by Lisa Olsen
“I have given this much thought, and I think I should go find the prophet himself. Before we lend too much credence to his words, we should ascertain whether or not he speaks in true prophecy or if it is only the ravings of a madman.”
Parker’s eyes narrowed at that. “Don’t you think your bosses would have figured out if he was looney tunes before they sent you here to stop it from happening?”
“Gabriel did not share that information with me, he only bade me come help you prevent it.”
“I appreciate your willingness to track him down for me. I agree, if he’s cuckoo for cocoa puffs, it takes some of the pressure off. But either way, I’m planning on breaking both Adam and Ben out of Midian, so we’ll keep working on that.” I was adamant on that point.
“I’d best be off then. In the meantime, have faith, Mercy. All will be as it should.” Raziel lifted my hands again in his curious form of farewell, kissing the air above them. With a final nod to the others and surreptitiously sneaking another glazed donut, he left through the balcony slider.
“That’s gotta be cool, flying like that, don’t you think?” Matty wondered aloud, his eyes on the curtain as it fluttered in the breeze.
I felt a pain in my hand, and looked down to see the two bullets I’d pulled out of Adam, the night he’d been shot in my apartment. It was an unconscious habit I’d picked up, playing with the little misshapen slugs of metal, my only real connection to that night. That and Ben’s gun, which Nelo kept for me in the shadows.
“Relax, you’re not gonna die. We’ve got this.” Parker patted my knee reassuringly.
I hadn’t been thinking about that, but I appreciated the sentiment. “What are we going to do then? I guess we should break it down into pieces, that might be easier to tackle than the whole problem. The first step being how to get past Naberios at the Gate to Midian.”
Matty sat a little higher than his usual slouch. “The guy’s lonely, right? Bored, standing around all the time. What if we bring him a PSP or something?”
“Don’t be stupid, where’s he gonna get batteries?” Parker scoffed.
“Demons come and go through the gate all the time. I’m pretty sure they can get batteries if they want to.”
“Are you gonna bring him a bunch of games too then? He’s gonna get bored with just one game. I say we get him a…”
It went back and forth like that, arguing over what would be the best thing to bribe him with, but we weren’t making too much progress until I felt Nelo tap my shoulder.
“Why not try to find another way into Midian, Mistress?”
Chapter Three
“What was that?” My head swiveled to find Nelo crouching behind the couch, doing his best to stay out of the daylight.
“There are other ways into Midian, it has ever been so.”
“Why didn’t you say that in the first place? How do we find them?” Parker asked in exasperation, and Nelo crouched even lower.
“I don’t know.”
“Thanks a lot for that, pal. You’ve been very helpful,” Parker sighed, turning his back on the little guy.
“You are welcome,” Nelo smiled earnestly, but I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea.
“Hold on a sec, who else knows about these other ways in to Midian?”
“Everyone knows they exist, but they are not known to us demons. Witches are the only humans who come and go as they please.”
Witches… I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe we were looking at it all wrong trying to find an angelic solution to the problem. What if there were witches with real power we could find? Hadn’t Nathanael said something about witches in Portland? That wasn’t too far away. Belatedly, I realized they might not be too keen to help us though, not when there was so much risk to them. “What about Oriana? She didn’t get to leave.”
“She’s different,” Nelo replied, as if that needed no further explanation.
“Who’s Oriana again?” Matty asked, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, it was just like him to forget the details.
“She’s the witch I met in Midian, she has the Sight, and Raum keeps her like a dog on a leash.”
“How do we find these witches?” Parker asked, regaining his interest in the conversation. “You can’t exactly look in the phone book, and chances are most occult shops are full of fruitcakes rather than anyone with real juice.”
“I don’t know. I have not been here overlong,” Nelo admitted.
“We can’t ask Sam, he definitely won’t be on board with this plan,” I pointed out, to the confusion of the boys. “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live, ringing any bells? It’s a cinch he or Raziel won’t want to mess with anyone who traffics in the dark arts.”
“Oh, right. I’ll get on the witch track then,” Parker volunteered, much to my surprise.
“You?”
“Why not? I’ve dated a witch or two in my lifetime,” he smirked, drawing a snigger from Matty. I had a friend or two that counted themselves as Wiccan, but I knew they didn’t have any real connections to anything we were looking for. Still, they were a good a place as any to start.
“I’ll put out some feelers too.”
“What do you want me to do?” Matty asked, feeling a little left out, I suppose.
“Why don’t you spend some time on the net? See if you can find anything about portals to hell or demon possession, it might translate into something we can use,” I suggested.
“Shouldn’t we ask the witch about that?”
“The more information we can assemble the better. Besides, we don’t even know if we can find any real live witches at this point.”
“Alright, I’m on it,” Matt grabbed the last donut as he rose to his feet. “What are you gonna work on?”
“I have to figure out what to do about the cop who was here this morning. There has to be some way to get her to drop the search for Ben. Maybe Sam can help.”
“I doubt the boyscout will go for that,” Parker snorted. Right on cue there was a brief rap at the door and Daphne and Sam let themselves in.
“Where have you two been?” I arched a single brow at Daphne in particular, gratified to see her blush prettily. Of course she did everything prettily. Daphne was naturally blessed with long blonde hair, clear blue eyes and a sweet smile. She didn’t need the allure of Grace to catch Sam’s interest.
“Did we miss the meeting?” Daphne asked in dismay, seeing everyone on their feet.
“Only the good parts,” Matt stuffed the donut into his mouth and gave us a half wave as he took off.
“Donuts…” Sam murmured in devastation as he regarded the empty pink box.
“Don’t worry, we can pick some up later if you want,” Daphne patted his arm soothingly.
“Sorry about that, buddy, but you snooze, you lose,” Parker shrugged. “I’m gonna take off too, I’ve got to run some errands before I open the club. You’ll still be in tonight?”
“Of course.” I couldn’t afford not to work, and sitting at home alone would drive me insane.
“Right, see you later then, sweetheart.” He held his cheek out expectantly and my brows drew together in puzzlement.
“What are you doing?”
“No kiss? Some girlfriend you turned out to be,” he teased, dropping a last wink before heading to the door.
“Funny,” I called after him, laughing when I saw Daphne’s expression.
“Am I missing something?”
“It’s nothing, I’ll tell you later,” I assured her. “But you guys did miss the meeting. Not that we set a time or anything.”
“What did we miss besides donuts?” Sam asked forlornly, taking a seat on the couch. Daphne immediately settled beside him like they were joined at the hip. It was like they didn’t do anything independently anymore. I knew I was apart from Adam more than I wanted to be, but even if he was there, I didn’t think I’d be so glued to his side. Neither one of them seemed to notice though.
I gave them a brief rundown of the
prophecy as best I could remember it, and Raziel’s departure to go find the prophet. I sorta glossed over the witch angle and said the guys were trying to find something on an alternate way in to Midian.
“That is a good idea,” Sam nodded approvingly. “I do seem to recall something to the effect of there being other ways in to Midian, I should check my scriptures to see if I can find a back door,” he volunteered.
“That would be great, thanks,” I smiled. “But um, I was thinking that maybe you could do something else for me tonight?”
“Name it.”
“I had another visit from the police today about Ben, and it definitely wasn’t a friendly, we’re checking out all leads kind of visit. They definitely think I’m involved in Ben’s disappearance.” At least Detective Santiago did.
“How can I help with that?”
“I thought you might be able to help me break into Ben’s townhouse after work tonight.”
“You wish me to be your lookout?” He actually sounded a little excited at the prospect, to my surprise.
“No, I need your help breaking in. I don’t have my key to his place anymore and you were always so good at getting in there.”
“That’s because I came in through the bedroom window on the top floor. I can only get in if it’s still unlocked.”
“Can you help me check it then? All you have to do is let me in and I can take care of the rest.”
“Why do you want to break into Ben’s place?” Daphne asked.
“I thought maybe I could send some emails from his laptop to throw the cops off track. Make it seem like he’s out there somewhere, alive and well. What do you guys think?”
“Won’t the police figure out the emails came from his laptop at the house?” Daphne frowned, and I had to admit, she had a good point.
“Maybe, but they won’t know it’s not him who sent them. I figure they’re not watching his house 24/7, how would they know if Ben came back or not?”
“I don’t know, Mercy. It sounds kind of risky.” Daphne shook her head, blonde curls dancing.
“No one will see either one of us, I can make myself imperceptible coming in and out. Do you have a better idea? None of us knows how to fake his handwriting, so we can’t send any letters from him, and Sam doesn’t look a thing like him so he can’t go check into a motel in Denver or something, pretending to be him. Email is the only way to perpetuate the idea that he’s still alive out there somewhere.”
“I think it’s a fine idea,” Sam agreed instantly, and I had to admit, I didn’t think he’d latch onto breaking and entering so easily. But come to think of it, that was his normal modus operandi, wasn’t it? He’d let himself into lots of people’s houses without thinking twice about it.
“I’ll meet you at Ben’s place after work, say around two-thirty?”
“It’s a date,” he smiled, his face clouding with a worried glance to Daphne. “No, not a date, an agreed upon meeting at a pre-arranged time.”
“Mercy can’t date you, she’s already in love with Adam, and apparently seeing Parker too…” Daphne raised a brow at me, and I think she might actually have been jealous.
Too much drama. I wasn’t about to acknowledge the date line from Sam, instead I distracted her with the bit of Parker gossip. “That’s what I told the Detective when she grilled me on who I broke up with Ben to date. I couldn’t exactly tell her I was seeing Adam, could I? Oh, that reminds me, Sam, do you know what last name Adam uses?”
“I don’t,” he replied after a moment’s thought. “Why, is that important?”
“Oh, just one of those things a girl likes to know. What last name do you use, by the way?” I asked out of curiosity.
“That’s right, what name do you use on your apartment lease and your bank account, stuff like that?” Daphne chimed in, but Sam stared at us blankly. I recalled him telling me that Adam set all of that up for him. What was he going to do about rent and money with Adam stuck in Midian?
“What are you going to do this year without Adam taking care of your business arrangements?”
“Adam is often gone for long stretches of time,” he shrugged as if it didn’t concern him.
“But what about money to live on?” Daphne pressed. “You’ve been spending so much lately.”
Had he? I didn’t want to know on what, and Sam didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. “Don’t worry your pretty head about it,” he stole a line from Adam, his smile holding no trace of misogyny. I hated it when Adam said it to me, but Daphne gave him a sunny smile.
“I’ll see you tonight then, Sam. And any help you can give me with the mention of another way in to Midian in your books would be great.” I almost felt like we had a handle on things, it helped to have a plan of action.
“I can help you with looking through all those prophecies if you want,” Daphne volunteered, but Sam looked less than thrilled by the idea.
“Thank you, no. There are some passages that are not meant for human eyes.”
I remember when he used that line on me, but Daphne accepted it better than I did. “I can use your help on a couple of things, Daph, if you’ve got some time.” I kept it vague on purpose.
“Sure, I’ve got time, I don’t go in until four today.”
“I’d better get cracking then, those books ain’t gonna read themselves,” Sam smiled broadly, and I wondered if he’d been watching Westerns lately.
I left them to their goodbyes, trying not to watch as their heads bent closer together, though they never actually got more than a few inches apart. I felt a lump rise in my throat, thinking about the last time I’d seen Adam. The way he’d touched my face, the look in his eyes, the longing, the regret, and most of all the love. I saw that in Sam’s face when he looked at Daphne.
Making a cup of instant coffee, I waited for Daphne to come back to me, her face all dreamy and soft as Sam left. I knew I should say something to her, a warning or caution at the very least, but what good would it do? She could no more help who she fell for than I could, and she knew the risks involved.
I started to lose the momentum I’d been slowly gathering since the meeting, doubt and worry plaguing me as I tried to picture what Adam might be going through that very minute. Time didn’t pass the same way in Midian as it did in the regular world. That meant that what seemed like days to me since he’d left might feel like weeks or months to him and for Ben too. Even if Azazael was in control of his body, who knew how much Ben was conscious of? Months of torture already… I couldn’t bear to think of it.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“Just thinking about what horrible things Adam and Ben are probably going through right now. I can’t stand the thought that they’re suffering because of me.”
“They’re not suffering because of you, they’re suffering because of the deal Adam made. You didn’t even know about it.”
“Yeah, but he only made it to keep me safe.”
“It’s okay, we’ll get them back.” Daphne wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “They won’t do anything bad to Adam, they need him to feed off of, right?”
My memory cast back to the way Raum fed. With teeth. “Yeah, nothing bad…”
Chapter Four
“We’re really looking for witches?” Daphne asked as we pulled up in front of the little shop. The number thirteen was prominently displayed on the store front between two crescent moons.
“Yep, Nelo said he knew of witches that could come and go to Midian as they pleased. We’re hoping we can find one who knows a back door into the place.”
“You really think we’re going to find someone who knows about that stuff here?” The skepticism came through loud and clear, and I couldn’t blame her. The place had plenty of crystals and pentagrams in the window display, but nothing that looked the least bit demonic.
“I’m not sure where else to start, so I thought I’d give it a shot. Do you remember Jean’s friend Evie? She works here, and they’re the only witches I know.” I had
no idea how to get ahold of Jean anymore, I wasn’t even sure she still lived in town. Hell, I wasn’t even sure Evie would still be working there, but it was the only real lead I had.
“I don’t think they count as actual witches, just because they like silver jewelry and patchouli,” she muttered.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Well… no,” Daphne admitted sheepishly before she was distracted by the glint of rainbow crystals on display. “Ooh, look at that unicorn in the window, let’s go in!”
I left Daphne to the front window display, carefully turning over little figurines and frowning over the sticker prices underneath. I pretended to look at the books while I sized up the girl behind the counter. It wasn’t Evie, she had straight black hair and this girl was a natural blonde. Instead of the expected silver jewelry, she had a single crystal hanging from her neck. Dressed in faded jeans and a gauzy blouse the color of sand, she smiled when we entered, before going back to the magazine she flipped through.
A quick check of the bookshelves showed me there wasn’t anything there on dimensional travel or anything useful, though I did wonder what the heck astral projection was. Hesitantly, I approached the counter, making a show of looking at the jewelry under the glass case. Once I was actually in the shop, I had no idea how to ask for help without sounding like a total nutbar.
“Let me know if there’s anything you’d like to see,” she offered with a faint smile, and I seized upon the opening.
“You have some really pretty things here, have you worked here long?”
“Thanks. Uh, not too long, about four months.”
“Oh, you must know Evie then?” I fished, relieved when her smile widened in acknowledgement.
“Of course, are you a friend of hers?”
“In a roundabout sort of way,” I smiled, “I know her and Jean from way back. I always knew they were into this stuff, but I’ve never really thought to check it out until now.”
“I can recommend some great books to get started if you like.” The girl warmed to the subject, coming out from behind the counter. “Cunningham is great for the beginner, or Ravenwolf if you like something a little more contemporary.”