Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Drakos gave her another of his charming smiles and shifted in his chair, fully facing her, his pale green eyes intent on her face. “Ares Castello is the head of a very dangerous cult. He’s here recruiting, but more importantly, he’s looking for one woman. He believes there is a person in your village known as a demon slayer.”
Silke drew back, one hand fluttering defensively to her throat. She gave a little frown of disbelief, but she didn’t respond.
Drakos took the bait, continuing to spin his web of lies. “Castello has made many people disappear. I fear for your mother.”
“Yet you travel with him,” Silke pointed out.
She had shrugged off the small backpack she never went anywhere without. It sat close to her hand on the opposite side, away from the mage. She didn’t so much as glance at it, but Benedek followed her thoughts as she meticulously assessed each weapon she had available to her and precisely where it was in the pack. Then she turned her attention to the mage, looking not at his physical body but examining his mind, looking for hidden weaknesses. She looked for the way he practiced his dark magic on others. How he enslaved them. How he killed them. She was methodical about it, her touch light, her energy so low it was impossible to detect her.
“I’m working undercover investigating him. It’s a precarious position to be in. He seems to have the ability to influence his followers to do anything he desires, including end their lives.”
“But not you.”
“Some people are born protected from certain sounds. I am one of them, which makes me a good investigator when it comes to people such as Castello. He runs a good con, but it’s his voice that others find so compelling.”
“I didn’t find him compelling in the least,” Silke confided.
“He’s very frustrated, and that makes him dangerous. Many of the people he’s encountered in this village don’t react to his voice. He’s never encountered so many in one place, and there doesn’t seem to be an explanation for that.”
Silke frowned. “Really? I would have put it down to the fact that we tend to cling to the old ways. Even our medicine is homeopathic for the most part. Our doctor uses a mix of modern and ancient techniques. We’re mostly direct descendants from old lineages. What kind of explanation do you have for being able to resist his compulsion? You’ve had plenty of time to think about it.”
Benedek had to hand it to her. It was a natural question. She’d been forthcoming in her explanation—to a point. Tora had reinforced all barriers in as many of the townspeople as possible. Neither the demon nor the mage would be able to find those Carpathian-woven shields because Tora used unique, ancient weaves neither man had been exposed to.
“I think some people are just born with natural gifts. What makes the village unique is that so many obviously were.”
He tapped his fingers on his thigh as if it were a nervous gesture. Benedek knew a mage had no wasted movement with their hands.
Drakos is up to something, he warned Silke.
“As a group, we’ve tried to visit the local forest. It’s ancient and supposedly has many unusual flowers, trees and shrubs that would be interesting to us, but even though we can see it quite plainly, no matter how far we walk, we can’t seem to get there. Castello claims he was able to get someone to take him, but they couldn’t walk even a step inside. How is that possible?”
“Who took Castello to the forest?”
“What difference does that make?”
“Some of the locals enjoy playing pranks. If what Castello told you is true, he could have been led to a portion that no one enters.”
“Ese Jordan. He seems solid enough. Castello knows him from online. I believe they’ve been friends for a couple of years or so.”
Jordan has a gambling problem. He is a partner with Milan and Gesina Laninga. He stole money from them and sold off their best cows. She’s pregnant.
Would he be able to tell Castello who the slayer is?
No, but he could tell these people all the myths surrounding the Battle of Baduhenna.
What of Tora?
He was around when Tora was growing up. He would never suspect her of being Carpathian. Once she became grown, she didn’t mingle with the villagers. She’s worried about the gate and spends quite a bit of her time there unless I call to her.
It seems this Ese Jordan will need a visit very soon. We cannot afford to have traitors in the village during a battle with Lilith’s army. He expected a protest, but instead, Silke addressed the mage.
“Ah, Ese. He’s one of our problems here in the village. He’s a known gambler, and many times he runs cons for money. If Castello offered him any money at all, he would take him to the wrong entrance so later he could get more money to try again.”