“How romantic.”
“Or something. Our little nun took it upon herself to claim the Hanta and thereby save Hildegard, whom she felt society needed more than it needed her.”
“Wow. That’s big love. Really big.”
“Like you read about. Hildegard kept writing, and her love kept helping. Apparently, they were inseparable and loved each other deeply.”
“The bigger picture is coming into focus, isn’t it?”
Denny nodded. “Full circle, and I don’t think the Kramer witchers are merely after you. If that were the case, why would they be partnering with demons?”
“They want us both.”
Denny nodded. “Good. Because?”
Iris leaned over and read some of the file. “Because they’re afraid of us.”
“Why us? And why now? They should have been afraid of my mom and Valeria.”
“That’s what we’re here to find out, isn’t it? It’s why Annalee and Cassandra are here. This is bigger than both of us, isn’t it?”
“Yes. By a long shot. It’s not about just keeping Savannah safe anymore. You and I are being tasked to do something here to level the playing field globally and eternally. Evil is getting a foothold on this planet and we need to put a huge dent in it.”
“Jeez, DH, I don’t know. I just entered the coven. You just figured out how to keep your Hanta at bay. How can the two of us even be remotely prepared for this?”
“We can’t. We aren’t. But we didn’t choose the timing, kiddo. Hell, neither of us even chose to be what we are, but...it is what it is.”
Leaning back, Iris continued rubbing Denny’s shoulders. “I guess it is, and we’re either in this together or we’re not.”
Denny turned and rose, taking Iris’s hands in hers. “I have faith in you, Iris. I know you’re young and inexperienced, but I’ve seen what you can do. We can do this.”
Iris chuckled. “Whatever this is, right?”
Denny grinned. “Right. Now, have you ever been to the British Museum?”
“I’ve never been out of the country.”
“Me neither. Come on. Let’s blow this pop stand and catch some of the local sights before the real work begins.”
“Wait. Are you actually suggesting we have...” She lowered her voice. “Fun?”
Half an hour later, they were walking toward the British Museum, arm-in-arm, just two young women longing for a grain of normalcy in their already complicated world.
That grain never came.
PRESENT DAY
Sebastian and Felicity sat across from the group in a library that easily held over fifteen thousand books.
“I’m having library envy right now.” Denny glanced around the expansive library.
Deep cherry wood bookshelves, twelve feet high, held hardback books as ancient as Denny had ever seen. An eight-foot long desk perched in front of a large picture window overlooking perfectly sculpted hedges and rose bushes.
Several slide ladders stood like soldiers awaiting orders, and a large globe hung out in one corner under an old map.
“That happens to most people who come here,” Felicity said, sipping iced tea. “It lends itself to the grandeur that is knowledge.”
Denny returned her gaze to Sebastian. “Thank you for the assist back there. We weren’t anticipating trouble here in London. We had only just arrived, and Iris and I were hoping to take a breather and get our bearings.”
Sebastian rose and walked over to the picture window. He stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, rocking on the balls of his feet. “There will be no breather for you, hunter, nor for your witch.” Slowly, he turned. “You have come to Europe, ostensibly to locate your mother and hunt the Kramer family. How am I doing so far?”
Denny and Iris exchanged glances.
“I’ll take that as awe and wonder. You see, this movement on the part of the witchers isn’t merely about your family or what happened to your parents. This is a play on the global theater. It is the moment when good must overcome, in a major fashion, evil.”
“I’m sorry, Sebastian, you’ve lost me.”
Felicity touched Denny’s leg. “He’s getting there.”
Sebastian came back around in front of Denny. “You received a map, correct?”
She nodded slowly.
“Because it is time.”
Denny tilted her head. “For what?”
Sebastian looked at Felicity. “She doesn’t know?”
She shrugged and turned to Denny. “Have you heard about The Cleansing?”
Denny looked up at the ceiling as she thought. She’d read hundred of the books in her lair. “I believe I read about it early on, when I was learning all I needed to know about this new gig. “Is that what’s going on here?”
His left lip rose slightly. “Very good. I hadn’t expected you to know it. Tell me, what do you think you know about it?”
“My mom’s journal mentioned it briefly, and Peyton wrote about in the Kill Book that she believed there was one coming to take out the Hantas, but I don’t really remember much about it.”
“Tell me what you think you know. Explain it to Iris and let me see if you are even close.”
Denny turned to Iris. “A cleansing is when one side goes after the other, en masse, in a huge push to thin the herd and gain the upper hand.”
“So they can wreak more havoc?”
“Or so we can experience more peace.”
“This push is coming from their side in this century because of the two of you.”
“Us?”
He sat back down. “Yes. You possess a Hanta nearly a millennium old, and Iris here is the seventh of a seventh. Together, you tip the scales in our favor. They have decided to cull you from the herd. Valeria had better know what she is doing by bringing your mother here, of all places.”
“I am sure she has her reasons.”
“So you do not know definitively.”
“No.”
“I see. Good intentions often make poor decisions. Nevertheless, you are here now and the battle has already begun. Our first stop will be Canterbury Cathedral.”
Iris turned quickly toward Denny.
“Yes, Iris?” Felicity said.
“Uh. Nothing. I’ve just always wanted to go there.”
“Why Canterbury?” Denny asked.
“I know it feels counterintuitive to go to the religion responsible for sending witches out, but I think you’ll understand once we get there.”
Both Sebastian and Felicity rose. “Do not make a call to your people. They would choose to come with you and we cannot frighten those who hold our secrets.”
Denny shook her head and rose. “I’m not really comfortable with that.”
“You brought a priestess and a trainer, did you not?”
Denny wondered how he knew so much. “I did.”
“The amount of supernatural vibration the four of you emit is astounding. Why not wear a flashing neon sign over your head that says ‘Demon Hunter and Her Witch’? No, you need to fly as low under the radar as you can if you are to live through this...we all are to live through this.”
“It’s going to be an all-out battle,” Felicity said softly. “Those higher level demons in the US and Asia are on their way to assist.”
“Sounds like a bloodbath.”
“It will be now that the witchers are teaming with the demons. It’s been nearly three hundred years since the witchers took on a partner. They managed to do quite a bit of damage to our ranks back in the day. You can look at a timeline to see the ebb and flow of evil.”
“When did we initiate the last cleanse?”
“It was right after World War One. You can see the overall decline of injustice, of crime, of joylessness. The rise and fall of crime is a great indicator of who is winning that year.”
“But that’s not why they are coming,” Felicity offered, lightly touching Iris’s hair. “They are coming for two reasons: One is because of the pow
er and strength you two will eventually wield in the supernatural world and two, as retribution for the death of your father.”
Sebastian took his top hat from the butler. “It would appear the Kramers felt as long as your mother was catatonic and possessed, the Hanta was no threat. But then you bounced onto the scene and suddenly—”
“There was a new sheriff in town,” Iris said.
“Quite. The opening of the rift in New Orleans—nice solution to that, by the way—was the demonic attempt to flood the city with soldiers for that day they brought the battle to your doorstep.”
“It was quick thinking on Cassandra’s part to help remove you from your loved ones. As you can see, you have quickly become quite a target.”
“You sound like you know her.”
“Cassandra? Oh, but I do. That little strumpet stole my daughter’s virginity at boarding school, then left her high and dry. Excuse the irreverent pun.”
Iris chuckled.
“Yeah. Sounds like our Cassandra,” Denny said.
“Truth, though. She is an amazingly powerful witch who puts her coven above all else.”
“Yeah, the speed at which she got the rest of the witches out to the safe house was amazing.”
“The woman is nothing if not resilient. She must love you a great deal to come here.”
Denny waited for the driver to open her door. “Why is that?”
“My daughter vowed to punch her in the face the next time they saw each other. And...my daughter does not make idle threats.”
“Maybe they won’t see each other. London is rather large.”
Felicity smiled. “My daughter knew the moment Cassandra’s feet hit London soil. Oh no. You can count on those fireworks lighting up the sky.”
As Denny and Iris got in the car, Iris reached for Denny’s hand. “If I say something about not being in Kansas anymore—”
“I will punch you in the face.” Denny looked at Iris and they fell into each other’s arms, laughing like school girls.
Canterbury Cathedral took Denny’s breath away. She had never seen a church or cathedral like it, with its tall spires, its gargoyles, and the invisible history wrapped around it.
“Oh my God,” Denny murmured, taking her iPhone out to take a photo. “This place is unbelievable. God, we don’t have anything like this at home.”
“Don’t bother, dear. The postcards inside are better than any picture you could snap. I’ll grab a handful while you’re at your meeting.”
Denny stared up, slack-jawed, at the spires rising well above any she’d seen in Georgia.
“You think this is amazing. Wait until we go inside.”
Inside.
It was magical, and Denny found herself holding Iris’s hand once more as they gazed at the perfect arches, beautiful stained glass, and marble floor of a cathedral she’d only read about once upon a time. “I...there are no words.”
“No, there aren’t. It’s a magnificent structure. Come. He is expecting us.” Sebastian led them down a long hallway while Felicity peeled away to the gift shop.
They were escorted to a conference room where they waited at a conference table.
“You know, Sebastian, I counted at least ten lesser demons as we walked here.”
“This is Europe, Golden. We have more of everything than you Americans. If it’s old, we have it. They’re not our problem right now.”
The door suddenly opened to reveal a little old man, hunched over, with glasses too big for his face and a body that looked like a formless lump of clay.
“Hello, hello. I’m Cardinal Tate. So good. So good to see you.” He pushed up his enormous glasses before extending a hand to Denny and Iris. “Sebastian said you are the one. My goodness. My goodness indeed.” He withdrew his hand and rubbed his palms together. “Okay. Okay. Well then, before we begin, I need to see it.”
Denny shot a questioning look at Sebastian.
“The ring. You did bring the ring with you.”
Denny silently thanked Rush for reminding her to bring everything from the box. “Oh. Yeah. Sure. Of course.” Denny reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring she’d found in the chest.
Pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, he leaned over, looked, then took a step back. Iris managed to catch his elbow. “Oh my. Oh my. I never thought...”
Denny looked at Iris, who shrugged.
The Cardinal returned his stare to the ring in Denny’s hand. “Yes. Yes. This is the real thing. Oh my. I apologize. I am all aflutter. Truly, this is a great day in the eyes of the Lord.”
“What. Is. It?” Denny asked.
“It? That? What you have in your possession, my dear, is the ring of none other than Charlemagne.”
Denny inhaled a jerky breath. “The Charlemagne from history?”
“Yes. Yes. The very one. Charles the Great, one of the smartest, bravest rulers in the whole of Europe, wore that ring.”
“And why do I have it?”
Sebastian cut Denny a look. “Because he was a member of a secret order called the Seniorium Concilium.
“Council of Elders,” Denny said, a tad bit surprised that any of her new Latin lessons had stuck.
“Yes. Yes. That is precisely what they were. This Council of Elders came together because they were distraught by the transgressions of the church against pagans, witches, Druids, and Jews. They each actually gave safe passage to those on the run or needing to hide. You see, not everyone in our religion is corrupt. Not everyone is a pedophile. There are many loving people in Catholicism who actually practice Catholicism the way the Lord intended. Charlemagne was one of them.”
“And this ring identified him as a member of this council?”
“Yes. Yes.”
“I don’t get how this ring would even come into my possession. We’re not believers. We don’t—” Denny caught Iris’s eye and, suddenly, more pieces of her own life fell into place. “Sterling. Of course. Someone sent this to her, didn’t they? It was Sterling who—”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. We are sworn to utmost secrecy. I do not know how you came into possession of the ring, only that showing it here enables you to take the next step on your journey.”
“So, I follow the map and show the ring. What then?”
“Then. Well, then you receive information you need. You see, long ago, the Council realized the only way to keep its members safe was to make certain their information was so scattered, no one could combine it in time to torture them or make arrests.”
Denny nodded. “Okay. Pretty smart.”
“Indeed. Indeed. The elders, though Catholic, often aided those who had high bounties. Discretion was not the least of their concerns.”
“I see. Okay. So, you’ve seen the ring. What information do you have for me?”
The Cardinal reached into his robe and pulled out a manila envelope. It was shut with a red wax seal with the same initials on the ring. “Inside is part of the puzzle you will need to be able to find that which is missing.”
Denny frowned. “That which is missing? My witch’s life is in danger, as is my mother’s and a lot of other people I care about. I don’t care to play guessing games or treasure map. What the hell is going on here?”
“I’m sorry, so sorry, but this is the way of things.”
Denny tore the envelope open and read the single line. “Occidis Daemon Intra. Kill the demon within.”
Hildegard.
“The fourth novel.”
Cardinal Tate nodded. “Yes. Yes. Hildegard’s fourth. Once you have the novel, it will serve as a manual for the cleansing. We have waited a very long time for a Legacy hunter with a witch as strong as yours to clear the way. A long time indeed.”
“Have there been others?”
Cardinal Tate looked at Sebastian. “There was.”
The room became very still.
“And?”
“And the last two were killed before ever finding the Occidis.”
“You don’t know where it is? Come on!”
“We do not.”
“Damn it.” Denny opened the envelope and peered in. A piece of a charcoal drawing fell out. That was all. “So I have to find the rest of the picture and it will tell me where the Occidis is.”
He nodded and pushed his glasses back up. “Yes. Yes.”
“This is ridiculous. You want my help, but then make this ridiculously impossible. Give me a break.”
“We must be very careful, my dear. Yes. Very careful.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Oh my.” He pushed his glasses back up.” In the Hidden Histories, there is this one tale of a Knights Templar who had had a little too much to drink on his way to securing the third piece. He started showing the first two pieces around, asking others if they knew what it was.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes. This is nothing short of war, and unfortunately, he did not protect the pieces as well as he should have.”
“So what happened?”
They found his head jammed on a pike outside the tavern the next morning, his body left in bloody pieces on the ground beneath it.”
Iris inhaled a quick breath.
“So you see, this is not some puzzle or game, hunter. This is danger that has global implications. It is entirely possible that your demon came to life because of the cleansing.”
“I never thought of that, DH,” Iris murmured.
Denny nodded. “I suppose anything is possible at this point. So, who made this drawing? Surely they know where it is.”
“No. No, they do not, as they are all long dead. Long. Long. It is for you to find the Occidis, gather the information you need, and quell the cleansing before it begins in earnest. You and your mother are just the beginning of what the darkness will do if you do not stop it.”
Denny snapped a picture of the drawing and sent it to Lauren with the text—Now we solve puzzles. What can you make of this?
“How will I know where to go next? We were headed to Speyer Cath—”
Coven Betrayed (The Silver Legacy Book 4) Page 8