Divination (Deamhan Chronicles Book 4) Read online

  Deep in thought, Hallie didn’t notice Ayden standing in the doorway until he cleared his throat.

  “What are you two talking about?” His eyes moved slowly to the laptop.

  “We’re calling The Brotherhood.”

  “Why would you do that?” He stepped into the room.

  “Well, why not? They’re experienced in Deamhan stuff. They probably have more answers than we do.”

  “Answers to what?”

  “Lambert said they know about the Defiler.”

  “The vampire?” he exhaled. “You believe him?”

  “Lambert and I go far back,” Nathan replied. “So, if he says that they have information on the Defiler, they have information on the Defiler.”

  “I never did like that man.” He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him. “Has he fooled you so much that you actually believe everything he says?”

  “Don’t you have something to do, like babysit Maris?” Hallie asked.

  His eyes tapered. “I’m not her babysitter.”

  “Could’ve fooled me,” she muttered under her breath. “Do something. I don’t know. Just… go somewhere. I don’t want you here if all you’ll do is complain.” She turned to Nathan. “Ready?”

  “Yes. Make the call.”

  Hallie positioned the laptop’s mouse over the ‘call’ button and clicked. They heard the sound of a phone ringing for a few seconds before someone picked up the line.

  “The vampire said you would call.”

  They saw the face of an attractive, adult female with dark hair staring back at them through the screen. She wore a black turtleneck shirt with a matching black-leather jacket. Her dark hair was cut short in a bob and she had deep brown eyes.

  Nathan cleared his throat. “I’m Nathan Tiernan. Is this a secured line?”

  “I know who you are, and yes, this is a secured line.” The female’s eyes shifted to her. “I know who you all are.”

  Ayden walked into view of the camera and stood next to her.

  “You’re calling about the Defiler,” the woman said.

  “Yes, we are.” Nathan nodded.

  “That information is confidential.”

  “What do you mean it’s confidential? This is a matter that concerns us all.”

  “You’re not a member anymore, Mr. Tiernan.”

  Ayden tapped Hallie’s arm but she ignored him

  “If you won’t discuss the issue with me, then perhaps I can speak with the Head Master.”

  “You’ll talk to me. That’s the rule here.”

  “And you are?”

  “I’m the only person you’re allowed to talk to at this moment.”

  Ayden tapped Hallie again then whispered in her ear. “She’s not human.”

  “What?” she whispered and snapped her head to the left.

  “She’s not human. Can’t you tell?”

  “No. How can you just by looking at her?”

  “Her eyes.”

  She took a closer look at the woman and didn’t see anything to suggest that Ayden spoke the truth. To her, she looked like her English teacher back in fifth grade. “What if we don’t want to speak to you? Can we speak to Veronica? Is she there?”

  The corner of the woman’s mouth curled upward. “Who’s Veronica?”

  Hallie didn’t believe her and before she pressed the issue, Nathan calmed her by holding her wrist.

  “Since it seems that you won’t talk, how about I offer you something which interest you.”

  “I don’t have the power to make agreements, Mr. Tiernan.”

  “Then put someone on the call that does.”

  She swallowed hard. “I can pass along the information once you tell me what you have in your possession.”

  “No. That’s not how this works,” he coughed his reply. “You must agree first.” He coughed again and Hallie patted his back.

  “Would you like some water?” she asked him.

  He shook his head. “I’m fine.” He gathered his bearings. “So, do we have an agreement?”

  The woman sat up tall in her seat. “Again, I don’t have the authority to make agreements on behalf of the Brotherhood.”

  “Then why are you even talking to us?” Ayden chimed in.

  “Because you called,” she replied.

  “And what is your position?” Nathan asked.

  “My name is Lenore. And I’m sure you’ll come to understand my position in the upcoming days.”

  “Fine… Lenore.” Just saying the name caused Hallie to scrunch her upper lip.

  “Lenore,” Nathan addressed her in a calm voice. “I know where the gold box is.”

  “Gold box?”

  “Yes. You look fairly new to the Brotherhood so you may not know how desperately the organization has tried to get it back.”

  “Yes, I’m new but I’m not uneducated in all things Brotherhood.”

  “Maybe you should take a few minutes to talk to your counterparts.”

  Her voice wavered. “One moment.” The screen went black.

  “What a real conversationalist,” Hallie groaned. “Is she the appointed guard dog or something?”

  “What in the hell is she?” Ayden asked in pure awe. “I thought the Brotherhood didn’t hire supernaturals?”

  “They don’t,” Nathan replied.

  “They do now. She’s not human and she’s not Deamhan.” He tapped his chin in thought. “Whatever she is, we shouldn’t trust her. Plus, you can’t hand over the box to her. It’s not yours. It’s Krerina’s.”

  “I said nothing about handing over what’s inside the box,” Nathan replied. “Just the box itself.”

  “And Krerina isn’t a Kashshapu,” Hallie spoke in a low voice.

  “What? Of course she is.”

  “She isn’t.”

  Before Ayden had the chance to respond, Lenore appeared again. “The Head Master has agreed. But solely based on the information you provide to us and with another exchange.”

  “Which is?” Nathan asked.

  “The Dark Curse tablet isn’t safe in the city. It should be here, in the Archives, where we can protect it.”

  “And where you can use it,” Ayden muttered.

  Lenore leaned toward the camera. “We have the complete tablet for centuries and not once did we use it to exterminate Deamhan. We’ve always safeguarded it and never used it.”

  “Next thing you’ll want is Maris.” Ayden couldn’t hold back. “And there’s no way in hell we’re handing her over to you. You’re not even human. What are you?” He approached the camera.

  She didn’t blink nor did her body language change in any way. She remained still and unbothered by his question.

  “Answer me.”

  She also studied him for a moment. “Ayden. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “I don’t care what you’ve heard. I asked you… what are you?”

  She turned back to Nathan. “Mr. Tiernan, you know that the longer you hold onto the piece of the tablet, the more dangerous it is for you. We have the resources to protect it.”

  “That’s out of the question,” he replied. “It stays here with me and Ruby stays here with me. We need each other to solve this problem. Amenirdis has to be sent back to Limbo; we need to know who the Defiler is and what she wants, and Maris needs to stay alive. That’s where we stand and I hope that’s where the Brotherhood stands as well.”

  Hallie glanced at Nathan and she could see it in his face. He didn’t trust Lenore.

  “If you have helpful information on the Defiler, I can bring up this demand with the other Deamhan.”

  Lenore sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “The Head Master speaks a lot about you. He said that you were one of the best, if not, the best researchers when you were a member of the organization.”

  “That’s true.”

  “He also said that you’re a man of your word and that you listen to reason. Is that true as well?”

  “Yes.
”

  Her eyes turned away from him. “Then for your sake, listen to me closely. The Brotherhood has yet to find a single Kashshapu. We’ve searched various countries and cities within those countries. We went back to the birthplace of Deamhan. There is no one alive who can decipher the tablet besides the Dark Mother.”

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but you’re wrong,” Ayden spoke. “I managed to find a Kashshapu.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “You don’t believe it because you and your cronies can’t fathom the idea of Deamhan outsmarting your stupid organization,” Ayden continued.

  “No, I’m saying this because Kashshapu don’t exist,” she reiterated again. “They haven’t since Deamhan slaughtered them. The last one died about four hundred to five hundred years ago. This person you found is either lying to you or hiding something from you. Which makes this situation dire than you all know.”

  “What about the Defiler?” Ayden argued back. “You’re going to tell me she isn’t a Kashshapu too?”

  “She is definitely not a Kashshapu. That we do know.”

  He kept his mouth shut.

  “The Defiler first appeared on our radar around the time Amenirdis was released from Limbo. We heard rumors, here and there, about a woman who killed Deamhan daily, or nightly in this case, but we didn’t believe them until we saw the evidence.”

  “And you did nothing?” Nathan asked.

  “We did what we do best. We studied her. We researched her and followed her from a distance until she killed a few of our researchers who got too close. It took us some time to figure out exactly how she could kill Deamhan.”

  “And?” Hallie waited for her to reveal the secret.

  “With dark magic,” Lenore replied. “We believed it’s borrowed magic which means that the Defiler is connected to someone who has access to this magic. The only individual with that access at the moment is Amenirdis.”

  “You learned all that just by following the Defiler? Right.” Ayden rolled his eyes. “You expect us to believe this shit?”

  “I believe her,” Nathan spoke up.

  Lenore smiled wide and it was enough to make Hallie uncomfortable. Troubled, she raised her voice at her. “So, if you know everything about what’s going on, why haven’t you done something about it?”

  “Like I said before, we don’t interfere unless we have to.”

  “Or unless you’re getting something out of it.”

  Nathan rested his right elbow on the arm of his chair and rubbed his face. “But you are going to interfere now, aren’t you?”

  Lenore smiled. “The Head Master isn’t oblivious to what’s going on. But there were other issues in the way that had to be dealt with first before we could concentrate on this one… like Amenirdis, for example.”

  “And are you going to share the information with me or tell me again that I’m no longer privy to it?” he asked her.

  Lenore paused. “Alone.”

  The entire situation reached a level that Hallie found too uncomfortable when Nathan asked for her and Ayden to leave the room. The look in his tired eyes revealed concern and worry.

  She didn’t want to leave his side. She never did when things got rough, but he asked her again and with her head low, she shuffled out of the room. When Ayden refused to follow, she quietly waved at him to come along. Now in the hallway she closed the door and began to pace back and forth.

  “Don’t tell me that you believe that woman? She’s not even human!”

  “Nathan believes her.” She concentrated her Deamhan hearing but when she didn’t pick up a single sound coming from the room, she pulled back.

  “I don’t understand. Why did we have to leave? What’s so important that can’t be said in front of us?” Still upset, he grunted. “I hope he’s not thinking about handing Maris over to them.”

  “He wouldn’t do that.”

  “I wouldn’t let him or anyone do that.” His face filled with anger. “I’m going back in.” He grabbed the doorknob, but Hallie pushed him back.

  “If Nathan wants to talk to them alone, then he gets to talk to them alone.”

  “You’re stupid to trust them!” His voice rose in a tempo that she found troubling. “The Brotherhood has been nothing but trouble since they formed their merry band of researchers. They don’t care if all Deamhan end up on the chopping block. All they’re concerned about is restocking their Archives with Deamhan relics, including Maris and the Dark Curse tablet.”

  “That’s Nathan you’re talking about.” She stepped in close to him. “I’d watch what I say next, if I were you.”

  “Or what?” He stepped up to her. “I’m older and I’m stronger than you.”

  A loud bang from the basement followed by chains slamming against a wall interrupted their argument. “Ugh, I forgot…”

  “Kenneth?” Ayden responded. “You know you shouldn’t go down there alone.”

  “Find Krerina.” She headed toward the stairs.

  “Why?”

  “Really?” She couldn’t believe him. “After everything we just heard, you’re gonna’ stand there and question why we should find her?” She headed for the basement door. “Never mind. Just comfort Maris, I guess. That seems to be the only reason you’re here anyway.”

  “Krerina is fine wherever she is.” Ayden followed her.

  “I guess you’re willing to put Maris’ life on the line.” She unlocked and opened the basement door. “Just find her, please.” She descended the stairs.

  ***

  Hallie placed her hands against the wall to avoid falling in the darkness. When she reached the basement flood, she flicked on the light.

  “I’m serious,” she said to Ayden who followed her. “Go and find Krerina.”

  “She’s fine. You’re the one putting yourself in danger by coming down here.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Yeah, we saw that when Anastasia saved you from Remy.”

  She huffed. “I could’ve fought back, but I knew he wasn’t him. He’d never attack me.”

  “He did attack you. He tried to eat you.”

  “Thank you for clearing that up for me.” Annoyed, her eyes widened.

  “You and I aren’t so different. Besides both of us being Metusba Deamhan, we’re willing to risk our lives to save the people we care about. For me, it’s Maris. For you, it’s Remy.”

  “Difference is, I’m not in love with Remy.”

  “Oh, don’t fool yourself. You do love him.”

  “No I don’t.”

  “You’re inexperienced. That’s your problem. You don’t even know how to tell if someone is human or not without smelling them.”

  “Apparently, you do, is that what you’re going to say?”

  “Lenore’s eyes were dark… like there was nothing there. That’s how you can tell. Eyes are the windows to the soul and her own looked as dark as a Deamhan. That’s why I don’t trust her.”

  “So if she was a human researcher, you would’ve trusted her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. We’re NOTHING alike.” She cautiously made her way toward Remy and Kenneth.

  “Maybe not. You act more like Anastasia.”

  She spun around. “What does that mean?”

  “For one, you always see the bad in everything. We have a weapon; a Kashshapu! Instead of embracing that fact, you’re questioning it because some non-human woman tells you to.”

  “And your love for Maris blinds you.” She pointed her finger in his face. “As long as she makes it out okay, then screw everyone else, right? Now I see why Anastasia doesn’t like you.”

  “She’s a murderer and I don’t care what murderers think.”

  “You’ve killed before so don’t try to take the high road.”

  “You think because you live in the same sanctuary that she does, that you have some special insight as to how she acts? She’ll never change. She was a killer then and she’s still one now.
Come to think of it, I could give a damn about you and the rest of you idiots who live here with her so please, keep fooling yourself, thinking that she’s changed, but don’t act surprised when she betrays you.” He shook his head. “Maris is the only person that matters to me.”

  Hallie couldn’t ignore that he somewhat spoke the truth. Anastasia wasn’t the typical Deamhan. With centuries of experience added to her strength, she was one such Deamhan that no one wanted to mess with. She had a rather Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona to her. One moment, she’d do anything to keep the calm, and the next, she’d kill indiscriminately. When she met her for the first time, Anastasia wanted to kill her!

  But Hallie had to believe, for the sake of her sanity, that Anastasia could change.

  They both stood in silence across from Remy and Kenneth. Their presence didn’t stir Remy awake but Kenneth had already noticed them. His black eyes weighed heavy on them. One large, thick chain ran across his waist. His left arm was also fastened with another chain to the wall as well. Stunned, she noticed that his mouth caked in blood. Trails of it ran down his chin and pooled on the floor between his feet next to what looked like the remains of his lower lip. Seeing him in this state tugged at her emotions. However, she couldn’t forget that he was responsible for the Brotherhood taking Veronica back to San Diego. He was responsible for damn near everything that happened in Minneapolis these past few years, including the reason why she and Remy had to abandon Blind Bluff Manor in the first place.

  “What did you do to yourself?” she asked as she grabbed a vial of blood off a nearby table.

  “You idiots haven’t fed me,” Kenneth replied. “I’m fucking hungry.”

  She opened the vial. “But that doesn’t mean you have to bite your lip off.” She twisted the top off.

  “I can’t survive off that shit! I need fresh blood.”

  “Well, we’re busy right now so this is all we have.” She approached him cautiously. “You’ll have to make do.”

  “I heard,” he snickered. “Busy trying to get the folks at the Brotherhood to help you with your little Kashshapu problem? Why talk with them when you could talk to me?”

  “You had your chance when Anastasia was down here,” she reminded him, skeptical.

  “She didn’t ask the right questions. Let me go and I promise I won’t kill you or Nathan. He’s dead anyway.” His eyes turned to Ayden. “But that one…”