Beautiful Darkness
Page 61
I lifted up the rug, and underneath there was a perfect rectangle cut into the floorboards, big enough for a man. It was another door into the Tunnels. I yanked on the floorboard, and it came loose. I could see down into Macon's study, but there were no stairs, and the stone floor looked too far down to jump without risking serious head trauma.
I remembered the cloaked door to the Lunae Libri. There was no way to find out, except to try. I held on to the edge of the bed and stepped down careful y. I stumbled for a second, then felt something solid under my foot. A step. Though I couldn't see it, I could feel the splintery wooden stair under my feet. Seconds later, I was standing on the stone floor of Macon's study.
He didn't spend al of his days sleeping. He spent them in the Tunnels, probably with Marian. I could picture the two of them looking up obscure old Caster legends, debating antebel um garden formations, having tea. She had probably spent more time with Macon than anyone, except Lena.
I wondered if Marian was the woman in the picture and her name was real y Jane. I hadn't considered it before, but it would explain a lot of things. Why the countless brown library packages were kept neatly piled in Macon's study. Why a Duke professor would be hiding out as a librarian, even as a Keeper, in a town like Gatlin. Why Marian and Macon were inseparable so much of the time, at least for a reclusive Incubus who didn't go anywhere.
Maybe they had loved each other al these years.
I looked around the room until I saw it, the wooden box that held Macon's thoughts and secrets. It was on the shelf where Marian had left it.
I closed my eyes and reached for it --
It was the thing Macon wanted least and most -- to see Jane one last time. It had been weeks since he'd seen her, unless you counted the nights he had followed her home from the library, watching her from a distance, wishing he could touch her.
Not now, not when the Transformation was so close. But she was here, even though he'd told her to stay away. "Jane, you have to get out of here. It's not safe."
She walked slowly across the room to where he was standing. "Don't you understand? I can't stay away."
"I know." He drew her to him and kissed her, one last time.
Macon took something out of a small box in the back of his closet. He put the object in Jane's hand, closing her fingers around it. It was round and smooth, a perfect sphere. He closed his hand around hers, his voice grave. "I can't protect you after the Transformation, not from the one thing that poses the greatest threat to your safety. Me." Macon looked down at their hands, gently cradling the object he had hidden so carefully. "If something happens, and you're in danger ... use this."
Jane opened her hand. The sphere was black and opalescent, like a pearl. But as she watched, the sphere began to change and glow. She could feel the buzz of tiny vibrations emanating from it. "What is it?"
Macon stepped back, as if he didn't want to touch the orb now that it had come to life. "It's an Arclight."
"What is it for?"
"If the time comes when I become a danger to you, you'll be defenseless. There's no way you will be able to kill me or hurt me. Only another Incubus can do that."
Jane's eyes clouded over. Her voice was a whisper. "I could never hurt you."
Macon reached out and touched her face tenderly. "I know, but even if you wanted to, it would be impossible. A Mortal cannot kill an Incubus. That's why you need the Arclight. It's the only thing that can contain my kind. The only way you would be able to stop me if --"
"What do you mean, contain?"
Macon turned away. "It's like a cage, Jane. The only cage that can hold us."
Jane looked down at the dark orb glowing in her palm. Now that she knew what it was, it felt as if it was burning a hole in her hand and her heart. She dropped it on his desk, and it rolled across the tabletop, its glow fading to black.
"You think I'm going to imprison you in that thing, like an animal?"
"I'll be worse than an animal."
Tears ran down Jane's face and over her lips. She grabbed Macon's arm, forcing him to face her. "How long would you be in there?"
"Most likely, forever."
She shook her head. "I won't do it. I would never condemn you to that."
It looked as if tears were welling up in Macon's eyes, even though Jane knew it was impossible. He had no tears to shed, yet she swore she could see them glistening. "If something happened to you, if I hurt you, you would be condemning me to a fate, an eternity, far worse than anything I would find in here." Macon picked up the Arclight and held it up between them. "If the time comes and you have to use it, you have to promise me you will."
Jane choked back her tears, her voice shaking. "I don't know if I --"
Macon rested his forehead against hers. "Promise me, Janie. If you love me, promise me."
Jane buried her face in his cool neck. She took a deep breath. "I promise."
Macon raised his head and looked over her shoulder. "A promise is a promise, Ethan."
I woke up lying on a bed. There was light streaming in a window, so I knew I wasn't in Macon's study anymore. I stared at the ceiling, but there was no crazy black chandelier, so I wasn't in his room at Ravenwood either.
I sat up, groggy and confused. I was in my own bed, in my room. The window was open, and the morning light was shining into my eyes. How could I have passed out there and ended up here, hours later? What had happened to space and time and al the physics in between? What Caster or Incubus was powerful enough to do that?
I remembered the cloaked door to the Lunae Libri. There was no way to find out, except to try. I held on to the edge of the bed and stepped down careful y. I stumbled for a second, then felt something solid under my foot. A step. Though I couldn't see it, I could feel the splintery wooden stair under my feet. Seconds later, I was standing on the stone floor of Macon's study.
He didn't spend al of his days sleeping. He spent them in the Tunnels, probably with Marian. I could picture the two of them looking up obscure old Caster legends, debating antebel um garden formations, having tea. She had probably spent more time with Macon than anyone, except Lena.
I wondered if Marian was the woman in the picture and her name was real y Jane. I hadn't considered it before, but it would explain a lot of things. Why the countless brown library packages were kept neatly piled in Macon's study. Why a Duke professor would be hiding out as a librarian, even as a Keeper, in a town like Gatlin. Why Marian and Macon were inseparable so much of the time, at least for a reclusive Incubus who didn't go anywhere.
Maybe they had loved each other al these years.
I looked around the room until I saw it, the wooden box that held Macon's thoughts and secrets. It was on the shelf where Marian had left it.
I closed my eyes and reached for it --
It was the thing Macon wanted least and most -- to see Jane one last time. It had been weeks since he'd seen her, unless you counted the nights he had followed her home from the library, watching her from a distance, wishing he could touch her.
Not now, not when the Transformation was so close. But she was here, even though he'd told her to stay away. "Jane, you have to get out of here. It's not safe."
She walked slowly across the room to where he was standing. "Don't you understand? I can't stay away."
"I know." He drew her to him and kissed her, one last time.
Macon took something out of a small box in the back of his closet. He put the object in Jane's hand, closing her fingers around it. It was round and smooth, a perfect sphere. He closed his hand around hers, his voice grave. "I can't protect you after the Transformation, not from the one thing that poses the greatest threat to your safety. Me." Macon looked down at their hands, gently cradling the object he had hidden so carefully. "If something happens, and you're in danger ... use this."
Jane opened her hand. The sphere was black and opalescent, like a pearl. But as she watched, the sphere began to change and glow. She could feel the buzz of tiny vibrations emanating from it. "What is it?"
Macon stepped back, as if he didn't want to touch the orb now that it had come to life. "It's an Arclight."
"What is it for?"
"If the time comes when I become a danger to you, you'll be defenseless. There's no way you will be able to kill me or hurt me. Only another Incubus can do that."
Jane's eyes clouded over. Her voice was a whisper. "I could never hurt you."
Macon reached out and touched her face tenderly. "I know, but even if you wanted to, it would be impossible. A Mortal cannot kill an Incubus. That's why you need the Arclight. It's the only thing that can contain my kind. The only way you would be able to stop me if --"
"What do you mean, contain?"
Macon turned away. "It's like a cage, Jane. The only cage that can hold us."
Jane looked down at the dark orb glowing in her palm. Now that she knew what it was, it felt as if it was burning a hole in her hand and her heart. She dropped it on his desk, and it rolled across the tabletop, its glow fading to black.
"You think I'm going to imprison you in that thing, like an animal?"
"I'll be worse than an animal."
Tears ran down Jane's face and over her lips. She grabbed Macon's arm, forcing him to face her. "How long would you be in there?"
"Most likely, forever."
She shook her head. "I won't do it. I would never condemn you to that."
It looked as if tears were welling up in Macon's eyes, even though Jane knew it was impossible. He had no tears to shed, yet she swore she could see them glistening. "If something happened to you, if I hurt you, you would be condemning me to a fate, an eternity, far worse than anything I would find in here." Macon picked up the Arclight and held it up between them. "If the time comes and you have to use it, you have to promise me you will."
Jane choked back her tears, her voice shaking. "I don't know if I --"
Macon rested his forehead against hers. "Promise me, Janie. If you love me, promise me."
Jane buried her face in his cool neck. She took a deep breath. "I promise."
Macon raised his head and looked over her shoulder. "A promise is a promise, Ethan."
I woke up lying on a bed. There was light streaming in a window, so I knew I wasn't in Macon's study anymore. I stared at the ceiling, but there was no crazy black chandelier, so I wasn't in his room at Ravenwood either.
I sat up, groggy and confused. I was in my own bed, in my room. The window was open, and the morning light was shining into my eyes. How could I have passed out there and ended up here, hours later? What had happened to space and time and al the physics in between? What Caster or Incubus was powerful enough to do that?
