Nightwish (An Echoes of Eternity Novel Book 1) by Sydney Bristow Page B

discovery made me think twice.
    I spun around and stepped up to the secret chamber. Extending a hand and reaching toward the glittering structure, my fingertip touched its translucence. A jolt of tempered electricity shot through my fingers and up my arm. I pulled my hand back, expecting great pain, but it reminded me of the rollers in a massage chair. What would it feel like if that sensation traveled through my entire body?
    I pressed my fingers into the shimmering wall. Cool vibration swept through my hand, up my arm, across my shoulder, and into my chest. Those body parts tingled with bliss. I closed my eyes, wanting to get lost in the sensation.
    “Are you partaking in hallucinogenic substances?” Grams asked.
    I glanced back, expecting her to notice the hidden chamber.
    Without waiting for a response, Grams said, “I have had enough of your impropriety. I am taking leave this instant!” She snatched her purse and headed towards the front exit. “I trust that you will see yourself out?” A second later, she slammed the door behind her.
    My shoulders relaxed knowing The Intruder had disappeared. Nevertheless, that brought about a different question: if Grams’s memory had failed her, would she wander the streets, unable to find her way home? Then I recalled placing her wallet, which contained her license, into her purse this morning. Even if confusion took hold of her, she’d look for her license; I’d seen her do it countless times, so my worry subsided.
    I faced the room again. Since I never gave in to hesitation, I stepped into the wall, eager to find out what might happen. The electrifying feeling engulfed me, making every body part more sensitive, more alert. Through a lavender sheen, I saw transparent glass cases filled with objects, but I didn’t recognize them.
    Eager to discover what those cases held, I continued through the shimmery wall. The sensation that inundated me slowly left my body, and fluorescent lights overhead lit four walls of glass-encased weaponry.
    Behind me on rows of glass were various rifles and handguns. Moving on, I saw swords, blades, spears, and scythes. Opposite that: crossbows, bow and arrows, and kamas. The final wall featured nunchucks, throwing stars, and sias. I identified each of these weapons because Master Nakamura had introduced each of these weapons and more into my training, after our regular sessions ended, upon which I both attacked with and defended against these weapons. In total, the case held weapons from the last four centuries across every region on Earth. Each weapon glistened as though prepped for an impending battle.
    How had Grams obtained these weapons? And why had she assembled them? Even more important, how did she fit an entire room within one foot of brick wall? An easy explanation formed: magic. Now I disregarded the obvious, as well as the physics behind this feat.
    In the middle of the room, my hip bumped against a hard-edged, invisible rectangular structure…at least according to my eyes, since I couldn’t see it. Yet it didn’t wobble from the impact. I reached out until my fingers tapped a smooth, solid box that felt cool to the touch, indicating that, like everything else in this room, it was encased in glass.
    I swept both hands across the entire case, which rose up to my chest, but I didn’t find any creases, buttons, or switches that might allow me to find out what was inside. Mystified but fascinated, I wanted to shove it or kick it to discover whatever the case protected.
    But someone, most likely Grams, wouldn’t have charmed the box with invisibility without good reason. Likewise, she wouldn’t have made it impossible to release whatever lay inside. Otherwise, why not just destroy it?
    But Grams had made the item invisible…inside an invisible room. That explained Grams’s second ability: the gift of rendering items invisible. She must have regarded whatever lay inside as very important and potentially dangerous…in the wrong