“Let’s take them, too. They might direct us to important connections.”
Estelle was transfixed again by the oil painting. “We should look behind that. I have a feeling about it.”
“I’ve learned never to ignore a witch’s intuition.” He lifted the painting down and turned it against the wall. There was nothing on the back of it, but set into the wall was a safe. “Time for your magic again.” Within a few moments, the door swung open, revealing a bundle of pages inside, and nothing else. He flicked through them. “It’s a manifesto.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“No. Some claptrap of bringing Belial’s power to Earth. Bollocks.” He looked at Estelle, seeing her confusion mirror his own. “This is bigger than we thought. Much bigger.”
“Shadow!” Nahum drew her attention, relieved that he could still speak after Amato had lifted part of the spell. “Can you drag us out of the room? That’s the only way we’ll regain control. It’s some kind of trap.”
“What if I can break it?”
“I don’t think you have time. We need to get out of here. Amato is summoning something.”
Power was building again. The whole room resonated with it. It was so strong that Nahum felt sick, and he realised that the trap was making them more susceptible to it.
Shadow staggered to her feet, and grabbed Niel beneath the shoulders, the closest Nephilim to the door. But he was too heavy, and while her fey abilities gave her superior speed, they did not make her strong.
Shadow grunted. “I can’t. You’re all too big. Herne’s fucking horns!” she yelled in exasperation. She slumped against the wall, blood pouring down her side again.
Amato cackled despite his pain. “You can’t break the trap. It’s burnt in by Belial, scored deep into the rock. He’s coming now. He looks forward to seeing you.”
“Impossible,” Nahum said, sounding more certain than he felt. “He cannot walk this Earth again.”
“He can through me.” Amato pushed himself upright and dragged himself back against the wall, smearing blood along the ground. “This is one of his most sacred places. He’s coming. I have called him. Even my death will not stop him. And when he sees you?” He laughed again. “You will all be recruited to his cause. You cannot resist.”
Shadow limped to his side, unsheathing her Dragonium sword. “I’m willing to test that by removing your head. How many other sacred places are there?”
“You think I will tell you? Fool. Too many for you to find. There are more involved than just me and Jacobsen. So many more…” His voice was a rasp now as his strength finally started to ebb. Power continued to build, though, a pale glow seeming to light his skin.
Then Nahum spotted a chain around his neck. Another trinket containing Belial’s power. “Get rid of his necklace. Don’t touch it with your hands!”
She used her sword to slice through it, flicking the broken chain across the room, the ruby pendant clattering against the stone. A huge ring also adorned his finger, and she cut off his whole hand, kicking it across the floor, too. He didn’t even scream.
“Shadow!” Nahum summoned her attention again. “Get the box from Gabe’s pack, and put as many jewels in as possible! It should stop whatever is happening.”
She hauled Gabe’s pack from under him, rolling him awkwardly “Sorry, my love.”
While Shadow raced around the room, sweeping as much of the jewellery as she could manage into the box, Nahum studied the trap. He’d be damned if he was going to die down here or become Belial’s accomplice. He was going to be a father. He was going to have a daughter. He would not leave Olivia to care for her alone. Renewed hope surged through him. There had to be a way to break the trap.
“I can’t get the rest of the jewels.” Shadow gestured to the jewellery on the statue’s arms. “Not unless I touch them. The box is near full, anyway.”
“No! Do not touch them.” Nahum’s voice was sharp. “You are resisting all of this so far. We can’t risk you succumbing to his power, too. What do we know about traps?”
“That if you break them in some way, then you interrupt their power. Strike out a sigil, or break the circle.” She spun on her heel. “But Amato is right. These are scored deep. I’d need an axe, and even then, if they’re made with angelic magic…”
“Niel has an axe.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s huge! I doubt I can even lift it! It’s almost as big as him, the big lump!”
Niel’s only response was to glare. If looks could kill…
“Wait!” she said, almost jumping with glee. “JD’s weapons! Why the hell didn’t I think of that sooner?”
Nahum groaned with relief. “Of course! Belial is clouding our thoughts. There’s one in my pocket.”
“Don’t worry.” Shadow patted her fatigues and withdrew a sleek metal object from her pocket. “I have mine.”
Nahum scanned the room again, deciphering the many sigils scored into the rough stone. As usual, the trap was circular, stretching to every wall. However, in the centre, was Belial’s seal. Monstrous in size, it echoed the same design in the ground, and connected to all the other sigils. He pointed at it. “That one! Take it out, above and below.”
“That sounds suitably alchemical.”
Amato hissed. “No! You risk burying us alive!”
“Shut up!” Shadow commanded. “I’d rather that than be a puppet. However,” she raised a sleek eyebrow at Nahum, “floor first! Close your eyes.”
As Shadow retreated to the doorway, Nahum was relieved that at least he could close his eyes. His leg was buckled under him, and one arm was twisted behind his back. He lay half on top of Ash, and Gabe and Niel looked similarly squashed from the little he could see of them through his peripheral vision. Please work.
He clenched his lids shut just as Shadow blasted the seal with short, controlled bursts of the weapon. Rock and dust blasted into the air, pelting his face and body, and he knew he’d be covered in a myriad of cuts. The blasts continued for several seconds before it finally fell quiet.
“I’m done.”
Nahum cautiously opened his gritty eyes and saw Shadow standing over the mess.
“It hasn’t completely gone, but I’ve taken a chunk out. Round two.” She took a breath, looking at all of them. “I’ll make it as quick as I can.” Her gaze lingered for a moment on Gabe, and then she headed back to the door again.
The next blast felt so much worse. Chunks of stone rained down, and rocks bounced over him, one striking his temple. Dust went up his nose and despite his best intentions, he swallowed some, too. He wished he’d thought to tell Shadow to cover their faces. But what with? Their clothes were in packs squashed beneath them. But then he realised that the air felt cleaner, and the sticky, cloying power of Belial had lifted. He carefully moved his arm and relief flooded through him.
