“Of course not. If he came here and then disappeared, it may be that you’ll see something to give you clues to where he went after. Or if he ran into someone.”
“Thank you, Silke,” Visser said and indicated for Castello to sit.
The demon took the seat closest to her, within striking distance. She was fine with that. The closer he was, the easier it was for her to enter his mind. She kept her energy low, extremely so, not wanting to tip off the demon that she was anything but one of the villagers. She appeared to listen attentively to both Visser and Bakker as they spoke about accessing the cameras, but she allowed her mind to expand, stretch, seek for the entrance to the demon’s mind.
Castello was used to getting his way by using his voice on those around him. He was distracted by her enhanced appearance and the allure surrounding her. Because he concentrated on her so intently, it was easier to access his mind, slipping inside with a thin, almost transparent stream of energy. It was necessary to keep all hints of feminism or humanity from that stream, especially when she went still. Her touch had to be delicate as she acclimated herself to her new surroundings.
All the while, the two policemen and occasionally Ese Jordan would ask her a question. They wanted to know if she’d ever spoken to Drakos without anyone else present. When Ese queried her, she knew the question had really come from Castello. The demon wasn’t risking blowing his cover in front of the two law enforcement men.
Ese Jordan was under Castello’s thumb. Once she merged her mind with his, Silke began to sift through his memories. She found Ese and hundreds of encounters between the demon and the villager. Ese first met him because of his continual gambling and losing so much money, and then, once they connected where Castello could use his voice, Ese fell under his spell. Ese would have sold out his own mother for Castello. He had become a fanatic to the demon’s cause.
Silke began to search for what exactly Castello was looking for. What he and his ragged band of worshipers wanted. It took a few more minutes of politely murmuring the answers to questions as she sifted deeper through the demon’s memories.
Castello had orders to build a following. To shape them into weapons to be used against demon slayers and Carpathian hunters. Not just any Carpathian hunter. Lilith wantedmoreof the ancients.
Benedek, did you get that? That implies Lilith already has at least one ancient with her.
Could she have succeeded in reaching Justice at long last? Perhaps she controls him now.There was a note in Benedek’s voice that warned her that would be a very bad thing.
I don’t see evidence of that yet. I’ll keep looking. He’s planning on killing me to get to my mother. He’s convinced she’s the slayer.
Keep stalling. Only a few more minutes and I will be able to create cloud cover that will seem natural.
Silke continued to examine Castello’s memories.He is tasked with finding the secrets of the forest, or burning it down,she told him. The longer she delved through the demon’s memories, the more she could see how his assignment was vital to Lilith. That would mean he would have extra protections.
Castello shook his head several times and continued to wave his hand toward Ese Jordan so that man would demand the answers the demon wanted. His ultimate goal seemed to be to get Silke to open the door of her home.
“I do believe Ms. Reinders might have important information about Drakos,” Ese said. “She’s most likely the last one to see him, and you know how she can be.”
Silke went on alert. It was important she continue to delve into the demon’s mind. She had to find out how he was made and what protections he had so she could counter them, but Castello and Jordan were carrying out a prearranged plan. She heard it in Ese’s voice and saw it in Castello’s mind.
The demon leaned toward the two police officers, his powerful voice persuasive. “I know you want to find out what happened to my friend and colleague. The answer is inside that house. It wouldn’t hurt for her to at least come to the door and answer your questions. Wedon’t have to go inside.” He used that compelling voice ruthlessly, pushing his will on the two men.
Like most of the villagers, Visser and Bakker had a barrier in their minds that protected them against compulsions. It wasn’t as if that shield couldn’t become flimsy with age. Tora couldn’t possibly get to every single person in the village to keep the barriers strong. She tried to renew the barrier in the villagers within a year’s time, but it wasn’t easy. Not since something was happening at the gate she guarded. She spent a great deal of her time there, concerned that Justice was somehow testing the gate. She didn’t want to let everyone down at the last moment and have the one they referred to as the beast escape into their world. Especially since they didn’t know if Lilith ruled him.
Clouds drifted across the sky, a solid wall of them building into a potential storm. The air changed subtly as shadows fell across the stones.
Don’t show yourself until I delve deep enough to find out his protections,she cautioned Benedek.
Both policemen shook their heads as if to dislodge the sound of Castello’s voice.
“Am I being so unreasonable?” Castello switched to another tone, one almost angelic.
Silke heard it as if nails scraped across a chalkboard. She pushed deeper into his memories. As she did, she caught his plan of attack. He would kill her first with a slash of his ceremonial knife, just in case she was the slayer. Then he would kill Visser. Jordan was programmed to kill Bakker. The bloodbath would be fast, over in a moment. In the end, Jordan would be blamed for killing them all. Meanwhile, he would be able to get to Fenja, the slayer. He thought of her as cowardly and was certain he could torture her into giving all the secrets of the forest to him.
Silke delved deeper, shuffling fast until she came upon one memory Castello had of being surrounded by several mages, Lilith and two shadowy figures. She felt Benedek’s sudden stillness. That didn’t bodewell. The mages and Lilith chanted, the words ugly and dark. They circled Castello in one direction and then switched to counterclockwise as they invoked the spell. Dazzling crystal lights played over Castello the entire time as one of the mages stepped forward, took ahold of the demon by the top of his scalp and none too gently lowered him into a steaming vat of noxious liquid.
Castello screamed and kicked, struggling to get out of the vat while the chant swelled in volume.
They are covering his skin with a protective coating, making him immune to the crystals in the sword,she said, her mind already racing to find solutions.
Castello was jerked from the first vat and then dipped into a second one. This time, the mage spun him in circles, whirling him around as if to coat every part of him.
A second armor, not the same as the first.
To slay Castello, she would have to get past two sets of entirely different armor. She watched as the mage dragged Castello free of the vat and shoved him back into the center of the circle. Immediately, the mages began to chant, casting many dark spells at the demon. Symbols lit up all over his body but never penetrated. The mages stepped back, and the two much larger figures raced forward in a coordinated attack.
Instantly, Silke knew they were vampire. More than vampire, something much more powerful. Even so, no matter what they did to try to rip off the demon’s head or tear at him with ten-inch claws, they couldn’t penetrate the armor. Very slowly the chanting halted, and Lilith beamed at her demon.
