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

sink in. “Let’s say that we are special. That I have a fantastic heritage and I’m one of these stone born. What does that even mean? And just how do you know that I’ve lied to you?”
    He poked a finger at the back of his head. “There’s an itch way back here when you do it. It’s absolutely infuriating!” He took another swig of scotch. “It’s really impressive.” He seemed relieved that I was actually considering his words instead of writing him off.
    I knew the itch he was describing…it happened every time.... Damn! It happened every time I’d wanted to tell him the truth and I consciously lied about it. Now that was spooky as hell. “What does this mean? How do I fit in with what you’re talking about?”
    He sized me up like a prizefighter considering how best to devastate his opponent. “Where you fit in is here with me. The fact that you are impervious to my abilities makes you a very special person.”
    I held my hands close together. “Short school bus special.”
    Andrew sighed and waved me off. “I’m trying to tell you something important.”
    I was quickly losing my patience. I didn’t like the feeling of not understanding, and this was something I truly didn’t grasp. “Then just say it!”
    Andrew was frustrated. It was obvious that he wasn’t used to people not simply accepting what he had to say at face value. His eyes darted to his desk and he pointed at the far end of the room. “Do you see the sapphire?”
    Now that was a segue! “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
    He didn’t answer; instead he waved his hand. The sapphire on his desk glowed, emitting deep blue shafts of blue light throughout the room. The small ring he wore on his pinky finger glowed and pulsed in unison with the larger stone. Before I could interject, a thin wispy light blue tendril slithered from the ring and shot across the room, to be absorbed by the massive sapphire.
    The stone in the ring was gone, simply vanished before my eyes. I spent the next several seconds looking between the empty socket on the ring and back at the sapphire on the desk. I stood to go investigate, but things got even stranger.
    The shafts of light flickered and converged in front of the desk, creating an image. It took a few seconds before I could make it out, but when I did I fell back into the chair behind me. There, standing in front of my uncle’s desk, was a sapphire blue translucent figure of the woman from the photo I’d seen earlier.
    She looked confused until she saw Andrew, and relief seemed to sweep through her. The sapphire form pixelated as she tried to move, only to suddenly stop when her eyes fell on me. Her expression changed from relief to instant trepidation. A weak yet pleasant voice emanated from her with a deep English accent. “Who are you?”
    Andrew was on his feet in an instant, smiling at her before waving a hand in my direction. “Martha, I’d like to properly introduce you to Gavin.” He sounded like a proud parent showing off his prize child to the love of his life. “He’s all grown up.”
    Her form wavered and she groaned in pain. “It’s too soon. I’ve got to rest....” She tried to say something more, but it was garbled and she vanished from sight, retreating back to the sapphire on Andrew’s desk.
    Setting my glass on the table in front of me, I shook my head. “What the fuck was that?”
    Andrew beamed. It was the first time since I’d been there that he looked whole, happy, and content. His mind was far away as he kept his eyes fixated on the sapphire. “That was Martha...well, a part of her anyway.”
    My head was hurting. No matter how I tried to process what had just happened, I wasn’t able to fully comprehend it. “I don’t understand.”
    Tearing his eyes away from the desk, he turned his attention back to me. “When someone like us is born a gemstone is created. The parents look after the child and their stone until they are of suitable age to be