“There’s precedent,” Priya said, which didn’t quell the irritated sigh coming through Curtis’ line. “Bailey used his connection with the Seattle Night Court to get close to the Cascade Coven, and that’s been overall helpful, if a headache on other fronts.”
“The body the Cascade Coven had in their basement is that of John Adler, whose spirit turned into a poltergeist and has held a very long grudge against the master vampire here. The attack this morning was initiated by Caitlin Adler’s coven, which lends credibility to Takoma being the target,” Spencer said.
“Do you have proof?” Maricela asked.
Spencer sighed. “The Night Court isn’t exactly willing to give up the hunters, and the new laws that came into effect after the Battle of Samhain give them the right to handle the intruders as they see fit.”
“You mean murder them,” Curtis said.
“They attacked the heart of the Seattle Night Court, going after the master vampire, who holds territory that encompasses almost the entire state of Washington. Do you really think the vampires were ever going to give them up after that? I didn’t fight them for the hunters, but I got them to agree I could take in the coven mage.”
“The laws do allow for Night Courts to hand down their own justice when attacked in their territory so long as it doesn’t spill over into the mundane world,” Priya reluctantly agreed.
“They kept to the property.”
“And where is that location, exactly?” Maricela asked.
“I’m not in the business of handing out private information belonging to a confidential informant.”
“It pertains to the case.”
“Takoma and his safety pertain to the case, not the whereabouts of his Night Court’s heart. The vampires aren’t the target of the SOA here; the Cascade Coven is.”
“I find your defense of this master vampire concerning,” Curtis said.
“Takoma is one of the master vampires who aided the United States government in the Battle of Samhain. We have an avenue of communication open with him because of that and which Bailey has cultivated, and I want to keep it that way for now,” Priya said.
“Yes, ma’am.” Curtis didn’t sound thrilled about that, but he didn’t fight Priya on her decision. Not that many would if they wanted to keep their job.
“The Ouroboros Mirror has been the focus of this case from the beginning, and we’re nowhere close to finding it. We’re just unearthing new problems,” Maricela said, sounding frustrated.
Spencer cleared his throat. “I have a theory about that.”
“Then let’s hear it.”
“When I exorcised the demon out of Special Agent Ross, it mentioned a Duke. We dealt with some of the hierarchies of hell during the Battle of Samhain. If the Cascade Coven has the Ouroboros Mirror, they’d need a body for the Duke to possess if they brought that demon over, but they need to bring the demon over first.”
“That’s what the Ouroboros Mirror is for.”
“We don’t know that for certain. But if they wanted to try to control a high-ranking demon, they’d need a pretty strong sacrifice. Werecreatures won’t cut it. A master vampire would.”
“None of the Cascade Coven members practice black or blood magic based on our research.”
“The Adler family is private enough no one even knew they worshipped the dead in their home or are quite possibly a hunter group on top of their coven affiliation.”
Wade came out of the pantry just then, arms full of snacks, which he dumped on the kitchen island that was still covered in dried blood. Spencer made a face at him, but Wade just arched an eyebrow and started sorting his haul into an order that only made sense to him.
Maricela let out a frustrated sigh. “We don’t have enough evidence right now to get another warrant. Unless the mage you bring in is willing to talk, which is doubtful, we’re still in limbo.”
“And if we find the Ouroboros Mirror during the course of the Cascade Coven targeting the Night Court? What then?”
“Then your confidential informant becomes a party to the criminal proceedings and a witness,” Priya said.
Spencer winced, knowing Takoma wasn’t going to like that one bit. “I’ll bring the mage to a hospital. Someone will need to watch her since she’ll be in custody, and it can’t be me.”
“I’ll send Ross to see if she’ll talk and a couple of other agents for guard duty. Text me what hospital you’re going to,” Maricela said.
“The Night Court agreed to let me take pictures of the hunters. I’ll send those to the field team so our analysts can start IDing them. It’s long odds that they’re in the hunter database, but if we can tie them more thoroughly to the Cascade Coven, maybe it’ll be enough to get another warrant or, at the very least, a subpoena.”
