Shaking his head, Ashtoreth said, smiling, his tone amused,“Trust Asmodeus to find himself an angel for his mishea.”
Despite the circumstances, she had to smile back but timewas growing short. She had to hurry this up.
“I need your help if you want to set him free.”
Once more she was the focus of a dozen or so lambent eyes.
Another of them looked at her as if she were insane andsaid, “Help? He is our prince. Of course we will help.”
Prince? There was no time to think about that, but suddenlya lot of other things fell into place. Not least of which was that Templetonwould not have summoned a lesser demon when he could have a prince. Itshouldn’t have been that much of a surprise.
“Ba’al,” Ashtoreth said sharply, his golden eyes glowingwith fury. “Asmodeus, he is a prisoner?”
Gabriel nodded. “But not for long if this works. It might bea trap to catch more of you as Asmodeus was caught but there may be a way if wemove fast.”
“There is no risk we will not take for Asmodeus,” Ashtorethsaid.
If Asmodeus could conjure up those firepots, could theyconjure up her gun, her badge? The picture of them was in her head, she longedfor them, felt naked without them. It was something she hadn’t dared toconsider when she was with Asmodeus as it was extremely unlikely thatTempleton’s watching men would have failed to notice.
“Can any of you get my weapon? My badge?”
A gesture and Ashtoreth produced both, her gun in herholster.
Like Asmodeus and the firepots, they were suddenly justthere in his hand.
Magic.
Gabriel blinked.
“Damn,” she said in surprise as she took them.
Ashtoreth looked at her. “The picture of them was clear inyour head.”
After all she’d seen it was still startling.
With a shake of her head, she maintained focus.
She had always carried light, small-caliber weapons, becausethere was no point in her wrists aching when she needed to keep them steady,and second because, if you were good enough, that should be all you would need.
She was good enough.
There wasn’t much time. She concealed both beneath the loosefolds of the dress.
“Can you get the iron off him?” she asked.
Knowing how it chafed him, she didn’t know if any of themcould touch it either.
His horror reflected in his voice, Ashtoreth said, tightly,“They put iron on him?”
Shadows moved in those golden eyes, fiery sparks whirling ashis face set.
Gabriel nodded.
Grimly, he nodded and said, “We can.”
Letting out a long, slow breath, Gabriel looked at them. Itwasn’t the first time she had directed an operation like this, but never withdemons…Daemonae.
It had not been her intention to call them into the circle,but if she could somehow manage to summon them while outside it…
For a moment she considered having them try to take theplace but it was too much of a risk. There was too great a chance a warningwould get out. With Asmodeus still out there, she couldn’t, didn’t dare, takethe chance that Templeton would kill him or hold him hostage. Not with the riskto his people. Or him.
“Do you have a plan?” Ashtoreth asked.
She looked at him steadily and nodded. It was what she did.She outlined what she had in mind.
Those golden eyes met hers evenly.
He inclined his head in respect, eyes glowing.
* * * * *
The land they drove through was heavily wooded, the treeslush and green. It was such a contrast to the barren landscape to whichAsmodeus had become accustomed. With a sigh, he looked out the window of thelimousine and up at the clear blue sky. He could almost feel his wings flex,the yearning to be free was so intense.
Except his wings were not there.
He looked at the faint reflection of his face in the glassof the window. As much as it was his own, in a way, it had been so long sincehe had seen this human face that it was almost as unfamiliar to him as astranger’s. The lines, planes and angles of it were his, but the color waswrong, no horns sprouted from his forehead, and his wings did not rise behindhim. He flexed his hands and felt the iron shift on his wrists.
With interest, he watched a motorcycle pass them on thehighway. What would it be like to ride one of those? It would be much likeflying, the wind blowing through your hair, the sense of speed. Longing tuggedat him.
The car turned from the highway onto a dirt road.
Already Asmodeus could feel something amiss and then he sawthe gout of flame rise up from a pipe just as the trees gave way to a greatopen area filled with machinery, more pipes and equipment.
It was devastation, the trees had been cut down in greatswaths, the puddles gave off rainbow shimmers, the soil was blackened andchurned. He almost shuddered at the sense of violation of the earth. He didn’tknow what this was, but it was wrong.
All the car doors were flung open. All but one.
The driver hopped out of the car and opened the door forTempleton.
Everyone else stepped out of the car nearly simultaneously.His three guards and the man with the Book.
An anxious little man wearing an ill-fitting suit hurried tomeet them, his eyes frantic and worried.
“Mr. Templeton…sir…uh,” the man said, swallowing nervously,“perhaps this might not be the best time to visit.”
The little man glanced at Asmodeus and his eyes widened justa little. Asmodeus could smell the fear on him as the man’s gaze returned toTempleton, and the man visibly cringed.
One eyebrow arched at the temerity, Templeton’s expressiongrew thunderous, further cowing the man. Templeton’s jaw worked.
“Isn’t it, Mr. Kenyon?” he said, his tone icy.
If the man hadn’t been frightened before, he certainly wasthen.
“Mr. Templeton,” Kenyon stammered, “we have a problem.”
His tone almost too even, Templeton said, “A problem.”
The little man nodded frantically. “Yes.”
His voice dropped to a near whisper as he glanced across thecompound at a man wearing plastic coveralls over his suit. The man had aclipboard in his hand.
“The government inspector is here. He wants a list of thechemicals we’re using. There’s been complaints.”
“Complaints?” Templeton repeated, following Kenyon’s glance.
“About the water.”
“You
