“Right,” Jared said. “I remember this story. He was such a pest that the king asked God for help and was rewarded with a stone imbued with the power to trap demons.”
“So he trapped Ornias?” Ren asked.
“Yup,” I’d said.
“But he wanted to torment the demon,” Jared continued. “So he had the stone cut smaller and smaller, making Ornias more and more uncomfortable in his gemstone prison.”
“Then the king had the stone set into a ring,” Mindy concluded.
Ana frowned. “What ?” I’d asked her.
“So that means that the Remnant of Ornias is the part King Solomon had cut away?”
“Bingo.” That from Eric. “In this kind of research—chasing demons, I mean—that’s one hell of a clue. Can you tell me why?”
Ana and Ren had looked at each other. “Because it proves the pieces of the stone we’re looking for really did exist.”
“Exactly. Although it’s not exactly proof. Let’s call it strong evidence. And it gives us a place to go next.”
“Which is?” Jared had asked. To which Eric had sighed and gone back to the computer to try and catch another glimpse of our elusive Remnant.
Unfortunately, that had been the only real breakthrough for hours, and now we were all getting tired and loopy. I was about to pack it all in and grab a catnap when Marcus whistled. “Check this announcement: Set of cut gemstones said to have mystical powers and once used for purchase of royal bride sold at auction to anonymous buyer.”
“Sold by who?” Mindy asked. “And who’s the anonymous buyer?”
We all stared at her until she rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know what anonymous means. I’m just really tired.”
“And there’s no mention of the seller, either. This is a compilation document.”
“Does it have a date?” I waited as Marcus searched the document.
He shook his head. “No. Just a general compilation. Can’t tell how old it is.
“Could be Lilith,” Jared said. “We have to assume she has Solomon’s Stone now. And her essence is inside one of her minions. And she has Allie.”
“Everything she needs,” I said, “and we still don’t have a clue where to find her.”
“The buyer might not be Lilith.”
I ignored Eric. “For all we know she’s already performed the ritual and Allie is—”
I pushed back from the table, unable to even deal with the thought. “I’m sorry. I just need some space right now.”
I turned to leave, and found Stuart standing in the doorway to the dining room wearing nothing but his pajama bottoms.
“Stuart? Are you okay?”
He blinked, and I hurried toward him, but he stepped back, his hands up as if to ward me off.
“Stuart?”
He looked around the room, his eyes falling on Jared before they rolled back into his head. He spread his arms, then began to speak.
“She lives. Deep inside. Hidden in the hills. Battled in the dark light that burns no more. From many to none. Abandoned, yet full.”
I heard an odd clicking, and realized that someone was typing, taking down his words. I only had a moment to register that thought when his body went as limp as spaghetti, and he collapsed in a heap on the ground.
* * *
