to wipe away a cold sweat that had appeared on my forehead. “Permission for what?” Asmund asked in a suspicious tone. “I wish to seal the Veil.” The room erupted into a crescendo of panicked voices. “But what about supplies?” “You can’t break the link!” “What if Pandemonia needs your support?” “You want to abandon Pandemonia?”
“Our kin are dying over there!”
“Please, please, everyone settle down,” boomed Faru. Slowly the noise ebbed away, replaced once more by strained silence. “I am more than aware of the gravity of a decision like this. Nevertheless, I feel there is no other choice. The Sorrow cannot be killed. Not as far as anyone knows. The only option we have is to stop it in its tracks. I am not suggesting that we seal every piece of the Veil, just the Water City doorway at first. And not for good. The spell would be reversible, but strong enough that The Sorrow would be forced to change its direction and head for a different section. At that point we release the former and seal the latter. And so on, effectively creating a perpetual barrier for its entry to Earth — if that is what it seeks.”
I found myself nodding. I didn’t know about the others, but it sounded like a great idea to me.
Etorre cleared his throat. “Sage Faru is not abandoning Pandemonia. There can be no question of his honour. I know full well that if we ever grew strong enough to be a serious threat to Hades’ forces, then he and his Guardians would be first in line to go through the Veil.”
There were sounds of agreement from the rest of the leaders.
Faru took over. “While the doorway is shut, we will strengthen links between ourselves and Castello. Extra supplies will come through their doorway and be distributed to Britain. I already have the support of our government on this. I just need yours.”
“We have to protect Earth from The Sorrow. If this is the only way, then you have my full support,” said Sage Asmund.
“Thank you Sage Asmund. However, for an action of this magnitude to go ahead, the vote must be unanimous. All those in agreement, please raise your hand.”
There was a long pause and then Faru spoke.
“Then it is agreed. We will seal the Veil.”
At that moment my jacket started to vibrate- hard. I jumped at the sudden sensation and the marble twitched right out of my pocket
Into midair.
I desperately swept for it with a hand, but just ended up swatting it further away. I watched in absolute horror as it pinged against several of the columns and then landed on the floor below with a resounding crack.
I was already running by the time the shouting started.
22
I wrenched the door open and dived from the recess into the elevator, almost colliding with Delagio. His face was scrunched into a grimace and I stifled a gasp when I saw the blood seeping from his nose.
“About time!” he hissed through gritted teeth.
“Del, I’m sorry, but we need to go now!”
He threw both arms towards the floor and the elevator fell like a rollercoaster. My breathing was ragged. I slumped over one of the rails, trying to slow my racing heartbeat. After a minute of nerve-wracking descent, Delagio slowed the elevator down and there was a loud clunking sound as the cab settled itself onto the rail. I pressed the button for the main entrance and the metal box happily raced towards its destination unaffected by the death defying detour. “What happened?” he asked, wiping the blood from his nose. I told him everything I’d overheard and finished with what had happened to the silver marble. “Goddamit” he hissed. “I’m so sorry. It was a complete accident!”
“I know, I know. It’s just there are only a few kinesist’s at the Warren and hardly any that use the weapons I do. The marble is a pretty big giveaway.”
A cold dread ran through my veins. “Oh no, is Faru going to suspect you?”
Delagio fell silent for a moment, tapping a finger against the mirrored wall. “Not necessarily. Here’s what we’re gonna do. Go back to the Library and tell Rachel to meet me outside. She’ll know the spot. If Faru asks where we are, just point through the window by the fire, okay?”
I didn’t understand the plan, but nodded anyway. “What shall I say about Sophia?”
“Say you took her back to her room.” He slipped a phone from his pocket. “I’ll text her to make sure she goes straight there now.” He started tapping the keypad. “Sophia has a mobile?” Delagio raised an eyebrow. “It’s the twenty first century dude. Who doesn’t?” “Fair point.”
“Right, Faru will already be in the Nexus by now, takin’ a different route. We’ve got about one minute from the moment we get there to do this. “You ready?”
“Yes. And I’m really sorry again Del.”
Still typing with one hand, he clapped my shoulder with the other. “Don’t worry about it. You were right to find out what’s goin’ on. This is a big deal.” He looked up, face suddenly drawn. “The Sorrow is the stuff of nightmares. I hope to heck that Faru isn’t right about it headin’ here.”
The elevator stopped and we both rushed through the doors the instant they opened. Luckily the entrance hall was still deserted. Delagio slipped behind a curtained area to the left of the stairs.
I strolled as casually as I could through the Feasting Hall. A few waiters were milling about, collecting the last bits of cutlery from the table. None of them paid me any attention.
I smiled at the agents as I passed between them back into the library. Through sheer luck, Gabriella was busy consoling Midnight, so didn’t notice me slip right up to Rachel — who was leaning against a bookcase, sipping something purple from a champagne flute. I whispered Delagio’s instructions to her. She nodded and shoved her glass into my hand. Within seconds she’d disappeared from the room.
I let out a long sigh of relief. Staring into the glass, I eyed the purple liquid. A large bubble swelled in the centre and burst, releasing an aroma that gave me a head rush.
Maybe not.
I set the glass down on a bookshelf and joined Gabriella, who was sitting on a sofa, arm wrapped around Midnight’s colossal shoulders. The giant looked miserable, which had the effect of making me feel terrible. I decided to take a bit of a chance. “Midnight, Sophia is asking for you,” I said. He jerked his head up. “Really, where is she? Is she okay?” “She’s fine. I took her up to her room.” He stood up and patted me on the arm with a bear paw. “Thanks.”
When he had gone, I took his position on the sofa. A passing waitress lowered her tray and Gabriella picked off two flutes of Champagne, handing one to me. I wanted so badly to tell her what I’d find out, but I couldn’t. I knew she’d be furious for me going behind her back. Not to mention spying on a private meeting between every leader of the HASEA. After being a Guardian for a little over three hours. “Is Midnight okay?” I asked instead, gesturing the glass in the general direction he’d gone in. “He will be. He was just a little bit gutted that she asked for you. He feels like it’s his job to protect her.” “Why?”
Gabriella took a large sip of Champagne and sighed. “Sophia’s mother was a hardcore drug addict. She used to sell her body to feed the habit. One of those clients happened to be an Incubus — that’s how Sophia was conceived. Incubi don’t stick around to raise their offspring, so it was down to the mother. Her only reason for keeping Sophia in the first place was so that she could claim benefits. That poor girl lived the first six years of her life in squalor. She was barely ever fed.” Gabriella rubbed a finger on the side of the glass, as if removing a smudge. “Her Awakening happened as the result of her own mother kicking her down a flight of stairs.”
My stomach lurched. “That’s awful!”
“We didn’t bother with an infiltration; just marched in and rescued her from that cess pit.” Gabriella’s eyes flashed with anger. “That woman was a vile creature. When we brought Sophia in, she was covered in bruises and barely more than a skeleton with skin. It’s a miracle that she turned out so sweet. Most of it was down to Midnight. He joined the Warren soon afterwards and became an instant father to Sophia. Helped her forget everything and become a normal person.” Gabriella laughed. “Well as normal as a half-Witch, half-Chosen
