Last seen: 05/19/1962
Which means they stopped looking for it or lost track of it long before I saw it two days ago.
This is from decades ago. That’s the same year as the newspaper article about the demonic attack increases. The same year as Alfie Spencer.
Ability: Presumed to be able to find what is lost, Though the Triad believes this ability to be a hoax. Agents that have encountered the demon say he gave them a riddle. as of this date of entry, the riddle appears meaningless.
As for the ability of mind-bending, in which the demon can entrance a subject to do his will, upon investigation this appears to be a very temporary state and potential VictimS are not swayed longer than one minute. No one has been harmed by this ability.
Threat leveclass="underline" 3
Ten is highest. If he’s only a three then they don’t believe it can really hurt anyone. I think they’re wrong.
One hides the truth from me.
I rack my brain. Maybe it was Carter. Vassago probably knew that Carter was really William. That would make sense. It was a warning about Carter and I’m overthinking it.
I’m about to close the file when I see something at the top. DNE. That’s a Do Not Expel order. That means Enforcers aren’t supposed to kill it. But why? It’s a demon. We were told all demons are to be eliminated, despite their ranking, unless they’re involved in an ongoing investigation. But a level three wouldn’t be a DNE, not unless someone wanted it for something else. And especially not one that’s been unsighted for fifty years.
DNEs can’t be harmed by Enforcers or other witches. They have magical protection barriers that can only be broken by someone in the Triad, and are kept in line with GPS trackers like they put in dogs. They can’t be expelled by anyone else, but they can fight. I’ve heard about it only in the handbook, because it’s rare. DNEs are basically a get out of jail free card. Why would someone give Vassago a free pass?
I do another search on Vassago and 1962, which is crowded with deaths, then 1842, the year that article mentioning Emmaline’s disappearance was printed. I find a hit from the WNN records that mentions a missing persons report, but they don’t use Emmaline’s name. It may not be her, but that feels too coincidental. I don’t believe in those. Not anymore.
There’s a connection between my demon and the Spencer family and Vassago. I just have to find that missing piece. When I find it, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ll be close to getting back my magic.
There’s a noise behind me so I log out of the computer and head back to the main desk of the library. That gray-and-white cat is sitting on the desk, and I can see Poncho’s head where he’s bent over.
“What’s this one’s name?” I ask, tossing my bag over my shoulder.
Poncho pops up and follows my gaze to the cat. “S-e-a-k.”
“Hyde and Seak?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.
He nods. “It felt fitting.” I linger at the desk. Maybe he can help me. Or he could rat me out. “Anything else?”
I clear my throat. “Actually, I’m looking for some information on someone in my family. There was nothing in the search.”
Poncho raises an eyebrow. “Name?”
“Emmaline Spencer.”
He types something in the computer and then shakes his head. “I can do some searching for you in the archives, see if I find anything. But everything’s stored in the electronic archives now, so if it’s not there then… Well, I can look,” he says.
“That would be excellent,” I say.
He picks up the cat and walks back to his desk, jotting down something.
“Thanks, Poncho.”
When I get to the driveway, I see Gran working in the garden. Her back is toward me. She has on her white wicker hat, which means some serious gardening. The question of Emmaline Spencer bubbles up in my throat. Gran’s in one of her happy places, so it’s the perfect time to ask.
“Gran, can I ask you a question?” I start. She hmms at me, pulling up weeds between the plants. I clear my throat. Now or never. Spit it out, Penelope.
“Who was Emmaline Spencer?”
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Gran’s back straightens. Her hands keep moving, but I can see the tension. She’s so quiet the only noise passing between us is the sound of life around us. The cars, the birds, some kids on their bicycles, water sprinklers kicking on and off.
“Can you hand me the knife over there?” she asks, pointing to the pile.
“Are you going to stab me?” I ask.
Gran laughs.
“I’m serious.”
“Penelope, please,” she says. I roll my eyes since she can’t see me do it. I grab a small knife from her gardening kit. Gran holds out her hand, and I place the knife in it.
“Did you know that you never cut flowers with scissors? You have to use a knife, because the scissors will pinch the stem and water won’t be able to get into the flower.”
“Interesting fact,” I say. Which has nothing to do with anything. Maybe this is a deflection tactic. Gran starts cutting away a few dahlias from the stems. She sets them in a little bunch next to her.
“Gran. Emmaline Spencer? I found her name after I found Alfie’s. Do you know who they were?”
Gran snips another flower and looks at me. “How about steak for dinner?”
“Gran, Emmaline Spencer.” This is annoying. Why won’t she just tell me?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Penelope. I’ve never heard of either of them. You had a great-aunt Almie. Maybe whatever you read made a mistake.” She smiles and pats my hand. I don’t have to be a detective to know she’s lying. Plus, there was no Almie in our family tree. I’ve seen it.
“We can make those potatoes you like, too. Go put these flowers in some water for me?” She hands me the flowers, but I don’t take them.
“I’ve seen Alfie’s name in the Umbra.” I press. She’s refusing to look at me, so I know I’m hitting a button. “Why won’t you tell me?”
Gran stands and rests a hand on her hip, looking over the garden. I mimic her stance. I refuse to back down until she tells me something. She has to know. She has to.
“Penelope, I don’t know what you are looking for, but leave it alone. There’s nothing to say. I told you I don’t know anything. The flowers,” she says.
We stare each other down, but Gran shoves the dahlias into my hand and goes back to her garden. I want to ask her more questions, but I really don’t want to piss her off. I know when I’ve lost a battle.
Connie is sitting at the table when I get into the kitchen. She looks up at me from her magazine, and I grab the vase from the cabinet and start filling it with water. She watches me while I put the flowers in the vase.
“Carter—I mean, William—came by earlier.”
I blink, trying to catch my breath. He was here. Why was he here? I bet he hates me now. I just walked away from him today like he didn’t matter. He doesn’t matter. Does he? No, he doesn’t. Except that my whole future depends on him.
“Carter was here?”
“Outside, just standing there like he didn’t really know what he wanted or why he was here. I talked to him.”
“Y—” Talked to him. I bet Connie said something horrible. I hope she didn’t tell him I was crying last night. I won’t be able to face him. I can’t believe she talked to him. My heart skips a beat. I hope he didn’t say something about our magic—about me. About kissing me. I gulp. Nothing should surprise you at this point. Ask!
“What did he say?”
“That he messed up,” Connie says.
I look down at the flowers and rearrange them.
“That he was sorry about it.” Connie reaches out and grabs my hand, making my fingers stop.
“That he really didn’t know what to do to prove it to you.”