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“The third mage—not the teacher, but the second student. She has limited foresight. She makes big predictions, but doesn’t see much of immediate events.

She’s not like our friends. She just sees vague images of big picture stuff.

She said Celine’s family would be trouble if any of them lived.

The one that was sent here was supposed to kill them all cleanly and leave no trace. ”

“She failed on both counts,” Liam murmured with some satisfaction in his tone.

“And she stirred the hornet’s nest. She attacked not just Celine’s family unit, but our Clan. Kinkaid will not stand still for that,” Master Chief Santini added, his tone gruff but firm.

“And so, the prophecy comes to pass,” Lester intoned.

“By messing up and leaving evidence behind, and a survivor, she has earned the wrath of our entire Clan. She killed two of our own. We will not let that pass without comment.” Lester’s tone was more promise than speculation.

It was also ice cold and deadly, which Zeke respected.

Taking a deep breath, Zeke added his thumb and gripped the edges of the stone, flipping it onto its back quickly.

It wobbled a bit, its domed surface rolling a little on the smooth table.

He moved his hand away to take a look at the inscription.

It looked sort of evil, though he was no expert in such things.

“Maybe we should have Lynn take another look at that,” Rick said at Zeke’s side as they both looked at the bottom of the stone.

“Do you see that?” Zeke asked, needing to double check his own vision.

“If you mean the swirling red glow in the carved lines, then yes,” Hal said as all three of the Green Berets sat back to just look at the thing for a moment.

“Did it do this before?” Hal asked Rick.

“Not that anybody saw. It certainly didn’t glow when Lynn looked at it, though she didn’t touch it.

Nobody has, actually, except Zeke. Lynn was clear about not touching possibly magical objects.

We’re being ultra cautious and only examining things like this—not that we have all that many—under controlled laboratory conditions.

This morning was the first time we’d taken it out of its protective wrapping since Lynn first looked at it. ”

“But I wasn’t in the laboratory,” Zeke said, looking over at Rick quizzically.

“We thought the office setting would make you more comfortable than the lab,” the doctor replied offhandedly.

Zeke nodded and turned back to the object. He reached out his hand, but Hal pulled it back with a quick gesture.

“I’m not sure you should be touching that thing while it’s glowing like that,” Hal said cautiously.

“We need to know more. I need to see whatever this thing can show me. It’s the only clue we have,” Zeke said. It was important that he do everything he could to help Celine. No matter the risk to himself.

Hal looked over at the Navy contingent on the other side of the table, who were all watching this attentively. Then, Hal sighed.

“You guys know more about this sort of stuff than we do,” Hal admitted. “What do you think?”

“It’s risky,” Lester said honestly.

“But it might be worth it,” Santini added, rubbing his chin with one hand. “If young Zeke is willing to take the risk.”

“Magic affects different people in different ways,” Liam said sensibly, leaning forward.

“There’s a chance it won’t have any effect on you, though that’s admittedly, the best-case scenario.

It could knock you into next week, or even kill you, though I suspect that’s unlikely for such a small and recently created artifact.

You saw it being made, right, Zeke? Do you have any idea when that was? ”

“Winter in Germany,” Zeke replied at once. “Probably within the last year or two judging by the skyline I saw. I know the area. I know what buildings have gone up, and how the silhouette has changed over the past few years.”

“It often takes time for a magical object to accrue the kind of malevolence or power needed to kill,” Lester mused.

“Though, it could still be quite potent, depending on the abilities of the mage who forged it. You should be cautious, and frankly, I can’t order you to take such a risk.

It has to be your decision.” Lester met Zeke’s eyes, and he saw the challenge there.

Well. Challenge accepted. What did the man think he was?

Some sort of coward? And then, Zeke looked at Celine’s pinched expression.

She was worried for him, which touched him deeply.

He didn’t want to fall flat on his face, metaphorically speaking, in front of her, but if he could get more information out of the stone that would help her, he’d do anything.

There was that word again. Anything she wanted, he would do his best to give her.

Very deliberately, Zeke reached out with one finger and gently touched the flat side of the stone as lightly as possible. It wobbled a bit, but the burst of imagery and emotion that hit him made him gasp. Still, he held on, riding the wave and picking apart the vision.

“More chanting as the runes were carved.” Runes?

Where had he gotten that word from? Maybe the vision was telling him more than he realized.

“Similar words to the ones Lynn recorded this morning. The woman paused to admire her work. Someone came into the room as she was holding this stone in her hand. The room is dark. It’s night.

She’s working by a fire with a bright task light illuminating just the workspace where she’s making the three bracelets.

” He made note of everything he could see in the odd light.

“The person asked her for an update on her progress. She said all four settings were coming along and that his would be ready first.”

“Four stones?” Rick asked, clearly surprised. “You only saw three earlier.”

“Three in bracelets,” Zeke clarified. “But there’s another.

A smaller stone. I see it in the light. It’s clear and fiery red.

Ruby, I think. Faceted on top, carved on bottom with the same kind of runes.

It’s for him. A stone of protection and amplification of whatever gift he has.

” Zeke struggled to see more about the man in the strange light of the vision.

Then, suddenly, the man shifted to stand by the fire, and Zeke recognized him. “It’s Kettering.”