jinn 02 - inferno (29 page)

That was the last time I would ever see Baker—the thought kept running through my head. It just didn’t seem real. He couldn’t be gone.

“Can you dim the light?” I snapped at Quintus.

He shook his head and clamped a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Femi.”

“Don’t start that. Just shut up.” I tried to shake it off, but couldn’t. “We have one task and twenty minutes, people.” I clapped my hands together. “Let’s go.”

“Sybil, you stand here. The angel hates you, no offense. She’ll go for you first. I will come up from behind. Quintus and Maggie, you guys have to figure out a way to hide. Holden is fast and strong, and he has that new flame thing going on, plus he can transport. I don’t know how long you can stop him, but it has to be long enough that we can ambush her.”

“That sounds like a succinct plan,” the angel’s voice came from the right. I turned to see her, Holden, and a whole lot of jinn—an army to be accurate.

The angel took in the scene slowly, in no hurry. “Step aside, all of you, and await your judgment.”

“Come and make me,” I said.

Quintus moved to my right. Sybil slowly came to my left, eyes on Holden. Thomas was gone.

“Very well.” She took a step forward, but Holden cut her off.

“Don’t let them distract you. Let’s do what we came here to do. They are caught. Their plan has failed.”

They stared each other down. “Very well. Bring her forward,” she called out.

Holden froze. “Who?”

The angel looked back. “The ancient one of course.”

The jinn parted as one came forward carrying something. My stomach dropped when I realized who it was: Phoenix with the girl.

Holden blinked, flames erupting in his eyes. It was one hell of a tell he had. “She’s just a child. A void. She isn’t an ancient one.”

“But she is. Within her lies the Seal of Solomon. She is a void to hide the power of the Seal. She is born, lives, and dies only to be reborn again. She has hidden the Seal for millennia because she can never wield its power. I have found every void alive today, looking for this one child. Taking her life is the key to our survival. Take it from within, close the tunnel and break the cycle. The world will flourish. We will win and you and Olivia can live peacefully and happily together. I am offering you everything you want.”

The child struggled out of Phoenix’s grasp and flung herself against Holden. He picked her up like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I never intended for you to meet her. She was secure in the house, and I would’ve left her there until it was her time. I understand you may have gotten attached, but it changes nothing. You will fulfill your end of the bargain.”

“How is Holden supposed to get back to the top when he completes your mission?” I asked.

Static electricity made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I jumped backwards and lightning hit the ground exactly where I’d been standing.

“You will be quiet and await your judgment,” she said. “Sacrifice the child and as I promised I will free Olivia.”

“Holden, three minutes,” I called out to him, praying that Baker’s death wouldn’t be for nothing.

Holden turned and walked toward the cave, the child in his arms. Hope was lost. All of this had been for nothing. “Don’t do this,” I said. “Please.”

He ignored me, moving forward. When he made it to our line no one budged. We stood unified against them. Tears filled my eyes. One minute.

Holden glanced at me and winked. He shoved the kid at Quintus, then transported back to the angel in a flash, wrapping an arm around her neck and squeezing her tight to him as he transported again. He was faster to reform than she was.

Thirty seconds.

She struggled against him as he dragged her the rest of the way to the cave. I gripped the knife in my hand with white knuckles as the seconds counted down.

“I may not be able to hurt you,” he said in her ear. “But she can.”

“Holden?” Olivia’s voice said and he faltered.

“Don’t let her go, Holden. She’s messing with you.”

He looked at me, flames still dancing in his eyes. “Is Baker down there?”

I nodded.

Five seconds.

My heart pounded against my chest as if trying to escape. I held my breath.

“Do it,” he said.

The watch hit zero and I plunged the knife into the angel’s heart all the way to the hilt. A blue bolt of lightning shot out of her and into the cave’s opening. A sonic boom cracked through the night. The adrenaline that had been keeping me going vanished. My whole body shook, and I could barely hold back sobs as we waited. Waited for Olivia to open her eyes and waited for Maggie to come back with Baker.

Holden scooped Olivia’s body into his arms and held her, tears mixing with the rain. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he whispered, pressing kiss after kiss against her forehead and face.

He didn’t know.

“She’ll come back,” I told him. “Olivia is supposed to come back.”

Holden didn’t even look at me.

I leaned forward and pulled the knife from her chest and handed it to him. “Uriel gave us the weapon. It was designed to kill the angel and leave the guardian.”

Holden blinked several times and looked at me then back down to her. Moments later her chest moved. She was breathing. I didn’t wait to see her open her eyes. I ran to the cave to wait. If Maggie brought Baker back, then he had a chance. He just had to come back. What seemed like an eternity later, nothing happened. No sign of either of them.

Holden was suddenly beside me. “Who went with him?”

“Maggie,” I whispered. “If he turns to ash down there, he can never come back.”

Before I could turn my head, Holden had slipped into the opening and was gone.

“You only have ten minutes,” Sybil shouted. “After that, the tunnel reverts to one way only.”

Quintus, still holding the little girl in one arm, took my hand, and a moment later Olivia, the real Olivia, took my other one. She looked tired and weak and was shaking, but damn it if Baker didn’t do exactly what he said he would. He’d brought her back. She squeezed my hand.

Minutes ticked away like hours. What if none of them returned?

Once I was in the cave it was clear no matter how fast I ran I wasn’t going to make it. Even while I was running my body turned to mist and traveled faster than I ever could have. I stopped at the fire. Blood, lots of blood, was all over the ground, attracting the same demons I killed guarding the entrance earlier. The flames kept them at a distance, but their numbers grew.

Maggie was pressed against the wall, tears streaking her face, arms clenched to her chest. “I can’t lift him. The fire.”

I nodded. “I’ll get him. Run as fast as you can back to the front. We don’t have time.”

She took off in a blur toward the opening.

“Holden,” a dark voice said, making me look up. I was met with a face. A face I would never forget, for it had been scorched into my mind almost my entire life. My brother stood at the entrance to the cave, arms stretched and hands braced on each side of the wall, but he didn’t cross the threshold.

I ignored him. It was trick. It had to be a trick. I picked Baker up, the flames soaking into my skin, as he continued to burn, never taking my eyes off of the mirage in front of me.

“See you soon,” he said. Laughter, maniacal laughter echoed in my ears.

I backed out until he was out of sight, then moved forward as quickly as possible. I had to get Baker back before he began to turn to ash, but I didn’t know if I could transport with him. He was dead, putting himself back together would be impossible, so I carried him. I carried him through the tunnel as fast as I could. Demons followed us at what they considered a safe distance, but I didn’t care. Baker burned hotter and faster the closer we got to the entrance. Ashes began to flake away from him. When we got to the opening I pushed him through first, bits of ash falling behind him as he went.

Maggie was outside gasping for air. She crumpled to her knees, tears flowing. “I did it as fast as I could.”

Quintus went to her, still holding the child, then led them both away. I laid Baker’s remains on the ground, Olivia and Femi approached solemnly. I caught Phoenix’s eye and waved him over.

“I couldn’t help it. The angel commanded me and I was compelled to follow. I couldn’t fight her,” he said.

“I know.”

“You aren’t going to kill me?”

“Not today. Take a few of the jinn and guard that entrance. Kill anything that comes out of it for the next two days. Do you understand?”

He nodded and went back to the jinn.

I stood in silence with Olivia and Femi as Baker burned to nothing. When all that was left was a smoldering pile of ash, we collectively held our breath waiting for him to rise up, but nothing happened. All the ashes did was smoke.

One of the demons who’d followed us escaped past the jinn and barreled toward us. Olivia’s arm shot out and caught it by the neck; a moment later it too was ash.

It hadn’t worked.

Femi and I stepped back at the same time, readying ourselves to fight. Olivia looked up, her large eyes still wet with tears. “It’s me,” she said. “I swear it’s me.”

“But—” Femi pointed to the demon.

She splayed her hands. “Her presence is definitely gone, but maybe some of her power remains or maybe I could always do this. I don’t know.”

Femi sniffed the air, but all I could smell was burnt hair and flesh. I looked through my mind and Olivia was as bright as ever. I went back to her side. Her fingers twined with mine, and as she rested her head on my shoulder we were encased in her soft, familiar glow. It was Olivia. I let go of her hand and stepped toward the pile that used to be Baker.

“We can’t just leave him here,” she said.

A ball of light formed in her hand and a second later an amber vase with a black cap appeared in her hand. She knelt down, tears rolling down her cheeks, and began to collect his ashes. I knelt beside her and helped. Femi stood over us, crying openly and shaking her head.

“He was supposed to come back,” she said, her voice was cracked and broken. “He was supposed to come back.”

Olivia stood, carefully brushed her hands off into the jar, then hugged Femi tight. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Femi hugged her back, sobs shaking them both.

I looked back to the ground and finished collecting the ashes of the only friend I had ever had.