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“I wasn’t aware that it was the Mirror of Truth that was taken,” Kingston said carefully. “The Supernatural Council only listed it as a magical mirror.”
“That’s not exactly something they want advertised. Besides, I’m sure the owner wasn’t forthcoming about the details when they reported it missing,” Keo commented.
Kingston sighed. “Too bad we can’t track the mirror down.”
“That’s it! You’re a genius!” Autumn exclaimed. She gripped Kingston’s face in her hands and kissed him hard on the mouth. “That’s exactly what we have to do!”
“Okay, maybe I’m just slow, but I don’t get it,” Kingston admitted.
“I need the list of stuff that was stolen,” she said excitedly. “Do you have a copy?”
“Yeah.” Kingston waved his hand over the table, and a copy of the list appeared under his palm.
Autumn pulled the list in front of her and ran her finger down it. “Damn it,” she muttered. “The owner of the mirror is unlisted.”
“That’s unsurprising,” Keo said, leaning over the table to take a look at the list. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“Him,” Autumn said, pointing her finger at a name on the list. “Councilman Niemen Irlis. The owner of the grimoire that was stolen. I need him.”
“Why? That’s the bastard who wanted to send me to prison for life,” Kingston reminded her, the bitterness clear in his voice.
“I know, and that’s exactly why I think we can use him. I got a feeling as soon as I saw his name. If I can meet with him and get a revenge vision, maybe we can track his grimoire back to Jeremiah or wherever it’s hidden. We can use this Irlis guy as our witness to prove that you are innocent.”
“You want to kidnap a council member?” Keo grinned. “I’m game.”
“Not kidnap, exactly…oh, hell, I guess I do want to kidnap him,” she admitted with a wince. “Only if he won’t come with us willingly, though.”
“I can guarantee he won’t. Irlis is a paranoid son of a bitch who has been living like a mole since he lost his grimoire. I’ve heard that he hasn’t even bothered to show up to the last few council meetings, and they are threatening to replace him.” Devlin paused before saying, “I can find him for you, but it might take a while.”
“We would appreciate it,” Kingston said. “In the meantime, we’ll try to figure out another way to get the evidence we need.”
“I’ll be in touch.” Devlin glanced over at Keo. “Now, let’s go check out that dead zone.”
“Sounds like fun,” Keo said. Then, both of them disappeared.
“Come on.” Kingston pulled Autumn to her feet. “We should get going, too.”
“Are we heading home?”
“No, little goddess. They were right about that. It’s probably not safe for us to stay here anymore.” He smiled as he said, “So, I’m taking you straight to Hell.”
Chapter Thirteen
The Hell Realm, or what had once been known as the Realm of Souls, was nothing like Autumn had expected. The moment Kingston transported them there, her mouth had dropped open in pure shock.
Hell was absolutely stunning.
Instead of a dark, terrifying hellscape, she found herself surrounded by the most beautiful scenery she’d ever seen. It was, in a word, magical. They stood on the edge of a riverbank that was surrounded by a dense forest filled with black trees. Those trees had thick branches covered in bright red flowers that looked like tiny flames. The grass beneath their feet was a rich, vibrant green, and smooth white and gray stones lined the water’s edge of a large river glowing with a pale blue light.
It was dark out, indicating it was nighttime, but an abundance of light came from a huge full moon and an assortment of vibrant purple, green, and blue gas clouds hovering overhead. There was also a scattering of shimmering stars in the sky that seemed so close she could almost reach up and touch them.
Several feet away was a two-story structure made of black stone with open cutouts for windows and a wide, semi-circular balcony on the top floor. The style of the building seemed like it belonged in the middle of the desert, surrounded by miles of sand instead of sitting on a riverbank. Then again, the dark structure practically disappeared from view in the deep shadows created by the tall trees, making it a perfect hidden retreat.
“I can’t believe this is really the Hell Realm,” she said as she walked toward the river’s edge. “I have to say that I never thought it would be so beautiful after hearing so many horror stories about this place.”
Bending down, she lowered her hand toward the glowing water, but Kingston pulled her away before she could actually touch it.
“That isn’t water. It’s the River of Souls.”
