The Book And The Wand

chapter 8

I quickly shoved the book under my baggy black shirt.

Luckily king decided we had to wear uniforms and for once, I was grateful for his bossiness.

A short man with a pudgy body and a bushy mustache walked through. He got a surprised look on his face like he didn't expect anyone to be in the room.

Aisling opened her mouth to speak but I shot her a look that made even her shut up. I had this covered.

"Why hello sir!" I said brightly, not showing fear.

He raised one bushy eyebrow.

"You aren't supposed to be here" he said.

I nodded "yes I know sir but we were cleaning Sorian's office, as a sort of gift I guess you would call it" I replied.

There went the other eyebrow.

"Explain please" he said, uneasily.

I shrugged "well its easy sir. We were orphans, really. Sorian gave is a job, a place to live and all we needed. We were just trying to repay him by doing a good deed"

"And maybe get some good karma while we're at it!" Pepper added perkily. Aisling sighed and looked annoyed.

The mans eyebrows rose so high I thought they would retreat into his hairline.

He frowned and started to say "young ladies-"

I interrupted him. "Please.." I looked at his name tag. "Leroy. Why don't you be a good man and just let us go. Let us go with the satisfaction that we've done something good."

He frowned hard. I worried that he would see the book.

Then his expression went blank and his eyes claimed a milky white color. "Ok"

The sound was barely audible. Mumbly and short. He spoke in kind of a daze then moved aside to let us walk past.

I scurried outside with the girls behind me. Blitz looked at me expectantly and I saw he could tell by the gleam in My eyes I had found it.

***

Kingston stood in the dark room with the book on one of the taller boxes. Aisling held a flashlight for us and I could see the brass coverings glint in the light. He sucked in a breath and opened the book slowly. He let it stay there as he said one word.

"Filiee" the pages turned so fast it was a blur of white papyrus type pages. No one was touching the book so it was doing by itself and i stared at it in awe. Then the pages stopped at a page.

I crowded closer so I could see it. The page looked like any other, crinkled and yellowed at the edges from age. It really didn't look all that special. Then three words appeared on the center of the paper. King read them aloud.

"Find the wand" the second he said those words, a golden glow lit up the letters on the page, then disappeared taking the words with them, leaving a blank page.

King stood there, stunned. Then his face fell.
"The wand. I have to get the wand. The blue... oh no!" He muttered. He grabbed fistfuls of his floppy, brown, gray streaked hair and plopped down on a box.

I looked at pepper in confusion but she was no help. Realization dawned on her and her face filled with sympathy. I looked to blitz but he too was looking at long with some sort of a pity.

"The wand? What does it mean?" Zeke asked looking as confused as I felt.

Aisling stood beside Kingston with her arm around him looking at the kodex.

"Guys...?" I asked. Almonzo squinted in the dimmed room and flipped frantically through the pages of the book.

"Will someone explain!?" I finally asked.

King looked up at me. "Its the month of the blue moon." He said as if that explained everything.

I shook my head. "I've never heard of it"

"No. I don't suppose you would have. The patterns of the stars and constellations have changed since ancient times. There used to be a time when the sun would reflect on the moon in such a way it gave it a blue illusion for several weeks. During that time, if you wanted to cast certain spells you had to use a sapphire wand. The spell I need to keep me young is one of those. There are several of those wands the world but the nearest is in a cave deep in the forest of Alcatraz." He looked crestfallen. "We have to find it or else I die."

I nodded. "We'll help you"

Genuine gratitude showed on his face and he attempted a weak smile.

"Thank you. But there's no use sulking about it." He straightened. "Now we have the kodex. You can be made immortal if you like."

I caught my breath. I had forgotten his offer.

"It will be hard if you say yes though." He warned me. " you will make friends and have family only to watch them die and go through pain. You may have to fake multiple deaths in order for people not to get suspicious. There will be a cost"

"I'll take it" Zeke and I said at once. I knew there would be risks but I also knew it was worth it. I wanted this.

"Ok. Well get started then."

***
Blitz POV

I couldn't believe how many people had joined our "group".

I was reminded of just how many of us there were as we all crowded in the small storage area

Carmen stepped up to Kingston. "I'm ready now" he nodded and opened the kodex
He chanted words in a language that had died out long ago as he read from the book. For a few minuets nothing happened. The anticipation on Carmen's face faded a little and nervousness settled in. Then without warning, thick gray fog filtered in from nowhere, swirling around our feet.

A orb of pure white fire floated in the center of her chest where her heart was. Ice white tendrils rose up from the ground around her feet. The shining color made the dingy color of fog look dull in comparison.

Her eyes widened as what looked like crystals flew up the back of her hands and up her legs. She looked like she wanted to yell but her aura wouldn't let her.

I noticed that king was still chanting and his aura had blossomed as well. Yellow pulsing light covered him like an outside layer of skin. He concentrated hard on the words he was speaking, never missing a beat.

Carmen's feet flew off the ground, just a couple of inches and she floated in midair. She squeezed her eyes shut then the white got as bright as the sun and kings words became hurried and quick.

Then all the light in the room dimmed to a small glow and Carmen's feet landed softly on the floor. She collapsed and luckily I was there to catch her. I lifted her light form into a cot next to her brothers, then laid a blanked over her. I kissed her forehead. "Goodnight princess" I whispered.

And I swear I saw her smile.