“He needs to get that necklace,” Shade said, as he popped the top of the Fresca he’d fetched from the break room. He’d also called Runa to let her know he was running late. She’d sounded as exhausted as he was, but with four babies at home, it was no wonder.
“No!” Reaver slammed his fist on Eidolon’s desk. “If Wraith defeats Byzamoth and gets the talisman, that leaves Wraith in possession of the most powerful artifact in the universe. I don’t think any of us wants that. The Aegis must retrieve it.”
Shade snorted. “Those bunch of ignorant—”
Eidolon beaned him in the shoulder with a stapler. “You’re talking about my mate, you know.”
“And like it or not, they are the human Guardians of the earthly realm,” Reaver said.
Eidolon looked up from his computer, where he’d been researching Biblical and demonic prophecies. “Whatever happens, it needs to happen fast. Tayla said that within the last twelve hours, demons have come aboveground and taken over three holy sites in Israel. The local Aegi have their hands full. Coincides with Byzamoth taking the necklace.”
“Hell’s fires,” Shade muttered. “Leave it to Wraith to start Armageddon.” Shade thought about his sons, so small and helpless, and about Runa, who he loved so much it hurt. He couldn’t bear the thought that they could be caught up in this war.
“This is far worse than Armageddon,” Reaver added, as if Shade needed the reminder.
“Why now?” Eidolon asked. “This Byzamoth asshole is obviously old, so why didn’t he grab the necklace and charm centuries ago?”
“Fallen angels can’t sense Marked Sentinels.” Reaver shook his head. “I don’t know how he could have found her.”
Eidolon tapped his fingers on his desk, and just as Shade was about to break his fingers, E froze, mid-tap. “Wraith said Byzamoth only has one wing. Has that always been the case?”
“Not that I know of.”
Shade frowned. “What are you getting at?”
“Roag’s dungeon. Runa ripped off the wing of a fallen angel. I wondered why Roag would have a fallen angel working for him.”
Reaver snorted. “He wouldn’t. No angel would serve a demon.”
“Exactly. But what if he was there to get something from Roag?”
“Eth’s Eye,” Shade said on a long, drawn out breath.
Reaver stilled. “What about it?”
“Roag stole it from my collection when he took the mordlair necrotoxin,” Eidolon said, going back to the tapping.
“You were in possession of Eth’s Eye?”
“Yes,” E said, “but it was impossible for us to use.”
“That’s because only angels can use it for the purposes of scrying. If Byzamoth had it, he could have used it to locate the amulet.” Reaver cursed. “Which explains why I felt her cloak shatter—a side effect of being discovered.”
“We need to involve The Aegis,” Reaver repeated, like a damned broken record.
“I agree.” Eidolon stood and walked around his desk. “Tayla and Kynan are going to have to tell the Sigil what’s going on. All of it. This is too big for us alone. And they’re trained to hunt down beings like fallen angels.” He turned to Reaver. “When will he try to open the gate?”
“The second dawn after the Sentinel’s blood is shed. If he doesn’t use the blood then, he’ll have missed his opportunity. If he’d gotten Serena’s charm himself he’d have more control of the timing. Now he’s at the mercy of finding Wraith, and bleeding him.”
“Where will Byzamoth take the amulet and the blood?” Eidolon asked.
“Jerusalem. The Temple Mount. But he’ll need to get the blood first. Where is Wraith?”
“Egypt.”
“Get him home,” Reaver said. “We can protect him in the hospital.”
“That’ll work.” Eidolon didn’t sound too confident, though, probably because getting Wraith to sit still and do nothing would be like trying to chain a phantom. “In the meantime, Tayla can contact the Sigil and Aegis cells within striking distance of Jerusalem. Kynan can deal with R-XR. Let them know what’s up and get them ready for a battle.”
Shade cursed. Demon and human prophets had been saying for centuries that the end was near, and finally, it seemed as though they were right.
Twenty-three
Serena dreaded this call, but now that she had a signal she had to make it.
“Serena?” Val sounded as worried as she’d ever heard him, and she answered quickly.
“It’s me, Val. Everything’s fine.” If fine included losing her necklace, her virginity, and her charm in a matter of hours.
“Thank God.” She heard the squeak of leather, knew he’d just sank into a chair. “Where are you?”
“The train will be pulling into Alexandria in fifteen minutes.”
“And you’ll be heading home immediately?”
Her heart started pounding. “Not exactly. There’s a problem.”
The chair squeaked again. “What?” She didn’t answer, and his voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper. She’d seen him truly angry only once, and it was something she never wanted to experience again. “What happened?”
“It’s Byzamoth.”
“The demon?”
She swallowed dryly. “He’s more than a demon. He’s a fallen angel.”