Caron sweeps his gaze over Hawthorne and blanches. “We all thought the gods abandoned this world. When Bennett realized they might still be in play, he became hyper focused on why. He started delving into Phaedra’s past, tracing every miniscule lead, and eventually, came up with the theory that she was the one who opened the portals.”
“How?” Hawthorne interjects in a hard tone.
Caron shrugs. “He’s not exactly the sharing type but he has a library of ancient texts that he’s accumulated over time. My guess is he found enough evidence to support the theory.”
I exchange a worried glance with Hawthorne.
Caron continues. “At first, he worried about Phaedra finding a way to open the portals again. If that happened, he thought the gods would force all the supernaturals to leave and magic would slowly die out. Magic is his lifeblood. The thought of it not existing terrified him. Not only did he start tracking Phaedra’s every movement, but he also started collecting Greek artifacts and destroying them.”
My brow furrows in confusion, and he clarifies. “He didn’t know what vessel she used to open the portals the first time. History books are sort of vague about that detail.”
Caron sighs. “Bennett made a huge mistake, though. One of his vampire contacts told him about the ancient Greek panel and key Nolan had in his collection. Bennett approached Nolan, toldhim he was an avid collector, and offered to buy the items from him. Curious, Nolan invited him to his manor to talk about it. When he got there, he showed it to him. The second Bennett saw the gods depicted on the top panel, he realized it was important, but he failed to hide his excitement from Nolan.”
His voice drops. “And we all know, Nolan was a wily old bastard. He was immediately intrigued. Why would a powerful mage like Bennett care about ancient Greek artifacts? So, he refused to sell him the pieces. Then he started digging into Bennett.”
Bennett is amage? Is he the one we’ve been looking for all along? According to Caron, he’s powerful, connected, and driven. The pieces fit. My senses are tingling, the way they always do when we’re close to finding our enemy.
“Damn. Bennett killed Nolan,” Hawthorne interjects, bringing me back to the discussion.
“He did,” Caron confirms. “He knew that if Nolan died, his collection would be put up for auction. Available for the taking. At least until the next successor was chosen.”
Hawthorne’s eyes dart to mine, realization in their depths.
“Unfortunately, Letz decided to take the panel and key and sell them, setting off a chain of events none of us anticipated.” Caron’s voice is rough, as if all this is getting to him. “Bennett sent me to collect the items before they got to Sia and Dr. Kline.”
He darts a nervous look around us, then moves closer. Hawthorne tenses, ready to intercept, but I give him a subtle sign to stand down. “Then Sia was killed and the top panel stolen by humans. Bennett didn’t know the humans were working with both mages and vampires, so he assumed Phaedra took it.”
“She doesn’t have it,” I insert in a tone that leaves no doubt.
“I know,” he murmurs to my surprise. “He sent men to break into her condo. They told Bennett she didn’t have the panel or key.” Magic races around my fingers, aching to be releasedagainst the elf in front of me. “He eventually figured out Letz still had the key. He tracked him to the warehouse where he was meeting with Phaedra. It was his men who attacked the council’s security forces that day.”
All those men he killed. And… “He killed Letz. Didn’t he?”
Caron gulps. “Not him personally, but one of the humans he recruited.” He winces as he says it, knowing the distinction won’t matter.
Blowing out a careful breath, I draw a circle with my finger, and a magical noose slips around Caron’s neck. He stiffens and claws at it, but he doesn’t have the power to remove it. Amused, I smile as he slowly realizes he’s dealing with two very pissed-off supernaturals who could break him with very little effort. Hawthorne raises a brow, and I sigh at his silent message. We need more info. I let the noose dissolve.
The information swirls around my brain as I try to connect all the dots, but it feels like something is missing. “Bennett created the knife. The one that slices through magic.” The one that killed Letz, and probably all the other magical gadgets too, like the spectrometer that identifies supernaturals.
Caron’s gaze drops as he nods. “Bennett likes to combine human objects with magic, changing their form and purpose. It suits his sense of irony and feeds the injustice he feels because the gods made us agree to the treaty, the one where we have tohidefor the rest of our lives.”
His tone suggests he agrees with Bennett on this subject. Does everyone who’s a part of Harlequin feel that way? It’s concerning that a powerful underground organization opposes the status quo, especially as we now know the gods are still watching.
Hawthorne tilts his head and considers Caron’s words. “I assume the vampires know Bennett killed Nolan. Is that whythey had the humans steal the top panel from Sia? So, they could wage war against the mages?”
“Yes and no,” Caron confirms, but his next words throw us for a loop. “They know Bennett killed Nolan, and they’re at war with the mages and rebelling against the council. But they only think they have the top panel. They don’t.”
Hawthorne and I look at each other with a frown.
Caron takes a deep breath. “Letz had the panel and key stashed separately. But I was able to get a hold of the top panel before it left England. I created a copy and switched it with the original before it got to Sia.”
I shoot him an incredulous look. That was unexpected. No wonder the pieces wouldn’t fit together. We were missing an important variable. Him.
He lifts his hands. “I had to. At first, Bennett wanted to destroy the panels, but he changed his mind. He thinks whoever holds the box will control the portals, and he wants that power. Badly. What he’ll do with it, I don’t know, but it won’t be good.”
“You have the panel?” Hawthorne asks.
“Bennett doesn’t know, but yes,” Caron cautiously confirms.
