Page 27 of Elemental Hope
“Quite right too. I told you to listen to her, didn’t I?”
Dominic gave him a quizzical look. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.” Gregory affected innocence. Both Nathaniel and Coryn gave snorts of disbelief. Dominic decided to leave it. He had other things on his mind, or rather another person.
“Evrain. He’s in trouble, isn’t he? I gave up listening to his voicemail.”
There was a metallic clatter as Nathaniel threw something onto the table. “We found his phone at the end of the lane along with his keys. His car is still there, untouched as far as I can see. Felix would be better able to tell if it has been tampered with.”
Dominic fought back nausea. “He’s not here?”
“No. We separated at the airport. He and Damon have another task to take care of.”
“So Evrain was taken before he even made it to the car?”
“Yes, it seems so,” Coryn replied. “There are signs that he ran from something. He headed north into the woods. Drawing whatever it was away from Hornbeam. Away from you.”
Dominic’s eyes burned. “So what can we do? It must have been Symeon that took him, working with the Octis Coven, I assume. But you don’t know where they’ve taken him?”
“Oh, I think we have a pretty good idea,” Gregory reassured him. “Between us, Nathaniel and I have significant resources. We have traced all the buildings that Octis members either own or have an interest in. Felix and Damon are checking out a few addresses in Portland. We don’t think they’ll have gone any further than that. Portland is their stronghold.”
“Gregory, put that cat down. I’ll brew some coffee. We have plans to make.” Coryn winked at Dominic.
“Yes, my love.” Gregory rolled his eyes but took a seat at the table. He did keep Shadow on his lap. “We need to get our heads together and come up with some kind of a plan. Now that Nathaniel and I have removed your little witch problem we can start thinking logically about the bigger one.”
“Will they come back? The witches, I mean.” Dominic shivered.
“Almost definitely. In fact we’re relying on it.”
Dominic tried not to come across as bewildered as he felt.
“Stop talking in riddles, love,” Coryn said. “Dominic has enough on his mind without you getting all mysterious.”
Nathaniel chuckled. Gregory scowled at Coryn, but his eyes were soft with affection. “Yes, dear.” Shadow heaved herself up, turned in a few circles then thumped down into Gregory’s lap again. “Coryn and I were discussing the possible options for what we could do on the journey here and we’ve come up with an idea. Nathaniel agrees as well. It’s not just a case of finding a way to rescue Evrain now. We need to work out a longer-term solution. Just getting him back isn’t enough—the Coven bitches will keep coming after him while his blood is of value to them. We have to find a way to take the temptation away from them.”
Dominic couldn’t imagine how that was ever going to happen. He just wanted Evrain back in one piece.
Coryn brought a tray laden with mugs across to the table. He distributed coffee then produced a package of cookies. “I brought these from home.”
Dominic’s stomach growled. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast so he took one of the cookies. He forced himself to eat even though it tasted like ashes in his mouth.
“What the Octis Coven values is Evrain’s blood, which is a potent ingredient in many spells used by those who have little genuine power,” Gregory explained. “We need to contaminate his blood in such a way that it does not harm him but becomes useless for their magical purposes.”
“Sounds logical,” Dominic said, “but how on earth do you contaminate someone’s blood? It must be dangerous.”
“Dominic.” Nathaniel drummed his fingers on the table. “What can you tell me about the herb agrimony?”
Dominic had no idea what that had to do with anything but Nathaniel’s expression was so intense he answered anyway. “I’ve been reading about it recently.” He eyed Shadow with suspicion. “It’s a deep green plant covered with soft hair and has a slightly aromatic scent a little like apricots. It’s quite common and can be found in most parts of the U.S.—I know there’s plenty of it in the fields around here because Agatha kept a supply. It can be crushed for its oil or brewed as a tea and it has a reputation for…purifying the blood. Oh.”
Smiling, Nathaniel nodded. “Ironically, witches often used agrimony in their spells and to ward off hexes. When placed in a sachet and hung in the home, it’s said to provide protection against goblins, evil spirits and poisoning.”
“And we can use this herb somehow, to help Evrain?” Dominic grabbed the small seed of hope with both hands.
“We believe that agrimony, whilst causing no harm to Evrain, will affect his blood in such a way that if the Coven attempts to use it, their spells will be corrupted and no longer work. If he then drinks it regularly, after a few months his blood will be tainted so much that he will not be worth the chase and they will switch their attention elsewhere.”
Dominic frowned. “That’s all very well, but how the hell are we going to get agrimony into him at all? We don’t even know where he is and if what you say about the Coven is true he will be well hidden and guarded. They are hardly going to allow us close enough to let him swallow something.”
Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed. “There is one thing they need which may allow us to get close enough.” He looked worried. “It’s a huge risk and Evrain won’t thank us for it, but we really can’t see another way.”
