History's Treasures
Vicki Nelson had reservations about going with Nicholas. Coreen couldn't handle staying in the office. She packed up her laptop and left. Calling Mike wasn't an option; he would have gone without her. Henry wouldn't be awake for hours. Going alone was a bad idea even if she didn't want to admit it.
Nicholas held the door open. Then followed her inside. He looked around the room, unimpressed by business. He was resistant to answering questions on the ride over. That left observing him and hoping she had a frame of reference. What she'd seen so far indicated he wasn't afraid of anything or one they might find. If anything, Nicholas seemed inconvenienced.
"Cursed objects," Nicholas concluded quietly.
Can you sense them? Vicki wondered. "Anything familiar?"
Distracted, he walked over to a large Tiger's Eye sphere in the center of a table display. Gold light danced over the surface as he approached making him smile.
"What is it?"
Footsteps sounded toward the front of the store. Vicki turned as Colin stepped through a curtain behind the counter.
"A Delphic scrying stone." Nicholas touched it and it glowed.
Colin approached slowly, nervous. "That's dangerous."
"Having it in this room is dangerous." Nicholas turned, looking at Colin. "The stone interacts badly with dark magic."
That made him more uneasy. "It stabilizes the energy."
"No." Nicholas moved his hand, watching the light shift around the sphere. "It absorbs conflicting energy. Any stability is a unintended side-effect."
Colin hesitated. "Who are you?"
"A Delphic Oracle." Nicholas' eyes glowed gold. "The scrying stone was stolen from the Library of Alexandria before the fool burned it." His tone said he took the theft and destruction personally.
Hoping to defuse the situation, Vicki set a hand on Nicholas' arm. Energy, like static electricity, caused the hairs on her arm to stand up. "We need to focus on the funeral artifacts." Ancient history could wait.
Colin paled.
"What's happening with Etobicoke Creek?" Vicki asked.
Colin hesitated.
Nicholas reached for the sphere, causing it to glow again. Anger flashed across his face a moment later. "Who summoned a Naiad?!"
That sounded vaguely familiar, Vicki thought. She read a lot about Greek mythology while investigating Elena. Naiads were supernatural beings associated with water. Fresh water, maybe.
"Audra. She thought she could trade artifacts for a healing spring." Colin shook his head. "There's a possessed priest." His tone said he had trouble dealing with that idea. "He contaminated his congregation and they're spreading madness."
Astaroth. "What does it have to do with me?" Vicki suspected she already knew.
"The Naiad said you can stop him. Before she got angry." Colin closed his eyes. "Olivia, Audra's daughter, attempted an appeasement ritual. After Audra was killed by the priest. It went wrong. Olivia's crazy. Sophie and Kevin…" He was having trouble coping. "Are dead.
That would have sounded crazy once. "What ritual?"
"I don't know."
The energy around Nicholas changed as he closed his eyes. The glowing sphere brightened and the light flowed up his arm. When Vickie tried to move, she felt a strong jolt of electricity. She dropped to her knees. The symbols on her wrists glowed as her vision wavered.

Dreamscape
Vicki found herself standing in Curtis park on the edge of Etobicoke Creek wearing a historical Greek dress. Rather than winter, it was Spring. The water shifted in front of her, taking a woman's shape. Water flowed over her like a fountain.
"Are you the Naiad?"
The Creak vibrated. "Yes."
"Why are people dying?"
A low rumble of rushing water vibrated the air. "Temple corruption." It roared and the vision shook.
"Where?"
"The trail to Britannia…"

History's Treasures
Buzzing filled Vicki's ears as she opened her eyes. Everything tingled. Nicholas knelt on one knee next to her, glowing with a golden aura. The angel from her dreams. Except he didn't cause them. She had no idea how she knew that.
"What's wrong with me?" Vicki asked, her voice distorted.
"The Incan priest and the demon disrupted balance." His voice seemed to reach through the background noise.
"Meaning?"
"In sacrificing your life energy to defeat Pacha Kamaq, you proved yourself worthy of the power he abused." Nicholas helped her sit up.
Vicki wondered if she was still dreaming. "I'm becoming an Incan priest?"
Nicholas laughed. "A conduit for divine power. To defeat the evil that marked you."
A wave of dizziness blurred her vision as the door opened behind her. Footsteps echoed as the memory of her vision returned. It mingled with the sights and sounds of spring. She barely registered reaching for Nicholas as he stood.
"What happened?"
"Mike." Vicki did not look forward to explaining any of it to him. He wasn't inclined to believe anything until he experienced it. Even then he had doubts. "Nicholas." She held out her hand to him, resigned to needing help to stand. To make it worse, he kept an arm around her waist.
"New friend?" Mike's question sounded more like an accusation.
Nicholas obviously didn't appreciate the implication. "Victoria is at risk of passing out, detective."
"Enough." The situation was bad enough without unfounded jealousy. Vicki focused on Mike. "Why are you here?"
"The case is complicated." Their euphemism for supernatural.
She nodded. "This room is full of complicated."
Nicholas reached over and ran his free hand over the sphere. It glowed. "The detective wants to discuss media coverage. Internal Affairs is investigating whether someone interfered with the Park and the breaking and entering investigations."
Not surprising, unfortunately. Not after everything. "Crowly's worried about what I'll say?" After barring you from talking to me.
Mike looked resigned. "Not here."
"He can drive you home." Nicholas picked up the sphere. "The child of Nyx would not appreciate my presence in his sanctum." He started toward the door encouraging Vicki to walk.
"Are you paying for that?" Mike asked, unsure of what was happening.
More importantly, Vicki thought, "What happens to the artifacts when you remove it?"
"The consequences of stupidity."