by Diem, J. C.
The demons didn’t know I was there until I cut two of them down with stabs to the heart. Their captain was hunkered next to the body. He was getting ready to harvest her soul. Realizing his minions were being attacked, he dropped the glass vial and surged to his feet. Leo took down two of the lesser demons while I finished off the fifth. Now it was just their master and us left.
Backing away, he looked panicked when he realized he couldn’t teleport to safety. One of my talents was to be able to block angels and demons from fleeing. It only worked at times when I really needed it to, like now. Together, Leo and I swung our weapons. The captain cringed away and barely managed to deflect Leo’s sword. My dagger scored a cut in his chest, but it didn’t pierce his heart.
A shrill scream rang out as someone spied our battle. Leo looked away and the captain lunged forward. His sword missed the angel’s heart by a fraction and speared out through his back. I didn’t take my eyes off my foe. With his weapon lodged in my friend’s body, he was defenseless. I rammed my dagger into his chest hard enough to make him stagger back a step. I pulled it out and he fell to his knees. All six souls oozed out of the fallen bodies and I absorbed them along with their memories.
Leo pulled the sword out of his chest and dropped it to the ground while I processed what I’d just seen. Sirens sounded as the cops sped towards our location. They’d be here any second and we couldn’t linger. I scooped up the vial. I wasn’t willing to leave it lying around. Some of the officers would be Bob’s lackeys. I didn’t want them to have more containers so they could harvest souls.
“We need to go,” Leo said and grabbed my hand. His wound had healed instantly, but the tear in his t-shirt was a dead giveaway that he’d been injured. I sent a long, regretful look at the girl who looked so much like me, then he teleported us away.
He didn’t take us back to the store. Instead, he took us to a quiet courtyard that was nestled between tall brick buildings. The ground was completely covered in cement and there wasn’t even a scrap of grass in sight. A few well-kept shrubs were in planters beside wooden benches. We had an unobstructed view of the East River. It would have been a nice spot to sit and take in the view if I’d had time to sit around idly.
“I guess I’m going to be on the news again,” I said as I sank down onto the nearest bench.
Leo sat next to me, wearing a morose expression. “At least no one took your photo this time. The witness was an elderly woman. If we are in luck, her eyesight might not be very good.”
“It was good enough for her to realize that a crime was being committed.”
He had to concede that point and he slouched back against the seat. “I do not suppose you saw anything noteworthy in the demons’ memories?”
“I did, actually.” My answer surprised him and he gestured for me to continue. “I know roughly where the next portal is.”
“Where is it?”
“Somewhere close to where we just left a bunch of dead bodies.”
His excitement faded when he realized that we had a problem. “The police will cordon off the area while they search for evidence. We might not be able to return there for several days.”
“I don’t think I have several days left,” I said grimly. “The blast of holy fire that Brie gave me is starting to fade and I don’t think it would be a good idea to get her to zap me again. There’s only so much purging I can take. I need to get through the portal before my strength runs out.”
First, I’d have to find the doorway. I’d only seen a brief glimpse of it from the captain’s memories. I couldn’t rely on going to the shadowlands of my mind to question him about it. It could be days before I’d end up there again.
“Should we head back to our base?”
“Not yet. Take us back to Tribeca so I can see if I can find the portal.”
He did as I asked and zapped us to within a couple of blocks of where we’d seen another of my relatives fall. Cop cars had already flooded into the area. They were used to finding bodies by now, but they were frustrated and scared by the rising death toll. Even the ones that were possessed were wary. They knew that they were being evicted from their vessels and that they could very well be next.
Keeping our distance, we walked around the area, but we couldn’t get close enough for me to see any of the images that I’d gleaned from the captain. “It’s no use,” I said after a futile hour of searching. “We need to get closer, but it’s too dangerous right now.” We were lucky no one had seen my face yet. My cap wasn’t the best disguise in the world and someone would eventually recognize me.
“We need to leave,” Leo said when a couple of uniformed officers looked in our direction. They’d noticed that we were loitering and they were becoming suspicious. We casually walked around the corner then Leo whisked us back to the store.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty
Nathan noticed us first and saw that we were rattled. “What has happened this time?” he asked.
Sophia bustled in from the kitchen. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted in after her. She was relieved to see that neither of us was harmed. Sam appeared moments later. It was touching that he could tear himself away from his beloved programs to make sure we were okay.
“Another girl has been killed,” I told them and plonked down on my seat. “Leo and I wiped the pack out before they could harvest her soul.” Her chest had been sliced open, but at least her heart hadn’t been torn out, squeezed to a pulp then tossed aside like all the others had been. Fourteen of my distant cousins had now been murdered. That meant there were only six of us left. Soon, I’d be the only one remaining and there was nothing I could do to stop the rest of them from being decimated.
Leo told them the rest of the bad news. “Unfortunately, we were spotted by someone. It is possible they know that Violet was involved in the deaths. Police have surrounded the area and we cannot return to Tribeca.”
“Why would you want to return there?” Sam asked.
“I think the next portal is somewhere in the area,” I replied. “I saw a flash of memory when I absorbed the captain’s soul. He stumbled across the portal a few days before the wards were erected.”
“What do you mean he stumbled across it?” Leo asked in confusion. “Is it somehow hidden from him?”
That was one thing I’d learned from the barrage of memories. “They can’t see the portals from this dimension. That’s why they had to put a poster on the wall where the portal to the ninth realm is.” I’d wondered why the ratty old poster had been on the wall where we’d found Sam. Now I knew the answer. They needed it as a reference point so they could find the passage back to hell. “The captain went to lean on the wall when his minions were patrolling his territory and he fell through the portal by accident. When the wards went up, it became locked like all the other portals. None of them know that he found it yet.”
“Why did he not tell them of his discovery before the wards were erected?” Sophia asked.
“Because he’s scared to challenge the hellgate. He’s only conquered five of them so far and he nearly lost the last battle. He doesn’t want to be stripped of his rank and to be sent back to the first realm.”
“He did not mention the portal to his minions because they would have thought that he was a coward for not challenging it,” Nathan surmised and I nodded.
“Did you see where the portal was?” Sam queried.
“I only saw that it was in the middle of a brick wall near a building that has a four leaf clover painted on a window. I think it’s close to the alley where they killed the girl.”
Sam was studying my face and he saw the sweat that was starting to bead on my forehead. “I take it we cannot wait until the police have finished with their investigation of the area before we search for it?”
“Nope. You know the drill. I’m supposed to head back to hell as soon as I find the portals.”
He heaved a quiet sigh. “I will sneak us in once darkness falls.” We all looked at hi
m, judging his ability to keep us hidden from view. He scowled at our scrutiny. “I have not yet become useless,” he said crankily. “I can still pull my weight.”
“We know you can,” I said. “I just don’t want you to wear yourself out before we even get to the shadowlands.”
“I will be fine,” he insisted and I didn’t have the heart to argue with him.
Growing more ill by the minute, I managed to eat some lunch, but I had to force my dinner down later that night. Sam decided to eat as well. He devoured a plate of roast beef and vegetables then sat back with a contented smile. “I have not tasted anything that good in a very long time.”
“I am glad you enjoyed it,” Sophia said with a return smile. She took his empty plate and my half-full one and carried them into the kitchen.
“We’d better stock up on more toilet paper soon,” I said with a sly grin.
“Why?” Sam asked then understanding dawned. “Oh. If I am eating again, then it is likely that my body will need to eject the waste products.”
Leo held it together for a couple of seconds before sniggering. “I am suddenly very glad that I have suspended my vessel’s human needs,” he said. “The picture that came to mind at your description was not very appealing.” Even Nathan smiled faintly at that.
Sophia could eat and drink without needing to expel anything afterwards, but Sam wouldn’t be like her. He would soon have all the usual bodily functions that any normal human had.
“At least I will not have to worry about that in hell,” Sam said with a shrug. Our bodies changed when we crossed into the underworld. Eating and drinking weren’t necessary. It would have been nice to be able to take a shower whenever I became encrusted with filth. That wasn’t going to be a possibility since water didn’t seem to exist there.
When full darkness fell, Sophia took a container of demon blood from the fridge and gathered up several paintbrushes. She put them in a backpack and handed it to Sam. I went upstairs long enough to grab my favorite black faux leather jacket. I took most of the rune stones out of my pockets and placed them in the top drawer of my nightstand. The only one I would take with me was the sapphire that Nathan had carved a rune onto.
Hearing a knock at the door, I turned to see Leo standing there with a shy look on his face. “I have something for you,” he said. His hands were behind his back. It almost seemed as if he was hiding something.
“You got me a present?” I asked.
“Well, you did bring me back a gift from hell the first time you travelled there,” he joked. “I thought it was time for me to repay the favor.”
I smiled at the memory of the demon corpse that I’d somehow brought back with me. I still wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he’d been in his true form. “That hideous corpse is going to be pretty hard to beat.”
“I know, but I did the best I could.” He brought his hand forward and held it out.
I reached out and he handed me a tiny carving of an angel. It was made of some type of dark brown wood. The figure was sitting with his wings wrapped around himself. His face was pressed to his knees and was hidden from view, but I was pretty sure it was meant to be Nathan. “It’s beautiful,” I said. I knew his vessel was the one with the artistic talent, but I was still touched that he’d taken the time and effort to make me something.
“I wanted you to have something of mine that you could use to summon me with when you are in need,” he said.
“It’s great. I love it.” I slipped it into my pocket next to the sapphire stone and stepped over to hug him. “Thanks, Leo.”
I kissed him on the cheek and he ducked his head shyly. “You are welcome,” he mumbled. I was pretty sure he’d never made a present for anyone before. I was moved that he’d chosen me to be the recipient. “We should head downstairs,” he said. “I am sure the others are growing impatient by now.”
We took the stairs down to the ground floor rather than teleporting, which wasn’t such a great idea. My illness was coming back with a vengeance now and my legs nearly buckled on the last step. Nathan appeared in the doorway and saw that I’d almost fallen. He slid his arm around my waist and we walked into the kitchen together. He didn’t need to voice his concern for my worsening health. I could see the worry on his face.
Sophia hugged both Sam and me tightly. “Be careful and take care of each other,” she warned us, but her gaze lingered on me the longest. I read her unspoken fear that Sam would be more vulnerable now. He’d been gravely wounded the last time we’d been to hell and it had taken him days to recover.
“We will,” I vowed. “We won’t take any stupid chances and put ourselves at risk.” She nodded, knowing that I would do my utmost to keep my best friend safe. “Let’s go,” I said to Nathan. Leo wouldn’t be coming with us this time. With the threat of Vepar looming over us, we didn’t want to leave Sophia alone just in case our base was infiltrated.
Taking Sam and me by the hand, Nathan teleported us to Tribeca.
₪₪₪
Chapter Thirty-One
We appeared only one block away from where the girl had been murdered. Blue and red lights from police cruisers flashed brightly. Cops were everywhere, searching for evidence. We’d never get past the barriers that they’d put in place without being spotted. I hated to put the burden on Sam, but he was the only one who would be able to get me close enough to find the portal.
Sam shook Nathan’s hand and I heard him promise to keep me safe. He moved a discreet distance away to wait for me. Nathan looked down at me wordlessly for a moment. I knew he would worry about me while I was gone. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. His lips were dangerously close to my mine. It took everything I had not to turn slightly so that our mouths would meet. Straightening up, he smiled a little as if sensing my struggle. “I will be waiting for you when you return,” he vowed.
“I know,” I replied and wrapped my arms around him. I wanted to stay pressed up against him forever, but I had a duty to fulfill. “I have your rune stone and I’ll summon you as soon as we get back,” I told him. I’d left my cell phone with Leo. It was likely that I’d be gone for more than five weeks this time. It took longer to complete my missions each time I ventured to the underworld. Leo would pretend to be me again while I was away. He would inform Zach that I was off getting more treatments for my mysterious illness.
Pulling away reluctantly, I watched Nathan teleport away then turned to Sam. He walked over to me and took my hand. Neither of us felt ready, but we started towards the alley where my relative had been slaughtered.
It wasn’t easy to hide from the cops this time. Sam’s ability to camouflage us was still working, but it took a lot of effort to maintain it now. We stayed close to the walls and he made us disappear whenever we were in danger of being spotted.
Nearing the alley, I tugged on Sam’s hand to slow him down when I saw a pack of demons standing at the entrance. Reynolds and his partner, Detective Gomez, were with them. Reynolds knew who and what they were. It must have taken all of his willpower to act as if nothing was wrong.
“It’s not possible for Violet Harper to be responsible for these murders,” Reynolds was saying. “I saw her get shot off the roof of the church. No one could have survived that, let alone the fall from that height.” He knew very well that I’d survived. For his own safety, he had to pretend otherwise.
“You heard the witness,” Gomez said with a sneer. She was short and curvy and her hair was a mass of long, curly black locks. “The description she gave us matches up with Harper. You did not see her hit the ground and her body has not been found. The bullet must have missed anything vital and something broke her fall. She is alive and obviously well enough to continue her killing spree.”
“Forensic evidence shows that more than one person is behind the murders,” he pointed out. “We know that at least half a dozen people are responsible.”
“She has been seen with at least three different accomplices now,” Gomez shrugged. “Who knows how many
people she is in cahoots with?”
Sam pulled me into motion and we moved away. Stopping in the shadows of a doorway, he released his camouflage. “Did you hear that?” he whispered with a weary grin. “We are in ‘cahoots’ with you.”
I sniggered quietly. “Yeah. I’m just a big, bad ringleader of a gang of hardened criminals.”
“According to Hagith and Orifiel, that is exactly what you are,” he reminded me.
“As if they’re any better than me,” I muttered. “Hag is hoarding the mystery metal pieces so she can have more power and Orifice is too weak to stand up to her.”
“I do not like the arrangement that we have made with them,” he confessed. “It is not a good idea to hand over the objects to them.”
“At least it keeps them off our backs and stops them from trying to break into our base constantly.” That was what had happened the last time we’d been in hell. Only the compromise that Nathan had made with them had put a stop to it.
When he felt strong enough to continue, Sam took my hand again and we recommenced our search. Wending our way through Tribeca, we passed trendy stores and cafés that had closed for the night. Coming to a small side street, I paused when it looked familiar. “Let’s try down here,” I said to Sam. There was no one around, so he didn’t have to hide us as we crept along the street.
Seeing a four leaf clover painted on the window of a tavern, I knew we were getting close. Just past the Irish pub, I saw a chemist then a store that sold secondhand books. Peering at the wall directly across from the bookstore, I saw the shadowy outline of a portal. “There it is,” I said and pointed, forgetting that Sam couldn’t see it.
We crossed the street and I spent a few minutes using the demon blood from my backpack to paint the rune to unlock the portal. Activating it, I guided Sam through the brick wall and into the dingy cobbled alley beyond. Glancing at the yellow lichen that covered the damp walls, Sam shivered. “It is so lovely to be back here,” he said sarcastically. “I have really missed this place.”
