Heir of Night (The Thorne Hill)

“It does no good in this situation. Though I will say, sitting around watching the news isn’t going to prevent anything or prepare you any more than you’re already prepared.”

“Already unprepared,” I correct. “I’m worried about Julian, too.”

“Have you tried reaching out to him?”

“Not in a few days. It feels almost pointless. I know he’ll come when he can.”

“Try it,” Lucas suggests.

Not wanting to get disappointed, I don’t have a slightest expectation Julian will hear me. “Hey, Jules,” I say out loud, closing my eyes. “If you can hear me, I’d love to talk.” I wait a beat. Please, Julian. I’m scared.

The energy shifts, and only a second later, Julian appears in front of us.

“Hello, Callie,” he says. “Hello, Lucas.”

“Julian!” I exclaim, shocked he’s actually here. “You…you heard me.”

“I did. Are you in danger?”

I get to my feet and pull my cousin in for a hug. I can ask why he’s all muddy in a second. “Not immediate danger at the moment. It’s good to see you, though.” I let him go and look him up and down. “You smell like a swamp.”

“I was in one,” he states matter-of-factly but doesn’t elaborate.

“Are you going to tell us why?” Lucas asks, getting to his feet as well.

“I was looking for a piece of a broken amulet,” he says, and I motion with my hand for him to go on. “Centuries ago, a vessel was created to house demons. Whoever wielded it had one powerful weapon. It was destroyed by your father before it could fall into the wrong hands.”

“You want to repair it and trap the Horsemen,” Lucas continues.

“Yes. It wouldn’t contain them for long but would buy us time to possibly get them into another hell dimension.”

“Like the demonic prison Bael escaped from,” I finish.

“Yes,” he repeats. “Ideally, they would be the only ones in the prison dimension. Allowing them to gather followers from other demons is too risky.” He meets my eye. “We need to create a new prison dimension.”

“Great,” I say with a forced smile. “Sounds super easy.” I close my eyes and let out a sigh. “How do you even go about creating a prison dimension like that? If it’s like how the Covenstead was made, I can get several covens to help.”

“It is similar,” Julian starts, and I grab another apple slice. “Though the main difference is they have to be created from the inside with no way out.”

“How would you do that?”

Julian frowns. “Whoever creates it has to stay.”

“Forever?”

“Yes. There is no way out. It’s a sacrifice to create a prison like that. Trapping yourself in a pocket dimension with demons doesn’t leave you with much time.”

Lucas turns to me. “You’re not doing that.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to.” I let out a breath. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this. Witches willingly trapped themselves in a prison with demons?”

“Covens have created prison dimensions, yes. Others were created by angels.”

“And they all died?” I ask, though I know the answer.

“Humans, yes. Angels don’t age and die the same way, but being trapped in a prison with demons isn’t something anyone could survive for long.”

Goosebumps break out over my arms, and I pull them in close to my body. I talked about the Horsemen turning this world into a dystopian hell, all while other witches and angels have actually lived it, running and hiding from demons in a prison they themselves created.

“Did they know they’re going to die?” My voice is thin.

“I believe so,” Julian answers. “Sacrificing one for the many sometimes includes yourself.”

“What about the other angels? Aren’t they concerned the Horsemen are on earth?” Lucas asks, running his hand up and down my back. Right. He can hear my pulse increase and knows when I’m upset, even if I don’t show it.

“Yes,” he answers shortly and picks a leech off his neck. The tiny wound from the leech bite heals immediately. “They think Lucifer let them out on purpose and he locked himself in Hell on purpose as well.” Julian frowns. “The other archangels will always see the bad in him, Callie. They made up their minds a long time ago.”

“Regardless,” Lucas says before I have a chance to get pissed at the other angels. If Lucifer hadn’t shown up, the world would be in a much worse place. “What are they going to do about the Horsemen?”

Julian’s grim face says it all: they’re going to do nothing. “There is still much debate on the subject. Some think Lucifer should handle it. Clean up his own mess is what they’re saying.”

“But people will die,” I interject. “I thought angels were supposed to be the protectors of humanity. Humanity needs protecting right now against the Horsemen.”

“There have been demons on earth for as long as there have been angels,” Lucas reminds me. “You yourself have been in very precarious situations, and no one flew in and saved you other than your father, and if he wasn’t just that—your father—you would have died from the demon disease.”