Ruvin nodded glumly and trudged out of the room, his shoulders so bowed his neck looked three feet long.
I said, “That went well.”
“He’s freaked,” said Bergman. “Can anyone blame him?”
“Will he play his part, though?” I wondered.
Vayl came to sit next to me. “I believe so.”
“I don’t know, Vayl. What’s to keep the gnomes from taking another family anyway? With Tabitha and the boys safely away, they have no leverage on Ruvin.”
Watching Bergman tinker with Astral he said, “I have an idea that will keep them on the same course.” The front door flying open made Bergman drop his mini-wrench. I shot off the couch, Grief already halfway out of its holster as Vayl rose, raising his cane like the sword it hid was already unsheathed.
We all relaxed as Cole and Raoul rolled in, packing such an arsenal with them that they clanked when they walked. Deep in conversation, they didn’t notice us at first.
“That works for you?” Raoul was asking.
“Women love it,” Cole said reassuringly. “I’m telling you, dude, try it. You can’t go wrong.” Raoul shook his head. “You don’t know Nia. She—” He stopped as he realized they had an audience.
“Oh, hey!” Cole said. “We thought you guys would still be scoping out the schoolhouse. Did you miss us?”
I grabbed a belt off his shoulder that held a succession of small silver canisters and, as he nodded his thanks, said, “Actually, yes. We could’ve used you during the prison break.” As his eyebrows shot up I added, “Don’t tell me you’ve already corrupted my Spirit Guide. He’s one of the good guys, you know.” Cole dumped a load of sheathed swords onto the floor and swung a strangely flexible shield down off his shoulder before saying, “Raoul and I have a deal. Which is none of your business.” He nodded reassuringly to the Eldhayr as Raoul gave him a warning look. “Although I have to say my odds of petting a kangaroo have spiked because of it. Now, tell us about the big escape. Did Bergman get himself arrested again?”
“I’ve never been arrested!” Bergman proclaimed, jumping to his feet like he meant to grab a sign and picket Cole in protest. Our sharpshooter’s response was to fall onto the couch right in the spot I’d vacated. Vayl and I both moved aside as he dropped his head onto a beige throw pillow.
“Where’s Cassandra? After we save her from demonkind, I think she should make us cake. And not that wheat-flour health-nut stuff she sells in her store, either. Sinfully delicious chocolate fudge cake with icing an inch thick. And sprinkles. I like me some sprinkles. Was she the one they arrested? But you said prison break.”
“Cole!” I resisted slapping him. Just.
He sat up. “What?”
“We rescued Ruvin’s family. And Cassandra’s…” I looked at Vayl for some help.
“She is looking after some business,” he said. “I will fill you in later.” When Cole’s eyes darted to mine before he looked back at Vayl and nodded, I realized the two of them might be keeping even more secrets from me. Because of the Domytr in my head. I wanted to clutch my hair and scream, except I had a feeling Brude would get a kick out of that.
Cole was saying, “You rescued Ruvin’s family? Really? Already?” He thought for a second. “Without me?”
I snapped, “I was just saying it would’ve been nice—”
“Why do I suddenly feel like the guy the professional shopper brings along to carry her bags?” Cole nudged the pile of weapons with his toe. Watched Raoul add a miniature catapult and a box that, I assumed, contained ammo.
“What do you—”
“What am I here for? All I’ve done so far is buy Vayl a fabulous airport funeral procession, and help Raoul strip his armory of every weapon that could possibly injure a demon.” Vayl cracked his cane against the side of the table, which for him was about the most extreme demonstration of frustration he’d ever allow himself. “Beyond your theatrics, which I am sure these people find endlessly entertaining, we are depending on you to hold up your end when we return to check out the Odeam people.”
Cole visibly swallowed as he remembered that, depending on the results of our search, he might be taking part in a mini- massacre. Didn’t matter that the men would be facing certain death anyway. That we’d be replacing horrific, writhing agony with a quick, relatively painless exit. He’d never done a multiple before. And I could see he’d only begun to consider how that might work on his head, not to mention the softer, more spiritual organs. After a second, he nodded. “Okay.”
“Plus, we need your translating skills,” I added. I pulled out the Ufranite guard’s stashed art and gave the paper to Cole. “Give this a look and let us know what you think.” While Cole studied the picture, Raoul began to hand out the weapons. He said, “If we knew these demons’ identities, we could finely focus our attacks. But without pertinent details like parentage and proclivities, we had to go with the old standards. So we’ve brought one two- edged blade for each of you.” He gave Bergman a sheathed sword, adding, “Try not to cut your own head off,” as the weight of the weapon nearly caused Miles to drop it.
“Can’t I have a bow or something?” Bergman asked. “It seems like we’d all live a lot longer if we fought these things from a distance.” He turned the sheath in his hands, pulled the sword halfway out and shoved it back with a clang. “The farther back the better.”
Raoul pointed to the canister belt Cole had carried in. “Those will do most of our long-range fighting for us.”
“What are they?” I asked as he laid the belt down on the shield.
“Lima beans.”
Silence.
I said, “Uh. What’s the point? Beyond the fact that they suck.”
“They were grown on holy land, by the Monks of Acquaro, to be specific. As soon as the beans hit hellspawn
