Ollie was very curious as to who else did not have finite living years, as he hadn’t known that was a possibility. Though—he frowned—he was possibly not aging anymore, and didn’t exactly know what that meant for his life expectancy. Not to mention, his parents, and even his grandparents’ ages weren’t lining up, based on what Irene had told him. Which just gave him more questions about witches he supposed. Yet, at the same time, hewas not quite desperate enough to ask for more detail on this new life-altering bit of information. He would…one day… But not today.
Ollie let out a heavy sigh before going back to reading out loud. “‘Second, but one of great importance to those at greater risk of being infected by the diseases that often spread amongst the fellow human vermin with which they associate’—wow.” Ollie let out a soft puff of air in disbelief.
The author really wasn’t even attempting to filter out their personal biases when it came to other humans… Wait…was he still human?
He had to be, right? Yeah, had to be. The arcana latched ontohumansthat had magic inside them, but it didn’t mean they weren’t still human. Maybe they were like a subspecies of humanity? Either way, it wasn’t like he couldn’t get sick now. Wait, could he still get sick?
Ugh, whatever—he shook his head and took a deep breath before continuing. “Where was I—ah—‘fellow human vermin with which they associate, is the gaining of perfect immunity to all of humanity’s infectious diseases. Thus, giving them the ability to walk amongst and intertwine with them without the fear of dying.’”
Which, Ollie had to say, would be useful even today. Though it definitely was back then with the various plagues that tended to make their way through and wipe out large sections of the population.
“‘The third, and perhaps the part of what makes hunters most dangerous to us, is the enhancements they gain physically. As a result of that final step, individuals will find all five senses enhanced, and will witness gains in speed, physical strength, and healing abilities in ways that are far beyond what should be possible. To note, these changes in attributes can be the best way we have in unmasking the hunters that may be around us, beforethey can discover what we are…’” Ollie trailed off, swallowing hard as his heart started to beat faster.
Increased speed…
Noble…hadn’t been there and then…he was… But—no! No, no, no, it had just been a trick of his eyes, or mind. It had been late, and he’d been tired, and it was dark. But…how did…Noble know all that he…
He shook his head. No, what was he even thinking?! It was Noble! The man had protected him multiple times already, and he had never hurt him. Noble was… Noble was just Noble. That’s all…and the man loved him.
Clearing his throat, he intended to read on, but hesitated before deciding he was done learning about their abilities. It wasn’t like he couldn’t come back and read more later, right?! Flipping through the rest of the chapter, his hand froze when he reached the next one, and spotted a hand drawn illustration of a tear drop-shaped gem on a chain, set between delicate filigree.
Ollie’s stomach clenched, his hand starting to tremble as he traced the details with the tip of one of his fingers.
It wasn’t unique, it wasn’t even anything he hadn’t seen before… The problem was that the swirls and angles of the filigree were too similar, or rather the same as… No, it couldn’t be. He could just be remembering it wrong…
Swallowing hard, he slowly started to read out loud again. “‘How They Find Us… There are various ways hunters can identify our kind. Much of it is assumptions, most involves investigative work, but some of it is due to the use of arcane tools. Tools that by their very nature make a mockery of the beliefs of the Parables of the Righteous Hunt. One such tool is the Seers Amulet. Simple, yet effective, i-it—’” Ollie swallowed hard again. “‘—gl-glows anytime a…a…’” He trailed off, the sound of his heartbeat loud in his ears, his breathing speeding up and coming out heavy.
Swallowing, he drew air in and out, again and again, trying not to think, before almost desperately whispering, “Impossible…” He wasn't even sure who he was trying to convince.
He… It was something else. Ithadto be something else! Noble… Noble wasn’t a… He couldn’t be! He couldn’t! The man had protected him. He knew what Ollie was, and he had protected him! And he… He killed Mikael, and Noble wouldn’t do that if he… Noble wasn’t… He wasn’t…
“Shit!” Ollie jumped with a wheezy yelp when Annabel suddenly appeared to his right.
“Sorry!” she cried with a wince. “You looked upset and I thought…maybe I could help? Well, you actually look like you are about to have a panic attack, or rather are in the middle of one and may pass out, but I figured that still qualifies as being upset.”
Giving his head a shake when his vision swayed a bit, he forced himself to slow his breathing. While it was still loud in his ears, it wasn’t as quick, and after a moment or two, he managed to point towards the illustration and stutter out, “C-can you t-tell me about this?”
Annabel frowned. “The Seers Amulet? I can, but I’m not sure there is much more to tell that won’t already have been mentioned in the book you pulled out. While it's an arcane tool worth noting, it is unfortunately a simple one to make, and one that can be made without the creator having any sort of magical pool. I don’t suppose you care how it’s made though?”
Ollie just shook his head, too overwhelmed to answer beyond that.
“Right, so the Seers Amulet is an arcane tool used by hunters to definitively identify witches. The function is simple enough…anytime a witch draws near, the amulet will glow. The strengthand brightness of that glow usually indicates how strong the witch may be.”
Bright…the glow of the amulet in Noble’s bedroom had been… But…no, this didn’t mean anything. It didn’t! Noble wasn’t a… He clenched his hands tightly together, his nails digging into his skin.
“To note, they don’t usually take it out in public and see who makes it glow. For one, it would give them away, and two, it would draw too much attention. It’s more for when they have doubts about those they have captured. Or in some cases, when they are trying to identify how much of a threat an already known witch may be. Though, that latter use would be a dangerous one.”
“I see…”
No, he didn’t see. It was more that Ollie didn’t want to see. And he wouldn’t! He couldn’t, because he was remembering wrong. Sure, the amulet—NO! The pendant he’d seen at Noble’s house had looked very similar—almost the same—as the one in the picture, but it wasn’t. And maybe it glowed, but that could be explained away with science. Yes! Science… It was heat related, not magic. Because Noble wasn’t… He wasn’t a?—
“Ollie, I’m back with food!”
Ollie flinched at the sound of Noble’s voice, and he rushed to slam the book closed with a shaky hand as he squeaked out, “In the secret library!”
Annabel eyed him briefly, her gaze both curious and oddly knowing, before disappearing, as he noticed she tended to do anytime food was involved.
His heart was still pounding away in his head as he took several calming breaths before plastering a smile on his face and looking back as Noble appeared in the opening, Red on his heels. His cat went right over to the ghost kitten and flopped down beside her, closing his eyes. His familiar obviously intended tonap. But then, that was what Red usually did after a round of pets at the reading circle.
