Page 12 of In the Dark

“I suppose you’re going to tell me this man was you, and you’re some kind of immortal knowledge seeker?”

“There are some secrets a man keeps to himself on the first date.”

She barely reacted, but he saw a muscle clench in her jaw.

“One of the tales he found was the creation of a wall between this world, earth, and some sort of ancient wellspring of magic. Being a curious and intrepid fellow, Morpheus set out to gather whatever information he could on the subject, leading to little but rumors and dead ends over the years. Until a tablet appeared. Enter present day Morgan Gauthier and his archeological connections.”

“Now we’re talking.” Karsia busied herself with her bread and tried not to wring his neck in her impatience.

“While much of the Cyrillic script etched into the stone remains a mystery, one part was translated immediately. A location spell. And to where, you ask? The original creators of the stone dubbed it the Telos Amyet.” Morgan took a moment to let the information sink in before continuing. “According to lore, the stone appears in times of need and has the singular ability to determine what lies in the hearts of men and grants them phenomenal power. From what I’ve managed to translate, around 1200 AD, two came by choice to find the stone. Their fate was sealed. The Telos Amyet placed one for good and one for evil, locked in an immortal embrace and tasked to forever keep the balance between the worlds. A physical manifestation of the barrier.”

“I’m familiar with that part of the legend,” Karsia said. “I need to know how to reverse it.”

“Assuming it’s real, of course.”

She grinned. “Of course.”

“I’m not sure there is a way,” Morgan admitted slowly. He glanced up and thanked the server when their food arrived. The steaming baked flounder beckoned him with smoky goodness, and it took every ounce of restraint and manners he possessed to let Karsia take the first bite from her own dish.

“No,” she said, swallowing hard, the food like ashes in her mouth. “There has to be a way. Does the tale say anything about what happens if the veil wears out? If there have to be two new and not-necessarily-willing people to seek the stone and keep the balance?”

“I would have to go back and read the texts again. Off the top of my head, I would say none of it’s true.”

Karsia grasped her fork until it screeched across the plate. “You know better.”

Morgan stared at her. “What happened to you?” He closed the distance and steadied her long, narrow hand in his. She felt too delicate, as though if he squeezed too hard, she’d fragment into a million pieces. “What happened to make you so afraid?”

“I’m not afraid. I’m damned.”

Instead of condemning her or writing her off, Morgan retained his grip on her. “Talk to me. What’s really going on?”

“Maybe it was the girl’s choice,” she began, telling a story of her own. “The girl knew the consequences when she started and knew there was always a possibility that things would not end in her favor. It came for them. The One Who Walks in Darkness. It whispered in the night, made them do things, horrible things. They sought it out, needing a way to stop her before she devoured their souls.”

“She?”

Karsia continued as though he hadn’t interrupted. “Darkness wanted one of them, wanted the girl’s sister. She failed the first time but instead of backing down, she became stronger. She came for them a second time. The girl was terrified it would take them all.”

“What did the girl do?” Morgan prompted.

Karsia ripped her hand away from his. “She jumped in front of the blast meant for her sister and sacrificed herself.”

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