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Lilith shook her head. “The keys to not only his cell but his shackles hung on a hook far out of his reach. In any case, he was in no fit state to free himself.” She paused. “Questioning the Aeons might give us the answers we seek. Theorizing will hardly get us anywhere.”
“Then let’s get to it.” Seth led the way as they all filed into the library.
The Aeons looked up. Froze. Exchanged uneasy glances.
Her face darkening with concern, Eve stood. “What has happened?”
“Two things,” Cain told her. “Seth and I spoke with Adam and Abel via a conduit. We made it clear that we would not fold under their demands. We don’t know what they’ll do next or when they’ll do it, but we’ll be prepared.” Cain twisted his mouth. “Also . . . Saul is missing.”
Eve’s lips parted in surprise. “Missing?”
“Yes,” Seth told her. “Someone freed him.”
Rima scanned the face of each Ancient, sitting up straight on the sofa. “You think it was one of us.”
No one denied it.
She cursed. “How could we possibly have done it? We haven’t moved from the Keep. Just ask our shadows. They follow us everywhere,” she added, a bite to her voice.
“We already have questioned them,” said Seth. “They confirmed that none of you left the Keep at any point.”
Rima frowned and flapped her arms. “Then why suspect us?”
It was Inanna who replied, “Such things can be done remotely.”
Eve’s breathing picked up. “It wasn’t us.”
“It doesn’t even make sense that we would do it,” said Noah, a nervous tremor to his voice.
Dantalion pursed his lips. “It does if you were fond of Saul or pitied him. But I’m more inclined to think that one or more of you are here to work against us. It would be a stupid thing to do, of course. But people do stupid things all the time.”
“You would rather pin it on us because you don’t want to acknowledge that one of your own has betrayed you,” Rima accused. “That is stupid.”
“Rima,” Eve drawled in warning.
The younger female Aeon whirled on her grandmother. “What, I’m supposed to take this lying down? I’m supposed to keep my cool when they are trying to blame us for something we did not do?” She slid her glare to Seth. “So much for us all building some sort of relationship. Look how quickly you turned on us.”
“Questioning you is not turning on you,” Seth told her. “You would have suspected me just the same if the situation were reversed.”
“No, I wouldn’t have,” she claimed. “I try to have more faith in people, especially my family.” Rima slammed her gaze on Cain. “Would it kill you to trust us?”
“If you want me dead then yes, it would literally kill me to trust you,” Cain pointed out.
Noah swept a hand down his face. “All seven of you were betrayed by our kind, so I can understand why you’d expect more betrayal from our corner. But we didn’t free Saul. Not one of us would ever have done that.”
Ishtar flicked up a brow. “No? You would surely want the witch to lift the curse she put on Aeon. Maybe you hoped he would take her back there.”
Rima snorted. “Saul has already proven he wants nothing more than to squash her like a bug. We would gain nothing from freeing him.”
“Except revenge against Wynter,” said Inanna. “And perhaps you even want revenge against Cain for how he once skewered your father with a sword and then left him to die. Only the quick actions of healers brought Abel back from the brink of death.”
Noah sighed. “There’s nothing we can say to convince you that we weren’t involved, is there?”
“It wasn’t any of us who freed Saul,” Eve stated, sweeping her gaze along every Ancient. “I swear that to you.”
“I wish that your word was enough, I really do,” Dantalion told her. “But, as your grandson pointed out, we have been betrayed one too many times by your kind.”
“When you catch Saul, he will tell you what happened,” said Eve. “He will confirm our claims that we had no part in this.”
