It could be something like the chalice.
Or the chalice could potentially aid Carrick and Finley in stopping Kymaris.
“And you’re in possession?” Carrick asked.
“Actually, no,” Wells said with a shake of his head. “No one is in possession of it. However, I know how to find it, but that information will cost you.”
Carrick didn’t have the slightest doubt this fae had information about where this chalice was. It didn’t mean the information was complete, but he knew that whatever Wells was offering, it wasn’t a con. No one in this community would dare because fae were vicious creatures and would kill in retaliation of such deceit.
Scanning the room once to show he valued this information and wanted to keep it secret, he then leaned toward Wells and lowered his voice. “How much?”
Wells didn’t blink at the question. “Ten million.”
Carrick’s expression remained impassive, the amount of money a drop in the bucket for what he had accumulated over his long life.
“I’m highly interested,” Carrick finally said, letting his lips lift slightly in a conspiratorial smile. “I’ve got my feelers out on a few other things, but I can give you a call.”
Wells and Carrick exchanged contact info, punching numbers into their cell phones before Wells left, dragging his human behind him.
After that, Carrick had four more conversations, facilitated by introductions via Pyke, with fae purporting to have access to powerful antiquities. At the end of the evening, the only one that seemed to bear promise was the chalice, and Carrick intended to have Finley’s Scooby Gang start researching it. He was also going to reach out to Veda to see if she would tell him anything about the Blood Stone. He suspected the answer would be “no” because that would be the type of help that would cross the line, but he was still going to try. He also knew Zaid would be working his contacts as well, and Pyke would continue to do the same.
It was creeping up on two AM when Carrick and Myles finally left the party, and they were among the first to leave. The festivities would probably carry on until the sun rose.
In the car, Myles jerked off the collar and rubbed his neck. “That was by far the most miserable thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
Carrick didn’t acknowledge Myles’ proclamation because if that was the worst that had happened in this young man’s life, then he was going to be in for a world of shock if demons were let loose in the Earth realm.
“At least it wasn’t a total bust.” Carrick turned slightly in the seat to address Myles. “That chalice could be a potential source of power for this hypothetical ritual we still haven’t figured out.”
“Agreed,” Myles replied, but then a sly grin came to his face. “But I have an even better lead.”
Carrick blinked in surprise, it having never occurred to him that Myles could be of any use tonight other than as a prop to gain him credibility among these fetishists.
“It just so happens that on one of the bathroom breaks my master was benevolent enough to bestow upon me, I struck up a conversation with another one of the humans whose master is also an avid collector. I told him that my master was there looking for powerful objects, and I mentioned the Blood Stone.”
“And he knew what it was?” Carrick asked in surprise.
Myles waved his hand. “Of course not. But we started talking about the stones and relics with power, and he mentioned his master had been searching for a book to come on the market that purportedly cataloged every known item of power in the universe and where it was located.”
Carrick stared blankly at Finley’s nerdy friend, flabbergasted.
Myles lifted his eyebrows. “Did you hear me? Every item in the universe, which implies the Blood Stone or chalice could be somewhere other than the Earth realm. And it also implies there could be other items.”
“How could such a book even exist when it’s been centuries since any stones have even been found?”
“Here’s the thing,” Myles replied in a low voice. “The rumor is the book was created by a demi-god who acted as a historian of sorts and traveled the world in search of items—not to use them, but merely to record their existence.”
“Impossible,” Carrick replied with a frown. “I’d have known about it.”
“You know every demi-god created?” Myles queried.
“Well, no—”
Myles narrowed his eyes. “You’ve read every book in your library?”
“Gods no,” Carrick scoffed. “There are thousands and thousands.”
“Well, it just so happens that I think the book this guy was talking about is actually in your stacks,” Myles replied, and nothing could have shocked Carrick more except perhaps when he first realized Finley could see under glamours. “He said it was called Libri Mysteria, and he asked me to keep an eye out for it as his master would pay big bucks. And I just so happen to remember seeing that book a few days ago while browsing. It was in Latin, so I reshelved it.”