Old Man on the Sea (The Lost Keepers Book 6) by AR Colbert

Author:AR Colbert [Colbert, AR]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ramsey Street Books
Published: 2021-04-07T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Rasputin’s hand was cold as ice, and it chilled me to my core. His eyes cut briefly to the flutter of wings erupting overhead as Al flew away, but they quickly returned to me, hungrily drinking in my appearance.

“Your aura is… magnificent.” His accent was foreign to me. It wasn’t quite Russian, but more like it was from another world. He lifted a hand as though he wanted to stroke my cheek, but quickly regained control of his features and gestured for me to follow him inside.

“What do you know about it?” I paused in the doorway. “My aura, that is.” I would have much rather held the conversation outside than follow him to who-knows-where in the giant building before me.

“I know that it’s the sign we’ve all been waiting for.” He paused to examine me once more before turning back toward the dark hallway ahead. “Come, child. Follow me and I will tell you everything I know.”

I didn’t get the greatest of vibes from him, but I didn’t get the sense that he wanted to harm me, either. In fact, he seemed quite delighted to see me.

With one more wary glance over my shoulder, I decided to follow him. The halls of the cathedral were mostly dark. The only illumination was moonlight that trickled in through stained glass windows, creating a blurred mosaic of eerie colors across the hard floor.

“What part of the cathedral are we in right now?”

“The part that leads to my office.” Rasputin pulled open a door and gestured for me to go ahead of him.

“You first.” I tried to keep my voice steady.

He gave a soft smile and a nod, then disappeared through the doorway. It was a stairwell leading down through a musty darkness. A faint yellow glow emanated from the bottom of the stairs.

“Do you work here? In the cathedral?”

“I work wherever I’m needed,” he responded cryptically.

I examined his aura as we crept lower into the building. It had a warmer glow than Tate’s or Osborne’s. It was almost reddish in hue, like a molten lava. I wondered briefly what the variations in color might mean. Were they indicative of the Keeper’s individual abilities? Or maybe their intentions? Surely they wouldn’t allow evil to be on display like that. And if that was the case, Osborne’s aura wouldn’t be an icy golden glow compared to Rasputin’s red hot hue.

Finally, we reached what I assumed was a basement, only it didn’t open up wide. It was yet another drab hallway, more sinister than those above ground because it lacked windows.

As though he heard my thoughts, Rasputin explained where we were while leading me through the nondescript maze of dimly lit walls. “These are escape tunnels. They are rarely used anymore, but they haven’t been closed off in case of an emergency that could require the clergy to leave the cathedral unnoticed. My office is just around the corner here.” He stopped and pulled a tarnished golden key from the pocket of his cloak.

The click of the lock seemed to ignite my common sense, and my stomach twisted with the urge to run.

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