Free Accession of the Stone Born: The Vigiles Urbani Chronicles by Ken Lange Page A

the Grim was on high alert, first with Walter and now this. “That’s a broad question, but I’ll answer as best I can. I’ve encountered a lot of strange beliefs throughout my travels, read a lot of mythology, and even encountered some spooky stuff. I can say, however, that I’ve never encountered anything that would make me believe that any of it was true, or that magic actually exists.” Taking a sip of my scotch, I shook my head slightly. “As far as wizards and sorcerers are concerned, there is a lot of literature dedicated to their myth. I’ve never even heard of the stone born.”
    Andrew picked up his glass and drained it. Pouring yet another stiff drink he leaned back in his chair, staring at me for a full minute. “And if I were to tell you that they are real? That magic is real? And you are one of the rarest of the supernatural community, a stone born?”
    A crooked grin crossed my face and I fought back actual laughter. “If you told me that you believed it, I’d have to pass it off as an old man who has had too much to drink for the evening.”
    Andrew frowned, his face turning sour. His eyes lit up as he sat his glass down. “Do you know how old I am?”
    That was a bizarre question. “Seventy-four, I believe.
    Andrew nodded. “And in this moment, how old do I look?”
    Now that was a better question. It was one I’d been asking myself over and over again since I’d arrived. Funny thing was the thought always slipped from my mind. “That’s something that’s been on my mind since I saw you Wednesday afternoon.” Taking another sip of scotch, I felt something tingling at the back of my mind. “I’ve been meaning to say something, but—”
    Andrew quickly finished the sentence for me. “But you’ve gotten distracted and forgotten?”
    Something in the way he said it made the back of my mind itch. It really hadn’t been a question but a statement. He knew I’d been curious, but he also knew that I’d forgotten.
    That was a combination of curious and annoying. “Care to fill me in on how you know that to be a fact? Or would you rather tell me why you look like my elder brother instead of my elderly uncle? Better yet, why don’t you tell me why your clothes are tailor made to make you look frail and sickly?”
    Andrew flinched. “I wasn’t expecting....” He held up his hand and shook his head. “Never mind. You have valid questions. The best way to answer it is to tell you that as a stone born you age normally till you’re about the age you are now. After that the process stops.”
    I looked at him in disbelief. “What do you mean, it stops?” I snorted. “You want me to believe that you simply didn’t age after you hit forty-five?” I finished off my scotch and poured some more. “That’s a fountain of youth that people would kill for, if it were true.”
    Andrew was more than a little peeved at my continued disbelief. “Look, I can’t make you believe me if you refuse to do so. Allow me to point out that you’ve lied to me several times since you’ve been here.” He grumbled more to himself than to me. “That’s never happened before.”
    I couldn’t help myself and I let out a chortle. “People lie all the time. You can’t really believe that you’re so special that no one has ever lied to you!”
    He scoffed. “It would be a relief if they could, but that’s one of my many gifts. Everyone....” He paused and looked me in the eyes. “Everyone—except you, it seems—is compelled to tell me the truth. They can’t help themselves.”
    Now that I thought about his words, I did feel compelled to tell him certain things, but I’d chosen to ignore those impulses before consciously lying to him. Maybe he wasn’t completely insane, but he was closely bordering doddering old fool territory. Then again, he didn’t look old, and earlier he’d even felt powerful. Powerful enough to make me feel fear again. Odd....
    Chewing on the words, I struggled to let it all