Quest For The Ultimate Artifact

in's

the next page, piecing together fr

I bound it with my blood, b

the lin

what Leonardo had said: my b

tifact my father had been

uctures-otherworldly towers and bridges glowing with an unnatural

ed.This wasn't

I read one haunting sentence:

ting this city wasn'

worthy," another note said. "The unworth

could someone kno

breaks, the consequences will ripple across

into fist

und can release

mn

rg

hrew it onto the desk. The im

e the years of silence,

nt his entire lif

asn't mea

s gone, all I had wer

hidden from me? How much of my life had alrea

laugh e

urn, let every one of his damn

and flicked it open.It's small flame casting

understand. I only wa

. It was a memory, I

hildhood bedroom. I was just a boy then, c

why he always

he had said, kneeling in front of

omething inside me a

apped the lighter shut. I let out a

undo the years of secrecy or the danger I was now in. I

y jaw and sa

give me answers, I w

the curtains. After downing a quick cup of

my thoughts-a car pul

ck car. The door opened, and Vanessa stepped out, he

d as she walk

d she

Shoving the journal into a drawer,

" My voice was steady, bu

stepping closer. "And to mak

ss caught m

ld me you wer

u into this."She hesitated, then added, "Leonardo's after the gem.

to this? Vanessa, we had a date and we kissed. Then, hours later, I was n

ecause I want to save you, I di

t plan on falling for someone who

er? She was stunning, charming, and so damn easy to talk to-but she ha

me in?" S

find myself

ause I still remember the

ness and anger in her e

ere willing to fig

m the drawer and I handed it to her. "This is my dad's. Eve

d as she studied the map. Her finger paused on a section, and she pointed to it. "C

I scanned the map. The discovery

s gem is as powerful as Leonardo says, it ca

l handle the travel arrangements. You focus

s later, I stared out the wi

e. A woman I had feelings for, who had also l

wanted to

w, if I was going to sur

e immediately acquired a rugge

justed to the bumpy dirt road. I wiped sweat from my brow, glanci

she said, calm and focused "We need to meet th