The Gifts of Fate

Chapter 8

"I do, but Dusk-" Shilpy replied. "I can't leave him to his fate? I won't, Denise. I don't want to lose him. The visions are all building to this one moment if I can stop it..."

"No one is suggesting you abandon him," Denise replied, her tone softening. "What I'm saying is, you need to take care of yourself, too. I've never seen you like this. You're telling me all these things, and there are times when I'm not sure if you even know where you are."

"I can't think of me right now. Not until Dusk is safe."

"OK then, let's talk about Dusk. You think he's involved with the Erisians, but they are going to betray him." Shilpy nodded. "What do you know of his involvement? You don't think he's actually ..." Denise trailed off, her eyes fixed on my face. Denise studied her, and her expression dropped. "I see."

"I can't know for sure," Shilpy said, quickly. A little too quickly perhaps.

"How sure are you?" Denise asked. "He's a big guy. Would make a good soldier."

Shilpy could feel her stomach turning, but ignored it. That wasn't who he was anymore. Or was it? A little voice whispered inside her. Why else would the Erisians hire him, and not just him? They'd hired Hond as well. Two men who'd once been soldiers.

"I don't know what Dusk did or didn't do. What I do know is this sword is a weapon. Wolf used it to control the Shadows. If the Erisians possess the sword, then they can use it against our sisters."

"Stop them? What happened to avoiding Angela's war?" Denise asked.

"This isn't about her."

Denise chewed on her bottom lip and played with an earring. It was unfair to ask Denise to be involved in this. The visions, the war, and Dusk part in it, whatever that was, had nothing to do with her. She had, in fact, turned her back on it all.

"Ok, so you want to find this sword. How?" Yes, she'd turned her back on Keres Ter Nyx, but not Shilpy. When this was all over, Shilpy was going to owe her big time.

"I haven't seen anything in my visions, yet. I could wait for a new one..."

Denise stood and started pacing about the room in exasperation. "You're impossible! Why is the only way for you to locate this sword through your visions? Surely we can find a different way."

"How?"

"We could call Angela. Warn her."

Shilpy recoiled at the suggestion. If Angela found out about Dusk she would never forgive him. He'd become a target. She shook her head. "

"Or not." Denise threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine, then we do this the same way everybody else does. My computer is in the other room. Let's see what google has to say."

With Denise, that was an option.

Both Keres Ter Nyx and the Erisians avoided having any Internet presence. Everything around each religion and the associated activities remained shrouded in secrecy.

Alone, Shilpy would have no chance of finding the sword. Denise though had a background in the families lore and her experience with researching the obscure could give them a chance.

Shilpy nodded, and for the first time today, Denise's face relaxed. She held out her hand, and together they retreated into the bedroom and shut the door behind them.

"OK, describe this sword." Denise took a seat near the computer.

Shilpy shut her eyes and tried to recall the sword's appearance. Without meaning to, she was back on the street watching Dusk talking to Wolf.