Page 36
Story: The Siren
“Since when?” She gave him an amused look.
“Fine, I’m in the process,” Vladimir said, his eyes darting back to her lips. “In the meantime, it can’t hurt to look.” Then suddenly, he let out a painful cry.
Oh God! Not again.Lucienne felt her blood freezing in her. They weren’t even touching. They were just looking! Then her eyes went wide. The pain didn’t come from her. Electric sparks and black fire discharged from the data reader Vladimir was holding.
“Drop it!” she cried.
Vladimir tossed it to the ground. Electricity still emanated from the reader. Lucienne reached for Vladimir’s hand, turning it. A series of blisters popped up on his palm.
“It’s nothing,” Vladimir said.
“Go get the medic kit from the airship,” said Lucienne.
“I told you I’m fine,” Vladimir said impatiently. “I’m not leaving you.”
“It’s a second-degree burn. Don’t make me leave the site and go with you. You know I can’t leave while it’s here.”
“And you know I can’t leave you while I’m not sure if you’re safe. So stop fussing. What are a few blisters to a warrior?”
Shaking her head, Lucienne turned back to the Eye of Time. A fascinated expression crossed her face. “It doesn’t like to be tested.”
“Obviously,” Vladimir grunted.
Then, without warning, all the flashlights died. Hell Gate sank into pitch blackness.
Vladimir hit a button on his radio. No sound. He dialed his encrypted Eidolon phone. No reception. “All signals are blocked,” Vladimir stated, wheeling around to seek the threat.
The commandos fanned out into a defensive position in the absence of light.
“I’m checking BL7,” Orlando called. A moment later, he called again, “The engine’s dead.”
“We’re in a dead zone,” Vladimir said.
Lucienne glued her eyes to the metallic eye that sparkled with a faint, ice-blue light. “It’s communicating.”
As she spoke, strange symbols, numbers, and glyphs swarmed inside the Eye’s dark lens. The display lasted less than half a minute,then the data vanished. The Eye of Time remained quiescent. Only the town in the distance sparkled in a magnificent light.
“Let’s send Orlando in to check out the town,” Vladimir said. “The king and his guards are nasty. They might—”
“The natives have nothing to do with the blackout,” Lucienne said. “The Eye of Time is trying to punish us.” She pulled out a platinum necklace from under her jacket, unclasping it. At the end of the chain was an eye-shaped, gold locket. Lucienne pressed the pin on one side of the pendant. The locket slowly opened, revealing an intricately designed holder that contained a half-white, half-black, and translucent liquid. A wisp of gas hovered over its surface.
“What is that?” Vladimir asked.
“Twilight Water, an heirloom,” Lucienne said. “An object that goes beyond three dimensions.” Over Vladimir’s questioning look, she added. “Former Sirens had it tested, but human technology can’t decode its elements.”
“How many skeletons are you keeping in your closet, Lucia?” Vladimir asked.
“You don’t exactly pour your heart out with me either, Blazek.”
“What do you mean by that? I always bare my secrets at your feet. And now I know I’m the only one doing that.”
“Are we going to argue right now?”
“Should I schedule a time then? Is your book full?”
Biting her lip, Lucienne moved the locket toward the Eye on the gate. “If we can’t control it, we’ll be stuck here, like the natives.” She didn’t tell Vladimir that she knew it’d be much worse for them if they were. She had read a warning of threat from the Eye through her Siren’s link. If the Twilight Water didn’t encompass it at first contact, the Eye of Time would incinerate her to ashes.
“Ziyi knows where we are,” Vladimir said.
Table of Contents
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- Page 36 (Reading here)
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