Chapter 8 #2
“It is a page from the Munich Manual,” Mrs. Peabody answered, sighing heavily.
“The original was written in the fifteenth century and deals extensively with demons, where they hail from and how to summon them. It delves deeply into the various demonic realms and what sort of creatures can be found in each. The forces of Light have been trying to track down and destroy every copy of this book ever since it was first created, but unfortunately, a few copies remain. A misguided scholar even republished it, in part, a few years ago, much to our annoyance. However, he didn’t get any of the really juicy bits, so while it’s a problem, it’s not as big of a problem as it could have been.
This page, however, is one of the worst parts, and judging by the age of the page itself, it is from a very old copy of the Manual.
Possibly one of the original hand-drawn copies, if not the original, itself.
” She shook her head. “That’s not good news. And what’s on this page is even worse.”
“What’s on it?” Liam couldn’t keep himself from asking this time.
“It is a formula for a very powerful spell to reach one of the worst of the demonic realms. It opens a gateway to summon a very powerful creature that could wreak havoc on this world, much like that leviathan that they had so much trouble with until Poseidon’s sons finally sent it back where it came from.
The only blessing with that thing was that it was confined to the ocean.
This page summons something like that, but it’s a land-dweller.
It could easily destroy whole neighborhoods and even small cities if it goes on a rampage, and it would definitely rampage to gather more power if it were let loose in this realm.
The chaos it would cause would set the forces of Light back months if not years, and while we fought to contain it, the Venifucus would have free reign to do whatever they like. No, this is not good. Not good at all.”
Silence hung in the room, thick and heavy. Even the air seemed to press down on them after Mrs. Peabody’s pronouncement. Liam’s cat prowled uneasily inside him, fur bristling at the mere thought of such a creature running loose in their world.
“That sounds really bad,” Liam said finally, though the words felt pitifully inadequate.
Mrs. Peabody’s sharp eyes flicked to him, amusement glinting for just a heartbeat. “Your understatement is noted, Liam. Bad doesn’t begin to cover it.”
Lina leaned forward, her hands braced on the table. “If Mrs. Entwistle had this page, does that mean she intended to try this summoning herself?”
Mrs. P shook her head slowly, gaze narrowing. “Perhaps. In fact, I think it’s probable. She’s already demonstrated that she can summon lesser demons than this, and she taught those Rollins mages in Texas how to do the same.”
She had? Liam hadn’t known that. He wondered if the Alpha knew and determined to call Sam later and make sure he had been clued in.
“I’d like to believe Mrs. E got this from her Venifucus comrades. What troubles me is the whereabouts of the rest of the book.” Mrs. Peabody looked concerned as she directed the page back into the box at her side.
A chill ran down Liam’s spine. “You’re saying there could be more pages like this out there?”
“I have little doubt about it,” Mrs. Peabody said grimly. “If she had one page, there are others. And whoever holds the book poses a threat greater than any single witch or mage. However, right now, we have to deal with this spell and my former coven sister. We can’t let her summon this thing.”
Lina sat up, looking earnest. “But this page is like a breadcrumb. If we can trace where she got it, we might be able to find who she’s working with, and stop them from using or disseminating any other parts of that book.”
“Correct, my dear.” Mrs. P’s expression softened briefly, a rare flicker of approval. “But that is another problem for a later time. The imminent danger is Mrs. E and this spell.”
Liam rested his forearms on the table. “So what now? Do we destroy it? Lock it away? Use it as bait?”
The old witch gave him a long look, measuring.
“You’re a soldier. You think in terms of eliminating threats.
That has its uses. But sometimes, a dangerous thing must be studied, not destroyed, if only so you know how to counter it.
” She closed the box with the page inside.
“I will keep possession of this. The coven will look after it until the threat is nullified. Then, we’ll dispose of it safely. ”
Lina frowned. “Will the enemy try for it? Are you sure it’ll be secure here?”
Mrs. P smiled, thin and secretive. “One does not survive as long as I have in the craft without learning a few tricks about hiding dangerous things. Suffice to say, you need not worry.” She reached for her tea, took a sip, and then fixed them with that penetrating gaze again.
“What you should worry about right now is Mrs. Entwistle and her plans and preparations. You need to find her as quickly as you can, before she has a chance to cast this spell.”
Liam nodded grimly. “We’ve got another lead on a PO box in Center Moriches. We were going to check it after meeting with you.”
“Then do so. The door to Mrs. E’s house here will open for you whenever you have time to visit it,” Mrs. Peabody instructed, nodding.
“If that doesn’t pan out, then come back, and we can discuss the things she might need to cast this in greater detail.
Just know that she’ll need to work from a place of power, and there are a few nearby that you could check.
I can give you a list. I should also tell you that Mrs. E’s house has remained unchanged since we went in to be sure there were no magical booby traps that might hurt someone.
The place has been thoroughly defused, but nobody really wanted to go through her stuff.
Perhaps Lina might like to do so, since she has such fine investigative training and instincts.
” Mrs. P turned to regard Lina with an upraised eyebrow.
“Yes, I’d like to do that, of course,” Lina answered immediately, “but if you don’t mind my asking, why didn’t anybody from your sisterhood have a look around for clues?”
Mrs. Peabody sighed heavily and seemed to lose a bit of the starch in her spine.
“Most of us are still very hurt by her betrayal. We made the place safe, but that’s all we really could manage.
We’d known her for decades and trusted her.
She was a member of our coven, which is a very deep bond.
To realize that we’d been so wrong about her shook us all to our core. ”
Lina leaned forward slightly. “I understand that feeling more than you might think. I once worked a case where my partner of two years turned out to be taking payoffs from the people we were investigating. The betrayal of someone you trust...” She paused, her expression shadowed.
“It makes you question your own judgment.”
“Exactly so, my dear.” Mrs. Peabody’s gaze softened with understanding. “One keeps wondering if there were signs you missed, things you should have seen. It shakes your confidence in your own judgment. I still don’t know how we could have been so wrong about her all this time.”
“Try not to take it so hard, Mrs. P. Evil can be very convincing. Especially to trusting hearts,” Liam told the old woman, compassion in his tone.
She regarded him with a considering tilt of her head. “I know you’re right, and it’s kind of you to remind me of that fact. However, I can’t really forgive myself for being so wrong about her. The fact remains. I should have known better and been more cautious.”
“Nobody’s perfect,” Liam reminded her with a soft smile. “Not even you, Mrs. P.”