Chapter 5: A: The Inside Informant

👉 [Previous choice]: You chose Option A – Offer Silas protection in exchange for acting as an inside informant.

Silas Finch looked at me, his eyes darting between fear and desperation. “Protection? What kind of protection?”

“The kind that keeps Kincaid away from you, and away from that mirror,” I said, my voice firm. “You tell me everything you know. Everything Kincaid is planning. And I’ll make sure the police know you’re cooperating. You won’t face charges for trespass, or anything else Kincaid pulls you into.”

He gnawed on his lip, considering. “He’ll kill me if he finds out.”

“He’ll probably do worse if he succeeds with that mirror,” I countered, thinking of Clara’s cryptic notes about blood debts. “What does he plan for tonight?”

Silas visibly shivered. “He’s going back to your house. At midnight. He has a ritual. He believes the mirror will open a path for him to the relic, but first… he has to awaken the entity that guards it.”

“Awaken it how?” I pressed.

“He’s using the symbols. Like the one you saw in the attic. He has to complete a circuit around the mirror, a specific pattern. He’s got a whole kit of his occult tools in the back of the van. He usually keeps it locked tight.” Silas paused. “But I have the key code. It’s 7-2-8-3. He uses it for emergencies, to get his tools if he’s in a hurry.”

My mind raced. A key code to Kincaid’s tools. That could be crucial. “What’s in the kit?”

“Incense, strange powders, a small ceremonial blade,” Silas whispered, his voice barely audible. “And a specific kind of iron talisman. Kincaid says it’s for ‘binding’ the entity once it’s revealed.”

“Binding it or controlling it?” I asked.

Silas wrung his hands. “He says he needs to control it to get to the relic. He believes the entity is a sentient barrier, something that defends the mirror’s power.”

“And the blood debt?” I reminded him.

Silas’s eyes widened. “He’s been talking about it for days. He says the guardian demands a price. For anyone who attempts to steal its treasure. He believes he can trick it, offer it… something else. But I don’t think he understands what he’s dealing with.”

“No,” I agreed. “He doesn’t.”

This was my chance. With Silas’s help, I could learn Kincaid’s next move. But I couldn’t involve the police yet. Not with a spectral entity and a blood debt. They wouldn’t believe me, and Kincaid would slip away. This had to be handled carefully.

“Silas,” I said, meeting his terrified gaze. “You stick with him. You call me if anything changes. And you make sure that kit is accessible.”

He nodded, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it. Just… please don’t let Kincaid hurt me.”

“I won’t,” I promised. “And I’ll make sure he pays for everything he’s done.”