Everyone was quiet for a moment, and the room darkened just a bit. Or at least I could have sworn it did.
At length, Sheila continued the tale. “An all-consuming anger like that cannot be contained by one mere lifetime. Her rage and lust for revenge cry out to the heavens to this day, demanding to be sated. In a sense, she wishes for what we all wish for at some point in our lives; a second chance to finish what she started.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” I said, bobbing my head. “But what does that have to do with Mei?”
Sheila glared at me and her beady eyes seemed to bore through my skull. “Eternal life does not come easy to all of us, Damian.” The way she said it, it seemed more like an accusation than an answer.
I pulled on my shirt collar again. “Uh… sure, I get that. So Mei has something to do with that, then?”
She nodded. “Indeed. She requires the essence of an immortal creature to fuel her own path to immortality. Plus a few other things besides. An article of clothing that once belonged to her, and a powerful magic emblem. Something that means a great deal to her clan. A sword.”
Once again, I felt my veins turn to ice. “You… you don’t mean… Grax’thor?”
“Indeed.” Sheila nodded again. “Which is why she’s sent her faithful after you. To retrieve the weapon. Once she has those items in her possession, she’ll have everything she needs to complete the ritual that will end Mei’s life and grant her soul’s essence to her. Then she’ll be nigh unstoppable.”
Well hell. If Mei’s dad didn’t kill everyone, it looked like Queen Boudicca was going to do it for him. And all because of little old me. I really did get myself into the strangest messes.
“Okay, so that’s all bad,” I said. “I get that. But if we rescue Mei, that’ll stop her?”
Sheila looked like she was lost in thought for a moment. She bit her lip with one of her canines. “Perhaps,” she said. “For a time, at least. Like I said, a rage like hers cannot be held by the bounds of something as fleeting as life. There may be a way to end her rage entirely, but the waters haven’t shown it to me.”
I spared a glance at Rick. His eyes were glazed over like he had no idea what was going on or what to think. I’m guessing he’d heard of Boudicca’s sad tale before, at least, but what exactly he was thinking about, I couldn’t say.
“All right, then.” I clapped my hands together. “That was pleasant. Did the waters say anything else to you that we should know about?”
“No, Damian.” She rocked slightly in her chair. “All magic is limited. It only shows what it wants. Unless you want to give more blood, eh?” There was an evil glint in her eyes when she said that word.
“Uh, no thanks.” I grimaced a bit. “I think Rick and I will just get going. Can’t find a dragon and stop an all-out war sitting here, now can we?”
I was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn’t seem to be working. I pulled on Rick’s shoulder and after a few pushes, he finally came to and went with me.
“Thank you, Sheila. Until next time.” I gave her a stiff salute.
Sheila nodded as we walked away. “Any time, Damian. Maybe stop by for a spot of tea next time, eh?”
She muttered a few other things, but we were already out the door at that point. I liked her, really I did, but to be honest, her blood magic kinda creeped me out a bit. Tea was probably not going to happen anytime soon.
We walked outside. The sky had darkened quite a bit since we’d gone in. It was full night now, and the moon was shining bright. It was almost full. It got dark really late the further north you went, and Surrey was pretty far north.
For a second, I thought I caught a strange scent in the air, but it was gone just as quickly. Blood magic could mess with your brain. That was probably all it was.
Rick’s eyes still looked like they were about to bulge out of his skull, so once we were at the car, I waved my hand in front of his face a few times to rouse him.
“Hey, Rick! Buddy! You okay in there?”
Rick shook his head violently a few times. “Huh? What?” He caught sight of me and frowned. “Oh. It’s you.”
I could have sworn there was a hint of disappointment in his tone. Not that I blamed the guy.
“So, what did you think? Crazy, huh?”
“What now?” Rick gave me one of his signature glares.
“Sheila’s fortune telling. Pretty crazy, right? That blood magic sure works wonders.”
“Yeah, about that, Damian.” Rick’s frown deepened. “I just don’t know. A two-thousand year old queen out for vengeance? Sounds pretty far-fetched.”
I shrugged while fumbling for the car keys in the darkness of the street. “Yeah. Crazy right? Who would have let her out of her prison, anyway?” I stifled a laugh.
Rick’s frown turned into a scowl. “A whole bunch of phooey, if you ask me. Just smoke and mirrors.”
I groaned at him in the same moment my hand finally closed on the keys. “Oh, come on, Rick. I know you’re a non-believer and all, but after all that, how can you not believe even just a little bit?”
“So I take it you believed all that malarky?” Rick folded his arms in front of his chest. “I’ve seen plenty of charlatans in my time. They take a few details in what you tell them and spin a grand tale, but they’re all the same. Fakes.”
“Ugh,” I said. “I can’t believe you sometimes. You get magic literally thrown in your face, and you still can’t
