“Ah, so now you remember that you’re an ass kicker?”
“I can’t believe I ever forgot. You don’t have to come, you know? I can deal with the Gancanagh on my own.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Evie,” Russell replies.
“Okay, where are you now? I will find out where the Gancanagh have set up their new lair, and then I’ll meet you and we’ll go there together.”
Russell’s clone smiles. “I’ll come here. It’s not terribly far from where I am now. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Russell looks at Reed. “You’re in, right?’
“I’m in.” Reed nods. “Tell Zephyr to keep our Reapers away from Crestwood.”
“Why?”
“Before he slipped away from me, Atwater told me the hole Emil created between our worlds has ruptured. Evil souls and demons are escaping through it into Crestwood. Sheol’s souls will possess any humans who will let them. The demons will rampage. It will be a thousand fold worse than the angels in the 7-Eleven ever were. Reapers will be drawn there, feeling the need to reap souls. The sheer numbers of the evil dead will overwhelm them. They’ll be slaughtered. Tell them to get the word out to other Reapers.”
“We have to close that door,” Russell says urgently.
“We do. We need our armies in place first, or we don’t stand a chance. It’s a trap, Russell. Emil set it. He most likely has his angel army just on the other side of the gate, waiting for us to come to close it. When we do, he plans to meet us and butcher anyone who gets between him and Evie.”
Russell’s clone shivers. “He told me he wants to kill her last. He wants her to watch us all die first.”
“Yes, he wants to kill us, for sure, but he wants more than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“His mentor, Byzantyne, is obsessed with possessing Evie. To him, she is the wildest, most beautiful butterfly that he’s never quite gotten for his own. She makes Emil look like a moth in comparison. Emil doesn’t like being anyone’s moth. Her inescapable arranged a deal wherein Byzantyne never gets Evie’s soul, but that won’t be quite enough for him.”
“How do you know that?’ Russell asks.
“I know it because he would’ve killed me right away the first moment we met at Crestwood. His plan was to kill me first, but he found he couldn’t because of this.” Reed holds up his ring that I gave him. “It ruined his plan and allowed us to escape. He followed Evie and me, but I was taken to Dominion and Evie escaped once more with Xavier. Emil went back for you, Russell, but the Gancanagh saved you. Now his plan is to draw out our reapers as bait. He’ll try to capture or kill them. He wants us to return to Crestwood—back to him. It’s a simple plan, really.”
“So what does Emil do with Evie if he gets her?”
“He exacts revenge upon her and Byzantyne. It’s a good plan.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I remember him. I hunted Byzantyne and I watched them both linger around Simone. It was obsession.”
“Obsession. Are you talkin’ about them, or ‘bout you?” Russell asks.
Reed’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “I was referring to all of us.”
“Wait. You mean, you knew Evie when she was Simone?”
“I was there when she died. I will explain it all to you when I see you.”
“Russell, Reed and I aren’t safe here. Xavier will know I used his portal. He knows it leads here. You have to meet us somewhere else. We need to leave here as soon as possible. He’s probably on his way here now.”
“Where will y’all be?”
“Go to Detroit. I’ll think of a place in the city where we can meet, and then I’ll contact you. Hurry, Russell, Sheol is open and there isn’t much time.”
“Hurry, she says,” Russell’s clone mutters sarcastically, “like I didn’t just catch her making out with her aspire in the middle of a situation.” His clone disappears into the air.
“I need to find Brennus.”
Reed nods. “You may want your clothes for that.”
“I think that’s wise.” I pick up my clothes from the floor and put them on. Reed shrugs into his shirt. “It’s best if we leave now. We can find somewhere private for you to track Brennus.”
He’s right. Xavier’s mountain fortress is far away, but not if Xavier finds a portal in the vicinity of this house. He can be here at anytime. “We need to move.”
“What kind of car did Xavier drive?” Reed asks with a grin.
“C’mon, I’ll show you his garage.”