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

“Uh . . . Kage—” Cian held the object to the side for Kage to view. “Take a look at this.”

“What is . . . why’s it doing that?”

“No idea,” Cian replied.

“What’s happening?” I asked from my position on the other side of the fountain.

Cian held the bowl down, but it was more for show than anything. I could barely see the arrow.

“It’s just twirling around. Goin’ a lit’l haywire,” Cian explained.

“Maybe the water is throwin’ it off?” I suggested. “Isn’t this supposed to be some kind of mystical moon spring or something?”

“Walk that way,” Kage ordered and pointed away from the fountain. Cian complied.

“Nice redirect,” Cian commended. “Too bad it’s just goin’ t’ point him back to the fountain again.”

Kage glared down at the arrow, once again pointing back to the fountain as Cian had said. He nudged Cian and they returned. “I guess we are going to have to look in the fountain,” Kage concluded. He reached behind him into a back pocket and pulled out The Sorek Shackles.

I had hoped I’d seen the last of those, but this time, he secured them around Cian’s wrists in front of him, still holding the wooden bowl. I caught myself involuntary rubbing the pendant I’d repositioned back around my neck and quickly pushed it back into hiding beneath my shirt.

“He’s certainly more clever than I expected,” Cian divulged.

“Freakin’ evil, if ya ask me.”

“There. That should keep you subdued,” Kage declared and returned the Tartaros Blade to its sheath then carefully placed it back in the scabbard on his hip.

“No arguments here. Any ideas? Keep in mind, Aish . . . he’s as strong as I am. Same powers, same training. And I don’t know what other artifacts he might have stashed away waitin’ t’ be used. Not that a Supernatural killing blade isn’t enough.”

“I have this gut feelin’ the Lunar goddess was tryin’ t’ tell me something about this fountain and the Silver Moon, but I already have my power back. Though . . . Kage doesn’t know that.” My attention went to the water-filled basin and the reflection of the moon. It was nearly complete.

“Hey, Kage. I have a question,” I called above the sounds of the water cascading into the basin.

Kage cocked his head to the side and raised a curious eyebrow.

“What’s the deal with midnight?” I asked.

“I don’t follow?” he responded.

“You sent Doppelgänger Cian—James—to Dublin to deliver the message about the Silver Moon to me. So, I’m here. Tonight’s the Silver Moon, but we still have a bit before midnight. Why’s midnight important?”

Kage peered at me with squinted eyes and a creased forehead, he appeared genuinely confused. “I never sent you any such message. I didn’t even know about this Silver Moon situation until the last few days of overhearing about it.”

“Cian, do you believe him?” I glanced at Cian, the glow from the torches brightly lit his strange stare. “Cian?”

“Aye, I think he’s tellin’ the truth.” His voice sounded muffled in my mind. “I think this artifact is affecting my ability t’ connect with ya. Sounds like you’re in a tunnel.”

I nodded. It was meant for Cian, but Kage took it as my acceptance of his statement.

“Maybe I should let ya stick around until midnight, see what it’s all about?” Kage offered with a dark expression. One that gave the impression he hadn’t intended to let me stick around at all, but he might be curious enough to wait until midnight.

“Maybe we should find this stone first,” I countered, wanting to get this over with one way or another.

“I like the way you’re thinking, Aisling. Might be hope for you yet.” Kage took the bowl from Cian and began pacing around the perimeter of the fountain, studying the movement of the arrow. He stopped a few feet away from me—just far enough that I couldn’t grab the blade without lunging toward him. I needed him to get just a little closer.

“Aish, remember the Bulletproof Bubble trick I taught ya?” Cian’s voice was barely audible in my mind. The fact that I couldn’t communicate with Cian freely made me want to rush to him and get the shackles off. But there wouldn’t be time before Kage could stop me. And he was the one with the Tartaros Blade, not me.

I looked over to Cian. “Aye, I remember. Still need to test if it’s bulletproof.”

He rolled his eyes. “If ya can get the blade, use the bubble to protect yourself.”

“What about the stone? That stone in his hands can do more damage than the blade. Actually . . . I’m goin’ after the stone. If I’d known he was goin’ t’ do this, I’d have just kept it.”

“Aish! No! It... too dang... os.” Cian’s voice began cutting out. The Sorek Shackles were draining him. I was on my own.

I watched Kage closely as he twisted his body, positioning the arrow in different directions to home in on the stone. A frigid wind whipped through the garden as my focus darted to the pillar beneath the Moon Orb I’d placed earlier. One pillar stood between the stone’s hiding place and Kage. They both stood in my way. I was going to have to get wet to get to it before he did.

The moment Kage started toward the pillar, I hopped over the stone wall and into the basin of the fountain. The water around me began to shimmer and flicker with an iridescent glow. Kage hurried his movements at the sight of my charge for the stone. I surged forward, reaching the pillar just seconds before Kage. I settled one foot on the side of the basin wall and pushed myself up, grabbing the top of the pillar to stabilize, weighed down by the water dripping from my clothes. I reached into the mouth of the spout and felt around for the stone. The sudden jerk of a hand clenching my jacket