Shadows in the Silence
Page 6
“Sammael,” I snarled, tasting something bitter on my tongue. “He’s wiping out the Grigori.”
Ronan nodded. “I’ve heard that he’s trying to take out anything even remotely angelic that may be a threat to him. Once he’s strong enough, he’ll go after the Cardinals.”
“Do you mean the Grigori lords?” I asked. “Of the North, South, East, and West?”
“Yes. The Watchers may be chained to the earth, but they’re the closest thing to an archangel’s power in this realm—besides you, of course.”
Cadan let out a frustrated breath. “He’ll go after Antares, the Lord of the West, first, because she’s the closest. She’s bound to the mountains, up in the Rockies.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Can the Cardinals be killed?”
“Anything made by divine power can be unmade by divine power,” Ronan spoke up. “All things are limited by the balance.”
Which included archangels—and even Sammael himself. Sammael had once been an angel. If he’d been created, then he could be destroyed. That gave me a flicker of hope. We had a chance at saving one of the Grigori lords from Sammael. And once Will was healed, we could take Sammael down for good before he could kill any more of the Watchers.
“Virgil is dead,” I repeated, thinking aloud. “Are there any other Grigori nearby, Ronan? Any that could cure a demonic reaper’s venom?”
“Again,” Ronan replied, his voice small, “I am sorry, but I have nothing that could help you. I wish you luck, truly I do. Sammael can’t finish what he’s started.”
I released Ronan and let my swords disappear while he climbed to his feet. “Cadan.” I sighed, turning to my friend. “We have to find Antares before Sammael does. If he kills her first, then there’s no way to save Will.”
He closed his eyes. “We can find anoth—”
“No!” My screech echoed through the empty club, making the two demonic reapers jump and startling even me by its sharpness. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but my lips wouldn’t stop trembling. “We have to do this. If you don’t want to help me, then I’ll find her myself. Sammael has the grimoire and I have no leads on the missing copy Nathaniel made. If Antares gets hostile, then I’ll fight her!”
“Ellie,” he protested. “Let’s spend the rest of the night think—”
“We don’t have time to sit around and think anymore!” I cried. “The Lord of the West is just a few states away and we can get there in just a few hours. Don’t you want to help me? Don’t you want to save Will?”
“I don’t care about him!” Cadan shouted, his fire opal eyes flashing blindingly bright. “I care about you! I will help save his life for you, because you love him. It’s all for you!”
Tears poured down my cheeks and I buried my face in my hands. Maybe this was too much to ask and it wasn’t right using him the way I was. We’d fought at least a dozen demonic vir minutes ago, and he’d even saved my life.
“I’m just hurting you,” I whimpered. “I’m sorry.”
“The second Will wakes up, he will try to kill me,” Cadan said breathlessly. “I will help you save him and I won’t stop him when he comes for me.”
I stared at him. “I can’t let you throw your life away like that.”
His gaze matched mine. “And I can’t let you throw away yours, either.”
I’d completely forgotten that Ronan was still there, that we were still in that club. Cadan didn’t make a move to touch me, but he was shaking as if he was fighting himself with everything he had.
“I’m going to find Antares with or without your help,” I said at last. “But it’d be a hell of a lot easier with your help.”
His eyes searched mine and we were again trapped in that fragile silence, balancing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for a gust of wind to blow one of us over into the abyss. “I want to help you. I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you,” I said to him, shaking.
“Antares will know what is needed to heal Will,” he said. “She will know everything we need, because she…She is the original author of the grimoire.”
“Antares wrote the grimoire?” I almost shouted.
Cadan nodded, letting his gaze fall.
“Then we have to go to her,” I said, my heart lifted. “She knows everything about divine magic. Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you try to find another Grigori before her? She’s the one we need!”
I was turning wild with hope, and he held my face with his hands to steady me. His eyes drove into mine. “Because Antares won’t give up the information willingly. If she doesn’t just kill us, then she’ll name a price and I don’t know what it will be.”
My hands smoothed over his and guided them down. “Anything. I would give anything to save him.”
He drew in a long breath and let it out just as slowly, his eyes closing for a moment. “Ellie, a Grigori isn’t like you, or Michael, or Azrael. They’re still Fallen angels. They’re trapped here. Earth is their prison. Antares is one of only four Cardinals in the entire world and the most powerful of their kind. They are the Watchers and they are bound to the place where they fell.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “What do you mean?”
Ronan nodded. “I’ve heard that he’s trying to take out anything even remotely angelic that may be a threat to him. Once he’s strong enough, he’ll go after the Cardinals.”
“Do you mean the Grigori lords?” I asked. “Of the North, South, East, and West?”
“Yes. The Watchers may be chained to the earth, but they’re the closest thing to an archangel’s power in this realm—besides you, of course.”
Cadan let out a frustrated breath. “He’ll go after Antares, the Lord of the West, first, because she’s the closest. She’s bound to the mountains, up in the Rockies.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Can the Cardinals be killed?”
“Anything made by divine power can be unmade by divine power,” Ronan spoke up. “All things are limited by the balance.”
Which included archangels—and even Sammael himself. Sammael had once been an angel. If he’d been created, then he could be destroyed. That gave me a flicker of hope. We had a chance at saving one of the Grigori lords from Sammael. And once Will was healed, we could take Sammael down for good before he could kill any more of the Watchers.
“Virgil is dead,” I repeated, thinking aloud. “Are there any other Grigori nearby, Ronan? Any that could cure a demonic reaper’s venom?”
“Again,” Ronan replied, his voice small, “I am sorry, but I have nothing that could help you. I wish you luck, truly I do. Sammael can’t finish what he’s started.”
I released Ronan and let my swords disappear while he climbed to his feet. “Cadan.” I sighed, turning to my friend. “We have to find Antares before Sammael does. If he kills her first, then there’s no way to save Will.”
He closed his eyes. “We can find anoth—”
“No!” My screech echoed through the empty club, making the two demonic reapers jump and startling even me by its sharpness. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but my lips wouldn’t stop trembling. “We have to do this. If you don’t want to help me, then I’ll find her myself. Sammael has the grimoire and I have no leads on the missing copy Nathaniel made. If Antares gets hostile, then I’ll fight her!”
“Ellie,” he protested. “Let’s spend the rest of the night think—”
“We don’t have time to sit around and think anymore!” I cried. “The Lord of the West is just a few states away and we can get there in just a few hours. Don’t you want to help me? Don’t you want to save Will?”
“I don’t care about him!” Cadan shouted, his fire opal eyes flashing blindingly bright. “I care about you! I will help save his life for you, because you love him. It’s all for you!”
Tears poured down my cheeks and I buried my face in my hands. Maybe this was too much to ask and it wasn’t right using him the way I was. We’d fought at least a dozen demonic vir minutes ago, and he’d even saved my life.
“I’m just hurting you,” I whimpered. “I’m sorry.”
“The second Will wakes up, he will try to kill me,” Cadan said breathlessly. “I will help you save him and I won’t stop him when he comes for me.”
I stared at him. “I can’t let you throw your life away like that.”
His gaze matched mine. “And I can’t let you throw away yours, either.”
I’d completely forgotten that Ronan was still there, that we were still in that club. Cadan didn’t make a move to touch me, but he was shaking as if he was fighting himself with everything he had.
“I’m going to find Antares with or without your help,” I said at last. “But it’d be a hell of a lot easier with your help.”
His eyes searched mine and we were again trapped in that fragile silence, balancing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for a gust of wind to blow one of us over into the abyss. “I want to help you. I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you,” I said to him, shaking.
“Antares will know what is needed to heal Will,” he said. “She will know everything we need, because she…She is the original author of the grimoire.”
“Antares wrote the grimoire?” I almost shouted.
Cadan nodded, letting his gaze fall.
“Then we have to go to her,” I said, my heart lifted. “She knows everything about divine magic. Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you try to find another Grigori before her? She’s the one we need!”
I was turning wild with hope, and he held my face with his hands to steady me. His eyes drove into mine. “Because Antares won’t give up the information willingly. If she doesn’t just kill us, then she’ll name a price and I don’t know what it will be.”
My hands smoothed over his and guided them down. “Anything. I would give anything to save him.”
He drew in a long breath and let it out just as slowly, his eyes closing for a moment. “Ellie, a Grigori isn’t like you, or Michael, or Azrael. They’re still Fallen angels. They’re trapped here. Earth is their prison. Antares is one of only four Cardinals in the entire world and the most powerful of their kind. They are the Watchers and they are bound to the place where they fell.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “What do you mean?”
