Chapter 49 Locator spell
Lucas POV
As soon as I step out of the air-conditioned warehouse, I am hit by the scorching heat that slams into me like a warning. My pulse is still racing as I walk casually towards the SUV, steadying my nerves. I can’t afford to rush or turn back to check if I am being followed because it paints me guilty and it will blow my cover wide open.
Anto notices me from his vantage spot as he leans on the fender. He straightens his posture, stiffening.
“Well, that was quick,” he mutters as he climbs in and switches on the car.
“I got all the intel I need, no use sticking around and getting caught,” I say quietly, pulling the door shut.
“Don’t use any main roads and switch routes a few times. We are heading to Padre’s residence.”
He nods, not questioning me. That’s good.
Only after we have taken the third turn can I finally start to breathe properly. I pull my phone out of my jacket, my fingers trembling slightly as I type a message.
“Alex, I got what we need, heading to Padre’s. I will call you after. Stay inside the suite and increase the security detail.”
Alex replies immediately as if he was staring at the phone waiting for my feedback.
“Alex: Well done Luca, don’t dawdle and be careful.”
I let out a deep breath, leaning back in the chair. The fact that Alex was also on the edge only means the situation is more dire than I thought.
I look at my hands as the coordinates from the map they were perusing come back to me. I need to take it down quickly before I forget. I open the glove compartment and grab a pen and paper.
X: 32.14
Y: 48.21
I scribble under it was marked with a red symbol as if there had visual confirming.
Underneath I scribble:
Show Padre, compare the coordinates with his wife spell check and see if it’s the same place.
Sirrano names Alessia as a suspect in meeting and Alex as her protector therefore a major target.
My jaw ticks as I pocket the book. Thomas Sirranos is stupido. And fools like him can get innocent people killed. I shake my head. I counted at least 100 mafia lords, not 50 as Marco originally mentioned. Alex doesn’t know half the people are already on the chase.
We take a sharp turn leading toward the countryside where Padre’s house is located. The farther out we go the more quiet the road gets as cars dwindle to a few.
We drive up to the iron gates and horn. The guard barely grants us a look as he waves us in.
Padre stands by the door in his usual white shirt, beige slacks and suspenders outfit, his glasses perched on his nose. We don’t do small talk, he just ushers us into his warm living room. As we step into the foyer a strong scent of dragon sage hits me. Then she must be brewing a potion of some kind because I smell bay leaf and a touch of cinnamon and something metallic underneath simmering in the air.
“Luca, you are late,” he says.
“I am here in one piece,” I shoot back, “let’s be grateful for that miracle at least.”
His lips twitch into a small smile. “Come on, she has been waiting for you.”
We follow him through a corridor and we arrive at an inner sanctum. It is covered in tapestries, and different kinds of runes are carved into the walls. Candles flicker against the walls in a gloomy fashion.
Padre’s wife Selina stands in the center with a white chalk circle drawn around. Her eyes are a deep green, not blue or black but the deepest shade of green I have ever seen. Her power fills the space so completely that the air is thick and transparent waves arc around her. Anto takes a step back as I stare in fascination.
“Luca.” Her green eyes settle on mine as they start to bleed black. I take a step back in shock.
Her voice echoes in the room. “You men have come again with your troubles.”
“When is there ever no trouble?” I ask.
Padre gestures me to a wooden table I didn’t notice when I stepped in. On it there is a blank parchment rolled open near a wooden bowl, a silver small blade, and a single white candle.
“If there is anything you found out of significance, tell her,” Padre orders.
I turn to her, repeating the coordinates from the map and the red marking, the vague whispers about La Rosa being moved. Also about Sirranos calling the keeper a suspect. The moment I mention the keeper, Selina’s black eyes narrow even though it looks like a dark abyss.
“They are on the hunt for her already,” Selina murmurs.
“I know,” I say quietly. “If they get to the suite before us, well… only Alex is guarding her.”
She nods once, then extends her hand to Padre. He steps forward eagerly. She picks up the silver blade and pricks him as his red blood drops into the wooden chalice. She then pricks her thumb, merging her blood with his.
The unlit white candle suddenly lights up, the flames twisting into a spiral.
I gulp. Blood magic has always felt like black magic to me, a taboo. It’s similar to watching someone open dark clouds and call upon rain with their bare hands.
Selina lifts up her palms and starts chanting, whispering an ancient language that seems older than time. The chalice shakes as their merged blood starts to glow, then it bursts out of the chalice in a linear shape and falls on top of the parchment paper underneath. Suddenly lines form on the parchment, turning it into a map marking out coastlines and borders. Once it’s a full map it stops, but it’s not a local map of Sicily, not even of the coast of Europe, but farther on. And the sea in the center the map glows bright red.
Selina finally stops chanting and opens her eyes. They are not black anymore but pure white, the color of the candle.
“As you can see,” she gestures, “the jewel is not in Sicily,” she says, her voice taking on a deeper tone. “It’s crossed beyond the borders, beyond the coastlines, very far from these lands.”
My chest constricts as I stare at the map.
“Where is it now?”
I peer at the map again as Padre leans forward.
Padre mutters, “It’s on the Red Sea.”
Selina says, “Only one coven will dare to move it that far away.”
“La Geneva?” Padre whispers as his jaw tenses. “I knew it.”
“Yes, you were right, my love,” Selina answers. “Whoever follows the map will find it, but as you well know the path to the Red Sea is drenched in dangers and unforeseen enemies. You must prepare yourselves.”
Suddenly a sharp gust of wind blows through the sanctum and all of the candles extinguish, throwing us into darkness.