Chapter 8
The group descended from Nazi war criminals was meeting in secret. Observing the developer from a distance, the failure of their spell and continued major development in the area was infuriating them.
For this group, the forest had been a safe haven. Their parents and grandparents had fully indoctrinated them with the message of the SS. They believed at some point they would rise again. They would purify their race and—with the secrets contained in the occult books—they would become gods.
If tourists invaded the area, it would only be a matter of time before members ofthe entitywere discovered. If anyone realized what their mission was before they obtained the other two books, they wouldn’t stop until there was no chance to realize their destiny.
“I don’t know why he hasn’t left,” the commandant groused. “His child must be suffering. Maybe he just doesn’t care about her.”
Another member frowned. “I cannot imagine a man who could avoid our curse. Who would be so callous to his children—besides maybe us, if sacrifice were absolutely necessary? He must be a monster. He must be stopped.”
The group glanced at each other and spoke among themselves quietly.
“This developer is becoming more than a nuisance,” the commandant said.
His second-in-command nodded. “I wish I could feed him to the crocodiles.”
“My trusted advisor and grandson will find the other books, and then the interlopers won’t matter. We will renew our commitment to world—no,universe—domination.”
“Have they reported any progress on their mission?”
“Apparently, they tracked one book to a neighborhood just outside the city. They cannot pinpoint its location unless it’s in use.”
“What does that mean? Is one of the books in use and the other not?”
“I believe the books are in the hands of someone who knows nothing about how to use them.”
“Or perhaps the books are not together. If one party has one book, and a totally separate party has the other book, they cannot be very useful. The ingredients were put in one book and the words of the spells were put in the other.”
“Yes. And we need them all. All we have is the index and some bits and pieces the elders remembered before they died. We know what the contents of all three books can do. We need those other books!”
“I was thinking about the code. I believe the page numbers refer to the words that go with the correct ingredients, and that is only known to us. If they guess incorrectly and put the wrong pages together, they will either get nothing—”
“Or get the surprise of their lives.” The second-in-command laughed out loud.
“Even that would be helpful, as long as the books aren’t destroyed. If they use the books at all, we can find them.”
“Are you sure they can’t be tracked down unless the books are being used, Commandant?” one of the younger members asked. “How did we find the area they are in?”
“And how do we know both books are in the same area if we’ve only sensed one in use?” asked another.
“Wedid nothing.Itraced the books with a special locator spell,” the second-in-command said and rolled his eyes. “It is a spell only an occult master can perform. I was able to narrow down the location significantly before sending the commandant’s advisor and grandson there. I wouldn’t send them on a futile errand.”
“Of course not. Forgive me,” the young man said.
“So… Have they reported in?” the other young man asked.
“They have. As I mentioned before, one of the books has been used, and they have tracked it to a neighborhood. The exact home is eluding them. How would I know that if they hadn’t checked in?”
The doubter seemed satisfied for the moment, although the commandant was hoping their agents would have made better progress by now.
“Perhaps you can help them with another locator spell?” someone else suggested.
The commandant snorted. “If that were possible, don’t you think I would have instructed one of my SS to do so?”
“Of course, Commandant. I apologize. It’s just very frustrating to watch what’s going on around us, knowing our ultimate mission could be in jeopardy.”
“We are doing everything we can.”
