The Scroll of Knowledge

Chapter 3

I sat on the bed in the cell I'd been put in. I shook my leg and I bit my nails. What were they going to do to me? Why did they want me? What was Paige thinking right now?

At least my headaches were mostly gone.

The door to the cell opened and a man walked in. He was slim and tall and wore dark jeans and a dark blue sleeveless t-shirt that exposed his arms. One arm was made of metal and had glowing purple veins. Information flooded my mind when I saw it, the model, the manufacturing date and manual, everything. I pushed it away and focused on the man.

The other arm was normal but had a tattoo of a chain around his upper arm and one of a book on the inside of his forearm. He was wearing small silver stud earrings and a dark gray ring with a pattern I couldn't make out around his left ring finger. He had a little bit of facial hair with deepset eyes and thin eyebrows. He was handsome in a scary sort of way. I remembered those eyes, one orange and one purple. He was the man who had taken me.

I shrunk back. This man looked Middle Eastern. Enough had been going on in the world for me to be afraid of him. Enough was flashing before my eyes to be terrified of him.

He pulled the chair in front of me and sat down.

"No need to look so frightened. We brought you here because you were in danger," he said. He was definitely Middle Eastern. I could tell by his accent even though it was slight.

"What danger? I was fine until you grabbed me," I said. I clamped my hand over my mouth. I couldn't make my kidnapper angry with me if I wanted to survive.

"I was not told of the details myself."

"Why am I here? Even if I was in danger, why would you try to help me?" she asked.

"I need you to answer some questions first," the man said. "What is your name?"

"You say you want to help me but you don't even know my name?" I asked.

"It was a last minute decision. So, what is it?"

"Amber Ward," I said.

"Amber, tell me about that bracelet," he said, pointing to the golden band around my wrist.

"It was my mother's."

"Do you know anything else about it?"

"No. Why are you interested in my bracelet? It's just a family heirloom," I say.

"Tell me, Amber," the man said leaning closer. I leaned away from him. "What happened when you put it on?"

"Um..." I wasn't sure what to say. I had already concluded that the vision was a lack of sleep and I had just forgotten about getting a tattoo. It didn't make any sense but that is what I was going with.

"Let me jog your memory. You went to a strange place you'd never seen before. When you woke up, hours had passed. Then you saw that scroll tattoo on your arm," the man said.

"How did you know?"

"You aren't the only one with a key. You are, however, the only one with the key to the Scroll of Knowledge and that is why you are in danger."

I was lost. "The Scroll of what? Look, I just want to go home. I have a funeral to plan and I wouldn't be of any use to you. Just drop me off anywhere and I'll pretend like this never happened."

"I don't think you would like it if I did that. We're in Russia and you're not dressed for this kind of weather."

I choked on my own spit. "Russia? Are you serious?"