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force it open as I’ve always tried doing. Ofcourse it doesn’t budge.
“You can’t open it without me, and I can’t open it without you,” Henri says.
“Well, how do we open it? There isn’t a keyhole.”
“By will.”
“Oh, come on, Henri. Quit being secretive.”
He takes the lock from me. “The lock only opens when we’re together, and only after your first Legacy appears.”
He walks to the front door and sticks his head out, then he closes and locks it. He walks back. “Press your palm against the side of the lock,” he says, and I do.
“It’s warm,” I say.
“Good. That means you’re ready.”
“Now what?”
He presses his palm against the other side of the lock and interlocks his fingers with mine. A second passes. The lock snaps open.
“Amazing!” I say.
“It’s protected by a Loric charm, just like you are. It can’t be broken. You could run over it with a steam-roller and it wouldn’t even be dented. Only the two of us can open it together. Unless I die; then you can open it yourself.”
“Well,” I say, “I hope that doesn’t happen.”
I try to lift the top of the box, but Henri reaches over and stops me.
“Not yet,” he says. “There are things in here you aren’t ready to see. Go sit on the couch.”
“Henri, come on.”
“Just trust me,” he says.
I shake my head and sit down. He opens the box and removes a rock that is probably six inches long, two inches thick. He relocks the box, then brings the rock over to me. It is perfectly smooth and oblong, clear on the outside but cloudy in the center.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A Loric crystal.”
“What’s it for?”
“Hold it,” he says, handing it to me. The second my hands come into contact with it both lights snap on in my palms. They are even brighter than the day before. The rock begins to warm. I hold it up to look more closely at it. The cloudy mass in the center is swirling, turning in on itself like a wave. I can also feel the pendant around my neck heating up. I’m thrilled by all this new development. My whole life has been spent impatiently waiting for my powers to arrive. Sure, there were times when I hoped they never would, mainly so we could finally settle somewhere and live a normal life; but for now—holding a crystal that contains what looks like a ball of smoke in its center, and knowing my hands are resistant to heat and fire, and that more Legacies are on the way that will then be followedby my major power (the power that will allow me to fight)—well, it’s all pretty cool and exciting. I can’t wipe the smile from my face.
“What is happening to it?”
“It’s tied to your Legacy. Your touch activates it. If you weren’t developing Lumen, then the crystal itself would light up the way your hands are. Instead it’s the other way around.”
I stare at the crystal, watching the smoke circle and glow.
“Shall we start?” Henri asks.
I nod my head rapidly. “Hell, yes.”
The day has turned cold. The house is silent aside from the occasional gust of wind rattling the windows. I lie on my back on top of the wooden coffee table. My hands dangle over the sides. At some point Henri will build a fire beneath them both. My breathing is slow and steady, as Henri has instructed.
“You have to keep your eyes closed,” he says. “Just listen to the wind. There might be a slight burning in your arms when I drag the crystal up them. Ignore it as best as you can.”
I listen to the wind blow through the trees outside. I can somehow feel them sway and bend.
Henri begins with my right hand. He presses the crystal against the back of it, then pushes it up mywrist and onto my forearm. There is a burn as he has predicted, but not enough of one to make me pull my arm free.
“Let your mind drift, John. Go where you need to go.”
I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I try to clear my mind and breathe slowly. All at once I feel myself drift away. From somewhere I
“You can’t open it without me, and I can’t open it without you,” Henri says.
“Well, how do we open it? There isn’t a keyhole.”
“By will.”
“Oh, come on, Henri. Quit being secretive.”
He takes the lock from me. “The lock only opens when we’re together, and only after your first Legacy appears.”
He walks to the front door and sticks his head out, then he closes and locks it. He walks back. “Press your palm against the side of the lock,” he says, and I do.
“It’s warm,” I say.
“Good. That means you’re ready.”
“Now what?”
He presses his palm against the other side of the lock and interlocks his fingers with mine. A second passes. The lock snaps open.
“Amazing!” I say.
“It’s protected by a Loric charm, just like you are. It can’t be broken. You could run over it with a steam-roller and it wouldn’t even be dented. Only the two of us can open it together. Unless I die; then you can open it yourself.”
“Well,” I say, “I hope that doesn’t happen.”
I try to lift the top of the box, but Henri reaches over and stops me.
“Not yet,” he says. “There are things in here you aren’t ready to see. Go sit on the couch.”
“Henri, come on.”
“Just trust me,” he says.
I shake my head and sit down. He opens the box and removes a rock that is probably six inches long, two inches thick. He relocks the box, then brings the rock over to me. It is perfectly smooth and oblong, clear on the outside but cloudy in the center.
“What is it?” I ask.
“A Loric crystal.”
“What’s it for?”
“Hold it,” he says, handing it to me. The second my hands come into contact with it both lights snap on in my palms. They are even brighter than the day before. The rock begins to warm. I hold it up to look more closely at it. The cloudy mass in the center is swirling, turning in on itself like a wave. I can also feel the pendant around my neck heating up. I’m thrilled by all this new development. My whole life has been spent impatiently waiting for my powers to arrive. Sure, there were times when I hoped they never would, mainly so we could finally settle somewhere and live a normal life; but for now—holding a crystal that contains what looks like a ball of smoke in its center, and knowing my hands are resistant to heat and fire, and that more Legacies are on the way that will then be followedby my major power (the power that will allow me to fight)—well, it’s all pretty cool and exciting. I can’t wipe the smile from my face.
“What is happening to it?”
“It’s tied to your Legacy. Your touch activates it. If you weren’t developing Lumen, then the crystal itself would light up the way your hands are. Instead it’s the other way around.”
I stare at the crystal, watching the smoke circle and glow.
“Shall we start?” Henri asks.
I nod my head rapidly. “Hell, yes.”
The day has turned cold. The house is silent aside from the occasional gust of wind rattling the windows. I lie on my back on top of the wooden coffee table. My hands dangle over the sides. At some point Henri will build a fire beneath them both. My breathing is slow and steady, as Henri has instructed.
“You have to keep your eyes closed,” he says. “Just listen to the wind. There might be a slight burning in your arms when I drag the crystal up them. Ignore it as best as you can.”
I listen to the wind blow through the trees outside. I can somehow feel them sway and bend.
Henri begins with my right hand. He presses the crystal against the back of it, then pushes it up mywrist and onto my forearm. There is a burn as he has predicted, but not enough of one to make me pull my arm free.
“Let your mind drift, John. Go where you need to go.”
I don’t know what he’s talking about, but I try to clear my mind and breathe slowly. All at once I feel myself drift away. From somewhere I
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