We filed in after Mary and looked around with wide eyes. The interior was as mysterious as the outside. It was simultaneously homey and threatening. "Did the demons give you much trouble?" His accent gave his voice a musical quality. Or maybe it was the magic in the air. It was hard to tell.
"A bit," Mary said. "We are in your debt for your assistance."
"Well, when we sendlos demoniosback toinfierno, it will be worth it, will it not?"
We all chuckled. "It will, indeed," Luc said. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I will not forget your help,Blanco."
I didn't speak much Spanish, so I wasn't sure if calling CecilioBlancowas appropriate, but he seemed to accept it. Cecilio looked Lucifer up and down. "You are he?"
Luc nodded. "Don't believe half of what you've heard about me."
Cecilio grunted. "I see your aura. I know what and who you are."
My mouth dropped, but I stayed silent. I wanted to see what else he had to say. But I was shocked because I'd never heard of anyone but me being able to read Luc's aura. No other angel could, as far as I knew. Certainly none of the demons.
I squinted at Cecilio and read his aura more closely. He was a good man. I couldn't find any evidence of malice or hatred in him. And very powerful.
If I wasn't mistaken, he was a recent offspring of a Nephilim. Not a descendant. A son.
"Who are your parents?" I asked before I stopped myself.
He whirled around and looked closely at me for the first time. He blinked and studied me as hard as I did him. "You're an interesting one," he murmured.
Then, he seemed to snap out of it. "My parents are none of your concern, Queen." He kept his voice respectful, and while he didn't bow, his chin inclined ever so slightly in acknowledgment of my position. That was surprising. It was difficult to read my own aura, and I didn't do it often. I wondered what he saw.
"I have everything set up here. I've adjusted a spell to capture powers from another and bind them to work oppositely. If it doesn't work, there is little danger to you. You can't lose your powers twice, and you should be hard to kill, are you not?" He raised his eyebrows as he opened a small stone arched door. This one had several stairs behind it. We climbed the stairs and came out on a balcony under the trees. I looked around, and though we hadn't walked far from the front door, I would've sworn this balcony hadn't been visible from the front, where we'd arrived.
Yet, based on where we'd walked, it should've been.
This house was a total trip. It was the sort of place Luc would've had a ball in.
A wrought iron table in the middle of the balcony held implements for spell casting.
"Now, I'm going to have to ask all of you to help," he said. "There's a considerable amount of power in this room and we should be able to use it to rip the power from whoever took it."
"We know who took it, if that helps," Gabe said. He peered down at the ingredients on the table. I smiled at his curiosity. His blond hair fell from behind his ears and blocked his face.
"No, the power will find its way home from the link to Lucifer, if I'm not mistaken," he said. "Now. The old stories about more power at a certain time of day are a bunch ofmitos y leyendas."
I had no idea what that meant. Michael saw the confusion on my face. "Myths and legends," he whispered.
Cecilio chuckled. "Yes. Magic is magic and power is power. There are some truths to locations lending more magic. My home is built on an ancient ley line. This was the site of the Fall."
Lucifer started and looked around. His jaw dropped. "Are you sure?"
Cecilio's eyebrows raised. "You don't remember?"
Luc shook his head. "No. It was a very confusing time. I blinked around the Earth several times before gathering my bearings and creating Hell. I never knew the exact spot."
"It is here. Below this table. Under this balcony, the spot is carefully preserved. Magical energy pours from the location like a small spring of the freshest, clearest water. I built the balcony over it to be able to tap into the power and as a way of protection for the sacred spot."
I'd had no idea, either. It had been a tumultuous time, and Luc and I had gotten separated quickly. We found each other, but not here. "If it's the spot of the creation of Fallen angels, how is it a source of magic for you, a White Witch?" I asked.
"Magic is not white or black," Mary interceded. "Magic is magic. How it is used, the intent of the spell, that is what matters. Cecilio is a White Witch because of his intentions, not because of his magic."
I nodded. I'd known all that, of course. But the way humans used magic was a far cry different from how we did. They borrowed it, wrangled it. The Nephilim descendants had inherent power, some more than others. But much of the magic they used came from their surroundings.
"Join hands. Open yourselves up to me." He took Lucifer and stood him in the center of the circle, near the small table. "Lucifer, you must be as open and accommodating as you can be. Do not fight me. I will not violate your mind. I only need to tap into the part of you that should contain your magic."
