Persie Merlin and the Witch Hunters - Bella Forrest Page 0,44
us about the man who kidnapped you?” Victoria folded her arms behind her back, looking around the dank fishery with a hint of disgust. A few of the hunters had already withdrawn, retching, because of the stink. “Any discernible features that could help us track him down?”
I tried to find a comfortable sitting position on a rickety crate, but my body ached all over from the Purge and I gave up, sinking into my discomfort. “He had dark hair and dark eyes. He had an Irish accent, pretty thick, and he’s…he’s tall and… um… well-built.”
“Anything else that might be of use?” Victoria pressed. She looked like she was focused on me, but I could tell she was scanning the area out of the corner of her eye. The moment I’d told her there was a Grendel on the loose, her nostrils had flared. For her, that was as emotionally explosive as howling in frustration.
A memory floated back into my exhausted brain. “Maybe.”
“Go on…”
“I remember my mom telling me, once, that there might come a time when some evil people try to take me away, to use me against my parents. The Merlin name being valuable and all that jazz,” I said, aware of everyone staring at me. Fortunately, I had Nathan and Genie flanking me to shield me from most of the intensity. Nathan had arrived as soon as he’d slipped the pixies back into the Repository, and I guessed Genie had persuaded him to bring her as my moral support. “And here I am, freshly abducted, albeit safe now.”
Victoria arched an eyebrow. “And how might this be of use? Do you think your kidnapper is tied to your family in some way?”
“No, that’s not it. Sorry, I know I’m babbling—it’s hard to get my thoughts in line.” I gripped the damp edges of the crate. “The abductor had eyes on me because of my name, but that wasn’t why he snatched me. He took me because he’s desperately searching for answers to a curse that’s been put on him. He thought I could fix it for him.”
Victoria’s mouth twitched, ever so slightly, into the ghost of a grimace. “Despicable,” she murmured, clearly furious that magicals were being targeted by these people.
Nathan crouched to look me in the eyes. “Did you say he’s been watching you?”
“That’s what he said. He mentioned something called the Veritas. I think they’re the ones who ordered him to keep an eye on me.”
He glanced up at Victoria. “It could be witch hunters. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve sniffed around the Institute.”
“You’ve met people like this before?” My gaze flitted between the two of them, trying to read something more than concern on their faces. He’d said it so casually, like I should know the term. And I did, but not in a modern sense. In American history, “witch hunters” brought images of Salem and the gruesome, biased trials that no “witch” could ever win. By the time they were accused, their accusers were already measuring rope, building pyres, and preparing contraptions to drown those poor souls.
“I’m going to make some calls.” Victoria turned to Charlotte, leaving my questions unanswered. “I will leave you in charge of the hunt. Please report back to me as soon as the beast has been retrieved, and I would like updates on the status of this criminal who tried to hurt one of our own.”
Charlotte dipped her head. “Yes, Ms. Jules.”
“Who are these people?” I asked, trying to stand. My knees buckled, and I plopped back down onto the crate, thoroughly spent.
Victoria gave me a rare smile of encouragement. “We will talk about this again soon, Persie, once you’ve had the chance to recuperate from this traumatic experience. I am profoundly sorry that you were put in harm’s way. Rest assured, I will get to the bottom of this. No one terrorizes my people and gets away with it.”
Before I could pry any further, she drew a chalk-door in the nearby wall and vanished through it. What her calls would entail, or what avenues she was going to investigate, I had no idea. I supposed I would find out when we next spoke. After all, we’d agreed to mutual honesty, and I had a right to know what she planned to do about this.
“So, let’s get back to business.” Charlotte took over, squaring her shoulders as she shifted into action mode. “What else can you tell us about this guy?”