by Sara Snow
I probably wasn’t the only one thinking it, but it was only a matter of time before Paimon and his army made their move, and I was really counting on some angelic assistance to stop them.
9
Jacob
I had to admit that becoming invisible for the first time was a little bit of a jarring experience for me. The potion Olympia had given us tasted like rosewater and was surprisingly pleasant on the tongue, though I wish it felt as nice sitting in my gut. It felt strange, like my stomach was fizzing, and despite the fact that the sensation made me expect to feel sick, I didn’t. I felt a warmth that spread all through my body.
That was when I noticed my fingers beginning to disappear. It wasn’t immediate. There was first a kind of shimmery, mirage-like look to my skin that sort of resembled the shine of an oil-slick or a heat wave when I moved, but that slowly faded into nothing at all as the potion worked its way up my arms and legs. I held up my hands curiously, experimentally tapping my invisible fingertips together. I was surprised when I was still able to feel them, even though I couldn’t see them at all.
I turned to look at Eli in the passenger seat of the car. As far as I could tell, he seemed to be having a similar journey.
“First time?” I asked him with a chuckle.
“And hopefully last,” he responded nervously. “I’m a fists and weapons guy, not a magic guy.”
Soon, he was overtaken by the potion completely and I couldn’t see him at all. I peeked at myself in the rearview mirror—or at least, where I supposed I was. I had completely disappeared, no longer able to see even the slightest trace of myself.
“Olympia said this was all she had left of this potion, so it better last us,” Eli said.
“What a comforting thought,” I said with a roll of my eyes that went unseen.
“Well, I’m ready whenever you are.”
We opened up the car doors, parked a distance away from the factory, having to take a bit of a walk to get there. When we were finally able to slip through the fence, we glimpsed the guards standing watch outside the front doors to the factory with a steady rotation of others circling the perimeter.
“Remember to be quiet. Let’s meet back here in fifteen once we’ve gotten a chance to get an idea about security and layout and all that,” Eli said. “I’ll go around right, you go around left.”
I nodded, though I quickly remembered that he couldn’t see me. “Right.”
We split up and went to check out our respective areas, every crunch under my feet sending adrenaline shooting through me as I prayed that none of the demons nearby would be able to hear me.
It was about to be a very stressful fifteen minutes.
The factory was still as cold and lifeless the second time around, the vacant exterior seeming even less welcoming than before. I walked along the front as Eli had said and went around the side, taking a survey of the area, careful not to get too close to any guards, taking steps as softly as I could. There was a solid stone wall with intermittent chain-link fences surrounding the entire perimeter with a decent amount of brush bordering the wall which would work a bit against us as far as noise went. Crunchy leaves and dead plants made for loud footfalls, and if we needed to discreetly get into the palace quickly, that would only make it more difficult.
The walking path of the guards seemed to be pretty consistent and after I got a pretty good idea of where the next guard would be coming from and where they’d be going, I was finding it much less nerve-racking to be walking around.
I returned to the designated meeting spot when our fifteen minutes had passed, staying silent until I was comfortably beyond the bordering fence.
“Eli,” I whisper-yelled.
“Over here, I’m by the fence.” He rustled a few plants to give me a better idea of where to go.
“There’s not much on the outside besides the guards,” I told him. “I didn’t see any perches up in any trees or cameras or anything, really. He must rely on communications from the patrolmen.”
“Same shit on the other side,” Eli said as he sauntered back over to me from his scoped out area. “Just lots of rocks and fences and demons.”
“There’s the side entrance we went through last time, and it seems like the main entrance is at the end of this driveway,” I told him, gesturing to the driveway that was blocked off by the fence we’d gone through the last time. I noticed that the chain that had fallen before was sitting once again between the chain-link gate and the fence.
We’d plotted out all the entrances and escape exits, and while the interior of the building had obviously been significantly different because of whatever magic Paimon was using to disguise it, it still at least gave us an idea of how many points of exit and entry we had. It made our reconnaissance worth it, despite the fact that Paimon would likely be anticipating Georgia’s coming once she was spotted by his minions.
It all felt so eerily similar, and the memory of El Paso weighed heavily on my mind. With all the mistakes we made in our first attempted ambush, I didn’t want to leave any room for error, especially since it was Georgia on the line. We were strong, but Georgia was right. This battle was going to be more than I bargained for, and it wasn’t a fight I was willing to lose. We couldn’t afford to.
Georgia
I still couldn’t help but feel like I’d just gotten Carter back only to lose him again. He held my hand tightly in his, and I could tell that he felt the same way, his big, dark eyes fixed on me. In our last few moments together, I wanted to savor as much of him as I could, pulling him close to me, burying my face in his chest as he pet my hair, holding me tightly. Knowing how hard it would be to pull away again, I almost regretted the embrace.
“I’ll be coming for you soon, I promise,” he said, his breath warm on my hair.
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me,” I said, squeezing him a bit tighter.
“I’m not worried. You can handle yourself, but I want to be there as much as I can.”
I just nodded against him. It felt selfish to want him there, but at the same time, the thought of being apart scared me more than anything Paimon could possibly have in store for me. I didn’t want to separate from him, but I knew that it was time to go. He let his fingers comb through my hair as we parted, brushing it over my shoulder, his palms running over the skin of my shoulders.
“We’ll see each other soon,” I said. I wished I could be certain of that, but I knew that if I wanted to believe it, I just had to say it. Eventually it would become true.
“We will.”
“Just don’t meet any other super hot, incredibly funny, and wickedly badass half-demons while I’m gone, ok?” I said, watching a smile spread across his face.
Instead of a snarky response, he leaned down to kiss me, and for a moment I felt whole. I tucked the feeling away inside myself, knowing I would need it soon, just the same way that Carter had needed it when he was held prisoner in Paimon’s palace. I focused on his soft palms cupping my face, his fingers tangling in my hair, his fingertips gently massaging my scalp, and his breath warm against my lips, ghosting over my skin. It would keep me strong in the dark moments that I was sure were ahead of me. I’d never let go of this moment for as long as I could.
“I have to go, Carter.” I stepped back, but he seemed hesitant to let go. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Georgia.” He kissed me again, but shorter, more fleeting.
It felt so final, but I knew that we were capable of pulling this off. We had to be. The fate of much more than our love was at stake.
When I heard the rumbling of Eli’s car approaching, the enormity of it all started to settle in and the confident facade with which I’d presented my plan began to fade away. I was scared. I didn’t want to go back to the palace. I didn’t want to see Paimon. I didn’t want to have to pretend to be on his side for even a minute, let alone however long it would take me to get any useful information.
I opened the door to the car, surprised to see
the driver’s seat empty. I was even more surprised when I heard Eli’s disembodied voice speaking to me from inside the car.
“Hey, Georgia.”
I was startled. “Holy shit, Eli?” I gasped, searching the car for him. “Where the hell are you?”
“Right here,” he said. I couldn’t see where “right here” was. “Ah, sorry, I’m waving. Jacob and I already took Olympia’s potion while we were doing recon at the factory. Sorry for scaring you,” he clarified with a chuckle.
“I thought for a second we had a ghost on our team, Jesus,” I sighed as my heart rate settled back to a more normal speed.
I settled into the car and rolled down the window, leaning out to give Carter one last kiss. Eli was generous enough to give us a few final moments, but I knew it was time to go. Carter seemed so small in the rearview mirror as we drove off, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him until he disappeared completely. Even then, I kept watching until we turned off and the warehouse vanished too.
“Are you ready?” Eli asked me.
“Have I ever been ready for anything?” I asked, huffing a laugh.
Eli smiled. “I get it. You’ve grown a lot since I’ve known you, though, Georgia. I’m not bullshitting you when I say that I’m proud of you. I know Kingston would be too.”
“Thanks, Eli. I hope you’re right.”
The quiet that followed was somber, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. We flew down the placid backroads, concrete alleys and abandoned old work sites that would never be completed, seemingly rushing past us on either side. I had to laugh for a moment when I thought very sarcastically about how nice it was that my tax dollars were paying for all this unfinished work. I realized that in the grand scheme of things, it was such a trivial complaint to have, and for just a second, I felt completely normal. Like I was just some regular person again, on my way to work, grumbling about the government. If only that was the biggest issue I had at the moment…
The drive was quicker than I remembered and soon the looming threat of the palace was looming on the horizon and my pleasant fantasy of being the frustrated regular Chicagoan faded fast as the reality of my future as cambion demonic army leader-to-be set back in. I tried not to show it in front of Eli, but I caught myself on occasion gripping the door handle a bit too tightly.
As Eli parked far off the road, concealing it from the view of the factory. I climbed out of the car and immediately shuddered in the presence of the factory. I couldn’t feel the dark energy exactly, but it almost exuded a sense of foreboding that shook me to my core.
“Welcome to the party,” Jacob said from some ambiguous location.
I assumed he was also invisible, giving up on trying to find him at eye level, and instead looked to the ground to see the grass crunching under imperceptible feet.
“This party sucks,” I said, trying to force myself to laugh.
He sighed. “Are you ready?”
“As ready as I can be,” I mused.
“Eli and I will alternate being on standby out here the whole time. We scoped out the entrances and exits and scouted the patrols already and have a pretty good gauge on it. Not much to be said for the magic that alters the inside, since I obviously can’t speak to that. As long as we can keep a low profile and evade notice, we should be able to figure it out.” Jacob reported, keeping his voice calm and steady.
I nodded, taking it all in. He’d clearly put in a lot of effort and his confidence in the preparation made me feel a bit better. I took a few steps toward the gate, checking out the exterior one last time.
“You guys should get back in the car,” I said.
Jacob came up to me, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder. He sighed again, like he was going to say something, but I didn’t think I could handle hearing him say anything else. I had to go before I got cold feet.
“Don’t sound so bummed,” I said. “I’ll be back soon and we can kick this demon army’s ass.”
“I know you will,” he said. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay in there? You know we’ve got your back, so if anything seems off, we’ll be there as fast as we can.”
“Don’t worry about me, Jacob,” I said, pulling away. His concern was touching, but the more people got me second-guessing myself, the harder this was going to be. “I’ve definitely lived in worse places, and I know this is literally a demon king’s palace,” I joked.
“Good luck in there. Try not to have too much fun.”
I turned with a smile, approaching the cold and unwelcoming metal gate I heard Jacob retreat to the hidden car with Eli. I took a few deep breaths as I pushed through the gate, the chain falling off just as it had before. The screech of the metal as it squeaked open grated my ears, and I was sure that any demon in the area had heard it. It would only be a matter of time before Paimon was alerted to my arrival, but I decided to make the first move.
“Well?” I shouted into the apparent nothingness of the dead air of the factory. “I’m here, Paimon, so where the hell are you?”
For a moment, the air around me felt sharp and cold, a crisp gust of wind blowing past me, the scent of earthy sulfur wafting around me. His presence was so strong, I could feel it immediately, and when I turned to see him standing between me and the gate flanked by dozens of his minions. I remember how imposing he was before, but I was still surprised how he seemed to tower over me. I steadied myself against the fear that was creeping up on me, intimidated by his gleaming red eyes as they studied me. He was clutching his jeweled scepter, his head topped by his intricate crown.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Georgia?” he said, his voice smooth like silk to the ears. “I didn’t expect you to call on me so quickly after we disposed of that half-vampire boy, certainly not on your own and—” he looked me over thoroughly, “apparently unarmed.”
“Why did you kill the vampire?” I asked.
“Ah, my dear daughter,” he said, clasping his hands together. “I do apologize for that, but I had no choice. He attacked my servants and myself. They only did it to protect me.”
“Of course,” I said, noting his lie right away. “I’d have done the same, I guess.”
His mouth spread into a beautiful grin, his perfect teeth seeming so threatening in his mouth. “You didn’t come to talk to me about him, did you? How boring.”
So he wasn’t going to tell me all his secrets right away. I could have guessed. “No. No, I didn’t. I’ve thought your proposal over. It appeals to me.”
Paimon lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. “Oh?”
“I’m sick of having to stick my neck out for those people. I’m tired of them relying on me, and I’m tired of fighting a losing battle. I’d rather be on the winner’s side,” I lied.
I watched his reaction closely, trying to gauge whether or not he could sense my deception. He had an excellent poker face if he could, because I couldn’t see anything besides a cautious curiosity in his eyes. I didn’t expect him to trust me right off the bat, but as long as he didn’t throw his entire demon army at me on the spot, I suspected this would be ok.
“What changed?” he asked.
You killed my friend and tortured the man I love, and it pissed me off enough to do something about it, I thought.
“I’m getting stronger. I know I can get farther by your side than I ever could with them. They can’t relate to me. They have nothing to teach me, and without me, they’re nothing. I don’t want to fight to survive. I want to fight to win. And even they know you’re going to come out on top.”
“And the half-vampire that you cared so deeply about?” His voice was deeper now, more probing, and he had lost some of his lilting elegance.
“The Venandi used me to get me to fight against you. They—he—lied to me about who and what I was. They all tried to manipulate me into being their secret weapon. I only stayed with Carter as long as I did because I thought he could teach me something.” The words felt like acid on my tongue, and lying about my friends in such a venomo
us way made my chest tighten. I fought to keep my feelings neutral. I couldn’t afford to show any doubt.
His red eyes narrowed as he leaned down to address me. “And you think that you’re worth teaching?”
I stood my ground. “I guess we’ll just have to find out, won’t we?”
He cocked his head, that sick smile coming back as he reached out from his robes, his alabaster hand resting on my shoulder as he gestured toward the main entrance with his other.
“Welcome home, Georgia.”
The words nearly made me shiver, but I suppressed it and followed him. His flanking demons moved in line with him, marching in rhythm meticulously behind him as we made our way into the fortress.
The entrance was sprawling and medieval, yet somehow elegant and seemingly pristine despite its apparent age. Intricate wrought iron torches lined the walls, throwing thick black shadows across the floor where the unnaturally bright light couldn’t reach. There were two grand staircases that encircled the room, meeting to form a landing that was so high up I couldn’t possibly imagine it fitting inside the factory I’d just walked into. Jacob must have been right about Paimon’s magic altering the appearance of the interior, but even more than that it must also be altering the space. I kept that in the back of my mind as Paimon led me past the foyer and into another large, round chamber. Two hallways broke off to the right or the left, but directly ahead was an enormous door carved of stone that was high enough to reach the second floor of any normal building. It was beautiful, inlaid with various colorful stones and gems with complex designs chiseled into it. It seemed impossibly heavy, but Paimon pushed it open with ease, ducking to fit through the normal-sized doorway.