Curse of Ravens // Mikaelson

35 More Useful to me Dead

Aleksandr and I stepped into the greenhouse, no longer in our astral form, we received the full effect of the humid climate within the building. The scent of fertile soil, flowers, and the earth hit me like a brick as we stepped inside. Otherwise, everything else was the same as it was when we visited in a weightless manner. Our boots lightly tapped on the ground as we strolled further inside. The air was warm, and a fly buzzed in the room.

The greenhouse was located behind a nursery/witchy gift shop duo. The store front was closed that day, so Aleksandr and I let ourselves in the back. He walked back over to where the altar was, but he immediately stopped as the other door to the greenhouse opened and in walked a man with shoulder-length hair. The warlock was tall, with a tee shirt and jeans on. His bare arms suggested he hit the gym more often than anyone else his age. His hair and scruffy beard was speckled with grey and silver.

We saw him immediately, and he saw us immediately. There was something foreign about the bone structure in his face, something ancient and strange. There was a look in his eyes, like he had seen more than he should have for one lifetime.

"Vikings." He recognized our magic instantly. His voice was thick with a German accent. The warlock set down the pot he held in his hands on the table, walking slowly to the center of the room. I studied him curiously, picking up something unusual about him and the energy in the room once he entered. I parted my lips to inhale, and could taste the air.

"What do you want from me?" The warlock looked between Aleksandr and me, casually grabbing clipping tools to trim the plant in his pot. He was trying to appear casual, but it was fairly obvious that the man was completely unnerved about our presence.

"Ostendo." I hissed the revealing spell, and the man jolted as the magic hit him. Across his bare arms, lines exposed themselves all over his skin. Kramer marks. "There's no way." I breathed.

"I do not want trouble with Hela witches." His shoulders tensed. I saw the sand before Aleksandr. The man moved to throw it, and I was across the room in a moment, tackling Aleksandr out of the way as the red sand flittered to the floor. The man flipped the table over towards us, using any means to make his escape. The plants on top of the table all came onto the floor, coming out of their pots and soil. Pots shattered or broke, and dirt went everywhere.

"Knele!" I snarled, scrambling to my feet. Already having opened the door, the man dropped to his knees. Aleksandr brushed off his pants as he stood, eyes widened at the suddenness. I walked towards the man on his knees and looked down at him. His lips were pressed into a firm line.

"You're the one using Kramer marks." Aleksandr realized.

"That's not why he tried to run." I told my companion, holding the man's gaze. "He's not just using Kramer marks, this is Heinrich Kramer." I felt my heart beating wildly in my chest, a sort of confused panic setting my nerves on fire.

"That isn't possible." Aleksandr answered.

"Escaping the grave isn't a huge feat, not in this city." I remind Alek.

"You did not know." Kramer's bushy eyebrows came together and he looked from me to him. "You are not witch catchers?" I shared a glance with Aleksandr. He was so genuine. His inquiry was so confused. "Hela does not know I am alive?"

"Okay." I take a deep breath, gathering my wits before I dove in. I still had a job to do. "Here is how this is going to go, Heinrich Kramer." I felt my wolf fangs prick my lip and I exposed them a little while I talked, just to emphasize that I was the one in control. "You're going to answer my questions, or I will make you wish that we were mere Witch Catchers. Is that understood?"