But none of them were quite as eye-catching as the dark-clad beauty that stepped into his room at half past eleven a.m. Violet Cambridge looked smoldering today, with the kind of sexual energy that reduced otherwise strong men to weak-kneed idiots. There was nothing subtle about her sexuality and never had been. Even as a young girl, she’d bewitched every man she’d come into contact with. Though she was well aware of the power she held over men, she didn’t always indulge in it. This morning, for instance, did not find her deliberately catching anyone’s eye. She was far too distracted for that… but her natural beauty was enough to cast her spell, regardless.
Violet stopped at Sinclair’s side, reaching out to take his hand in hers. The vital, appealing man she’d met the day before seemed long gone now. He looked frail and surprisingly old.
“Bill? Can you hear me?”
Sinclair’s eyelids fluttered and for a moment Violet thought he was about to open them and gaze up at her. It didn’t happen. He continued to breathe deeply and rhythmically.
“It’s me. Violet Cambridge. I have it. I found The Damned Thing.” Violet looked towards the door to make sure no one was listening. She kept her voice low but talked quickly. “It scares the hell out of me. I haven’t actually looked at it yet but… I can hear it. In my head. It wants me to take it out and touch it. I need to know how to destroy it. Is it as simple as throwing it into a fire? Can I bury it in a deep, dark hole? Or will it just be found later on and all I’ve done is pass the problem on to someone else?”
“Destroying something like that isn’t an easy thing to do.”
Violet jumped in surprise. She looked to her left and saw a man seated in a chair, legs crossed. He was leaning forward, one hand cupping a pipe that he was lighting. The pipe dangled from a corner of his mouth as he sat back and examined her. He cut an intriguing figure, being in his mid sixties with the sort of softening body that made you think that he had once been very athletic. His features were fairly nondescript but his eyes shone with an inner light and were quite compelling. He was bald, which gave his head a slight egg shape. He wore a charcoal gray suit and black shoes. “I didn’t hear you come in,” she said.
“I know. My name is Frederick Bentley. I’m a member of the same organization that William is.” He spoke with an English accent, which gave him an air of authority.
“Oh?” Violet relaxed a bit and sat down in the only other chair in the room. She leaned forward. “Do you mind verifying that for me?”
“How would you like me to do that?”
“I don’t really know.”
“Well, I’m obviously not one of The Followers of the Eclipse. I’m a bit too animated for that. Have you met Mr. Burkard yet? If you have, then you know I’m not him… if you haven’t…. You have? Good. So that only leaves me being an agent of some other party entirely, someone else who might have reason to haunt the hospitals, looking for William’s room.”
Violet considered the man’s words and his demeanor. She instinctively trusted him, though she couldn’t explain why. “I have The Damned Thing.”
“So I heard.”
“Do you know how I can destroy it?”
“You really haven’t looked at it?”
“No.”
“That’s good. Gazing at something like that isn’t healthy. Its voice is awful enough but to combine that with the sight of the thing… well, it worms its way into your brain and then you become an addict. You need it, even if it terrifies you. There are some things men and women are not meant to know or see… The Damned Thing is rightly one of them.”
Violet took a cigarette out of her purse and lit it. The room was soon blanketed in smoke, as both she and Frederick puffed away. “So what do you recommend?”
“The first thing you need to do is get away from here. Atlanta is the worst place you can be right now. Not only is The Followers’ leader on his way here, but also Atlanta is a place of great occult power. The spell that could free the demon inside The Damned Thing could be performed here. We cannot let that happen. You need to leave this place and go somewhere else. In fact, I would suggest that you turn The Damned Thing over to me and divest yourself of it before you are cursed by its nature.”
“You still haven’t told me how to destroy it.” Violet’s words were laced with rising anger. She was increasingly angry over how the past few days had gone. She still hadn’t made peace with her partner’s death and the surprises about her own husband’s demise. And now all of this strangeness was only making it worse.
“The Damned Thing is old. Very old. And that kind of evil isn’t evil to kill.” Violet took a drag on her cigarette and stared at him. He continued speaking after a moment. “I can help you.”
“But you want to take me away from Atlanta.”
“Yes. For your own safety.”
Violet crossed her legs, noticing that Frederick’s eyes caught the movement. He looked at her legs for a brief second before looking back up to her face. “I’m not going anywhere. Especially not with you or any member of The Order. As far as I can see, you’re just another cult like The Followers are. Different masters and different purposes but the same cloak and dagger routines.”
“We’re their mortal enemies.” Frederick leaned forward, holding his pipe in one hand. “Don’t confuse who your friends are.”
“Really? You have my partner in your group of a few years and he never once mentions it to me. Why?”
“He wanted to protect you.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt that. But considering what you have learned the past few days about The Damned Thing, would you have involved Miles had the roles been reversed?”
Violet had to admit he was right about that. “Can’t I destroy this thing here in Atlanta? Why waste time? Tell me how to do it and I can do it tonight, before Crowley ever arrives.”
“Then might I suggest that you give The Damned Thing over to me? We’ve been preparing for its destruction for years. If you truly want it destroyed tonight… I can do that.”
“I just told you that I don’t trust you.”
“But you obviously do.”
“What makes you think that?”
“You came here to talk to William. He’s a member of The Order, just like me. So if you believe in him… why not show me a little faith, too?”
Violet glanced back over at Sinclair and sighed. She was tired and it was beginning to make her sloppy. Normally, she could bounce ideas off Miles… but that was no longer an option. And Will… Will was Wilclass="underline" stalwart and handsome but far too overprotective. She only had one close friend beyond that left and while Clint Jacobs was a perfect companion for movie premieres and dinner parties, he didn’t have much to say in the way of dealing with murder and bizarre cults. “I just want to get this madness behind me so I can get on with my life.”
Frederick nodded. “Give me The Damned Thing, Miss Cambridge. I promise that it will not plague you ever again.”
Violet stood up, dropping her cigarette to the floor. She ground it out with her high-heeled shoe. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”
“Frater Perdurabo.”
Violet looked over at Sinclair. His words had been issued in a whisper but they’d electrified the room. Frederick leaned forward, his eyes blazing intensely and Violet rushed to Sinclair’s side, taking his hand. “You’re awake! I’m so glad, Bill.”
Bill cast sleepy eyes towards Frederick. He held the other man’s gaze for a long moment before looking up to Violet. “Get away from here,” he mouthed, the words so softly spoken that Violet could barely understand them. “Perdurabo.”