Forged by Greed (14 page)

Jasmira nodded, transfixed by Amber’s eyes. There was something
strange in those eyes; something that made Jasmira’s anxiety disappear. For the
first time in weeks she felt relieved, as if a huge burden was lifted from her
shoulders. She had finally been offered some help and guidance. A sense of
gratitude rushed through her.

She closed her eyes, feeling suddenly tired. When she looked at Amber
again, the Goddess smiled, her head tilted to the side. Her blond hair was
short and sleek today and barely reached past her ears.

Amber adjusted thick-framed Prada sunglasses on the top of her head.
“I need to go. Be strong, my daughter.” She got up and lifted Jasmira’s chin
with her finger. “Everything will be fine. Just do exactly what I told you to.”
Those mesmerizing eyes bore into Jasmira’s once more. Jasmira felt happy, even
giddy with joy.
How strange. Why was so
worried before?
She felt as if floating in a cloud—relaxed, free of
reservations, and happy.

She watched Amber stroll out of the coffee shop. It was a sunny day,
and the air outside was too warm for mid-November. Jasmira noticed a few brightly
tinted leaves drop from a nearby tree in a manner that could only be described
as gentle. Most of the trees in the city were stripped clean of their colorful
coats by now, but a few still held onto their last few leaves.

She took a pen and a note pad from her purse and started to write a
poem. Her letters were round and carefully arranged. She wrote continuously,
pausing only from time to time to look up, as if for inspiration.

Jasmira scanned the page and crossed out several words. She tapped
the pen on her temple and chewed on her upper lip. A moment later she started
to write again. When she finally finished, she reclined back in her chair, and lifted
the pad to her eyes. Her lips twitched when she quietly read.

But if you fall

I will be there

To pick the pieces of your
shattered soul

“Shattered,” she murmured to herself. “Shattered soul? Isn’t that
too serious? No, I think he will get it.” She continued to write.

And put
them back together

I will
solder them into a whole

With
the heat of my love

I will
stay. I will hold the time still.

The place buzzed with people. Lively conversations were punctuated
with adult’s laughter and children’s high-pitched voices. The espresso machine
cut through the noise with its loud blare of steam. Jasmira tilted her mug to
look inside. She sighed and pushed it away. Her half-drunk coffee was cold.
There was a thin brown circle of dried coffee on the inside of her mug, and the
surface of dark liquid was about two inches below the mark.
 

Jasmira thought about going to Jatred’s house right away, but
decided this would be irrational. She wanted time to think this plan over.

Tomorrow. Right after
school’s out.
 
I just need a simple
excuse for him to invite me over. And then I’ll have to persuade him to take me
to the vault in his basement. He told me the Amulet was there, locked inside
the safe. As soon as I touch the Amulet, Amber will make Jatred forget about it,
and I will take it with me.

Jasmira smiled to herself. Her
wonderful Goddess would help defeat Crystal, and all will be right with the
world again.

She got up, put the pen and
note pad inside her purse, and walked to the door. A familiar face swam into
her view when the door opened. Trent, a fifteen-year-old Summer Shifter walked
in and smiled broadly at her.

“Jasmira. What’s up? Are you
leaving?” An excitement rose in his voice.

“Yeah, I gotta get home and
study for my test tomorrow. What are
you
doing here?”

“I live just around the
corner. I thought I’d get some blueberry scones. Have you ever tried them?
They’re the best.”

She grinned and, standing on
her tippy toes, rubbed the top of Trent’s head. “They’re good. But I need to
run. See you tomorrow at school.”

He pushed the door open for
her. “Too bad you can’t stay a bit.” He smiled sadly.

“Maybe next time.” Jasmira
returned the smile and stepped outside.

CHAPTER 16

Human World, November 16,
early afternoon.

“I hate this as much as you do.” Jasmira shook her head. She lifted
her eyes to Jatred’s. “I think of you all the time. It feels like a part of me
is gone… taken away by force.”

He hooked his arm around her neck and brought her close to his
chest, inhaling the fresh scent of her hair. “Maybe one day it will be
different for us.”

They stood in silent embrace for a long while, until Jasmira took a
deep breath and entangled herself from Jatred’s embrace.

“So you want to see the Amulet, huh?” He smiled sadly. “Why?”

She bit her lower lip, but then quickly shrugged, trying to appear
indifferent. “Curiosity, I guess. It’s gonna be past to the Summer very soon
anyway. I will become its Protector, so I just would like to see how it looks,
that’s all.”

Jatred barked a short laugh. “I suppose that’s okay. With you getting
the Amulet in a month anyway, I don’t see why not. Come.” He took Jasmira by
her hand and led her to the basement.

They passed heavy-duty metal shelves lining the walls. Several
large plastic containers occupied some of the shelves. Each box was labeled.
Two pairs of skis and two snowboards were arranged next to a case marked ‘SNOW
EQUIPMENT JACKETS’. The container to the left had a label that read ‘CLIMBING
EQUIPMENT’. A sticker on the other one indicated ‘DIVING EQUIPMENT’.
 
The opposite wall provided a space for two
speed bikes and a tandem kayak with paddles.

Jasmira looked around with interest, trying to keep her trembling
voice under control. “Wow, you guys are really outdoorsy.” She was anxious to
see the Amulet but she also felt unsure about her own actions. She didn’t want
to think that she was betraying Jatred’s trust, but the harder she tried to
push the thought out of her mind, the stronger it became.

Jatred squeezed her hand and let go off her. He walked to the
shelves, fumbled behind one of them, and retrieved a key.

“What is that?” Jasmira asked.

“The key to open the door to where the Amulet is. You’ll see. It’s
pretty cool.”

Jasmira’s eyes opened wide, but she didn’t comment. She followed
Jatred through the gym to a door in the corner, which he unlocked with the key.
Behind was a solid-metal vault gate that could only be opened with a
combination of a scan of either Jatred’s or his uncle Tyrrell’s retina and one
of their hand prints.

Jatred stepped close to the gate, letting his retina and his hand be
scanned. After two seconds the heavy gate slowly slid to the side. It revealed
a small windowless chamber. The place was pitch-black, but they could easily
see in the complete darkness.

“Wow, that is pretty impressive.” Jasmira
said slowly, turning around and examining the gate and the scan.

“Yeah. I’m sure you have something similar. You know… for the
Amulet?”

Jasmira looked at him. “Oh… yes, Grannie has a special place. We
don’t talk about that just yet.”

Jatred laughed and hugged her close, kissing the top of her head.
“Follow me.”

They went inside the chamber. Jatred entered a long combination
onto a keypad of the heavy-duty safe. The door clicked open. A blue light
spilled from the inside, bathing their faces in a cold glow.

Jasmira gasped and took one step closer. She turned to look at
Jatred. “May I?”

“Go ahead.” He nodded, smiling encouragingly.

Very slowly she lifted her hand and touched the source of the blue
light. She gently picked it up and took it out of the safe.
It was a large, intricately cut blue jewel, set in a frame of thick
gold wires. Delicate blue rays gleamed from the stone. The gold came up over
the jewel, twisting into a long rope-chain. The clasp itself was a piece of
art—gold wrought in the form of a howling wolf. Its head was lifted, the fur
intricately detailed.

“Oh, Goddess,” Jasmira whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

They both stared at the pulsating light radiating from the gem.
Jatred felt lightheaded, and something heavy settled over his chest. He
squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to rid himself of this
strange feeling. Jasmira was talking, but he couldn’t understand the words. Her
voice sounded muffled and distorted as if his head was under water. Jatred
couldn’t open his eyes and he felt light as a feather, and if something carried
him high up, gently rocking him to sleep. Blue, gold, and white tendrils of
ghostly-like matter swirled around him, encompassing him in a soft, thick
cocoon.

When he finally opened his eyes, he was sitting on the floor by the
front door. Jasmira shook him and shouted his name, her voice frantic. Her face
was wet from tears, and she looked scared. Jatred wanted to lie down. His head
throbbed, and his mouth was dry like sandpaper.

“What happened?” he croaked.

“Jatred… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do… are you
okay?” Jasmira searched his face.

“Yeah,” he said, stretching the word in a melodic way. “Why are you
crying?”

“Oh, J.” She clung onto him, holding him tight. She pulled back and
looked in his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“A bit… weird.” He smiled tentatively. His head was spinning, and he
was falling in and out of consciousness.

“Can you get up? Let me take you to the sofa.” She pulled Jatred up
with no effort and, supporting his weight, walked him to the living room.
“Listen. I have to go now. But I locked up everything downstairs. Don’t worry.”

“Locked up what?” He was confused and couldn’t focus his eyes.
Jasmira’s features swam in front of his face. “I need to lie down.”

“Okay, okay. Here, lie down here.” She helped him onto the sofa and
covered him with a blanket. A moment later, he was asleep, his breathing soft
and even. Jasmira wiped the tears from her face with the backs of her hands,
sighed deeply, and walked out of the house, closing the door quietly behind. Somewhere
deep in her mind she understood she was under Amber’s spell. But there was
nothing she could do about that.