Epilogue #2
He trailed when his gaze landed on Wilson. They had my stomach fluttering with their shy nods. Daylan shifted his weight from one foot to another, his fingers playing with his chain faster. Wilson kept moving his hands from his lap to the wheelchair’s armrests.
“Sorry, I…” Daylan tried.
“He needs us to take these.” I swooped in and waved the plastic bags around. “Thinks we’re possessed, I suppose.”
My words sliced through the dense air. Octavia nodded, grateful for my interruption.
“It’s protocol.” Daylan rubbed the back of his neck, trying to look everywhere but at Wilson.
“On a job,” I countered, but opened the bags, grabbed a piece from each one, and passed them to Octavia.
“Is this not a job?” Daylan asked, and before I could lie, he added, “I know you have something for me.”
“And how do you know that?” I winced while trying to swallow the garlic.
“Wilson warned me.” Daylan offered him a quick smile. Small progress. I loved it. I could work with that.
“Fine, fine.” I held up my hands. “So how do you want it? To the point, or after we’ve stuffed you with our good food?”
“Could I have a little of columns A and B?” he asked. “The flight was long.”
“We got you,” Wilson finally spoke up and started moving toward the kitchen. “Come on, I made some of your favorites.”
Octavia grabbed my hand as we followed the guys, squeezing my fingers as she whispered into my ear, “I’m never letting him live this down.”
I grinned. “Me neither.”
“So, you want to have a bunch of amateurs across the States be given expensive equipment and free rein to make podcasts?” Daylan asked around his last mouthful of chili.
“I…yes.” I nodded. Okay, so maybe I could have practiced my pitch longer, but no one could convince me my base wasn’t solid.
I wanted people to know how to help themselves. That was why I’d written my book. And that desire had only grown after watching Octavia swim back to herself during the past year. Not everyone had access to hunters, and not all hunters had access to the tools they needed. I could bridge that gap.
“Satellite locations,” I said. “All over and manned by people we train. We create a database like the Guild’s, except this one’s open source.
Free to use and to edit—with some oversight from experts, of course.
Nico, December, and Jonah already said they’d love to be peer reviewers.
We could build a community with resources for all.
And the lower barrier to entry will mean our information bank will grow ten times faster than the Guild’s.
I’ve already been in contact with people who have spoken to an Ancestral demon. ”
“You what?” Daylan set his fork down, coughing. Wilson reached over to refill his glass with lemonade.
“These people go on forums trying to find a community in places where everyone thinks things are jokes and internet legends,” I told him.
Octavia’s hand found my thigh underneath the table, giving it an encouraging squeeze.
“Everything’s so scattered. A community where people can come and go freely would help us in this fight long-term.
Having a satellite base here at Elmwood could help you in Georgia.
December, Nico, and Jonah when they’re traveling.
Hunters outside the Guild need a dependable network.
The Guild needs something outside of it to push it to do better. ”
Daylan took a few sips of his drink and cleared his throat before saying, “Look, I’m not saying it’s a bad idea.”
“Of course it’s not a bad idea.” I smiled and leaned back into my seat. “I don’t have those.”
“I’m saying something like this is a massive undertaking. No one’s tried to build Guild 2.0 because the first one works decently.”
“Keyword: decently,” I reminded him. “If this world has a chance of withstanding the growing amount of paranormal activity, we need to evolve. Just like those demons do. They pass information down the line. We keep it behind clearances.”
“For a reason.”
“The reason’s not strong enough. You know that. You know how strong these things have gotten. If we don’t start changing things now, we’ll have hell to pay later.” I raised a brow at him, daring him to refute it.
Even if he did. Even if Daylan picked up his bag and booked himself the next flight, I’d press forward.
This was what I did. It was why I had all these years of experience under my belt.
I was going to help set up a network for the next generation of hunters.
Allow them to have multiple places to stop, rest, recover, and learn.
Elmwood would be one of those places. A dot on the map.
And we’d get others. Enough so that we’d create a belt of activity of our own.
“It’ll take a lot. This is a life’s work type of thing,” Daylan warned.
“Good thing we’re in this for life,” Octavia chimed in. She wanted to know more, too. Wanted to research and help in every way she could.
“It’ll be an uphill climb,” Wilson agreed in a low voice. “But it’ll be worth it. In the long run, it’ll all be worth it.”
Daylan sighed and took a moment to take us all in. “Okay.”
I smiled and leaned forward. “Okay?”
“It’s a need. Let’s fulfill it.” He offered me a smile back and reached out his hand for me to shake.