Warren thought fleetingly of turning and running. Lilith was too frail to pursue him. But as he gazed into her eyes, he felt certain she knew what he was thinking. He also knew that she was far more educated in the use of the arcane forces that he’d only lately started tapping into. Without help, he wouldn’t learn everything he needed to in order to survive quickly enough.
“All right,” he said. He felt Naomi’s eyes boring into the back of his skull and knew that she was opposed to his decision.
The corpse tried to smile, but her lips resembled dehydrated worms. She appeared more horrid than ever. “Good.”
She turned and walked to the wall behind her. Her body was so dry and tight that Warren heard ligaments crack. She touched the wall slowly, arthritically, and a section slid open with a grating crunch.
“Take…these,” she said, waving toward the contents of the hidden space.
Warren took his torch back out and pointed it into the space. A spear made of black obsidian, a leather robe, and a pendant with the horned head of a demon Warren didn’t recognize lay inside. He took all three items out.
“The coat…provides protection,” Lilith said, “from arcane forces…and weapons. The pendant…is a foci…that will enable…you to use…the powers that you…command…with greater efficiency. And the…spear…can pierce…demon hide…like it was…tissue…despite physical…or arcane defenses. Worse than that, it will pull them into the spear and make it even stronger.”
Warren took off his other coat and pulled the robe on. He immediately felt more protection from the bitter cold that filled the underground structure. But he didn’t care for the robe’s appearance at all. He wished it looked more stylish, like a long overcoat.
Almost immediately, the coat altered its look, becoming a dark trench coat.
“It responds…to your wishes,” Lilith said. “So…does…the fit.”
Now that he thought about it, Warren was certain he wasn’t looking for a good fit. He was looking for something that would protect him. But the fit had been so good, he hadn’t even marveled as its changing to suit him there as well.
“The time…has come…for us…to return…to the city,” Lilith went on. “There is…much…we have left…to do.”
Warren wasn’t looking forward to the long walk.
“We aren’t…walking,” Lilith said. “I would…rather get there…sooner.”
“I’m all for that,” Warren said.
Guttural noises cascaded through Lilith’s throat. Her voice sounded like rusty nails being pulled from a two-by-four. When she finished, she gestured, and a glowing, six-foot scarlet oval irised open in midair. It looked like a glowering lizard’s eye, but Warren felt the power it contained.
“What’s that?” Naomi asked.
“A portal,” Lilith wheezed in her rusty voice. “It will…transport us…back to London. But we…must…be careful. Power this…strong…can be…sensed…by demons. They will…rush to it.”
“If we walked back,” Warren reasoned, “we could get back inside the city with no one the wiser.”
“Walking back means trying to pass by that village again,” Naomi said. “The one where you raised all their dead into your own private army? I don’t think they’ll just let you pass.”
Warren suspected that was true.
“Not only that,” she continued, “but Miss Creaky Bones here isn’t up for running for our lives if it comes to that.”
Lilith glowered at Naomi. “You presume…too much, woman.”
Warren stepped protectively in front of Naomi but didn’t say anything.
With a snarl, Lilith whipped her glower to Warren. “You should…pick your friends…more wisely…in the future.”
“I don’t think any of us had a real choice,” Warren replied. “Until something better comes along, we’re going to make do.”
Lilith held his gaze for a moment, then she nodded. “Until…such time.” Then she turned and slowly strode into the portal.
Warren waited to see if there were going to be any ill effects, but Lilith simply vanished. He took a deep breath and started forward.
Naomi pulled him back.
“What?” he asked.
“How do you know she’s not going to put us in the demon world?”
“Because I don’t think that’s where she wants to be.” Warren pointed at the wavering oval. “And if we don’t hurry, that may close. Like you said, it’s a long walk back to London.”
“Maybe it’s worth it. To be rid of her, I mean.” Her eyes held Warren’s. “She doesn’t mean you any good, no matter what you think.”
“I never once thought that.” Warren gripped the obsidian spear more tightly. He felt the vibrant arcane energy in it, and it only made him want more. “I can learn from her for now. I learned some things from Merihim.”
“You’re not safe with them.”
“I’m not any safer with the Cabalists. None of them trust me.”
“I do.”
Warren looked at her and felt sadness at the untruth in her words. But he didn’t say anything. He wished Naomi did, but he didn’t blame her for being unable.
“I could,” Naomi amended. “Given time.”
“You’ll trust me more,” he replied in a flat voice, “when I know more. That’s how this has always worked with you. Now, make up your mind. I’m going.” He held the spear in one hand and stepped into the oval.
Intense heat blazed through Warren. He tried to scream in agony, but he didn’t know if he’d managed that. Electricity vibrated and jerked through his body and he felt his limbs twitching spastically.
However, the spear remained cool in his hand. He focused on it and used it as his anchor. Red light dawned around him, only slightly paler than the oval. In the light, he saw demonic faces stretched and squashed and turned inside out. He smelled their foul breath and heard the threats they made and their cruel laughter.
He searched for Lilith and Naomi, but he found neither of them. For a time, he felt lost. Then the portal suddenly ended, and he was vomited out into free fall.
Off balance, Warren tried to remain on his feet and failed. He viewed a spinning panorama of a city street covered over with wrecked, burned-out hulks that had once been vehicles. Then the rough asphalt bit into the palms of his hands. The impact against the ground, then
