The Family Business

Chapter 3: Summons

New Haven. Wednesday, November 29, 2006.

Neal and Sara could have waited to attend the book reception in Manhattan, but they were eager to support Chloe. And now that Sam was under a threat, they wanted to be in New Haven for his sake as well. Realistically, there wasn't much they could do, but Neal thought Sam might like to talk it through with him.

Sam had told him about the Yellow-Eyed Demon a couple of months ago when they were investigating an enchanted netsuke. At the time, Sam was experiencing nightmares but didn't want Dean to know. For him to change his mind, they must have gotten dramatically worse.

The Elysian Bookstore was near the Yale campus. It attracted a large following from the university. The bookstore was crowded when Neal and Sara arrived. Chloe was seated at a table near the front, signing copies of Monkshood by Moonlight. Neal noticed Maia standing by the refreshments table in the back. There was no sign of Dean or Sam.

They paused to admire a poster for the book.

"Mozzie told me he's found an agent for Chloe who also works in Hollywood," Sara said. "Someday a TV series might be made of the adventures of Zoe Alderwood and Ravensword."

"Given how steamy some of the scenes are, I hope it's on cable." Mozzie was currently in Japan, consulting on the latest project for Yellowface. The anime producers were keen on developing a Godzilla movie for their bee superhero.

A long line of readers had formed in front of Chloe, so he and Sara decided to hit the refreshments table while waiting for a lull. Neal noticed Mozzie's honey wine was among the selections. He'd probably sent up a case in honor of the event.

"Judging by the turnout, Chloe's book will be a best-seller," Sara told Maia.

"It's a welcome distraction for all of us," Maia replied. "I've been keeping myself busy by working on the new annex to the bookstore. I hope Sam will get interested in the project."

"What will the annex be for?" Neal asked.

"Used and rare books. The demand is high but currently there's only one bookseller in the university district. He wants to retire and has offered to sell me his stock."

"Will you have a section for the occult?" Sara asked.

"I really should, as well as botany and mythology. The three seem to go together these days." Maia turned to Neal. "What have you learned about the Celtic coin?"

He hadn't planned to bring it up till after the reception, but she was probably trying to latch onto topics to avoid thinking about Azazel. "It appears to be identical to the one in the hex bag," he told her. "We'd dated it to the first century. When we found it in the hex bag, we didn't know about Astrena. Now, the imagery has a deeper significance."

Maia nodded in agreement. "The moon and stars could be references to her. The flower on the reverse side could symbolize an orchid."

"I'd wondered about the lines radiating away from the star," Sara said. "They could represent the tail from a meteor. Neal told me about the connection between meteors and pure-blood vampires."

Maia swallowed. "This coin could have been part of the ritual to bring pure-bloods to Earth."

This was why Neal hadn't wanted to discuss it yet. Not exactly the pleasant sort of chitchat to make at a book reception. On the other hand, it was a reception for a book about a witch and her supernatural lover. Anyone eavesdropping would likely assume they were discussing a plot in a novel.

"I wonder how involved Astrena was with the creation of the coin," Sara mused. "The only example we found on the web was discovered in an ancient grave in Ireland. Could there be a connection?"