Page 20 of Secondhand Garagyre

Thesun.

Silveris the ore of the moon, and is revered by my people.

Goldis that of the sun.

Turquoiseoffers protection from negative energies, such as the negative effect the sun has on my moon kissed hide.Obsidianabsorbs, blocks, and transforms negative energies.

Excitementraces through me asIpop the latch on this case with a claw, grab the cuff with my tail, close the lid, and retreat from the room.Takingcare to ensureIleave it asIfound it, save for the cuff, asImake my exit and return to the front of the house taking extreme care to move soundlessly, lestIwake thedogs.

Diggingthrough the crystals,I’mhappy to see that all the stonesI’llneed are present.Ifthis isn’t the work of the gods,Iknow not what is.Iposition the black tourmaline, turquoise, obsidian, and selenite where they will catch plenty of moonlight, asInoiselessly open the front door while ducking to avoid hitting my horns and step out on to the porch, catching the glass door with my tail lest it bang shut.

Carefully,Iset the box on the edge of the porch in a pool of moonlight.Thosewill charge without further ado.

Thecuff however…

Onlythe gods can permit that type of talisman to be charged and used.Thewearer must be pure of heart or the cuff will remain nothing but a pretty trinket to be worn.Iplace the cuff on my left wrist, quietly citing my request to the gods asIdo.Theleft is for receipt whilst the right is to offer.Imost definitely need to receive this blessing.

“Pleasebless this amulet by the light of the full moon, bless it with the energy to protect me from my greatest weakness the sun.Blessit thatImay protect my preciousPaisleyfrom those that would do her harm.Iask this not for myself,Iask this not with greed in my heart.Iask this humbly so thatImay uphold the way of theLight, and defend those that cannot defend themselves.ThisisIbeseech of the night gods.Blessedbe.”

Secondsgo by.

Justas my shoulders begin to sag, thinking my request has gone unheard, the metal on my wrist warms, and the stones begin to glow with an otherworldly glow.

Afaint multitoned voice on the wind whispers.

“Worrynot, warrior ofLight.Longhave we watched.Longhave we heard your grief.You, who has only ever served faithfully, even at great personal expense, will be granted your selfless request.Youneed only recharge this cuff with the light of a full moon henceforth.Webless this amulet for your use, and only your use from this day forth, until you no longer have any purpose for it.Thisis our will, so mote it be.”

Withthe departure of the voice, the glow from the cuff dissipates.Cautiously,Itest the cuff with my magick only to be dumbfounded at the sheer power held within the cuff.Thenight gods… they blessed this cuff to the point that it is almost a god’s relic.

“Fromthe bottom of my hearts,Ihumbly thank you.”Bowinglow,Igive my thanks for the gift granted to me.

So.

Shethinks to deter me with another male?

Inhalingdeeply,Itake in the scent of my rival.

AGaragyre!

Thescent seems…familiar andIwrack my mind trying to place it.

Craftylittle human,Ididn’t think there were any of those left on this plane.

Itmatters not.

Hewill die…just like all the rest who have stood in the way of what is mine.

Desertingmy vantage point,Iturn to walk way.

I’veplans to make…

Chapter Twenty-Three

PAISLEY

Thesoundof little feet traipsing down the steps next to my bed are what wakes me.Usedto this routine,Igather the covers in my left hand, ready to toss them back when my bedroom door creaks open, just wide enough for my boys to scamper out.Adeep, hushed voice stops me beforeIcan swing my legs out of bed. “Besilent, little beasts.Yourhuman needs her rest.Igather that you both need to go into the out to do your business, so come along.”

Ifhe’s trying to earn brownie points, he’s doing a marvelous job.Idon’t ever get to sleep in.Notthat it bothers me,Iwouldn’t trade my boys for anything, but every so often it would be nice if they didn’t get up at dark-thirty a.m.

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