Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(56)

“Alright, I am building my plan based on my mothers’ journal. Bloodstone is the key here. Obviously, it works since it trapped him. Now, my theory is that if we managed to get the bloodstone inside him, we might be able to kill him. I mean, my mother said he couldn’t even touch the stuff.” She shrugged, sat on her bed, and leaned on her pillows.

“That’s it.” I couldn’t help it, but her plan seemed a little bland. “How are you doing to get it inside him? How are you going to live long enough to get that close? Oh, and what if it doesn’t work?”

Ash spoke from beside me. “Easy, the plan doesn’t work; we die. Then the covens both die and its celebration time in hell.” He walked over to a box with bloodstone decorated across it. “What if we made a bloodstone dagger? If we did that, it could puncture his skin.”

“Liam’s right, though. How do we get close enough? He’s strong.” Willow fidgeted with the sleeves of her shirt and I could see she was frightened.

“My panther; I’m strong in that form and fast. I can take care of him physically, while you guys attack him magically. One of us just needs to get close enough to stab him, while he is distracted by the others.”

“Still a problem guys” Izzy spoke from the corner. “How exactly do we make a bloodstone dagger?” We looked at one another and not a single one of us put forth an idea.

“You make it with light and dark magic and forge it in the essence of a spirit.” Unanimously, we turned in horror to find Maye standing in the doorway. “You honestly believe I have remained oblivious to everything that’s going on? Give me some credit.”

“Maye, you know? How?” Ash moved closer to Savannah and sat beside her on the bed. Savannah placed her hand over his mouth and spoke. “We have to do this. Please, don’t try to stop us.” She pleaded.

Maye gave us a warm smile. “I’m not going to stop you; I’m going to help you. Liam, Ash, Izzy come with me. I will need all three of you if we are going to make this dagger. Savannah, go outside and practice maneuvers as a she-panther. Willow, watch her and practice some moves of your own.”

No one moved. “If you all want to stop this thing, we better get moving. I’m a lot slower than I used to be. I’m no spring chicken.” She cracked a smile and went downstairs.

“She seems smart.” I felt stupid saying it, but I needed to break the silence.

“Yeah.” Everyone else spoke at once.

Izzy, Ash, and I trailed downstairs to find Maye. We left Willow and Savannah alone in the bedroom with shocked expressions still frozen on their faces. Maye brought us downstairs and into the basement. She signaled for us to come closer and moved aside a painting to reveal a small handle. She turned it and the wall opened up into a study.

“Come on in.” Maye smiled back at us.

We filed into the room; Ash sat in a velvet chair beside an antique cabinet. Izzy took up the space behind the chair and I leaned against the wall we came through.

“Now, if I heard right, you need to make a weapon from bloodstone?” We nodded. “I have just the thing.” She opened a large trunk and took out a large box, which she set on the desk. Unlatching the box, she opened it to reveal a scabbard inlaid with ivory. She pulled a straight edged dagger from the sheath. “This is a stiletto. It’s Italian.”

Maye handed the stiletto to me. The blade was sharp with decorative inscriptions along it. The hilt was shaped like a triton and was perfectly balanced with the blade. It wasn’t an overly decorative dagger, but it looked deadly.

“What are you doing with a dagger?” Ash leaned forward with a worried expression. “I thought you didn’t believe in violence?”

“Just because I don’t believe in violence, doesn’t mean I don’t believe in protecting the ones I love. Besides, I’ve never used it.”

“Okay, does anyone else think it’s totally cool that Maye owns a dagger? I mean, talk about crazy!” Izzy spoke and then shrieked in excitement. “So, how do we do this?”

Ash and I used our magic to encase the blade in a thin layer of bloodstone from a large chunk that Maye provided us with. We left the sharp edges untouched to allow for easy puncture. We then followed several rituals to destroy and ward off evil. When we were finished, Maye looked to Izzy.

“What? What am I supposed to do?” Izzy waved her hands in the air. “I’m a ghost remember? I’m pretty useless.”

Maye shook her head in amusement and walked with the dagger to Izzy. She then waved the dagger through Izzy’s insubstantial form and held it where Izzy’s heart would have been. Izzy gasped in amazement.

“That tickles!” She bent over laughing and Maye removed the stiletto. It no longer gave the impression of bloodstone. The center of the blade held a deep metallic blue shimmer, while the edges glowed white.

Looking at the dagger in awe, Maye spoke quietly against the blade. “Kissed by Death.” Maye’s words brought the blade to life. When she moved, the air gave it a fiery embellishment. “That is the blades name.” She walked to Ash and handed it to him. He took it carefully. “Savannah must be the one to wield it. I expect you to make certain she doesn’t get herself killed doing it.”

“I’ll protect her.” He nodded seriously and slipped the blade into the scabbard.