Veridian Shores

Chapter 26 - Beyond the Brink

"Come," she called. The door swung open and a guard poked his head in.

"Apologies for the interruption, Capper," he said, dipping his head slightly. "But Brooke sent me to find you. She wants to see you both in the archive. Immediately."

"Oh she does?"

"She was quite insistent."

"I'll bet." Capper sighed. "Alright – thanks. We'll be there soon." Once the guard was gone he turned to Gliss. "She knows something's up. I think it's time we got her off our case, one way or another."

Gliss blanched at the thought. "Capper, the less people involved-,"

"I don't care," he said sharply. "I'm sorry, Gliss, but I'm getting a little tired of lying to my friends for you. You might not like her, but we can trust Brooke. And if we keep hiding things from her, sooner or later she'll go to the Elders, friendship be damned."

She pressed her lips together for a moment, brow furrowing in annoyance, but eventually she relented, giving him a stiff, reluctant nod.

Together they traversed the mansion down to the archives where Gliss had first shown him the myths and legends that were buried in the city's past. Capper gazed idly at the shelves of books as he walked. If they survived this chain of events, he resolved he would spend more time here, assimilating the mountains of knowledge that had been at his finger tips for decades. He was immortal, after all.

They found book, back in that same room, with the tome that spoke of the Drucatta lying open on the table. No-one spoke at first. The three of them just stood there, silence crackling so intensely Capper could've sworn the book's pages began to ruffle as though touched by a light breeze.

"So what in Hellgates happened to you?" Brooke asked softly her eyes flickering between them. "You disappeared for half the Synod, both of you. I didn't mention it to anyone because for some screwed up reason I still actually care about what happens to you. I don't know how you slipped away and I don't care. All I want to know what you did."

Capper looked at Gliss and nodded to her once. She looked at him as though he were insane.

"Gliss," he said quietly. "Time to show her."

"Capper I..." Her gaze flickered uncertainly to Brooke.

"If you ever want her to stop treating you the way she does," he continued. "Then you need to earn a little trust. Now, show her."

"Show me what?" Brooke asked, the edge leaving her voice as curiosity took over. "What did you do?"

"This is why we slipped out of the Synod. This was my ... other angle. Baelock had a weapon that made them bolder. Without it, they'll think twice about waging a war."

"A weapon?" Brooke unfolded her arms, staring hard at Gliss. "And you knew it was there?"

"I knew it was in the city somewhere. What I learned here helped me narrow it down exactly."

"So that's why you were looking for the Drucatta." A thin smile split Brooke's smooth features. "Alright, what is this weapon?"

"It's called the Keystone and it dates back to the time of the First."

She stared at him for a moment. "You really believe that?"

Capper chuckled and flapped an impatient hand at Gliss. "Will you just show her the damn thing? We're going in circles again."

With obvious reluctance, Gliss dug a hand into the pocket of her coat and withdrew the spherical bulk of the Keystone. The jewels glinted sharply in the light as she placed it down on the table, its perfectly smooth surface shining like a polished window. Then she stepped back and looked expectantly at Brooke.