Tim placed his hand on Candy’s shoulder to calm her down. “Friend, it might have been good if you’d led with that.”
“Whatever,” she griped. “Under a little pressure here.”
We all were. As long as we handled it without taking each other out, it was doable.
“Do it,” I told her. “Make Chamuel invisible.
“And Hemah too,” Shitty Ritchie insisted.
Candy’s expression turned doubtful. “Not sure I trust sending that bastard in there.”
Shitty Ritchie didn’t agree. “While Shitty Ritchie understands Candy Vargo’s hesitation, don’t forget that Hemah is now my bitch. If Shitty Ritchie says jump, Hemah asks how high?” He grabbed Hemah by the ear and yanked. “Right, Hemah?”
“Correct,” Hemah answered. “It would begin my penance on an appropriate note to aid the true Higher Power in finding Its third. It would also speak volumes as to how remorseful I am that I played a defining role in Chamuel’s horrific existence. By helping to end Uriel’s, I mean, Uranus’ reign of terror, I would be on the road to redemption.”
I wanted to tell It that the particular road It was talking about was billions of miles long, but stayed quiet. It wasn’t my place. It was Shitty Ritchie’s.
Chamuel floated over to Hemah and touched Its cheeks. Silent communication was exchanged. So many expressions flitted across their faces, I couldn’t keep up. It was like watching a movie without sound on super-sonic high speed.
After two minutes, Chamuel let Its hands fall back to Its sides. “Hemah speaks the truth. It will not betray or double cross us today.”
“What about tomorrow?” Jennifer asked.
Chamuel glanced over at Its counterpart. “That is up to Hemah. Every day will be test for It. Every day for the rest of time. But today… today Hemah will choose the side of righteousness and justice. Only Hemah knows what tomorrow may bring.”
“You fuckers satisfied?” Candy Vargo asked.
I nodded as did Gideon. “Yes. Render them invisible.”
Candy didn’t waste a moment. With a wiggle of her fingers and a few ancient words, both Chamuel and Hemah disappeared from sight.
“You dead freaks still here?” she asked.
“We are,” Chamuel confirmed. “How long will the invisibility last, Keeper of Fate?”
Candy shrugged. “A good ten minutes. Possibly longer, but bet on ten. Get in there, suss it out and get your asses back here ASAP. However, you have the power to end the invisibility if it’s to your advantage. Got it?”
“Yes,” Hemah said.
“Got it,” Chamuel added.
“Go, go, go!” the Keeper of Fate ordered. Candy waited thirty seconds, closed her eyes and extended her arms toward the sky. “They’re gone.”
We all looked at each other. No one spoke. It was about to be the longest ten minutes of our lives.
Chamuel and Hemahwere back in just under five minutes. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. None of us had uttered a single word in their absence—not even Shitty Ritchie. Gideon held my hand with our fingers loosely intertwined. His eyes werelocked on the crevasse and didn’t stray. Jennifer rested her head on Tim’s shoulder. Candy stood as still as I’d ever seen her. There wasn’t a single toothpick in her mouth. The quiet was eerie. I absolutely refused to believe the chilling silence was any kind of foreboding of what was to come.
We would succeed. It was the only choice I would accept.
“Spit it out,” Candy Vargo said when the ghosts materialized. “Be quick and fuckin’ concise.”
“Alana Catherine is in the cage. The door is open,” Chamuel confirmed. “She is not well. No blood or physical wounds that I could see, but she is weak and unconscious. Uranus was always good with poisons that could compromise Immortals. I can’t confirm if that is what Uranus has used, but it looks to be the case.”
“Fuck,” Gideon hissed.
“Is Uriel in there now?” I asked.
“Uranus,” Shitty Ritchie corrected me.
