Beautiful Redemption
Page 49
“It’s me.” John sat up and announced it, as if he’d just figured out the answer to all our problems.
“What?” Liv pulled away from him.
“I’m the one thing Abraham wants. And the only thing he can’t have.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Link groaned. “You sound like his girlfriend.”
“I’m not stupid. I’m right. I thought I was the One Who Is Two, and I thought it was up to me to do… what Ethan did. But that wasn’t about me. This is.”
“Shut up,” Link snapped.
Macon’s face twisted into a frown, his green eyes darkening. I knew that expression too well.
Liv nodded. “I agree. Do as your brilliant Incubus brother says. Shut up.”
John put his arm gently around her, as if he was speaking only to Liv. But I was hanging on his every word, because everything he was saying was starting to make sense. “I can’t. Not this time. I’m not going to sit around and let Ethan take all the punches. For once, I’m going to get what’s coming to me. Or who.”
“And that is?” Liv wouldn’t look at him.
“Abraham. If you tell him you’ll make a trade, he’ll come for me. He’ll swap me for The Book of Moons.” John looked at Macon, who nodded.
Link looked skeptical. “How do you know?”
John smiled weakly. “He’ll come. Trust me.”
Macon sighed, finally turning from the fireplace toward us. “John, I appreciate your honor and your courage. You’re a fine young man, even if you have your own demons. We all do. But you should take some time to make certain this is a trade you’re willing to make. It’s a last course of action, nothing more.”
“I’m willing.” John stood up, like he was ready to enlist now.
“John!” Liv was furious.
Macon waved him into his seat. “Think it over. If Abraham does take you, it’s not likely we will be able to bring you home, not anytime soon. And as much as I want to bring Ethan back—” Uncle Macon glanced over at me before continuing. “I’m not certain trading one life for another is worth the risk Abraham poses, for any of us.”
Liv stepped in front of John, as if she wanted to protect him from everyone else in the room and everything else in the world. “He doesn’t need time to think about it. It’s a terrible plan. Absolutely horrid. The worst plan we’ve ever come up with. The worst plan in the history of plans.” Liv was pale and shaking, but when she saw me watching her, she stopped talking.
She knew what I was thinking.
It didn’t involve John jumping off the Summerville water tower. It wasn’t the worst plan. I closed my eyes.
falling not flying
one lost muddy shoe
like the lost worlds
between me and you
“I’ll do it,” John said. “I don’t like it any more than the rest of you, but this is the way it has to be.”
It all sounded too familiar. I opened my eyes to see Liv, stricken. As the tears began to run down Liv’s face, I felt like I was going to throw up.
“No.” I heard myself say the word before I realized I was saying it. “My uncle’s right. I’m not putting you through that, John. Any of you.” I saw the color seep into Liv’s cheeks, and she sank into the chair next to him. “It’s a last-ditch effort. A last chance.”
“Unless you’ve got another one, Lena, I think the land of last chances is right about where we are.” John looked serious. He had made up his mind, and I loved him for it.
But I shook my head. “I do. What about Link’s idea?”
“Link’s—what?” Liv looked confused.
“My what?” Link scratched his head.
“We find our way to whatever backwoods swamp hole Abraham has been living in for the last two hundred years.”
“And we ask him real nice to give us the Book?” Link looked hopeful. John looked like he thought I was having a stroke.
“No. We steal it, real nice.”
Macon looked interested. “That presumes we can even find my grandfather’s home. The nasty brand of Dark power he wields demands a lifestyle of secrecy, I’m afraid. Tracking Abraham down won’t be easy. He keeps to the Underground.”
I looked steadily back at him. “Well, as the smartest person I know once said, these things are difficulties, not impossibilities.”
My uncle smiled at me. John shook his head. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know where the guy lives; I was just a kid. I remember rooms without windows.”
“Perfect,” Link snapped. “There can’t be many of those around.”
Liv dropped her hand onto John’s shoulder.
John shrugged. “Sorry. My childhood is one big dark cloud. I’ve done my best to block the whole thing out.”
My uncle nodded, rising to his feet. “Very well. Then I suggest you start not with the smartest people but perhaps the oldest people. They might have a clue or two as to where you can find Abraham Ravenwood.”
“The oldest people? You mean the Sisters? Do you think they remember Abraham?” My stomach tensed. It wasn’t exactly scary, but it was hard to understand half the things they said—when they weren’t talking crazy.
“If they can’t, they’re likely to invent something equally plausible. They are the closest thing my exponentially-great-grandfather has to contemporaries. Even if they’re hardly what one would call contemporary.”
“What?” Liv pulled away from him.
“I’m the one thing Abraham wants. And the only thing he can’t have.”
“Don’t be stupid.” Link groaned. “You sound like his girlfriend.”
“I’m not stupid. I’m right. I thought I was the One Who Is Two, and I thought it was up to me to do… what Ethan did. But that wasn’t about me. This is.”
“Shut up,” Link snapped.
Macon’s face twisted into a frown, his green eyes darkening. I knew that expression too well.
Liv nodded. “I agree. Do as your brilliant Incubus brother says. Shut up.”
John put his arm gently around her, as if he was speaking only to Liv. But I was hanging on his every word, because everything he was saying was starting to make sense. “I can’t. Not this time. I’m not going to sit around and let Ethan take all the punches. For once, I’m going to get what’s coming to me. Or who.”
“And that is?” Liv wouldn’t look at him.
“Abraham. If you tell him you’ll make a trade, he’ll come for me. He’ll swap me for The Book of Moons.” John looked at Macon, who nodded.
Link looked skeptical. “How do you know?”
John smiled weakly. “He’ll come. Trust me.”
Macon sighed, finally turning from the fireplace toward us. “John, I appreciate your honor and your courage. You’re a fine young man, even if you have your own demons. We all do. But you should take some time to make certain this is a trade you’re willing to make. It’s a last course of action, nothing more.”
“I’m willing.” John stood up, like he was ready to enlist now.
“John!” Liv was furious.
Macon waved him into his seat. “Think it over. If Abraham does take you, it’s not likely we will be able to bring you home, not anytime soon. And as much as I want to bring Ethan back—” Uncle Macon glanced over at me before continuing. “I’m not certain trading one life for another is worth the risk Abraham poses, for any of us.”
Liv stepped in front of John, as if she wanted to protect him from everyone else in the room and everything else in the world. “He doesn’t need time to think about it. It’s a terrible plan. Absolutely horrid. The worst plan we’ve ever come up with. The worst plan in the history of plans.” Liv was pale and shaking, but when she saw me watching her, she stopped talking.
She knew what I was thinking.
It didn’t involve John jumping off the Summerville water tower. It wasn’t the worst plan. I closed my eyes.
falling not flying
one lost muddy shoe
like the lost worlds
between me and you
“I’ll do it,” John said. “I don’t like it any more than the rest of you, but this is the way it has to be.”
It all sounded too familiar. I opened my eyes to see Liv, stricken. As the tears began to run down Liv’s face, I felt like I was going to throw up.
“No.” I heard myself say the word before I realized I was saying it. “My uncle’s right. I’m not putting you through that, John. Any of you.” I saw the color seep into Liv’s cheeks, and she sank into the chair next to him. “It’s a last-ditch effort. A last chance.”
“Unless you’ve got another one, Lena, I think the land of last chances is right about where we are.” John looked serious. He had made up his mind, and I loved him for it.
But I shook my head. “I do. What about Link’s idea?”
“Link’s—what?” Liv looked confused.
“My what?” Link scratched his head.
“We find our way to whatever backwoods swamp hole Abraham has been living in for the last two hundred years.”
“And we ask him real nice to give us the Book?” Link looked hopeful. John looked like he thought I was having a stroke.
“No. We steal it, real nice.”
Macon looked interested. “That presumes we can even find my grandfather’s home. The nasty brand of Dark power he wields demands a lifestyle of secrecy, I’m afraid. Tracking Abraham down won’t be easy. He keeps to the Underground.”
I looked steadily back at him. “Well, as the smartest person I know once said, these things are difficulties, not impossibilities.”
My uncle smiled at me. John shook his head. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know where the guy lives; I was just a kid. I remember rooms without windows.”
“Perfect,” Link snapped. “There can’t be many of those around.”
Liv dropped her hand onto John’s shoulder.
John shrugged. “Sorry. My childhood is one big dark cloud. I’ve done my best to block the whole thing out.”
My uncle nodded, rising to his feet. “Very well. Then I suggest you start not with the smartest people but perhaps the oldest people. They might have a clue or two as to where you can find Abraham Ravenwood.”
“The oldest people? You mean the Sisters? Do you think they remember Abraham?” My stomach tensed. It wasn’t exactly scary, but it was hard to understand half the things they said—when they weren’t talking crazy.
“If they can’t, they’re likely to invent something equally plausible. They are the closest thing my exponentially-great-grandfather has to contemporaries. Even if they’re hardly what one would call contemporary.”
