Ikshan's Library

9. Phone-A-Friend

Elise Chaceney. Ikshan is going to call the Elise Chaceney. As I said before, Ikshan is a name-dropper. But this time, I'm particularly impressed.

Do I know who she is? Hell, yes! Do I know her personally? Of course not. I mean, she's one of the oldest immortals alive and, after what happened these last few years, she's become a legend. She's like the Captain America of immortals. If he could sing. Clearly, I don't play at this level.

So when Ikshan video calls her on his computer, I hold my breath.

Her face appears on the screen after a few seconds. Her long brown hair is up in a loose bun and she's smiling. And, of course, she's also beautiful. Her gaze has this commanding and gentle quality that betrays her age. I'm in complete fan-girl mode. And I didn't even know it was a mode I could channel.

"Hi, Ikshan! How are you?" The woman says in a warm voice.

"Great. I'm so glad to see you. Thank you for taking the time."

"Of course. Anything for you, Ikshan."

"This is Zoé. She works with me."

"Nice to meet you, Zoé."

"Likewise," I manage to say.

Elise turns her head, looks behind her and turns her phone. "Aidan wants to say 'Hi'."

A very handsome man with striking blue eyes then enters the frame and waves at the screen with a smile. He has a paintbrush in his hand and is standing in front of a canvas, where only a few dots of color have found their place yet. The room seems like an old Parisian art studio. Who the hell are these people? The whole scene looks like a combination of Architectural Digest, Vogue, and GQ for supernaturals.

"So what can I do for you?" Elise asks when she reappears on the screen.

I'm usually not a talker - except in my own head, I know, strong inner monologue vibe - but here I'm at a total loss for words. Fortunately, Ikshan is never at a loss for words, and doesn't seem impressed at all by the older immortal. They indeed look like very good friends. What's their story? Did Ikshan give her a life-or-death piece of information? Did they save the world together? It seems like this kind of friendship.

"Well, long story short," Ikshan says. "We have a problem with a magical object linked to a monster. And on this object, there are inscriptions. So I was hoping for you to be able to help with the translation. I'm sending you the pictures right now."

"Wait a minute. A monster?" She frowns.

"Yes. We cannot identify the creature but it's strong and connected to magic," I say, finally able to make an audible sound.

She looks at the pictures Ikshan sent her and she frowns again. "Does the creature look like the image on the piece of metal?"

"Yes, it does."

"I have never seen something like that before. Let me look at the text." And after a pause. "Yes, I recognize this. This is a coded language used by sorcerers when I was young. But it has been forgotten a long time ago. A friend taught me some of it at the time, though, in secret."

Ikshan looks at me with a big smile. "I knew it. I knew you could help us."

"Well, not so fast. I'm not sure I remember enough to translate it."

"Take your time."

"I recognize some words. It is about a curse and a trap. A blood curse, I believe." She keeps on reading, gaze focused on the image we can't see. Then she looks at us again. "This word here is a code word. It is performative. The word in itself is part of the key."

"A key to what?" I ask.

"There is a kind of magic which is a mix of blood and word. You have to pronounce the right word while doing the right ritual to cast the curse," Ikshan explains.

"Or to put an end to it," Elise adds.

"So this is it. We know how to use the item."

"If you can find the right ritual, I think so, yes. But it would not be that difficult. The specific element is the word. The ritual should be quite standard. I am sending you right now the pronunciation of the word."

"Thank you so much for your help, Elise."

"You are very welcome. And if you need anything else, call. And be careful."

I thank her too while thinking that caution is not exactly our style. But one can hope. And we have gorgeous superheroes friends, so it should be fine. Right?