Reading the past life of Elizabeth Bradly had drained Priscilla. I was able to get her to eat, but her body was so worn from the projection that she instantly fell asleep. I had carried the teen to her room and placed her in bed, making sure to cover her. I wish that I knew the reason for her gift, or why it fit so perfectly with mine. I let out a sigh and grabbed my notebook from my briefcase. I had to write out the thoughts I had heard before they became jumbled and nearly forgotten.
The first scene had shown both Elizabeth and Sheridan sitting at a table. While the image had projected without the words, I was able to read the thoughts of both women in the scene. The blonde was Sheridan, the woman known to become the Hybrid Queen, and the other was Elizabeth. Both of them hungered for the same thing, complete control of the supernatural world by eliminating human existence. They believed that the Earth would flourish if it were only inhabited by the beings with some sort of power. They also knew that to make it a possibility they had to get rid of all pure-blooded creatures and fight off the Celestial forces of both Heaven and Hell.
Since neither of them wanted to rule under the other, they made a pact. Sheridan would secure the world by any means necessary and rule for at least a century, and Elizabeth would rule for the following century. They would pass the world back and forth ruling as a unit and not as an individual. The thing is, Elizabeth did not know that Sheridan had no intention of sharing the world with her new comrade. Instead, she planned to hold out as long as she could, until the perfect opportunity came where she could eradicate the witch instead of allowing her to take a seat on the very same throne.
So, my notes went as follows:
Subject One: Sheridan – The Hybrid Queen
Rule Period: Mid 1800s to 2000s
Cause of Death: Death by Warden
Sheridan came to power shortly after the poisoning of Elizabeth Bradly. The two women conspired a plan to share the ruling of a new world. Sheridan, who had far more firepower and influence with the underground, promised to deliver a perfect world to Elizabeth within a century. To seal the deal, Elizabeth would drink a rare poison, concocted of demonic magic and allow it to eat her slowly for the next fifty years. Sheridan only decided to initiate the deal based on Elizabeth's prior reputation. While Sheridan was favorable amongst the creatures of the underground, Elizabeth had created a reputation of sucking the power from those that opposed her. Sheridan believed that when it came to ruling a new world, she was better suited for the job than Elizabeth. Her intentions became to hold the throne as long as possible. If she were alive and in charge, Elizabeth Bradly would not be able to walk on the Earth again. The contracted deal between the two women stated that Elizabeth's contract would void only if Sheridan found final death before procuring the world as her own. (Which as we all know is exactly what happened).
Subject Two: Elizabeth Bradly – The High Witch
Rule Period: None
Cause of Death: Knife to the Throat
Elizabeth, being naive to the deception of the Hybrid Queen took the poison with only a slight hesitation. She knew that it only gave her fifty years more of life, yet she thought she could find a way to outsmart the Queen. To some degree, I suppose that she did. Approximately twenty years after consumption of the poison Elizabeth tracks down the Demon, Isaac. *Note to self: Speak with Lucifer concerning the unknown Demon. * Inside a worn-down Tavern on the poorer side of New York mid to late 1800s Isaac offers Elizabeth sixteen more years to tie up loose ends. His deal states that once Elizabeth finds certain death her soul would be entrusted to him for a brief period of time, before the contract returns the core to her to use in her spiritual form. In the fine print, and thought quite harshly by the Demon, it stated that she would be powerless. This meant that the High Witch would need to create a vessel in which to store her power. She would be unable to hide her magic in any other being but the spawn of her own loins.
Subject Three: Alexander Greene – High Patriarch of the English Hunters Association
Rule Period: None – though in charge of the Greene family legacy since the mid-1700s
Cause of death: None – Still Living
Alexander Greene was brought into the plot by Elizabeth Bradly after her extensive research on possible sires for the aforementioned vessel. She needed someone with intense energy and rooted family blood. The Greene family was Elizabeth's first choice, though Alexander was not who she wanted initially. His father Henry had been first thought of, but due to old age and his retirement retreats he was hard to track down, so she settled for Alexander knowing that he was just as strong and quite potent. After several meetings with Elizabeth, Alexander agreed to the terms. There was one minor detail that Elizabeth left out of the contract, but somehow managed to imprint it in another way so that it was mentioned but not seen. The vessel was to live to adulthood and trained not only in the techniques of a Hunter but also in the methods of a Warlock. He was to be kept stable and allowed to continue increasing his strength by any means necessary. Alexander missed this note which means that he later switches roles from father to servant once the vessel reaches a certain power level. To this day I fear that Alexander is unaware of this clause in the contract.
Subject Four: Phillip Bradly – Current Warlock King
Rule Period: Present
Cause of Death: Still Living
Phillip Bradly is the son of Elizabeth and Alexander. He is currently sitting on the throne with his new wife/hostage. For this purpose, Phillip will be known as the vessel. Created by contract and not by love, the child of the witch and hunter was meant to hold his mother's power until she was brought back to Earth. All of the witch's mortal power was passed to the babe shortly after birth. This is the reason that Elizabeth gave up her magical lifestyle and maintained a human existence. At the point of his mother's death, the vessel had already begun to exhibit magical abilities. This was his mother's cue to find certain death. Though only a child, the vessel was aware that he would be led through life by his father, who had to take care of him through other means since the vessel would not be allowed within the Greene family home, nor would the vessel be able to take over the family business. I need a little more insight into the vessel's frame of mind. To me, it seems he may be onto his mother's plot to drain him of the power that not only he possessed from her, but from what he took from so many others. *Note to self: Speak with Gretel about the vessels relationship with his father. *
I knew there was more to the story than what I had written on paper. The thoughts were already starting to fade, my notes were going to have to get me through for now. I reread the subject's information and decided it best to reach out to Dawn. I needed a few moments to speak with Lucifer, but I had no idea how to contact the Creator myself. I grabbed the phone and proceeded to dial the Wardens number.
"Garret? Calling me so soon. Did you learn something new from your notes?" she was excited to see my name pop up on her phone, I was sure.
"There are some questions that I need to be answered," I began.
"Of course, ask me anything."
"No, I apologize for not saying it sooner, but I need to speak with Lucifer." I closed my eyes afraid that she would say.
"Oh?" She paused. "Of course. Can you come to my office tomorrow morning?"
"Sure, what time works best?" I asked.
"Around nine. I will make all the arrangements."
She hung up.
For a few moments, I sat there hoping that I had not overstepped my boundaries. Dawn was doing a great job learning everything she could about the enemy. While many wondered why she had not stepped into the fight, I understood her reasoning. She wanted to make sure that she understood every aspect of what she was up against. She wanted backstory, future prophecies, and character evaluations. When she went in for the kill, she wanted to make sure that every last duck was in a row. Now here I was, wanting to speak with a Creator, someone above her. The thing is, Lucifer was the only one that could answer my questions concerning the unknown Demon contract. I had never heard of Isaac, I had skimmed the notebooks and demonology websites, and the name did not ring a bell.
Neither of the others seemed informed on him either. Then again, I had not asked Aaron what he thought the whole thing meant. He was here to document the situation and his knowledge of what was past, present, and future was beyond that of any other being I had met. Once I had my answers from the King of Hell, I would make sure to look up Aaron and compare notes. Maybe together we could fill in some of the missing pieces. For instance, the reason that the witch needed a vessel in the first place.
It is a known fact that most spiritual beings maintain a portion of their power even after death. Those few that actually happen to outsmart the Reapers. I had met them, so Elizabeth's tale made no sense in some areas. She put everything she had into her son. How could a mother so lovingly raise a child only to mean to bring it harm later on in life? It just does not add up.
***
I was outside Dawn's office at precisely nine the next morning. I still felt terrible going above her head, but there was no way that she would be able to answer the questions. Sure, she knew a lot about earthbound Demons and Angels, but even she had grimaced at the mention of the new Demon.
"Garret!" Dawn exclaimed opening the door and rushing me into her office.
The room was large with a dark mahogany desk at one end and a set of red velvet chairs at the other. Between the two sections were rows of bookcases full of volumes. She had been working alongside Aaron and Kris to document the Hybrid War and all the people involved. She was probably the only being in existence that could tell you the name of every last creature that lost their lives during that war.
"Good morning," I stuttered, unsure of what to think of the Wardens early morning perk.
"So glad you came," she winked.
"You..." I started, but her fingers flew to my lips.
"He doesn't know you asked for the meeting. I told him that I had someone he needed to meet," she whispered.
I looked at her wide-eyed. She had lured the Creator here with the declaration that this was her idea. Maybe he would not have come if she simply said, "the Jumper wants to speak with you." Then again, I was pretty sure he did not know who I was from any other unique being in this dimension.
"Oh?" I looked at her eyes wide with my mouth opened. I did not know what else to say.
The Warden grabbed me by the hand and pulled me into her office. Suddenly the image that I had seen from the open door expanded even further. Yet another place larger than my two-bedroom apartment.
A tall man with jet black hair looked up at me from his perch behind the desk. His eyes were ruby red, just as Dawn's were. He gave me a toothy grin and stood up holding his hand out for me to take. I adjusted my gloves to ensure no contact was made, not that I would be able to pull a single image from the Creator. Then again, you never know what you are going to get from a single contact.
"Is this him?" he asked.
"Yes," she pushed a chair towards me then took a seat to the right of Lucifer.
They had an odd relationship. While we all knew there was nothing romantic between them, they shared a universal emotion when in the presence of the other. It was evident that Lucifer held Dawn up on a pedestal. She was his pride and joy when it came to the Wardens. The others, while powerful, did not hold the same respect from the King of Hell as Dawn did. Mind you, the opposite could be said of God. She had not taken well to the Warden. They had a rocky start that was later sorted out after it was determined that Dawn would be the one to kill the Hybrid Queen.
"Welcome, Garret," Lucifer said with another smile.
Dawn leaned in and placed her head on Lucifer's shoulder.
"Thank you for taking a moment to see me," I began, unsure of how to follow my intro.
"Garret was instrumental in reading those old black and white photos of Gretel's. He was able to see quite a bit in such a short time." She looked up at him and smiled a very odd, and quite creepy smile.
"Oh?" Lucifer answered, his voice increasing in pitch. "Tell me, what exactly do your gifts provide you?"
I looked at him baffled. I had always imagined the Creators with the ability to read exactly who a person was. Then again, I may be confusing them with Santa for all I knew.
"Well, I can take trinkets that once belonged to a person and read their inner thoughts while flashing back to certain points in their life." I chose to go with the short version of what I did. I had learned over the years people did not really care about all the other parts of a job. They wanted to know the basics, hence why I shortened the description.
"Fascinating." He gasped. "Is this a learned trait or hereditary?"
"Hereditary." If I had known I was going to be interviewed, I would have worn a better suit. I felt slightly underdressed for this occasion.
"Mother or father?" He raised an eyebrow at me. Dawn winked.
"Both actually." I cleared my throat
"Please elaborate," Lucifer requested, moving his right hand in a circular motion that meant for me to continue.
"My mother was a telepath; my father was a jumper." I swallowed hard. Not many people knew what a jumper was.
"Jumper? Seriously? There have only been a handful of time travel portal jumpers in the history of humankind." He wrapped his left arm around Dawn and hugged her close.
"Told you he was a rare jewel," she said to him.
"Indeed he is." He squeezed her shoulder and returned his attention to me. "You were able to connect with an image of Elizabeth?"
"I was able to. Not for long, and nothing new compared to what the ladies have already seen. Still, there is more to the story." I reached into my case and produced the notebook that I had jotted my notes into the day before. With a slight shake of his hand, Lucifer took the book from me and began to turn the pages, his eyes scanning each and every line that I had written.
"You can hear their thoughts?" He looked up at me.
"Yes, that is my mother's trait. She was always able to hear the thoughts of people. It didn't matter if they were right in front of her, on the TV screen, or even a character in a book. She had an impeccable way of knowing exactly how each and every person thinks and feels." I snapped my lips shut. I may have said too much.
"You didn't mention she had empath capabilities," Lucifer continued to scroll through the pages.
"She could sense feelings, not alter or be consumed by them," I corrected. So many people confused empath with a telepath, almost as many that assumed my mother could bend spoons with her mind.
"I see you have noted in here to ask me about a Demon." He looked up at me then eyed Dawn slowly. She gave him a sweet smile, and he calmed.
"Yes, you see the initial contract between Sheridan and Elizabeth was a separation of rule periods. While Sheridan had no intentions of passing the crown to the High Witch, she still had loopholes in her contract. One of those was the ability to set up a claim between Elizabeth and the Demon Isaac." I was trying to be professional.
"That is a name that I have not heard in many decades." He closed his eyes tightly.
"So, you know him?" I asked eagerly.
"Of course, I know him. His father was one of my dearest comrades." Lucifer answered with a slight growl. "Insect of a man if you ask me. Parading around the world pretending to be Pureblooded. That man was a hybrid through and through, half fae and half demon."
I was confused. Even in the images, every thought that Isaac had was surrounded by some form of Demon magic. If he had been part fae, I should have picked up on the additional bloodline.
"You aren't the first to fall for his tricks." Lucifer bit his bottom lip. "I made sure to place him in a very hot section of Hell. No worries about him raining on anyone's parade."
"Was the contract valid?" I asked.
"Isaac did have the ability to claim many souls. It's what Demons do. We are the brothers of the Reapers, just a little pickier." He sighed. "I gave my children and their offspring the same humanly attributes that God did his Angels. I do not keep any of their contracts on file, just my own."
"No sire, that is not what I was going to ask you." I sighed heavily. "I just wanted to know if what he offered her was possible."
"What is that?" Lucifer raised his eyebrows again and stared intently at me.
"He offered Elizabeth sixteen years to place her power inside a vessel. She would pass her spirit onto him, after a period of time he would release it." I chose the short story yet again. There were too many items inside what had happened that had absolutely nothing to do with the outcome.
"While I would love to say that we have the abilities to catch and release. That is not a Demon trait. That, dear Jumper, is the work of a fae." Lucifer bit his bottom lip harder.
Silence filled the room as I attempted to take in what Lucifer had just said. How could a fae; no matter if it was a fairy, elf, sprite, or gnome, have any ability to claim the witches spirit?
"We have been under the impression that we were dealing with Demon contracts." I stuttered. Why hadn't I caught onto this in the image?
"Fae are tricky creatures. Sure, they are quite fun to be around, but they have a sort of darkness inside of them. Not one that I put there, but one that has just built and built since the beginning of time." He blinked.
"So how is it valid?"
"Most likely he mixed the two contracts into one. His mother was always an expert manipulator, I'm almost positive that the contract made she helped to write. Another point is there is another being mixed into this whole mess. Do you really think that Sheridan sought out and connected with Elizabeth? No, they were placed together due to their common bond. Most likely someone else was playing the Devil's Advocate that day." He let out a little laugh at the mention of his own name.
"Most likely Lydia," Dawn grumbled. "Gretel should be able to assist in finding something that belonged to her. Kris didn't exactly have a healthy relationship with her mother."
"I think you should start with the vessel. You already know the story up until Elizabeth's death. I'm sure a link to the Warlock King would be better suited for our dear friend." Lucifer interjected.
"What do you know of this whole ordeal?" I asked narrowing my eyes. While he had answered many of my questions, he seemed more comfortable pulling me off the lead. If Lydia was the third party why wouldn't he let me link with the woman? She was already dead after all.
"I know enough to know you are on the right track. Dawn has to know her enemy before she can engage him. Plus, Phillip has already gone against his mother's wishes and taken the throne for himself." Lucifer mentioned with a sly grin.
He was hiding something.