Page 13 of Dead and Gone

"Okay?" asks Rowan, throwing me a wary look.

"I hope this is not against my better judgement," I say.

What concerns me the most is that Rowan doesn't require a boost from my magic to access the Blackwood's dark shadows, and I fidget as I watch him. Rowan's breathing shallows as he holds the box on his lap between both palms, and he disconnects uncomfortably quickly from full reality to one where magic dominates.

The wisps of shadow are barely visible at first, and due to my own affinity, I detect them before Leif and Grayson do. I kneel, prepared to pull Rowan's hands away should the shadows begin to manifest strongly, as the puffs thicken into a thread winding around the box several times. Thankfully, the space between the box and his hands doesn't fill with darkness, but the chill in the air spreads through the silent room.

Rowan's fingers move slightly, and he digs a fingernail into the box half-hidden beneath the gray mist. He's lost from us, focused on controlling the magic, and takes a sharp breath. The lid flips open, and Rowan immediately drops the box as if it burned him.

"Take it someone!" he urges, shoving his shaking hands beneath his arms.

As the box falls, the contents tip onto the floor.

A black velvet pouch tied with a ribbon.

I reach out for the item, wary in case something unpleasant or dangerous is attached.I'dbe fine—nothing would likely affect me as a hybrid—but any harmful magic could impact the others.

Grayson picks up the box and watches as I carefully untie the ribbon. "What is it?"

I tip half a dozen small, shiny objects into my palm, some teardrop size and others half a centimeter wide. "Gems? Diamonds and sapphires? Emeralds?"

"Huh." Leif takes hold of a clear gem.

"Are they magic stones?" asks Grayson, peering closer.

I've inferior psychometry skills compared to Rowan, but I can detect which gems contain magic now I'm holding the items. Two ruby red spheres, barely the size of my fingertip, attract me, and a vague buzz crosses where they touch my skin. "The rubies are."

"Can you use your psychom-whatever to check the others, Rowan?"

"No!" I grab hold of the diamond that Grayson offers Rowan before he can take it. "Not before the shadows completely fade from him. We still don't know what magic might be attached. We can take a closer look tomorrow."

Grayson studies the ruby. "Look. Something's etched on the side. A rune." The circular marking is barely visible and absolutely tiny, but definitely not a chip in the gem. "Do you recognize the rune, Violet?"

Leif takes one of the rubies and squints at the marking.

"Not a common rune—you can research it later, Rowan," I reply. "And look into the name Redridge. We need to find a picture of that pocket watch."

"Why?" asks Leif.

"There's something rather obvious here. The box belonged to the Redridge family, and someone hid magical gems inside.The stolen pocket watch also belonged to the Redridges.Andsomeone stole the Redridge mole gifted to the museum."

"Yeah and hid other gems. Do you think they're all real?" Leif pokes at them.

"And you reckon the mole theft is related?" asks Grayson.

"If the town's local reprobates took the mole as a joke, I can't see an obvious connection," I say. "But I never believe in coincidences."

"Rowan needs to use a spell to find any clues to places or people held in gems' energy imprints," says Leif.

"Yes. And I'll wait with Rowan until the shadows fade. I can make notes, and we'll meet in the morning?"

"And return the box to the museum?" asks Leif.

"Yes. But not the gems," I say.

"What?" Leif's mouth parts. "How long before somebody notices they're missing?"

"Long enough, I hope." I stand. Rowan's desk is a mess of magic paraphernalia: rune stones, dried plants, and vials of who-knows-what. I locate a sheet of paper and a blue pen.

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