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“That’s what I was doing,” the younger Witch huffed, rolling her eyes as she shoved the stack of papers into Lottie’s outstretched hand. “Ghoulgle was created by my friend, Emily. Then her boyfriend Tim helped her with all the security features, encryption, and…”
“The shit that makes my head spin?”
“Yep, that stuff,” Prue snickered. “Anyway, Ghoulgle is a search engine for all of us Supes. It not only lets us connect but has a huge data base of most of the old grimoires and tomes. Em even found an old Scribe who could translate dead languages and has him working on books everybody thought were useless.”
“And…” Lottie grumbled, trying with all her might not to lose her temper but needing to get on with packing if she was to leave in time to meet Jianna, the oldest Valkyrie she’d ever met and a dear friend of her mom’s, at the portal in the Pacific Northwest before dark.
“And, by plugging everything we know about the break-in here at the Coven into Ghoulgle, I am ninety-nine-point-six-five percent sure, Vanessa made a deal with Oriens, the infernal King of the East.”
“Hell, yeah,” Lottie cheered, suddenly filled with a hope that eluded her since returning to find her home in flames and all but one of her family dead. “Point me in the right direction and get outta the way.”
Holding up both hands, her palms that had been tattooed one with the ancient Blessing of Rhiannon and the other with that of the Dragon Goddess Maeve, Prue shook her head so hard her long blond, pink, and green locks fanned out behind her like the wings of her Wyvern. “It’s not that easy, Super Steed.” Rolling her eyes for the second time, the young Witch explained with a sigh, “Do you ever read? Did your uncle ever make you study the Princes and Sub-Princes of Hell? No, he did not and that’s why you need me. You’re welcome.”
Pulling back her hands, raising them over her head and clenching them into fists, she flexed her biceps. “I am Prudence. Queen of Geekdom. Hear me roar.”
Arms dropping to her side, she didn’t miss a beat. “Oriens is one of the latter, a Sub-Prince of Hell but that doesn’t mean he’s not super powerful and a real asshole because he is the one all the bad Magickin pray to, worship, and in the case of Vanessa and Hammond, sell their souls to for power. Old Oriens will give money, gold, silver, jewels, stock tips – any kind of wealth to the magickan to keep them happy and doing his dirty work. The asshole answers questions of the past, present, and future, he gives them visions and the power to fly if they do what he says and recruit more minions. I even found a guy’s sister who said her brother sold his soul to the Sub-Prince for a familiar and an army of undead soldiers he revived from the dead.”
“Holy shit,” Lottie cursed. “What the hell is Vanessa up to?”
Pointing at the papers she’d printed, Prue nodded. “And there are at least four more stories just like those of people who are now in Hell after Oriens tricked them.”
“But how can you be sure that Vanessa got her power fromthishalf-witted wannabe Prince and not one of the others?” Taking a quick breath to temper the rising need to Shift, she quickly added, “And do not even try to convince me that anyone – even a Sub-Prince of Hell – tricked Vanessa Marron. She’s a worthless, wannabe, who would rather steal knowledge and power than earn. Always has been and always will be.”
“No, no, no,” Prue abruptly declared, sparks of angry Magic popping and crackling in the air all around her. “What I was trying to say was, I know she made some kinda deal with Oriens because I read everything I could find about the evil butthead, and this bad dude’s main goal is to amass the power of a Goddess – a really strong, very Magical Goddess – so he can warp her beautiful white Enchantment into something ugly and awful and use it to stage a mutiny in the Underworld.” Hands slamming onto her hips and her head tilting to the side, she added, “Then after he’s overthrown Lucifer, Oriens wants to bring his Legions to the surface and rule the world. Now, you see why you need me, right?”
“Nope,” Lottie adamantly contradicted. “I know why you need to go to see Brynn and stay at the MacAllen ranch while I go find Vanessa and Hammond.”
“No way!” Prue shrieked, her hands flying in the air. “I have to go hide out with the Dragons when you refuse to let the Dragon Intelligence Agencyhelpyou?”
“That’s completely different,” Lottie countered, waving the stack of printed sheets in the space between them. “They had their chance. Hell, I even accepted Ranger’s offer to be a Special Agent after he saw my scores from the police academy. What a load of wasted time and bullshit that was. They wouldn’t know a lead if it jumped up and bit them on the ass. There is absolutely no way I’m waiting on some super spy agency full of macho Dragons with way too much attitude and testosterone to get off their scaly asses and do a job I can do on my own.”
“But what about the one with sultry golden brown eyes and lips begging to be kissed? What about him, She-Ra? How you gonna avoid falling for his charms?”
Ignoring Astrid’s chuckled taunt, Lottie closed the distance between herself and Prue, took her best friend’s hands in her own, and smiled softly. “Look, Doll, I appreciate your concern. Really, I do. It means the world to me that there is still someone in the world who has my back, but…”
“But you’re still gonna go it alone. Put yourself in needless danger without any backup. Leave me with the MacAllens to worry about you. Go all the way to Crimson Moon just because you heard someone saw Hammond. Are you nuts? Why won’t you just…”
“I would love to let you help,” Lottie promised, letting the true affection she felt for the younger Witch fill her words as she cut off Prue’s tirade. “But I made a vow to your mom on her deathbed that I would never knowingly let you put yourself in danger, and I intend to uphold that oath for as long as I draw breath.”
“But I can…”
“Yes, you can take care of yourself. You are strong and powerful and know your shit, but I gave my word and that is my bond. At the end of the day, my integrity…”
“Is all that you have,” Prue sighed heavily, her chin dropping. “I know, it’s just that…”
“You’ll worry,” Lottie finished. “But you don’t need to. I will have Merlin and Jianna and all the Supernaturals at the resort. Heck, it was the Valkyrie who called and told me she had my room all ready.”
“And you’ll call me every day?” Prue pouted, rolling her eyes up to spear Lottie with a pitiful look. “Or at the very least text me?”
“I sure will, Kiddo,” she assured, slipping her index finger under the young Witch’s chin and lifting her face. “And I’ll be home before you know it.”
At least that’s the plan, and Heaven help anybody who gets in my way…
