CHAPTER#109

"Yeah. Where are you going?"

"Out." Lily gave her a quick hug. "I'll tell you more when I get back."

"Okay, thanks." Dana watched Lily leave, determination written on her face. Looking back at Zel, she watched the centaur pulling various vials out of the tool bench she had commandeered. A veritable apothecary was constructed on the bench, Zel identifying different compounds. After watching the centaur for several minutes, Dana felt another pang in her stomach, this one worse than the rest. Determined to take her mind off of her hunger, she stuck her hand in her pocket for her phone. Maybe a few rounds of Sweet Smasher would help take her mind off of it.

Her fingers curled against the bottom of her pocket. Baffled, Dana stuck her hand in her other pocket. It was empty to. Standing up, she looked around, wondering if she had set it down.

"What's wrong?" Zel asked, concern on her face. She was holding a vial of something that looked like tree sap in one hand and a pinecone in the other.

"I can't find my phone."

-

"Progress." Daryl patted Kali on the knee, tucking away his phone. "For what it's worth, you did a far better job than Sebastien did. He barely got in the door."

"What are you talking about?"

"My plan worked. Let this be a reminder that human kindness is little more than a weakness to be exploited." He opened his car door. "I'll be back in just a few minutes. Don't go anywhere."

"I should come with you," Kali said.

"Absolutely not. With the succubus here, his attention will be elsewhere, meaning I will have some extra time to sort out what she is bringing me." Daryl stepped out of the car, tossing a dash of powder across the roof. "And if you do get out, your wounds will undo themselves. Won't stop you, but it will wreck your day."

"This is a betrayal!" Kali yelled, but Daryl shut the door in her face. If what Dana had told him was true, he was about to become the most powerful member of the Society.

"You were right," he said, thinking of Sarah. "You were right this whole time." He pulled out his phone, checking the text one more time while walking up the front walk.

Mike has a book. Calls it a Grimoire? Has an apple on the cover. I'm sneaking it out - meet me on the front step in ten minutes.

It took every fiber of his being not to skip. He and Sarah had had many conversations about what powerful artifacts the house could be hiding, but the Grimoire of Morgan le Fey, the most powerful sorceress in history, was a veritable gold mine. Rumored to be part fairy, Morgan possessed spellcraft that was near the level of a divine being, and rumors had abounded for centuries that she had written her methods into a spell book so simple that even an ordinary human would be able to cast some of the most complex spells.

It all made sense now. How Mike had managed to stymie the efforts of the Society, make Sarah disappear, and even soundly defeat a sand golem with no preparation. It was like having a gun in a knife fight.

But what was possible in the hands of the magically adept? Sarah had told him that the knowledge of even a single page could bring an army to its knees, could change how magic itself was understood. Out of all the possibilities, this was the one that held so much promise for him! Even an hour alone with the book would be all the time he needed to transcend to a higher plane of knowledge, to understand himself on a fundamental level, to achieve true immortality without forfeiting what was left of his soul!

His forehead had broken into a cold sweat. Standing just in front of the steps of the house, he was surprised to suddenly notice the car that had been crashed there earlier. Kali had mentioned it, but it must have slipped his mind. Waiting patiently, he heard the front door open.

Dana stumbled out, her face a mask of pain, clutching a massive book against her chest. It was easily the size of a suitcase, and clearly heavy.

"Come, let's get away from here," he said, waving her down the steps. Dana stumbled, gasping in pain and crashing to the ground at his feet.

"Please," she begged. "Make the pain stop." He saw that she was already beginning to turn, her hair having faded to gray.

"Oh, silly girl." He knelt by her body. "You have given me a wonderful gift. For this, I must thank you."

"Bring me back to life. Please." Dana's blue eyes had faded to gray, her life force dimming. "I did what you asked."

"I have no intention of any such thing." Daryl grabbed the book and pulled. Dana wasn't very heavy, but she clung to the book like a drowning rat to a log.

"The hunger then. Make it stop."

"This is just the first step," he told her. "If you want the hunger to stop then give... me... the book!" He tugged between the words, but it still wouldn't slide free. "Let go of it before they hear you!"

"You said you would let me die. I want to see Alex again." Dana was sobbing now, holding to the book even tighter. "Please, let me go!"

"I will let you go when I am done with you!" Daryl had rolled her over enough to see that the book was glowing in her arms, scattering blue light. He started punching the girl, knowing that she wouldn't feel any pain, but hoping she would take the hint and give him what he wanted. She slapped back at him, striking him weakly on the head and neck. "And this book is just the start, so let go god dammit!" With a powerful yank, he fell over backward, the heavy Grimoire laying on top of him. Scrambling to his feet, he started running back to the car. His heart was pounding in his chest, his limbs trembling in excitement. He had done it! He had stolen what the house had protected for so long.