“What is this stone? Why is it so important to you and to the Crew? It’s why they are chasing me, after all,” Tommy demands, taking a bite from a freshly baked scone with strawberry jam and cream. “Oh. My. God. This is so good.”
As he shoves the rest of the scone in his mouth, I take a sip from my tea. The chamomile taste is there without being too much, a little bitter without heaps of sugar, but calming all the same. The warmth it carries trickles down my throat, releasing lingering tension from my chest and stiff shoulders.
“Can I see it? Please,” Isidoro pleads in a way I haven’t heard him plead in all of our years of friendship. He sounds desperate, but there is also a hint of reverence lurking in there, like he just can’t help himself.
Another look my way has me reluctantly nodding at Tommy. Slowly, and while my gaze doesn’t stray from Isidoro, he holds up the red gem. He doesn’t quite hand it to Isidoro, but he reaches out over the table with the stone resting in the middle of his palm.
Isidoro’s eyes zero in on the shiny thing, glimmering with darkness and soul-deep want. In the span of aheartbeat, his three vampire servants have rushed to us, breathing heavily and jittery as they circle us.
Sensing them, Tommy clasps his hand to his chest, hiding the stone. Isidoro hisses, showcasing his vampiric teeth, then clicks them together. The three men make a protesting sound, turning into the mist thing as they go back to their posts by the palm tree.
“My apologies for my men’s impatience. Please, Tommy, can you show me the stone again?” he asks in his singsong voice.
Tommy shrugs, but complies. “So, what is it? It’s not just some family heirloom, is it?”
“It is not.” Isidoro inhales slowly as if he’s savoring this moment, his eyes fluttering closed and open. “It’s a bloodstained royal ruby. It… Only one exists in the entire world. It carries power like no other for us vampires. But to harness that power… one must be crowned the vampire king by the ruby’s human bearer.”
Gem superpowers? Vampire kings?Hold on, hold on.I take another sip from my tea, focusing on its unintrusive warmth as I try to order my thoughts. Is Isidoro saying this shiny stone is magical? And that in order to use that magic, a human must make you the vampire king first?
“I’m confused.” Tommy scrunches his forehead. “You are saying that this ruby has some kind of vampire power, but in order to access it, you must become the king of the vampires?” A nod from Isidoro. “Okay… And the human who owns the ruby must be the one to crown the king?” Tommy’s pretty eyebrows slant down as he says that, his eyes narrowing.
“Yes. That’s currently you. You have the power to pick a new king now, Tommy, something that hasn’t happened in centuries. It’s why the Crew has been so eagerto catch you. They want the gem back in their human’s hands, so they can remain in power.”
“But…” Tommy inspects the stone, confusion creeping into his pretty features. “I don’t own the ruby. I just kind of stole it.”
Isidoro waves his hand dismissively. “Semantics. Human owners, or keepers if you will, change easily. It is why this stone has to be guarded, taken care of. It’s why so many humans have been lost throughout the centuriestryingto steal it. But you are the one who did it. And now its fate is in your hands.”
“You said it was an heirloom,” I cut in, turning Isidoro’s words over in my mind. He did say it wasan heirloom, not just any gem. If that is true, then doesn’t it mean…
“Yes. The bloodstained royal ruby belonged to my family for the longest time. But the Crew attacked us, killed my parents and took it for themselves. I’ve been trying to get back what’s rightfully mine ever since then.”
“So…” Tommy looks between me and Isidoro. “Does this mean that you are… theactualvampire king?”
“It’s my birthright.” Isidoro looks up at the sky, straining that lean neck of his. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for centuries. Wishing for this opportunity to reclaim what was stolen from me.” He cocks his head to the side and laces his hands together on the table, leaning in slightly. “And you, Thomas Hale, as the ruby’s current keeper, have the power to make that wish come true.”
17
Tommy
Wow.Thisiscrazy.
“So, like, are you some kind of a rogue prince trying to take back his throne then?” I blurt out, half meaning to and half not.
A chuckle leaves Isidoro. “I guess you could say that.”
“But unless I decide towillinglygive you the ruby, you won’t be able to do that? Because you can’t access its power or whatever?”
“That’s more or less correct,” the vampire who I thought was a human confirms.
I shift my attention to the red stone again. It’s pretty, shimmering in that mesmerizing way something precious does. It’s smooth in my palm, cool, pleasant. If Isidoro hadn’t just told us this fantastical story, I wouldn’t even suspect how important it is. How much power it carries.
“And if I still refuse? Are you going to kill me so you can have some other human take the stone and crown you?”
The words are out before I can veto them, a shiver running down my back. Niko goes stiff next to me and his hand finds my free one, squeezing it gently in support. I don’t need him to say it out loud to know what he means—he will protect me, no matter what. He won’t let me be killed even if it means fighting his friend.
“While that is an option, it’s not ideal. You see, the stone’s magic has guardrails, so killing or forcing its keeper into compliance can have dire consequences.”
“Right. But stealing it and becoming its owner that way is fine?” Niko tosses.
