Page 121 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

He grabs the photo and blindly puts his sandwich down, missing the plate and leaving a mess on my dining table. His mouth hangs open. “The problem is your Jar—the original—says the opposite and encourages us to open the Jar. But we think the cave and the replica disagree.”

Jed nods and scoops up his abandoned sandwich. “What do you want from me?”

Duncan shoves the Jar back at him. “I want to know if what I’ve interpreted from the replica is correct, and we need help figuring out what is true with three sources of information—two of which suggest opening that Jar will be a disaster, while the Jar itself says go for it.”

“You’re forgetting the manuscripts. They clearly point to Pan being a problem and the Jar being a good thing,” Jed adds.

Duncan huffs and unfolds some large books. “I’ve not forgotten—I just can’t make sense of it. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Codex Sinaiticus don’t talk about any prophecies like this, and the symbols on the Jar and the wall aren’t in the same language.” Jed grabs one of the books, and his eyebrows shoot up. “Copies—accurate ones,” Duncan explains.

Jed skims through the largest one, landing on a page near the center. “These aren’t in the same language because they weren’t written at the same time, and your historians haven’t quite learned to decipher the hidden text in these documents. I’ll show you how to look for the prophecy and how it matches what we believe.”

“What language is in the cave, then?” I ask.

Jed sighs. “It’s a lost language, an ancient one. But like most languages, it shares traits with others—enough that it can be deciphered.”

“So you’ll help us understand what the replica Jar says and how it links?”

Jed nods. “How are you dealing with your powers?”

“Better—I’m not setting random things on fire now. But I still manage to drench Zee every time I reach for water.”

“Are you sure that’s by accident?” he chuckles, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I’m not,” Zee mutters.

Staring at Zee, Jed points at his own neck. “What happened?”

“Walked into a clothes line.” Zee covers the scar with his hand.

Jed raises his eyebrows. “In December?”

Zee makes a noncommittal noise and grabs my hand. “Come on, let’s get practicing.”

“Air today!” Duncan shouts as we step outside.

Zee groans. “Are you joking? I’ve been knocked on my ass enough this week, plus you know that scary thing she does with the trees…”

“Give her a physical workout, too,” Duncan adds, amused.

Zee grins slowly at me. “Payback, baby.”

***

Four hours later, we drag ourselves into the house. Zee’s drenched and sports several scorch marks on his combat trousers and long-sleeve top. I’m limping and holding my ribs.

Duncan, Jed, and Aaden stare at us. “Don’t ask,” I mutter on the way to the shower. Zee grunts something similar behind me and goes to the bathroom.

Showered and redressed in jeans and a pale blue V-neck sweater, I sit on Jed’s knee dissecting a piece of raspberry cheesecake, as there aren’t enough chairs—much to Zee’s disappointment.

Jed’s notes are strewn in front of me. I point to where he’s written “Pan” and a few symbols. “What does this mean?”

He peers over my shoulder and taps his fingers on the table. “It refers to the owner as an ancient, which you already knew.”

I put my hand over his to stop him. “You do that when you’re hiding something.”

He shakes his head. “I’m confused.”

I stare into his hazel eyes. “Explain.”

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