“So how does this work, exactly?” Gabriel asked.
“Physical beings who travel to hell need a portal,” Isabelle said. “Absent a demonic summoning ritual, we have to create one. Essentially, we’re opening the same sort of channel we would in a summoning, but not inviting anyone in.”
“Hopefully,” Jaci added. “That’s why we’ve got the crystals.”
“Once you get there,” Isabelle said, “you’ll need to move quickly. Your personal connections to Aiden and Zachary should help guide you to the location of their souls—they’ll be drawn to you, just like you’ll be drawn to them—but you’ve also got Viansa working against you, and possibly other demons.”
“Actually,” Jaci said, “there’s a good chance Viansawantsus to find them this time. She took Aiden because she knew we’d follow. She’s laying a trap.”
Isabelle nodded. “All the more reason to move quickly. We don’t know if she’ll attack on arrival, or wait until you’ve got your guard down a bit. We don’t even know if she’ll be alone—there’s a good chance she’s got other demons lying in wait.”
“An ambush,” Gabriel said. “Excellent. So all we’ve got to do is hop on this magic portal-bus straight to hell, avoid detection at all costs, rescue the souls from some unknown secret location, assassinate the demonic reprobates, and catch a ride back before anyone finds out we were even there.”
A nervous laugh bubbled up from Jaci’s insides. “You make it sound like such a drag, Prince.”
“Are you kidding me? Any date where I get to slit demon throats is a good one.”
He touched the blade strapped under his shirt, and Jaci tried not to shiver.
He’d given her a quick history lesson about the demonic weapon after he’d gotten it from Dorian, but Jaci still didn’t understand what it would actually do for them down in hell, or how they were supposed to get close enough to Viansa or Azerius to use it.
Apparently, Rogozin hadn’t been all that forthcoming with the intel when he’d left it behind.
Aside from the blade, their only other weapon was a stash of devil’s trap flash-bangs Isabelle had made—about a dozen small vials. Probably wouldn’t kill any demons, but detonating one might buy them a few extra minutes to get out of a jam, should the need arise.
And in hell, the need would almost certainly arise.
“You can return through this same portal or, if you get separated, through any portal in hell,” Isabelle said. “Just use your connection to Ravenswood to call you back here.”
Jaci nodded. She and Gabriel were both carrying spelled dirt from the crypts—a grounding element that would create a magical tether to Ravenswood.
That was just a precaution, though. Ravenswood was where Gabriel’s family lived. WhereJaci’sfamily lived—a family that had chosen her, accepted her, darkness and all. Deep down, she knew they’d always find their way home, magic dirt or not.
“Before you two step back through,” Isabelle continued, “you’ll need to send the recovered souls ahead of you with a spell.”
“A spell?” Gabriel asked. “Why’s that?”
“My father and Aiden exist in hell as soul energy,” Jaci said. “We’ll experience them as physical beings because we shared connections to them in the physical realm, but they won’t be able to step back through the portal on their own. Their bodies are still here, so we’ll need to give them a magical push, so to speak.”
“I’ll be here waiting for them,” Isabelle said. “The moment those souls come through, I’ll guide them back into their bodies. Gently, of course.”
Jaci glanced down at Aiden, then at the empty space where her father was supposed to be. When she and Gabriel stepped back through the portal with the souls, the bodies had to be close. Souls brought into the material plane needed the immediate anchor of a physical body, or they’d never be able to reunite, cursed to wander for eternity.
Or worse—they’d end up back in hell.
“He’ll be here,” Isabelle said. “Colin’s close.”
Jaci nodded, forcing herself to stay focused. Positive. After all, getting the souls back into their bodies was the easier part, especially for a witch with Isabelle’s skills.
First, she and Gabriel had to find and rescue them.
If they couldn’t, it wouldn’t matter whether the bodies were here or in the hospital or rotting away in an unmarked grave.
Aiden and Zachary wouldn’t stand a chance.
“And you two?” Dorian asked. “How will you get back after the souls are through?”
“If all goes according to plan,” Jaci said, “Gabriel and I should be able to walk back through the portal just like we would any other door.”
