Knowledge Aforethought by E.G. Stone

Author:E.G. Stone [Stone, E.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tarney Brae Creative Endeavours
Published: 2021-09-02T22:00:00+00:00

All the Time in the World

The Medici vault—at least the one containing their mythical and magical items—was not at all what I expected. I suppose a part of me had been thinking that it would be like coming upon a dragon’s hoard, with gold and jewels and things piled haphazardly around, gleaming like treasure ought to do. The reality was something rather different; it looked like someone had gone through and done a decluttering on a celebrity shoe collection. The items were placed neatly into little nooks that were carved into the stone walls. Each one held a tiny label and did not gleam at all.

It took Charlotte less than a minute to find the amulet. It, too, was not what I expected. Rather than some gold monstrosity like you would see in the movies, it was in reality little larger than a man’s finger joint. The centre was a blue stone, like topaz or something, wrapped in a band of tarnished metal. It was cut in the shape of an eye and the tiny glyphs were a bit grimy, but other than that, there was hardly anything distinguishing about it.

Charlotte examined the amulet, then put the string over her neck and turned to Mary.

“Do you think she’ll try to wield it?” a woman’s voice purred in my ear. It was a familiar voice: seductive, tempting, invigorating. I turned to the owner and frowned.

“She’s not that stupid,” I said. I then realised who I was talking with and let out a yelp, leaping back slightly. “Life! What are you doing here?”

Everyone in the vault turned to look at our intruder. She clapped her hands giddily and fixed me with a grin that should have had me fairly melting on the floor from the intensity. All I felt instead was a mild tickle in the back of my mind. I frowned deeper. Life was dressed in what I would guess was the 1494 version of a cocktail dress. It was low-cut, purple with gold trim, probably more formfitting than it should have been given the modesty of women during the time period, and was about the only identifiable thing about her. The rest of her, as always, was ever changing. Impossible to pin down. I knew only that she was one of the most entrancing women I had ever encountered. This time, though, it was a little easier to look at her and to see past that horrible power that emanated from her. What I saw when I looked past that power was not good.

“Oh, crap,” I said, leaping forwards to grab Machiavelli by the wrist and then pull him back. Mary was also drifting forwards. “Mary! Ah, crap. The Author!”

She shook her head, pressing her palm to her forehead. “What? Cal? What is going on?”

Charlotte, unsurprisingly, had drawn her sword and was pointing it at Life as though she were just any other intruder. I could see sweat beading on her brow and her breath was starting to turn ragged, though she had barely moved.

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