“Aisha is not my girlfriend,” I corrected her.

“Sorry. Your jinni friend, I’m sure, would have no problem airlifting the box… I could tell her exactly where it’s located on the ship—I don’t see what reason my father would’ve had for moving it when it’s been sitting in his study all these years.”

I held up a hand, catching up with Julie’s train of thought. “Okay, so if we assumed this was a working trap, and we knew how to use it, and we managed to find the box and steal it from your father’s boat without any problems, and get fresh human blood… Then what?”

“Then we would need to track down the Elder—Basilius, Arron said he was known as? He’s the one who imprinted on you, and he’s the one who has the influence over you. We’d need to trap him in the box.”

“But even if we did manage to trap him inside it, how would that stop his influence over me? He may not be able to glide out of the box and inhabit my body, but his influence would still remain with me as it has until now.”

“No.” Julie shook her head. “According to what the warlock said to my father, if an Elder was trapped inside this box, it would be truly trapped. Contained. It would not be able to have any influence on the world outside the box. That’s what was supposed to be so special about the gift.”

I couldn’t shake my skepticism, in spite of how sincere Julie appeared. “Let’s say everything you’ve told me so far is correct, how would we actually get an Elder to enter the box? We are nowhere near Cruor.”

My voice trailed off at the somber look on Julie’s face.

“We would use you as bait,” she said, “but we would have to travel to Cruor in order to get close enough to do this.”

At this, I shook my head. “No. Julie, I appreciate you trying to help me with this, but I can’t possibly risk setting foot in Cruor.”

According to the visions imparted to me by the jinn and my visit to the oracle, Basilius was currently the only Elder in Cruor who was strong enough to inhabit a vessel. So while I wouldn’t be in danger from other Elders there, the moment Basilius sensed my closeness, even the jinn wouldn’t be able to stop him from entering me fully and finally claiming me the way the oracle had prophesied.

“I know it’s not the simplest of solutions,” Julie said. I almost laughed. “But as crazy as it sounds, I thought it might be less risky than having your chest sliced open by a stranger who could be allied with a Hawk who clearly wants you dead.”

“I was willing to consider the box idea until you mentioned Cruor. As dangerous and uncertain as removing my imprinted heart would be, it still feels like the less risky option.”

Julie shrugged. “Fair enough. I thought I ought to mention it to you all the same.”

Having made up my mind, I looked toward the islet where Arron was waiting. He had begun pacing up and down over the rocks. “You didn’t want Arron overhearing this because…?”

“Because I don’t want him knowing about this box,” Julie replied. “As much as I dislike my father, he is after all my father. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for setting a gang of Hawks on him.”

That was understandable.

“So… that was everything you wanted to say to me?” I asked, my eyes traveling back to Julie’s pale face.

Clenching her jaw, she nodded.

I was unsure of what to say next. I’d already thanked Julie for her concern and it felt awkward to be standing alone with her in silence. I would prefer for there to be a third person present as we waited—even if that person was Arron. I gestured to the islet and the two of us leapt back toward it.

Now we could only wait for Aisha to return.

CHAPTER 20: BEN

A s I had feared, we were waiting hours for the jinni. I ended up passing the time sitting opposite Julie on the rocks, with her telling me more about her life before she’d become a vampire, while Arron continued to brood behind us. Like so many, Julie’s life had been ordinary before she’d become a bloodsucker at seventeen. She had been born in central China; her father had been a politician, her mother a schoolteacher. She’d gone to school and studied hard to please her parents, all while fostering the dream of becoming a ballet dancer. It was during a vacation near the Taihang Mountains, while enjoying an evening walk with her family, that her uneventful life had been turned upside down.

I found her history interesting, yet as she talked, I felt distant. My mind constantly returned from her story to my present nightmare.

By the time Aisha returned, the sky was brightening. The jinni manifested herself a few feet away from Julie and me, holding a thin violet weed.

“What took you so long?” I asked, eyeing the odd plant.

Dripping wet, Aisha approached me with a grumpy expression. She pulled away the brown sack containing the werewolf tooth that I had attached to my belt. Opening the sack, she slipped in the merflor before handing it back to me.

“Merfolk don’t exactly welcome trespassers asking for directions to their valuable resources,” she said, a scowl on her face. “I’m not familiar with these waters and it took a while to find.”

I should have just been relieved that she had found it. We didn’t have a lot of time left. My appointment with the witch doctor was already tomorrow.

I turned to Arron, who had been quiet ever since Julie and I had left him alone to talk. I found myself wondering whether he had overheard our whispered conversation.