“But we just got here,” Meph complained. “I don’t wanna leave.”
“You also don’twannago back to Hell, dumbass,” Bel snapped.
“Okay, so we go,” Raum said. Looked like he was being the reasonable one tonight. “Where?”
“Someone needs to be on the other end to draw the gate sigil,” Ash pointed out. His vision swam a little bit, the odd black spot dancing here and there. He was tired as hell all of a sudden.
“We don’t necessarily have to travel by gate,” Meph said. “We’ve still got Nephilim blood fresh in our systems. Mist won’t be able to find us anywhere.”
“Eva has to come with us,” Ash said. “And Mist knows her scent. Which means all the Nephilim blood in the world doesn’t mean shit. We have to go somewhere he won’t think to look for us or we’ll be right back to where we started, and we have to travel by gate or he’ll be able to track us.” He hated to leave Montreal, but he couldn’t deny they had to go. Bel was right—when Mist came back, he wouldn’t come alone.
“Fuck, Asmodeus!” Belial’s arm jerked like he wanted to punch the wall again.
“W-wait.” Eva’s tiny, frail voice interjected. Nothing about Eva could ever be described as tiny or frail, and yet, that was what it was. “Go with you where? What are sigils? And what is Nephilim blood?”
Everyone was glaring at Asmodeus suddenly. “I thought you said she knew everything.”
He glared right back. “Noteverything. There wasn’t exactly a lot of time for talking. I just told her the basics.”
Belial blew out a sigh so huge it threatened to take the building down. “There isn’t time for a goddamn history lesson. We need to figure out where the hell we’re going.”
“We have at least a few hours,” he reminded Bel. “Like I said, I injured Mist pretty badly. And if we’re going to be dragging Eva around with us, she needs to know.”
“Tell me,” Eva said, finally stepping out from around him. Her voice sounded a little stronger, and it made the fist squeezing his gut unclench slightly. “And you can all stop talking about me like I’m not here, thank you very much. I’m in shock, not incompetent. What is Nephilim blood, and what are sigils?”
Belial looked at her. “I’ll give you the abbreviated explanation, so pay attention.”
She nodded quickly.
“There are three types of magic in creation: Temporal magic, Sheolic magic, and Empyrean magic. Witchcraft or any magic performed by humans on Earth is Temporal magic. Demons use Sheolic magic, and angels use Empyrean magic. Each type has its own rules and methods of practice. With me so far?”
“Magic is real. Got it.” She swallowed.
“Most magic is done with sigils, which are symbols of power for a variety of purposes. There are wards, gates, keys, seals, whatever. Demons can travel through sigils called hellgates. To use them on Earth, we draw the sigil where we are, and then someone else draws it where we want to go. We step inside, and boom, we’re there.”
“So, those creepy symbols on the walls everywhere are sigils?”
“Yeah, but those are wards, not gates.”
Her eyes darted around the room like she was struggling to assimilate everything. She was starting to get that same wild-eyed look she’d had when Ash had flown in through the broken window. He feared she could only learn so many new things in one night before she snapped, and he decided he’d better keep an eye on her.
Strangely, though, he was finding it hard to keep his eyes anywhere. They kept drooping and sliding in and out of focus. The T-shirt still pressed against his ribs was now fully soaked through with his blood, so maybe it had something to do with that.
“So demons can travel through hellgates,” Eva said, “but can humans?”
They exchanged glances.
“There are ways,” Ash said weakly, blinking hard to keep his head in the game. He was hoping to avoid explaining that one for now because she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“Okay.” Thankfully, she let it go. “And what about Nephilim?”
Belial clenched his jaw. “That’s a long story, and there isn’t time right—”
“I’ll tell you the short version,” Meph interrupted with a grin.
Belial and Raum groaned.
“What? She needs to know.” Meph’s smile was slightly evil. “I promise to make it quick.”
