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

I stopped and glared at him over the bowl. “Why not? I’m thirsty. It’s here.”

“I have bottled water in the backpack.”

I quickly took a few swallows in case he realized I wasn’t quite as cooperative as I appeared. “And how many chances am I goin’ t’ get t’ drink out of a fountain in sacred ruins?” I arched an eyebrow and placed the bowl back on the edge of the fountain just as I had found it.

“You done now, though?” Impatience mixed with disbelief . . . or maybe it was frustration because I was holding him up. I didn’t care either way. He needed me. He’d wait or he wouldn’t get his incantation. Though, to be fair, he wasn’t going to get it anyway. He just didn’t know that yet.

Twenty-Eight

The Kanna Stone journal and the Tartaros Blade journal were laid open on the altar side by side. Beneath them were carved the same strange glyphs and moon phases that I’d noticed on the stone slab near the entrance to the waterfall. Kage had removed the wooden box and the item wrapped in wool from his backpack and placed them to the left of the journals. To the right—a Silver Scroll. Naturally, I wondered if it was the one that was supposed to be in Davar Magén’s possession or one of the five thought to be lost.

Four tall torches burned brightly on the corners of the altar, and the sky had grown darker since we stepped through the opening of the waterfall. Soon we would rely solely on the light from the torches and whatever light the moon provided, unless Kage chose to walk around the courtyard and light every torch scattered throughout.

“So, what do we have here?” I asked, reaching for the Tartaros journal. I wished I still had my pendant, but I was glad that Kage couldn’t see what it was capable of.

Ruman’s words flashed through my mind along with thoughts of my father. I pushed aside those thoughts and focused on the situation at hand. Ruman had said the ruins were the site of a silver mine. And that silver—Moon Silver—in pure form was used to create my pendant. I wondered if there might be fragments integrated into some of the ruins that I could use to bring the silvery ink to life. I tried to glance around without drawing attention, but Kage was now holding the journal and watching me intently.

“You obviously know what the journals are. The box is made of Ironwood infused with moonwater to prevent it from burning, but also to stabilize whatever is placed inside.”

“And that is for the Kanna Stone, I presume?” I interrupted.

“It is. Based on what we know of its power, I thought it better to be safe than sorry once we find it.” He patted the box and moved on to the object wrapped in wool. “This is an item I think you’ll find quite interesting. While we were gathering the books last night, I was pleased to learn you might have some knowledge about it.” His words sent a shiver down my spine even before he began removing the strips of wool bandaged around the top. The hilt of a dagger showed through just enough for me to rule out a cross or similarly shaped artifact. When enough of the handle was revealed, and I saw the red sheen of the blade, my chest tightened. My lungs begged for air but found none. I placed a hand on the altar to steady myself.

He had the Tartaros Blade.

My skin crawled as the vision of Cian’s death came to mind again, even more vividly than before. I forced myself to breathe and glared at Kage who was regarding me with a curious expression.

“What do you know of this blade, Aisling?” he demanded but with an intrigued tone.

“It is lethal. T’ every race. There is no discrimination in its wrath.”

“So, you do know about it then.”

“Where did ya find this, Kage?”

A satisfied smile furled his thin lips. “It has taken a lifetime to locate this blade. And to my kind, that is an exceptionally long time.”

“Doesn’t answer my question, only makes me wonder what your kind is,” I spat without thinking.

“Darek mentioned you were feisty. I was wondering when you were going to let a little of that slip out.”

He was trying to distract me, get me off topic. Wasn’t going to happen. Though, I did intend to find out just how Darek fit into this, if at all. “Still haven’t answered the question, Kage. Where’d ya find this blade? More importantly, why didn’t ya leave it there?”

“Oh, Aisling. Don’t you get it yet? This blade is the answer to restoring the balance originally intended in the world. When paired with the power of the Kanna Stone, there’s no being that can stand in the way.”

Anger seethed through me, but I had to tamp it down if I was going to survive this and stop him. He held all the cards at the moment. I mean, holding the Tartaros Blade—literally—was his ace in the hole. One cut was lethal. If supernatural blood ran through your veins, it could be a paper cut and you were done for. Which explained why Kage left the wool strips wrapped around the blade itself. His hand rested on the hilt, ready to wield it if necessary.

I pulled in a slow, calming breath and refocused. I needed to play this part to the end. “How do we restore the balance?”

His smile widened. “I was hoping you were going to cooperate. I kind of like you. I wasn’t looking forward to torturing you.”

“Oh, well, that’s good t’ know. I’d hate t’ see what ya have in mind for people ya don’t like.” I heard the irony in my words before I even spoke them. I already knew what he had in mind for them—annihilation. “I am still curious, though. You said it took a while, and I do enjoy