Page 51 of Killian
“No,” said Moira, shaking her head. “They were Egyptian.”
“From the library,” argued Ceallach.
“Well, what were they?” asked Killian.
“A chunk of rock. A small sort of ivory jar and a pendant with a wolf head.”
“It was Wepwawet, brother to Anubis,” said Ceallach.
“OK, but…” Killian scratched his head. “What the hell werethey doing with those?”
“Don’t know,” said Moira. “The jar was small like you’d keep make-up or jewelry in, more like a box, except that it was round. I don’t know what to call it, but it had some Egyptian drawing on it. You know, the thing that looks like a lasso. I think it’s some sort of crest. It had a bird, a hand, and an arm.” She bent her arm like she was doing the robot to indicate the shape of the hieroglyph.
Click, click, click, the sound of the lapis lazuli worry beads knocking gently together as Alekos passed them through his fingers was loud in the quiet room.
“I’ve seen that before,” said Killian, slowly, trying to latch onto the memory.
“Fate has not looked kindly on any us,” said Alex, flipping the string of lapis lazuli worry-beads around in his hand so that he could run his thumb over the centerpiece, a blood red carnelian scarab inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphics. “All of us have been abandoned, orphaned, spit on, rejected. We will never be a pack that other shifters welcome, but I promise you, Killian, if you stay, we will always stand by you. You will always have a home here.”
“And they were both wired to the chunk of rock,” said Moira.
“There was the definite aura of the library,” said Ceallach.
“It’s a bibliothaum. It’s intended to alert us to the presence of the library,” said Alex, pulling out his phone.
“It’s in a library,” said Killian.
“The Library of Alexandria,” said Alex.
“Bibliothaum,” said Killian, as the first memory being replaced by Hudson’s goofy device. “You’re both right.” The second memory was fleeting and even as he tried to catch it the memory faded leaving the impression that he’d missed something important.
“Ah!” exclaimed Ceallach, his eyes lighting up. “A primitive one, but yes, you may be correct. That would explain how they located the door to the library.”
“But what about the pendant and the jar?” asked Killian,frowning. “My alpha has an amulet with those same markings,” said Killian. “What do they mean?”
“They’re a name,” said Cynog. “Adda. But I don’t know who that is. But given that these humans want a copy of theBook of the Deadbut can’t specify which one, I would guess that they may not know either.”
“I do not want to give them those spells,” said Ceallach, shaking his head. “Any of the first editions would be enormously dangerous, particularly in the uneducated hands of those cretins.”
“Well, can we give them like… a broken copy?” asked Moira.
“A broken book?” asked Cynog, puzzled.
“Well, obviously, they want to do something horrendous with it. I don’t know their plan, but you don’t have to be a genius to see that it’s not pleasant. So, can’t we give them, like, a copy with half the instructions taken out or something? Or go in and change the text to be a spell for making soup or something?”
Cynog gasped in horror, and Ceallach snorted and then covered his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his laughter.
“We can’t deface books!” Cynog was appalled. “I would go to straight to the underworld.”
“OK,” said Killian. “But maybe there’s an edition that is not as… functional?”
“Well, but theBook of the Deadit isn’t really…” Cynog flapped his hands and looked frustrated.
“I have no idea what you’re trying to say, Cynog,” said Killian. “I’m sorry. It isn’t, what? You said you had lots of copies. Surely, there has to be one that isn’t actually magical?”
“You keep sayingBook of the Deadlike it’s one thing. But it’s like the Bible. There are many translations and editions where some bits are kept, but others are kicked out.”
“I liked the edition with the unicorns,” said Ceallach.
