Coven Betrayed (The Silver Legacy Book 4)

by Alex Westmore

  Denny leapt across the space, grabbed Cadbury, and tossed him down the opposite tunnel, landing on him just as the grenade went off.

  The street above literally caved in on them, huge chunks of cement, dirt, and rock landing on Denny’s thighs, back, and all around her. She could barely breathe as dust permeated the area where they had once stood.

  When the rocks finally stopped falling, the choking dust continued to fill the small pocket of darkness around her. As she closed her eyes and prepared to release the Hanta, something large smacked her in the back of the head, knocking her out

  When Denny came to, she started to push herself up and realized she was still clutching her phone. The glass was cracked and the picture was still loading, probably because she had tried to send it from below street level.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but her head ached and the pressure on her back made it really hard to breathe.

  Really hard.

  Then she smelled it.

  Gas.

  The body beneath her moved.

  “The gas will kill us if we don’t get the fuck out of here.”

  Denny coughed. She coughed again and looked to see if Cadbury had said anything.

  He was out cold. Then who was in there with them?

  “Come on, Silver Hunter, get up. We have to get out of here.”

  Denny realized it was her Hanta speaking and let the Hanta’s energy fill her. Her muscles filled with strong flowing blood and she relinquished control. “Save us.”

  Pushing like she was doing a pushup, Denny felt the weight of the boulders as they slid off her.

  More dust filled the air.

  More gas entered her little death chamber.

  “Hold your breath.”

  Denny’s eyes watered as she blinked to rid them of dust and debris. She pocketed her phone, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “Fuckin’ A.” Denny strained to create some breathing room and eventually was able to come to her knees.

  The gas was getting thicker.

  Denny let the Hanta take over completely.

  Boulders flew off her as she carved a large enough opening to be able to stand.

  Cadbury had kicked the grenade far enough away to save them. The area behind them was completely sealed off, but the area ahead looked relatively free. A few chunks of pavement blocked the way, but not completely. The hard part would be getting Cadbury through.

  “Come on, man, I’m not leaving you here.” Denny cleared the rubble away from Cadbury. A small brick had hit his now bloody forehead and knocked him out.

  Leaning over, she picked him up easily and tossed him over her shoulder. The boulders she pushed out of the way kicked up more dust, but she could see a larger opening ahead.

  “Get out further down the path. They’ll be looking for us to pop up closer to this place.”

  Us?

  The Hanta had been actually speaking directly to her. He seldom did this and it always caught her off-guard.

  “Yeah. To you. Step lively. That gas is going to kill us if it blows.”

  Denny pushed her legs harder. Her head throbbed, her legs were wobbly, but the Hanta kept urging her to move forward.

  She put one foot in front of the other until she came to a metal ladder all bent up from the explosion. Climbing up the ladder would be hard with Cadbury on her back, but she would get them both out of there.

  With the strength of her Hanta, of course.

  Climbing one rung at a time while keeping Cadbury balanced on her shoulder, Denny cursed. She struggled up the ladder, sweat stinging her left eye. With each shaky step, she felt the Hanta work with her to get closer and closer to the top, and when they reached it, she was surprised to see there wasn’t a manhole cover, but a wooden door.

  Closing her eyes, she thought, “Everything you’ve got, big guy, or we’re screwed.”

  Her Hanta-infused strength enabled her to bust open the wooden door—frame, lock, and door flew into the air, allowing fresh air to reach her lungs, which she gulped down.

  Tossing Cadbury through the opening, Denny took a few more breaths of fresh air before lifting herself to the floor.

  As she climbed out, she found herself in a dark basement of some sort. A dry musty smell permeated the air and mixed with dust and dirt.

  As the Hanta receded a bit, she leaned over and checked Cadbury’s heartbeat.

  Still alive.

  “Don’t worry, Egg. I’m gonna get us out of here.” Denny only had to wait a minute for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and her Hanta vision kicked in. She could see at night almost as if it were daytime.

  All around her stood piles of books and boxes of books, shelves upon shelves of books.

  It was the basement of a library. She’d know that smell anywhere.

  “Okay, Egg,” she said, gently dusting off his face. “We can’t stay here very long. I don’t know if they’ll send people down to check on our bodies or what, but we have to go.”

  Denny pulled out her cracked phone to make a call, but found no signal yet.

  Leaving Cadbury on the floor, she walked a good thirty paces away, then took her clothes off. She shook them hard to get the dust from them, then messed up her hair. Even in the darkness of the basement, dust particles floated all around her.

  When she was as clean as she could make herself, she started up the stairs, Epée in hand.

  The locked door didn’t stop her. She tore it off the hinges as well, surprised by the magnitude of her strength.

  “We’re stronger together.”

  “Yes, we are.”

  Denny entered the first floor of the night-darkened library. They’d been out for longer than she’d realized.

  But her cell worked; she had twenty-two missed calls, her photo had finally sent, and there was a text from Annalee.

  Annalee: “Kramers still in Germany. Not hiding. Not lying low. They want you to come to them, Silver. Do not. Traps everywhere.”

  Of course there were traps everywhere. Hell, she’d just barely got out of the last one.

  The text from Cassandra gave her hope.

  Cassandra: Hunter, we have made it safely to Stonehenge and are spreading the word. Between us, there is something amiss with your trainer. He is acting peculiar, though I cannot place my finger on what it is. Be cautious. Let me know you are all right.

  Denny quickly replied that she was fine. She said nothing more and hoped Cassandra would understand why.

  What was going on with Ames? Denny had felt the same thing from him in recent days. Maybe he just hated knowing that Egg was going to have to sedate her. Maybe he really was just out of his comfort zone. Whatever the issue was…

  Her phone vibrated in her hand.

  It was Lauren.

  Her text simply said: “My guess is the answer is in the letter, but I can’t make it out.”

  Denny clicked on the picture embedded in the text and zoomed in on the letter sitting on the edge of the desk, but she could not make out the words either.

  Then she remembered the glasses.

  Down the stairs.

  Down the ladder.

  To the rubble.

  It took her ten minutes to unearth her backpack and return to the first floor.

  Putting on the glasses, she examined the photo of the letter. She had no idea what language it was, but thought it looked Germanic.

  “It’s called mittelhochdeutsch, or Middle High German,” the Hanta said. “It is the language Magdalena spoke.”

  Magdalena.

  The nun who originally took the demon within her to protect Hildegard.

  “What does it say?”

  “Most of the letter is gibberish. Some old German mixed in with Alemannic and Franconian about loving God and being true to the path, but a single line tells us what we are supposed to know.”

  Denny waited.

  “It knows. You must dig deep enough to remember.”

  “It, meaning you
? Us?”

  Long pause.

  “Dude? What is it?”

  “Me. Whoever drew this thinks I know where the treatise is.”

  “Wouldn’t you have remembered by now if that were the case? I mean, you were within Magdalena for what, twenty years?”

  “Closer to thirty.”

  “And she remained close to Hildegard even after she left the convent. Is it possible Magdalena was with Hildegard when they hid it?”

  “I suppose, but Silver Hunter, I have many, many hunter memories and Magdalena...well...that is a long way back. A very long way, and I am unsure if my memory was tampered with during that time. You must remember there was a great deal going on.”

  “Yes, but whoever drew this thinks you know.”

  “If I do, then it is, as the letter suggests, buried so deep within me, I cannot see it to know it.”

  “We have to dig then. We have to find what it is you’re supposed to know.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Denny whirled around to find Cadbury at the top of the stairs.

  “Egg! Are you okay?”

  “My head is killing me, but given the alternative, I am fine.” He walked over and gazed down at the phone. “Oh, I thought you were talking to someone on the phone.”

  “Um. No.”

  He looked around. “Where are we?”

  “A library in Speyer somewhere. The Kramers are here. Waiting.”

  “Waiting?”

  “Probably to see if we made it out alive. They want me to attack. It’s why they went after Lauren. It’s why they sent the witch. They think I’m too inexperienced and young to understand that they’re goading me in an effort to distract me.”

  “You won’t be manipulated.”

  “Nor distracted, no.”

  “But they did just try to kill you.”

  “We don’t know that. It could have been demons as well. Nice kick, by the way.”

  Cadbury grinned. “Born with a football in my lap. Ames and I could kick a ball for hours when we were children.”

  “Well, you saved us.”

  “Apparently not. Did you...actually carry me out of there?”

  “I did. Thank me later. We know the Kramers are waiting for us, ostensibly to lead them to the treatise. That’s not going to happen.”

  Cadbury nodded. “Equinox is tomorrow, Ms. Silver. There isn’t much time.”

  “I realize that, Egg, and I think I know someone who knows where the treatise is.”

  “Oh?”

  Denny grinned. “I had the answer all along.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Egg, have you ever known a Hanta to…well…to converse with the host?”

  “Converse? As in conversation?”

  Denny nodded.

  “I have never heard such a thing. Usually, the relationship is somewhat strained, often even antagonistic. Why?”

  “That’s who I was talking to when you walked in.”

  Cadbury opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out.

  “Yeah, it sorta freaked me out at first as well, but it’s true. He talks to me.”

  “And what is it he’s saying?”

  “It’s possible he actually has a buried memory about where it was hidden.”

  “And?”

  “Well, we’re working it out.” Denny shrugged noncommittally. Even if she’d known, she wouldn’t have told him. At this point in the game, the only people she trusted were those she loved.

  “According to the picture—there’s a letter in the desk written in Middle High German, which was Magdalena’s language—the answer is in me. We just have to get it out.”

  “Out?”

  “Of my Hanta. We think he may have it buried deep in his memories.”

  “I see. Then what we need is a hypnotist—someone who can prod the Hanta to remember his memories over your own.”

  “A hypnotist?”

  “Yes. We do not have the luxury of time for you to try to remember. I can make a few calls and see if there are any trainers who can locate one for us here.”

  “Can you also find us a place to stay? We need to hit the ground running, but I need to see if I can grab a couple local demon snacks. Also see if I can get someone to cough up a little intel while you locate a magician.”

  “Do you think that’s wise? Kramer’s people will be looking for you. They know you are here.”

  “It’s a chance I have to take. I lost a lot of energy digging us out, and we can’t afford to have me in anything but peak fighting condition.”

  “Very well. I should have someone in no time.”

  As Cadbury made his calls, Denny texted everyone to let them know she was alive and well. It appeared that splitting up had, indeed, thrown their pursuers off the track a bit. Cassandra and Ames were spreading the word in England; Annalee and Iris were somewhere in Speyer, keeping a low profile while watching the Kramers, and Denny had just discovered she had been wearing the ruby slippers all along.

  Now, if only they could end this game before they ran out of time.

  Madame Helene met them at the home of one of Cadbury’s oldest friends. She had answered his call on one ring and dropped all of her other appointments to help her old friend.

  “I have heard wonderful things about you, my dear,” Madame Helene said, holding Denny’s hand in both of hers. “Oh…my…” She stepped back a bit and released Denny’s hand. “You are quite strong, aren’t you?”

  “Are you talking to me or my demon?”

  “Both.” The old woman did not smile. Denny put her age at close to eighty, as even her wrinkles had wrinkles. But it was her nearly lavender eyes that riveted Denny’s gaze.

  “We don’t have much time.”

  “Then let us proceed.” She sat behind Denny, her hands on Denny’s shoulders, her voice a soft, lilting melody that made Denny’s eyes heavy.

  This had to work. If it didn’t—

  “It won’t if you don’t stop thinking. Relax. Listen. Feel what she wants you to feel. Be still, Silver Hunter. Be still.”

  Inhaling deeply, Denny listened to the metronome tick tock, back and forth. She listened only to Helene’s voice until all she could hear was the melody.

  And the ticking.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  Tick.

  Tock.

  And suddenly, she was standing next to a young nun who looked over at her. Was this the Hanta’s memory? It felt like a memory…or a dream…or both. Denny could not be sure which.

  “How do you feel?” came Helene’s voice.

  “Fine. I’m good. Well...as good as can be expected. I…we…we aren’t alone.”

  “Excellent. So, what do you see in front of you?”

  Denny smiled as she stared at the young woman in front of her. This was no dream. It was all memory and it came flooding back to her…to her Hanta. “Magdalena. She’s so pretty. And small. What a petite little thing.”

  “Good. Good. And what is she doing?”

  Denny tilted her head as she watched. This wasn’t at all like she thought hypnosis would be...but then, they weren’t really excavating her memories, were they? “She is shading her eyes from the sun. I had no idea Germany was so beautiful.”

  “Is the sun in her face?”

  Denny glanced up. “No. She...she seems to be looking for something. Or maybe someone. I can’t tell.”

  “Where are you?”

  “The garden. Hildegard’s herb garden. It’s one of their favorite places to sit and talk. They would talk for hours—about Hildegard’s visions mostly.”

  “Ah yes, her visions. Did they discuss her visions in regards to the Occidis?”

  Denny frowned. “Yes. Yes they did. Many, many talks, because...” Denny watched as Hildegard von Bingen walked over and sat in the shade of a huge tree and held Magdalena’s hand. Hildegard von Bingen was a beautiful woman with long blond hair and gentle blue eyes that looked upon Magdalena with so much
love. There was an intimacy between them Denny couldn’t miss. Then she watched as Hildegard laid her palm on Magdalena’s cheek.

  In that tender motion, Denny knew. Her heart of hearts was painfully aware of the truth.

  “She knew.”

  “Knew what?”

  Denny shrugged. “When Magdalena took the Hanta, she did not take it from Hildegard. She took it in place of Hildegard. She knew Magdalena was possessed, and she loved her all the more for it. That’s why she wrote the treatise. That’s why Magdalena left the church. That’s the wind beneath every single action these two women took after the initial possession. Hildegard knew and wanted to help her. They prayed together. Hildegard prayed every day for answers—for help—for something, anything that would enable her to rid Magdalena of the demon. I can see it as clearly as if it were my own memory.”

  “Then why didn’t she? If she wrote Occidis—”

  Denny stepped closer to the scene playing out in her mind. “The Occidis came to her in a vision…a vision about how to rid the world of demons. Because the ritual does not affect the one performing it, and they did not know of any other people possessed with demons strong enough to live through the process.”

  “So this process is dangerous?”

  Denny nodded. “Oh yes. It is violent and horrible for everyone, because it tears the demon from the possessed and renders them unconscious. They had many discussions about it.”

  “Do you now know where the treatise was left?”

  Denny frowned. “Left? It wasn’t left anywhere.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Denny smiled as she watched the two women examining a sheet of vellum. “It’s not a book. That’s the funny part. Everyone is running around looking for a book. Hildegard had visions of people looking for a book, but it’s not a book.” Denny laughed. “That’s rich. Of course it’s not a book.”

  “If it’s not a book, what...what is it?”

  Denny did not answer for the longest time as she felt the love from these two women wash over her. Magdalena had sacrificed her life because she felt Hildegard had so much more to give the world. It was one of the greatest love stories Denny had ever seen…or felt. The Hanta had loved Hildegard even though she was the antithesis of evil. To the Hanta, Hildegard von Bingen was the yin to his yang, and he loved her every bit as much as Magdalena had. “It’s a song.”