CHAPTER 28
"We don't know who the third is," Basia said, "but we think he may be a demon or some other dark force."
"He lives in Sheol," Father Lucas added.
"Sheol?" Armaros repeated. His voice was thick with doubt. "How can anything that comes from beneath the mountain be trusted?"
"Raphael trusted him," Basia said. "He was chosen like we were and the information that he's given us over the years has always proven to be accurate. We have details of the hierarchy in Sheol because of him."
"Is Dantalion still running things there?" Armaros asked.
"For now," Father Lucas answered. The priest stood up and made the short walk into the kitchen where he kneeled down and dug for another beer in the refrigerator. He emerged seconds later with a can in each hand and extended one of them outward as an offering to the others in the room. Everyone else declined and the priest mumbled his disappointment as he put one of the beers back into the fridge. "I've got a hunch that he may not be for much longer though. Not if your brother comes a calling."
Thane remained silent even though they were talking about things of which he had no knowledge. Again. He grew weary of asking questions and wanted only for Armaros to continue his account of the Watchers. He trusted that he would learn everything in time. The three of them had promised as much.
"We think that Azazel will go to Sheol," Basia said. "He may even be there already."
"I'm not surprised," Armaros remarked. "I've spent much time contemplating what my brother's next move might be, and Sheol always made the most sense. Besides the fact that evil attracts evil, Sheol is a refuge that remains completely unassailable. And this new Azazel, the aggressive, straightforward one, wouldn't care that he was doing the predictable thing. He's too confident to worry."
"So how do we find out for sure?" Mundy asked.
"Can you contact your third, the one on the inside, and see if he knows anything?"
Basia shook her head. "We've never spoken with him directly," she said. "Bits of information just seem to find their way into our hands from time to time. I wouldn't know where to begin if I needed to reach him right away."
"Sheol would seem a logical place to start," Armaros said, "wouldn't you agree."
Father Lucas stopped mid-sip and exchanged an alarmed look with Basia. Thane could tell by their reactions to the big angel's words that neither of the two was in a hurry to visit the place called Sheol. The young deputy didn't miss much, and he quickly deduced that if the padre and the girl were scared of this place then he would probably be better off avoiding it also.
Armaros had unsettled his companions. Thane was glad he didn't push the issue and alarm them any further.
"Even though it's a distinct possibility that I will have to journey beneath the mountain, perhaps it won't come to that," he said. "Anyhow, for now I need to finish educating Thane here. We'll decide our next move after that. Agreed?"
The nodding heads were unanimous.
The Peacock Angel: Rise of the Decarchs Page 42
