Page 97 of Destined for Dreams
Chapter 26
Bartol
They’d searched all the hotels around London without finding any trace of the demon. Even Haagenti’s followers appeared to be lying low and avoiding detection. Bartol, Caius, and Yerik had broadened their hunt to include nearby towns in the hope something might turn up. Unfortunately, it meant using their powers to flash because they couldn’t waste travel time at this stage. If they didn’t find the demon soon, there would likely be untold destruction and death.
Bartol flashed to Northfleet to check on a quaint hotel in the town that fit Haagenti’s preferences. Not wanting to risk running into the stones, he arrived a quarter mile away and walked the rest of the distance. Just as he reached a block away, he stumbled to a halt.
His power had begun to drain fast. Bartol struggled but managed to take a couple of steps back to free himself. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze toward the hotel down the road—a three-story Victorian building with wide bay windows. It was near a busy town center with people out walking and enjoying their early Friday evening. Nothing stood out from what Bartol could see, but a Gregorian stone wouldn’t be at the hotel unless Haagenti was using the place.
He pulled out his cell phone and called Caius. “I think I may have found him.”
“Where?”
“In Northfleet.” Bartol described his current location.
“Have you actually seen the demon?” Caius asked.
“Not yet…wait.” Bartol caught sight of Haagenti leaving the hotel with a large bag in hand, making his way toward a limousine that had just pulled up. He had his cane with him as well, but it appeared to be a prop more than anything. “He’s leaving.”
“On foot?”
“No,” Bartol said, flagging down the first car that drove by him. As much as he didn’t want to use his powers this close to the demon, he couldn’t risk Haagenti getting away. He pushed compulsion on the hapless driver to let him inside and directed him to follow the limousine.
Caius’ voice came out impatient, “What’s going on?”
“Call Yerik and tell him I’ve found the demon.” Bartol paused to instruct the human driver to keep his distance. “Both of you should check the hotel after that to see if there’s anything useful inside. Once I know where I’m going, I’ll instruct you where to meet me.”
He hung up to Caius’ protests. His human driver had gotten too close to the limousine while stopped at a traffic light, causing Bartol’s power to drain again. He clenched his teeth, waiting until enough distance separated the vehicles to give him his strength back. They drove in a northwesterly direction for several minutes before reaching the River Thames and crossing the Queen Elizabeth II bridge. The demon took a few more turns after that before stopping outside a nondescript warehouse. Bartol had his driver stop a little over a block away, noting there were quite a few supernaturals patrolling the area—all Haagenti’s followers.
Bartol let the poor driver go, compelling him to forget the experience and to go on about his business. Then he called Caius back. The men hadn’t found Tormod or anyone else of relevance at the hotel. They only discovered that the demon had checked out that morning with no plans to return. Bartol gave Caius and Yerik precise details on his current location, not wanting them to inadvertently flash inside the danger zone.
“Where is he?” Yerik growled as soon as he arrived.
As usual, the daimoun wore nothing more than his kilt, which only covered half his hairy chest, despite the cold winter weather. Fortunately, they had all turned invisible, so no one was able to see the crazy immortal except Bartol and Caius. Yerik would draw the attention of Haagenti’s security for certain otherwise.
Bartol gestured down the street. “He just went past that gate and into the warehouse.”
“Let’s kill him and get my son back!”
Yerik took off down the sidewalk like an enraged bull. Caius attempted to grab his arm, but the daimoun shook him off and kept going. He made it about twenty feet down the road before he hit the boundary with the Gregorian stones. The powerful man clutched the building wall next to him and faltered on his next step. It was like quicksand and would only get worse the closer one got. Finally, Yerik turned around and slowly made his way back.
His vermillion eyes glowed with frustration. “Those damn stones are a problem. I thought you two were exaggerating, but they are more powerful than I thought.”
“I suppose some things are best experienced firsthand,” Bartol said, attempting to be diplomatic.
Yerik glanced back at the warehouse, fists clenched. “We should scout the entire area to see if the demon has surrounded the place with more stones or if there may be a weak spot.”
Bartol nodded. “That was my thinking as well.”
“I’ll go in that direction.” Yerik pointed off to the left. “You two can go around the other way, and we’ll meet in the middle.”
Whenever possible, the daimoun chose to work alone, so it wasn’t surprising he choreographed this particular plan. Bartol wasn’t going to bother arguing with a man whose son was missing and could possibly be inside the warehouse. If it helped Yerik to take charge, at least they were getting the job done and making progress.
“Be careful,” Bartol warned. “And look for any places they may be hiding the Gregorian stones so that we can direct the sensors later on where to find them.”
They’d also need to figure out how many each team member would need to nullify before the assault force could get inside the warehouse. This mission wasn’t only about taking out the demon, but also stopping Haagenti’s followers and rescuing Tormod.
“Of course.” Yerik strutted away, gaze roaming as he went.
