Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 54

The Strix had not changed very much.

Aside from the fact that a few had been killed in the last five years, they were just as loyal as they'd been when Eisa left, which was surprising, considering that half of them didn't owe her anything anymore.

"Thank you all for getting here so quickly," said Eisa. "There is a threat, in this city we all have come to call our preferred home. There is much we still don't know, but I have sent you sufficient information to get you going. I ask you all to remain vigilant, to hide no truths, and to report everything relevant back to me. If any of you are found to be in line with this evil, I will not hesitate to send you rotting to the bottom of the ocean. Got it?"

They all nodded, before bowing their heads for a few seconds.

"Your first task," said Eisa, peering down to her phone. "Last night, myself, my brother and two friends of ours rescued four of the children who were involved in the ritual I mentioned. Today, I received word that none of them made it home. Someone has abducted them, and you must locate them. That is all."

The Strix left the building obediently to begin their search.

"How is she?" asked Eisa, rushing to the Compound, where Vincent was just getting started with the purification spell.

"Not doing too well," said Hayley, taking her hand immediately and squeezing it for comfort. "How did it go with the Strix?"

"They're going to help us keep an eye out. Have Kol and Freya had any luck with their trace?"

"No. The entire map keeps flooding with blood, and the spell doesn't seem to be working."

Eisa pursed her lips. "Either, that, or it's..."

"... everywhere," finished Hayley.

Hope gave a gasp, and looked up. "Mom?" she whispered. "Dad?"

"That's it," said Vincent as Hayley and Klaus rushed to their daughter's side. "Your little girl's purified."

Klaus was stroking her hair as he glanced up at the witch. "Thank you."

Vincent nodded. "Now, if she starts to feel any other symptoms—"

There was a squawking sound overhead, and a crow fell dead beside Hope. Both Klaus and Hayley instinctively wrapped their arms around Hope, covering her eyes as crow after crow started to fall around them, forming a perfect circle with a few crows falling outside of it.

"What is this?" demanded Klaus.

Vincent and Eisa were just as confused as him. "I don't know."

"Can you hear that?" said Hope, pushing her parents off of her and looking up. "It's whispers. Saying a name. Over and over. 'Kre Nah Han, Kre Nah Han.'"

"What does Kre Nah Han mean?" inquired Eisa.

"It's a nearly forgotten dialect," said Vincent slowly. "It's Creole. It means 'The Hollow.' The Hollow is coming."

Hope gave a cough, and leaned back into Klaus's arms. "Dad, I don't feel good. I'm sleepy."

"Keep her comfortable and make sure she eats a lot," said Vincent. "If she's feeling sick again, it means that whoever has the kids is starting the spell up again, and unless I purify them, Hope will keep feeling sick."

"What can we do?" asked Eisa. "My Strix are searching the city, but it might not be enough."

"I need to trace the magic," said Vincent. "I'll be with Freya and Kol— perhaps there is something else we can do to find out where the kids are. If you hear anything about their whereabouts, let me know immediately."