Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5) by Bridgette O'Hare (best large ereader .TXT) 📕

As I placed my key into the physical lock protecting my door, I mentally rolled through the possibilities of who might have been at my flat while I was gone. Then I glanced both ways down the corridor before moving my hand inconspicuously in the unique pattern that released the lock invisible to the naked eye. A little Fae protection magic was better than any lock and key. No one was getting in unless they were more powerful than me. And while I knew there were Fae stronger than me, I hadn’t met one in person since Grams.

I did the usual when I entered my sanctuary—removed my shoes at the door, hung up my coat and scarf, then grabbed the mail from the basket beneath the slot to my right. I was shuffling through it when a strange envelope caught my attention. I’m a curious sort, so I placed the rest of the mail on the table to be ignored until later and plopped down in my favorite chair.

I studied the envelope. Felt the traces of energy pulsing within—benevolent magic. I ran a finger over my name embossed in fancy gold letters and then opened it carefully. I didn’t want to tear such a work of art. I slipped the contents out and unfolded the cream-colored parchment, recognizing the power that protected it. It had been imbued with magic to ensure that only I could read the message within. My touch acted as a signature. Had anyone else tried to open it, they would have failed.

Dear Keeper Initiate,

As you may already have learned, there has been a slight change to our Keeper of Knowledge hierarchy. It has been declared that there shall be two members of each supernatural race in place to not only ensure the fair keeping of every race’s histories but also more hands on deck to test, authenticate, catalog and record. This means that one more being from every race must step up into this role.

After careful consideration, you have been selected by The High Council of the Supernatural to train to become a Keeper of Knowledge. Training will take place in Pyreshore. You are to leave in a week. Details are as follows:

You will live in Pyreshore, New Hampshire, United States of America. You will be assigned a home there and provided all things necessary that you do not have for your home or cannot bring. You will be generously compensated for your time and work with us, even while in training. You are welcome to bring any spouse and children you may have.

As you know, the Keeper position is passed down through the bloodlines. If your bloodline is not an option, for any reason, a successor must be formally inducted by an agreed upon time. Heirs and successors will train as well as it will be their duties to take over the position in due time.

You will have one month from the time of arrival in Pyreshore to begin your training. In that time, you will have various tasks to perform and lessons to study. After one month, two things will be expected of you in order for you to continue as a Keeper of Knowledge in an official capacity.

1. You must be excelling in your studies and training.

2. You must bring in a record or artifact for the Knowledge Base from your race that has not been previously recorded.

A member of the High Council, Nira Garrison, will be in Pyreshore to greet you and help you get settled in. We look forward to your advancements within the Keepers.

Sincerely,

High Council of the Supernatural

“Well, well, well, Grams. When I said I sure could use a little guidance, I didn’t expect you to answer so quickly,” I chuckled. “I also didn’t think all those bedtime stories you told me were true. Well played, Grams. Well played. Looks like I’ll be leaving for Pyreshore, New Hampshire.”

I read over the letter once more, making sure I didn’t miss any of the details. I was especially interested in two parts—the first being that Keepers are chosen from bloodlines, and the second being that we would be expected to bring or acquire an artifact or historical record that wasn’t already present in the archives.

I knew Gram’s brother, my great-uncle Lachlan, was the current Keeper. Actually, I didn’t know him all that well. I’d seen him once a year or so around holidays when Gram’s had been alive and maybe twice since she died. He still continued to send me a birthday card and a Christmas card every year and always made a note to call if I needed anything, but that had been the extent of our communication over the past eight years.

Grams had never really talked much about what he did as a Keeper. She basically made him out to be a glorified historian; she never said anything about artifacts. She also never told me the job was passed down through a bloodline. But considering it is, and Uncle Lachlan didn’t have any children, I wasn’t shocked to learn I was next in line to take on the position as a Keeper.

Truth of the matter be known, I’d been training for the role my entire existence, even though I never realized it. After all, I had spent the better part of my life protecting secrets and all of my adulthood chasing artifacts. The question now was, just how much did Uncle Lachlan know about me and the secrets I protected?

.

Two

I hated dreaming.

Why? Because I didn’t dream often, but when I did, somehow those dreams found their way into my reality. Seer Sight, Grams had called it. Only, it wasn’t a consistent gift for me. Apparently, my sight was dormant unless the message it conveyed was significant. I was thankful for that, because I couldn’t imagine the weight one would have to carry knowing every time you closed your