Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5) Bridgette O'Hare (ebook offline .txt) 📖

“Something about you has changed.” He narrowed his gaze and crooked his head to the other side. “Interesting.”

“Care t’ fill me in on what’s so interesting?” I implored.

“No,” he stated without even a discussion.

“No? What do you mean, no?”

“Since you are here, we have more important things to cover. You were pulled away unexpectedly last night, so we should pick up there.” He waved his hand over the book and it opened. Once again, pages flipped until it landed on what I assumed was the same page as before. Still blank.

“Please, step forward,” he directed.

When I did, the book began to glow as it had the night before.

“Your pendant, if you would,” he requested and held out his hand.

I reached up and touched the tips of my fingers to the pendant Grams had given me.

“Why do ya want my pendant?” I wrapped my full hand around it as though to protect it.

Ruman smiled. “I assure you; no harm will come to it. I simply need to show you how to use it.” He motioned his fingers in two quick waves to request I hand it over.

I offered one more suspicious glare but removed it and complied.

“Thank you. Now, watch carefully.” He wrapped the chain around two fingers, held his hand out over the blank page of the book, and let the pendant fall, dangling it several inches above the page. The faint outline of a scroll and a red-bladed dagger began to form. He eased the pendant closer to the page until there were only a couple of inches between the pendant and the page. All at once, it came to life with color and ink. Silver words danced across the parchment, skirting the intricate drawings.

“That’s amazing. Like a decoder ring from a Cracker Jack box, but I’m not sure why you’re showing me this,” I admitted.

“You will understand when the time comes. While you are here, the pendant and the book will reveal what you need to know. Pay close attention, Aisling. I am not privy to what will benefit you from within the book because I have no way of knowing what you might face when you leave this room. I can help if you have questions regarding what you see in the book, but remember, it is up to you to retain what you learn while you are here.” Ruman held the pendant out and waited for me to place my hand beneath his. He eased the pendant into my palm and lowered the rest of the chain. “I will be just here if you need assistance.” He pointed toward a blue velvet chair situated to the side of where I stood. He picked up a book from a small table and settled into the chair.

I stared at the pendant in my hand for a moment before replicating the way in which Ruman had held it, wrapping the chain carefully around my fingers. When the pendant swung close enough to the page, the ink and images came to life once again. It was then that I recognized the red-bladed dagger. It was the dagger that had taken Cian’s life.

“Umm . . . R-Ruman,” I stuttered.

He looked at me as though he recognized the panic in my tone. “Yes?”

“Wh-what can you tell me about this dagger?” I pointed to the page as I looked closer at the inscription beneath it. “The Tartaros Blade,” I read aloud.

Ruman stood and rejoined me. A substantial inhale was followed by a quick release of breath. “That . . . that is a nightmare to my kind.”

“In what way?”

“Well, let me rephrase. That blade is a nightmare for some, others may welcome it.”

I knew there was more, so I waited for the explanation.

“All heavenly beings have the ability to maneuver between worlds—your world, Marom, and the supernatural realm. That blade is forged with hellfire. If any heavenly being is struck down by that blade, they lose the ability to travel between worlds.”

“What is Marom?” I asked even though I somehow knew he meant heaven.

“Heaven. Marom is simply how it’s pronounced in our native tongue,” he clarified.

“So, when cut down by hellfire, they die?” I questioned. “I thought your kind were immortal.”

“Depending on how you look at it, the answer to that is yes. We would simply return to Marom. Permanently.”

I thought about the vision from Cian. “And if a supernatural being is cut down?” Please don’t say it. Please don’t say it. I repeated in my mind.

Ruman’s expression faded to one of sadness. “Death. Instantaneous.”

I stared at the illustration of the dagger on the page. “Do you know where this dagger is now?”

“It hasn’t been seen in centuries. And we would like for it to stay under whatever rock it has been hidden.”

“I’m all on board for that,” I mumbled. “And this scroll?” I quickly changed the topic before he asked me why I was so interested in the Tartaros Blade. “What language is this written beneath it?”

“That is the language of Marom. It’s a combination of what you know as Aramaic and Hebrew. I am of the understanding that you are familiar with both.”

“I am.”

“If you open your mind to the possibility that the two languages are instead one, and that they function together, you will understand it. Much like the English language contains several words that share a meaning, that is how the language of Marom works. Master that concept, and you will have no barriers in understanding,” Ruman expounded.

“I’ll give that a try.” And I did. Try, that is. But it simply didn’t come together. I kept moving the pendant, hoping a different angle would create a different perspective. But to no avail. It did, however, cause the corner of the page to rise each time the pendant passed over it. I glanced to Ruman with uncertainty.

“Raise the pendant and wave your other hand from right to left to turn the page. If you are meant to see what’s next, it will be allowed.”

I followed