Chapter 26 Julian
Julian
Long before Julian finally left the guild, he’d felt removed from it.
Sloan’s choices had moved the guild in a direction he couldn’t follow, and as a result, he’d felt isolated amongst his own people.
He never thought he’d experience that kind of easy camaraderie again—he certainly never expected to find it with the Sentinels.
The first night he’d stepped inside the Rink, Shadrach had threatened to kill him.
Now, he regularly patrolled with him and Isaac, spending long hours alone with them.
They’d been in his apartment that morning when he woke, and he’d shared coffee, bacon, and eggs with them.
It was a brotherhood, and he hadn’t realized how much he missed it until he found it again.
They were on their way back to their car—Isaac’s car, actually, an extended cab pickup truck—when Shadrach slipped between them.
“Don’t look around, don’t make any sudden moves,” he said lowly. “We’re being followed.”
Awareness prickled down Julian’s spine. He resisted the urge to reach for the sword on his back.
“By who?” Isaac asked, his tone as light and carefree as always. Julian envied him.
“Humans,” Shadrach said. “I’d sense if they were demonic. Probably paladins. We’re near the old location of In Extremis. I can text Talon, have him teleport everyone there ahead of us. We could lead them into a trap.”
“What about Valac and the sin eater?” Julian asked. The last time they’d spoken, they were on their way to the surface, but he had no idea how long that would actually take.
“We can’t ask the paladins to wait and try again later,” Shadrach said, taking his phone from his pocket. Louder, he said, “You like pepperoni, right?”
“Yeah, just no black olives on mine,” Isaac replied.
“Get one with bacon, too,” Julian added, watching the screen as Shadrach typed out a quick message to Talon. Meanwhile, his heart pounded like a drum.
“Do you think they’ll realize it’s a trap if we divert down a different path?” Isaac asked softly.
“Depends on if they know where we parked the truck,” Shadrach said.
“We’d have to take a right up here to get to the old club, right?” Julian asked. The truck was in the parking lot straight ahead.
“That’s right.”
“Play along, then. You two keep walking when I stop. I’ll call you back.”
Shadrach hummed an affirmative, draping an arm around Isaac’s shoulders.
Whether it was a protective measure or to play along with the ruse, Julian couldn’t say.
He turned his gaze down the street to the right when they passed the corner and slowed his steps, pretending he’d seen something.
Shadrach and Isaac kept walking, as agreed.
“Hey,” Julian said, and they turned.
“What’s up?” Shadrach asked.
“I thought I saw something. Can we check things out this way before we head back?”
Shadrach and Isaac exchanged a glance and a shrug.
“It’s been a quiet night,” Isaac said. “Sure, let’s check it out. Could be nothing, or we could get lucky and find a little excitement.”
Relieved to have an excuse now, Julian drew his sword. They crept down the road at their usual pace.
“Still behind us,” Shadrach murmured.
Isaac growled in frustration.
“Easy, killer. They’ll be all ours in a few minutes.”
Sweat trickled down Julian’s spine, soaking into his shirt. They needed to lead the paladins into the empty club somehow.
But the others already had it covered. When they reached the old warehouse, the door was standing open. Julian stopped in front of it, his heart pounding.
“Well,” Shadrach said, stopping beside him. “Pretty sure this isn’t supposed to be open.”
“It probably went inside, then,” Isaac said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Can I go first?”
Julian snorted. That was exactly how he normally acted when they were tracking a demon. “Be my guest.”
It made sense for Shadrach to follow on Isaac’s heels, and Julian breathed a sigh of relief when they were both inside the dark warehouse.
He’d rather be the last one in, if he had to choose.
The paladins were after him, so he would rather take an attack from behind than Isaac or Shadrach.
Besides, Valac’s blood would heal a wound from one of those swords at an accelerated rate for him.
It was ironic, but Shadrach was actually more vulnerable in this situation than Julian or Isaac.
He didn’t dally. It was crucial to get the paladins to follow them inside, where they could be surrounded and outnumbered.
The darkness inside the old club was absolute. He barely managed to silence his squeak of alarm when hands grabbed him, dragging him deeper into the darkness.
“I’m really sorry about this,” Talon said, pinning him up against what felt like the bar, “but I’m going to choke you out, and when you go unconscious, I need you to tell Valac that it’s happening now.”
“What?” he hissed, adrenaline flooding his body.
“You’ll wake right back up. You’ll only be out for a few seconds. I won’t do any lasting damage, I swear. Tell him the paladins are coming. Understand?”
Hands tightened around his throat, cutting off his response, but he nodded frantically anyway. Someone slipped the sword from his hand, which was good, because he couldn’t stop his body from fighting Talon as his lungs screamed for air, clawing at his hands and forearms.
“I’m sorry, I really am sorry,” Talon whispered, his voice muffled and far away.
“Talon, they’re coming,” someone said urgently.
“Okay, he’s almost—”
Julian had no idea which way was up. One moment he was in darkness, and the next, Valac was before him, gripping his shoulders so tightly it would be painful if this wasn’t a dream.
“Something’s wrong,” Valac guessed. “This isn’t a normal sleep for you.”
“No.”
“Who did this to you?”
“Um.” There was something he was supposed to say. He didn’t have a lot of time. But it was so hard to focus, his thoughts skittering away from him like shadows in candlelight.
“My jewel, please, you have to focus.” Valac stroked his cheeks.
“Talon.”
“What?”
Wait, no, that wasn’t what he was supposed to say.
“Talon wanted me to tell you the paladins are coming. It’s happening now. They were following us, so we led them to the old club. Do you know where it is?”
“I’ll be able to find it. We’re almost there. Hold them off for as long as you can. We’re coming!”
Lips crashed against his, and the dream dissolved around him.
Julian woke on the floor. His throat felt surprisingly fine, and a weary groan worked its way out of his throat, only to be cut off by a hand over his nose and mouth. That chased away the last of the grogginess, and he shot upright.
“Shh, stay quiet,” Ira whispered. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Valac’s coming.”
“Sword.” The hilt was pressed into his palm, and then Ira helped him to his feet in the blinding darkness.
He was behind the bar. Faint light from the street streamed through the open door across the room, and he braced one hand on the polished wood as he tried to find his bearings.
A figure was silhouetted on the other side of the bar directly in front of him—Talon?
The others had to be scattered around the room, waiting for the paladins.
The paladins, who, he realized, were hovering in the doorway.
“Flashlights,” one of them said.
Wallace.
Julian heard a click, but no light came on. Another click, and another.
“That can’t be a coincidence,” another one whispered.
“They were hunting something,” Wallace said. “And they had one of those demons with them. It’s probably demonic interference.”
Yes, Julian thought, it was probably Talon or Shadrach.
“We should come back with more light.”
No, they couldn’t leave. Julian rounded the bar, skirting past Talon, and stepped into the light coming in from the street.
“Looking for me?”
Wallace chuckled. “Well, well, well. I thought we killed you, Heroux.”
“Looks like you’re a lot worse with that blade than you thought.”
“Where’d your friends run off to?”
“Chasing the demon. I doubled back to make sure it didn’t come this way, and what do I find? Some lemmings too afraid to make the leap.”
“Lemmings?” Wallace repeated, moving down the steps and into the room. For every one he took, Julian took one backwards. Leading them deeper into the darkness. “Look who’s afraid now.”
“Eight against one?” Julian said. “I’m just being practical. You’re the one who was too scared to face me alone.”
“So you thought damning your soul with the traitors was the best course of action?”
“You tried to commit murder,” Julian said. “Let’s not throw stones, Wallace, eh?”
“And now you’re here for revenge.”
“No. I just want to make sure you can’t ever hurt anyone else the way you hurt me.”
They were all inside now. The door behind them slammed shut, and the overhead lights came on, revealing all the Sentinels and their demons around the room. Wallace and his squad took it all in with blanching faces as they realized that they’d walked right into a trap.
“You should’ve left me alone,” Julian breathed. “I wasn’t hurting anyone.”
Wallace’s face turned red as quickly as it had gone white. He exploded, “You’re all going to Hell! You’ve damned your souls for all eternity! You laid with monsters, and now you will feel the might of the Almighty Lord, you—”
Talon’s laughter cut his tirade short. He stepped closer to Wallace, his dark eyes cold.
“I don’t think you’re right, you know. I don’t think ‘laying’ with us, as you said, will damn their souls.
But suppose for a moment that you’re right.
Do you really think any of us will let real harm come to these humans?
They’re ours, you abysmal idiot. If they go to Hell, guess who will be there to greet them?
Their souls will never know pain or suffering as long as we draw breath. ”
Wallace’s mouth twisted. “Then you shouldn’t draw breath.” He swung his blade.