Knowing there was no hope of me sleeping again, I flicked open its worn pages and thumbed through them as I ate, letting the wrinkled Bible paper slide across my fingers, being careful not to get any crumbs on it. I was aware that the last person to touch this had been the girl I couldn’t get out of my head.
I read each page in great detail, letting the information sink in. There didn’t appear to be an order to the book, but rather that the writer had added information as they found it out themselves. Still it was all beautifully and painstakingly written. Numerous updates and side notes had been added in the margins. I doubted that the new guides would have this kind of care.
I switched to geek mode and studied.
I learned about the different Alliance bases, the various Nexus tunnels and their relevant maps. I read about the Guild of the Arcane — the overseeing body for the numerous Covens. I discovered that Heterochromia — the condition that Sophia had — was fairly common among Witches. I learned about Apotropes, natural resources which could subdue or kill a Pandemonian. Oak wood or naked flame to kill a Vampire — which had already been put to the test. Iron or Diamond to take out most Luminar. Just Silver for Skinshifters. I discovered the five different types of gifts that a Chosen could have. I paused over those pages, wondering what mine could be with a flush of excitement. Telekinesis, Teleportation, Levitation, Charm, Pyromancy? Each one seemed so incredibly cool — like something from the pages of a comic book. I made a mental note to ask Gabriella about them when I next saw her.
I studied dozens of species, how they hunted and what their weaknesses were. I learned about Devils, fierce looking creatures related to Demons that walked on cloven hooves. I found out that you could tell if a Bloodling had fed recently by the colour of their eyes. Silver meant full, dull grey meant they were hungry. Dark grey meant it was time to leave.
I kept running through the pages, learning about creatures which a few weeks ago, I would have thought resided in the pages of pulp fiction and superstitious lore, not walking around ten odd miles from my house. My scan came to a stop at the heading ‘Skinshifter.’ I let the book fall open at the pages. An artist’s sketch of a monstrous dog stood over the passage, as if guarding the words. Its huge eyes had been shaded red. I remembered the blood-filled slits that had stared at me from the shadows of the forest. A shudder swept down my spine. I covered the picture with my palm and read on, slowing over the section on how to effectively kill one.
N.B. Only pure silver can be guaranteed to kill a Skinshifter. Even if decapitated by other means — such as a steel blade, in as little as an hour a new one will grow in its place.
The remaining half of my sandwich no longer looked appetising.
I kept reading, trying to soak in as much information as my brain could handle. By the time my alarm clock went off, I had less than a third of the book left. I knew I’d taken in a lot. I no longer felt totally clueless. I absently flicked through the rest of the book until I reached the final few pages. Some had been torn out. I ran my fingers down the rough remains of the edge of the pages. No doubt about it. Some had been removed.
I counted the stumps — four. Scanning back through the pages, I figured that given the amount of information per section, it was likely that a singular creature had been removed. I frowned, rifling through the entire book to make sure the pages hadn’t been stuffed anywhere. They hadn’t.
Gabriella? I wondered. No — why would she? Maybe it was a misentry. The meticulous nature of the writer made the removal of any incorrect information entirely plausible. But the roughness suggested they had been ripped out, not carefully removed. I shrugged. If it’s been removed, it’s not important. I lifted up the corner of my mattress and retrieved the worn picture of my father. I ran my thumb over his face and smiled down as he smiled back at me.
“Morning Dad. Sorry I’m a bit late, it’s been an interesting day.”
I opened the handbook and placed the picture in to mark the page I’d reached. It fit to the edges perfectly, as if it had been designed to go there. Still smiling, I leaned over and slipped the book into my schoolbag.
Heading for the shower, I was side-tracked by my phone ringing. I doubled back, hoping for Gabriella, but it was Mum, checking in. I spoke to her for a while, assuring her that yes, we were both alive and intact, and no, there hadn’t been any house destroying parties in their absence. I found out that just as I’d predicted, John had spent most of his time in Killarney propping up the bar at the local pub. Mum didn’t seem too bothered though, in fact she sounded quite relaxed.
It felt good to talk to someone who had no knowledge of what was going on. I could have been any normal boy talking to his Mother. She told me of her time spent visiting the markets in the town centre. How they had all walked the local hills and taken a jaunting car tour around Killarney Castle. Then I spoke to Connie and Edgar on loudspeaker, who asked about School and girlfriends. They made me promise to come and see them next year in-between arguing about where the discount vouchers for the supermarket had been left. By the time they rang off, my smile reached both ears. As soon as I reached the bathroom, the bizarre re-entered my world. Without warning images of Faru began to flicker in my brain. His voice entered into my head, as loud as if it were my own. “Alexander, may I speak with you?” I couldn’t work out if this was a hallucination or not. “Okay…”
Instantly an incredible force gripped me. My towel slipped from my waist, exposing my boxer shorts. Paralysed, I fell backwards, slamming into the cubicle as my body shook from head to toe. Flickers of light streaked across my vision and then I saw Faru standing by the sink as clear as day. My body freed up again.
“Good afternoon Alexander, I trust you are well.”
I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My mouth flapped open and closed like a fish. Finally I managed to get my voice box to respond. “Faru I was trying to have a shower!” Remembering my manners, I added “sir.”
“So I can see — my apologies. However, a mind link is the best way to communicate with you.”
“I have a mobile phone.”
The old man gave a short laugh. “I’m afraid I am somewhat of a traditionalist. Plus people lose their phones. Losing your mind is much more difficult.” He tapped two wrinkled fingers against his temple. “You see, now we have merged minds, your brain wave frequency is stored in my head. We can communicate with each other whenever we need to.” He gestured towards me whilst attempting to suppress a smile. “Although, as you can see, there is an initial effect when linking in.”
I retrieved my fallen towel and re-established my dignity.
“So I can call on you too?” I asked.
“Indeed. If ever you need to speak with me, simply concentrate your thoughts on me, and I should hear you. Now on to the matter in hand. I was incredibly impressed with your handling of the Rahuman…situation. His focus on you confirmed my suspicions that you are being targeted.”
“Wait, what… you used me as bait?” I barked.
“I can appreciate your anger Alexander and I am sincerely sorry for putting you in danger. It was necessary to ensure Rahuman did not disappear as he has done on previous incidences. His pride would have made it impossible for him to leave without your death. Orion, albeit unconventional is the Warren’s most successful team. I never expected him to get anywhere close to you. It was a mistake on Gabriella’s part.”
I shook my head. “Do not blame Gabriella, Sage Faru, or the rest of the team for that matter. We were outnumbered five to one. They did the best they could. It’s a miracle any of us survived.”
The Seelian cast his blank eyes downwards and his shoulders seemed to sag slightly. “Yes, I suppose you are correct. The odds were not in your favour. It never used to be this dangerous. A hunter team would consist of ten or more members. Unfortunately now, it is too risky to have large groups, as the shortfall means another crucial area would be left exposed. I am just relieved none of you were hurt.”