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.He had also found a razor and shaved his face.He almost looked normal, except for the fact that he was avoiding Elise’s eyes.“Dinner,” he said, setting the tray he carried on another bench.“I made sure that all of it is safe for us to eat.This was taken from a Palace transport—all imports from Earth.”James removed bottles of water, bags of chips, wrapped sandwiches.Nathaniel guzzled an entire bottle of water before falling on the chips like a beast.Hannah acted only slightly less ravenous.She actually took a sandwich to another bench before taking huge bites of it.A hand appeared in Elise’s vision holding one of the sandwiches.She followed the arm up to James’s shoulder, and then his shaved throat, where his pulse was beatingOkay, so maybe she did have a little bit of an appetite.When she didn’t reach for the sandwich, he moved away without speaking to her.She paced across the ledge, trying to distance herself from the sound of James’s blood rushing through his veins, and the almost irresistible beat of his heart.He hadn’t spoken to her since Abraxas had told them what they needed to do.Not once.It wasn’t exactly the reunion Elise had been planning on having.She watched the three of them eat from a safe position against the back wall.Hannah and Nathaniel were side by side, and James took the bench opposite them.The boy kept gazing between his parents, and even at that distance, his thoughts were loud and clear: he was very happy.And hopeful.And thinking of weddings, younger siblings, and holidays with two parents.Elise felt something fracture inside of her.“So how are we getting back?” Hannah asked.Her voice was soft, but it still carried over the screaming from within the chasm.“I can jump us between dimensions,” Nathaniel said.“I just need some supplies and a few hours to cast the spell.” He sounded so restrained, like he was struggling not to show off in front of James.“You can cross dimensions?” James asked.Nathaniel radiated pride.“I’ve been doing it since I was seven.”“Not intentionally,” Hannah said sharply.“But I can do it on purpose.” He shoved another fistful of chips into his mouth and swallowed before continuing.“Elise can help me get what I need.She’s fast.”Hannah glanced over her shoulder, and Elise pretended she wasn’t listening.“You’ve never carried four people before,” Hannah said doubtfully.“You’re strong, Nate, but you’re still learning.I just don’t know if—”“It won’t be four people,” James said softly.His words were quiet, but it killed the conversation instantly.Screaming, soft and melodic, drifted on a breeze.Hannah was the first to speak again.“You’re not coming.”“There’s a problem at the Palace.It’s desperate.Elise and I…” James hesitated.Sighed.“Someone has to get control of the Council.I’ll follow you two as soon as I can.”“But how will you get back without me?” Nathaniel asked.All of the hope and pride had vanished from his voice.“There’s a portal inside the Palace.As soon as we’ve gotten control again, we can pass through.”Nathaniel sat up straighter.“I can help.”“You can help,” James said.“You can get your mother to safety.”The conversation may have continued, but Elise didn’t hear it.Abraxas appeared in the archway and crooked a finger at her.“Daughter,” he called.She bit back an angry response and appeared in front of him.“What?”He was holding a book under one arm and leaning on his cane with the other.“I’ve prepared the tools and space for your tattooing,” he told Elise, handing her the book.She flipped through it.Every page had a different mark on it, and there were hundreds of pages.“Which ones do I need?” she asked.“If you want to be able to get inside the most secure areas where the Council works? All of them.”James rose to meet them, watching over Elise’s shoulder as she went through the pages again, more slowly than before.The marks were elaborate.There was no way that she could fit all of them—even tattooed as small as they were on Abraxas’s arm—on a single limb.She was going to have to be covered in the arcane alphabet of Hell.“Fine,” she said, although it was about as far from “fine” as she could imagine.Abraxas reached for the book.“Come with me.We can get started immediately.”She didn’t move.“I want James to do it.”Her aspis reacted with shock—and he all but buzzed with reluctance.But despite the violence of his internal response, his voice was calm.“Okay.I’ll take care of the tattoos.”Abraxas’s forehead wrinkled.“Suit yourself.The first chapter has instructions on activating the keys once they’re marked.But get moving.The high trial is scheduled for Friday in Earth time, and today is already Tuesday.”He hobbled away on the cane.James took the book.It was impossible to read his mind the way that she had figured out how to read Nathaniel’s mind.The boy was uncomplicated, but James was in constant tumult—like his thoughts were tangled in knots.“I’ll get ready,” he said, and followed Abraxas down the hall.XIVIt didn’t take Elise long to collect the supplies Nathaniel would need to perform his spell.She soared through Hell’s black skies, darted into the nearest market, and returned to dump a box of crystals and herbs into his lap a few minutes later.“That should be everything,” she said.Nathaniel was already drawing his circle of power in a private room overlooking the pit.It was sheltered by the same magic as the communal area, and supervised by a trio of nightmares at the doors.Hannah stood between the demons and her son like another guard.“Thanks.” Nathaniel took the box and poked through it, examining the ingredients.Elise scanned the circle of power.It was much more complicated than the kinds of circles James typically drew, and Nathaniel wasn’t even finished yet.“Will this take long?”“A couple of hours.”“Good [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]