What the Hex Read online

  Lilith couldn’t shake the feeling that the timing of her parent’s arrival couldn’t have been bad luck. That is was to purposely stop her progress. Then her father, whom she loved very much but was far from a great warlock, gets a seat at the high table? How was that possible. If they wanted a Blackward there, why not choose her mother, a far superior witch?

  “Unfortunately this is as far as your family can go Lord Blackward,” informed Moira as they stood at the door to the High Table’s meeting room.

  Alizia nodded. “I understand. Come Lilith, Sir Kain, we’ll wait out here,” she motioned towards some very comfortable looking chairs just outside the meeting room.

  “Nonsense Blackwards. This is a celebration, come, there are other guests, drinks and every kind of food you can imagine waiting for you.” Moira led Lilith Alizia and Sir Kain down a long hallway to the open arches of the banquet hall.

  There were other families sitting, conversing, standing, mingling at the impossibly long table. Among them were the Essex’s, Sage’s, Thorne’s, Augustine’s, Talons’s and even the ever elusive Lobo Clan of werewolves. All were there for the same reason, Lilith’s father.

  “Well, this is lame,” remarked Lilith as she stood in the doorway of the banquet hall. But it’s also an opportunity. If I can sneak away to the library or wherever they keep records, I can maybe find a clue. Make this detour worth it.

  “Of course it is with that attitude dear. Go, mingle, be social for once. It won’t kill you.” Alizia urged her daughter to socialize.

  “Yeah but something will,” said Lilith as she picked up a glass of wine and walked down the side of the table.

  “Lilith Blackward? Is that you?” asked Sterling Essex. He made eye contact with her, which creeped her out, and then he got up, which was worse.

  “Last time I checked.” Lilith looked away trying to send the message that she wasn’t interested in talking in the most passive aggressive way.

  “When was the last time I saw you? Ten, eleven years ago? It was at your judgement isn’t that right?” Sterling leered at Lilith with his black eyes over his own glass of wine. “My how you’ve grown.”

  “Maybe?” Lilith started to move away, slowly.

  “I hear you have a detective agency now. That’s...novel. Any interesting cases?” Sterling Essex, like most of his family was powerful which rarely came hand-in-hand with subtlety.

  “Sure. A couple. If you’d excuse me-”

  “Sit, have a drink with me. Share some stories of your exploits outside the coven. Must be more interesting then all this pomp and circumstance.”

  “I gotta go. Later, perhaps Sterling.”

  “I don’t believe we’ve ever met Ms. Blackward.” Lilith didn’t get far before she was face-to-face with Madam Sage.

  “Don’t believe we have,” Lilith politely smiled and racked her brain for an excuse to leave the forming conversation.

  “I’m Madam Sage, head of the Children of the Light.” She held out her hand for Lilith to shake. Her skin was unnervingly cold.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Have you heard of our clan Lilith, may I call you Lilith?”

  “Sure. And yes I have.”

  “Mostly rumors I’m sure. That we who follow the light are weaker or less than the other clans in this coven. Or that we scheme behind the coven's backs. None of that is true.”

  Why are you telling me this? Please just stop.

  “The truth is that we simply choose a different path, the path of the light. I was wondering if you were interested in walking that path with us?” Madam Sage held out her hands as if to hug Lilith.

  “Why would I do that?” answered Lilith bluntly.

  “I’m sorry. I meant no offense just, with your situation, we take all who want to join into our clan. Whether they are an official part of the coven or not. It’s a path to belonging my child.”

  “Thanks for the offer Madam Sage but it honestly sounds like a cult to me. I’ll think about it though,” Lilith hurried away from Madam Sage and scanned the room for exits in which to escape.

  Gargoyles, there were more gargoyles. They guarded the entrances/exists of the banquet hall. If she was going to get past them she’d have to be clever. In order not to be seen leaving, she had to be sneaky.

  “Thomas! How good it is to see you again old friend.” Sir Kain turned to see Basil Augustine standing behind him coming in for a hug. There was no time to escape it.

  “I remember you, from the coven kennel. Correct?” Sir Kain uncomfortably said as he was being hugged.

  “Indeed, from the coven kennel.” Basil transitioned into having one arm around Sir Kain’s shoulders. “When I heard about your master’s promotion onto the high table-”

  “Into your seat. Which you vacated.”

  “Yup, which I vacated. I was excited. I was going to be able to see my old friend sooner than expected. You see Thomas I might be able to help you with your problem.”

  “My problem?” Sir Kain was confused. And Basil’s breath smelled of alcohol, not the wine being served but clearly something stronger.

  Basil Augustine tapped Sir Kain on the forehead. “With the ole brain buddy. Turns out I might be able to give you your memories back. Wherever they went I can probably retrieve them. Does that sound good to you?” Basil and Sir Kain were so caught up in their discussion that neither noticed Morris Augustine’s attentive stares.

  “That would be very nice of you sir. May I ask why?” Sir Kain went along with Basil in a seemingly wandering pattern around the banquet hall.

  “Because we’re friends. Because, between you and me, you can’t trust anyone here. Somebody did this to you, took your memories and whether you realize it now or not, you want to know why. And me, well it’s kind of selfish on my part. I want my friend back.”

  “I haven’t gone anywhere. I’m right here.”

  Basil Augustine drunkenly kissed Sir Kain on the cheek. “You sure are. I’m gonna kind of miss this version of you though. I imagine it’s what you were like as a kid I guess.” He laughed. “Sir Thomas Kain as a snot nosed brat. I’d pay to see that. Anyway, come let’s fix that noggin.” Alizia also watched Basil and Sir Kain as she talked to one of the Talons.

  “Alizia,” Deacon Thorne arrived relatively unnoticed and sat down next to Alizia.

  “Deacon.”

  “Congratulations on your husband’s and your family’s promotion.” He was careful to be discreet but reveling in a little bit of risk, he grabbed hold of her hand under the table, caressing the space between her thumb and pointer finger with his own thumb.

  “Thank you. It was a long time coming.”

  “Indeed it was but it should be you in that meeting room. We all know that.”

  “It is what it is. I’m very happy for him.”

  “I’m sure you are.”

  THINK. THINK LILITH. How do I get past these damn gargoyles?

  “How’s about a bait and switch?” asked OLG from inside her younger self.

  That might actually work. You up to pretend to be me for a little while?

  “How hard can it be? I was you once upon a time.”

  True. It’s settled then. Now to find a little hideaway so no one notices. Lilith looked around the banquet hall. There were people everywhere. As far as she could see there was only one option.

  Lilith climbed under the table. This time it wasn’t to escape rampaging chimeras but the eyes of the Talon House’s guests. Once under she get straight to work.

  “Thgil eht otni dna swodahs eht fo tuo,” quietly said Lilith. Her future version’s ghost separated from her body.

  “Good. Now, step two,” said OLG. They both felt kind of silly like children playing hide and go seek.

  “I gotta see if I remember the spell. Uh...”

  “Turn a spirit solid, real for, I dunno, how long is this gonna take, thirty minutes? So, setunim ytriht rof lear, dilos tirips a nrut.”

  Lilith nodded. “Okay. Ready? Setun
im ytriht rof lear dilos tirips a nrut.”

  OLG’s corpreal self turned to something real and living in the living world. It was only temporary though. And it would drain the ghost of so much soul energy that she might not be able to appear again for hours, maybe days.

  “Now lastly, Esuom a sa teiuq noelemahc a ekil,” Lilith used the spell she did the day she time traveled and became nearly invisible and perfectly silent.

  Here goes nothing. OLG emerged from under the table. She had on the same clothes as her younger self but still was a bit older. They both hoped no one would notice.

  Lilith, nearly undetectable, snuck past a gargoyle out of the banquet hall. That’s when it dawned on her that she had no idea where anything in Talon House was except the entrance, dining room and meeting room. But she was on a clock and needed to move fast so it was time for trial and error.

  The first door Lilith tried revealed a room full of every color light imaginable. It was almost hypnotic. She found herself drawn to it but managed to resist. She’d never figure out what it was.

  The second door was a portal to the fairy world. Considering she hated fairies and jungles she quickly closed that one. Her third choice simply revealed downtown Devils End. That was interesting but again not where she wanted to go.

  Four, five, six and seven doors later still no library or hall of records. It was time for number eight in which she opened the door to her mirror image. Except not quite. This other version of her was off. Her eyes were where her mouth was, ear where her nose should’ve been. Disturbed she quickly closed that one.

  How many doors does this place have? Lilith was a bit disheartened

  She reached door number nine. When she opened it she saw nothing but rows and rows of books and documents. Finally she’d found what she was looking for.

  In full sleuth mode, Lilith quickly started scanning the endless shelves of information. A little part of her inner hipster died when she yearned for everything to be on a computer not on a physical medium. Suddenly all the rows of books and documents disappeared and were replaced with a single computer in a black room.

  Well, that’s convenient. Lilith found herself stretching her fingers then stopped because, why would she do that? She walked over to the computer. A chair rose out of the darkness below it.

  “Let’s see. What do we have here?” Lilith sat down and pressed a couple keys. A computerized, digital pixel face appeared. Everything looked dated, maybe from the mid 90’s.

  “Hello. My name is Mack and I’ll help you find whatever you are looking for young witch.” Mack had a very androgynous computerized voice. Lilith thought it was kinda cool that even though the tech looked dated, it didn’t have a gender label. “But first I’ll need your name for authorization.”

  Of course. Looks like this is as far as I’m gonna get. How did I not think of this before coming in here.

  “Lilith Blackward?” Lilith didn’t think it would work but tried anyway. What’s the worst that could happen? Actually, a lot of terrible things could happen, it was a magic security system after all.

  “Lilith Blackward, access granted! How may I help you?”

  That actually worked? Huh? “Um, hey Mack. Do you have any information on the Cult of the Cold Dawn? Anything, at all?”

  “Yes, I can find one hundred and ninety entries related to the Cult of the Cold Dawn.”

  “Can you tell me anything about what they want? Their goals?”

  “I can find two documents matching your request. The first is from Sir Arnold Graybane from 1734. The second, from Alizia Blackward from 2007.”

  “You must be kidding.” My mom made an entry about the Cold Dawn?

  “I’m afraid I’m not capable of kidding young witch.”

  Oh Lord you sound like Sir Kain.

  “ Open the entry by Alizia Blackward, 2007.”

  A wall sized projection of a four page document typed up and entered by Lilith’s mother appeared behind the computer. Lilith got up and walked up to it, started reading.

  Lilith skipped to the last paragraphs of the last page which read:

  From my husband and my studies of the history of the Cold Dawn and their current activities we’ve come to a conclusion about their ultimate goals. To put it simply they want to rid the world of the mundane, people and structures. In order to do so they will use a spell created centuries ago by the first Talon, Heinrich Talon, to extinguish the sun.

  The Cold Dawn’s plan is to find then cast the spell turning the earth into an icebox. All witches, warlocks and gifted creatures will find refuge in pocket realms, not unlike the Christian story of Noah’s Ark. Once the mundane civilization succumbs to the weather and starvation, the sun will be reignited and the magic folk will return to claim and remake the world.

  All surviving people and creatures will be used as food or slaves to a new, more enlightened regime. And the Cold Dawn will be praised as heroes and liberators. Currently the actual existence of such a powerful spell has not been confirmed. Nor has a location. For now the cult should be placed under surveillance and moved upon if they do find what they’ve been looking for all these years.

  Alizia Blackward

  Coven Counsel of Magical Threats and Dark Magic, July 3rd, 2007.

  Son of a...she knew this whole time about the Cold Dawn. Lilith leaned back in her chair, flabbergasted by her findings. She didn’t know what bothered her more, the fact that her mother knew about the Cold Dawn or how completely mad the cult’s plan sounded.

  Memories of that horrible day when she went back in time came flooding back to Lilith. The snow, the cold, the dimly lit sun, it all made sense now. Not only must they have found Heinrich Talon’s spell, they cast it and killed the world.

  Once she got over her horrendous realizations Lilith had an idea. “Mack, can you show any documents submitted by a Detective Winter Krueger?”

  “I’m sorry, no results for a Detective Winter Krueger.”

  Well that sucks. Thought I might get lucky there. How about- “What about any entries by Detective Milo Drake?”

  “There are ninety eight entries by Detective Milo Drake.”

  “Show me the most recent one,” requested Lilith.

  “This one is from March 3rd, 2017,” said Mack before bringing up a email sent from Det. Drake to Deacon Thorne.

  I’ve done what you asked and assigned one of our detectives to investigate. As you requested it’s off the books, she’ll report only to me. Her name is Winter Krueger.

  I’m confident that Det. Krueger will infiltrate. Knowing her and her personality I’m also confident that she won’t be corrupted, at least not by the group. But she’s young, naive, gullible. She may need to be pointed in the right direction.

  If you have any questions please send an email here to my department email address, it’s encrypted. Only myself and the Talon House archives can access them. Or send a messenger fairy. I know they’re nasty little things but they can’t be hacked.

  Well that’s certainly suspicious. I knew that Det. Drake smelled funny. And Thorne? I figured he was a creep. But it didn’t give me any hints on Winter Krueger. Perhaps I’m going about this the wrong way.

  “Mack, show me any personal information you have on Detective Winter Krueger.”

  “Certainly young witch. This is all I have on one Detective Winter Krueger.”

  A very formal enlarged form for Winter Krueger took center stage. It looked like an official police file. Next to it was a birth certificate, on the other side a school diploma, academic and police academy. A couple of pictures of her were scattered, looked like they were from social media.

  Lilith started with the coven police file. According to it she wasn’t born in Devils End. She was born just outside of San Francisco in Daly City. She made sure to memorize the address. Thorne & Chevenko Holdings, that’s in San Francisco. Interesting.

  Winter Krueger lived in Daly City for about twelve years before moving to Devils End after her parent’s divorce with
her mother. Lilith figured it was for her judgement. You can only have it wherever someone’s family’s home was.

  Lilith skipped over some details but remembered some. Winter entered the police academy right after witches and warlocks high school. She was an excellent student, almost a perfect police academy. In fact she was so good she got her pick of assignments after graduating. Naturally she chose to be a detective. The records were redacted after stating she was assigned to Det. Drake’s unit.

  “What else? There’s got to be something here. Something to help me out. Just got to-” Lilith suddenly got an intense headache.

  “You need to come back. The spell is wearing off. Don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay here,” cautioned OLG in her younger version’s head.

  Just a couple more minutes.

  “Don’t think we have a couple minutes. Oh, hello Mr. Augustine. Sorry, Morris. How are you?”

  Come on, come on, Winter give me something here to help you. Desperate, Lilith scanned the pictures from Winter’s social media. That’s when she found a gift or curse depending on how you chose to look at it.

  There was a picture of Winter as a teenager. She was in Lilith’s own house, there was no mistaking it. Alizia Blackward had her arm around the young soon to be detective with a drink in the other hand.

  “No...” Lilith got up off the computer chair. Mom you knew her? She can’t be involved can she?

  “Does that end your session young witch?” asked Mack as Lilith left the archives room.

  Lilith stood out in the hallway, back leaned against the archives room door. She tried to process what she’d learned. It was clear that there was only one thing left to do.

  If Lilith went to Thorne & Chevenko holdings in San Francisco she might find more info to help find Det. Winter Krueger. Who knows, she might get lucky and find the missing detective sitting there in the office? Or she might find more leads in Daly City, maybe talk to her father. It was unlikely that she was with her mother right there in Devils End.