“Da weapon I made for ye repels demons and makes ye invisible ta dem when ye’re in deir realm. Dey feel pain when dey get close ta it—it stings dem with da power it emits.”
He’s right. Sheol’s finest are giving me such a wide berth that they’re even avoiding Brennus and Finn because they’re near me. “This is the best gift ever, Finn,” I breathe. “How come your magic works on angels, Finn?” I ask.
“It only works like dis when ye’re in Sheol. It will na work dis way on Earth. Sheol has different energy.” Then I notice that, although it works on the lesser demons, the sting does not seem to extend to angels. They don’t see me, but they’re not shying away from me either.
Finn tries to come nearer to me, but he’s brought up short on the threshold to Sheol. He tries again, but it looks as if he is walking into a wall each time. Brennus scowls. He attempts to cross the threshold as well, but it prevents him from passing, just like Finn. He growls in anger.
“I can na go wi’ ye!” Brennus’ voice is thick with frustration. “I’m mostly undead. I ca na pass over da threshold. It rejects me.”
“Why does it do that?” I ask, as my heart sinks.
“Me soul is dere,” he admits. “Dis realm keeps me out so dat I can na rescue me soul. I’d hoped dat because me body is different now, ’twould let me in.”
“I have to go.” I do. If I don’t leave now, I may lose my courage and cross back into our world. I have to find Reed. I have to help him end this. I turn away from them.
“Genevieve, wait! Are ye still here?” Brennus asks.
“Yes,” I answer, hesitating.
“Remember whah me soul said. He’ll know ye by note!”
“Okay. I’ll remember,” I reply. “And, Brennus?”
“Whah?”
“I will find your soul and return him to you.”
He looks as if I just broke his heart into a million pieces. “Jus come back. Dat is all I want.”
Lifting my hammer as a light in the darkness, I turn away from Brennus and Finn and face a ghoulish city in the distance. The spires of the buildings appear to dance amid the fiery sky. I fly toward them in search of my angel and the one being who, for me, has always been inescapable.
Following the butterflies in my belly to search for Reed, I come to an elegant stone bridge. I’ve been taking a break from flying, choosing to run instead so I can rest my wings. I hesitate on the path. The bridge spans the twisting red river and is covered in a fine layer of ash that floats everywhere here. The stone road over it has the perfection of glass. Every brick is set at exactly the precise height. On the other side, in the distance, towering spires and graceful domes raise up to stab the scarlet sky. My hammer glows brighter, tugging me toward the bridge. I know you want to cross the water; I talk to it in my mind. But I don’t need a bridge to do it. I can fly.
It tugs me harder toward the bridge. I stumble forward. You indicated earlier that I should go to the city to find Emil. The city is that way. If I fly across the river, it’s a more direct route. It tugs me again in the direction of the bridge. Okay… I trudge on cautiously.
I’m not alone here. The harrowing creatures around me are real. They’re not ghostly or made of light, like souls are when they emerged from Sheol to Earth. Here, they’re one hundred percent solid—flesh, bone, sinew, scales, claws, and teeth. Because of the weapon I carry and the fact that I’m camouflaged with invisibility, they all avoid my path. Whenever they get too close, they veer away, feeling the sting of the aura my hammer gives off. They’re also avoiding the bridge ahead, choosing to wade into the blood-red water rather than take the beautiful stone path. That means something.
Continuing on toward the bridge and the river, I pass a naked man with a robin’s head. He pecks at the abdomen of a frogman, eating his entrails. I have to swallow back the bile in my mouth. It’s not even just the sight of them that turns my blood to ice, it’s the shrill sounds they make. Some bray like goats or snort like swine. It makes my flesh run with goose bumps.
I feel another tug urging me forward, but this one is a different kind. This one comes from my abdomen. Butterflies. Scanning the area, I don’t see Reed; he’s still invisible to me in this realm while he wears his ring, but he has to be extremely close. I would call out to him, but I think that would make me too stupid to live.