All Hell Breaks Loose

Chapter 62: Westside

Eric took only a few seconds to digest the information before he asked how many were killed. He wondered if Russell somehow knew that they were closing in on his location and this was the reason why he was striking out now in such a fashion.

"There were five that were killed," Ismene said. "The others are on the move or on lockdown. Security had been increased for them."

"Not surprising," Pam said before her eyes widened. "What of the Magister? How is Helena?"

"She is fine," Ismene said in a sympathetic tone. "Security has also increased for the kings and queens, but it is too late."

"They were all killed?" Hailey asked.

"The new king of Mississippi has been slayed," Ismene explained. "We still don't know about the king of Arkansas and the queen of Alabama."

"He's not holding back," Eric said.

"I need to get back in the dirt," Lawrence said. "I need to find out his exact location. I need-"

"To take a nice warm shower," Hailey told him. "And have a nice warm meal. You been at this dirt reading and stone throwing and reading all day and you need to take a break."

"Finding Russell is the most important thing right now," Lawrence said as he walked back to the dirt, only to be held back by Eric.

"She is right," Eric told him and gave him a gentle nudge towards the direction of the mansion. "Go shower and get dressed. We will find him. You have narrowed it down for us."

"Lawrence don't make me do this," Isemene said as she pointed to the mansion.

"I can't rest until I find him," Lawrence said.

"Lawrence I order you to go inside, shower and eat and then you may return to your stones."

Lawrence sighed but walked inside the mansion.

"He needs more rest than that," Hailey said.

"One has to find a compromise," Ismene told her.

"He listened to your order and he's human. Can you command Russell to stop?"

"It would not be that easy," Eric stated. "I believe Ismene had released him centuries ago."

"1235 years ago to be exact," Ismene said. "Yet he still may listen to me if I ask and I could try and command him, but we need to find him first."

"We may need someone more powerful," Eric told her. "I'm not saying his gift is not working, but we are going to need more."

"I know," Ismene said. "That is why I'm having Cassidy contact every witch in Shreveport and Monroe and other neighboring towns."

"Do you think they will come?"

"If they know the circumstance they will."

Eric walked around the mansion for nearly an hour while Lawrence showered and ate a warm meal prepared by Anya. He was not the only one who was stressed. He had seen Valentino chewing on nicotine gum. Cassidy was mixing her own cosmos and slurping them down, Anya was praying, Bill was playing some kind of game and Hailey was chewing on a large chocolate bar.

"Are you worried you might rot out your succubus fangs?" Eric asked her.

"No. It don't work like that." She blinked when she realized that Eric was teasing her.

"You are positive that your family will help?"

"After what Russell did to my mama and my uncle?" Hailey asked. "Of course we want to get back against him."

"What did he do?" Eric asked. His curiosity was piqued. He had no idea there was history between Russell and the succubae and incubi.

"Centuries ago he tried to employ my mama's kind and my mama and my uncle worked for him. Russell and his concubine at the time-"

"Talbot," Eric said as he remembered the handsome vampire that he had slept with and staked.

"Well they both had a thing for the flavor of succubus and incubus blood. There was this harmony going on between them. Russell and Talbot would sip from them. The werewolves would drink from the vampires and get high and the succubae and incubi would feed of the sexual energy from the werewolves."

"Why just the werewolves?"

"Human and vampire sexual energy is good, but werewolf energy is quite delectable."

"I see." He nodded. "Continue."

"After my uncle accidentally scratched Talbot, Russell ordered all my kind to be declawed. That did not sit well with them and they left. There was a fight and many lives on both sides were lost but we won our freedom and since then both sides have been at odds."

"Quite a bit of information," Eric said. "I appreciate the story."

Sookie was in deep gratitude towards Tara, Lafayette and Holly for agreeing to help and getting into contact with several more witches from the Shreveport and Monroe areas.

"Can't believe we are helping them," Tara said as she shook her head.

"Know how you feel hooker," Lafayette said. "But this is big. You know what that bastard can do. He is fucked up."

"I know exactly what we are up against," Tara said.

"I want to thank you for getting everyone organized on a short notice," Sookie told them.

"You don't have to thank us," Holly said as the car pulled up at the mansion. They were not the first car to park there and after they pulled up and put it into park there was another vehicle pulling up alongside them.

"Tara I want to apologize again," Sookie said to her best friend as they both got out of the car. "I had no idea what you were doing." They had agreed to leave at the end of Holly's and Lafayette's shift at eleven. Sookie ended hers an hour earlier but she stayed and talked with Sam about what was happening. After leaving they stopped by Lafayette's to pick up Tara. Lafayette went inside and a couple minutes later there was shouting and screaming with Lafayette running out. Five minutes later both Tara and Hoyt came out. Hoyt had an embarrassed expression on his face while Tara was still bitching out her cousin.

"You don't have to apologize," Tara said as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You are not the one who didn't knock."

"I aint gonna apologize," Lafayette said and shook his finger at her. "That is my place. I do not need to knock on my door and I certainly didn't need to come in seeing that white round ass in the air."

"Okay that is more than I need to hear," Sookie said. She was happy for Tara and Hoyt but she did not need to hear about this.

"And we need to cool it on the negativity," Holly said. "The spell won't work if we are at each other's throats."

"She has a good point," Sookie said and knocked on the door. She took a step back from the door as it opened.

"Oh good you made it," Cassidy said. Sookie wasn't surprised by her lack of tact at all. "Well come on in. It's all set up in the back."

"Talk about negativity," Lafayette said. "I wonder what got up your ass."

"Nothing," Cassidy said as she led them through the large house.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Tara asked.

"Stress," Cassidy said through gritted teeth.

"Leave her alone," Sookie said as she looked around for Eric. She didn't see him. She didn't see anyone at all until she reached the back yard where there were several more witches standing around. Jason, Steve and Jessica were there and Eric was standing at the side with Pam and Hailey.

"Hey sis," Jason called to her and raised his beer.

"Hi," Sookie said as she made her way to Eric.

"Sookie," Eric said as he swept her up into an embrace.

"This is the night we are going to find him?" Sookie asked. "It will be over soon."

"Hopefully." He brushed her bangs from hanging over her eyes. "We still need to wait until everyone shows up."

Sookie looked around, trying to see if she recognized any of the other witches. She noticed that a couple of the mansions residents were missing and she made she looked around hard enough.

"Something wrong?" Eric asked.

"I don't see Bill, or Lawrence."

"Lawrence is sleeping," Eric explained. "He spent hours in the dirt yesterday and after a meal he spent the rest of the night and a few hours into the day using his divination skills to locate Russell. Before he collapsed from exhaustion he told Hailey that Russell was in Oregon."

"Is that why there is a huge drawing of the state?" Sookie asked and pointed to the large section that was created by stones, sticks, leaves, and seedpods.

"This is needed to locate Russell," Eric confirmed

Sookie was going to ask about Bill again but the crowd was growing. A woman in her late thirties took the lead and clapped her hands.

"I know some of us have a bit of a apprehension with working with vampires," the woman said once the crowd had simmered down. "I for one don't care what someone is. It matters what they are inside."

"What the fuck is this?" Tara asked.

"I think we should listen," Holly told her.

"To this Sesame Street bullshit?"

"It's not bull," Holly said and shook her head at her.

"What we need is unity," the lead witch said. "We all need to hold our hands together and focus on Russell Edgington. We need to focus on where he is, try to find him. We will have to clear our minds except for his face and his name.

Sookie grabbed onto both Tara and Holly's hands and watched as Tara grabbed onto Lafayette's hand. She was not a witch, not by any stretch, but she did help with spirit summoning spell and she can channel her fairy energy into the location spell.

"Keep thinking off Russell," the lead witch said. "And repeat after me."

Sookie wasn't certain what she was saying or even if she heard or was saying it right. The words sounded like a mix of Latin and Celtic.

"Keep on thinking and chanting," the witch said. She stepped away and linked the two people she was holding on to together before she took a lighter and lit up a bowl full of flowers. As the petals burned she blew on them. The wind grabbed onto the glowing embers and swirled them around as the witch took her place within the circle.

Sookie continued to chant as she watched the embers fall onto the ground near the upper left corner of the state.

"Who has the map?" Valentino asked.

"I got it," Hailey said as she examined an atlas she had in her hands. "Astoria."

"Astoria?" Several people repeated.

"Never say die," Jason said and when some people looked at him he blinked. "Come on it's a classic."

"This is good," Ismene said. "We will take a break then come back, rearrange the map and find where in Astoria our enemy is residing."

Sookie broke away from the circle and headed back inside. She did not notice Eric until he was right next to her.

"You don't always have to be next to me," she told him.

"I wonder where you are going," he said.

"To the bathroom." That made him stop.

Sookie had expected to see Eric outside the bathroom when she was done, but when she opened the door she saw that it was Bill. He stood there without emotion and the way he was staring at Sookie was sending chills down her spine.

"Bill?" Sookie asked.

Bill did not say anything as he grabbed her by the arm.

"What are you doing? You are hurting me?" She felt a sharp prick enter her skin.