Slices of Secret

I think this piece stands alone, it is related to the post found here...

Master Class #6

Once again, we’re trying something new. Shannon was asked to pick any fiction book, turn to page 77 and give the seventh sentence as the prompt. This week, you will use the sentence somewhere within the body of your story. You can not use it to open or end your story. Please use bold font on the prompt sentence so that it can be found easily. Shannon chose Lev Grossman’s “The Magicians” and the prompt is:

He felt like a safe cracker who – partly by luck – had sussed out the first digit in a lengthy, arduous combination.

Liam strode purposefully to his rooms. He squashed the urge to run.  No reason to attract undue attention. His prize would mean little to anyone else, but that didn't mean it would be safe.

Once behind locked doors, he lay the loosely wrapped package on the stained counter top. Hesitating only a moment he unfolded the paper.

Liam felt a mixture of excitement and dread as he appraised his find. A slice of muddied green stone, the copper band around it badly corroded. He carefully pulled the last bits of metal away.

He pulled a worn velvet lined box from the room's only closet. Inside were nine more green slices graduated in size. The smallest was the outermost piece of a rounded stone. Within each slice, the image of a woman, her mouth wide in a scream, was imprinted.

"Who are ye, I wonder. And why does my Annie keep three of ye, and hunt for more," Liam spoke to the images laid out before him. He could feel the spell in the stones.  They pulsed erratically in the dim light.

Curious, he arranged the slices by size. Then stacked them one atop the other, ending with a rounded end-piece. He picked the pile up as a whole and could feel the pulse strengthen and grow steady.  The pieces tried to hold themselves together.  He felt like a safe cracker who – partly by luck – had sussed out the first digit in a lengthy, arduous combination.  What power might he gain if he could gain control of those bits that his Annie held?

Liam tightened his grip, his movement caused the pieces to shift and lose their hold on each other.  They reverted to the erratic rhythm.

Somewhat unnerved, Liam laid the ten slices carefully in the box, making sure to shuffle them out of order.

"Don't know who ye are, yet. But I'd as soon you didn't be asneakin' up on me at midnight before I find out."  He closed the lid and returned the box to the back of the closet shelf.