“You keep strange company,” she told me. “It is very odd how one so young and powerless can attract such trouble.”
“So it’s dangerous.” If it was, I was returning it first thing. If the book keeper wouldn’t take it, I was burning it. Fire was a purifying agent in all sorts of religions. Books and fire were notorious for not mixing well. Chances were fire would destroy it, ending any potential trouble it could bring me.
“Not necessarily.” She thought about it before coming to an internal agreement. “At least not at the moment. Not to you, anyway.”
That wasn’t cryptic or anything.
“It can move on its own and the text changes sometimes,” I told her.
She nodded but didn’t seem particularly surprised. “It’s sentient and powerful. It’s learning you. What makes you tick, what motivates you, what interests you. That’s why the information seems to change. It’s parsing what it thinks you need to know and feeding it to you.”
I looked down at the book. If I’d wanted a roommate, I would have moved in with my sister, Jena, and her daughter.
“Why not just give me all the information?”
“Knowledge is power. In the wrong hands, it can do an untold amount of damage.”
“How very conscientious of it,” I said in a dry voice.
“Not necessarily. Items such as these rarely have a conscious in terms that human’s understand. At the moment, you fit in its plans and it’s on your side. For now.” She cocked her head. “I’m actually surprised you drew something of this power. You’re still too close to your human self to normally be attractive to such an item. There must be hidden depths to you.”
Just what every girl wants to hear. That she’s a magnet for weird and supernatural items of power.
I rubbed my head. At least I had an answer now. The book wasn’t outright dangerous and could wait to be dealt with until the current events had resolved themselves.
“I’m guessing telling me about that book isn’t why you’re here,” I said.
“No, it is not.”
“I’m surprised to see you. I kind of thought you planned to avoid me after the conversation with Sarah. What brings you to my part of town at this time of night?” I asked, stepping back to lean against the fridge and fixing Miriam with an intent stare. I was curious to see what she had to say.
“What friend were you making inquiries after regarding the hex?” Miriam asked.
I straightened. “Why do you want to know?”
“I may know something, but I need more information before I know if it will be helpful.”
“Tell me what you know, and I’ll decide that.”
“I can’t do that. This information is dangerous. I would prefer only to speak it if the matter at hand can be directly impacted by it.”
I studied her, weighing the wisdom of revealing what I knew. There was a reason for my secrecy, but if she did have the answer to my problem it might be worth taking the risk.
“How much do you know about the selection?” I asked.
“Not much. They’re quite secretive about the process.”
“I’m guessing they’re not quite so secretive about the results.”
Her lips quirked in a half smile. “Yes, they think they have the power to act as the presiding authority over the rest of the community.”
“Bet that goes over well.” I’d had enough interaction with spooks to know that they didn’t take orders well, especially when those orders came from someone who didn’t have authority over them.
“There have been skirmishes in the past. Vampires are powerful so their hold over their territories vary depending upon whether that power is stronger than those who live in it.”
“And this territory? Are there any who can challenge the power grab?”
She thought about it. “The werewolf alpha is uncommonly powerful. His pack has grown in recent years. He would be one. The witch coven is another.”
