“Turns out you were right for once. This is a whole lot better than a pistol.”
“I’m so sorry about all of this.” Daniel’s voice intruded softly.
The Arkana team had forgotten his presence. They all turned to regard him with surprise.
He seemed ashamed. “I had no idea he intended to shoot you.”
“Please, the guy’s a sociopath. It’s what he does,” Cassie countered. “How could you not know that?”
Daniel flinched at the question. “I haven’t spent very much time in your world. I’m still learning. It wasn’t my choice to involve him in this quest in the first place.”
The four of them paused a moment to regard Hunt who lay motionless on the ground except for an occasional twitch.
“You want to make up for almost getting us killed... again?” Cassie asked. “Leash your mad dog and give us a head start. Tie him up if he won’t cooperate but just keep him here for half an hour. After that, you can turn him loose to bark at the moon for all I care.”
Daniel nodded meekly. “I’ll do as you wish.”
“We’d better go now,” Erik said. “He’s gonna be up soon.”
“Wait!” Daniel exclaimed. “You must stop following us and trying to find these relics. What can I say to convince you? If Mr. Hunt ever meets up with you again, he’s going to kill you. I know I won’t be able to stop him.”
“You let us worry about that,” Erik countered.
“I won’t have your deaths on my conscience,” Daniel insisted.
“The solution to your dilemma is quite simple,” Griffin offered in a quiet voice. “Take the advice you just gave us. Relinquish this quest. It’s patently obvious that your heart isn’t in it.”
Daniel shook his head desperately. “It’s not that simple. You don’t know my father. He’s given me no choice.”
Cassie stared at him dispassionately. “Everybody has a choice. The catch is that every choice comes with a price tag and you’ve got a bad case of sticker shock.” She retrieved her backpack from the ground and slung it over her shoulder. “You need to get off the fence and pick a side.”
Griffin retrieved his flashlight and switched it on.
Erik went to stand directly over Hunt. Glowering down at the cowboy, he addressed his words to Daniel. “I don’t know if he can hear me, but you tell him this from me. If he ever tries messing with any of us again, especially Cassie, I will kill him. You make sure he gets my message.”
Leaving Daniel open-mouthed in surprise, Erik disappeared with his teammates into the night.
Chapter 47—A Tall Tale
Abraham stood on the busy downtown sidewalk regarding the edifice before him with ill-disguised contempt. So, this was the building which housed the collected wisdom of the Fallen Lands—the chronicles of their kingdoms, their lewd works of art and other such vanities. The building was a red brick monstrosity which took up an entire city block and proclaimed itself the Chicago Public Library.
Abraham entered the revolving doors and walked down a long marble corridor. The walls were lined with a photographic exhibit of people in brightly colored clothing all laughing immoderately. He wondered if they would laugh as freely in the fires of hell. A trio of giddy young women passed him. They stared at his dark attire. At least it was chaste. Their attire left little to the imagination. He averted his eyes until he reached the central atrium. There he was confronted with a contraption known as an escalator. He shook his head at the laziness of the Fallen. A simple staircase was too much for them. He took the stairs instead, limping slightly by the time he reached the third floor.
Signs with arrows pointed him to his destination—the Ancient History section. Since he had decided to meet Leroy Hunt in the city, he thought he might kill two birds with one stone by arranging their rendezvous at the library. He wanted to see for himself the corrupt atmosphere in which his son immersed himself for so many months at a time. He also wanted to see the Fallen librarian of whom his son seemed so enamored.
Without hesitation, he strode up to the Reference Librarian’s desk. It was staffed by a young man in his early thirties.
“Are you Chris?” the old man asked abruptly.
The librarian raised quizzical eyebrows. His features were handsome, and he didn’t dress in the slovenly fashion so common amongst the Fallen in these latter days. “Do I know you?” He answered a question with a question.
“You know my son Daniel.” Abraham continued to stare at him truculently.
The librarian gazed back at him coolly, taking in his garb and demeanor before replying, “Oh, I see.” His lip curled up into an enigmatic smile. “Daniel has told me so little about you.”
Abraham noticed that he wore a five-pointed star on a silver chain around his neck. It was a pentagram—a sign of the devil. He remembered his son describing this Chris as being angelic in demeanor. Abraham had to admit that the young man was certainly fair of face. Lucifer was surely as fair before his visage became charred in the sulfurous pit. This false angel would meet the same fate when his life of iniquity was over. Abraham made a mental note to exhort his son to be cautious in the presence of this evil seraph. His pleasing appearance invited trust. Such was never the case with the Fallen. There was no telling what Nephilim secrets this Chris might ferret out. Yes, Abraham must warn his son to be on guard. Daniel was too naive.
Chris cut into his reverie. “Daniel isn’t here. In fact, I haven’t seen him for weeks.”
“I’m aware of that,” the diviner retorted. “Surely, he told you he’s out of the country?” Abraham wanted to test just how much this Chris had learned about his son’s mission.
The librarian’s eyebrows shot up even further. “I had no idea. Of course, he and I don’t really speak. He comes to the desk to ask
