Nate only entered Blackthorn when he had to, especially at this time of night. Getting into Blackthorn wasn’t the issue, but he knew he’d be cutting it fine getting back across the border into Lowtown.
With all legitimate third species Lowtown residents being chipped, he couldn’t afford to be stopped and checked by the Curfew Enforcement Officers: those responsible for making sure residents of Blackthorn returned there before dawn. No illegal third species wanted to be caught by them. The CEOs had a reputation for being hardened, brutal and uncompromising when it came to those who didn’t toe the line. They also didn’t ask questions before hauling in anyone not tagged – and for him that wasn’t worth the risk. Illegal resident he may be, but Lowtown was his domain and always would be. After all, he had no choice. Lowtown had been his home for a long time. Lowtown was the only place he could live.
He had a window of a few hours until it became unsafe. For now, the border was advantageous, the security there nothing more than watchful eyes due to the ongoing depletion of resources.
Once successfully through, having moved with the tide of the crowds, Nate headed east, to the far side of the hub of Blackthorn, to where the streets were quieter.
Nate entered the store, the bell tinging above him as he did so. He passed through the shelves laden with herbs, crystals and other artifacts on his way to the counter at the back.
She was the only witch he dealt with. The only witch he semi-trusted. Tamara was a reliable source of information and, of equal importance, she was discreet. There were rumours that Kane Malloy himself used her. And if she passed Kane’s approval, his trust was not a mistake.
Besides, she still owed him.
She was stood behind the counter with a young, kohl-eyed girl, the latter maybe eighteen or nineteen. Tamara’s blue eyes instantly met his; eyes that were stark and vibrant against her black hair.
‘My next payment isn’t due for another two weeks,’ she said as she pulled herself upright, placing her hand on her curvy hip in a defensive move.
‘That’s not why I’m here. Can we go to the back?’ he asked, not wanting the young girl to be witness to the conversation.
Tamara gave him a contemplative and swift once-over before indicating for him to follow.
The aroma of the narrow corridor was intense – dominated by cinnamon and cloves – as he followed her through the heavy, velvet curtain to the back room and through to her home.
He took his seat on the sunken sofa in front of the fire before placing the locator on the low coffee table between them. ‘Have you ever seen one of these before?’
She picked it up to examine it. She tilted it to the side to take a closer look at the compass component.
‘Should I have?’ she asked, her frown deep as she met his gaze over the top of it, her blue eyes laced with curiosity.
‘There’s blood in the compass – and blood in here.’ He placed the vial on the table. ‘Apparently, together they’re some kind of tracking device. But we both know that every time blood’s used, dark magic could be involved. I want to know what I’m getting myself into.’
‘So this is for a job?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’re asking questions? Breaking your own rules. That’s unheard of, Nate.’
‘My first rule is self-preservation. That’s why I’m making an exception this once.’
‘And my services don’t come for free any more than yours do.’
He’d collected an object for her only last week. It had taken him three months to track it down: a small, leather-bound book that could temporarily hold a human soul. He didn’t ask her what she wanted it for. Like with all his collections, it was none of his business. He’d charged her significantly for it though and she was still in debt to him as a result.
As well as his rule of never asking questions, one of his others was to get paid in full – a rule he’d introduced a decade before. He’d only agreed to instalments because she’d agreed free access to her store for the next few months. With Tamara being one of the best underground sources of goods in Blackthorn, it had been a mutually beneficial arrangement.
‘Tell me what you know and I’ll waive half of the instalments,’ he said.
Her eyes widened a little at the offer. ‘If this is magic related, you know my kind’s rules. I can’t be disclosing things to you.’
‘A human gave it to me. I think the secret’s already disclosed.’
She held his gaze for a moment longer before heading out the back.
She returned some time later with a heavy book. She placed it on the table. She unlaced the string that bound it before flicking through the pages, using the various index tabs as she flipped back and forth between sections with the swift expertise of a lexicographer with a dictionary.
Finding the right page, she read through it before closing it again.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘I can’t talk to you about this,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Be smart, Tamara.’
‘You be smart, Nate. That better not have been a threat. Who gave this to you?’
‘I can’t tell you that.’
‘Then we have a stalemate.’
‘So this is witch related? Because that’s the only reason why you wouldn’t want to tell me. Right now, I’m going to follow that compass to wherever it leads and take whoever I find to the one who wants them. My guess is you have an obligation to do what you can to prevent that which can’t happen without you telling me more.’
‘But I’m not going to be preventing it, am I?’
‘That depends.’ He pulled out the only thing he knew would work. ‘You don’t want word getting back to Kane about who helped you with that book, do you? Not with how he feels about me.’
Her eyes narrowed. A few moments later, she reopened the book. She relocated the section before laying the book open in front of him.
‘It’s a witch finder,’ she said, resentment emanating in her tone. ‘What you have operating this is dead witch blood. It’s designed to find family members from this specific bloodline.’
‘So this is going to take me to a particular witch?’
‘Yes.’
‘What kind of witch?’
‘I don’t know. But the design of that device is archaic. It was said to have been devised centuries ago when a father’s daughter was stolen. She was his only child. He sacrificed himself so she could be found and brought home. The compass helped locate her. The vial of blood pinpointed her. Witches have a stronger survival instinct than any other race; it’s why we bind with nature so powerfully. That need to survive is what drives that droplet to find a familiar host. Nate, I don’t know who wants this witch or why, but I can’t be seen to advocate this as you well know.’
‘Could it be serryn blood?’
Serryns – the rarest and most powerful of witches. Like sirens, they were the ultimate seductresses for vampires, but serryn blood was poisonous. No vampire in their right mind got within half a mile of a serryn. And it made sense that the Hordas clan would want one. He knew how valuable a caught one would be – or even one located.
‘It’s tough to say,’ she said. ‘Aside from the fact they’ve been rumoured extinct.’
‘But it’s possible.’
‘Highly unlikely, but possible. If it was a serryn they were after though, it would make no sense to send a vampire after them. Not even you.’
Nate stepped back out onto the street.
He needed to pull out. He needed to back out.
But he knew exactly what Antonia would do if he did. Now he’d shown an interest in Harry’s, she’d burn that café down and kill everyone in it as punishment. And then she’d put a price on his head.
He’d be finished.