Page 76 of Immortal Unveiled

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It was after dark when Manus, Kim, and Grayson arrived in the lost portal that was hidden in one of the subway tunnels in the San Francisco Mission district, close to Scanguards’ headquarters. While Grayson walked straight to his father’s company headquarters, Manus hailed a cab and had Kim and himself driven to the Corona Heights neighborhood, where Virginia lived with her witch husband, Wesley.

He’d asked Logan to call ahead to make sure Virginia would be expecting them and to fill her in on the essentials without telling her too much either. After all, Virginia was a member of the Council of Nine, the Stealth Guardians’ ruling body, and if she was made aware of how many rules Manus had broken when it came to Kim, she would have to report him to the Council.

The house was a Victorian like so many in San Francisco. Wesley had bought it many years before he’d met Virginia, and after they’d bonded, she’d moved in, though she had to split her time between San Francisco and the secret location of the compound from where the Stealth Guardians ruled.

Manus was about to ring the doorbell when the door already swung open. Virginia, dressed in a long black evening gown, stood in the doorframe to greet them.

“Come on in,” she said while looking past them, vigilant as ever.

“We were careful,” Manus said immediately.

“I know. Just a habit.”

Manus ushered Kim inside ahead of him, then followed her. Virginia closed the heavy oak door behind them and turned to face them.

She extended her hand to Kim. “I’m Virginia.”

“Kim. Nice to meet you.” Kim shook her hand.

“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice,” Manus said. He listened for any sounds in the house, but it was quiet. “Wes here?”

“He’s at HQ. I’m supposed to go there too, so let’s get down to business.” She pointed to her dress then motioned to the open arch that led into the living room. “Take a seat.”

Manus followed the invitation, sitting down on the couch, while Kim did the same. Virginia sat down in an armchair facing them.

“Since we’re all under time pressure here, let me get to the point. Logan already filled you in on the background: the demons are looking for an item that was previously in the possession of an emissarius, Nancy Britton, Kim’s mother.”

Virginia nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss, Kim.”

“Thank you.”

Manus continued, “We don’t know where this item is now. But we have reason to believe that whatever it was, it’s written in old Celtic. The translator who was sampling it to give Nancy an idea of what it is was murdered by a demon. Most likely to make it harder for us to find out what it is. But we have Winter.”

“Yes, Winter,” Virginia said.

“She was able to force a vision related to Nancy. We now have reason to believe that the item is a book that belongs to you.”

“To me? But if it’s one of my books, then it can’t possibly be lost.”

“I can only tell you what Winter saw: a book with an inscription reading To my wonderful daughter, our future warrior, Virginia. Your father.”

For a moment, there was silence so thick that a pin dropping could have been heard in the room. Virginia stared at him, eyes wide, mouth agape.

“You’re saying Nancy Britton had that book in her possession?”

Manus’s heart began to beat excitedly. “You recognize it?”

Virginia nodded and rose, turning her back to them and looking out the floor-to-ceiling window. “The only book that was ever dedicated to me by my father doesn’t exist anymore. It was lost in the explosion that destroyed my compound in 1968. Most likely burned and buried with the rest of my possessions.”

And the bodies of her compound brethren. Virginia had been the only survivor. But Manus didn’t add that. They both knew what the other was thinking. Instead, he said, “You can’t know that. Not everything burned. It might have been found, just like the portal was later used in the building of the BART system here in the city. We have to assume that the book survived the explosion.”

Virginia turned around to face them again. “Then if the demons ever get their hands on it, we’re screwed.”

Manus rose, realizing how serious Virginia was. “What was the book, Virginia?”

“A comprehensive history and training manual of the Stealth Guardian warriors.”