Chapter Nine #3
“What else do you know about him, Avalon?” Raven asked.
“If we’re to investigate, and find him, we need everything you can give us.”
Oh, she was aware.
“He’s not from here. While his roots may have begun here, all of those years ago, he spent the last years hunting her. He’s been on a mission to find Genesis. She is the beginning for him. I will be the end.”
Yeah, well, they were going to try to stop that.
Trust and believe.
“We’ll stop him. I have faith in the Goddess and the Littlemoons,” he admitted.
She simply smiled.
Unfortunately, it would take more than faith. At this point, it would take both magick and the spirits that he’d caged here for their ‘protection’.
And she knew it.
“Do you need additional protection?” Raven asked. “I can get you both medallions to make sure you’re safe.”
While she appreciated that, they wouldn’t be enough for her. She couldn’t stay safe and do her job. It was all about being out there, where he felt he could find her.
So, they could trap him.
“I’m pretty safe,” she said, knowing that was anything but the case. “I’ve had a very long time to prepare for this, and to protect myself. Lucian and Genesis are the ones who need protection. He will try for them first.”
Raven hoped she could deliver.
There was a lot riding on this.
“I hope I can do everything in my power to protect my family,” he stated. “And the Littlemoons are just that.”
Oh, she was aware.
“You helped them figure out this was a dream weaver, and for that, I’m grateful. This could have been a worse outcome,” she said. “Wynter could have taken people with her. He wanted the most bloodshed as possible.”
This whole thing bothered him on such a deep level.
“Why? Why do this to people?” he asked. “Everyone here is just living their lives. Genesis is a kind person. I don’t understand why so much hate.
She understood why he was asking.
“He wants to rule the static. It’s always the same thing, Raven. The weak want power, and when they get some, they want more. They don’t consider the work it takes to keep that power. His parents tainted him from a young age to think he was nothing if he wasn’t everything.”
Sadly, he understood all of that. He’d just not allowed his childhood to make him a monster.
It had been a choice.
As for earning his path, magick was NOT for the lazy.
He’d not become a priest of a coven and built his place in Salem by not putting in the work.
It had taken years.
When Avalon yawned, Raven took that as a sign that she needed to rest.
“Let me show you to your room,” he offered. “You have to be exhausted.”
Oh, she was.
But it would only get worse.
There would be no sleep for her. She had work to do. While the house went silent, she would be in the static, slipping around, on the hunt.
And she knew how dangerous that would be, right under a witch’s nose. She could feel his spells, and she knew how to evade them.
For what was coming, she had no choice.
“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate that.”
From beside his wife, Nate did too. It would be nice to lay his head down and feel safe.
It had been a while.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Raven. It will be nice to close my eyes and get some sleep.”
Oh, he bet.
Getting their bag, Nate followed the man as he led them into their room. When they got there, they went in.
“There’s a bathroom attached, and anything you need is in there. We’ll see you in the morning. Blessed be,” he said, wanting to go check on his wife and child.
Avalon nodded.
“Blessed be, Raven, and I’m sorry this is difficult for all of you.”
He said nothing.
Why?
Difficult was his world.
When you grew up in ‘difficult’, you managed to get through it.
When the door was closed, they heard the man head away, and that’s when Nate needed to know.
“Why are you having him send his wife and child to his business. This place is very secure. I can feel the safety here,” he asked, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.
Avalon wasn’t shocked her husband was onto her. He did, in fact, know her best.
This wasn’t his first time navigating something with Oracle.
And it wouldn’t be his last.
“Because I have to break his spell to let a crack open in the protection. I don’t want to risk his wife and child in the process,” she admitted.
Oh, Nate did NOT like this.
Not.
At.
All.
That meant that the dead here would be able to get out, and they’d all heard how angry Trey was.
This could blow up in their faces, and honestly, they needed the protection just as much as the people here. His wife had to be out of her mind.
He lifted a brow.
“Why, Avi?” he whispered. “That risks them, and Raven will likely suspect something. Are you trying to piss a witch off?” he asked.
She pointed at the mirror, and in it, Nate could see faces staring back at him.
He actually jumped.
“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.
That was always disturbing, no matter how many times it happened.
She kept her voice low.
“They need to help us. I won’t be able to pull this off without as much help as possible.
Without the dead, we’re outmatched. I’m strong, Nathaniel, but this is pure evil we’re doing battle against. Lucian is going to die, and then, it’s going to be stronger than me.
I can’t protect Genesis without Lucian living.
I have to weigh the cost. You know that. ”
Oh, he knew, but he didn’t have to like it.
Nate whispered.
“But they could be taken. If you lose the Littlemoons’ dead, they are all going to be pissed. They use Trey and Bethany to do their jobs.”
Yeah, she was aware.