"No," Michael said. "The bird was a lucky distraction for the demon."
"Come on." I pushed forward, irritated by the delays. "Do you think he's doing this on purpose?" I asked.
Mary shook her head. "No. Cecilio is a Brujo Blanco. He doesn't consort with demons. Doing this for you goes against his nature, and he will likely have to make amends to the magic, but he recognizes the necessity."
We continued forward again, but the farther we went, the thicker the air became. Breathing became more difficult and soon I realized we were at the mercy of a spell, not the natural weather patterns.
When I knew what to fight, it got easier because I waved my hand and created a bubble of clear air around us. The pressure dissipated.
"I think that spell was designed so we didn't feel it until it already had us pretty bogged down," Michael said. "Clever."
I nodded and we pressed on. We finally found the Brujo's house, but not before having to kill three more demons that attacked us viciously, if unsuccessfully. They were no match for even one of us unless they surprised us as the first one had.
None did. We were ready for them.
After about an hour of walking, we broke out into a clearing with a beautiful stone home built around a massive tree.
"Whoa," I whispered.
Mary's jaw dropped. "Whoa is right."
"This is the home of the witch?" Gabriel asked. "It's something out of a storybook."
The home was several stories high. It was difficult to tell how many because they weren't level. They were held up with stairs that ran the wrong way, all stone, and arches with intricate designs at the top.
There was no discernable way the bottom of the home held up the top and sides. "It sort of makes me dizzy," Lucifer said. "I love it."
The wooden front door opened, and a slender man with a wizened face stepped through the large archway. He wore jeans and an old t-shirt that said World's Fair 1982. "Good. You survived the journey in. Let's get started."
8
As we neared the building, I focused on the Brujo's aura and found it nearly as pure as Mary's. It was a soft green as if he had a deep connection with the earth and nature magic. He was intrinsically good, as Mary had described. He narrowed his eyes but sighed and stepped aside. "Come in, come in."
We filed in after Mary and looked around with wide eyes. The interior was as mysterious as the outside. It was simultaneously homey and threatening. "Did the demons give you much trouble?" His accent gave his voice a musical quality. Or maybe it was the magic in the air. It was hard to tell.
"A bit," Mary said. "We are in your debt for your assistance."
"Well, when we send los demonios back to infierno, it will be worth it, will it not?"
We all chuckled. "It will, indeed," Luc said. He stepped forward and held out his hand. "I will not forget your help, Blanco."
I didn't speak much Spanish, so I wasn't sure if calling Cecilio Blanco was appropriate, but he seemed to accept it. Cecilio looked Lucifer up and down. "You are he?"
Luc nodded. "Don't believe half of what you've heard about me."
Cecilio grunted. "I see your aura. I know what and who you are."
My mouth dropped, but I stayed silent. I wanted to see what else he had to say. But I was shocked because I'd never heard of anyone but me being able to read Luc's aura. No other angel could, as far as I knew. Certainly none of the demons.
I squinted at Cecilio and read his aura more closely. Damn, he was a good man. I couldn't find any evidence of malice or hatred in him. And very powerful.
If I wasn't mistaken, he was an offspring of a Nephilim. Not a descendant. A son.
"Who are your parents?" I asked before I stopped myself.
He whirled around and looked closely at me for the first time. He blinked and studied me as hard as I did him. "You're an interesting one," he murmured.
Then, he seemed to snap out of it. "My parents are none of your concern, Queen." He kept his voice respectful, and while he didn't bow, his chin inclined ever so slightly in acknowledgment of my position. That was surprising. It was difficult to read my own aura, and I didn't do it often. I wondered what he saw.
"I have everything set up here. I've adjusted a spell to capture powers from another and bind them to work oppositely. If it doesn't work, there is little danger to you. You can't lose your powers twice, and you should be hard to kill, are you not?" He raised his eyebrows as he opened a small stone arched door. This one had several stairs behind it. We climbed the stairs and came out on a balcony under the trees. I looked around, and though we hadn't walked far from the front door, I would've sworn this balcony hadn't been visible from the front, where we'd arrived.
Yet, based on where we'd walked, it should've been.
This house was a total trip.
A wrought iron table in the middle of the balcony held implements for spell casting.
"Now, I'm going to have to ask all of you to help," he said. "There's a considerable amount of power in this room and we should be able to use it to rip the power from whoever took it."
"We know who took it, if that helps," Gabe said. He peered down at the ingredients on the table. I smiled at his curiosity. His blond hair fell from behind his ears and blocked his face.
"No, the power will find its way home from the link to Lucifer, if I'm not mistaken," he said. "Now. The old stories about more power at a certain time of day are a bunch of mitos y leyendas."
I had no idea what that meant. Michael saw the confusion on
