Page 72 of Kick the Candle (Knight Games 2)
Isabella's left hand, charred and blackened, rose to waist level, light shooting from her fingers as her final words bubbled from her dying lips. "Caretaker of the light, always." Enrique's body seized as the light plowed into him, flopping on the ground and contorting in pain. The crowd turned to watch him fall, but I knew their own fate was moments away. The book would demand its price.
Darkness swallowed the memory, my soul slipping from my charred remains. And that's when the Book of Light spit me out into the attic.
nt History
"What are we going to do?" I sat cross-legged in the middle of my attic floor, head in my hands, bundled against the daytime cold that coursed through the plastic wrap covering my broken window.
Poe's beady black eyes lacked their usual sharp luster. "I'm not sure." The flat words didn't hold the sarcasm or wit I'd come to expect from the raven, which meant my situation was all the more serious.
"What good are you?" I snapped. "The woman in my hallucination said you were exactly what I needed. Help me, now!"
The bird bowed his head. "You don't need to be hurtful. I'm sure we'll find a way. I have feathers in the game after all."
"Feathers in the game? You don't want to be associated with a washed up witch?"
He jumped down to my level and looked me in the eye. "I have served you in various forms over your many lifetimes, Grateful, and by many different names. I die when you die."
"Oh."
"Here's what I know for sure: if you lose this attic, you can establish a new one-"
"I can?"
"-but it will leave you vulnerable. You'll need Rick."
"In case you hadn't noticed, Rick's not here," I snapped. "He's been gone for over a week. I have no idea where he is or what he's doing. I'm not even sure I can trust him! This is the worst possible time for this to be happening. Who is this asshole anyway? Who buys an ancient house in rural Red Grove in the middle of winter?"
Poe's eye's widened and a shiver traveled the length of his feathers. "Oh dear. What if it's not a coincidence?"
"Huh?"
With a flurry of flapping, he hopped up to the desk with the book. "Ask the Book of Light to tell you who Nekomata is."
My feet obeyed my command to stand, although ungracefully, and I approached Poe and the book. "Show me Nekomata," I said loud and clear toward my grimoire.
The pages flipped so fast a breeze caused my hair to blow off my shoulders. The book settled open on a page near the back. I leaned over, noting the sketch of a ferocious looking cat-creature with a forked tail in the corner of the page.
"The Nekomata is an ancient supernatural being first encountered in China in the year 589 AD. Nekomata is a shapeshifter that can take any form, including human, but prefers to spend time in a natural state resembling a large cat with a forked tail. The Nekomata tends toward allegiance with the Dark One as it is a necromancer, gaining power by using the dead. As such, it is extremely dangerous to Hecate as it preys on the gravesites that are conducive to her power." I slapped my hands over my face. "Oh shit, Poe.
"Looks like Nekomata knows exactly why this house is worth twice the market price."
I brushed back my bangs and ran my palms over my hair. "Wait, wait. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Maybe the name is a coincidence. I've got a spell on this place. Nothing supernatural gets in without an invitation. Even Rick had to ask my permission."
Poe clacked his beak together. "Your father invited him in. He is the rightful owner of the property and is of your blood. Depending on how the spell was cast, that would be enough."
I moaned. "Wouldn't I know to restrict it to my own invitation?"
"If you had, Prudence wouldn't have been able to invite Rick in if she needed him. You were thinking ahead."
"Fuck. Fuck. Double Fuck!" I stomped in a circle. "I'm such an imbecile. He even used his real name."
"Cocky SOB."
"What are we going to do?"
"Mmm, High Priestess of the Grave, I think I should point out that the timing seems noteworthy...the Book of Flesh and Bone is in such high demand trolls and finfolk are dying for it, a possessed human says she thinks you have it, and a Nekomata shows up to buy your house. If I was a betting bird, I'd say someone knows something about you that you don't."
"Like what?"
