AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They found it,” Connor said, “and decided the dogma made sense and wanted to try it.”
“Dogma,” Petra said with a smile. “Nice.”
I looked at Connor. “How did the Pack not know about this cult?”
“I have no idea. Did it ever work?” he asked Petra. “Was there ever evidence the spell did what it was supposed to do?”
“Not in the public records,” she said. “A few SOA chapters said they were successful. They did the spell during closed sessions, claimed Keith or Carl turned into a werewolf, but it was never verified outside the chapter meetings.”
“That’s probably why they didn’t know,” Connor said. “Assuming the magic worked at all.”
“We have to go back to the spellseller,” I said. “We know Zane and the others didn’t do magic, and she does. She must have made the spell for them. If we can confirm how the magic was done, maybe we can figure out some way to fix them. Or stop them.”
“She refused to talk to us last time,” Connor pointed out.
“I believe that’s where I come in,” Theo said. “I talked to the Order’s registrar. They know of Paloma, but she isn’t registered to practice. It’s like being on an inactive list. And, interestingly, there aren’t any other sorcerers in this part of Minnesota—registered or otherwise.”
“So the spell could only have come from her,” I said.
“So the spell could only have come from her,” Theo said with a nod.
“Nice work,” Connor said, and clapped him on the back.
“Thank the very talkative registrar. She’s new, and I don’t think she’s learned yet how little information the Order actually likes to share.”
“I’m guessing Paloma will suddenly become a lot morecooperative,” I predicted, “especially with a visit from Chicago’s Ombudsman.”
“Could we have a little break before we leave?” Theo asked. “We’ve been in this vehicle for ten hours, and I’d really like to stretch. And not smell feet. She wouldn’t let us stop.”
“Lulu?”
“Eleanor of Aquitaine.”
The RV’s door opened. Theo, Connor, and I all reached for weapons. But it was Lulu carrying three cans of tuna.
“That was a quick trip,” I said.
“The shoreline is, like, twenty yards away, and it’s dark. Not a lot of land to scape, you might say.”
“So you raided our larder instead?” Connor asked.
“She’s displeased with my travel-food selections,” she said dourly. “Except for the Cheetos. What’s the status in here?”
“It’s possible,” Theo began, “the assholes—and that’s a technical term—found out about a cult dedicated to this wolf-human hybrid idea and borrowed a spell they came up with.”
“We’re going to talk to the spellseller and hopefully blackmail her into telling us the truth,” I said brightly. “But first, we’re going to take a break.”
“Excellent,” Lulu said. “That will give us a chance to catch up.”
“Will you be discussing anything interesting?” Theo asked.
“Menstruation, feminism, and acai bowls.”
“I’m out,” Theo said, and headed for the door.
***
Silently, Lulu loaded the tuna cans into a narrow cabinet. When she’d closed it, she looked back at me.
