Chapter 9 #5
“Have my back,” Travis said. “If something goes haywire, call Aricella. With the wards, whatever happens should be contained inside the space, but if I get hurt, I might not be able to shut it down.”
“I’ve got you,” Brent promised.
Brent took a seat outside the warded space and cradled a fresh cup of coffee in his hands as he watched Travis don spelled gloves and remove the book from the protective container.
“It’s old,” Travis narrated. “Leather binding, I don’t want to know what kind of skin.”
“Ew.”
Travis shrugged. “We’ve both heard the stories.” While many people dismissed the legends as being spread by those against any kind of supernatural power, the rumors remained that dark grimoires were often wrapped in covers made of human skin.
He carefully opened the thick book, murmuring a protection spell as he did so. Nothing happened, but he looked at the yellowed pages and fine script and hoped that the ink wasn’t mixed with blood.
“Anything?” Brent asked.
“Good penmanship,” Travis quipped. “The book is really old. I’m going to need to go slow so I don’t damage anything.”
“Can you pick up anything with your other senses?”
“I’ve clamped down on getting any sort of reading on the energy until I know what we’re dealing with,” Travis said.
“Good idea.”
Despite his precautions, Travis could feel the tingle of magic as he handled the book, even through the spelled gloves. Some of the text was in Latin and some in English, but the archaic script made for slow reading, and Travis needed to make sure he fully understood the text.
“The volume is called the Precepts,” he said after a long silence. “It’s a study of how the magic of vampirism works. The author holds that the fundamental magic underlying vampires, werewolves, and shifters is very old, going back to the formation of the world and possibly the universe.”
“Okay, interesting but not a revelation,” Brent said.
“The book is essentially forensic magic,” Travis added.
“The author wanted to know why vampires could live on blood and no other nourishment. It’s quite a long treatise.
That’s the foundation. From there, he looks at how the ancient magic creates immortality and the other vampire traits like super speed and strength. ”
“I’m sure it’s fascinating, but why did Sinistram’s high command think they needed to hide it?”
“I haven’t gotten through everything, but from what I see, there are spells and rituals to break a vampire’s magic,” Travis replied.
“Turn them back to mortal?” Brent raised an eyebrow.
“Yes and no. They would still be vampires.” Travis tried to synthesize what he had read. “The spells don’t affect the vampirism, but they do attack their immortality by draining the magic that sustains them and gives them special abilities.”
“I can’t imagine that would go over well.”
“Probably not.” Travis stared at the book as if it were a serpent. “And I’m certain that vampires in the Sinistram would have magic.”
“If you can remove a vampire’s immortality, couldn’t you do the same to any other immortal?”
“There doesn’t appear to be anything here that deals with the others, only vampires. Maybe only if the immortality was acquired, not natural. Like it wouldn’t kill a demigod, but it would affect someone who started off human. There could be multiple reasons the book was hidden,” Travis said.
“If all that is possible, why haven’t we heard of people doing it?” Brent asked.
“Magic always comes with a cost,” Travis replied. “There are the risks of using power for the caster and anyone who isn’t the target, and then there’s the price to be paid for using tainted magic.”
“What kind of cost?” Brent’s voice had gone flat, worry clear in his eyes. “Drain your life force? Forfeit your own magic? Corrupt your soul? Have you dragged to Hell by demons?”
“I’m just reading that part,” Travis admitted. While he feared that the penalty might indeed be that high, he hoped he could find a second way.
“You’re researching on the Dark Web and considering spells from forbidden texts,” Brent pointed out. “There are good reasons those sources are disavowed.”
“You were in the Army,” Travis replied. “You’re familiar with the escalation of force. At the upper end, when the threat is severe, the options are limited and come with significant downsides.”
“I’m not sure I’d call nuclear annihilation a downside, but I get what you’re saying,” Brent admitted. “We need to consult with Father Jacinski. Even if he hasn’t studied that particular book, maybe he has some insight into how you can work the magic and still survive.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“You look like you need a break,” Brent said.
“We don’t have time—”
“If you push yourself until you collapse, it will take longer than if you stop for some sugar and caffeine,” Brent reasoned. “It’s pretty obvious that everything you’re doing is taking a toll.”
Travis gave up arguing. He stepped out of the circle, and Brent refreshed his coffee and shoved a plate of cookies into his hands.
Despite the urgency of the situation, Travis knew Brent was right.
Powerful spells were taxing to read, a built-in precaution.
Travis already felt a headache starting.
He always thought of the effects as being a way the writers screened for those strong enough to handle the magic.
“When we’re ready to go, I thought about calling CHARON and telling them that we’re going up against the ones who murdered Shane,” Brent said. “They won’t give a damn if vampires want to kill me, but they might want to avenge him.”
“Do you think CHARON’s been compromised like the Sinistram? We don’t want to give away the plan.”
“Shane didn’t seem to think so. But we can table that and see if we need reinforcements,” Brent acknowledged.
Travis called Jacinski, who answered on the second ring. “Travis? What’s wrong? You don’t make social calls.”
“What do the Logonje know about a grimoire called the Precepts?”
He could hear Jacinski catch his breath in surprise. “Why do you ask?”
“Because a Keeper stole it from the Sinistram and told me it might be the key to stopping the Apocalypse,” Travis replied.
“Okay,” Jacinski drew out the syllables of the word. “You have it in your possession?”
“Yes, and I’m working on figuring out what we need to stop the vampires who have taken over the upper echelons of this branch of the Sinistram.” Travis figured he might as well get all the crazy out of the way up front.
“Jesus, Travis. You don’t do things by halves, do you?”
“Believe me, Pawel, I’d rather be doing pretty much anything else,” Travis assured him.
Jacinski was quiet for a moment. “The Logonje are a secretive Order of Polish priests who deal with supernatural threats, much like the Occulatum. We were never quite as convinced of our importance as the Sinistram—no offense meant.”
“I know what you mean,” Travis replied. “No offense taken.”
“I think on some level, the Order always suspected we might end up facing off against the Sinistram,” Jacinski said. “But maybe not over the Apocalypse.”
Travis and Brent took turns filling him in on what they had learned.
“We have the who: Sinistram. And the what: bring about the End of Days,” Brent said.
“And we know the why,” Travis added. “Because the Sinistram trained and prepared for the Apocalypse and felt cheated when it didn’t happen, so they decided to bring it about themselves.”
“Fuck,” Jacinski muttered.
“We also have a good idea of the how: massive explosions,” Brent added.
“And the where: Moraine State Park, although it could spread to other locations.”
“Do you know when?” Jacinski asked.
“Soon. Next couple of days at the most,” Travis said. “Is there an auspicious date coming up?”
“A full moon. No special ritual dates,” Jacinski replied.
“I think the answer to stopping the Sinistram is in the volume the Keeper brought me. If I can figure out the spell, I’ll need backup magic to work them and keep everyone else safe. Would you join us? Are there any others you’d trust to come along?”
Travis crossed his fingers. He had doubts about his own magic being sufficient to cast the spell, but having other witches around to lend him power and protect the area made the odds of success much higher.
“Yes, I will. And I’ll make some calls to folks I trust in the Logonje and Father Leo with the Occulatum,” Jacinski said. “The Sinistram isn’t going to ignore this. Are you prepared for that?”
Travis gave a bitter chuckle. “Honestly? I don’t know.
From what the Keeper said, there’s discord in the ranks about turning the place over to vampires.
That alone is huge because the Sinistram doesn’t tolerate differences of opinion.
But at least some of the priests think their whole mission and history have been betrayed. ”
“Because they have been,” Jacinski replied. “And there’s no way to know whether those people will be with you or against you, no matter how strong their feelings.”
“I understand. But we have to do something,” Travis said. “We think that the vampire elders have been behind the hunter deaths that have escalated recently, and that they’ve used magic to power up monsters like the Mon River creature and others to draw out the hunters and make them easy targets.”
“There’s always a price for magic,” Jacinski warned. “Have you factored that into your plans?”
Brent looked at Travis with worry, but Travis nodded with a certainty that didn’t quite reach his gut. “Yes, if that’s what it takes. We can’t let them bring about the end of the world, even if it’s a local apocalypse instead of a global one.”
“What’s your next move?” Jacinski asked.
“We’re waiting to hear from a couple of other friends with special talents who are rallying the troops.” Travis left out that one of those friends was a vampire himself. “Then we show up to work the magic, which might precipitate the ‘When.’ Someone’s got to make the first move.”