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THE BLACKENING OF BLOOD
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JASPER HAD MANAGED to salvage a single book from the flames that devoured Camp Saar. The strange, leather-bound volume that lusted after his blood sat at the foot of his bed, calling to him. More, it whispered, sending chills down his spine. He made no move to collect it and hadn’t since their arrival in Idune.
He ignored the calls, staring instead at the spiderweb of blackened veins beneath the skin of his wrist. Jasper hadn’t noticed it before, the slow turning of his blood. It started as just a smudge, something akin to a spot of spilt ink just below his palm. He’d tried scrubbing it for almost ten minutes before realising he would scrub off the skin before the spot.
Since then, he’d taken to wearing longer sleeves. Luckily for him, the weather had been unusually cold for the region—so he was told—and his change in attire raised no eyebrows. Twice more he’d slit his thumb and spilt the blood onto the curiously cyphered pages before he realised that the stain was spreading. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew Griffin had been right in his warnings, but he also knew he had to continue in spite of them, owing to the importance of what lay inside.
He passed his hand over it wearily. For now, it had stopped spreading, but he knew there was more he needed to learn from the book. How much more was still a mystery, and having become acquainted with the strange volume, he figured it might bleed him dry before he got what he needed.
A knock at the door startled him. Jasper rolled his sleeve down quickly to hide his veins. “Come in.”
“Human,” Storm called, leaning up against his doorframe.
“I have a name, you know.”
“That’s good for you,” she said, waving her hand in the air, ignoring him completely. “I need your help.”
“We’ve been training together for at least a month, Storm,” he growled. “Don’t you think it’s about time you learned it?”
“I know your name. I’m just waiting to see if you survive before I decide to use it,” Storm replied matter-of-factly. “Now, are you coming?”
“Give me a second.”
Storm nodded and closed the door behind her.
Jasper stared back at the book on the foot of his bed. Its incessant hissing prompted him to open it once more, against his better judgement. He could almost feel it smiling back at him as he held it, knowing that it was about to be fed. The book fell open to the last page he’d unlocked. Under an ornate diagram depicting seven evenly sized spheres were the words:
The Seven Stones of Cartha
Jasper unhitched a breath and reached over for a knife on his bedside table. He twirled it between his fingers tentatively. Somehow, the book knew blood was near. The splotch on his wrist began to itch. Curiosity bubbled inside him.
Just one more, he thought. Where’s the harm in one more?
Outside, Storm banged on the door. “I don’t have all day, human!” she yelled.
“I’m coming,” he called back, knife in hand, still deciding if to give in.
“Hurry up!” she growled.
Jasper hurried to the door, leaving the book alone and wanting. He was proud of the restraint he’d shown in the face of temptation. His breath, along with the hissing, eased the further he got from the book. He opened the door to find Storm tapping her foot expectantly.
She scanned him from head to toe, arms interlaced in front of her. “You forgot your sword.”
“You never said I needed it.”
“What purpose would you serve me without it?”
Jasper groaned. “Okay, give me a second.”
He ran back into the room, grabbing the curious cane that had once belonged to Savara’s uncle, which held a hidden blade beneath the golden gorilla’s head. His eyes passed over the book once more, the knife glinting beside it.
“To hell with it,” he whispered to himself as he reached over and grabbed the blade. The book purred like an innocent cat as the shapes on the page began to tangle with the spilt blood to form words.
Jasper darted back towards the door with subdued enthusiasm. He would come back to find the newly translated page whenever Storm decided she was finished with him.
She took one look at him, noticed the blood dripping from his thumb, and said, “You’re bleeding.”
“Paper cut,” he lied.
Storm looked past him to where the book lay open on the bed. Her cheeks paled. She opened her mouth as if to say something before apparently thinking better of it. She pursed her lips instead and stared at him, trying to figure out what it was he had done.
“Am I interrupting?” Sebastian growled from behind her.
“No...” Jasper frowned, keeping his serious gaze on Storm, urging her not to pry.
“Something’s happening at the gates,” she said finally, speaking this time to Sebastian. “And next time I knock,” she added with a not-so-gentle punch to his chest, “answer the damned door!”
“Should we not get Griffin?” asked Sebastian, rubbing the spot she’d slammed a fist into.
“And Sav?” Jasper asked.
Storm shot a glance towards the other end of the building. “I couldn’t find either of them.”
“Have you looked—”
“In the rooms? Yes. No sign,” Storm replied flatly.
“And you aren’t worried?” Jasper frowned. “She could be hurt, or in trouble, or—”
“Contrary to what you must believe, human, I am not nor ever will be your lover’s keeper,” Storm hissed.
“She’s not my—” he began, but the intensity of her grimace silenced him.
“Besides, considering they’re both gone, I see no reason to fret. They must be together,” she added as she turned away. The short strands of brilliant red hair swished behind her as she strode off in front of them both.
Sebastian turned to him, looking for an explanation, and possibly confirmation that he hadn’t been the one to irritate Storm—more than usual.
“Nothing happened.”
“Then what has her so ruffled this morning?”
“I have no idea,” Jasper replied, but something told him that the brief exchange of glances between the two and the book she’d spied on his bed hadn’t helped.
They followed Storm out into the courtyard where a cart was already waiting to take them to the gates of Idune. Jasper stole a quick glance at Savara’s empty room. He hadn’t had the time or the guts to speak after their fight, and even if he had, he feared too much damage was already done. Jasper frowned, wondering where in this crazy world Savara had gone, and what sort of mess they were in now.
