The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Sixteen - Part Three

“It has everything to do with him.” The man on the right said, speaking harshly. “Everything. That’s why we’re here. You’re Pack Leader is corrupt. He’s a danger to this entire town –”

“Jake!” The other Hunter cut in, silencing him with a heavy look.

“No, I wanna know.” I said. “What has my grandfather done?”

The three of them were silent for a long moment, but I waited patiently. I had all the time in the world to wait for them to reveal my Grandfather’s treacheries. Besides the ring, at the moment, there was nothing else more important to me in the world.

“Lillian claims she doesn’t have anything to do with the sacrifices, but we all know she’s running things from behind the scenes.” said Jake. “She’s organized a small group of her Witches to perform the sacrifices, and it’s one of those Witches we managed to track down. Before she died, she spilled some crap about killing in the name of the one true goddess, and that this goddess would only be satisfied when Charles repented and gave up the key. But the other Witches in the coven will neither deny nor confirm her claims, and Elder Noble isn’t saying a word. Which leaves us with you…”

“What happened to the Witch?” I asked. “The one you tracked down – how did she die?”

“Choked herself to death with her bare hands,” The girl, Sydney, said. She was tall, but her voice indicated that she was younger than me even, and still just a kid. “We couldn’t get to her in time.”

“Really? She choked herself?” I said. “It’s impossible for anyone to choke themselves to death. They’d pass out first. Biology 101.”

“Wow, what an astute observation,” The girl said, with praise that dripped of disdain. “But she was really killed by magic. Someone knew she was talking, so rather than getting involved themselves, they made her take care of herself. Later on, we found a hex bag hidden near the body, and that kind of sealed the deal on our suspicions. Supernatural 101.”

Being schooled by a teenager that had only recently hit puberty was chastening enough to make me realize that I was not as well educated about life as I had thought. Sure, I was quick on my feet, could take down a drunken jock with one blow, and I could strong-arm weaker individuals with only my words for weapons. But there was so much left for me to know and understand about the Supernatural world itself. As a Human, I might have been able to pass as a vet for all my worldly experience, but when it came down to just being Supernatural, I was like a toddler who’d just taken her first step. I was ignorant, and it wasn’t cute.

“Alright, Sydney you made your point.” I said with a grin. “I have a friend who knows a Witch that may or may not have some information.” I said, with a short sigh. “I’ll see what I can find out, but I can’t guarantee you anything. I’ll do what I can though.”

“Good. That’s all we ask.” Marcus said, sounding pleased. “You’re stepping up where your grandfather seems to be falling short, and I respect that, which is why I’ll do you a favor in return. I’ll tell you how you can break that curse for your friend.”

“You would do that?”

“It’s a freebie, Leader Noble. Just this once.”

“Fair enough. But she says that she wasn’t affected by the curse – she’s not in love anymore.”

“Well your friend lied.” Marcus replied. “She has a rash forming on her hand – just another side effect of the ring. True love is what ignites the curse, so likewise it’s what you’ll need to reverse it. All she has to do is be kissed by the one she loves. So you’d better hope the one she has feelings for returns her sentiments. Otherwise, if she takes off that ring, there’s not a single thing anyone is gonna be able to do for her… Besides the obvious.”

“Thanks for the heads up,”

“You’re welcome. We’re going back to Hasting in the morning, but I’m leaving a contact for you here in Harbor. She’s a little unconventional, but she’ll help you out, and pass along information to me until we have a reason to come back. So until then, we’ll be in touch.”

Yeah, but not too soon, I hoped.

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