Chapter 9 #2
“Of course,” Vinea continued, “the ritual requires a very specific type of energy to stabilize the gateways, the kind that can only be provided by someone with both human and demon blood, someone who can serve as a bridge between the two planes.”
Now they were getting to it. “Someone like me,” Caleb said, figuring there wasn’t much point in dancing around the issue.
“Someone exactly like you.” Vinea shot him a triumphant smile.
“Your blood, willingly given, will anchor the network and ensure that the portals remain stable indefinitely. Think of it, nephew — you could be responsible for reuniting so many families. You could give your trapped friends a second chance at life.”
The offer was horribly tempting. The idea of seeing his friends again, of undoing the terrible fate that had befallen them, tugged at something deep inside, a desire to be around those who knew who he was and from whom he had no reason to hide.
You have that in Delia and Pru and Ty, he told himself. A smaller circle of friends, sure, but one he thought was just as loyal.
Besides, he also knew there was no way Vinea was telling him the whole truth.
“And all the innocent people who get trampled when your ‘emigrants’ arrive and take up residence here?” he asked. “What happens to them?”
Vinea’s cool expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes, a reddish flame Caleb recognized all too well, since he’d seen it in his father’s eyes as well.
Usually when he wasn’t doing quite as good a job at reining in the demonic side of his nature as he should have been.
“Regrettable, perhaps, but ultimately necessary,” Vinea replied. “You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”
“‘Eggs,’” Caleb repeated, eyes narrowing as he glared at the demon lord. “You’re talking about millions of people.”
“I’m talking about evolution,” Vinea snapped, those irritated words the first crack in his urbane exterior.
“This plane has been stagnant for far too long, dominated by cattle who squander their potential and waste the gifts they’ve been given.
A little supernatural guidance could help them reach their true capabilities. ”
Caleb quirked an eyebrow. “Under demonic rule.”
“Under proper management.” The demon lord’s tone was calm again, but Caleb could see the predatory gleam in his night-dark eyes.
“Really, nephew, you’re being quite dramatic about this.
It’s not as if we’re planning genocide. Most humans would hardly notice the change, once they adjusted to the new reality. ”
The casual dismissal of human autonomy made the anger rise again, snarling like a rabid animal, and he stomped it down as best he could. Losing his temper wouldn’t help anything.
“And if I tell you where to shove your interdimensional portal?”
“Well, that would be unfortunate.” Vinea gestured with one pale hand, and the air around Caleb shimmered.
At once, he could see Delia, Ty, and Pru — Delia behind the wheel of her little white Hyundai SUV, knuckles tight on the steering wheel, Pru and Ty with their heads bent together as they appeared to discuss something in urgent whispers.
The image was so real he could almost reach out and touch Delia’s beautiful, worried face.
“You see,” the demon lord went on, “the ritual can be powered by demon blood, regardless of whether it’s given willingly or not.
Voluntary participation simply makes the process more efficient. ”
“And my friends — ”
“Will meet with tragic accidents,” Vinea responded smoothly, not missing a beat. “Starting with the lovely Ms. Dunne. I understand you’ve grown quite attached to her.”
The threat sent anger flaring through Caleb all over again, his demon blood roaring inside, wanting to reach out and snap the neck of this creature that threatened the woman he loved, but he knew he needed to think rather than react.
Vinea was powerful, no question about that, but he was also talking. Gloating. Playing the Bond villain.
Which meant he either wanted something from Caleb beyond simple compliance…or he was buying time for something else.
“There’s something you’re not telling me,” Caleb said then. “If you can take my blood by force, why all the theater? Why try to convince me to cooperate?”
For the first time since he’d entered the chapel, Vinea looked genuinely pleased. “Excellent question. You really are Daniel’s son, aren’t you? Always thinking three moves ahead.”
The demon lord moved closer, close enough that Caleb could see his own reflection in those dark eyes, like the black mirrors mortals sometimes used for scrying.
Up close, Vinea’s human guise was less convincing — his skin had a waxy, bloodless quality to it, and there was no warmth in his breath despite the words that emerged from his thin lips.
“The truth is, nephew, that while I could certainly bleed you dry and use your essence to power the ritual, doing so would create instabilities in the gateway network. Your willing participation would ensure the portals remain stable for centuries. Your unwilling sacrifice would give us perhaps a decade…if even that much…before the whole thing collapsed.”
Caleb’s lip curled. “A decade’s not enough time?”
“Not for what we have planned.” Vinea’s smile turned predatory again. “You see, this isn’t just about creating escape routes for the entities currently trapped below. It’s about establishing a permanent foothold in this reality, one that will allow us to reshape it according to our vision.”
The reality Vinea had just described made Caleb’s stomach churn. No simple invasion, but a complete transformation of reality itself.
And he would be the key to making it all possible.
“The choice is yours,” Vinea continued. “If you’re a willing participant, your friends will live to see the new world we’ll create. If you refuse, they’ll die knowing they failed to save the very plane they sought to protect.”
Caleb tested his bonds again, but the mystical cables still held firm.
Whatever they were made of, they were specifically designed to contain someone with his particular abilities.
He could feel his demon blood responding to the supernatural energy in the room, but every time he tried to channel it, the cables seemed to absorb the power and turn it back on him.
“I need time to think,” he said at length, since he knew he had to give the demon lord some sort of reply.
“Time is the one thing we don’t have,” Vinea replied. “The celestial alignment will reach its peak in less than forty-eight hours. After that, we’ll have to wait another three hundred years for conditions to be optimal again.”
“Then I guess you’ll have to wait,” Caleb said, meeting the demon lord’s black stare without flinching. “I’m not agreeing to anything until I know exactly what you’re planning.”
Vinea studied him for a long moment, and Caleb had the uncomfortable feeling that he was seeing far more than just his physical form. At last, the demon lord nodded.
“Very well. I suppose a few hours won’t make much difference.
” He gestured again, and two figures materialized from the shadows at the edges of the chapel — lesser demons, from the look of them, but still powerful enough.
“Take our guest to the holding area. Make sure he’s comfortable, but don’t let him out of your sight. ”
As the demons moved to flank him, Caleb caught another glimpse of that predatory smile.
“Oh, and nephew?” Vinea called out as the pair of demons began to escort Caleb toward a door that definitely hadn’t existed during his previous visits. “Don’t even think about attempting to escape.”
Like he would do anything so stupid when he knew the demon lord would retaliate the second he tried anything funny.
The holding area turned out to be a small room that had probably once been used for storage, now furnished with a single chair and nothing else. The demons shoved him down onto the chair and took up positions on either side of the door, their red eyes fixed on him with predatory patience.
Caleb leaned back and tried to look relaxed, even as his mind raced, considering first one possibility, then another. Vinea was powerful, no question about that, but he was also arrogant. And arrogant people made mistakes.
They also tended to underestimate their opponents.
The demon lord thought he had Caleb trapped, and physically, that was probably true. But he’d made one crucial error — he’d assumed that Caleb’s only connection to the outside world was through conventional means.
Vinea didn’t know anything about the psychic bond that Caleb and Delia shared. It was far from reliable, true, but he still hoped it was strong enough that if he concentrated hard, he would be able to sense her emotions across the city. And if he could sense how she felt….
Caleb closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, feeling for the familiar warmth that was uniquely Delia’s. At first, there was nothing but the oppressive supernatural energy of the chapel, pressing on him like a physical weight. But then, faint as a whisper, he felt her.
She was afraid, but also angry, filled with a sort of furious resolve. And she was moving through the city, although he got the sense her destination was elsewhere, someplace south of where he was being held.
Delia, he thought, putting all his concentration behind the mental call. Can you hear me?
For a moment, nothing. Then, so faint he almost missed it, came her response.
Caleb? Where are you?
Angel’s Dream. But it’s a trap. Don’t come here directly.
I’m not. A hesitation, and then she added, But mostly because I knew there wasn’t anything I could do. Are you hurt?
Not yet. But Vinea’s planning something big. Citywide portal network. He needs my blood to stabilize it.
A pause, and when her mental voice came back, it was laced with steel.
We’ll figure out a way to stop him.
Be careful.
Before Delia could respond, one of the demons guarding him stirred, its red eyes narrowing as if it sensed something was off. Caleb quickly severed the mental connection and opened his eyes, doing his best to look like he’d simply been dozing.
The demon stared at him for another moment, then settled back into its watchful pose.
Caleb allowed himself a small smile. Vinea might think he had all the advantages, but the demon lord had just made his first major mistake. He’d underestimated the bond between Caleb and Delia, and that oversight might be exactly what they needed to turn the tables.
Now he just had to figure out how to stay alive long enough for his team to mount a rescue — and more importantly, learn how to sabotage Vinea’s ritual without getting everyone he cared about killed in the process.
The door to the holding room opened, and Vinea himself stepped inside, no longer wearing his human guise.
The thing that stood before Caleb was still roughly man-shaped, but much taller, with skin that looked like polished obsidian and eyes that burned with actual flame.
When he smiled, his teeth were sharp as razors.
“I’ve been thinking about our conversation, nephew,” the demon lord said, his voice different now, harsher as it emerged from an inhuman throat. “And I’ve decided to sweeten the deal.”
Caleb kept his expression neutral, even though every instinct was screaming at him to run…not that he was able to go anywhere, not tied up and with three demons close by on the off chance he did somehow manage to free himself. “I’m listening.”
“Your friends from Greencastle,” Vinea continued. “The ones trapped below. You know I can bring them back. All of them. Give them new lives, a new chance for them to prosper and be happy.”
The same offer the demon lord had hinted at before, only now he was being much more direct about the situation, as if he’d felt the need to reinforce with Caleb what it would be like to have his full circle of friends again.
“And all I have to do is help you turn Earth into Hell’s summer vacation spot?”
“You make it sound so crude.” Vinea’s burning eyes flickered with what might have been amusement.
“Think of it as expanding the definition of family. Your friends, reunited with you. Their fathers, finally able to claim their birthright. Even some of the more…civilized…full demons, ones who could contribute to human society rather than simply consuming it.”
“Like you?” Caleb inquired, not bothering to hide the scorn in his voice.
“Like me.” Vinea inclined his head graciously, the elegant movement horribly at odds with his reptilian appearance.
“I have so much to offer this world, nephew. Centuries of knowledge, power that could solve so many of humanity’s problems, wisdom gained through ages of existence.
All I need is a reliable way to maintain my presence here. ”
It was a seductive vision, Caleb had to admit. But he knew enough about demons to understand that their ideas of “helping” humanity rarely aligned with what humans actually wanted or needed.
“And if I say no?”
“Then your friends will remain trapped…and you’ll get to watch as I drain every drop of demon blood from your body to power a ritual that will last perhaps a tenth as long as it could have.
” The demon lord’s smile turned cold. “Oh, and everyone you care about dies screaming. Did I mention that part?”
Caleb forced himself to meet those burning eyes without flinching. “Give me until tomorrow morning. I want to think it over.”
“You have until dawn,” Vinea intoned. “After that, willing or not, we will begin.”
The demon lord turned and walked out, leaving Caleb alone with his demonic guards and the weight of an impossible choice.
Save his friends and damn the world, or protect humanity and live with the knowledge that he’d condemned the people who’d once been his best friends to an eternity of suffering.
Unless, of course, he could find a third option.
Caleb settled back in his chair and closed his eyes, reaching out once more for that connection to Delia. He didn’t know what she and Pru and Ty were planning…but he hoped like hell it was going to work.