ songs than the dry lecturing of his teacher. When Melody opened the box, his eyes widened further, so much that he thought they’d bug out of his head. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The base was a circle made of dark stone, with two soft indents on either side. The center almost like a bowl, but much too shallow. Laying in it were nine precious stones, each with a thin silver chain encircling it attached it to the base. The stones were all different, ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, even a couple he didn’t recognize. Each one was the size of his thumb.

“When I was in the darkness, this was all I had to keep me company,” she said. “Your grandfather didn’t want me to have it, but a good friend gave it to me anyway. Pull the curtains across the window, child. We must make it as dark as we can.”

Nathaniel hurried to do as she said. Even with the lavish lifestyle he was accustomed to living in a house of the Trifect, he was still excited by the sheer wealth before him that Melody held. Whatever it was, it certainly was worth a fortune. That she had somehow hidden it in a dungeon was stunning. As he tugged on the curtains, he thought to ask her of her time spent imprisoned at Leon Connington’s mansion, but dared not. Deep down, he knew that what he might hear was something he would not enjoy, and involve things he was only starting to understand.

The curtains were long, and sewn thick, so when Nathaniel returned to the closet, he had to hold a hand against the wall to guide him there until his eyes adjusted.

“Remember, Nathan,” Melody said, “you must tell no one of this. This is a chrysarium, and is worth more than I could ever replace. I’ve long kept it hidden, so do not make me feel foolish for showing such a young child.”

“I’m not so young,” Nathaniel said, puffing out his chest. He caught a smile from her, just a crease in the shadows, and then she lifted the chrysarium. Her thumb and palms pressed against the grooves on the sides, the rest of her fingers holding it from beneath. Melody’s eyes closed, and he heard her whispering. The words were too low and quick for him to understand, but he felt something strange and foreign building in his chest. Panic struck him, and he wanted to flee, but before he could work up the nerve, the gems began to shine.

It was soft at first, just a flicker of color, like sparks of tinder on a fire not yet caught. The emerald shimmered first, a deep glow growing in strength from the very center of the gem. Next was the ruby, its blood-red light swirling within, as if each gem was filled with a smoky liquid. One by one the rest lit up, growing in strength as his grandmother continued to pray. Nathaniel reached forward, pushed on by a compulsion to touch them, but a sudden fear overcame him. His hand dropped to his side.

“They shine by the power of my faith,” Melody said, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. Even as she spoke, the glow began to fade. “Watch the center, Nathan, and open your heart to matters beyond this world. Let the spirit guide you, and you will see.”

He didn’t know what she meant, didn’t understand what to do, or what the spirit was. But then she prayed again, louder, stronger. The gems shook in the chrysarium, flared bright, and then lifted in unison from the stone. They floated in the air, higher and higher, until the length of silver chain holding them stretched tight, halting their ascent. Nathaniel gaped, mouth open in wonder. So strange was this light. Though at times it was so bright that it hurt his eyes, it did not spread. The walls of the closet remained dark, and even when Nathaniel had brought his hand close to touch them, their light had not shown upon his skin. A strange hum filled his ears, though where it came from, he did not know. It made his stomach tighten, but he could not stop, could not leave.