Michael's jaw dropped. "We went as fast as we could. We're not experts on theLignumCrucis. We weren't sure which pieces were real and which were fake."
I dropped my arms. I wasn't truly mad. "I know you would've come if you could have. Can't you sense which are authentic?"
Gabe shook his head and pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket. "Nope. The power is so advanced that it's almost impossible to sense until you try to directly channel it."
"Sit." I pointed to the couch and held out my hand.
Gabe placed the box in it. I opened it carefully as if whatever was inside would reach out and bite me.
Nestled in the inner lining was a sliver of wood. I estimated it to be about two centimeters long, and not even one wide. It narrowed to a point, but they were right. It wouldn't work as any sort of weapon. Except maybe to tiny little fairies.
Unfortunately, those magical creatures did not exist. "Can I touch it?" I sank onto the couch between Gabriel and Michael, peering down at the innocuous object.
"Yeah. Don't be rough with it or anything, but you can touch." Michael reached a finger into the box and pressed the wood. "See?"
I carefully lifted the wood out of the box and let it rest on my fingertips.
I'd used magical objects many times. Many were where the lore about wands originated. Magical objects were generally used as focus points. They helped magic users funnel their magic to a direct point. The concept was not lost on me.
Novices generally needed a magical object. I hadn't used one in a millennium or more. Of course, in my human body I couldn't do much of anything, but when I got my ethereal body back, look out. Whoever did this to Lucian would have a reckoning.
This magical object, however, was exceedingly rare. "I understand now why more magic users don't try to steal this." I couldn't feel a thing from it. "They'd think it fake."
"That's the consensus." Gabe reached over and ran a finger over it. "Feels like a piece of wood. Nothing more."
"How will you use it? Funnel magic through it or draw power from it?" There were other ways to use Objects, of course, but these two were the most common. They could consume part of it, meditate with it, or— "Channel through it, we think." Michael interrupted my musings, and I realized I was almost entranced by it.
"Oh, I found one way to know it's real," I said. They gave me a quizzical look. "I became very wrapped up in thinking about different ways to use Objects."
They still didn't get it. "Almost like a trance," I explained.
Recognition dawned on their faces. "Oh, I haven't experienced that," Gabe said.
"Me either." Michael shook his head, then stared intently at the wood. I waited a few seconds but didn't look at theCrucisfor fear of it drawing me in again. After a bit, he shrugged. "Nothing."
The box was the best place for it, so I settled it inside again. "Maybe it's because I'm in a human body. You two may be better able to resist its call."
"I bet the big one is hard to resist," Michael said. "The one Raphael has."
I gave him a confused look. He'd talked like it was no big deal before. "I thought you'd been around the bigger piece before."
Gabe nodded. "We have, but I can't recall a time when I held it. It's always locked up in a case in Raphael's weapons room."
"Why his?" I asked.
Gabe took the jewelry box from me and tucked it into his pocket. "Raph is obsessed with weapons. He loves them. He has spent his life collecting them. He has several different Objects, but none nearly as powerful as theLignumCrucis.”
"Does he have any that are more powerful than this piece?" I pointed to Gabe's pocket and the small box.
"Debatable," Michael said. "You'd have some argue yes he does, and some argue that these are more powerful. In any event, if this piece doesn't work, we can try one of the other Objects. It was surprisingly easy to get into his home and weapons room. As if he left without caring, which is unlike him."
I checked my phone. "Lucian will be home soon. Michael, you should look like Adam, and you can introduce him to Gabe. We'll see if we can do this without traumatizing Lucian too much. He'll still be human, and he's going to remember everything, including Ariel. It'll be heartbreaking."
Gabriel nodded. "I feel for the guy." That was a miracle, given they usually enjoyed giving each other all the crap they could.
Michael stood. "Okay, I'm going to run to town and pick up pizzas. Gabe and I will show up just as he comes home from work. When he's comfortable eating, I'll come up behind him and press the wood to his forehead, and we'll both funnel our power through."
"I don't have much, but I'll help with what I've got," I said.
