Chương 39: Chapter 38 - Interpreting

Darius and Iset were working alone in the library at the make-shift desk. The mummy had the scroll open in front of her, the laptop to her side, and a notepad and pen in her hand. The vampire was leaning over his own pad of paper. The case file was open off to the side. Various papers were scattered around him. When Vasil was done writing, he leaned back in his chair and dropped his pen on the notepad. The paper was scribbled over with details from Emerra's dream.

Darius muttered, "If Olivia's right then Emerra has the most perfect sight I've ever heard of."

"Jacky told you she would," Iset said without looking up.

"You didn't believe him?"

"It was hard to believe. And it's not always easy to tell what Jacky means when he talks about 'sight.' But these dreams…" Iset stopped what she was doing and raised her head.

"She's been dreaming?"

"You didn't know?"

"She never mentioned it."

"She didn't mention it to anyone except Conrad. She didn't think they were important."

"But Jacky does?" Darius looked up at Iset.

"Have you ever heard of someone having the same dream every time they fall asleep?"

"No."

"Neither have I."

"What's her dream?" Darius outlined what he'd heard. Iset was motionless until he mentioned the blood splattering Emerra's face, then she stiffened and laid her pen down on the desk. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

"Iset?" She waved away his concern.

"What are you going to do?" The count sighed.

"I think, right now, all I can do is treat them like a bad witness. They might be telling the truth—or what they think is the truth—or they might be wrong."

"But if it's true, what does that mean?"

"It means that there are two people involved in the murder. One who was in the room, and one who pulled the trigger. And if Wayde was sitting there, talking to them, then it means he probably knew them. And I might be wasting your time with that translation."

"How so?"

"It's looking less and less likely that the scroll's responsible for the missing souls. Emerra said she was holding something. Some kind of stone cylinder—" Iset's sharp question broke into his thoughts: "Did she describe it?"

"What?"

"Did she say what the stone cylinder looks like?" Darius's body tensed when he heard the urgency in the mummy's voice.

"She could only describe how it felt." He pulled his notepad closer.

"About one and a half to two inches in diameter. Stone, with lines, cracks, and metal." The mummy stared at the scroll.

"Iset?"

"Darius, come here." The vampire was by her side instantly. Iset pointed to various diagrams and pictures as she said, "The scroll is a manual describing how to use a device."

"An alchemical device?"

"Yes."

"They were priests."

"All Egyptian magicians were priests, and these priests made a device that could take a mundane man and turn him into a magician."

"How?"

"By harnessing spiritual power and pouring it into them. Ashworth told me that it would have taken an insane amount of power, but it's theoretically possible." The hairs of the back on Darius's neck stood up.

"What kind of spiritual power are we talking about?" There was a brief silence.

"I don't know yet," Iset said. The vampire straightened up.

"I think I do." The mummy muttered a quiet word under her breath in a language Darius didn't know.

"Iset, could anyone use that device?"

"It depends on how the priests made it. It might require a magician to use it."

"But it might not?"

"I'll finish translating the scroll, then we can take the details to Ashworth."

"Could someone use the device without the manual?"

"The directions are pretty complex. They'd have to already know the process."

"I'll warn Jacky." Darius pulled his phone from his pocket. As he stepped toward the door, he said, "When you're done translating the scroll, I want it under lock and key. Put every magical guard we can on it."

"I'll tell Olivia." Before Darius was out of the room, he had his phone to his ear.

"Miss St. John, this is Special Agent Darius Vasil. I have a very important question for you."