"What? Tell us." Delphine insisted.
"Alright, I brewed up a tincture that was supposed to make his Rougarou nature more intense, more unable to control. But that is all. Honestly, it wasn't supposed to have any effect like you describe. I just wanted to be sure that there was some kind of danger so we could show the Concierge. That's all. I did it for you, Hedy." His voice was calm again, almost sad.
"For me? None of this was for me. This was for you. To feel important, to come to the rescue, to be some knight and rescue me. None of this was for me." Hedy said, her voice sharp in the quiet of the hall.
"Think what you want, but I did it to protect you. I'll go now." Michael said, turning toward the stairs. Bren reached out and grabbed his lapel.
"Not before you tell us what was in that potion."
Chapter Twenty-Three
We're going to need help. Help from a witch or perhaps a whole coven," Hedy said, thinking of Helen and the Sisters of the Crescent Moon. "If we are going to counteract what Michael gave him." She couldn't think about Michael and his betrayal, not now. There was too much to do.
"Is it possible that the potion caused Louis to kill that man in the front yard?" Bren said quietly. His eyes no longer were glowing but they still had this strange intensity.
"No, it isn't possible," Delphine snapped at him. "Sorry, Bren. I just can't believe that would have happened. Although when Louis is transformed, he isn't himself if someone comes near him and poses a threat. That Constant woman, she broke in and she had a weapon. I don't think Louis would have hurt her otherwise."
"I'm not so sure your cousin is the one responsible," Haugrsson said carefully. "We know there is a Lich about and it is possible that man happened upon it. Until Louis awakens, we won't know for sure."
"Then we better summon the coven and start working on the antidote. Delphine, didn't you say you thought you had something in a book that might be helpful?" Hedy asked, heading down the stairs. The group was still huddled in front of the Louis' bedroom. Michael had already left.
"Yes. I'll get the book and bring it downstairs. Perhaps the Director could assist me? He seems knowledgeable about such things. I don't even know for sure what a Lich really is." Delphine replied, looking hopefully at the Draugr. He nodded slowly.
"Yes, I will be of assistance, as a Lich is as dangerous to the travelers who use the network as it is for humans. It must be destroyed. A Lich is not living. It is conjured by the necromancer to serve their will. It can take different forms but usually it appears as human in shape, with claws and fierce teeth."
"Bren, will you keep an eye on Louis for a bit while we get started?" Hedy asked and Bren gave a crisp nod. She blushed to think how he had stepped in to her fight with Michael, standing up for her and demanding Michael tell what he knew. Bren always seemed to have her back and she was so grateful.
"I'm going to call Helen. Let's get started."
Hedy bolted down the stairs to the kitchen, shuffling through her phone numbers to find Helen's. She hoped the witch was at home. The phone rang several times and Hedy started to panic. There was no plan B if Helen didn't answer.
"Hello?" Helen said, out of breath. She must have dashed to pick up.
"Oh, Helen, thank goodness. It's Hedy. We have a desperate situation and we need you and the coven right away. Our friend, Louis, has been poisoned or bewitched or something and we need an antidote. We know the ingredients but we don't know how to counteract them. Can you come?" Hedy knew she was speaking too quickly but time was too precious to waste right now.
"My goodness, oh Hedy. Alright, if you think we can help, of course we will try. I will warn you that I am not a great herbalist, but Diedre of the coven is handy with herbs and of course, Thana has shown great talent for it. I'll call them all and tell them to hurry over."
"Thank you so much, Helen. And tell them to watch out for the police tape in the front yard. I'll explain that when you get here."
✽✽✽
Delphine had brought the book downstairs and had it on the table where the officers had asked them questions earlier. Haugrsson was seated next to her when Hedy entered the shop. Instead of welcoming and happy as always, the shop was cold and had a terrible sour smell.
"What is that smell?" Hedy asked, looking horrified to think something in the case could have spoiled to that degree.
"It's the Lich. It is nearby." Haugrsson replied, carefully leafing through the book.
"What will it do when it comes in?" Hedy asked, still scrunching up her face at the sickening smell.
"It will find its quarry and take his life. It only will attack things that get in its way. The man in the yard must have encountered it last night and tried to stop it." Haugrsson said, pausing his page turns and leaning forward. His slim index finger traced the lines of the passage as he read.
"Did you find something? I think this is what the Constant woman was looking for when she broke in. It's an old book from Tante's side of the family," Delphine said, now looking at Hedy. "Creole witches from way back. Tante's sister had willed it to her on her passing. We had the old thing in the kitchen, mixed in with the cookbooks."
"This may be useful. Listen to this. 'The conjured one has no will of its own. In order to do your bidding, you must give it a piece of your own substance, imbued with your own soul, and this it must keep with it in order to bend to your will.' The Lich would have to have something from Monsieur Constant in order to be animate."
"What does 'a piece of your own substance' mean?" Delphine asked, looking back at Haugrsson, whose face was inscrutable as ever.
"A part of his body. Depending on the strength of the magic needed, it could be hair, or fingernails, or even a tip of a finger. With a necromancer as powerful as Monsieur Constant, I would think it would be something small. The Lich would have to keep the piece with it at all times."
Hedy shuddered to picture a piece of someone's finger being used to conjure such a creature. Dark magic such as necromancy was beyond anything she had an interest in.
"If we take away the piece or whatever of Constant, the Lich will die?" Delphine asked.
"It cannot die, because it doesn't live. If the substance is destroyed, it will be destroyed as well."
"Where would we find the object, do you think?" Hedy looked at Haugrsson, hoping he had the answer. What would they have done if he hadn't been there? Even if he did shut down the waystation, it would be worth it if he destroyed this creature hunting Louis.
"I would expect it will be in a bottle or bag that his on the body of the Lich. Perhaps a pendant or bracelet, some kind of amulet. That is just a guess. I will call Brussels to inquire if any of the senior staff have dealings with a Lich. Such things are beyond rare because there are so few practitioners in the world who can conjure one. Monsieur Constant is probably the last of his kind." Haugrsson almost sounded impressed.
"Leave it to Louis to piss off a super villain. I might just kill him myself when he wakes up." Delphine said, sounding a bit like her old self. Hedy knew it was just a facade; she was as scared for Louis as everyone else.
"So we wait for the thing to come in the front door?" Hedy asked, as Haugrsson closed the book and passed it back to Delphine. He rose from his seat.
"Yes, I am afraid so."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael nearly slammed the door off its hinges when he entered The Red Bat. The day couldn't have gone much worse. Not only was Hedy furious with him, but his plan had backfired completely. The whole thing was a disaster and there was one woman to blame for it.
"Mary! Mary, I need to speak with you." He shouted, striding toward the middle of the shop and the large mirror hanging on the wall. He had never been so tempted to smash the glass as he was in that moment.
From the reflection of the mirror, Mary's face began to take shape, her mouth the last to come into focus.
"Yes, Michael? What seems to be the bother?"
"You. You are the bother. That damn potion you gave m
e. It turned him into some kind of zombie. What the hell did you do?" Michael seethed, his eyes narrowed to slits.
"I did what you asked. The potion made him unable to control himself. Just as you asked. I always do as you ask, Michael. I have for three hundred years." Mary replied, her voice soft and almost a chant.
"No, that is not what I meant and you bloody well knew that. It doesn't matter because the plan has gone to hell. Hedy knows, they all know. That idiot Salamander actually ordered me out of her house!" Michael had desperately wanted to strike Bren square on his jaw but that blazing look in his eyes had prevented him. There would be time for taking care of Mr. Aldebrand.
"Michael, don't you see this is really a blessing? It was never going to work between you and that human," Mary continued, like she was soothing a child. "You cannot change who you are and what you are. She was never going to accept your true nature. She doesn't understand you, not the way I understand you. I have been with you for so many years and I know the real you. The devil inside you. Don't you think it is time you let the devil out?"
"I need to think. I can't do that with you yammering at me. Just go. I'll call you when I need you." Michael's mind was all swirled up with anger and hurt. How could Hedy have tossed him out like that? How could she have let Bren threaten him? After everything he had done for her?
"I am always here when you need me, Michael." Mary said, fading back into the mirror.
✽✽✽
The coven had assembled at the house in remarkably quick fashion. Seven women, including Thana and Mel, now sat around the circular table in the bakery, looking a bit afraid. Nothing like this had ever happened to the Sisters of the Crescent Moon and the stakes were very high. The only outsider was the Undine standing by the doorway. She had been at Mel's when the call for help came in from Helen.
"How can we help, Hedy?" Helen said, shushing the others' chatter.
"We need you to help us break the curse or the potion or whatever it is that is afflicting our friend, Louis. We have the ingredients that were given to him but we don't know much else." Hedy said, addressing the women, with Delphine standing at her side. Haugrsson was on the phone to Brussels.
"What was used in the potion?" Diedre, the herbalist of the group, asked as she pulled out a notebook and a thick book from her bag.
"Michael told us that he used Elder tree sap, False Dittany, Mandrake and Club Moss." Delphine replied, looking at the scrap of paper in her hand.
"Oof," Diedre said, scribbling in the notebook. "That is a powerful brew. I'll have to dig deep into the books to find something equal to that."
"Please do what you can. We don't know how long he'll stay like this or if he will wake up." Hedy replied, tears pricking at her eyes again. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. She had to stay strong right now.
As if on cue, the women began pulling books from their bags, ready to start looking for an antidote. Diedre started directing traffic, asking each of them to look up a specific root or herb for its properties.
"Thana, I need you and Mel to look up Club Moss and tell me everything there is about it, no matter how obscure. Every scrap of folklore and myth. Work together as quickly as you can but leave nothing out." Diedre said, moving on to the next witch.
"I'll scan the Internet while you dig into your book." Mel said to Thana, pulling out her phone from her purse.
"Sounds good, but we can't trust the Internet alone. We'll need to be sure." Thana replied, scooting her chair a little closer to Mel and placing the book between them.
Hedy and Delphine joined Ana by the doorway. They didn't have any books to help in the search and Hedy felt strange hovering at the edge of the room, watching the witches work.
"Should we leave them to it and go check on Louis? Ana, do you want to join us?"
Ana watched Thana and Mel for a moment before responding. "Yes, I'll come with you. I can't be of help down here."
The trio left the women to their reading and headed back up the stairs.
"Ana, I'm glad you are here," Hedy said, sensing that the young woman felt out of place. "We need all the support we can get. I need to tell you about the lich."
As they climbed the stairs, Hedy briefly shared what they had learned about the creature that was after Louis.
"So once the spell on Louis is broken, the danger isn't finished. We still have to defeat this Lich. How will we do that?" Ana asked, as they paused on the landing outside Louis' door.
"Director Haugrsson is looking for answers now but he thinks we need to find some object that the Lich keeps with it that helps control it." Hedy said, turning the knob. All three women gasped to see Louis with his hands wrapped around Bren's throat.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Mon Dieu, Louis, what are you doing?" Delphine screamed at her cousin but it was clear he couldn't hear her. His eyes were glazed over and his jaw was slack. His hands were clenched around Bren's throat.
"Get him off," Hedy yelled, reaching to grab at Louis' arm. Bren managed to squeak out some sounds.
"Be careful," he whispered, his hands pulling at Louis' wrists. "Don't hurt him."
The three women pulled, giving just enough slack to get Bren out from under his grip. Bren slid out and Louis fell down against the bed, clawing at the sheets. Throughout the whole struggle, he hadn't made a sound.
"We have to restrain him. Without hurting him." Bren said, his voice still sounding gargled in his throat. Louis was thrashing wildly, looking for a way out from the four pairs of hands pressing him into the mattress.
"What about some rope or something to bind his hands?" Hedy asked, looking around the room, though she knew she wouldn't find any such thing in a guest room.
"If I let go to look for something, do you think you can hold him?" Bren asked, looking back over his shoulder at the women. Hedy opened her mouth to speak and her breath crystalized in the air.
Louis, moments before had been writhing beneath them, was now still. He was face down on the bed, his face buried in a pillow. Hedy wasn't sure if he was breathing or not. A terrible fear crawled up from her gut. What if he had died beneath their hands? It was too terrible to consider.
"Bren, let's flip him over, to make sure he has air." Hedy said, not daring to say why she was concerned. If Delphine hadn't noticed, she didn't want to alert her to the danger.
Carefully, they flipped the rigid form of Louis over. His face seemed frozen in a strange grimace and his eyes were glassy and vacant. Delphine gave a gasp.
"Hedy," a voice said, coming from Louis' mouth. "I am here. With Louis."
The group gaped at each other, staring at his face. Hedy watched his lips move like a gasping fish, making no sound. Something was making them move.
"What's happening?" Delphine cried, grabbing one of Louis' hands. She clutched it so hard that Hedy worried she would dig her fingernails into his skin.
"I think he's possessed," Hedy said, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "And I think it is Adelaide. I think she is in there, keeping him still." Hedy couldn't believe it but it was the only explanation. What was speaking through Louis' mouth, if not the spirit of Adelaide.
"Hedy, hurry. He fights." The voice said again, and Hedy was sure it was Adelaide. She was holding Louis back but how long could she keep him from getting free again.
"Delphine, you better stay with Bren and watch him. Ana, can you come downstairs and look for some rope to tie his hands? I'll check on the coven."
✽✽✽
The women circled around the table where buried in their books, murmuring and scratching notes on the paper. Now and then, someone would call Diedre over to read a passage over their shoulder. Mel scrolled quickly through the web pages she found that covered Club Moss, but there weren't many of them. Mostly what she found was references to it being known as wolf's claw. The powdered plant was thought to allow someone to control the actions of another.
"I know you all want to help your friend, but I don't think we can do anythin
g and in fact, we might make things worse." Thana closed the book she had flipped through and added it to the small stack in front of her. Her notepad was blank.
"We have to try, Thana. We can't just leave him like this." Mel replied, jotting down the herb name 'Agrimony' on her pad. She looked up at Thana, who was watching her.
"Mel, we tried. There is nothing we can do. This is really advanced magic. It's alright to give up, we are just novices." Thana said, reaching out for Mel's hand that held the phone. She took it from her and placed it on the table.
"Thana, come on. This isn't a game or some puzzle we are playing at. This is someone's life. I am not going to give up just because it is hard." Mel pulled free from Thana's hand and picked the phone back up. She couldn't understand how Thana could be so cavalier about it all. What if it were her friend or her cousin?
"Alright, Mel. I'll keep looking." Thana said, with a sigh. For all the world, she seemed almost bored with it all. Mel gave her a sharp look but said nothing. After this was all over, she'd tell Thana that maybe they’d be better off not hanging out anymore. Ana would risk life and limb for someone and Thana couldn't be bothered to look through a book.
"Have you found anything?" Hedy said, coming into the bakery. The light outside was dim, it was almost dark.
"I think we have a good list of herbs that can help counteract the agents used in the tincture. I have them all written down, I think." Diedre said, waving her pad at Hedy.
"What about Agrimony?" Mel asked, looking briefly at Thana, whose face was stone.
"Mel, yes, that would be a strong agent to counteract Club Moss. Good find. Well done." Diedre said, scribbling the word on her pad.
"Do you have all those ingredients?" Hedy asked. It didn't do much good to have a list if they didn't have what they needed.
"Yes, I think I do. I will have to run home and gather a few things, but I should be back in just a little bit. How's the man...Louis, doing?"
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