“I was an idiot. It could have backfired at any moment. In the light of Aria’s death and her betrayal of me, I suspect she has searched all over the house. I am not that much of an idiot, though. It isn’t here.”
“Hold on!” Gabe stopped him, needing to backtrack. “The ring that your family has owned for years is now with Beneventi?”
“Yes. It was a prized possession, one I’m sure he will have kept for himself. He’s the descendant of the man who started it all. The man who found the jewels on a dig.” Gabe exchanged a confused glance with Ash, but Lamberti hadn’t finished. He took a breath and a sip of wine, and then related a fantastic story that left Gabe dumbstruck.
“Wait,” Ash said, halting the old man. “They found everything in a cave?”
“High in the mountains of Persia. Everyone died, except for Beneventi’s ancestor. He had a vision in which Belial told him to fake his own death and bring the jewels here. He was promised wealth. He formed The Consortium with three of his closest friends, and made a deal to spread the jewels far and wide. It became his personal mission for years. He spread the jewels around, planting them in religious objects. Icons. Places to infect those who already had religious faith, maybe even fervour.”
At least now they knew who had planted the jewels in Olivia’s relic, and no doubt many others. Gabe looked again at the once grand residence that now looked shabby. “By giving your ring away, you lost your wealth.”
Lamberti nodded. “Yes. Our business declined. However, you need to know that there were many items of jewellery, many rings, bracelets, and other objects, but several were considered special. I don’t know why. They all had influence. I could feel it. I refused to touch the ring we owned, though, as I said. I saw the effects it had. I told Beneventi to take it and he did. I presume it’s in his house now.”
“Here in Venice?”
“Murano, actually. It’s more fortress than house.”
“Murano?” Ash asked, excited. “I overheard a conversation downstairs. A meeting tonight on Murano. They have a problem,” Ash’s eyes slid to Gabe’s before turning to Lamberti again, “that they need to solve.”
“That will be Beneventi’s home. You must have them worried.”
Ash shrugged and said, “I’ll tell you later, Gabe. How many people could be there tonight?”
“Perhaps twenty people, maybe less. The families are small now, but there are others involved. Acolytes, priests, and more. Not all local, of course. There are several spread across Europe.”
“We’ll deal with it,” Gabe said. “Where is your insurance, as you called it?”
Lamberti sipped his wine again, and leaned forward, staring into Gabe’s eyes. “If I tell you, what will you do with it?”
“I will hunt down every single object out there and hide them where no one will ever find them again. I promise.”
“If you touch them, they will consume you.”
“Not us. We are immune.”
Lamberti studied him and then Ash. “I hope you’re right. Okay. I trust you. You killed all these men, after all. My insurance is under the statue in the house my niece was forced to give to Amato. He is a dangerous and powerful priest.”
“Not anymore,” Gabe told him. He stared at him, looking for subterfuge. “Are you serious? Under the statue in the temple?”
“You’ve been there?” Lamberti’s eyebrows rose in shock. “You have been busy. Yes. Under the plinth. It is the one thing they would never desecrate. I managed to hide it well, and I knew they didn’t use the place anymore. They abandoned it years ago.”
Shadow and Niel must have been so close when they destroyed the statue. Now they had to go back.
“But there’s more,” Lamberti warned them. “They raised more havoc. Beneventi, the original one who found the jewels, hired a conjuror to open a portal to the Underworld. He summoned a Nephilim. One of Belial’s own. And he came.” Fuck. “It meant that Beneventi wasn’t in control anymore. He answers to Jiri. They all do. But Jiri lacks the one thing he really needs. Belial’s horn. Beneventi found it on the dig all those years ago but when he went back for it, it had gone, and he had no idea where to. No one does. But when Jiri finds the horn that he has been searching for all these years, the world will answer to him.”
Nineteen
Nahum took a long, deep drink of his pint of beer, and then leaned back in his seat, trying to absorb all the information that Jenkins had told them, and the news that Barak had relayed after a phone call with Gabe.
He, Olivia, Barak, Estelle, Lucien, and Harlan were now in a pub close to the museum where they had eaten lunch, and his companions looked as shocked as he was. Their mood was mixed with the excitement of discovering the root of where the Belial issues began, and the fact that they were now rich. The celebrations over their newfound wealth, however, would have to wait.
Barak looked thoughtfully at Nahum. “So, there’s no doubt that the dig in Persia is responsible for the source of Belial’s jewellery. The man who vanished matches the name that Gabe was given.”
“I had my doubts earlier, but not anymore,” Nahum agreed. “It all sounds right. It feels right!”
Lucien huffed and gesticulated in a way only the French could do. “Listen to you! Of course it is. They all went mad and killed each other or committed suicide. Plus, it cannot be a coincidence that there are Beneventis involved then and now.”
Nahum laughed. “I’m actually relieved. We know the source of it! After what Gabe told you, Barak, we know that it’s not some worldwide conspiracy. Just a few crazed families spreading havoc. It’s still awful, obviously—people have died because of his influence—but we can manage it.”
Harlan spluttered over his pint. “What about the damn Horn of Desolation that’s locked in the basement of a museum? A horn that Jiri wants. If we know where it is, he might find out, too. And he’s another Nephilim. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“It worries me only because of Belial,” Nahum said. “Nephilim are used to fighting each other.”
“He could be juiced up on Belial’s powerful jewels, like you were,” Estelle pointed out. “That scares the shit out of me.”
“And me,” Olivia added.
“And me,” Harlan and Lucien chorused.
“Okay!” Nahum huffed in annoyance. “I get it. Belial’s jewellery has a weird effect on us, but we’re still in control. If we have to use them to fight Jiri, then so be it. We’ll even the playing field. I am sure that there will be more Nephilim, too. I can’t believe only one is back. We just need to find their base.”
“And unfortunately, I still have no idea where that could be,” Barak said. Barak normally had a carefree attitude, and big laugh to match, but there was no evidence of that now. Nahum knew he was desperate to identify the city he had seen in the spell, but it was too hard without any landmarks or other clues. “We need to phone Jackson. With what Gabe has told us, maybe they should change their search in the references JD has found. We have other names to follow up. Maybe mention of Jiri and old cities.”
Nahum nodded. “Good point. We should call them soon so they don’t waste any more time on the Lambertis. Olivia and I will be driving there anyway, to look at the tablet. Or the cave? Whatever. We can catch up on their progress. What did Gabe say about the horn?”
Barak smirked. “He’s calling Mouse. He wants a professional to steal the horn.”
Estelle laughed. “Oh, Niel will love that.”
“Yes, he will, because Gabe said he’s going with her.”
Nahum gaped. “To Turkey?”
“She can’t get the horn on her own!”
“Why Niel?” Olivia asked, nudging Nahum. “I sense a story.”
Nahum had forgotten she didn’t know about Niel and Mouse. “He fancies her and she kind of almost betrayed him, but didn’t really. This is Gabe’s way of getting them together. I wish I could see his face when Gabe tells him.” He laughed and winked at Barak. “We should put bets on it, like we did with Gabe and Shadow. And you and Estelle, too, actually,” he added sheepishly. The brothers liked to place small wagers on each other’s love lives. All in good spirits, of course.
“You bet on us?” Estelle’s voice rose with indignation, and she drew herself upright.
Fearing she might cast a spell, he said, “Just for fun!”
Barak just laughed. “You might find that you’re the subject of a little bet too, brother.” He looked knowingly at Olivia.
“Well, you can bet,” she shot back, “that I will do my utmost to confound all of you!” She looked triumphantly at Nahum. “We can all play that game.”
Nahum felt another warm rush of affection and admiration for her—and maybe something else, too. To disguise his confusion, he just raised his glass to her. “Let’s toast to getting them all to lose lots of money.”
