Page 100 of The Book Reader
Will I look like her when I get my book back?
The deeper we move into the cave, the more I’m left gasping in awe. It’s a dome-shaped rock cavern, carved from the same pink stone as the entrance; the roof glitters with what appears to be tiny diamonds, and the walls are adorned with spells and symbols in gold. The power of each spell pulses over my skin, like it’s charging me. In the center is a massive chest on a rock podium with steps leading up to it. It’s made of gold and covered in words, these ones I can read—spells and incantations from a past that is clouded in darkness.
“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” She speaks.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” I move closer and run my hand along the edge of the chest; it feels like it's vibrating with energy, my fingers tingling from the touch. “What do these symbols mean?” Symbols cover the chest: waves, fire, a rock, and swirls.
“They represent the elements, earth, air, fire, and water, all of which we can control without using the book. The spell book is an added extra, an extension of us and our power.”
“What do you mean?” My hands almost caress the chest again, unable to stop touching it; the allure makes me want to open it and see what’s inside.
The woman comes over to me and takes my hand, leading me to one side of the cave where there is a carving of some mountains. “At the beginning, the devil created a power so strong, he knew his task for controlling. Hell would be too much for just him, so out of Hell, the Blood Bringer was born. With her power so great that at a young age, she was wanted by another.” She moves her hand over the carving, almost stroking it. The scrapings in the rock resemble a black devil with horns and a tail; he has a spear protruding from his chest. “Tate came to Evilie and manipulated the Blood Bringer into killing the devil. He then stole her.”
The next carving depicts a young girl surrounded by gold and light. I find myself entranced by the care and detail that went into each one; it’s as if whoever created this wanted to ensure they were perfect, that the message was clear, and no detail was left out.
“The powers that be knew they would need someone to fight for all, they needed a power to fight for both good and evil—for heaven, Hell, and all the universes—to keep the balance. So, they made us,” she gives me a knowing glance. “They made you.” She ushers me closer. Her words weigh on me, and my breath rushes in and out of my chest, as if I’m seconds away from a panic attack. She continues unaware of my turmoil and fear.
“The Blood Bringer and The Book Reader. Both powerful, both deadly.” Her fingers toy with a carving of a book. “Life has been cruel to us, with our power comes evil that wants to control it, to possess the Book Reader, to give them the ultimate power of everything…” My chest tightens; my stomach starts to flutter as if hundreds of butterflies have taken flight.What if I let everyone down? What if I can’t be the power they need?She comes to stand by my side, her hand reaches for me. Her touch is meant to soothe me, but it doesn’t. It burns with the weight ofher words. “When you fully learn and accept the powers of the book, you will be unstoppable.”
What she is telling me is a lot to take in. I knew the book was going to be something huge. Now I’m wondering if I am truly strong enough to take on this power… to be the warrior everyone needs.
My eyes lock on the chest, the power from it pulsing along my skin, making me tingle with awareness. “Am I meant to kill them all?” I want to walk over to the chest; part of me wants to wrap my arms around it—keep it safe and hide whatever is inside. The rest of me is scared shitless.
She purses her lips. “We do what we must. The Blood Bringer will come for you, just as Tate and everyone else. Our power is like a beacon; we smell sweet in the air; they designed us that way.” Her voice softens as tears well up in her eyes. “The powers that be wanted to make sure we could find any part of the world that needed balance.”
“They made us a target?” I ask, confused.
All the daemons that have been close to me have always said how sweet I smell. The powers that be made us this way. This is why. They find me so I can kill them. Great. “You must learn the powers, Ari. You must learnourpowers—master them and become what has always been in our destiny. For this is our last.”
I frown. “What do you mean by last?”
She smiles softly. “We will not be reborn again after this. I am the first and you are the last.”
“Does that mean I am going to die again?”
She smiles and nods toward the chest. “Open it, Ari, all of the answers you need are inside. Do not fear the power, Arianna, it is what we were born to do, embrace it and let our birthright do what it needs to do.”
I laugh lightly at her use of words; it’s easy for her to say, ‘don’t fear it.’ How can I not, when everything in my life seemsto have been ripped from me because of this book? My eyes close for a second to try to calm the storm that is raging in my stomach. I’m either going to throw up or run away. “What is your name?” I whisper, realizing she never told me.
“When I was born, they did not give me a name of my own; they called me the Book reader only. Gaelan named me Rose.”
I slowly peel my eyes open and smile. “He calls me that, too.”
“Because we smell like roses.” We say in unison and giggle.
She leads me over to the chest and places my hand on top of it. The chest vibrates under my touch, like it knows I am about to open it. “You have the key.”
I reach for my necklace and rip it off. It shakes in my hands before flying out and landing on top of the chest, a golden glow shoots up into the sky as it begins to melt and blend in with the gold key. The chest flies open, and everything goes black.
Chapter 36
GAELAN
“Ari?” I yell, trying to dig through the sand she disappeared under, exactly like when I was in her dream, but this time it’s real. Leah rushes over to me.
“My lord, the guards are searching the houses for her.”
“Help me dig. She has to be down here.” I bark angrily at Leah. I knew this was a bad idea; it was a risk bringing her back here after everything that had happened. She wouldn’t listen to me. “Fuck!” I yell, frantically digging deeper into the sand, the tiny grains slip through my fingers, the hole filling up no matter how much of the hot, dry sand I move. Rex whines next to me and lies down, both of us knowing that we might be too late. We could have fed Rose into a trap. Standing up, my hands in my hair, fist, not knowing what to do or how to find her.
