The Book of Elements Read online

  The deacon, a title chosen specifically for his refusal to bind himself with religious vows, had been active in clergy events for many decades. It was his way of denouncing the higher order, yet still having access to the church-owned documents he needed. Antonius moved to stand directly behind Dalla. He felt the ripples of the book’s energy as it overflowed and radiated from her. He reached around her and touched the book with his long index finger and received a jolting shock of pain for his effort. It angered him slightly, though he was not discouraged. Though he had anticipated such a reaction, it did not lessen the sting. Antonius did not have the proper blood to use the book directly, so he would use Dalla as a conduit to the power contained in the tome.

  He stepped forward and reached his hands around her slender waist, pulling her tightly up against his tall frame. The reaction was instantaneous. Antonius felt a surge of energy flow from the book, through her, and into him. He laughed out loud, an unnatural, almost maniacal sound, as the power coursed through his body bolstering every fiber of his being. He relished the intense sensation for a few more minutes, and then forced himself to step away and break his contact with Dalla.

  Dalla withdrew her hand from the book and immediately collapsed onto the floor, overcome with exhaustion. Antonius frowned with displeasure. If this short contact took that much out of her, then what he planned to do would certainly kill her and likely still not be sufficient. He would have to make allowances for that. In the meantime, the deacon left her where she fell and exited the room, pulling the bolt across the outside of the door behind him. Neither the book nor Dalla would be leaving that room without his consent.

  CHAPTER 30

  Caeli was permitted to eat in the dining hall with three staff servants, but was kept apart from them. The only person she could interact with was the man who held the knife to her throat for Vin to see and who had been her vigilant jailer ever since. Nemi stood directly behind her while she ate. After the meal, Caeli was taken outside to climb a hill that overlooked a field as it ran off into the distance at the back of the building. The fleeting rays of the sun that poked through the clouds felt good against her skin. After a short while, she watched as other people began to emerge from the dining hall. They appeared to be preparing for some sort of exercise.

  Caeli took advantage of the hill on which she and Nemi stood to observe the people and the surroundings while the lessons progressed in the vale not far below. This grassy area followed the building around to the right and continued off into the distance. To her left, an enormous forest encroached on that side of the building. Something in those trees made Caeli shudder with apprehension, and she quickly averted her gaze. The building itself looked like an old monastery, though those who dwelled within were not at all like the monks who might have previously occupied such a serene location. Were it not for the foulness of the destruction being planned from within, the whole place might have been a retreat worthy of its original design.

  Just before the training commenced a more serious phase, Caeli was taken back inside. She left the fresh air of the autumn day behind and returned to her dull and dreary cell. The deacon, as she heard him called, still had not said a single word to her. He placed his man servant, Nemi, in charge of her custody. Caeli had to admit that the twig of a man was very good at his job. He treated her well enough, but had not yet given her a single opening that might offer any hope of escape. Nemi, too, had not spoken more than the two or three words necessary for her compliance.

  A little while later, Caeli was alerted by a commotion down the hall. She moved to the little window in the door to see what was happening. She saw the red haired man rush by. He opened the door where the dark haired lady was banging and shouting for someone to release her.

  "Are you all right, Dalla? What happened?" Scott missed her at mealtime and had come looking for her when he heard her calling for help.

  "Yes. I think the Deacon forgot I was in here, that's all. It's my own fault. I passed out after using the book. He didn't have time to waste babysitting me. I'm hungry now. Let's go get something to eat." Dalla and Scott started down the hall. Scott stopped at the door directly across from Caeli's cell and glanced in the window.

  "I wonder who that is?"

  "I don't know. Want to have a look?" Dalla asked mischievously. She started to open the door, but was suddenly knocked from her feet by what appeared to be a bolt of lightning. The impact caused her to release the doorknob, and the door to the other room swung open. Caeli could sympathize with the pain the lady felt as she lay on the ground trying to recover from the shock. Scott looked up long enough to see the deacon and then took off running down the hall, apologizing as he went.

  While the deacon moved to deal with Dalla, Caeli caught a peek within the room across the hall. She saw a patient connected to medical machines that monitored vital signs. She had the general impression that it was a man, though she could not be certain from her brief glimpse. He was mostly covered by a blanket and appeared to be sleeping. Caeli could not see any specific details. She could only assume that he must be sick to require such monitoring. She vaguely wondered why the deacon, a man causing so much pain and destruction, would take the time to care for the man in that room. Perhaps it was a member of his family. Caeli simply didn't know and was not inclined to ask.

  The deacon abruptly yanked Dalla up off the floor, slammed shut the door to the other room, and led Dalla back to her original room. He closed the door after they entered. With barely any delay, Caeli saw an amber glow beneath the door. It grew stronger as time passed. She felt a change in the air, and heard a man’s wicked laughter echoing from the room as it had the first time they entered the room together. Caeli thought she felt a tension, for lack of a better understanding, emanating from the room. Caeli assumed that whatever prize had been wrapped in that bundle was likely the source of the tawny glow as well as the emanation of power she felt wafting through the hall. Caeli concluded that the deacon was testing his newly obtained treasure.

  Five minutes later, the deacon emerged from the room alone and again drew the metal bolt to secure the door. Caeli watched him walk across the hall, heading into his own room. As she peeped out the small window on the thick wooden door to her cell, the deacon glanced her way and stopped. Caeli did not have the audacity to taunt him as she had done with Kent. She feared what his response would be, and she was still hurting from the last round.

  The man changed direction and walked right up to her door as if he knew she was watching him. Caeli felt his intimidating presence on the other side. He stood there, unmoving, watching her in silence for several minutes before finally speaking.

  "Your time draws near. Soon, your husband will again try to rescue you. He will bring with him the energies from the other side of the barrier. It takes a link on both sides to make it fall. Your loving husband will expend vast amounts of energy from his side as he attempts to save you from your unavoidable fate. Instead, he will merely weaken the barrier," the deacon began to explain.

  "And while your white knight battles a few of my students, the rest will be attacking the weakening barrier and occupying its defenders. Both distractions will give me the time I need to strike the final blow. You and I, and the lovely Dalla, will stand on the very precipice of life and death. I will use the forces channeled through the Book of Elements to tear the barrier apart from this side. That is when you will die. Your death will bring the full force of Eyvindr’s unchanneled rage. His elemental gift is stronger than any I have ever seen. He will unleash forces that will finish ripping the barrier asunder. My goal will be accomplished. The two planes, life and death, will be forever reunited. The entire world will change. It will be a glorious day when all who have suffered death and separation will find each other once more, never again to be parted; never again be made to tow the line for fear of death. Don't look so worried. I am really doing you a favor. You will get to be with your husband again, very soon."

  His narrative was a hundred t
imes worse than the silence of not knowing. His words caused Caeli to tremble. This madman intended to knock down the pearly gates of heaven, and he was going to force Vin to help him do it. He could not accomplish it from this side alone. Caeli did not doubt that Vin’s reaction to her death would be true to the man’s assessment. The only thing that Caeli was ever certain of in this life was Vin's love for her. He would move heaven and earth to protect her or avenge her. Vin would give this man exactly what he wanted.

  Caeli would have to find a way to warn Vin. If Vin would just permit her to die, without taking any drastic action, then perhaps they could be together in death, and this man’s Armageddon would fail.

  CHAPTER 31

  "Salma, how much do you know about Vin and Caeli’s family?" Ben asked casually as they sat next to each other on the living room sofa in Caeli and Vin’s home. Ben was reviewing the stack of papers in his lap.

  "Very little, why do you ask?" She looked over and noticed that he was rubbing his chin again, a mannerism Ben favored when working out puzzles in his mind. Salma noticed it several times in the last couple of days.

  "What’s bothering you, Ben? If you remember, my listening skills are pretty good," she smiled, encouraging Ben to share his thoughts.

  "Well, when Vin was talking about bloodlines earlier, it reminded me of something. When all this started, I asked Officer Caldwell to do a background check on Vin and Caeli, and their immediate family and friends, including you. I was trying to find a link," he started.

  "That makes sense. Did you find anything helpful?"

  "Yes, but not what I expected. When we ran Vin’s DNA, we found a close match to someone in the system. The man was a drug addict and minor league criminal for the latter part of his life."

  "If you think Vin was mixed up in anything like that, you're barking up the wrong tree. I know him better than that. Vin was a good man," Salma defended Vin without a shred of doubt.

  "No, no. That’s not what I meant. I have faith in the lad myself. But, perhaps I know something about Vin's enemy that he does not. It turns out that the man with the record was Vin’s father. The DNA confirmed it."

  "I do recall Vin mentioning growing up in foster care. I don't think he ever knew his parents," Salma confirmed.

  "That’s not all. The man was married and had a daughter. She is only eight months older than Vin. Of course, that would only be possible if the man had an affair with Vin’s mother around the time that his wife was close to giving birth."

  "So, Vin was born out of wedlock and has a half-sister. That explains the foster care," Salma commented.

  "Yes, but it’s a bit more complicated still. Are you ready for this? There was DNA on file for the man's wife because her father was a man of some importance in his day, and he wanted his daughter protected in every possible way. For the very same reason, DNA for Vin's mother was also on file. The two women were sisters. It turns out that Vin’s dad had an affair with his wife’s sister. I assume she probably stayed with them during the last few months of the pregnancy, and then one thing led to another, and suddenly the cheating fool had two kids and one heck of a mess to sort out. Like you, I believe that's why Vin ended up in foster care."

  "All right. So the man was an adulterous, low life creep, but I’m still missing your point. How is this helpful?"

  "Vin's father is dead. Rannul, that was his name, died three days ago according to the nun who reported the body. A church that doubles as an orphanage was paid to care for him for quite some time. They said Rannul was troubled, but otherwise healthy. Then, all of a sudden, he just up and died. That was around the time all this drama was beginning. Salma, it was exactly the same day as Vin’s accident. And, yes, it all sounds a bit too convenient. I thought the accident was meant to kill Caeli; now it seems like someone may be killing off members of Vin's bloodline. I’m not certain, mind you, but it makes an odd sort of sense when you put all the pieces together."

  "First Vin’s father dies, and then an accident leads to Vin’s death. Although I still question whether Vin was the target, it is too much to be written off as coincidence."

  "The final piece is Vin’s half-sister, Dalla. Does he know that she exists? I did not get that impression from looking at the photos on their wall. From her rap sheet, she’s a pretty good con artist. Didn’t Vin say that a female would be handling the book?"

  "Oh dear! You don’t think…"

  "Precisely! Since this book only responds to the genetic markers in his family, that lady he mentioned might very well be his sister. If so, then they are not fighting on the same side of this conflict," Ben concluded.

  "Do you think he has any idea? Do you think we should tell him?"

  "I don’t know. Would you want to know if you were in his shoes? Anyway, that’s not all that I discovered, but the rest can wait until we decide if we should tell him or not."

  "Tell me what?" Vin asked as he brushed passed them heading toward the other room to look at the false book once more as it lay upon the table.

  "Oh! Hello, Vin," Salma’s startled reaction nearly caused her to jump up off the couch. Both she and Ben did stand up and follow Vin into the other room.

  "Is everything all right? Did you find her?" Ben asked.

  "Yes, but that story can wait. What did I stumble into a moment ago? Do you need to tell me something?" Vin asked without looking up at either of them. His attention was focused on the book as he tried to work out the next part of his plan.

  "Vin," Ben started, "it might be that you already know, but I discovered a bit of information during my research that might affect how you handle certain people. There really isn’t a delicate way to say it, and I don’t want to upset you…"

  "I appreciate your concern," Vin now looked directly into the man’s eyes and held his gaze.

  "If it’s important, or if you believe it is important, then you must tell me. I don’t want any surprises. Too much is at stake to get blindsided by the little details. Please, tell me what you found, Ben."

  "I found your father."

  Vin stared at him displaying no outward reaction to the news. He had never considered tracing his family until that very moment. Vin never had any interest in locating a man who did not want anything to do with him since the day he was conceived. Vin was told that his mother never even held him, and that he was placed in an orphanage and put up for adoption immediately after his birth. Fate bounced him around from family to family over the years, some of whom he cared about a great deal, but none willing to invite him permanently into their home. Yet, now that he knew how important the bloodline was to current events, Vin should have tried to find out as much as he could about his biological family. He completely neglected that aspect with everything else that occupied his attention. Considering the people he recently met, Vin thought he had a pretty good idea what else Ben discovered, but he let the captain continue to reveal it in his own words, just in case he was wrong.

  "DNA match from my blood?" Vin asked casually.

  "Yes, the man had a lengthy criminal record, but that’s not all. Vin, I’m sorry. He’s dead. The report said it was natural causes, but it happened the same time as your accident."

  Vin was taken aback by that announcement. Because he did not consider anyone other than Caeli to be his true family, he did not give any thought to how other members of his biological family might also be threatened. It seemed rather obviously that Vin's father either was not able to give the enemy what he needed or else he had cooperated fully. Either way, his father became expendable. Vin did not give credit to the fleeting notion that his father might have posed a threat to the enemy. Vin knew within himself it was not true.

  Ben paused long enough to let Vin absorb the news. He suspected that Vin was not overly troubled by the loss, but may be disturbed by the timing of the man’s death, as evidenced by little gusts of wind swirling around Vin's feet.

  "There’s more, if you’re ready to hear it," Ben said a few moments later.

 
; "Yes." This time Vin did not look up, but continued to stare at the book.

  "Well, it seems that your father was married, and his wife was pregnant. The files say she gave birth to a daughter not too long before you were born."

  Vin turned his head slightly to glance askance at Ben.

  "I know. It stumped me at first, too. Then we found additional records that cleared it up. It turns out that his wife had a sister who must have helped out during that time. She gave birth to a son of her own approximately eight months after the girl was born. You were that boy. The girl is your half-sister and cousin."

  "Dalla," Vin whispered the name. Ben and Salma backed away to give him some privacy. They knew by that single utterance that Vin fully understood the implications. Vin also gave them the impression that he knew the woman.

  Vin, however, was stunned! Now he understood what it was about the lady at the museum that gnawed at him. It was the strong family resemblance in her high cheekbones and the shape of her face. She had seemed familiar to Vin, and well she should. He saw a similar aspect in the mirror every morning of his life. This also explained the bitterness and resentment he detected in Dalla. Her actions made perfect sense if she was aware of their kinship. Dalla was getting revenge for her father’s sins by betraying the man’s other child.

  Then the final shoe dropped, and Vin fully understood. Dalla was allowing herself to be used against him. There was a good chance that he would have to face and possibly kill her. Vin was not worried about the fight itself, but he did not yet know if he could stomach the idea of killing his sister, regardless of the circumstances.

  Vin left Ben and Salma for a little while and returned to his peaceful hilltop to clear his head. He needed to step back and put everything into its proper perspective.

  "Raph, if you can hear me, I sure could use your help. I never imagined the depths of what I now face. I will do my best, but I don’t know if it will be enough. It seems I’m two steps behind at every turn."