“My motives shouldn’t matter. We all want to find him. Isn’t that enough?”
“He’s right,” said Tessa. She paused, taking slow, deep breaths. Cain stood by her side, keeping his hand on her shoulder. Finally, she spoke again. “And no, I couldn’t find him. I thought if I tried meditating, reaching out to him, I could get a sense of where he is. But I can’t sense him. Only brief flashes, but they’re gone before I can get a lock.”
Asmodeus looked at Cain. “That’s what you said happened, too, isn’t it?”
Cain nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“What’s that mean?” asked Tessa.
“It means he’s still in Purgatory, so more than likely, he’s still alive,” said Cain. “But findin’ him is gonna be tricky.”
“Tricky, though not impossible,” said Asmodeus.
“Remember I said that the boss has agents down here?”
“What about them?”
“And what boss?” asked Tessa.
“Long story. I’ll explain as best I can later,” said Cain. “Anyway, his agents can find anyone in Purgatory. If we can get our hands on one of them, maybe we can convince him to lead us to Cross.”
“Maybe?” asked Tessa.
“They’re basically the prison guards around these parts,” said Cain. “So they don’t go down easy. And they travel in pairs. There’s also another problem.”
“If the agents learn we’ve broken into Purgatory, it means we lose the element of stealth,” said Asmodeus.
“Exactly,” said Cain. “So, we got a choice here. What’s more important to the two of you? Finding Luxton or finding Luther? Because I don’t think we can do both.”
20
The second I opened my eyes, I cursed. I was still in the dilapidated apartment in Purgatory.
I got onto my hands and knees and moved out of the sigil so I could examine it, tracing my fingers over every line. Maybe I’d missed a spot when I was carving. Even a tiny break in a sigil could make a spell completely useless. But after checking every single line and finding the sigil was closed up, I knew that wasn’t the case.
It was probably Purgatory blocking me from the dreamscape. Everything was screwy in here—time, space, all of it. No surprise it would have an impact on dreamwalking as well. Maybe here in Purgatory, people never even slept, so the dreamscape probably didn’t exist here.
“Now what?” I asked myself.
I rose to my feet and picked up my shirt, pulling it over my body and buttoning it up. I tucked in the tails, but left the collar open, then rolled up my sleeves. Not much point in wearing the tie anymore, I supposed, or the jacket. And my trench coat was damaged after tearing off some pieces to use as a makeshift bandage. Once I finished putting on the shoulder harness, I slid the revolver into the holster under my arm and sheathed the dagger at my belt.
And, of course, my cigarettes and lighter.
There was nothing else I could do here. The only way I was going to find Tessa and the others was by going out and looking for them. Maybe I’d just get even more lost, but I couldn’t wait here and do nothing any longer.
When I stepped through the front door, everything changed. Suddenly, I wasn’t in that apartment any longer. Now, I was standing on the sidewalk. It was bright, too—I looked up and saw the sun resting above a blue sky, just like any normal day on Earth.
And then I also realized that I wasn’t standing on the same street outside that apartment—this was Michigan Avenue, right across from the Water Tower Place. All around me, people walked back and forth, many of them dressed in suits, but some wearing regular clothes.
I checked my watch and saw that it was just a little after noon and the second-hand was ticking as normal once again. Commuters rushed about on their lunch hour, tourists snapped photos, and shoppers filed in and out of the stores.
I was on the Magnificent Mile, back in Chicago. But that was impossible. No way I could have so easily gotten out of Purgatory. Not unless this was somehow connected to those two freaks who had paid me a visit.
No, it was the dreamscape. My spell hadn’t failed, it had worked. And now, I just had to find Tessa, and then we could figure out our next move from there. But she wasn’t one for the downtown area, so why would I be here? Why not in Logan Square or somewhere else that was personal for her?
One option was to get on the train and head out to Logan Square, but then another idea came to me. I looked up, and I could see the Willis Tower in the distance. Something about the tower made it stand out even more than usual. Maybe that was the key. Raziel was the one who had sent us on this mission, so maybe I could find Tessa in Eden.
I started down the street, but I’d barely gotten a few steps before I heard a whistle from behind me. I stopped and looked over my shoulder, seeing two uniformed cops running towards me. The other people on the street backed away, leaving a wide-open space between me and the officers.
“He’s got a weapon!” shouted one of the cops, drawing his sidearm.
I glanced down at the holster and slowly raised my arms. “Easy, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt anyone.”
The other cop drew on me, too. “Drop it or we drop you!”
“Slowly!”
I didn’t quite do as they said. Instead, I held one of my hands out in front of me and closed my eyes as I said, “Fulgeo!”
A bright flash of blinding light emitted from my palm. I heard the cops groan, and when I opened my eyes, I saw that they were stunned, rubbing their eyes to try and get the spots out.
I wasn’t about to give them a chance to recover, so I turned and darted down the street. I pushed past the people gathered around, moving into the crowd and trying to quickly get lost within.
As I approached the intersection, a squad car with its sirens on skidded to a stop. I jumped as soon as it tried to block my path, sliding across the hood. I jumped out of the path of a car that came rocketing towards me down the middle lane, and in the far lane, the horn of another car bellowed as the driver swerved to avoid me.
“Stop!”
I ignored the cop, but ducked down low as I saw him take aim. A gunshot rang out and screams filled the intersection. But me, I just kept moving. The cars were stopped at the light and I jumped onto the hood of one, quickly running across each of the vehicles.
My feet hit the ground and I ran back onto the sidewalk. I sprinted as fast as I could, weaving past the pedestrians who were all watching me. Seemed Tessa had some pretty strong defenses against dreamwalkers, though it did surprise me that I was being chased by cops instead of superheroes or giant robots.
I took a left at the next street, then turned right to run across to an alley. I slowed down and took a rest, catching my breath as I waited to see if I was still being pursued. The gun would definitely come in handy now, so I drew it from the holster. Good thing about being in the dreamscape was I never had to worry about reloading, so this thing would definitely prove useful.
No one followed me into the alley, and looking at the other exits, no one seemed to be trying to head me off. Looked like the coast was clear. Stupid not to bring the jacket. Should’ve known better. Brandishing a weapon made it pretty obvious I was intruder here. I drew the revolver and stuck it behind my back, in the waistband of my pants. I pulled my shirt tails out and let them fall over the gun and knife. Wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do for now until I could get my hands on a jacket. I took the holster off and left it in the alley.
I’d have to move carefully until I got to Willis Tower. Ditching the weapons was an option, but not a good one. It took a lot of magical energy to generate objects in the dreamscape, and I needed that energy to stay focused on making contact with Tessa. So that meant I’d have to do some fighting in here.
That was fine by me. I was no slouch when it came to violence, just wished I had some more options. Making this as painless as possible would be better for both myself and Tessa.
Now I was wasting time. I’d stick to the alleys, avo
id the major streets as much as possible. Too bad I couldn’t fly—that would make this whole thing a lot easier. It would also make me stand out even more.
I continued through the alley and approached the next street. Checked both sides to be sure it was clear and stepped onto the sidewalk. Thought about getting a cab, but opening any door—even a car door—could take me to another location in the dreamscape. Now wasn’t the time to risk that. A bus drove by with an advertisement for the movie Jackie Brown. That was weird—never thought of Tessa as much of a Tarantino fan.
My eyes closed and I focused on Tessa, trying to get word to her to meet me at Willis Tower, almost like I was trying to will it to happen. Not like I was much of a psychic to begin with—demons had that ability to an extent, but I guess cambions didn’t. Could never quite manage more than dreamwalking or influencing people.
No time to waste. I crossed the street again and moved down a few side-streets. Every now and then, I glanced over my shoulder. Still no one following me. It had started to worry me that I hadn’t run into any other defenses. Figured Tessa’s subconscious would be strong enough to zero in on the anomaly a lot faster than a normal person.
I made it down to Ohio Street and headed west towards LaSalle Drive. Going from the Magnificent Mile to Willis Tower on foot would take about a half-hour or so, but it was better than getting into a cab or bus and ending up in Hogwarts or wherever Tessa’s subconscious would send me next.
Once I hit State Street, someone came around the corner and bumped into me. I took a step back and looked to see who it was. Just my luck, it was a guy dressed in a Chicago Police uniform. My hand went behind my back for the gun, but before I could wrap my fingers around the butt, I saw the cop’s face.
He was a bit younger, but his short, blond hair and blue eyes were unmistakable. Same for the receding hairline that made his forehead look larger than it actually was. And he had a permanent don’t fuck with me look on his face, the kind you’d only perfect after working a few decades as a Chicago cop.
“Coop…?” I asked.
Wayne Cooper, veteran detective. Also someone I’d worked with several times in the past. Coop was my informant in the CPD. Sometimes, he brought me on a case as a consultant. Other times, he’d recommend someone come see me if the police couldn’t do anything to help.
He was someone I considered a friend, but now, he drew his gun on me and took aim. I grabbed his wrist and pushed his arm to the side just as the gun went off, the bullet striking the corner building. Wayne fought against me and wrapped his free hand around my throat. I grabbed that wrist, too, trying to pry it off.
“Coop…stop…!”
Wayne’s lips curled, revealing gritted teeth. Why the hell would Tessa’s dreamscape include Coop as one of the denizens? Far as I knew, she’d never met him before. And he looked about ten years younger, like he had when we first—
Oh. Goddammit.
Now it made sense. Why I had ended up in downtown Chicago instead of Logan Square or Disneyland or whatever type of world Tessa’s subconscious would create. Why I was drawn to the Willis Tower. Even the freaking bus ad—Pam Grier had been my celebrity crush growing up. And now, Wayne Cooper was standing right in front of me.
I wasn’t dreamwalking in Tessa’s subconscious. This was my own dreamscape. The spell had worked, but not in the way I’d intended. Instead of getting myself in Tessa’s mind, I’d only managed to trap myself in my own.
Had to figure a way out of here. But first thing’s first. I let go of Wayne’s arm and balled my hand to a fist, then struck him against the jaw. Wayne rocked back, stumbling into the street. A car came barreling towards him.
“No!”
I charged into the street and grabbed Wayne, pushing him all the way to the other side. We both hit the sidewalk and a car drove by, striking a puddle and covering the pair of us in dirty water. As Wayne tried to make sense of what had just happened, I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the building.
“Listen to me!” I said. “You know who you are, right?”
Wayne blinked a few times, then he finally looked at me. He studied my face for a few moments before he finally said, “Luther…?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” I smiled and let out a chuckle. This was good. If I had someone on my side inside the dreamscape, I could probably find a way to get out. “Listen up, Coop—I’m gonna need your help.”
21
The soulfire Raziel had been building up in his hand dissipated before smoking out entirely, like a candle snuffed out. Celeste could do nothing more than watch as the angel stared at his hand in disbelief, completely unprepared for what had just happened.
Odysseus Black leaned back in his chair, chuckling between puffs on his cigar. “Buddy of mine told me you might be comin’. He gave me a spell that would cancel out angelic powers. Right now, you’re in my house, and in here, Odysseus Black makes the rules.”
“Does he?” asked Celeste. “Because from where I’m standing, all I’m seeing is an angel’s lackey. Thought you had more self-respect than that.”
Odysseus stared at Celeste, his eyes burning with magical energy. “Odysseus Black ain’t nobody’s lackey.” He snapped his fingers and the two lycan bodyguards began to transform into their wolf state. “Clear out the trash, boys. Keep the vampire in one piece, though. She might still prove useful.”
Celeste didn’t know if Odysseus intended to keep her as bait for Luther or for other purposes that sickened her to think of. But she had no intention of finding out. She hissed, her fangs descending and her nails elongating into claws. The lycans growled in response, but before she could make a move, Hem stepped in front of her.
The yeti stood ready for action, letting out a massive roar of intimidation. It seemed to do the trick, as the lycans both appeared to pause at the sound—but only for a moment. One of the lycans jumped from his corner, bounding off Odysseus’ desk before flying towards Hem. He was smaller than the yeti, but that didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest.
The lycan’s claws tore into Hem’s face, his response a howl of pain. But Hem countered, slamming the lycan into the floor. Just as Hem was about to slam his fist into the lycan’s head, the wolf rolled away and Hem struck the hardwood floor. The lycan pounced on his back, wrapping his smaller body around Hem’s and biting into his shoulder.
While Hem kept the first distracted, Celeste turned her attention to the second lycan, who, even now, advanced on Raziel. She moved between them, and the lycan chuckled in response.
“Stay back, Raz,” she said.
“I fought in the armies of Heaven long before the Earth was created,” said Raziel.
“Yeah, and you had powers that whole time; now, you’re just useless,” said Celeste.
Her and the lycan charged each other. Celeste ducked at the last second, delivering a sweep that brought the lycan crashing to the ground. She grabbed his throat and threw him against the wall.
“I already killed a few of your brothers—sure you wanna take me on?” she asked.
The lycan recovered from the blow and charged again. He was too fast and before Celeste realized what had happened, she felt a stabbing pain in her gut. She looked down and saw slash marks across her abdomen, her shirt torn.
“That’s…my favorite shirt…” she grunted.
The lycan raised his claws for another strike, aimed at her throat. Celeste deflected the attack with her claws and the lycan retracted his arm with a growl, blood dripping from the wound and coating the floor.
She pushed the pain out of her mind and moved in for another strike. First, a kick in his side. Celeste faked another kick, and when the lycan moved to defend, she took a swipe at his throat, just as he’d intended to do with her. The lycan fell to his knees, blood freely pouring from the wound. Celeste kicked his head a final time to take him to the ground.
When Celeste glanced to her bodyguard, she saw Hem had managed to get the lycan off his back. The broken bookshelves and sc
attered volumes told her how he’d done it. Now, he held the lycan’s head in both hands and twisted, the crack echoing in the room.
Then, she heard laughter coming from Odysseus. He had a wide grin on his face, completely amused by the violence he’d just witnessed. Odysseus took another puff on the cigar and just stared at Celeste.
“You are a feisty one, my dear.”
“Let’s see if you’re still smiling when I tear your throat out with my teeth.”
“I love it when you talk dirty.”
Celeste moved towards him, but after the first step, she found that she couldn’t. Her entire body froze in place and the only thing she could move was her head. Looking down at her arms and legs, Celeste tried everything she could to will them forward. It was futile; she was completely stuck. She couldn’t even feel her body, as if the blood flow had been completely cut off. When she looked at Odysseus, she saw he held his arm out, his palm pointed at her.
“Your boyfriend’s good at party tricks. Whisper a word of Latin here and he can turn his fingers into a matchstick. Ooooh, scary.” The smile faded from Odysseus’ face. “But me? I’m a real sorcerer.”
He waved his hand and Celeste felt her body again. She was thrown, and the next thing she felt was her back striking the bookshelves behind her. The wood cracked and she hit the ground, the volumes collapsing on her head. She felt every single one of them, and after it was done, she found she was frozen in place once more.
Odysseus rose from his feet, and as he stepped towards her, Hem tried to come at him from behind. He raised his arms to grab the sorcerer, but Odysseus spun at the last moment. Electricity arced from his fingertips, flowing into Hem’s massive form. She heard her bodyguard’s howls of pain and shouted at Odysseus to release him. But every protest she made only seemed to egg the sorcerer on, and even more voltage flowed from his fingers into Hem.
The light was blinding, but Celeste wouldn’t turn away. She tried to focus her eyes, to see what was happening. Once the lightning finally stopped, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She heard a thump and she saw Hem lying on the ground. He wasn’t moving.
Devil's Descent (Luther Cross Book 2) Page 14
