Page 42 of Devils and the Dead
“Those angels are just looking for any excuse to fight,” Eshu added. He seemed disturbingly excited by the prospect.
I, on the other hand, was absolutelynotexcited. I hated fighting. If there was going to be a war between heaven and hell, I was going to have to invoke the hazardous duty clauses in my contracts.
“There’sanotherlost soul?” Lucien asked me before turning to one of the sisters. “Did you adopt another squirrel, Addy?”
She stuck out her tongue at Lucien. “No, I haven’t. Is there another soul missing from hell, Ty?”
Typhon shook his head. “Not on my watch. And not that I’ve heard of.”
“It’s not one of hell’s souls, it’s one of heaven’s,” I explained. “Lucien, I might need to ask you to intervene on this one because they think hell stole her. A bunch of souls from hell, purgatory and heaven all vanished at the same time, and all of them returned except for one from heaven. They were all the same family, and had lived on a farm near here when they were alive.”
The eldest sister dropped a pan, then swore as she bent down to pick it up.
She knew. Lucien and the others didn’t seem to realize that Babylon was involved, but Cassie knew. I looked over at Adrienne and saw her tilt her head. Then her eyes widened and she shot Babylon a panicked look.
Babylon frowned at her, giving a slight shake of her head before she turned to me. “Why don’t you and Lucien talk about that after dinner. We’re just about to eat.”
We all made our way into the dining room where a heated discussion broke out about who was going to have to eat at the kitchen table.
“We need to discuss something urgent that effects Accident,” Cassie said. “Aaron, Eshu, Xavier, and Hades can eat in the kitchen.”
“I ate in the kitchen last Sunday,” Aaron complained. “And the Sunday before.”
“It’s Hades first dinner here,” Babylon argued. “It’s rude to make him eat in the kitchen on his first Sunday dinner.”
“I’m good,” Eshu announced as he headed through the doorway. “I’ll be closer to the oven and those amazing pork ribs. And I can grab a slice of the key lime pie before anyone else.”
“Don’t you touch that pie,” Sylvie shouted after him.
“Okay. Eshu, Xavier, Lucien, and Hadur.” Cassie waved her hand. “Go. Go. Before the food gets cold.”
There was a lot of grumbling, and several comments about how those of us in the dining room needed to speak loudly so those in the kitchen could hear. We sat down, and for a while there was silence as everyone feasted on the ribs, roasted carrots, salad, and fresh sourdough rolls.
Finally Cassie pushed her plate away with a sigh and spoke up. “I hate to bring this up during family dinner, but we only have forty-eight hours to resolve this issue. One hundred years ago a group of elves came here and lived on Savior Mountain in complete isolation from the rest of Accident. Thirty years ago they vanished and everyone thought they had just packed up and gone home.”
“Until a tree fell during a storm up on Savior Mountain two weeks ago, and the werewolves started seeing ghosts,” Babylon added. “Those elves didn’t go home. The elven queen came to Accident, murdered them all, and cursed their souls because one of them had stolen an item from her.”
The others all exclaimed, including the ones in the kitchen. Some were angry that such an act had been done here and had gone unnoticed. Others focused on the elves’ plight. I watched Babylon as she told us all about the bargain she’d struck with the elf queen that would hopefully free the remaining cursed elf, and avoid a war with the elves. My heart swelled as I listened to her. She was smart, passionate, and truly cared about others—even this elf who had lived and died before she’d been born. It reinforced my desire to protect her somehow from any ramifications for what she’d done. Maybe her keeping Maude Hoffman’s soul was an accident, or she had a good reason for what she’d done. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. And I wanted to help her not just in that situation, but in this one with the elf and the vengeful queen.
“I’ve got the perfect gift,” the sister introduced to me as Bronwyn announced. “It’s a little silver bird, enameled and decorated with gems. It sings whenever you wish it to. Any song. I should be able to complete it by tomorrow morning if I work through the night.”
“Can you show it to Mirabelle? Just to make sure it’s something that the elf queen would like,” Babylon said. “I know fae are sensitive to iron. I just want to double check that nothing about the design or specific gems causes offense.” She put a hand on my arm. “Are you free tomorrow? I’d really like it if you went up to Savior Mountain with me and helped look for the Everbloom.”
“Of course.” I put my hand over hers and squeezed gently before letting go, thrilled that she was including me.
“I’ll be the one to deliver the flower and the gift to the elf queen.” Cassie held up a hand as Lucien popped out of the kitchen to protest. “I know, I know. But I’m the strongest witch among us. If she attacks or decides to hold me hostage, I’ve got the best chance of fighting her and getting away.”
“No you don’t,” Babylon argued. “One of us will never be able to stand against her. And if she captures you then attacks Accident, we’re screwed. You need to be here to fight if she comes after the town.”
“Babylon’s right,” Adrienne chimed in. “I’ll go instead.”
“No you won’t. I will,” Babylon informed her. “I’mthe one who made the deal. I’m the one who took the blame for the spell that allowed twelve of the elves to escape the curse. She won’t deal if I’m not the one delivering the goods. Besides, I’m the only one who will know for sure if she truly releases Tinsel.”
“And it sounds as if the queen is unaware of your actual abilities,” I reminded Babylon. “You took claim for the attempt to break the curse. She has no idea that you are a necromancer. It could work to your advantage.”
Most everyone was afraid of necromancers. I’d seen this in hell where both the demons and the other souls gave them plenty of space and respect. Even when they were being tortured, it was always done with the utmost courtesy. Of all the magical abilities, necromancy was the most feared.
Instead of being bolstered by my words, Babylon frowned.
