“All right, so tell me more about this Magus Aurelius and those artifacts.”
“A long time ago, Magus Aurelius controlled a large chunk of what we know now as Central and Eastern Europe. However, his subjects were rising up against him, with the help of the Lycans. He knew his reign was about to end, and so he hatched a plan to infuse his magic into three objects.”
“Why three?” the Alpha asked.
“Three is an important number in magic,” Daric said. “But please go on, Cross.”
“Magus Aurelius chose three objects and then sacrificed three hundred humans and three hundred Lycans so he could bind his powers into these objects.”
The Alpha leaned forward. “Then what happened?”
“I haven’t found the exact answer, but it seems he was defeated by the Lycans and the humans, but the artifacts were lost. However, they seem to resurface every now and then, and I’ve narrowed it down to three possible objects—a necklace, a blade, and a ring. Each one on its own has different properties and powers.”
“What kind of powers?”
Cross took out his phone and lay it on the table. He opened up his photo library and expanded an image he had taken from St. Catherine’s in Egypt of a pendant on an ancient papyrus scroll. “The necklace is said to be able to control a person.” Swiping to the next image, he zoomed in on a drawing of a short sword on delicate yellowed paper. “This was from the Khizanat al Qarawiyyin in Fez from one of their oldest books. The blade can create portals that can cross the world.” His finger hovered over the screen.
“And?” the Alpha said. “The ring?”
“I don’t have much on the ring.” Cross swiped to the next image. It was a picture of a large book propped up against a shelf that was filled with chained books. “But this book written by a monk from the twelve hundreds talks about a ring found in a village in Gaul. The people reported some mysterious events that no one could explain.”
“What kind of events?”
“Little things. Crops dying overnight, and then a few hours later, it was like nothing happened. Farm animals being found dead in the fields, but the next day they’d be roaming around again. They traced it to a woman in the village, whom they saw out in the middle of the woods. Witnesses say she had her hands over a dead deer, when the animal suddenly jumped up and ran away. They rounded her up and accused her of witchcraft. Said she had found a ring in one of the ancient cemeteries. Unfortunately, she mysteriously died, and that was the last we’ve heard of the ring.”
“So, this ring … it has the power of death?”
“Not just death,” Daric began. “Death and life.”
“If we’re even sure this is the ring.” The Alpha rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. “You’ll need to find out more.”
Cross nodded. “I already have some leads.”
“But, good job on the rest, Cross.” Grant rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “I thought we had this mage business done and over with. We need to start making plans. Now, I haven’t spoken to anyone else about this except Frankie and Lucas, but I’m thinking it’s time for me to retire.”
“Retire?” Daric seemed taken aback. “But the Alpha is a lifetime position.”
“It’s rare for an Alpha to retire, but it’s not unheard of. You have to remember, in the past, with so many wars and battles over territory, not many Alphas survived very long. Though if there is trouble brewing ahead …” His expression turned dark. “Frankie and I will have to have a long talk.”
“I’ll do my best, Primul.”
“I know you will, Cross. If anyone can find the ring, it’s the two of you. And once we have the artifacts”—the Alpha’s eyes grew dark—“we need to destroy them.”
Something about his words made Cross uncomfortable. But he knew it had to be done.
“Now.” Grant picked up his phone. “If you don’t mind …”
“Not at all, Alpha.” Daric gave him a quick bow of the head and turned to Cross. “Son, shall we head home and go over a few things?”
“I … need to take care of something at my apartment.” he said. “I’ll come by for dinner and surprise Mom. I’ll be here for a couple more days.”
“All right, son, I’ll see you later.”
Cross waited for his father to disappear before he himself left. However, instead of transporting himself to his apartment, he reappeared in a small alleyway between a Chinese restaurant and a supermarket on Eighty-Third Street. He traced his way back to Wicked Brew and hurried inside the door. The smells of coffee, pastries, sweat, and various colognes lingered in the air, making it hard to ferret out the scent of apple cider and snow. His wolf whined in disappointment.
It was silly anyway. Walking out of the coffee shop, he intended to go back to the alleyway where he first appeared, but then changed his mind and walked toward the subway. After three months, it was nice to be back in the city. Truth be told, he’d never used his powers as much as he did while he was away traveling, so it was nice to just take his time. A long subway ride could be just the thing he needed.
His wolf didn’t like the dark, confined space of the underground station, but it was comforting in a way. There was a lot more to be done; his job wasn’t finished, and he couldn’t be distracted now.
“Good morning, welcome to Wicked Brew.” The cheerful young woman manning the cashier smiled as Cross stepped up to the front of the line. “Oh, welcome back. Just the usual?”
“Yes, please.”
“How about a pastry?”
He shook his head. “Just the coffee, please.”
She
