Drawing Bloodlines (30 page)

“I was just getting to that,” scoffed Sweet Pea. “The original scrolls were lost long ago, and the Grimm Diaries confirmed what our scholars had believed to have been in the scrolls all along.” She looked happy again as she peered over the red flickering flames of the fire. “See, the prophecy was the catalyst for the Orders’ very existence; it’s the reason why we’re here. It’s our creed.”

“Okay, got it,” blurted Alan. He frowned, turning his gaze away from the group. “Thank you for the history le
sson.”

Sweet Pea’s mouth fell open; she looked stunned. “W–what?” she said. “You’re the one that was asking all the questions.”

“Umm, I believe, Angela did too,” he said.

“O–okay,” said Angela. “So, what happened after your father tried to stop James Grimm from taking the diary?”

“They started fighting,” said Malick. He sat quietly again, before eventually speaking. “It got pretty bad and it was loud; they were crashing into stuff around the room. I was about to come out of hiding, to help my father. But that was until I heard what James Grimm had to say about the Firewalker.”

“What?” said Nathan, staring back at him. “What did he say?”

“He told my father that the accusations brought against my grandfather during the Great Upheaval were true,” said Malick. “And that he had proof that my grandfather was still working to uncover the bloodline of the Firewalker.” He paused. “It was what my father had to say next that really frightened me. He said the Firewalker was a threat to the Order and, if he couldn’t be controlled, he had to be eliminated.”

“What! A threat?” asked Nathan. “How?”

“I don’t know,” said Malick. “Just a few days prior to that, while practicing Pneuma Novo outside the castle, I discovered that I had a fire ability.” He extended his arms, examining his hands in the light of the fire. “It took me awhile to come to terms with what I could do and I was planning on telling my father, but after what I heard in the vault that day, my fire ability became a permanent secret. That day, I realized there was no place for me at the Order.”

Abruptly, Lafonda stood up and everyone appeared co
nfused. Nathan noticed the determination in her eyes as she proceeded to head toward Black Manor. “Uh, Lafonda?” said Nathan, leaning forward. “Where are you going?”

Lafonda spun around. She then pointed at Sweet Pea and Taylor. “Since Malick won’t let you two tell me about my grandmother’s i
nvolvement with the Great Upheaval,” she said. “I figured I would force it out of my father instead.”

“Lafonda, wait!” said Malick, but
she continued toward the manor.

Angela stood up, her blonde curly hair bouncing on her shoulders. “Come on, guys,” she said, forcing Alan to stand up. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to let Lafonda c
onfront her father by herself.”

“Why not?” asked Alan, reluctantly standing up. He co
ntinued to steadily text on his cell phone. “What does it have to do with me?”

“Well,” said Angela. “After what was said here tonight about the Great Upheaval, I’m almost certain Lafonda knows this pretty much co
nfirms LaDonda’s membership with the Order.” She gestured for Nathan to stand up. “Now, whether LaDonda is still a member or not, who knows, but I think once she hears it from her father, she’s going to need all the support she can get accepting it.”

“Okay, then,” said Nathan, standing up with a long stretch. He gestured for Malick and the others to follow. “Let’s go see what Avery has to say about all this, and let’s go support Lafo
nda.”

Nathan watched as Lafonda stormed across the fog-swept lawn and then up the
pepper-colored stone steps to the glass side door of the conservatory. Nathan and the others weren’t too far behind, when the wood-paneled, glass doors to the manor closed behind her. It caused the windows of the conservatory to rattle and shake.

“Lafonda sure can walk fast when she needs to,” said Taylor, with a deep chuckle. He took a moment to look around the conservatory. “
What’s up with the dead plant?”

Nathan followed Taylor’s gaze upward to the medium-sized potted plant that hung over the dark wood table. “It’s a long story,” he said, while staring at the brown leaves acc
umulating at the center of the table.

“It’s not dead yet,” said Sweet Pea, through squinted eyes. “It just needs some care.”

“So, I guess you are upset with me,” said Malick, following behind Nathan. He helped to hold the doors open so that the others could pass through. “I wouldn’t blame you for hating me, for not telling you.”

“I don’t hate you,” said Nathan. “I understand why you keep secrets.” He smiled. “You even convinced me to take the secret route reme
mber?” Nathan’s grin faded. “But we can’t afford to do that anymore. We’re a team now and even though I’m not particularly fond of this phrase … we’re all in this together.”

“All of us?” asked Malick, with a smirk. He laughed. “What are we now, the Fwoobies?”

“Fwoobies?” asked Nathan, but before Malick could answer, a light bulb appeared to go off in Nathan’s head. “Oh, Alan.” He laughed while holding open the door for Malick to enter the manor. “By the way, Lafonda has it all wrong. You’re the one with the hero complex.”

The wood floor creaked as Nathan and Malick entered the large lounge area of Black Manor. Jonathan, seated on the couch directly in front of the majestic reddish-brown fireplace, appeared with his face buried in his laptop. Lafo
nda and Angela were seated on opposite sides of him, and Taylor appeared to be watching Sweet Pea peruse one of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, from the comfort of his elaborately patterned loveseat.

“Hey,” said Lafonda, solemnly. She had turned around to greet Nathan and Malick after she heard the rattling sound caused by the closing of the glass doors. “Jonathan said I just missed my parents. Apparently, they’re heading to the ai
rport to pick up my grandmother.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?” asked Nathan. He stopped short of the couch, standing in front of the eno
rmous, stained glass window. “When LaDonda gets here, all this talk about her involvement with the Order can be put to rest.”

Lafonda forced her pursed lips into a smile b
efore turning back around. “Jonathan has some news though,” she said, almost sullenly. “I believe he and Angela might have just cracked the prophecy.”

“Really?” asked Nathan, enthusiastically. He turned to look at Malick, who joined him by his side. Sweet Pea also joined them, taking a seat on the armrest to the couch.

Nathan watched as Jonathan continued to work feverishly on his laptop. Nathan thought it looked like the blonde-haired girl, in the large oil painting above the fireplace, watched him work.

“I’m almost done,” said Jonathan. He paused to repos
ition his black square-rimmed glasses on his nose. He then spun around to give a quick glare to Malick. “I’m close to deciphering the final section of the prophecy. You know, the part of the prophecy destroyed by your ex-girlfriend at the caves.”

Malick’s cheeks reddened as he chuckled nervously. “Yeah, about that,” he said.

“No need to explain,” said Angela, biting her lip. She held up Jonathan’s cell phone. “Alan already sent him a text and filled him in.”

There was an awkward silence and Malick started to rub the back of his neck. “But,” co
ntinued Angela, cheerfully. “We still have the pictures on Jonathan’s cell phone to help us figure it out.”

Nathan was suddenly distracted by the crackling sounds of fire that came from the blac
kened walls of the fireplace. As before, the flickering fire made the three carvings on the face of the fireplace appear to come to life.

“Why don’t you share with them what you’ve figured out
so far?” said Angela.

Jonathan leaned near her and he appeared to examine the pictures of the hieroglyphs from the caves, as Angela held his cell phone. “Uh, sure,” he said, sitting up straight. “I was going to wait until Dr. Colvers, Dr. Devaro and my father returned, but I guess now is a good time to take a break.”

“Hey, guys,” said Leah. Her brown bag continued to flop at her side as she trotted down the stairs. She had changed clothes and it appeared she had just showered. “Why does everyone look so serious?”

“Looks like it has something to do with Jonathan,” said Alan, with a sigh. He had just stepped out of the ground floor bathroom
.

“You guys are just in time,” said Nathan. He gave Leah a hug, but the hug felt a little aw
kward. “Jonathan was just about to share with us what he’s uncovered so far, about the prophecy.”

Leah and Nathan exchanged weird glances at each other before Nathan switched his attention to Taylor. “Umm, aren’t y
ou going to join us?” he asked.

Taylor had slouched down into the loveseat and had r
emoved his shoes. “Nah, I’ll pass,” he said, taking a deep breath. “I’ve heard enough of all this prophecy talk for one day.” He gave a quick wink before closing his eyes. “And besides, I’m sure Sweet Pea will tell me all about it later.”

“Okay,” said Jonathan, closing the lid to his computer. He smiled, after noticing that all the eyes in the room were on him. “Now, just in case you guys don’t remember; the Legend of the Firewalker says ‘in the time before the last battle, he will emerge, igniting the spirit from within, brin
ging down the veil that separates Spirit and Earth; restoring balance back to the spirit of man.’”

“Wow, you recalled all that from memory?” asked Ang
ela.

“Yes,” said Jonathan with a smile. “I’ve been working with the first part of the prophecy for some time now, but I’ll need my notebook an
d my cell phone for the rest.”

Angela gave Jonathan his cell phone and then reached down to retrieve his black and green spiral notebook from his back
pack. “Here you go,” she said.

“And then,” said Jonathan, while flipping through his notebook. “The prophecy says, ‘he will wield the power of the three; Earth and Spirit and Fire.’” He paused, after noti
cing Malick fidgeting with the zipper to his black leather jacket. He then enlarged the picture on his phone. “But … that was before we were able to make out the parts of the prophecy that Liz had destroyed in the cave.”

He turned to the sketch in his notebook. It r
esembled the Yin and Yang symbol. “Thanks to Angela and to Dr. Colvers, we now know that the prophecy reads, ‘
the one with the knowledge of good and evil
will wield the power of the three; Earth and Spirit and Fire.’”

Jonathan closed his notebook with a thud. “We’re close to deciphering the last piece of the prophecy that Liz also destroyed,” said Jon
athan. “I’m just waiting for my father and Dr. Colvers to return, to be sure.”

“Malick,” said Sweet Pea. She sounded concerned. “I know yo
u know what I’m about to say.”

Malick nodded.

“What is it?” asked Jonathan curiously.

Sweet Pea paused, turning to look at Taylor, but he was asleep. “That prophecy sounds a lot like the prophecy for the Order,” she said. “In fact, besides a few differen
ces, they’re almost identical.”

“So,” said Lafonda, turning around to look at Malick. “And I’m sure you kne
w about this all along, right?”

Slowly, Malick nodded. “Yes, and no,” he said, appr
ehensively. “Since the very first night Jonathan showed us the sketch of the Firewalker symbol, I’ve known that it’s also the crest for the Order; however, I didn’t know about the similarities in the prophecies until Jonathan told us the details about the Legend of the Firewalker back at the Devaro Mansion, yesterday. And I suspect those differences in the prophecy may just be the reason why the Firewalker is considered a threat to the Order.…”

“You never said anything about this,” inte
rrupted Sweet Pea. “All you said was that your friends needed cloaked and that while you were here in London, a guy named Dr. Colvers was going to help your friend — that’s a researcher — figure out some cave symbols. You failed to mention this had anything to do with the Order.”

“Hold on, hold on!” said Leah, quickly. She ge
stured for everyone to stop talking. “Listen. W–what’s that sound?”

The room drew eerily quiet and the fire d
elivered faint popping sounds.

“What sound?
” said Alan. Leah shushed him.

The lights in the room began to flicker and, one by one, the light bulbs around the room spontaneously burst, plun
ging them into darkness.

“W–what?” said Taylor, startled, apparently jarred from his sleep. He immediately stood up, clasping the handle to his sword. Suddenly, a high-pitched scree
ching sound filled the air.

“What’s that sound?” asked Lafonda. There was a hint of anxiety in her voice. “It’s like grinding metal.” She stood up from the couch, her eyes connecting with Nathan. “It almost
sounds like ... like a train.”

Leah and Nathan both turned to look at each other, their eyes wide. “Necrocri
tters!” they shouted in unison.