8. In Which a Lie, a Soft Glow, and a Boulder Have Things in Common
Chapter 8
In Which a Lie, a Soft Glow, and a Boulder Have Things in Common
E llie stood in her room, her suitcase unpacked, and all her items put away neatly. She should go to dinner, but she didn’t have the energy. The day had been taxing, and she wanted to crawl into bed. Instead, she took a glass of wine onto her balcony with a book.
A gust of wind whipped her nightgown around her knees, tugging at her hair as curls gave way. She tried to smooth the wild tendrils back into something that resembled order but gave up and turned her chair to face the breeze. At least this way, it would blow the curls out of her eyes. Placing the glass on the small table, she flopped into the chair and pretended to read. Light flickered above her, causing her to raise her gaze over the edge of her book. A man walked onto his balcony, followed by a woman in a short dress. She was laughing and tossing her head as he kissed her. Grabbing her waist, he placed her against the balcony railing. She gasped low before wrapping one leg around his waist. The action elicited a moan.
Snapping her book closed, Ellie stepped inside her brightly lit cabin. The couple needed privacy, and she should be in bed. Her book abandoned on her nightstand, Ellie’s glance fell to the crate resting on the counter. She hadn’t taken it out of its container since Mr. Lucci had left her office, thinking it better to protect the relic.
Now, alone in her cabin, she desperately wanted to see the beautiful copper ink again. Giving in to her urge, she carefully opened the crate. Feeling a bit like that movie with the archaeologist carrying a whip, she glanced above her just in case a boulder suddenly appeared. Gingerly, she placed the book on the makeshift desk. Moving anything that might damage it, she gently flipped open the leather-bound cover to the first page. The copper ink shimmered in the bright overhead lights. A drawing captivated her as she flipped through a few more pages. An arched doorway occupied the middle of the page surrounded by delicate flowers and vines painted so vibrantly they almost looked real. There was an etching carved into the painted wood, a language she couldn’t read. Several carvings of wooden creatures danced near the border of the frame, ready to jump from the page. In awe of the artistry, she delicately danced her fingers over the drawing of the door; it glowed in the soft, golden light. Under her fingertips, there was a pulse, as if the book itself was alive. The hair on her arms stood up, and she shivered as her hand lay splayed on the page. It called to her, the pulse, the beat on the page. Shaking her head, Ellie closed her eyes and opened them, the feeling gone. The picture sat quietly under her palm when she glanced at it again, back to nothing more than a beautiful drawing of an intricately carved door. Turning back to the cover, Ellie admired the beading woven into the leather. The blue gems, shades of sapphire, sparkled in the light.
Absentmindedly, she grabbed the necklace she always wore. She didn’t need to fumble for the pendant; she knew exactly where it was—running it along the chain on her neck, back and forth, thoughts whirling in her mind. As she did, she cocked her head one way, then another. There was a strange familiarity about the pattern encrusted on the cover. Ellie had seen it somewhere before; she was sure of it. Scrunching up her face in thought, Ellie removed the chain and held the pendant in her hand, studying the cover, turning her head from side to side.
“Oh!” an excited little gasp escaped her lips. “That’s it.”
Turning the necklace over, her fingers twisted it over two empty spots in the pattern. The pedant fell into place in a section of beadwork with a little click. As it did, the pages from within the closed book glowed. Ellie gasped and opened the book once more. She flipped it open as one corner of her mouth lifted.
“I knew it was real,” she breathed.
Passing her hand over the top of the book, she watched in delight as it disappeared from view.
Ellie smiled widely. Most believed the book was a myth, but she had known exactly what it was when Moreno set it on the glass counter. She hadn’t needed the damn history lesson from Mr. Lucci; Aunt Diana had told her long ago of the book’s existence. But, playing as if she were dumb had the book firmly in her possession, and she was determined to keep it that way. She needed answers. Answers to who she was and where she came from. Answers she had spent the last few years searching for. She just needed someone who read ancient Greek fluently.
Filled with newfound excitement, Ellie looked up into the empty room. A slow smile spread across her face.
She snapped her fingers.
And plunged the room into total darkness.