Michael

  Michael disliked that expression. He wanted to open the door and run away, but his good heart betrayed him, or perhaps it was the promise of a revolver. “What’s going on?” he asked, and already regretted having done so.

  Denis reached under his pillow and pulled out a necklace. He looked at it for a moment before speaking. “Can you look after this for me? It’s very valuable, and I don’t know who else to ask. I promise I’ll come back for it.” He offered the object to Michael. “And please, don’t tell anyone you have it.”

  Michael walked over to the bed and grabbed the necklace. It was made of silver, with a clear, colorless quartz the size of a large strawberry as a gem, encased in a hexagonal metal cage. Raising it to his eyes, he noticed red lines drawn over the vertical bars of the cage. They were red like the color of blood, with hundreds of small dots along them, of different sizes and shapes, scattered at uneven distances. The lines twisted around the bars like vines, and the dots were the fruits they bore. They all converged at a point on the crest of the cage, giving the illusion that they had sprung from there. The quartz also had these marks on its crystal skin.

  Michael knew well what those marks were. It was a language. Ancient and impossible for mortals to utter, for only the gods could pronounce its words; the lines with dots was the poor alternative left to mortals to be able to use it. This technique was known as Spelldraw.

  And thanks to it, humans could do magic just like the gods.

  This isn’t a necklace, but an artifact, though I don’t recognize what it does, Michael thought. He knew about Spelldraw thanks to his teacher, Emma, ??but the complex engraving on the cage and quartz puzzled him. “Where did you get this?” he asked.

  “My boss gave it to me.”

  “Did he give it to you or did you steal it? This is an artifact, and judging by the engravings, I assume it’s a complex one. I don’t think your boss gave it to you because he liked you.”

  “I swear he gave it to me. He asked me to take care of it.”

  “Denis, don’t lie to me. This isn’t just a simple artifact. Michael placed the necklace close to Denis’s face. “Look at the size of the quartz. It’s huge, and it has two engravings working in parallel. I can’t make out the one on the stone very well, but the one on the cage is an engraving of six lines. And look at the number of commands it has. This must cost as much as a mansion in the capital, or even more.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe it’s just a protection spell, like a bulletproof shield. My boss told me it would give me protection.”

  “The protective artifacts are made like bracelets, and the stones are as small as beans.” Michael sat back down in the chair and looked Denis straight in the eye. “Where did you get it? Is this why Luke is after you?”

  “What?! No, no.” Denis said, alarmed. “Nobody knows I carry this with me. Are you mad?”

  “And where the hell did you have it hidden, huh? Emma checked your clothes and bag when she was treating you.”

  Denis looked away, as if he were embarrassed. “Where do you think I had it? But don’t worry—I cleaned it up.”

  Michael turned red. He had the impulse to throw the jewel at Denis’s face, but he restrained himself. He needed answers. “You haven’t told me where you got it?

  “I swear to the gods that my boss gave it to me.”

  “Why?”

  “He wanted me to take care of it. He trusted me.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Unfortunately, he’s dead.” His voice became strained. “The necklace is part of an inheritance he left to his wife. He asked me to deliver it personally to her before he died. He didn’t trust anyone else with the task.”

  “And where is she?”

  “In… Auray.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “That’s way down south. You’re a long way from your destination, mate. How did you end up here?”

  “Because of that piece of junk,” Denis said, glaring at the necklace. “That thing has only brought me trouble since I got it. I’d be at home minding my own business if I hadn’t accepted it. My boss’s brothers are all over this thing like mad dogs. As you said, it’s worth a lot of money. My boss didn’t leave them anything in his will due to some issues they had. My plan was to hide in Blackferr for a while until everything cooled down and they forgot about me.”

  “But they found you, right?”

  Denis shook his head. “No, no, you’re wrong. What happened to me has nothing to do with the necklace. I haven’t lied about that.”

  “Then why were you attacked? And I want the truth this time.”

  “Well, you see, my boss left me some money in his will, and being the wise man I am, I made sure to put it to good use; you know what I’m talking about.” He winked. “It was easy to find good company in Blackferr to pass the time. However, I didn’t count on a gang of thugs having their eyes on me. They cornered me, beat me up, and took everything I had. But not happy with that, the cunts decided to kidnap me and drag me out of town. They thought I had more money hidden somewhere and wanted it all.”

  “How did you escape?”

  “I broke myself free. They didn’t count on me knowing how to defend myself.”

  Michael furrowed his eyebrows. He had trouble believing him. “Do you know how to fight?”

  “But of course. I may look like a pigeon to you right now, but know that I’m a trained swordsman.”

  “Can you resonate?”

  Denis burst out laughing. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been screwed that day. There were more than twelve of them against me, and I only had my dagger. But when they put me in their carriage and took me out of town, it was down to just four, though they took my dagger and tied my hands. I managed to break free with great difficulty and went after my captors. I quickly incapacitated three, but the fourth managed to stab me in the stomach with my own dagger.

  “And to make matters worse, it turns out there was another carriage following us. I had to run into the bushes to lose them. Luckily, the bastards got tired of chasing me and left me alone. Maybe they thought I’d bleed to death, and I almost did, if it weren’t for you and the girls finding me hours later. They took everything of value I had, including the money I inherited from my boss. The necklace was spared because I had it up in my ass.”

  “It can be assumed that they weren't after the necklace. They would have cut open your stomach, looking for it.”

  Denis chuckled. “I think I was lucky about that. You know. Resting here in the clinic, and remembering everything, I realized that I brought it on myself. I’m sure one of my dates sold me out to those people, the wretched woman.”

  Michael observed the necklace. He didn’t know Denis well, so it was most likely that everything was a lie. The story about his boss’s inheritance, the brothers, the thieves, and the money stolen from him could all be lies to prevent Michael from getting scared and refusing his petition. The necklace could be the real cause of all his tragedies and the reason why Luke was interested in him. He thought about rejecting the petition. He felt that he had done enough for Denis, so he wanted no part of whatever mess the man was involved in. However, there were Esther and Helena. The scoundrel might ask them if he refused; no, he would surely do so. He had no choice but to take the dirty object.

  “Let’s say I believe you,” Michael said. The words tasted like dirt. “Let’s say you didn’t steal this thing, that someone gave it to you for some strange reason, and I decided to help you. What do you want me to do? Hold onto it for you?”

  “Exactly. That’s all.”

  “And how and when will you come for it? The less I have to deal with this thing, the better for both of us. I don’t want any trouble, Denis.”

  “I’ll be back, I swear. They promised me a good reward when I hand it over. Don’t you want the revolver?”

  “That's pretty low, you know? Don't tempt me, 'cause you'll regret it,” Michael said with a grin. “I'll grant your request, but keep in mind that I'm doing it because I'm sure you'll ask Esther if I don't, not because of the revolver.”

  “Never. I would never do that to my beautiful savior,” Denis said with conviction.

  “And Helena? You never told me why you became a madman that day. What did you see in her?”

  Denis blushed. “Nothing. I was just delirious.”

  “Your delusions made you mistake her for a seraph. I know she’s tall and beautiful, but she’s nothing like one. They are giants among humans.”

  Denis laughed. “I know. But you can’t deny that your family resembles them in some ways. By the way, how tall are you?”

  “About six and a half feet tall.”

  “Wow, and you’re only fifteen? I’m really envious, lad.

  Michael put the necklace in his trouser pocket and stood up. “I’ll keep it for a year. If I don’t see you during that time, I’ll get rid of it. Do you understand?”

  Denis nodded.

  “And remember this: if I find out you’re lying, and this thing gets me in trouble, know that I won’t wait for you. No, no, no—I’ll come for you. And I won’t be alone. I'm going to need help to hang you by your balls and pierce your heart with a spear.”

  Denis smiled. “I think I’ll survive that. My family has always told me that I’m a stubborn bastard. That’s why you see me here, still in one piece.”

  “Don’t push your luck, idiot. Don’t you want to see your children again?”

  Denis became quiet. He and Michael stared at each other for a long time.

  Michael grew tired of waiting for a reply. He walked to the door and left.