“Hello, Abaddon,” I hum in a courteous, distant way as I avoid meeting his eyes. “How do we get to Elohim?”
“We swear Kesbeel’s Oath of Akae, and the gates will appear for us to walk through.”
“Really? That’s all?”
“Yes. But we can’t do it here. We’re too close to the Abyss, and they interfere with each other. I typically walk a few miles into the desert first.”
I’m surprised that doesn’t create issues with the local humans, but whatever. I can’t be bothered to worry about it right now.
“Alright. Let’s go, then.”
The hangar door groans open, and if I cared to speak to him for a second longer, I might ask why we no longer need to take security precautions. I’d imagine it has something to do with the hostile takeover of their country by the doomsday cult.
Before I even exit the building, I pull my cloak over my head, fishingmy sunglasses out of a pocket. I’ve been underground for many months now, and I’m pretty sure the Abyss’s fake sun has zero UV light, considering how blindingly pale I’ve become. And sun-intolerant. Like a fucking vampire.
We trot out of the warehouse, and there’s not a soul in sight. It’s a bit creepy, all things considered, and I find myself letting out a breath of relief when Abaddon leads us off the premises.
However, I amnotglad that we have to go slow enough for the camels. If it weren’t for my savvy temperature-regulating cloak, I’d be cooking in this sun. I’m surprised Andy doesn’t seem to be more bothered by it. She’s a little trooper, and I give her another scratch behind the ear to thank her.
We walk, and walk, and walk…
Eventually, I break. I can’t stay quiet any longer. Given the ghost town we just exited, this really doesn’t seem necessary. “How much further?”
“About another mile.”
A bird’s shadow has been circling me for a few minutes. I glance down at it, frowning. “The vultures are already waiting for us to die out here.”
Abaddon looks up, squinting at the sky. “That’s a raven, not a vulture. His name is Ramiel. You’ve met before.”
Did we? I can’t recall.
“Oh. Right. Is he supposed to be Elohim’s scout or something?” I do remember that one asshole letter-carrier mentioning he was some sort of shapeshifter, so it’s not improbable…
“He doesn’t pick sides. Like the Profuga, he prefers to remain neutral.” Abaddon holds out his arm, and the bird quickly drops from the sky. I bet he’s relieved for the little resting place to perch on. “Ramiel is the Archangel of Multiplicity, meaning his soul can be in more than one place at once. He prefers to do that in the form of a bird, for reasons he’s never told anyone.”
The raven turns his head away, refusing to confess his secrets.
“You were supposed to stay in the Abyss.” Abaddon chastises. “DidSemyaza send you to tail me?”
It only earns him an angry squawk from the little guy, and I’ve officially seen it all.
“That reminds me.” I clear my throat. “What about Jackie? Will Malak bring her to Elohim now instead of the Abyss?”
With everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours, I guess I can’t really blame myself for forgetting about her, but that doesn’t make me feel like any less of a shitty friend.
Abaddon nods stiffly. “We have someone keeping tabs on the two of them. When they enter Israel, we’ll make sure someone takes her to Elohim.”
“Oh, good.” If she’s with Malak, he’ll keep her safe. Or, at least, he fucking better. I might just kill him if a single hair on her head is harmed. “And where?—”
A scuttle of noise comes from behind me.
A second later, my lights go out, and I’m falling.
The first thing I notice is a painful ringing in my ears.
Then I open my eyes, where I’m greeted only by more darkness.
Even after the million fucking times I’ve woken up without my wits, I can immediately tell that this is different. All my instincts are screaming at me in alarm. Very classic kidnapper style, my head is covered in some sort of heavy fabric, and there’s a sickening metal locked around my limbs. My ankles are bound, my wrists are bound… and I don’t remember how I got here.
