Magestorm: The Embracing by Chris Fornwalt

Author:Chris Fornwalt [Fornwalt, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2012-10-17T07:00:00+00:00

23

Four months earlier…

After carefully reading and re-reading the first dozen or so pages of the journal, Dhane was determined there was something more in the house the townspeople had burned down. If his mother had left him clues, his father had undoubtedly as well. Tonight, with the help of his friend the vampire, he would seek out those clues.

Midnight came and went, and the two of them had been watching carefully for four hours now. Nobody came near the house, and only the occasional car drove through the neighborhood.

“Are you ready to do this, Demian?”

“Ready, always ready.”

They crept out of the darkness and hurried to the rubble to begin sorting through. For two hours they silently moved around the debris, looking for anything that could’ve survived the fire. About to give up, Demian was suddenly digging excitedly.

“What is it?”

“A door, a door into the ground!”

Dhane hurried over and helped him clear it off. It appeared to be some sort of bomb shelter instead of a basement beneath the house. A metal door was the only thing you could see, and the door was thick and solid. For a brief moment, his heart raced as he wondered if someone could actually be inside.

With a loud creak and moan, the heavy door unlocked and opened. Inside, there was nothing but darkness. No sounds, no lights, and no occupants. At least he hoped there was nobody left inside, rotting away.

Demian insisted on going in first, to make sure it was safe. It made sense, given his superior eyesight. Dhane followed once a light was turned on. The shelter was mostly as he would have expected it, with basic furniture, a couple radios, a kitchen area, and a pantry full of canned goods.

A sense of dread could be felt, but it was faint. An old spell that was nearly worn off, it told them they were in the right place. A thin layer of dust covered everything, but otherwise it looked perfectly ready for use. Dhane imagined this would’ve been a perfect place for his companion to live, secure, alone, but much better than the sewers.

“Look at this, so curious.”

Dhane walked over to where the vampire stood, looking at a painting on the wall. It was of a baby, sitting up in a blue blanket, smiling. Blocks were on the ground and a rocking horse in the background.

“Do you think this is my father, I mean Algernon?”

“Perhaps yes, perhaps no. It is your bloodline for sure, for sure. Maybe it is…you?”

“I doubt that.”

Dhane examined the picture for a while longer. Something seemed odd, like it wasn’t really attached to the frame. He tried to pick at the corners with his fingernails but couldn’t pull it out. Instead, a push caused a click and the latch detached.

The picture swung open now, revealing a hidden compartment. Reaching into the darkness, he pulled out a book. It was very old, with a dull red leather cover. Opening it carefully, Dhane was amazed to see it was packed full of spells.

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