“Books?” Cryptan frowns. “Are they in Latin?”
“Of course.” It was a real pain to find them, too. “They were on battle tactics. Written by Julius Caesar.”
Cryptan takes a few steps backward. “I forgot, Great Scala. I shall endeavor to read them before you return again.”
I mock-glare at him, careful to make my eyes glow blue with angelic power. “You better.”
Lincoln and I share quick glance. He feels the same way I do about Cryptan. The guy needs some hobbies outside of standing around.
We all step deeper into the Vault. The place is a large chamber made of shiny black stone. I’m not sure how big it is, actually. The room just stretches off into the darkness. Beams of white light pour down from the vaulted ceiling. Inside each pool of brightness, there hovers a single codex. Supposedly, there’s a book here for every thrax House that has ever been in existence, even if it was only five people and a cave. It’s a little mind-blowing.
It’s also rather lovely. I’m used to seeing an enchanted codex that’s all white. Here, all the magic books take on a different appearance. Once they enter a beam of light in the Vault, the volumes turn larger and translucent. The recordings inside them flicker to life, like highlights from a television show.
Ah, television. I miss it already. Did I mention that’s one reason I don’t like hanging out in Antrum too long? I need me some Human Channel.
Anyway, hundreds of columns of light stretch off into the darkness, each one holding a single codex that hovers about six feet above the floor. Images of long-gone thrax appear inside the transparent interiors. Most of them look like someone I could see walking around Antrum today.
As much as I complain about how the thrax are stuck in the past, there are moments like these where I totally get it. Lincoln and his family are part of a long line of people dedicated to keeping humans safe from the forces of Hell. They follow sacred traditions of the past so others can face the future without fear. All their open and honest faces flicker at me through the semidarkness. It’s beautiful.
Cryptan marches toward one of the empty columns of light. “You have the codex for me?”
I reach into my messenger bag and pull it out. “Here you go.” A question pops to mind. “When you said you could tell we were coming, was it us or the codex?”
“Both. All protectors can sense the object they are protecting, as well as human souls. I know the soul-signature of some of the guards outside.” His upper lip curls with disgust. “It isn’t pleasant.” He grins. “Not like you.”
“Thank you.” I blush a little and hand him the codex. Lincoln shakes his head. There’s a small smile on his face. Lincoln’s more the protective than jealous type. It’s one of the many things about him that I like.
Cryptan takes the book and sets the magic item into a nearby beam of light. Instantly, the images inside come to life. For whatever reason, the ones that show up first are the thrax children we interviewed early on. Their mismatched eyes stare at us from within the clear depths of the codex. Lincoln wraps his arm around me, and I lean into his shoulder. We’ve been thinking about starting a family. I want to, but I know everyone says we’re too young to get married, let alone have a kid. Add in the whole “don’t even share the same toilet seat” speech from Mom, and I know I’ll get pregnant right away. Add it all together, and it’s got me hesitating to start a family.
Then again, when have I given a crap about what everyone else thinks anyway?
Lincoln’s father stomps over, stands beside us, and clears his throat. Dang, I’d almost forgotten he and Octavia had come along, they’d gotten so quiet. Connor rakes his hand through his white shoulder-length hair. His voice is gentle. “You shouldn’t let it bother you, you know.”
I angle my head for a better look at him. His mismatched eyes are wide with sympathy. “What do you mean?” I ask.
Octavia rushes to stand at her husband’s side. “The children.”
“What about them?” Now, I’m really getting confused.
Connor sighs. “We know how things work with the great scala.”
“You do.” My voice comes out flat. What most people know about the great scala is nothing. What few records there were got destroyed by the ghouls. People are forever making up rules about my situation.
This ought to be interesting.
“What do you know, exactly?” I ask.
Connor’s face goes from Mister Sympathy to Captain Happy. It’s a little weird, as a matter of fact. “The igni were created to move souls to Heaven and Hell. Their magic has certain limitations based on blood. Having the blood of a human, demon, and angel empowers you to move souls to Heaven and Hell, am I right?”
“You’re spot on.” Connor really researched this. I must say, I’m impressed.