Page 18 of Blue Embers
I turned the pendant over, searching for distinguishing marks, engravings, and colors that might provide some clues or answers. Answers would be nice.
“You said you never met your sister’s Draak partner,” I said to Persephone. “Did she ever tell you his name?”
“No,” she answered. “It was a long time ago and she was pretty affected by a lot of things that happened. She hasn’t told me everything to this day. I pushed her for years,” she sighed. “Almost twenty years, actually.”
“Twenty years? That’s a long time. For humans, that is.”
“Trust me. I know.”
I glanced down at the pendant, holding it in my palm and opening up to the energy it put off, but as a Blue Breath, my reading abilities were a bit lacking. I was more the “I have a feeling” type. I let out a long sigh and wondered if I should bring the item to Draven, or at least a Red with equally strong senses, who could decipher exactly what a pendant like that was doing in the hands of a human woman. It all seemed a bit odd and my need to solve a puzzle was growing irritating. I needed something to work on and this was it.
“I’d like to take this for a couple days,” I said.
“The exhibit opens this weekend,” Persephone said.
“I’ll be careful,” I said nonchalantly as I glided past her. “I promise.”
I could hear Persephone close up the case behind me. Following that was the sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor as she walked after me.
“Whatever you’re doing, I’d like to accompany you,” she said, hastening her stride to walk alongside me.
I was a fast walker when I wanted to be, but was surprised at how well Persephone kept up with her lengthy steps like a model on a catwalk. I glanced at her as we both headed for the door.
“You sure you don’t have things to organize here?” I teased.
“I’m here to make sure everything is in its place. That means keeping track of what you’re doing with my sister’s pendant.”
“Very well, Ms. Grant,” I said, walking out of the room and into the hall toward the loading dock doors. “But fair warning. You’re about to step into a rabbit hole if you come along with me.”
She didn’t flinch at the challenge. Instead, her posture hardened as if her determination and interest had doubled. We stepped through the exit and I led her to my car parked just outside. She raised a brow at the Bugatti and circled around to the passenger side.
“Nice car,” she said flatly.
“I know.”
On the drive back to the house, I handed the necklace to Persephone, sensing she’d be more comfortable holding onto it herself. She began to inspect it, but I could tell she wasn’t even sure what she was looking for.
“So why do you want to look into this all of a sudden?” she asked. “I mean, I know the metal is rare, but you didn’t seem so interested when I showed it to you at the coffee shop.”
“I’m not quite sure what I’m looking for,” I said. “I’m just a bit astounded at the coincidences I’ve encountered and thought they deserved a bit of looking into.”
“What coincidences?”
I cleared my throat, unsure how to explain the complications of my struggles to a human.
“Draakomir metal is something from our homeworld,” I elaborated. “Well, not mine. I was born on Kumir, but Ash Bringers are from Draakon. Pendants like that are worn only by Ash Bringers and any Draak they pass them down to. Many don’t part with them until the event of their death and we’d know if an Ash Bringer died. They’re small in number, so obviously this interests me.”
“So the Draak who marked my sister could have been a Red?”
“Possibly. I feel there’s more to it than that.”
“So what can you find out by taking this?” she held up the pendant.
“I’m going to get a bit of help from some friends and try to track down the owner of it. Simple,” I said with a smile, though the process wouldn’t be so easy. I knew that much.
8
Killian
