He smiled back but sobered quickly. “Tell me what happened tonight.”
I told him everything. Tracking Jones. The first fight during the initiation. Elaine. Everything. Everything except Vex and his gift of power. I needed to ponder the pact I’d made before telling anyone.
Julian sat in silence while I talked, his expression increasingly serious as my tale unfolded. “Can I see the Nail?” Julian asked when I finished.
I pulled it from my pocket and tossed it to him before it could whisper to me again.
Julian nearly leapt from the chair to avoid touching it. It sailed by him to clatter across the floor.
“Everything alright?” I said, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Christ. I wanted to see it, not touch it,” Julian said, getting to his feet. He bent over the Nail on the floor, his hand hovering just above it. “It feels exactly as the texts describe.”
“You can’t imagine the power he wielded,” I said, eyeing it.
“It seems even I underestimated you,” Julian said with admiration. “To think you could stand alone against a blooded magician wielding a Nail of Christ. And survive.”
I stayed silent. Best he believed what he will. “What should we do with it?”
“Why not use it?” Julian said.
I shivered. “None can wield something so evil in the name of good.”
“Then hold on to it for now. I know how you feel about artifacts such as this, but it might prove necessary.” Julian stood and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He draped it over the Nail and picked it up. He offered it to me, and I tucked it back into a pocket.
“We cannot trust the Knight Mages to guard the Book of Thoth,” I said, venom dripping into my voice. “Your connections span the globe. Can you ensure its safety?”
“I can.” He drained his glass and placed it on the table next to him. “I intend to travel to Egypt to handle the matter myself. There remain a few I can trust.” He sounded defeated, and I felt for him. He’d dedicated his life to the Knight Mages only to have his trust betrayed. A tear welled in his eye. “It feels like I’ve lost everything these last few weeks.”
“Not everything,” I said. “If we can’t rely on the Knight Mages and the Synod, we can rely on each other. And perhaps Elaine. It may not seem like much perhaps, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Yes, better than nothing,” he said with a smile. He held out his hand, and I stood and shook it.
“Leaving already?” I asked.
He nodded. “There’s much to do, sooner rather than later.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “We won this battle, and I intend to win the next as well.”
With that, he vanished as if he’d never stood in my house at all.
I swept Julian’s glass from the table and took it to the small bar at the window. I filled it, emptying the bottle, and drank the entire thing. Through the window, sunrise tinted the horizon red and I pondered Julian’s last words.
We had won a battle.
But we also started a war.
THE END
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About the Author
Alexander G. R. Gideon enjoys exorcising, taking long walks on extraterrestrial beaches, relaxing demon hunting trips, and fishing for Old Ones. His writing style can best be summed up by the phrase "and many people died".
He writes books and stories in a myriad of genres, from Dark Fantasy to Sci-Horror, and everything in between. Find him on Twitter @AlexanderGideon, and read his questionably helpful advice at ReadasThouWill.com
Copyright © 2020 by Alexander G.R. Gideon
Cover Design by Natania Barron
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