And now he was gone. He would never know how I felt about him, the impact he’d had, and would continue to have, on my life. All I had now was impotent rage, the potential that had simmered between us cooling, just as his body would.
I’d failed him. I’d failed everyone.
I screamed into the night. Screamed until I imagined even the heavens felt my anguish.
But there was nothing to be done for it. Auggie was gone.
“No!”
I turned to see Lexi run into the town square, making for me. Then her eyes found Auggie, and she changed direction. I wanted to tell her that it was too late, but I couldn’t summon the strength. I felt empty inside, as numb within as my body exposed to the ice.
Freya was suddenly at my side, hacking at the ice. I hardly noticed when it gave way, freeing me. I swayed on my feet so that she had to prop me up. “What happened?”
I swallowed hard. “She killed him. The Ice Queen. Auggie is …”
Freya shook her head wordlessly, staring at Lexi’s back where she’d dropped before Auggie. Therese was there as well, I realized, kneeling beside Lexi, eyes fixed on the motionless figure. After a minute, Freya said, “I should never have left you.”
“I thought I could …” my throat closed on itself. An emptiness was settling over me like a black hole pulling everything toward it, inevitable, final, leaving nothing behind.
“I can’t keep his body alive forever,” Lexi said. “But I can hold it for a time.”
What?
“What are you saying?” Freya demanded.
Lexi explained, “He’s still alive. A person can live for several minutes after their soul leaves their body. You told me that once, Callum.”
I had said that. I’d seen it, after I’d taken the souls of Lucifer’s victims to him. But … did she mean … ? I stumbled out of Freya’s arms and walked to Lexi’s side as if in a dream. A flicker of hope ignited within me as I fell to her side, staring down at Auggie. He looked dead to me, but he also looked as if he was … sleeping. A warm glow beneath Lexi’s hand seemed to be funneling life into Auggie’s chest. Her other hand held onto Therese, the glow flowing from her supporting Lexi’s power. “He’s alive?”
Lexi glanced at me with a tight smile. “I have to be in a constant state of healing him or his body will die. But I managed to close his wounds and rebuild his blood supply. It’s taking a lot out of me, and I can’t keep it up for long, but …”
“We’ll keep it up for as long as we must,” Therese said resolutely, mouth set. “I’ll spare all the energy I need to.”
My chest felt fuzzy with gratitude. I put a hand on Therese’s back. “I’m glad you’re here,” I told her.
She smiled. “I know. You always pretend you don’t want me around, but I know that you need me, Mr. Witch.”
My hand trembled as I removed it from her. My eyes were misting over, despite myself. I turned to Lexi. “I can go to Hell. I can retrieve Auggie’s soul. I can return it to his body and he’ll … be okay?”
“In theory?” Lexi answered. “I’m not sure. I’ve never worked with souls before. But you have. Maybe between the two of us we can find a way.”
Okay. I could do this. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing. All I had to do was go to Hell and wrench Auggie’s soul from the Ice Queen, who was now a thousand times stronger than she’d been when she’d defeated me only moments earlier.
I could do this. Ihadto do this. It was my only option. I stared at Auggie’s eyelids, those beautiful eyelashes. “Hold on for me,” I told him. “I’ll never forgive you if you don’t.” I paused. “In fact, it would be very selfish of you to let go. Do you hear me? Selfish!”
Therese told me, “Well, he wouldn’t like that.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I agreed. “Which is why he will do what he can to stay.”
I turned to Freya. “Can you open a portal to Hell?”
Freya hesitated. “No. I’ve never been there.” She gestured to the demons trapped in ice around us. “But one of them could bring us there, right?”
I frowned, recalling Samuel’s words from earlier. “No. Only specific demons can open portals to Hell. I could open a portal myself, but I wouldn’t make any headway once there. I’d be lost. We need someone who can guide us to Lucifer, or there’s no point in going.” I didn’t add that any souls who went with me would simply slip out from their bodies as we stepped into Hell, as had happened to Ambrosia. Lucifer’s spell to deposit souls into Hell didn’t extend to anyone else. And we really didnotneed any more complications tonight.
“We’re a coven now,” Lexi reminded me. “We can summon a demon. One that can bring you to Hell.”
I pursed my lips. “And I know exactly which one to ask for.”
