Nicholas and Harper were back in his old Brooklyn apartment. They were confident that was the last place anyone would think to look for them. They were also confident they could deal with any unwelcome visitors if it came to that.
Nicholas shared with Harper all he had gleaned from the minds of her family as they slowly ate slices of pizza.
''This looks like it has more layers to it than we imagined,'' Harper said.
Nicholas nodded. ''We still have to hit The Glades hard. I got locations of high-ranking Consignors we can squeeze for information on the Grandkeepers whereabouts. He knows more than anyone else, he'd know exactly what this prophecy about us and Emily says.''
''I agree. You think we should go to Aunt Griselda after we've paid the Consignor a visit, or should we go to her first? Maybe she'd have useful information that could lead us to the GrandKeeper. What do you think?''
''I think we go to her first. Sounds more sensible.'' Nicholas said.
Harper nodded.
''How's your energy?'' Nicholas asked.
''So-so. Now that we've eaten something… a bit of rest oughta help,'' she tossed a half-eaten slice of pizza into the carton in front of them.
''Do you feel stronger when you're angry, I mean enraged?'' Harper asked. ''I know it's a bit of a silly question,'' she added.
''No, its not,'' Nicholas said. ''I know exactly what you mean. You're talking about our powers, right?''
''Yeah.''
''I do feel like I can do more when I'm really angry, you know…I don't know if that means I'm more powerful at that moment. I suppose it'll be the same in a life-threatening situation,'' he added.
''Adrenaline'' Harper said in a sing-song tone.
''Yeah.''
''Why did you say you'd kill Lara?''
''What?''
''Your sister. You said you'll kill her, but just not today. It sounded like you KNEW you'd kill her someday.''
''Oh, yeah,'' she sighed. ''I just knew it when I saw her. It wasn't a vision or anything, I was just sure of it. Call it clairvoyance or whatever… I don't know.'' She scoffed. ''It was probably just me being really pissed at her, sometime I wish we were like actual sisters…. you know…''
''I know.''
She looked at him, a look of deep appreciation, grateful that she felt secure in him as a partner and as a friend as much as she did as a lover. She leaned in and let herself fall into his arms as she began to sob, awash with a nameless kind of guilt.
She knew she qualified for absolution, but she did not feel its succor, nor did she want to. She feared it would leave a gaping hole she didn't know how to fill. Her anguish was now the only way she could express love for her child, and the constant realization of that fact plunged her closer and closer to the insanity of profound despair.
So she held on tight to Nicholas, hoping he would be a strong enough anchor.
''How did we let this happen, Nic?'' she wept. ''Our daughter… what are they doing to her? She must be so scared. I want to die, Nic, I can't take the pain. I want to die. Help me die, Nic. Our newborn's out there without her mother. With strange people or creatures or God knows what…. I can't bear it Nic.''
''Harp… Harp, listen to me,'' he said, cradling her face, looking directly into eyes made bloody red by the most sorrowful sobbing he had ever heard.
''We will find her… we will.'' He let out a heavy sigh and held on to her tight. She held on to him and they shared their pain.
Harper wept audibly, while Nicholas did all he could to ensure that his sorrow was silent. They clung to each other on the dusty floor of his old apartment and wept until their head throbbed and their eyes were empty.
Then Nicholas withdrew from the embrace, took her face in his hands. ''We must be strong for her. That means making sure that this grief does not break us. We need to stay well fed, healthy and sharp. Otherwise, we'd stand no chance of finding her, and she'd stand no chance of ever knowing our love.''
Harper nodded, understanding and appreciating every word.
''We should go see a friend of mine… Maisie before we head to Salem. She's a powerful seer. She might have heard about this prophecy. I trust her.''
''I remember you mentioned her to me once,'' Nicholas said.
''Besides you and Great-aunt Griselda… she's the only other person I trust. She'll help us any way she can. I want to know more about this prophecy from a friend before we start hunting down Consignors.''
Nicholas nodded; processing Harpers proposed change of plan.
''Alright, then let's go see Maisie.''
Nicholas and Harper teleported to the Sportman's Alamo cantina, a characterful bar in Phoenicia, a small town tucked deep in the Catskill mountains. The town gave the eerie edge of the sort of place where secrets were born, fled from, then returned to die.
They spotted Maisie seated at a table in the center of the bar, her back to the door. She was smoking a cigarette, a glass of whiskey in front of her.
''You come with the fire, Harp. All that raw energy,'' Maisie said without turning around. Then she rose sharply, spun, and pulled Harper into a heartfelt hug.
''It's so good to see you,'' she said warmly.
''And you must be Nicholas… the one that stole my girl's heart,'' she added, extending a hand toward him.
''Guilty,'' Nicholas said with a smile, taking her hand.
''Good to meet you… Let's get right into it,'' she said, gesturing toward the empty seats.
The moment they appeared at the town; Harper began to sense the throng of supernatural beings. Though the population was less than a thousand, the surrounding mountains held thousands more: wolves, fairies, goblins, elves, sirens, banshees, shapeshifters, vampires, demons, and witches. Her power felt sharper here, more amplified. That meant every other supernatural creature likely was too. She easily spotted a pair of vampires a few feet from where they sat, their rising voracity slightly unsettling her. They better find a deer or something she thought.
Once Nicholas and Harper had properly brought Maisie up to speed, speaking in tones so low they had to lean in to hear each other Maisie exhaled hard.
"You two are better people than I am," she said. "If I had the kind of power you're working with right now, they'd be peeling Reaper bodies off the pavement until someone dropped my daughter straight into my arms." She took a hard swig of her whiskey, coughing. "Shite whiskey, by the way. I do not recommend!".
Maisie softened ''I don't mean to be simple. I know it's a lot more complicated than that. but I just can't imagine how you both are feeling about all this. And like I said when you called, I haven't heard anything about this prophecy… or seen the interlocking rings you described. I reckon its deeply protected intra-coven secrets we're dealing with, meaning it'd be really old as well.
''Now,'' There's a seer in the mountains we can talk to. If anyone knows something, it's her. Rumor is… she's close to a thousand years old.''
''Is she expecting us?'' Nicholas asked.
''She is. Right now, actually… so we've gotta go'' Maisie said, already rising.
Just as they made to leave, Nicholas froze. Suddenly feeling a strong foreboding.
''Danger,'' he said.
Two vampires Harper had clocked earlier lunged at them with blinding speed. One sank his fangs into Nicholas' neck before he could react—but Nicholas grabbed him and hurled him across the room with demon strength. He turned just in time to see the other going for Harper. Nicholas slammed into him, knocking the vampire to the ground. He broke a piece of a nearby table and drove it through the creature's heart. As he ducked another swipe from the first, he plunged a second makeshift stake into the attacker's chest.
Screams erupted. The bar emptied in chaos.
Then came the roar.
''Are those lions?'' Maisie said. Her face white with fear.
Another thunderous sound tore through the air, and three massive lions burst through the front doors. One swiped at Maisie, sending her crashing back in a bloody heap.
"Maisie!" Harper cried.
She rose into the air and released a siren call, her voice cutting through the bar like a song woven from wind and power. The beasts froze mid-charge. While they were subdued, Nicholas moved fast, stabbing each lion through the heart with vicious precision.
Harper landed and ran to Maisie. Blood gushed from her neck and mouth. Harper tried to heal her, but she was spent—drained from slowing down the beasts. A deep, cold fear took hold. Maisie smelled of death.
Maisie reached into her side bag and pressed a blood-soaked note into Harpers hand.
''Go,'' she's rasped. ''She's waiting…'' some of her blood sprayed Harpers face.
''No, you're not dying,'' Harper said, panicking.
"Nic! Get me that lion's heart—the one that cut her!".
Nicholas hurriedly tore into the lions corpse, yanked out its punctured heart and handed it to Harper.
She leaned in breathing over Maisie's wounds, muttered an incantation and squeezed the blood over Maisie's face so that some got into her mouth and reached every part of her wound.
Maisie sputtered.
''You need to drink the blood Maisie… ''
Maisie managed to force down a mouthful.
Seconds later the wound began to close.
''Theres more coming'' Nicholas said, glancing toward the door. ''We need to get out of here.''