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I laughed. “More like a brother, but that works.”
Jeremy glanced at Daryn, and it was the first time I noticed his apprehension. “Jeremy, are you okay?”
He glided away from me, and the drifting sensation was otherworldly. “No. There has been a disturbance in the veil.”
Daryn stepped toward him. “What kind of disturbance?”
Jeremy touched his lip, and the action made him appear much younger. “It was dark magic. Much worse than anything we have experienced.”
Daryn’s eyebrow ached. “Worse than the king?”
Jeremy nodded. “Much worse.”
Daryn shook his head. “How is that possible?”
“I don’t know.” He turned as if he were listening to something we couldn’t hear. His form flickered before he disappeared.
My eyes met Daryn’s. “What do you think this means?”
Daryn grabbed his phone when it beeped. “I have no idea.” His eyes roamed over the text. “The debris has been relocated to the base. Let’s go. Hopefully, Jeremey can get us more information. In the meantime, we need to find out if anything was stolen from the museum prior to its destruction.”
As we descended the stairwell and headed for the door, Daryn got another text. His eyes hardened before he stopped on the last step. His eyes roamed over his phone several times.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Lochlan has some information on the artifacts.”
CHAPTER 5
The drive to the base was quiet, and my mind replayed Jeremy’s warning and his abrupt retreat. He had been terrified, and the only thing that scared Jeremy was something that endangered me or Caleb. My favorite ghost had simple values. He wanted the veil stable so he could continue to be a part of my life.
We parked in Daryn’s designated spot in front of the base and exited the vehicle to three hunters stationed at the entrance. Security had been lighter since the king’s return to the underworld and the sudden change was a painful reminder we had not been vigilant in the wake of the war.
The hunters nodded respectfully and opened the doors for Daryn and me as we entered. The smell of pizza wafted in the air as we passed the cafeteria, and it reminded me that it had been too long since I’d eaten. My stomach rumbled as we walked down the hallway to the elevator.
I frowned when Daryn hit the button for sublevel four. “I thought we were going to check out the debris? Are we meeting the council members first?”
The massive elevator doors made a familiar rolling sound as they closed.
“Until recently, sublevel four was empty. We have been using it for this kind of thing for years. Now that the portal is housed there, it makes things far more convenient. The space is the size of the base. There is more than enough room.”
“It is large. I guess that makes sense.”
“Besides, once a piece of debris is examined and determined to be simple rubble, it will be removed. Only the artifacts and weapons will be moved to a storage room.” The elevator beeped before the doors opened.
As Daryn and I stepped into the vast, cavernous room where the museum debris had been relocated, I couldn’t help but marvel at the Herculean efforts of the hunters. Their sense of determination and unity in the air was palpable, a testament to the strength of their guild. The room, once dimly lit, with the breach map as its source of light, now shone brilliantly under the careful placement of flood lights.
The hunters had moved swiftly, their tireless teamwork evident in the meticulous organization of the scattered remnants. Piles were neatly segregated into charred weapons, broken pieces of clay, charred wood, and twisted metal, each category a somber reminder of the destruction that had devastated our beloved museum.
The charred weapons glinted with a dark beauty, remnants of a time when fierce warriors roamed the earth. The broken pieces of clay whispered tales of forgotten civilizations, waiting to be pieced back together by skilled hands. Charred wood, once part of elegant structures, now stood as a testament to the museum’s sacrifice.
Several hunters were sifting through the various piles when Lochlan approached us.
“It’s a goddamn mess. But we are unable to confirm the whereabouts of several artifacts. It is early, though.”
Daryn nodded as he stared at his busy hunters. They swarmed the mess like worker bees in black military gear. “Have you started the restoration process?”
Lochlan nodded. “Our tracing spells are having some strange results. We...”
