Chapter 11 #2
He crossed to the windows and opened the blinds.
The sunlight flowed inside, the bright glow filling Simon with the hope of a solution.
He opened the window, and the smell of his herbs began to drift inside.
Soothed by the comforting scent, he turned back to face the room and took a moment to run his hand over the smooth wood of the oak desk.
Simon remembered his grandfather in this very spot, seated in his creaky old chair as he grumbled to himself.
Whenever one of his plants gave him trouble or a concoction didn’t turn out correctly, he would settle at the desk with a stack of books.
With one of his leather-bound journals spread open beside him, his grandfather would make long pages of notes in his flowing script.
Simon felt even more peace settle over him. His grandfather would want him to use the books to figure out how to get rid of the dark spell inside him. He took a deep breath, and for the first time in a long while, looked over the shelves for something that could help.
Of course, nothing immediately jumped out at him. There wasn’t a book with big red letters that read “What to Do if Attacked by a Demon.” He was convinced something here would hold an answer for him.
He only had to find it.
Simon grabbed a few likely books off the bookcase and settled into his grandfather’s chair. He’d just started reading when he heard a quiet knock at the back door. Setting the book aside, he went to the door and opened it to find Cade there, waiting.
“You okay? I heard what happened.”
“I’m fine. A bit relieved, to be honest with you. At least now I don’t have this big what-if hanging over my head. I’m sure the Conclave will take action sooner rather than later at this point.”
Cade nodded. “Yeah, he seemed pretty freaked. You sure you don’t want to come out to the compound? I’m heading there now. Liam is here to relieve me, but we can have you out of here in no time.”
“No. Thank you for offering, but I think I’ll stay. I’m going to go through my grandfather’s library to see if I can find anything helpful. If I find something, I’ll let you guys know right away.”
“Well, if you’re sure, I’ll get going.”
“I’m sure. Thanks, Cade. Here, take a drink out for Liam. It’s getting hotter by the minute.” Simon pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and passed it over.
“Thanks, Simon. He’ll appreciate it.”
“See you later.” Simon closed the door and leaned back against it. He would find the answers he needed. He just knew it.
BOOK after book was a bust. Nothing about demons, weres, or Others seemed to exist in his grandfather’s collection. Simon had been through most of the shelves by the time the sun started to set. He flipped on another lamp and scanned through the books again.
He started to reach for a history book when he paused, remembering that his grandfather didn’t keep all his books here in the library. His journals were out in the workroom, where he could easily take notes on his herbs and other projects.
Simon hurried to the room, enjoying the clean smell of drying plants in the air.
It comforted him, made him remember all those days at his grandfather’s side preparing the plants for drying, crushing them into usable bits, and storing them for later use.
This felt right. If Grandfather didn’t have an actual book on the topic, he’d surely taken notes over the years of his experiences and observations.
His notebooks were in an antique cabinet that had once served as an armoire.
A faded mirror, speckled with age, still lined one of the doors.
Simon jumped when he saw his reflection, a moment of panic overtaking him.
He laughed when he realized he was staring at himself and not some stranger who’d come to steal him away.
Simon had kept his grandfather’s habit of keeping the cabinet locked up, even though the key was hanging just inside the door of the room on a hook.
He carefully got the doors opened, wiggling the key just so to convince the worn lock to release its hold, and stared at the pile of leather-bound books inside.
The gardening notes were separated from his general notes according to shelves.
The topmost row held all his gardening secrets.
But it was the next batch of books Simon was more interested in.
He had never read his grandfather’s personal journals, even years after his death.
They were his grandfather’s private thoughts, and he’d never felt right about reading through them.
Now, though, a shiver of excitement poured through him.
The answer was here. He could feel it. His grandfather had left him these books for a reason, had insisted on leaving this cabin and its contents for Simon’s use, and for the thousandth time, Simon was so grateful for his planning.
He grabbed the first few journals and sat down on the floor.
He flipped through the first one quickly, scanning the pages for any key words.
Demon, werewolf, Other, dark magic. He looked for anything that could help.
The stack of journals grew by his side as he flipped through year after year of notes.
Finally, Simon found what he was searching for. His mouth fell open in shock as he read, and his eyes filled with tears that rolled down his cheeks unnoticed. Simon couldn’t believe he’d been so wrong for so long.