Demon Witch (The Ternion Order Book 2)

by Daniel R. Marvello

  “I have … unique sources of information,” he answered. “Which is why I’m surprised that I didn’t know about Kyle’s unusual ability to see auras.”

  “That ability is still under study, and the Order have declared it need-to-know,” Amanda said, an apology in her tone.

  “Indeed?” Blackstone said, tilting his head to the side as he considered her comment. “You disagree with that declaration?”

  Blackstone was too perceptive for Amanda’s comfort. She’d have to watch what she said around him. “As it relates to Kyle, I do agree. Kyle’s ability might be something the demon left behind, or it might have been dormant, and the demon possession activated it somehow. What bothers me is hiding the information that demons might be able to see auras.”

  “Ah,” said Blackstone. “I understand.” He turned his attention back to Kyle. “I’d still like to know what made you wary of the figurine’s violet energy.”

  “Different kinds of magic have different auras,” Kyle answered. “Amanda’s auras are green. Some enchanted objects have a white glow to them. The only time I’ve seen a violet aura before now was when a werewolf transformed right in front of us. When I saw violet energy stretching between the figurine and Amanda just now, it … disturbed me.”

  “Fascinating,” said Blackstone. “You were wise to follow your instincts. The curse that lurks within that figurine and the glamour that lured Amanda are most certainly constructs of dark magic.”

  Amanda glanced toward the door to the moon shrine and then back to Blackstone. “I’m surprised the Order didn’t send a full crisis team.”

  “Oh, I’m sure they have,” Blackstone said. “I happened to be visiting with the director when the call came in. As I have some experience with hunting dark-magic practitioners, he accepted my offer to take a look.”

  Amanda withdrew her arm from Kyle and straightened her posture. If this man had a personal meeting with the regional Director of the Hunt, he was no ordinary hunter. Only master hunters were invited into the director’s presence.

  Putting his skills into context with her situation, Amanda made a mental leap. “Your presence in the area and what happened here aren’t coincidences.”

  The man in black tipped his head down, concealing most of his face with the brim of his hat. A grim smile was all she could see. “I couldn’t be sure until I saw what happened here for myself, but I believe you are correct.” He lifted his head and his dark, shadowed eyes looked into hers. “It appears that my mission has led me to your doorstep, Journeyman Hunter Amanda Clark. I’m afraid your life is about to become interesting.”

  Amanda stopped to listen as the rumble of vehicles approaching the farmhouse filtered through the cupola windows. Seconds later, the front door opened, and Lucille’s calm voice carried up the stairwell. “They’re upstairs,” she said.

  “Upstairs?” retorted the angry voice of Master Hunter Noreen Thornquist. “Amanda knows better than that. She’s going to get herself killed!”

  Blackstone raised an eyebrow at Amanda and twisted his mouth into a half smile. Amanda sighed, disappointed that Noreen would undoubtedly find out how close she had come to fulfilling that prophecy.

  Footsteps pounded up two sets of stairs, and Noreen entered the room in a huff. “Amanda. Take Kyle and—”

  Spotting the man in black, she stopped with her command unfinished. “Blackstone,” she breathed. Glancing at the ruined casting circle, she added, “Your timing is uncanny, as always.”

  “We meet again, Master Hunter Thornquist. I was just getting to know Amanda and Kyle.”

  “Hell of a place for introductions,” Noreen chided.

  Tilting his head toward the casting circle, Blackstone retorted, “Your description is almost literally accurate, all things considered.”

  Noreen folded her arms. “Yes, well, I would like to get Kyle and Amanda out of here until I can evaluate the damage and check for traps.”

  “Good idea,” Blackstone agreed. “You’ll find the cursed figurine at the center of the casting circle of particular interest.”

  Noreen leaned to look past Amanda. Spotting the black frog, she shifted her gaze back to Amanda’s face. “Did you touch it?”

  “No. Kyle stopped me when he noticed a magical aura coming from it.” Noreen turned her intense gaze on Kyle. He just swallowed and nodded.

  Good, Amanda thought. He’s finally learning how to deal with her.

  “Very well.” Noreen waved her hands in a shooing motion. “I would like everyone to wait downstairs until I call you.”

  Blackstone stepped forward, placing himself directly in front of Noreen. “Before any more decisions are made, I would like to take command of this investigation. Do you dispute my authority to do so?”

  Noreen’s glare could have burned wood, but it didn’t seem to faze Blackstone. After a stare-down that lasted several seconds, she lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. “I do not.”

  Amanda’s estimation of Blackstone jumped up several levels. It was the first time she had ever seen Noreen back down from anyone without a fight.

  “Thank you,” Blackstone said. “I would like to have your cooperation and your team’s assistance. The director is already aware of my interest in this matter.”

  Noreen narrowed her eyes at him. “What is your interest?”

  “I should think that would be obvious,” he answered, waving toward the casting circle. “The vandalism committed here has all the hallmarks of a dark coven.”

  Noreen shook her head slightly. “There’s more. You anticipated this, somehow.”

  Blackstone was taken aback by the accusation. “Not true. Your confidence in my abilities is flattering, but I assure you that the boldness of this attack on Amanda’s life is an unexpected and disconcerting surprise.”

  Noreen folded her arms. The set of her face showed she wasn’t buying it. “So, you just happened to be in the area.”

  Blackstone glanced at Amanda and then his gaze held Kyle’s. “Kyle, you have been indoctrinated into the Order, correct?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kyle answered.

  “Good.” Blackstone lowered his voice so it wouldn’t carry. “Since you are both already deeply involved in this incident, I’m adding you and Amanda to the crisis team. Share nothing about what you learn during this investigation with anyone outside the team, including other members of the Order. Do you both understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kyle and Amanda answered in unison.

  Blackstone turned his attention back to Noreen. “We will submit no status updates other than what I report to the director himself. At the conclusion of this investigation, you may prepare a standard incident report and allow the Order’s analysts to debrief you.”

  Amanda was shocked at the level of secrecy he demanded, but Noreen simply nodded her head, apparently expecting it. Operating without status updates meant they would be working without the support of the Order’s analysts and logistical resources. Only a few people would be aware of their activities.

  Amanda came to a disturbing conclusion. “You think we have spies in the Order?”

  Blackstone’s expression was unreadable. “Every organization is susceptible to infiltration. The Order are very good at weeding out undesirables over time, but when dark magic is involved and the stakes are high, we can’t afford to take intelligence risks.”

  That level of secrecy came with a price, however. Kyle was as quick to see it as Amanda. “So, we’re on our own,” he stated.

  “Not at all,” Blackstone said. “We can get whatever help we need, but we have to weigh that need against the risk of exposing the operation.”

  Blackstone stepped over to the door of the moon shrine and closed it. The shadows that filled the room seemed to strengthen, filling Amanda with dread and a strong urge to leave. She moved farther away from the casting circle, taking Kyle by the arm and pulling him with her.

  Returning to the group, Blackstone addressed Noreen. “You are correct that I d
id not just happen to be in the area. I’ve been tracking an elusive dark coven for some time now. I was beginning to believe they had disbanded until I learned of several incidents attributed to dark magic in Western Montana that convinced me otherwise. Reports of dark magic are often exaggerated, but someone from my team always checks them out. I followed up the lead myself and found signature indications of the coven I’ve been hunting. I reported my findings and my intent to conduct an investigation to your regional director. I was in his office when operations informed him of Hunter Hayworth’s call.”

  Amanda fidgeted through Blackstone’s explanation. Frustration was building, and when she stopped to wonder at her own agitation, she realized what was bothering her. Getting caught up in Blackstone’s investigation was going to be a major setback in her goal of saving Reggie. On the one hand, she could use the cloak of secrecy to access Order resources without explanation, but on the other, Blackstone would be monitoring every move she made.

  Could she bow out of the investigation? No way. Working on an independent crisis team was a rare and coveted opportunity. Passing on that opportunity would raise too much suspicion. Besides the interlopers had destroyed her moon shrine and targeted her for assassination by frog. She wanted to know who had attacked her and why they had done it. The best way to get answers was to be part of the crisis team.

  Amanda still had trouble believing someone was out to get her. Everyone was assuming she was the target. Was the enchanted frog really meant for her? Or was this whole incident part of some elaborate trap the dark coven had prepared for Blackstone?

  Either way, she had to do her part to help with the investigation even if that meant postponing her plans to save Reggie. Having a dark coven in the area was a serious matter. If not for Kyle’s intervention, she might have died. She couldn’t help Reggie if she got herself killed.

  “You still with us, Amanda?”

  Blackstone’s question derailed her train of thought. Everyone was staring at her.

  “What? Sorry, this is just … so much at once.”

  Even Noreen sympathized with a nod and a glance around the room. “What happened here is intolerable. We will find who did this and punish them.”

  “In the meantime,” Blackstone said, “I would like you and Kyle take a closer look at the damage to your office and tell me if anything is missing. This was not random vandalism. If we are to anticipate their next move, we must know why the perpetrators attacked your home.”

  Chapter 6

  Connections

  Kyle followed Amanda back to her office, where they found a hunter processing the scene for forensic evidence. Having nothing to do but wait until the man completed his task, Kyle suggested they grab a bite to eat. Lucille was busy feeding the rest of the crisis team and had sandwiches waiting.

  “How does it look?” asked Journeyman Hunter Jonathan Pesce. Jonathan was sitting at the kitchen table with a few bites left of his lunch. His dark-green fatigues and the Kevlar vest draped over the back of his chair identified him as part of the tactical team. Although no insignia declared it, he was also the team leader.

  Kyle grinned and stepped forward to shake his friend’s hand. Jonathan had been the first to encourage him to join the Order and gave him temporary work at Pesce Marina when Kyle had been between jobs. “Good to see you. I’ve been meaning to come down to the marina, but my training has been intense.”

  “Don’t worry,” said Jonathan with a smile. “Things will settle down once the Order figure out where you fit best.”

  “You should go up and see what happened before the cleanup begins,” Amanda suggested.

  “That bad?”

  “Worse.” Amanda then explained what had happened in her office and the moon shrine.

  Jonathan’s blue eyes went cold when Amanda got to the part where she had almost touched the enchanted frog. He got up from the table and put his empty plate in the sink. Kyle sat in Jonathan’s vacated space with his sandwich, and Amanda took the opposite chair.

  Leaning against the kitchen counter, Jonathan folded his arms. “Do you know what would have happened if you’d touched the frog?”

  “Not exactly. Blackstone seems to think it was a deadly curse.”

  Jonathan glanced toward the stairs with an alarmed expression. He moved over to the table and lowered his voice. “Master Nathaniel Blackstone is here?”

  Taking Jonathan’s cue to speak quietly, Amanda asked, “What do you know about him?”

  “Very little,” he answered, “and I think that’s the way he likes it. Blackstone’s team is strictly black ops.”

  “Noreen seems to know him,” Amanda said. “I don’t think they get along.”

  “Does Noreen get along with anyone?” Kyle contributed with a chuckle.

  Jonathan glanced over his shoulder toward the stairway. “Watch it, my friend. She has an amazing knack for showing up right when you say something like that. Besides, I work just fine with her.”

  “That’s because you have the patience of a saint,” Amanda commented.

  Jonathan shrugged. “I’ve been thoroughly trained in the art of patience by a twelve-year-old son and an eight-year-old daughter.”

  Amanda laughed and said, “Maybe we’ll all get a chance to learn about the man behind the curtain.”

  “What do you mean?” Jonathan asked with an edge to his voice.

  “Blackstone just took over the investigation,” Amanda answered.

  “With nary a quibble from Noreen,” Kyle added.

  Jonathan ran his tanned hand through his short, sun-bleached blond hair. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “What’s wrong?” Kyle asked.

  “I don’t know much about Nathaniel Blackstone,” Jonathan answered, “but I do know that wherever his team goes, the body count tends to be high.” He paused and looked from Amanda to Kyle. “On both sides.”

  Kyle thought that might explain why Blackstone attached himself to local crisis teams. “We’re cannon fodder,” he concluded.

  Jonathan glanced over his shoulder toward the stairs again. “I wouldn’t go that far. You have to understand that, for people like Blackstone, the mission is top priority because the stakes are always high. Since the mission is also usually dangerous, a certain amount of collateral damage is expected.”

  Kyle exchanged a look with Amanda. Her frown of resignation mirrored his own feelings. He brushed at some sandwich crumbs on his pants leg. “I guess we’ll just have to help Blackstone as best we can without becoming part of the collateral damage.”

  Footsteps thumping down the stairs announced the arrival of the forensics tech. He came into the kitchen with his black metal case and accepted a sandwich from Lucille. “It’s all yours,” he said to Amanda. “I got everything I need for the lab.”

  Kyle and Amanda got up from the table so the tech could sit down.

  “Thanks,” Amanda said. “We’ll get started.”

  As they walked up the stairs toward Amanda’s office, Kyle said, “Good thing the Order have their own forensics team. Still, it’s weird to have someone break in and not call the police.”

  “True, but imagine how much fun it would be to explain the moon shrine to local authorities,” Amanda replied.

  Kyle laughed. “Yeah, I can see it now. Well, officer, in my spare time I’m a good witch, and now we think an evil witch is out to get me. Oh, and don’t touch the cursed frog.”

  Walking into Amanda’s office, they assessed the scope of work. Kyle offered to straighten up her desk and collect all the items that had been knocked to the floor. He knew where most of that stuff went. Amanda took on the task of straightening up her files.

  About half an hour later, Amanda swore. “I should have known,” she said.

  “What did you find?”

  “It’s what I didn’t find. All of my notes about the exorcism are gone.”

  Kyle stared at her for a minute, processing the implications. “This is all tied together. The dark coven Blacksto
ne is hunting and the lupusdaemon exorcism are related somehow.”

  Amanda shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. What would a dark coven want with the exorcism ceremony? Dark witches summon demons and practically worship them. They certainly wouldn’t want to exorcise them.”

  “Maybe that’s the connection,” Kyle mused. “The dark coven doesn’t want you or anyone else exorcising werewolves.”

  “Okay, but stealing my notes isn’t going to solve that problem. I’ve archived a copy with the Order. Besides, I could probably reproduce the ceremony from memory if I had to.”

  “That’s probably why they tried to kill you,” Kyle interjected.

  “Noreen helped with the ceremony,” Amanda continued. “I think she could replicate it in a pinch. You and I went over it in detail. I’m sure you could reproduce it, too.”

  Kyle stared at her for a moment. “I think you just named their hit list.”

  “But why a dark coven?” Amanda insisted. “I could understand the Selkirk Pack coming after us. We’ve been expecting that to happen for two months now.”

  Kyle shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re afraid of your magic and need powerful witches on their side. Maybe they hired the dark coven to cover their involvement so they wouldn’t draw fire from the Order.”

  “I’m glad I put you on the investigation team,” said an amused voice from the doorway. Kyle and Amanda both jumped in surprise.

  Blackstone stepped into the room. “I like how you two bounce proposals off each other without becoming enamored of one particular argument. Detached analytical thinking is rare and valuable in my profession.”

  Kyle wondered if being detached was what helped Blackstone sleep at night. Otherwise, it would be hard to live with all that “collateral damage” he allegedly left in his wake.

  “He’s better at it than I am,” Amanda said, tilting her thumb toward Kyle.

  “What can I say?” Kyle responded with a shrug. “I like problem solving.”

  Blackstone addressed Amanda. “Am I to understand that the interlopers stole the notes relating to your famous exorcism?”