“Herne’s horns! She loves that. It’s no laughing matter, though, Ash. Without her, we’d have been stuck in that trap, and it did seem as if Belial was trying to manifest through Amato. How long do you think that temple under the church has been there?” They had barely talked about it afterwards, focussing only on searching Amato’s apartment in Florence, and then his country house. Gabe had pushed it to the back of his mind, but he couldn’t ignore it any longer.
“Hundreds of years, maybe over a thousand. It was old, hacked out of rock, deep beneath the church. Maybe something stood above it once, before the church was built. Or there was an earlier version of it.”
Gabe voiced something else that had struck him. “It couldn’t have been carved by Belial, though. It was hewn by hand. Belial would have made something like The Temple of the Trinity if he could.” Memories of Raziel’s temple still haunted him.
“Agreed. So it was carved by humans, or Nephilim.”
“But that was after the Flood, so if they’re responsible, some Nephilim must have survived.”
“That’s a reasonable assumption. It doesn’t mean they’re alive now, though,” Ash reasoned.
“I think we have to consider the fact that they might be, however unlikely. Best to be prepared.”
“Perhaps we should always carry one of Belial’s jewels, just in case they are here.”
“Perhaps.” That was a last resort as far as Gabe was concerned. It had taken him only a few hours to shake off Belial’s influence after destroying the count’s castle, but it was long enough. Barak and Estelle had argued about it, and even Shadow wasn’t impressed with the effect it had on Gabe.
“Come on,” Ash said, turning back to the laptop. “Let’s consider the manifesto and what’s written on the base. They are similar, but the manifesto is much longer. They both essentially say the same thing, though. They exalt Belial and proclaim themselves his acolytes. But there is a different word used on the base of the statue in the woods.” He pointed at a portion of text on the photo, difficult to read in the light of a phone torch, especially with dirt still ingrained in it. “It says fraternitas.”
“Brotherhood. It sounds organised.” Gabe sipped his coffee and then grimaced. It had gone cold. “We need to know more about that house and who owned it before. I want a proper history. I also want more information on the church above the temple in Florence. And we need more on Amato’s contacts. Is there anything we can do in the meantime?”
“I will scrutinise the manifesto and inscription to make sure we haven’t missed hidden meanings, but we should also explore places along that northeasterly line.”
“So, we need a map. A big one.” Gabe reached for his phone. “I’ll get Niel and Shadow to pick one up.”
Ash lowered his voice, looking through the partially open doorway to the hall beyond. “How do you think Nahum is holding up?”
“He’s okay. Worried about Olivia, of course, and his daughter. It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it? Even now. And of course, we can’t forget that Amato knew the sex of the child, either.” Gabe raked his hand through his hair, exasperated. “I must admit that I’m worried, too. Nahum likes her more than he’s letting on.” That much was obvious. Over the New Year, he could barely take his eyes off her.
“I can tell. He’s fretting, and that is very unlike Nahum.”
“He’s really excited by this whole opportunity. His past marriage was not based on love. He endured it, but this thing with Olivia… He says it was something that just happened, but it was more than that—for both of them. Now she’s pregnant, well, that’s something else.”
Ash gripped Gabe’s shoulder in an attempt to reassure him. “Olivia is strong and smart, and has plenty of friends who know the paranormal world well. If anyone can handle it, she can. I like her, and she fits in well with us. She already feels like part of our family. You know that I never had children?” Gabe nodded. He and Ash had known each other reasonably well in their old life. “It was never anything I missed, you know? But I am looking forward to being an uncle. These are strange times, Gabe.” He smiled. “But good. We must not mess it up. We would all be devastated if anything happened to Olivia or our niece.”
“I’m beginning to think one of us should be with her right now, considering what we know.”
“Then send Nahum back to London. It should be him.”
“He wanted to come with us!”
“Bravado. A need to be of use to us, and play down his feelings for Olivia, but I think we both know where he needs to be now. So does he.”
Gabe laughed for the first time in what felt like months. “It could be quite a reunion.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “They will dance around each other for days. Go tell him, I have work to do.” And with that, he turned to the computer, and Gabe went to speak to their brother.
Harlan was in his kitchen making breakfast when someone pounded on his front door. He went to open it, knowing exactly who it would be.
“Maggie! I’m not deaf!”
She grinned, looking bright-eyed and cheerful. “You might have been lying in.”
“And had I been, you would have woken me up!” He swung open the door to let her in. “As it is, I have already been to the gym.”
She inhaled deeply. “Bacon! Delicious.”
“Yes, there’s enough for two.” He led the way back to the kitchen. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I can’t just visit my friend?”
“Of course you can, but you don’t.” He started the coffee machine. “I presume you want one of these, too?”
“Yes, please. And you’re very mean. We go out for drinks and coffee sometimes. It’s not always about work.”
He wagged a finger at her. “But it is today, I can tell.” She had an air of purpose about her. And something else. “Did you go to Storm Moon last night?” A flush of guilt swept across her cheeks, and he smirked. “Yes, you did. Chat with Grey, by any chance?”
“I chatted with lots of people.”
“And yet you look like a naughty schoolgirl caught up in a crush.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What are you insinuating?”
“Maggie, it’s okay. You like Grey. I can’t blame you. He’s a big, good-looking unit. Handy with weapons. Dry sense of humour. Doesn’t mind prolific swearing, either. Just your type.”
“I don’t have a type, and no, I don’t like him. I mean I do, but not in that way!”
“So why are you blushing?” He passed her a coffee, enjoying her discomfort. Teasing Maggie was always fun. Better, even, than teasing Olivia, and that was lots of fun at the moment.
