Alchemist and the Vampire

Chapter Sixteen
The Book

I was sitting in Athena’s office while she was on the phone with the school guards. The cup of tea I held in my lap rattled a little as my hands shook. When she finished on the phone Athena then approached me and took the rattling cup of tea from my hands. She crouched down in front of me clasping her hands over mine.
“Damien is still in his cell. We’ve changed our plans. Though if it wasn’t for Harlyn’s vision many would be dead right now”.

She looked at me and smiled cupping my cheeks.
“Calm yourself girl, Raven will not be inflecting death and pain on anyone. At least not for a while”.
I frowned at her still feeling scared.
“Will Harlyn be blind forever?”
Athena stood moving across the room to a bookshelf as she thumbed through the titles she pulled a book from the shelf.
“Harlyn’s predicament is one only Hecate can remove. We must hope that in time Hecate will hear our prayers and return the sense of sight to her chosen alchemist”.
She turned back to me and sat down sliding an old book across the table to me.
“You won’t be starting this class until next term. But I do want you to read this book. It’s all about Goddesses and the gifts they have been known to give. Goddesses do not remove gifts or senses unless they have made their goddess unhappy or, the sense acts as a brick wall to a gift. There is a story in there about a young alchemist who was gifted by Hera."

"Hera removed her sense of hearing, when that happened, the alchemist began to hear what goes on in the hearts of the people around her. It could be that Harlyn’s sense of sight was blocking her sense of true sight. Goddesses have the hardest jobs, selecting someone to gift with powers that are burdens in some cases and watching as their chosen alchemist’s suffer through the trials of their path alone. They love their alchemist’s like children. To take away something from someone you love so dearly only to gift them with a heavy burden is not easily done”.

I flipped through the pages of the book looking at her. Athena smiled at me.
“I cannot see Nyx needing to remove any of your senses in order to amplify a gift. You already possess true sight, sound and sense”.
I got up seeing the hour it was. I turned towards the door and headed out. I went back to the infirmary as I promised I would Night rose to his feet when I walked into the room.
“How is she?” I asked in a whisper.
“Why don’t you ask her?”

Harlyn said catching me off guard. I sat down on the edge of the bed smiling at her.
“Well I couldn’t tell with those bandages over your eyes”.
Harlyn slowly sat up facing me.
“So, Athena gave you a book”.
I blinked at her nervously.
“What? How do you know that?”
Harlyn sighed folding her hands in her lap.
“Because when I sleep, I see things through your eyes. It seems I am not only a prophetess, I am your prophetess, and you and I are bound. I think it has something to do with the fact that you held my hand during my vision. It bonded our souls and it looks like it’s a powerful one so, I’ll warn you before I go to sleep so I won’t be experiencing some damn hot make out time you and Jimmy decide to have”.

I blushed looking away from her.
“Ok thanks for that. But how are we going to deal with this bonding thing? I mean seriously is there a way you can see through my eyes when your awake?”
Harlyn shook her head lightly.
“Nope. I don’t think that was what Hecate intended, I don’t even think she intended the bond I, I think the bonding is a gift from Nyx”.

I looked down at the book Athena had given me. Maybe there was something about bindings in here too. I turned myself back to Harlyn.
“Do you know if you will be able to get to classes?”
Harlyn laughed to herself.
“Shit, please don’t do that. Don’t treat me like some frail broken doll, I’m fine”.
She faced Night placing her hands over his.
“Thank you for staying with me Night”.
She purred at him. Night smiled at her kissing the back of her hand.
“It was my honor Lovely one”.
He stood filing out of the room and waiting for me by the door. I smirked looking back to Harlyn.

“Lovely one?”
Harlyn laughed lightly.
“You aren’t the only one who can inspirer cute nicknames”.
I smiled at her hugging her lightly.
“Ok, I’ll see you after classes. And if you wanna be super board go to sleep and experience the horror that is Magic and Spells class”.
Harlyn shuttered.
“I’ll pass”.
I got up and left the infirmary with Night. Classes went as they normally did. When I got to music class I was reading the book that Athena had given to me. Jimmy’s arms wrapped around me from behind and I stopped in my tracks looking up from the book in time to meet his lips with a kiss.
“What’s that?”

He asked inspecting the book once we parted from our kiss. I smiled at him.
“A book about goddesses. Turns out Harlyn and I are bound. When she sleeps she sees things through my eyes”.
Jimmy laughed.
“Shit, I hope she doesn’t use that to make out with me through you”.
I rolled my eyes as we sat together.
“She assured me she won’t. But I want to learn more about this bond and why she was given it”.

Jimmy kept his arm around me.
“So I guess a date night wouldn’t be something you’re interested in”.
I looked at Jimmy, I had been neglecting my vampire and I hadn’t meant to. I held his hand in mine.
“A date would be a great idea Jimmy. I’d love a date with you”.
Jimmy smiled at me kissing my lips lightly.

“Ok, this weakened just you and me”.
I smiled at him glad I had him as my vampire, I was looking forward to a date with him. We turned back to the front of the room and our teacher began the lesson. I tucked the book I was given away promising myself I’d keep looking for answers to why Harlyn was bound to me now.