Chapter 4 #2
Petra was quiet for a long moment, staring out at the garden. The late afternoon sun caught in her hair, turning the brown strands amber and gold.
“So, what happens now?” she asked finally.
“That depends on you.” Seth kept his voice neutral and professional.
“You have options. You could sell everything and walk away. You could keep the property but shut down the workshop and refuse to let them return. You’d probably have a fight on your hands there, of course.
Or, you could maintain the status quo and pretend you don’t know what’s really happening down there and just pray they leave you alone. ”
“Those last two options sound like good ways to get killed.”
“They are,” Seth admitted. “The Venifucus doesn’t respond well to interference. If you shut them down or try to expose them, they’ll see you as a threat.”
“What about the first option? If I sell everything and leave?”
“That’s probably the safest choice for you personally.
The lawyers could handle it. You’d walk away with a fortune and never have to think about this place again.
” Seth paused. “The problem doesn’t go away, though.
Someone else will buy it, and the Venifucus will either recruit them or remove them and continue operating. ”
Petra turned to look at him. “You think I should stay and deal with it somehow.”
“I think that’s your decision to make, not mine.
” Seth held her gaze. “I can tell you what the right thing to do would be for the greater good. The right thing would be to stand your ground. Shut them down, deny them this resource, and make it harder for them to operate. That’s what serves the Light.
But I’m not the one who’d be putting myself in danger to do it. ”
She studied him for a long moment. “What would you do? If you were in my position?”
“I’d fight,” Seth said simply. “I’d find a way to make sure they couldn’t use this place anymore. But I’ve been fighting the Venifucus for most of my life. I know what I’m getting into. You just found out magic exists an hour ago.”
Petra smiled slightly. “You have a point.” She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders in that way he was beginning to recognize as her preparing for something difficult.
“I want to fight them. I want to close down whatever operation they have here and make sure they can’t use this place for their evil purposes anymore.
But I’ll need help. I don’t think I can do this alone. ”
Seth felt a flicker of admiration. She had courage, this librarian who’d walked into a nightmare and decided to face it head-on.
“Then we have work to do,” he said. “Starting with getting you some protection. The Venifucus likely already know about the inheritance. They could send someone to assess you before the main group returns.”
“Herr Müller,” Petra said suddenly. “He was watching me very carefully during the tour. He seemed almost pleased when I didn’t react badly to the workshop.”
“He might be reporting to them. Or he might just be loyal to Kettering’s memory and suspicious of the new owner.
Either way, you need to be careful around him.
If it were me, I’d get rid of him entirely, but he does have knowledge of the place that you may need.
I recommend you learn all you can about the place while he’s here and watch him as closely as he’s watching you.
Though, of course, you can’t be too obvious about it. ”
“What about the other staff? The cook and the maids?”
“I advise caution. There’s no way of knowing what side they’re on.
The safest way would be to get rid of everyone and start fresh, but again, you need help to run this place and they know how it all works.
So I’d tread carefully while you learn what’s needed around here, then make your move when you’re ready.
Maybe try to line up some new help before you let the old ones go, but that might be tricky given that they’re watching your every move. ”
Petra nodded, already thinking strategically. Seth could practically see her librarian instincts kicking in, organizing information and creating mental files.
“I need to learn more,” she said. “About magic, about the Venifucus, and about what I’m really dealing with. Do you have books? Resources?”
Seth smiled. Of course a librarian’s first instinct would be research.
“Your first stop should be Abdul’s library.
If you don’t find anything helpful there, I can get you information.
I know people who can teach you how to recognize and defend against magical attacks.
First, though, we need to make sure you’re safe tonight. ”
“You think they might come for me that quickly?”
“I think it’s better to be paranoid and alive than trusting and dead.” Seth pulled out his phone. “I’m going to call in some backup. People I trust who can help us secure the castle and assess the magical protections already in place.”
“Magical protections?”
“Kettering would have had wards. Think of them like defensive spells to keep out intruders and protect his assets. We need to know if those are still active and whether they’ll work for you as the new owner, or if they’re keyed to him specifically.”
Petra’s eyes widened. “There are invisible magical barriers around the castle?”
“Almost certainly. We just don’t know how many or how strong they are.” Seth started typing a message to Sam Kinkaid. “That’s what my backup will help us figure out.”
“How soon can they get here?”
“Depends on who’s available and where they are. I’m not leaving you alone in the meantime, though.” Seth met her gaze directly. “If you’re comfortable with it, I’d like to stay close. Watch the castle tonight, make sure no one approaches who shouldn’t.”
“In jackal form.”
“Mostly, yes. I can cover more ground and my senses are better when shifted.”
Petra was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “All right. Thank you, Seth, for telling me the truth, and for offering to help. I know you didn’t have to do any of this.”
“It’s what I do,” Seth said. “Besides, you seem like the kind of person who’d do the same if our positions were reversed.”
Something passed between them, a moment of understanding. Petra gave him a small, genuine smile.
“You’re right,” she said. “I would.”
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Seth’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen.
“Sam’s going to send someone. Should be here by tomorrow evening.” He looked back at Petra. “That gives us tonight to make a plan and tomorrow to prepare before the lawyers return.”
“What should I tell the lawyers?”
“The truth, mostly. That you’re keeping the property for now but planning to make changes to how it’s managed. Don’t mention the workshop or the Venifucus. Just establish that you’re taking control.”
“And when the mages return?”
“We’ll deal with that when it happens. First, let’s make sure you survive the next few days.”
Petra nodded, her expression determined. She stood, brushing off her jeans. “I should get back before someone notices I’ve been gone too long.”
“Meet me here tomorrow morning. Same time as today. I’ll have more information by then.”
“All right.” She hesitated, then extended her hand. “Thanks.”
Seth shook it, noting the firmness of her grip. Then, he watched her walk back toward the castle, her shoulders square and her stride purposeful. She was scared, he could tell, but she wasn’t letting it stop her.
Seth pulled out his phone and made another call.
This was going to get complicated fast, and they were going to need all the help they could get.
At least Petra was willing to fight. That was more than he’d hoped for when he’d first watched her trembling hand on that car door.
Now he just had to make sure she lived long enough to turn this situation around.