Silver Brotherhood by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Author:Nicholas Woode-Smith [Woode-Smith, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Warpmancer Press
Published: 2020-03-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13.

Order

“You sound like you’ve been vacationing in Hell. And I should know. I’m an expert on Hell, among other things,” Cindy chided, talking to me through video chat from exotic and far-off Germany.

I sighed, heavily. I’d slept like a log since arriving back last night, but I still felt tired. I’d awoken around 8am and remembered that I had scheduled a call with Cindy.

Cindy was like an older sister or a young aunt. She was in her thirties but acted older than her years. She was the glue that held the Crusaders together. She was also our resident healer and purifier, and a respected member of the Association of Heiligeslicht. She had enough holy power in her to melt a demon and heal someone who was on the brink of death. Officially, she ran the Crusaders. But, because she hated that sort of responsibility, I was apparently de facto leader. I didn’t like the responsibility either – which explained why the Crusaders acted like a semi-anarchy.

“Are you sure there isn’t a way to bypass this stupid new law?” she continued, before chewing a chocolate bar on the other end. I’d kill for chocolate right about now!

“Conrad couldn’t think of anything.”

“Conrad’s a moron. Did you find anything?”

Cindy loved Conrad like an irritating older brother. But it was one of those relationships that thrived on arguments. They’d known each other for far too long to do anything else.

I shook my head sadly.

“Don’t make me come home early!” she threatened.

I raised my hands defensively.

“It’s fine! Really. We can handle ourselves for another two weeks. Enjoy yourself! Besides, I need you to find out more about…you know…that thing…”

“She means her powers,” Treth said, blinking beside me.

“Why so coy, Kat?” Cindy grinned. “Treth, why don’t you teach her?”

He shrugged. “I know even less about magic than she does.”

Cindy faked a sigh. “Well, can’t be helped. Your purifier training starts when I get back.”

“Do I have to wear a uniform and bring a packed lunch?”

“Watch yourself, missy. I run a tight ship.”

We both grinned, betraying the fact that this ship was sinking fast. But we had lifeboats. And the best stories happened in lifeboats!

Cindy’s grin faded and she leaned towards her computer, glancing side to side. I leaned in too.

“There is something else,” she said, conspiratorially. “It’s about our mutual friends…”

The Conclave. The secret society of dark magic practitioners, insane busybodies and all-round creepy bastards who had it out for me and Candace.

“I’m in Munich. When I was last here, it was a part of Germany. But not anymore. They’ve adopted an old title. You’d recognise it. The Holy Roman Empire.”

I did recognise it. The Holy Roman Empire was an historical artefact. It was founded during the middle ages and then dissolved around the time that Napoleon went on his continental tour of Europe. It was a complicated political entity, seeming more like a confederacy of disparate countries rather than a nation itself.

“Names are names,” I replied. “We used to be Cape Town, South Africa. Then some man with too much power and too much free time renamed us Hope City, Good Hope.

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