“We can get into Naraka,” Odin said without even glancing at Torrent. “We've got Death on our side, and Naraka is an underworld.”
“We'd have to go through the soul entrance,” Samael said. “And even then, I'm not sure Katila's wards will let us in.”
“Maybe we should wait,” I said.
Everyone looked at me in shock.
“The trickster said he'd handle Katila. Shouldn't we give him a chance to? It would save us a lot of trouble.”
“The trickster still has my stone tablets, Vervain,” Jesus said. “That's not cool.”
“And he has my dagger,” Anubis said.
“No, Katila has your dagger,” I said. “And I'm not saying we should give up on finding the trickster. I owe him for stabbing Viper. Just maybe we should let our enemies have at each other first. They're probably fighting right now over the trickster freeing me. I mean, doesn't that earn him some points with us? He freed me. Katila had me chained. I paused. Then I went on in revelation, “I was chained with fey manacles.”
Are you sure they were fey?Alaric asked in my mind.
“Al!” I screeched.
“Was she infected by Katila's crazy?” Lilith whispered.
“I'm not crazy,” I said to Lilith. “I'm just talking to the voice in my head.”
Lilith snorted a laugh.
“Al, were you there?” I asked. “Did you hear what was said to me?”
No. The ward around Naraka is superior to any I've encountered. I could not penetrate it.
“Damn it,” I muttered. “Then why ask about the chains?”
Because there are other magic-suppressing spells that aren't fey and could be used to enchant manacles. If, say, the god knew of such things.
“And Ekwensu seems to have a lot of knowledge,” I said.
Precisely.
“Who cares if he made those chains or not?” Fenrir asked. “He's been stealing things and playing games with us. He may think he's helping humanity, but he's fucking with gods in the process. I vote we go after them both. Now.”
Several people nodded, many of them were lions.
“I found him!” Torrent shot to his feet.
“What?” I asked in shock.
“I found Ekwensu,” Torrent said.
“We know where he is,” Thor said.
“He's not in Naraka. He's in the Human Realm. He must have kicked Katila's butt because he's having a celebratory drink.” Torrent pulled his stare away from whatever he was watching to say, “At a bar in Lexington.”
“Do not say the Wet Whistle,” Austin drawled.
Simultaneously, Torrent said, “He's at the Wet Whistle!”
“Of course, he is. Where else would he be?” I muttered as I pulled out my phone to text Taran.
Chapter Forty-Six
