Lost in Time (Blue Bloods 6)

Ted had walked the perimeter, but reported that there was nothing out there either—there was no sign in the cemetery that anyone had even come to the temple. They’d been watching the place for hours, and still the girls had slipped through, disappearing into thin air. No. They knew exactly where they had been taken: to the underworld, to become demons’ brides.

Jack steadied his breathing. He consoled himself with the knowledge that the three girls were dangerous as well: two were trained Venators, the deadliest of their kind, and armed.

Schuyler would fight, he knew, and he tried not to feel angry and helpless. He had to think. If the passage went underground, then it meant the gate couldn’t be too far away, which meant Schuyler was right: it was in the city somewhere. Probably just under his feet.

Not a minute had passed when he suddenly saw it: the spark went live, and in his mind’s eye he saw Schuyler bursting through a wall, into a room inside a pyramid, followed by Dehua and an older woman.

“They’re in Giza,” he told the team.

When Jack and the Lennox brothers arrived at the tomb, Schuyler and Catherine were talking in hushed voices. Jack did not remark on the way they were dressed—they all knew the reason why the Nephilim were taking girls—but to see the grotesque parodies of white wedding dresses was too much.

Jack didn’t think there had been enough time for this elabor-ate preparation, but he remembered that time moved differently in the underworld. The girls had probably been down there for hours. He would kill every demon in Hell if one of them had as much as touched a hair on Schuyler’s head.

“Where’s Deming?” Sam asked immediately.

“We had to leave her,” Schuyler explained. “It was my fault. The demons disarmed us before we could move. I’m sorry. I didn’t think we would lose you guys.”

“We’ll get her back,” Dehua said, her voice raspy and her eyes red and dry. “Don’t worry, Sam. Deming can take care of herself.”

“I trusted you,” Sam said, his voice tight, looking directly at Schuyler. “From now on, we do things my way.”

“I’m sorry,” Schuyler said. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think this was going to happen.”

“I don’t need an apology. I need to find a way back down to the underworld. The gate is here, right? Let’s go.” He nodded to his twin and to Dehua. “Show us the way,” he said, noticing the gatekeeper for the first time. “This is your gig, isn’t it?”

Catherine said, “If you go now, you will only bring harm to yourselves, and will have little chance of getting her back, as every demon in Limbo is looking for these two right now.” She motioned to Schuyler and Dehua. “The Castle Styx is in the borderland. If she’s been taken there, it means she’s been selected as the bride for the Harvest Bonding, and we have some time, as that’s not until Lammas. She’ll be left alone until then. No one will touch her, and you can rescue her during the Virgin Night right before, when the castle will be empty, as the demons will be feasting in Tartarus.”

They watched Sam process this information. Finally he exhaled. “Fine. We’ll wait till then. But I’m going to run this mission. No more mistakes.”

Jack put his coat around Schuyler’s shoulders to help her cover up, and the Venators left to confer on their own. The group seemed to have split, and once again the Lennox twins were wary of Jack and Schuyler, making it clear they preferred to keep their own counsel. Dehua refused to look at them as they left.

“You all right?” Jack asked. He had refrained from showing any emotion until now.

“Thanks to Catherine.” Schuyler squeezed his hand, silently thanking him for the jacket. “I just need to get out of this wretched costume.”

“So you’re Halcyon,” Jack said, turning to the gatekeeper.

“I don’t know if you remember me.”

“It would be difficult to forget Abbadon of the underworld.” Catherine smiled as she shook Jack’s hand. “I’m sorry we are meeting under such circumstances, but I suppose it can’t be helped. Come, let’s find a better place to talk.”

* * *

Catherine lived in an apartment in the Giza suburbs. The building was one that had been built in the nineteenth century, and divided into living spaces to house professors at the university and young families. It was small but comfortable, and it looked as if the gatekeeper had lived there for a long time. There were Life magazines from the 1930s on the coffee table, and an eight-track tape player and rotary telephone.

Catherine put on a kettle of water to boil. “As you can see, the gate is in terrible danger now that the Silver Bloods have found its location on earth,” she said. “It’s a pity we never found the Croatan who had infiltrated our Covens until it was too late.”

“But Michael said all the Croatan were destroyed during the crisis in Rome,” Jack said, knowing how weak that sounded.

“Michael said a lot of things,” Catherine said with a wry smile. “Not all of them were true. He did not want the Coven to fear the enemy. Which is why he created the Order of the Seven. When the gates were created, there were Silver Bloods who were trapped on our side, and Michael and Gabrielle formed a team to hunt them down. It was our first

duty as gatekeepers.”

Schuyler watched Jack’s face fall as he learned this information—to know that he had been kept in the dark for centuries. “It is true, then, what Mimi always said. The Uncorrupted never trusted us—which is why we were never told of any of this,” Jack said. “They still see us as traitors. Lucifer’s generals, even though we tried to change the course of the war.”

“Your sister always was observant,” Catherine agreed. She brought out napkins and plates. “It’s only a matter of time before they will be able to bring it down. The hounds slip through with regularity; now even a demon or two can manage it,” she said. “They were never able to do that before. I did what I could through the years to throw them off the scent.”

“The decoy in Florence,” Schuyler said.