Chapter 236

Heather

I thought back to what I knew and what I didn’t know. “A few hours after Muraco was killed, I was pulled into the abyss. I’m assuming that Astaroth needed the power boost from Muraco to take me, and he’s going to need another one before trying again. Do you think that’s accurate?”

“Abyss? Is that what you’re calling it?” Claudia asked.

“Yes.” My heart started beating too fast. “Don’t say it.” I didn’t actually go to Hell. I wasn’t sure there was any coming back from that and my body had stayed with Brent. But my soul had been somewhere close.

Claudia pursed her lips together. “I think you’re right. Astaroth will need more power if he’s going to make another grab for you or try to enter this realm. But it gets worse…”

I wasn’t sure how much worse it could get, and I also wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

I closed my eyes, and tried to prepare for what she was going to say next.

Whatever it is, we will handle it, Brent said. I don’t know how, but we’ll figure something out.

The way he was talking, I wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince more—me or him. I know. I just don’t know how it got this messed up so quickly.

It’s been brewing. We just didn’t know about it, but we do now. So, we’ll deal with it.

We will. We’ll deal with it. I blinked my eyes open. “Tell me what you know.” I was on the edge of my seat as I waited for her answer. Brent was trying to be calm on the surface, but I could feel his rising fear. We were both still shaken up, and from how this discussion was going, there wasn’t going to be an easy way to get rid of Astaroth.

“I don’t think I should call another circle,” Claudia said. “I’m pretty sure Astaroth can cross any circle we try to close. And I’m not sure any of my magic can be trusted. And I definitely don’t think you should do any either. Especially force a vision.”

That was basically tying our wrists behind our backs. “If we can’t call a circle or do any magic or use my visions, then how are we going to fight this demon and win?” I laughed, but only because we were so ridiculously outmatched and she was nixing just about every advantage we had. “I know that werewolves are strong and all, but we’re talking about one of the evil mother fucking trinity here. We’re not that strong. Not even together. So what do we do?”

Claudia shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. If we somehow could fight and win, that would be the end of it. But I agree. I don’t think we’d win. With the Seven down so many members and the fey courts gone and us tied to Astaroth, I’m not sure there’s enough magic in the world to stop the demon from getting what he wants.”

“No.” I refused to believe that. “He can’t get to me. If he does, he’ll use my power to open a portal and start the apocalypse. Eli said if we found the right solution, that he’d help, but…” If he helped me, I could be trading my tie from Astaroth to him. And maybe that was better, but—

No. I don’t want you tied to anyone but me and the pack. I don’t disagree. But it might have to happen.

“Forming a tie with someone isn’t a little thing. You should be very, very careful,” Lucas said.

“We’re in agreement there.”

“What do we even know about an archon anyway?” Adrian asked. The guys had been so quiet as Claudia and I talked, I almost forgot they were there. “He seemed to be on our side, but I don’t know what we should trust anyone at this point.”

“No one knows anything about them,” Lucas said.

“What do you mean no one knows?” Xander asked.

“I’ve only seen one once before. It was a long, long time ago, but he stayed away from the battle. Just watching. I did some research after that. They’re mentioned in a few different texts, but there’s not any information on them. And I’ve never personally known anyone who’s spoken to one.”

He wasn’t making me feel any better about my run-in with Eli. Brent grabbed my hand and squeezed, letting me know that he was there with me. “Except for me.”

“Yes. Except for you.”

“What else do you know?” I asked. “Anything could help.”

Lucas leaned forward. “They were around during creation according to most sources, but have been quietly in the background since then. They pop up now and then, but mostly keep to themselves. There are supposed to be seven good and five evil archons. And I use good and evil liberally. Meaning the good ones will usually, but not always, favor on the side of light, depending on their purposes. The opposite is true of the evil. Iao, Seth, Saklas, David, Yaldabaoth, Eloiein, and Elilaios. Paraplex, Hekate, Ariouth, Typhon, and Iachtanabas. That’s where all of my knowledge ends.”

“Eli is Elilaois?” I asked.

“I think so, but besides that he’s on the lighter side of the gray area, I don’t know anything else about him.”

There had to be more. This couldn’t be everything that everyone knew. If there was no more information on archons, then how was I supposed to figure out how to make a deal with one?

I sent a look to Claudia begging for more, but she gave me one solitary shrug. “I don’t know anything about them.”

Okay. So that was horrible. “So Eli is what? A god?”

“No.” Lucas’s voice was so firm, I wondered if I’d offended him with the question. “Not God. Not an angel. Not a demon. But something in the middle of all of those things.”

“So, how do I get ahold of Eli?”

“He’s a watcher. If he’s spoken to you, then we—meaning everyone on this plane—are in grave danger. And he’ll show up and make the deal with you, but only if you meet his terms.”

“Perfect. I guess it’s too easy to assume he’ll break the tie.”

“No. Not if he said you had to do it,” Lucas said. “But I’m not an expert. I know next to nothing about archons.”

I almost laughed. The way he explained it, he was the only one who knew anything about them. “What do you think?”

Claudia glanced at her cup of tea on the table for a second before meeting my gaze again. “I wish I had an answer.”

“There’s always an answer,” Adrian said. “There has to be a way to break the tie. We’re just not thinking of it.”

“Yes. Exactly that.” Finally someone besides Brent was on the same page as me. “We don’t have the crystals and they probably wouldn’t work anyway, but there’s got to be a way. I’m open to any suggestions, as long as it doesn’t involve me dying or selling off the rest of our souls. Once that’s done, we can focus on figuring out how to restore the Seven so that this doesn’t happen again.”

“Random question, y’all.” Adrian cleared his throat. “My demon bite is from one of Astaroth’s minions. That isn’t going to have the same effect—”

“No!” Claudia said. “Raphael was bitten by a zombie that was powered by Luciana’s magic—which was actually Astaroth.” She reached across the table to pat his hand. “You’re fine. There’s no tie.”

Adrian let out a breath. “Well, that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about.”

“Yes. You’re fine,” Claudia said. “The only reason I have one is because of the blood oath. Luciana was using me to amp her own power, and I knew she’d added something extra to my oath, but…” She let out a long sigh that was full of regret. “I thought Raphael was fine, but my best guess is that the demon saw a way in he could use later and took it. And Heather—”

“The tie’s been there since I was stripped of my magic,” I said, and Brent squeezed my hand tighter. “I just didn’t know it.”

“Shit,” Xander said. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” What are we going to do?

I don’t know, but Adrian is right. There’s always a way. I’m not about to give up.

Me either. “If Claudia and I can’t use magic to break it, then what are our options?” I asked, but all I got was silence. “Maybe Cosette could—”

“Nah. Not a good idea,” Xander said. For whatever reason, Xander always seemed to connect with Cosette. So, I trusted him when he said that it wasn’t a good idea, but from what Eli said, the fey had a big hand in this, too.

“Why not?” Adrian asked.

“Just don’t.” Xander’s voice was as firm as I’d ever heard, so I was taking him at his word.

“Okay.” But I might try messaging her on my own. “So what is a good idea? Who has power enough to break a tie to a demon? Do we know any demon experts? A witch. Some sort of Van Helsing person? Lucas, you’re old. You’ve got to have something.”

“I wish I did,” he said. “We asked everyone we could before we came here, and got a whole lot of speculation, but nothing helpful.”

I was starting to think that there was no good way out of this, and I couldn’t do that. There had to be a way. I just didn’t know what it was yet.