Page 23 of Cursed
When they were finished, the server topped off their coffee and left the pot.
“Rowan briefed me on the basics.” Kinsley stirred sugar into her cup. “I’ve heard of Sterling Vernon and so has every witch in a hundred miles of Savannah. But all I know is that he’s trouble. Dark magic practically oozes out of his pores if you have anypsychic ability. He’s got his hangers-on, but the covens and the more powerful witches stay out of his way.”
“Has anyone ever gone up against him?” Seth wondered how Vernon kept his century-long lock on power.
“We don’t go looking for trouble.” Kinsley fixed him with a look. “He runs a restaurant, and he’s got connections to a shipping company, but that doesn’t interfere with coven priorities. He leaves other witches alone.”
“What about the monsters that live in the city?” Evan looked up from his coffee. “Do the covens have any dealings with them?”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” Kinsley said. “Do you mean the politicians at City Hall or the supernatural beings?”
Evan raised an eyebrow. “Touché. I mean the paranormal creatures. Vampires, werewolves, succubi—the kind of beings that exist in every city under the radar.”
“As long as the truces hold, we mostly ignore each other,” Kinsley replied. “Rule Number One: don’t call attention to magic and the paranormal. Rule Number Two: don’t kill the mundanes. And Rule Number Three: don’t leave bodies around that are going to break Rule Number One if you break Rule Number Two.”
Seth wasn’t surprised that the supernatural community was divided, but it made it difficult to get the kind of insider information that would help uncover Vernon’s weak spots.
“That doesn’t mean there aren’t individual exceptions,” she added with a smirk. “I have a friend who is a vampire and another who is a necromancer. They’re both relatively young, as those folks go, on their first normal lifespans. I trust them with my life, and so does the coven. I’ve already spoken with them, and they’ve got no love for Vernon. They’re willing to help, for what it’s worth.”
“That could be worth quite a lot if push comes to shove,” Evan replied. “Because someone is killing the cryptids and supernatural creatures that Vernon is serving for dinner at his secret restaurant. That means no one is safe.”
Seth agreed, and technically Evan was right. But Seth had learned that supernatural creatures had their own pecking order and generally considered their own sort to be superior to all the others. Over the centuries, there had been alliances and betrayals, so which groups were currently friendly or at odds constantly shifted.
“I think you’re right, but it could be a tough sell to convince the other groups that they’re vulnerable. Especially if Vernon is only going after the beast-like cryptids that aren’t human-based,” Kinsley agreed. “There’s still a lot of bias. Vernon would know how to play into that to keep himself and his enterprise safe.”
“We don’t know when Vernon is going to make his move against Pax, but it’ll be soon, especially if he has an inkling that we’re in town,” Seth said.
“What’s your next move?” she asked.
“Every witch-disciple has a protective amulet and an anchor for their magic. Together they provide protection and a well of power to draw on,” Evan said. “We think Vernon’s amulet is the necklace we’ve seen in several pictures. We’re still trying to figure out the anchor, but our guess is that it may be an old ship’s wheel. We need to find it and destroy it before we disrupt the ritual. It’ll weaken him.”
“Easier said than done,” Kinsley replied.
“Seth and I think Vernon knows who we are, so we don’t dare go to his regular restaurant, and we’re too human to try to go to his monster joint,” Seth replied. “We’re going to ask a couple of local allies to go to his normal restaurant and see if they spot the anchor.”
“I know we just met you, and this is a lot to ask, but do you think your vampire friend might be able to infiltrate the monster restaurant?” Evan asked. “Once we know where the anchor is, we can make plans to destroy it.”
Kinsley took a moment to answer, and Evan considered it a win that she didn’t refuse outright. “Maybe. It’ll be up to him, of course. But I’ll ask.”
“Thank you,” Seth replied, looking relieved.
“Vernon is vulnerable during the ritual. That’s when we have to strike. If we can keep him from taking Pax, he’s going to choose another sacrifice. It won’t give him nearly as much of a boost as one of the original descendants of the deputies who killed Gremory, but without it, he’s weaker and he knows it,” Evan added.
“You’re both descendants?” Kinsley seemed to be putting it all together.
“Yeah. My brother got killed instead of me,” Seth replied. “And my father. Others too, farther back. Evan was the target for that disciple.” He tried to keep his expression blank, ignoring memories of his nightmare.
“I lost family,” Evan said. “This whole thing has gone on too long. So we’re putting an end to it.”
Kinsley’s expression suggested that she also had felt the pain of losing someone to violence or dark magic. “I will do everything in my power to help you and rally helpers. I’m trusting you a lot on Rowan’s say-so. Don’t put my people in needless danger, or that protective magic will show you it has teeth.”
“Understood,” Seth replied, and Evan nodded.
Kinsley looked up as a young man with white-blond hair maneuvered through the tables to join them.
“This is Tristan,” she told them. “My necromancer friend. Tristan, meet Seth and Evan, the hunters I told you about.”
“Great to meet you.” Tristan’s boyish looks made Seth wonder how old the other man was, and guessed that he was probably in his mid-twenties.
