“Isn’t that the same as the Templar?”
“No. There are warriors within your world. I’ve seen them. They will be tied to the Truth about the Soldier because they only believe in fighting. The Templar will be tied to the Truth about the Brothers, because they are a house divided against itself. They stand for unity, but they became divided when the Hellgate first opened. Some of them died, while others were commanded to stay behind. Shame has tainted the living.”
“Who will find those Truths?”
“Whoever seeks them.” Thakelrot smiled hopefully. “I only wish that you’re one of those. That’s why I’m telling you about them. You have a chance to make a difference, Warren. But not unless you let go of the fear and anger that you cling so desperately to.”
Warren wanted to argue that he wasn’t fearful or angry, but he knew he couldn’t. “Where would I start looking for them?”
“I don’t know. But you must be prepared to act on anything you see. I’ve wanted to tell you that for months, but Lilith cannot find out that I know these things and am willing to tell you. If she learns of my knowledge, she will destroy me.”
Warren just looked at the little being in front of him. If what he said was true, Thakelrot had had a horrible life for thousands of years.
“I won’t tell her,” Warren said.
“Be careful too how much you think around her. She can pull thoughts from your head easily.”
“I know.”
“As long as you have me with you, I can help keep some of your thoughts shielded.”
“Then I’ll make sure you stay with me.”
“Come with me up to the top. There’s something I want to show you.”
At the top of the ridgeline, Warren thought he was going to be sick. Beyond the foothills, the terrible blackness of the Burn stretched forth in all directions. Pulsing ulcers that streamed sulfurous gas filled the wretched and diseased land. The sky above resembled a deep, dark bruise.
“This,” Thakelrot whispered in a strained voice, “is what’s become of my world. And if steps are not taken, if the Truths are not found, this is what will become of your world as well. Do you understand?”
Warren did.
“Even if you live, which is doubtful on your own because the demons will not suffer you long without making you pay for your own life, this will be all that you have to inherit,” Thakelrot told him. “Living like this is no victory.”
“But you live?”
“Do I?” Thakelrot seemed genuinely puzzled. “Most days I believe I am only a memory of myself. You are the first person I’ve talked to on my own in thousands of years. What kind of life is that?”
Staring out at the charred expanse, Warren felt afraid. “Are you sure?” he asked in a quiet voice. “Are you quite sure the demons can be defeated?”
“From this place? Yes. The Truths must be found and the secrets must be unlocked. The forces of Light put them here so that champions could rise up and strike back against the Darkness.”
“Why here?”
“Because your people have great capacities for passion, for violence and for love. Because they can know the Truths and still yet be strong enough to wield them.” Thakelrot paused. “Because, in the end, they have to be found here or your world has no hope for survival.”
“How will I know them?”
“I don’t know the answer to that riddle. I only know that when the time is right, the Truths will reveal themselves to you. You must make sure you and others are prepared.”
“Why others?”
“Because the Truths must come from all three groups that have formed to fight the demons. None of you can stand against the demons alone. You must use each other’s strengths in knowledge.”
“No one trusts anyone out there.”
“Some do. That trust must be made stronger. You must find a way.”
“I’m not the guy for this.”
“Then tell others,” Thakelrot stated slowly. “Don’t let what I tell you go to waste. This is a chance to strike back.”
Warren silently thought that Thakelrot should have found someone else to have a bonding moment with.
“There is no one else,” the little being said. “The Light gave me you.”
“I’m not a champion,” Warren protested. “I’m not even a good person. The things I’ve done, the people I’ve hurt…if you only knew.”
“What you did before doesn’t matter,” Thakelrot said. “It’s what you do now that counts. Every hero has a failing.”
“I’m not a hero.”
“Then be a messenger.” Thakelrot grimaced and shook his head. “Our time is over. She searches for you.”
“Lilith?”
“Yes.” He scrunched his eyes up in pain. “You had best go. Before she becomes suspicious. If she asks, simply tell her that you were unconscious the whole time in here.”
“All right.”
“I’ll be in touch with you when I can.”
One moment, Warren stood on the hill overlooking the black desolation of the Burn—
—and the next he stood in the underground passageway. The suddenness of the transition left him light-headed. He staggered, then caught himself with the spear.
Lilith eyed him with vague suspicion. “Where have you been?”
Warren looked around the passageway. “On a battlefield. Somewhere else.” He paused. “How did I get here?”
“You were in the Book,” Naomi answered. She held it close to her.
“Did you enter the Book?” Lilith demanded.
“No. The last I remember was the blast in the tunnel.”
“Were you injured?”
Warren looked down at himself, as if only then thinking to check. “I don’t seem to be.” Then he did what he always did when others made him feel uncomfortable with their questions: he asked questions of his own. “Who was the demon back there?”
“An old adversary. He’s dead now. You no longer have to concern yourself with him.”
“How did he find us?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Warren made his voice more harsh. “It does matter. If that demon can find us, then others can as well. We need to be—I need to be—prepared for that eventuality.”
Lilith glared at him. “Do you really think it matters if
