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Lochlan smiled despite the pain in his eyes. “Your enthusiasm warms an old man’s heart, Indy.”
She winked at him. “You aren’t old Lochlan. You are experienced. Kinda hot too.”
Kaine threw his hands in the air. “Dammit Indy. Stop flirting with the master. You are too old for it.”
Daryn and I glanced away, but it was difficult not to smile. We both knew she wasn’t serious, and her teasing made Lochlan’s smile reach his eyes.
Daryn cleared his throat. “Since we have established that Lochlan is still... hot. Can we focus on the demons? Marlin pulled the memories from the humans who witnessed the last demon coming into town. It was a Stragoi, and it appeared sickly. Marlin suspected that it was sickly due to us strengthening the gate, but it must be the change in diet. They are surviving, but they are not at full strength due to the animal blood.”
Lochlan shook his head. “Meat eaters could survive on animals, but not the Stragoi. They need human blood.”
Kaine typed into his phone. “There was a theft at a blood bank a week ago. I bet if we investigate, we will find others in surrounding towns. The blood drinkers are stealing the blood, but that doesn’t explain why the Stragoi would be sickly.”
Lochlan sighed. “Stragoi need fresh blood. The bagged version will keep them alive, but the older the blood, the less nourishment it provides.”
Kaine huffed. “Lochlan is right. A blood drive at the mall wasattacked as the Red Cross was packing up. Someone stole the van with the day’s... donations.”
Daryn put his hands on his hips. “We don’t usually track mundane attacks, but we need to start. The demons were smart. They stuck to outlying areas and places we wouldn’t suspect. The attacks appeared to be mundane in nature.”
Indy nodded. “It’s weird though, right? How does a demon ignore its nature? That’s like telling a mountain lion to go vegan.”
Laine huffed. “You’re not wrong. They are definitely going out of their way to stay off our radar. It’s like they fear something greater than the hunters.”
I zipped my light jacket tighter. “Worse. It’s like they fear something more dangerous than the king.”
Lochlan ran his hand over his bald head. “That fits with your god theory. If we have a rogue god then we will need Hecate’s help.”
I shook my head. “They can’t interfere here. If a god is orchestrating this, then he or she is using a descendant. They can communicate with their own bloodline. It has to be a witch or warlock with ties to a god.”
Daryn glanced toward the one glowing room at the rear of the museum. The records room was still warded, and the protection shield sent a soft glow of light pulsing through the darkness. “A witch or warlock would not have had access to the museum unless they were on the council. If we have another traitor, we need to know. That doesn’t explain why the demons are acting so strangely, either. They wouldn’t fear a single supernatural that way. This has to be something else.”
Lochlan crouched down and picked up a remnant of a clay pot. The etchings on the side made it appear Greek in origin. “There are remnants of the artifacts here, but something seems off. I think Daryn is correct. They destroyed the museum to steal one item. Or to destroy the one item the perpetrator feared?”
Daryn motioned to the charred sword. “Were all the ancient hunter weapons destroyed?”
Lochlan stood, dropping the shard of clay. “Most of them. I have a couple in the documents room. That is the only part of the museum to go unscathed in the attack.”
Daryn glanced toward the glowing room. “Let’s have a look. We will have everything transported to the base. Hopefully, there is something in the scrolls and ancient texts that will help us.”
As we cautiously approached the entrance to the documents room in the rear of the ravaged museum, I couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope amidst the devastation. This room had somehow survived the merciless onslaught. Its new ward had safeguarded against the merciless destruction that had befallen the rest of the building.
The air crackled with anticipation as we drew nearer to the room, and the faint, otherworldly glow emanated from its threshold. The soft, ethereal light danced before us, casting a warm and inviting aura. It was as though the room itself beckoned us to enter, standing as the lone sentry to the museum’s secrets.
Daryn took the lead as we crossed the ward that protected the room. The air inside was different, charged with an energy that was both palpable and mysterious. The walls were lined with shelves and cabinets, each one filled with ancient scrolls, parchments, and tomes that held the stories and prophesies of generations past.
As we approached the table at the center of the room, my fingers brushed lightly against the cover of a book Lochlan or Marty had been reading before the blast. The room’s protection ward pulsed gently, as though acknowledging our presence.
We may not have all the answers yet, but this room held the key to unraveling the mysteries of the museum’s destruction. Together, we would sift through the ancient documents, piecingtogether the puzzle, and uncovering the truth that had eluded us thus far.
Daryn moved his finger in a circle. “How did this ward stay active?”
Lochlan sat down at the table and moved the ancient book to the side. “You suspected the bomb was brought in on an artifact. If that is true, then it was in the museum, but outside this room. Marty and I combined our magic to create this ward. We planned to update the exterior wards, but that still wouldn’t have prevented a blast that came from within the museum’s walls.”
Daryn nodded. “That makes sense.” His eyes moved over the documents room slowly and I could understand his reverence.
The soft, inviting glow of the protection ward bathed the space in a gentle light, casting a warm embrace over the room’s contents. Lochlan, our most astute historian and master, sat at the lone table in the center of the room. His presence was a reassuring anchor in this sea of ancient knowledge and uncertainty.
The room was a treasure trove of history, a sanctuary of secrets and wisdom that had withstood the test of time. Shelves lined the walls, their wooden surfaces groaning under the weight of ancient texts, scrolls, and tomes. The knowledge they held spanned centuries, and the delicate scent of aged parchment hung in the air like a fragrant tapestry of the past.
