Page 104 of As Darkness Fall
“A little,” I said, shrugging, trying to keep my cool. His story was fascinating, but my mind kept wandering to something more personal. A question I needed answered. A question I’d been wanting to ask for too long.
“On my last dig, I found a book,” he continued, the rest of us listening closely, while in the background, the lavender purple dome continued to shimmer, a reminder of just what sort of power we were up against.
“What book?” Vir asked sharply.
“The Book of Terrano,” my father said heavily, naming the shifter god of rites.
“The book of rituals,” I whispered, staring at Vir. “That’s why Lars had us tied to the altars in Shuldar. Hedidknow how to do something.”
“Lars didwhat?” my mother yelped.
“Uh, yeah. Long story. I found Shuldar by accident while trying to escape Johnathan, who I was Soulbound to, and uh, yeah. It didn’t go so well.”
My mother blinked slowly. “My daughter. You don’t do things small, do you?”
I compressed my lips into a flat line. Her wordssoundedsweet and genuine. But the truth was, I didn’t know. The old doubts were returning, infesting my mind, and I began to wonder about the truth of everything.
“I tried not to give him the book,” my dad said. “After I called him from Kellar to tell him I’d found it, he went insane. Basically slobbering at the mouth, ordering me to return at once, as fast as possible with the book. That I wasn’t to stop for anyone or anything. I’d never seen him so intense. It scared me.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“At first, I told him I wasn’t going to give him the book, of course. The change was so abrupt, so outlandish, that I knew giving him the book was the wrong thing. I read it through, wondering what could possibly be so important to him. It was just a book. None of it was real. Or so I thought.”
We all smiled at that, though most of the smiles contained little in the way of true humor. It wasn’t funny.
“Then, he threatened my wife,” my dad growled. “Said that if I didn’t give him the book, he would kill her. I was too stunned. I had no idea he’d go to such depths, just for a book. I read it front to back, all of the rites. I told myself that even if somehow theycouldbe done, the only relic Lars had was the Idol of Amunlea. That without a second one to pair it with, there was nothing he could do. And since I knew he didn’t have those, I gave him the book for Alex’s life. I’m sorry.”
I watched my dad put his arm around his mate’s shoulders, pulling her in tight. “Sounds familiar,” I said wryly. “Giving Lars something because you think he doesn’t have the other things he needs. Who would do such a thing?”
A faint smile crossed my dad’s lips.
“There’s no need to apologize, Dad,” I said. “Trust me. But you said you know what he’s up to. What more can you tell us?”
“Well, now that I know the ancient gods are real and exist, and so does the magic, I figure he has to be going after one of the rites. That must be his goal.”
“But which one?” I asked.
“If I were Lars, insane and power-hungry, I’d go for the biggest of them all,” my dad said.
Beside me, Vir hissed in shock.
“What? What is it?” I asked, looking at the shifter god. “What’s he going to do?”
“He’s going to use the Ritual of Vir,” my dad said, staring at the shifter god.
“What’s that?” I asked, not familiar with that one.
“He’s going to do what Amunlea did to me,” Vir said quietly.
“Huh?”
“He’s going to turn himself into a god,” my father said.
“Oh.” I licked my lips, turning my attention to the purple dome. “Well, fuck.”
“Dani, if he does that, then he will become a godon Earth,” Vir said uncomfortably. “When Amunlea raised me, she did so in the Direen. That is where my powers are greatest. But if Lars does that here in Seguin…”
“Then Earth is where he will be strongest,” I finished, connecting the dots. “You had to leave much of your powers in the Direen when you come to Earth.”
