Page 69 of Aleko
“Eww,” said Pellos.
“But they used the last canopic jar to create the bomb during World War II,” said Killian. “That’s what my warlock said.”
“There were warlocks in the Library?” demanded Yazmin. “Is nothing sacred!”
“Not to them,” said Killian.
Pellos looked questioningly at Alex and Alex shook his head. He had no clue what they were babbling about. There were clearly tales to be told, but he wasn’t sure they had time for any of them.
“OK,” said Sebastian, “but if what is in those canopic jars is fatal, then how did Luca or Seth, or whatever he calls himself, survive? And why was he helping us look for it?”
Hudson and Yazmin exchanged looks.
“It’s fatal for shifters,” Hudson said. “I believe it tries to convert the Shifter to be… well, Adda essentially and that doesn’t work, so they die. But for humans it gives temporary magical powers.”
“I also think it causes some form of cellular damage probably leading to increased cancer rates among warlocks,” Yazmin interjected. “But that’s a hypothesis and I don’t have any proof.”
“But regardless,” said Hudson, “I don’t know about Luca’s claim to be his descendent. And we don’t know what effect that would have, but maybe it would give him more power.”
Watching Hudson and Yazmin was like sitting in for a game of academic table tennis. The pair were completely in sync.
“Sofia triggered the bomb,” said Pellos. “I don’t think Luca got the power he wanted. I don’t know how he lived this long, but it’s possible he was looking for the wreck so that he could try again.”
Alex nodded. “But then he found Anuket’s sarcophagus and that must have seemed way more potentially powerful than the canopic jar.”
“Only she busted out before he could do anything?” asked Sebastian. “That makes sense. But that means that Luca doesn’t want to defend us from Anuket. He wants to kill her. Or… I guess he wants to do whatever Adda did to her again. That’s not OK.” He growled unhappily. “The last I saw of Luca and Anuket was on the beach. I put you and Pellos in the ambulance, grabbed guns, and headed out. But by the time I got down to the beach they were gone. I could see lightning bolts further up on the cliffside. I spent half the night running after them, but I never caught up and then they were gone.”
“Well, then, it’s possible that the problem may have resolved itself,” said Alex. “Not that I think we could really be that lucky. But at the moment, I’m more concerned with getting Eliandra and the Greens home. Once we do that, then Pellos and I can trythe spell we’ve been using to find warlocks. If ancient Shifters are the basis of warlock magic then we might be able to use it find Anuket.”
“I can do the bell for the Greens,” said Killian. “I know Morse code.”
“I can try the refugee camp again,” offered Pellos. “She had friends there.”
“She didn’t have any money,” said Sebastian. “But I thought I could try the bus stations.”
Alex thought about that. He felt like he was missing something. Lia had been in Kavala for nearly a year. She knew the city. Where would she go? Would she leave? Lia was stubborn. She always fought for what she wanted. What would she want right now? Alex knew what he wanted—he wanted Eliandra to come home.
“I think Hudson and I should take a more serious look at the spells,” said Yazmin. “Maybe we can figure out how to counteract them in case Luca and Anuket return. And at least, if she comes back, I can explain that we’re not trying to kill her.”
Alex closed his eyes and then stopped, puzzled, as he counted the dots. He opened them again and smiled at Yazmin.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi?” she replied, looking confused.
“Welcome to the family.”
“It worked?” asked Hudson. “I mean, it felt like it worked, but what do I know?”
Hudson turned to Yazmin, picking her up to kiss her, happiness exploding from every inch of him. Alex looked at Killian and saw that Hudson’s joy was matched only by Killian’s heartbreak. His pack was here, but they weren’t whole. He needed to fix this. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He needed to find Eliandra. How was she ever going to trust him now?
“Well,” said Sebastian, beaming at Hudson and Yazmin, “this is good news. We have a new wolf,” he whacked Pellos on the shoulder, “and a new human. We just need to get Lia back and we’ll be in business.”
Alex knew what Sebastian meant—with females and a mated pair, they were undeniably a pack. Sebastian wanted to be part of a successful pack—to prove his birthpack wrong. Although, Sebastian never seemed to consider that fate could have a girl or guy out there for him. None of the Rejects had ever believed it, really.
“And then I’ll figure out how to call the Oregon pack,” promised Alex, looking at Killian.
“I’m not sure you should,” said Killian.
