A Legacy of the Damned: Daughter of Astaroth

Chapter 50 - Through Yokai's Eyes

"We have investigated your concern and found out that your suspicion is correct," one of the gentlemen is saying. I wasn't paying attention before, but now I notice that one of the men who came with Olivier is quite old. Older than Antoine. Another gentleman is probably about Antoine's age. "One of the Grimoires is indeed in the possession of an Italian entrepreneur, Mr. Baggio Pappalardo," continues the older man.

"Good job, Angelo," says Sacha, nodding his head. "Pappalardo must have the third or the second Grimoire in his possession."

"What made you suspect that Pappalardo has one of the Grimoires in the first place?" asks Antoine.

"It was just a hunch," replies Sacha. "Danica has brought it to my attention that Astaroth has the fourth Grimoire and is actively seeking the rest of them, including the one in our possession.

"Now, Astaroth isn't going to win the best father of the year award but his offsprings are his valuable assets. It seems to me that Astaroth is determined to hand Danica over to Pappalardo even though the bastard is known for his violent ways with women." The muscles in his jaw tick and he's almost growling through his clenched teeth when he continues, "Astaroth must have known that he won't ever see his daughter alive again once Pappalardo gets his hands on her, yet he is still willing to trade her for something. But for what? Money isn't big enough motivation for him to lose one of his princesses for good, so it has to be something bigger."

"And now we know for sure that something bigger is one of the Grimoires," supplies Antoine, nodding thoughtfully.

"If Pappalardo is willing to part with the Grimoire, then he doesn't know the real value of the book," comments Olivier.

"He's a human. Just another collector of artifacts and relics," Angelo announces. "We need to move the Grimoire in our possession to another location if Astaroth's daughter is now aware that it is kept here. We also need to find a way to get the Grimoire from Pappalardo before it falls into Astaroth's hands."

"That's easy," says the younger man beside Angelo. "Pappalardo is willing to part with the Grimoire in exchange for Danica Saint and we have Danica Saint."

In a blink of an eye, Sacha has the man pinned to the table, face down and arms painfully twisted behind his back. All the other Nephilims in the room clamor to their feet.

"What are you suggesting, Victor?" growls Sacha, pushing his head down on the shiny wooden surface of the table.

Victor winces and grunts. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't really mean it that way..."

Antoine holds his hand up. "Sacha...son," he says in a calm voice.

Sacha's jaw is tight and his nostril flares. He holds the man down for a few more seconds before he abruptly releases him. Then as though nothing happens, he calmly folds his tall figure back on his chair. His expression is cool and unreadable.

Victor stands up and flexes his arms before he straightens his collar and sits down with a scowl on his face.

The other Nephilims find their seats much slower and more warily than the two.

Olivier clears his throat. "Speaking of Astaroth's daughter, the majority of the Seniors and the Advisors are concerned about your intention of choosing her as your life partner."

Sacha's steely gaze flickers to his friend. "As I mentioned before, I don't need anyone's permission in choosing a wife." He sounds calm but the tightness of his jaw indicates that he's trying to contain his fury.

"But your decision will affect us all. If she betrayed us, the consequences are deadly," protests Victor. "An armageddon. The end of the world and humanity as we know it. We can't take that chance."