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He stepped back closer to the platform as the skeleton leaned toward me. “This gift is more than proof of my command. It will protect you in the darkest parts of the world. Now seek out the Ealdan and discover your potential.”
I turned my hand over that held the ring and studied the simple silver band. A single hexagonal stone was set into the clasp. The gem was of such a deep red that I was reminded of the color of freshly spilled blood. “I’ll give it a try, but I’d like to know who this ‘Ealdan’ person is.”
“Ealdan?”
I looked up and found myself staring into the curious face of Ben. Gone was the dusty catacombs and back was his warm study with the crackling fire. I clasped my drink in my right hand as I had before that strange hallucination had occurred.
My mouth fell open and I whipped my head left and right. “What? How? Where?”
“Our conversation, by means of the door, and my study,” Ben answered as he studied my face. “But for a moment there I had the distinct feeling the answers to those questions were different for you.”
I fell back against the chair and blinked at the fire. “I. . .I just had the strangest experience in my life.”
“That’s quite something to say considering what we’ve been through,” he teased.
My face fell as I thought over the dream. “I swore I was in the catacombs in front of that dead lord. You know, the big skeleton.”
Ben’s eyes flickered down and good humor was replaced with a grim curiosity. “What’s that on your hand?”
I lifted my right hand and beheld the blood-red gem set in the silver fitting. My mouth dropped open, as did my right hand, and my glass fell to the floor where it shattered. I leapt to my feet, neglecting the broken cup, and stumbled forward a few steps.
“This. . .this isn’t possible!” I insisted as I grasped my right hand. I turned to see Ben standing in front of his chair watching me with worried eyes. “It was a dream, wasn’t it? You didn’t see me go anywhere, did you?”
Ben strode up to me and clasped both my hands in his. He caught my eyes in his gentle gaze and some of my panic melted away. “Tell me everything that happened.”
I took a big, shuddered breath and recounted what had happened. By the time I’d finished, Ben’s grim gaze hadn’t improved. He grasped my right hand in his hold and studied the ring on my finger.
“How is it even possible for me to dream and get this ring on my finger?” I asked him.
“Magic is a curious thing,” he mused as he lifted his eyes to my face. “It can do the impossible.Ifthe wielder is strong enough.”
I snorted. “I think we’ve already established the Lord of the Catacombs is no pushover.”
“And you’re sure he said the name was Ealdan?” he asked me as he brushed a finger over the gemstone.
“That’s what I heard,” I replied as I watched him wiggle the ring from side to side. “What are you doing?”
“I’m curious to see what would happen if I tried to take it off you,” Ben explained.
“Well, go ahead. I won’t stop you.”
“It isn’t you I’m worried about.”
A little color drained from my face. “What do you mean?”
Ben pinched the ring between his finger and thumb, and tugged. I winced when the ring didn’t even budge. He pulled again and again was met with no success. “As I thought,” he mused as he released me and folded his arms over his chest before he cupped his chin in one hand. “There’s a powerful magic holding the ring to you.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you cancel out magic?”
He nodded. “That’s my specialty, but this magic is powerful. As powerful as the Prima Staff. My simple dragon curse can’t undo such magic.”
My face drooped as a slight hint of panic touched the corners of my mind. “Well, surely I can take it off,” I mused as I wrapped my other hand around the ring and tugged. It didn’t flinch. My panic ticked up a notch and I pulled harder. It still didn’t move.
Ben set a hand over mine and I looked up to find a gentle smile. “I don’t think it’s going to come off until you find this Ealdan.”
My shoulders slumped and I hung my head. “So much for a nice vacation. . .”
CHAPTERTHREE
