Lucía walked through the church with steady steps, her bravado fitting her as comfortably as the expensive clothes she wore. Still, she kept a respectful demeanor. The stone walls, steeped in history and prayer, carried a solemnity that even she could feel.
Katherine remained unconscious on her back, her weight a constant reminder of the recent ordeal and of the girl's fragility. At the same time, seeing her submerged in deep sleep, cradled within a place like this, made all the prior chaos feel more distant.
Lucía had two objectives when she entered the church. First, to return the redhead home so she could rest. Second, to find someone named Elena Brown, a retired exorcist who served as the local contact for people like her. Someone who also knew a great deal about Katherine's gifts, according to the church files Lucía had accessed.
To her surprise, Elena was already waiting. She sat alone in one of the pews, her hands interlaced on her lap, her eyes closed in prayer. Something in her posture reflected decades of discipline and patience, but also calculated caution.
Lucía stopped a few steps away and let out a soft sigh before leaning forward slightly, placing Katherine gently on the pew. Contrary to what she expected, Elena didn't show much reaction upon opening her eyes to see an unconscious Katherine. She nodded to herself with subtle warmth.
"Good afternoon. You must be Elena Brown. I'm Lucía Bernsteín, agent of the Hunter Syndicate based in the USA, granted temporary permission to operate in Hertford while attending to a localized matter. Thank you for receiving us," she said at last, her tone more measured than usual. Setting aside the house-of-God aspect, she was here for help, and Luke had taught her how to be polite under such circumstances.
Elena observed Lucía with a quiet, evaluating gaze before responding, her voice wrapped in the calm she had mastered through the years.
"I could do no less. I was informed of your arrival in Hertford yesterday, shortly before our initial encounter. Though I had understood the name to be Lucielle Bernsteín."
Lucía gave a fleeting smile and sat across from her, resting her forearms on her knees.
"That would be me. I just prefer to be called Lucía."
"Names have power. It's unusual not to use your own, although I'm sure you have your reasons," Elena said quietly as she carefully shifted Katherine's head onto her lap.
Lucía shrugged, clearly not inclined to explain. She hadn't come for that kind of conversation, so she went straight to the point.
"It's been less than a day since I arrived in this town, and I've already uncovered more than enough to keep me busy. I was hoping to receive some support."
"As you can see, I'm too old to deal with Hertford's problems hands-on… but it's still under my protection. Speak your concerns and I'll assist however I can."
Her voice carried a sense of weariness and resignation; age had clearly left its mark.
"For now, I'd like to confirm something. I have a decent idea of what I'm facing, based on today's findings, but a second opinion would be helpful. Have there been any violent incidents recently? Beyond the Blackthorn boy, of course. Not necessarily involving human victims."
She answered plainly, satisfied by Elena's evident willingness to help. The woman's devotion was unmistakable.
Elena took a deep breath before nodding slowly.
"Yes, there have been. Things are usually written off as natural occurrences in the woods. Mutilated animal corpses and the like. But the marks and the scale of violence they're beyond anything a normal predator could inflict. For example, a fully grown deer with its entire skull missing, its neck torn into a bloody mess with a single massive claw mark."
Lucía noticed something in Elena's tone. No surprise. No judgment. Just knowledge. The church records stated she had served as an exorcist for over a decade in her adult life, but clearly, she'd also faced more corporeal entities, if her composure was any indication.
In any case, it was precisely the information Lucía needed. Another piece fitting into the picture she had begun forming from Jonathan's account.
"Is there a pattern to the attacks?"
Elena chuckled softly, a sound oddly out of place for her.
"Full moon nights. I assume that gives you a likely suspect, even if the supernatural world is especially active during those times."
"Werewolf," Lucía responded, just as unimpressed as Elena appeared to be.
Setting aside her reasons for detesting such creatures, she also found the cliché to be a little too obvious and frustratingly dull.
Elena simply shook her head with ironic understanding, having reached the same conclusion, and sharing Lucía's opinion. Meanwhile, her hands continued gently stroking the curls of a very lovely, still-unconscious Katherine.
Lucía rested one hand on the back of the pew and let the silence linger for a moment before continuing. "There's more, isn't there? This town feels unusually active."
Elena released a slow sigh, and when she spoke again, her tone was even more cautious. "You're not wrong. There are at least three Class-Poltergeist anomalies currently active in the vicinity. I would have dealt with them myself, but I no longer consider myself truly capable. The only reason I haven't requested backup is that they're relatively harmless due to certain factors. The real concern… is everything else happening in Hertford."
Lucía frowned at Elena's response. Up until now, all of the town's problems, ghosts aside, fit neatly into the profile of a werewolf. But the mention of other strange occurrences caught her attention.
"What kind of incidents?" she asked, her tone still measured, though there was a clear spark of interest in her eyes. A werewolf was one thing; she'd dealt with them before and knew the hardest part wasn't fighting them, but finding them. So she wasn't exactly thrilled by the challenge.
Elena inhaled slowly, and the way she ran her hand along the wooden bench made Lucía realize there was more than she was ready to share just yet.
"Events without a clear pattern," she murmured.
"How difficult are they to classify?" Lucía pressed, keeping the steady rhythm of their conversation. Mysteries always stirred something in her, but she didn't want to seem overeager or rude. Elena was being very generous with her help, after all.
The older woman exhaled softly and turned her gaze toward the dark, stained-glass windows. Her demeanor grew more solemn, but Lucía didn't miss the frustration and quiet anger hiding in her eyes. A heavy silence settled before Elena finally spoke.
"Travelers. People who were just passing through Hertford… disappeared without a trace."
Lucía straightened up. That didn't match a werewolf's behavior. Self-control and clean exits weren't traits those beasts possessed, especially during full moons, when they left bloody disasters in their wake.}
"When did this happen?" she asked at last.
"The disappearances were spaced out. It took a while to confirm Hertford was the last place they were seen," Elena explained, and Lucía understood perfectly how something like that could go unnoticed for a time.
Lucía narrowed her eyes. That pointed to more subtle manipulation. A different kind of predator, though not necessarily a supernatural one. Human beings could be just as dark and cruel as the monsters they feared in their nightmares.
Elena continued before Lucía could ask anything else.
"And that's not all. Traces of rituals have been found in isolated areas of town. Stone inscriptions, burned remains, carved symbols where they shouldn't be."
Lucía felt a chill creep across her skin before her rational mind could even react.
"Has anyone studied them?"
Elena shook her head slowly.
"Not officially, it's not my area of expertise. Few people know they exist. And so far they've proven harmless, so the request to bring in a specialist has been postponed."
Lucía lowered her gaze for a moment, quietly processing each new detail.
If something else was operating in Hertford, she'd need to figure out how much of it tied into her current case, or whether she was facing more than one threat at a time.