I don’t dare interrupt whatever they are doing. It would be considered a slight against the coven, and I’m not here to incur their wrath. I need their help, and I’ll only get it by being patient.
Several minutes go by with the same chant being crooned. My arms are crossed over my chest and I have to try extra hard to not roll my eyes.
“Still wearing that chip firmly on your shoulder, angel?”
When had the chanting stopped?
I clear my throat, but she silences me with a raised hand.
“Leave us,” she says to her sisters, and they stand, exiting the room without a single glance in my direction.
Madame Solheim stands and makes her way to me. “There’s evil in the air. We’re trying to purify as much as we can,” she explains the act that I just witnessed.
“You know why I’m here,” I say, with a bit of reverence for her gift. I should’ve come straight here before tracking down Almada. I would’ve saved myself time.
“Nah. Almada had your answers.” My eyes narrow in on the mind reader.
This woman goes against everything I was taught. She embodies the very essence of heretics. What she practices goes against God’s law and will be punishable by eternal damnation.
She sighs. “Still holding on to those archaic beliefs?”
“No, I was merely reflecting on a time where I would’ve only stepped foot in here to end your life and send you to Hell,” I admit.
Madame Solheim appreciates frank discussion, and today is no different. She smiles, nodding her head. “Sometimes falling isn’t a bad thing, Tori. You have the ability to see different views for what they are… simply different. We can all live peacefully.”
“You believe that?”
“Someday, but not today,” she confesses. “Something wicked this way comes.”
“He’s already here.”
She shakes her head, holding up one finger. “Not him.”
“Who’s more wicked than the devil himself?”
I ask the question more for confirmation. After what I witnessed last night, I know exactly who’s after the throne of Hell.
“Something that wishes to harness the powers of Hell to unleash it onto the world. Something that wishes to defyhim.”
“So, it is a coup,” I say aloud.
“Mmm,” she murmurs. “But you already knew that.”
“Who is it? I might’ve faced him, but I never heard his name.”
She tsks. “You give me too much credit, daughter of God.”
“I’m no daughter of God. In fact, he’d probably smite you just for saying so.”
She laughs. “I was smitten long ago. I don’t fear God.”
She should. God is not to be underestimated. He could end Earth and Hell in one tantrum, if he so chose. His love for all mankind knows no bounds; otherwise, this earth would’ve been scorched long ago. He too has faith. Faith in the faithless. His belief in humans is unearned and unrequited in many ways.
“So, you don’t know what we’re up against?”
“Pure evil. If Lucifer doesn’t act, it’ll be too late.”
“You want Lucifer to succeed? Why?” I’m truly mystified by this entire conversation.
