Invincible Chronicles of Nick - By Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 0,67
black iron gate that was opened so that tourists and tour groups as well as loved ones could access the cemetery during the daylight hours.
Honestly, the cemetery was beautiful in a creepy kind of way. The elaborate tombs and statues went off in every direction, some dwarfing him. While most were white, others were brightly colored, and all manner of images and wrought iron decorations had been used to add flavor and beauty to the crypts.
“Boo.”
Nick cursed as Grim appeared behind him and startled the crap out of him. “Don’t do that!”
“Jumpy, are we?”
“We are in a cemetery, you know.”
Grim laughed. “Of course I know. It’s one of my favorite places.”
“Yeah, well, not mine. I don’t make it a habit of spending a lot of time here. I figure since one day I’ll be a permanent resident, there’s no need to rush and visit it while I’m not.”
“I love the way you look at things, kid. Now follow me.”
Nick did until he noticed that Grim didn’t have a single shadow.
He had three.
“What the—?”
Grim paused to look at him over his shoulder. “What?”
Nick pointed to the shadows. “What’s up with you?”
“You know my friends. Pain and Suffering were on my nerves, so I relegated them to shadow status for the day.” He continued forward.
Nick wasn’t sure he liked that, but he knew better than to argue. Picking up the pace, he closed the distance between them. Grim didn’t stop again until he reached the far back end, where one of the sarcophagi reminded Nick of a table. Images of death and angels were carved all over the intricate stonework.
“I think this will do for our next lesson.” Grim skimmed his hand over the surface without touching it. A cloth appeared, shielding the blackened surface. “Much better.” He held his hand out to Nick. “Have you been practicing?”
“For all the good it hasn’t done me. Yeah.” He handed the pendulum and book to Grim.
“Have you made friends with the pendulum?”
“Kind of one-sided if you ask me, but yeah. I think so.”
Grim sighed irritably. “Fine. Today I wanted to show you how you can locate someone with your pendulum.”
“Wouldn’t calling them be easier?”
He passed a droll stare at him. “What if the phone doesn’t work, Nick? Or you don’t have their number. Better yet, what if you don’t really know who you’re hunting, but you still need to find them.”
“Why would I waste time hunting for someone I don’t know?”
Grim clenched his teeth. “Why would you waste time playing senseless video games for hours on end?”
“’Cause that’s fun.”
“And this can be lifesaving.”
Yeah, okay, that might be better than mastering Mario.
Maybe.
As Grim opened the book to a blank page, a tourist came around the corner and gasped, then quickly retreated. A devilish grin lit his face. “Hold that thought.”
Nick frowned as Death turned into a dark gray vapor and made a quick exit. A few seconds later, he heard a loud scream followed by the sound of running feet.
When Grim returned, he was beaming in satisfaction. “Aw, fear. How I love the fragrance.”
“You are so sick, Grim.”
“And one day, you will learn to take pleasure in the small things as well.”
Yeah, but after what he’d learned about himself today, he hoped it wasn’t from harming others. Even mildly.
“Now, where were we?”
“Finding lost things.”
“Yes, yes.” Grim returned, and a map of New Orleans appeared in the book.
“How do you get it to do that for you? Whenever I try something like that, it back-talks me.”
“Much like a child, the book knows it can get away with back-talking you. I have no love or tolerance for it. If it annoys me, I will burn it without reservation.”
Ah, intimidation did work. Who knew?
“Now,” Grim said, drawing his attention back to the map. “Tell me someone you’d like to find.”
Problem was, he knew where everyone lived who was important to him.
Everyone except Kody.
“Nekoda,” he said to the pendulum. “Show me where Nekoda is.”
Grim handed him the chain.
Nick hovered it over the map, and nothing happened. “This is a waste.”
“No. Learning is never a waste. What you’re doing right now is discovering how not to make a lightbulb.”
“Huh?”
Grim shook his head. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Educate yourself, kid. All right, the pendulum isn’t working. Sometimes you need an accelerant to help it.”
“Like gasoline?”
“Yes, Nick. We’re going to set the book and your pendulum on fire and then use them ’cause we’re just that intelligent.”
“Knock the sarcasm, okay? I’ve had a really bad day.”