*~*~*~*~*
Around eleven-thirty the next day, Marie made a call to a business associate, someone she used on occasion. This wasn’t his area of expertise but she hoped his particular set of skills would work in her favor and gain her some new information. They agreed to meet up for lunch at the usual place. With that out of the way, Marie went to the bookstore near her house.
Bookends and Beginnings was a small place tucked between two other businesses on a small strip. Occasionally, they would get books dealing with the occult that were more than just the usual myths and legends. She shopped there so often that the staff had started placing the occult books to one side for her. If she was lucky, they might have some in stock. She had exhausted most of her options in relation to low tier demons.
Marie headed to the back. Normally, their occult books were placed towards the front in their new age section. The only exception was the very old and rare books. Those were kept in the back in a glass display case. She skimmed over the covers and labels but nothing stood out to her. Not every old occult book had relevant information. Since she bought so many, she had begun to figure out which authors actually knew what they were talking about and which authors made things up.
The recent new age books almost never had anything worth buying. They had a lot of errors and false information when it came to magic and paranormal creatures. Most likely the authors were normal humans who took one real truth and buried it under a bunch of lies. Not that she was complaining. It was actually better that normal humans never got their hands on any real spells. She didn’t want to have to clean up after a spell went wrong and someone lost an arm or caused an explosion. It just made finding information more difficult. Since there was nothing here, she went back to the front to check. She asked the person behind the counter and they found two books on hold for her. Marie didn’t want to be late for her appointment so she just bought them on the spot without checking them. One errand down, one to go.
Blue Jack was a small cafe located near downtown. Since it was halfway between her house and his, it was the place they usually used for meetings. Burgers and fries were their specialty but they also served several breakfast items no matter the time. At this time of day, it was already starting to fill up. Marie picked a booth towards the back and ordered a coffee while she waited. She picked up one of her books and started flipping through it. She scanned the contents. It was over werewolves but some of the information seemed to be based on myths. Whether all of it was myth based, she would have to check later.
Connor Mathews ambled into the café just as she pulled out the second book. He was wearing a pair of worn out jeans with a faded t-shirt. His long blond hair was tied into a loose ponytail while his hazel eyes searched the restaurant. He finally spotted her and made his way over before sliding into the seat across from her. The waitress came over and took his order. Marie put her book away and waited. Once he was done he turned his attention back to her.
“So how’s it going? Haven’t seen you in— ”
“Two weeks.” The sooner the meeting was done, the sooner she could go back and research some more.
“Right. And?” Connor grinned. They had known each other for a long time and he was already used to the way she was.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re always fine.” He leaned back with a chuckle. “I’m well. Thanks for asking. So what’s the job?”
“There’s a place I need purified.”
“Purification? Lara wasn’t available?” Their conversation was interrupted by the waitress returning with Connor’s drink. Marie took that chance to trace out a spell on the table in order to keep their conversation private. Connor whistled in surprise before leaning in closer. “There’s a special reason you’re coming to me.”
“A demon was recently summoned.”
“What was summoned?” The waitress returned again, this time bringing Connor his burger and fries.
“I’m still investigating.” His eyes widened but he didn’t ask why it took her so long to figure it out. Connor knew that her mentor, the previous Guardian, specialized in demons. He understood how frustrating this was for her. She was lucky Adrian didn’t know. Marie didn’t need him breathing down her neck anymore then he was now.
“Do you think it’s related to what I’m looking for?” For four years, Connor had spent his time searching for the demon that might have had a hand in the disappearance of his childhood friend. All he had was the demon’s name inscribed on a necklace he wore around his neck.
“Maybe.” She didn’t want to get his hopes up over something that probably had nothing to do with his search but if he was able to find out more information for her than she couldn’t pass this chance up.
“Count me in.” They went over the rest of the details, like location and payment, while they ate. Soon after, they parted ways. Marie went back to her house feeling a little more hopeful. This might give her the information she needed.
*~*~*~*~*
She had finished off another pile of books before she remembered her earlier purchase. Marie flipped through it, glancing at the pages. Out of the two books she bought, one of them actually contained relevant information. The book was a journal written by somebody who was very interested in demon summoning. Small, neat writing filled every page along with the occasional diagram and circle. There were even a couple of drawings of demons. She took the book to her study. Marie sat down with a cup of coffee and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen. The journal was flipped open to the first page as she leaned forward and took another sip of coffee. Maybe she would actually get somewhere today.
Ten pages later and she needed a break. The journal had a wealth of information crammed within its pages, unfortunately, nothing was separated into anything resembling sections. One moment the author was talking about the characteristics of a specific demon and on the next page they were talking about the phases of the moon and how it related to demon summoning. She sighed as she stretched. A quick coffee break would help her focus. Marie took her empty cup and left the study. Mark was sitting on the sofa reading a book. He was completely absorbed in whatever he was reading. That was when she remembered that she had left the werewolf book on the sofa.
Normally, when a case wasn’t going on she would read through any new purchases to check if they actually held any worthwhile information. If they didn’t have anything new or were based purely on myths and rumors, she got rid of them. Her study was already filled to the brim with books. She didn’t need duplicates or useless information taking up valuable shelf space. Marie had left the book in the living room to keep it separate until she could get to it. Whenever she got the chance, she was going to go through it but if it was keeping the boy occupied then that was even better. Mark glanced up and quickly closed the book.
“Did you need this?”
“No.” She walked past him and made it as far as the kitchen doorway before he spoke again.
“Um. Is..” He cleared his throat before he continued. “Are there any books on Guardians?” His question caught her off guard for a moment. Were there any books on Guardians? It was something to look into later.
“Not an official one. I don’t know where any unofficial ones are either.”
“Are you really just an observer?”
“Observer?”
“Uh….” He snapped his mouth shut and grimaced but he must have realized it was too late because he continued. “Master said that you’re looking for information to give to your superiors.”
“No, I’m looking for information in order to solve this case.” And any other cases she might have concerning vampires. Whether she would ever get another chance to take on a case involving vampires was something else entirely.
“You won’t tell your superiors?”
“I might.” His face fell. She had the urge to sigh but she stopped herself. “If you found anything out about me, would you tell Adrian?”
“I would.”
“And how is that different?”
“You could use the information against us and— ”
“You wouldn't?” He dropped his gaze as he twisted his hands in his lap. “I don’t plan on sharing anything that would be specifically harmful to you or your clan. I’d only share information about vampires in general. There are other Guardians out there that might need the information to deal with their own cases.” At the meeting held every three years, each of the Guardians shared any new information they had gathered with the others. That reminded her. The next meeting would be coming up soon. Well, it wasn’t like she had to share all the information she acquired and considering how many cases she went through a year, she was able to pick and choose which information she shared. “Why did you want a book on Guardians?”
“That’s because I never heard about you and I wanted to know more.” He glanced at her.
“What did you want to know?” He blinked several times before he opened his mouth.
“Uh. W-What do you do?”
“Help people.”
“How?”
“Depends.” He sighed in frustration as he leaned forward. “Each person is different. Their needs are different.” Mark sighed again as he leaned back and frowned.
“You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?” She smiled.
“Why would I?” Mark looked at her, his eyes wide. She took that chance to go into the kitchen. Marie refilled her cup and headed back into the living room but Mark was nowhere to be seen. Hopefully, the book would keep him occupied for a while.
After another two hours, she took another break. She wanted another cup of coffee to help her keep going now that she felt that she was getting somewhere. One script had finally been deciphered. It didn’t give her very much information to go on but it looked like buying the book was proving to be a good decision.
Marie opened the door and the smell of food filled her study. This morning she had noticed more groceries in the fridge than she had bought and new kitchen utensils were cluttering up her cabinets as well. She didn’t understand why Adrian was going to so much trouble but if it kept him from complaining then she wasn’t going to say anything. The kitchen was empty when she entered. They were probably eating in Mark’s room. The coffee maker was turned off and put up again. At least this time she knew where it was. She took it out and placed it on the counter but now she was missing the coffee pot. Why did he feel the need to move her things? She went back to the cabinet the coffee maker had been but it wasn’t there. Marie opened up the cabinet next to it but it wasn’t in there either. Where was it?
“What are you looking for?” Adrian stepped into the kitchen, carrying a stack of plates. He placed them in the sink before turning towards her.
“The coffee pot. Where did you put it?” He smirked at her as he went to a cabinet on the other side and pulled out the coffee pot. She took it and started up the coffee maker as he leaned against the counter next to her. “Don’t move my things.”
“Find anything new?” She thought about not telling him but she did say she would tell him any information she gained regarding the circle. And he did ask.
“I deciphered one of the script used in the spell. Blind.”
“What does that mean?”
“All summoning circles have restrictions in place within the ritual itself to protect the summoner. With this circle, they added something extra. Making the demon blind.”
“Why would they make the demon blind?”
“My guess would be that the demon has special abilities related to their eyes and the summoner didn’t want it used against them.”
“Can this be used to figure out which demon they summoned?”
“Not really. It narrows it by a little but not enough.” It was a common ability for a demon to have. The coffee maker beeped, signaling it was ready. She turned around and poured herself a cup. Dishes clattered behind her and she assumed he was putting things away. Whatever he had been cooking smelled good. Her stomach growled in agreement. It had been a while since she had eaten. When she turned around, he held a plate of food out to her. It held pieces of sliced chicken with macaroni on the side.
“Here.” Marie took it but was confused as to why he was giving it to her. “It’s not poisoned.” She frowned. Poison wasn’t something she ever worried about.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Not hungry?”
“I’m fine.” Her stomach betrayed her by growling again. An amused smile crossed his face.
“Really?” Might as well taste it.
“Thank you.” Marie picked up the fork and speared a piece of chicken. She gingerly took a bite and was surprised. It was good. Like something she would have eaten in a restaurant. She tried the macaroni next. Not as good as the chicken but still good. Marie glanced at Adrian to find him staring at her. Did he need something else? He wasn’t talking so she ignored him as she ate. When she was done, she put the plate in the sink. Marie could clean up using magic but she didn’t want him to react to her use of magic. It was better to just put the plate in the sink for now. She could always clean up later. He was still staring at her as she turned around. “Did you need something else?”
“Have you gone back to the apartment?”
“No.” Why was he asking? Was he worried she was investigating behind his back?
“I want to go back tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“I want to see if I missed anything.” His eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t go back?” Connor would check the building out tomorrow morning. After that, it wouldn’t matter if Adrian went back.
“We can go tomorrow.” He left it at that but she could tell there was something on his mind. She turned to refill her cup but when she turned back, he was gone. With any luck, she would gain some new information tomorrow and quickly put an end to this case.
Comments (0)
See all