Page 61 of Demons of Eden

“Great, so you can lure him away. That still doesn’t help us find her,” Rio snaps before I can get a word out, and I fight the urge to glare at him. Ash is already doing that more than enough for all of us.

“I’m aware, demon hunter,” Eligos says coolly, then turning to face me directly. “Paimon is known to use a special kind of…containment.He has them for both his possessions and his prisoners. He built these structures into pocket dimensions in the demon realm, and they’re meant to be accessible only to him. They’re heavily fortified and warded to levels of complete paranoia. They’re also all but impossible to simply find unless you have a direct link to where you're going, let alone break into one of them.”

“If you brought us here just to tell us there’s nothing we can do, you can stop wasting our damn time,” Rio says, and this time, I can’t keep ignoring his behaviour.

“Shut it, and let him fucking finish,” I demand, turning to level a sharp look at my brother before he can offend the one person who might actually be able to help us. “I know Eli, and he wouldn’t have called us here if that was all he had to say. He just wants us to understand what we’re going up against.”

“Just so,” Eligos agrees quietly, his expression grateful. “I believe he has her in a cell in one of these structures. Most who’ve entered these places, they do not ever leave. I, however, have been inside. Not of my volition, I’d like to add, before any of you decide to getstabby.I am simply lucky I was able to convince the brute that a good collector is useless without the freedom to locate their items.”

“So, you think you can get us inside?” Ash demands, latching onto the hope immediately. I can’t even blame him for it, feeling the same sense of desperation building in my own chest.

“If he is using the same measures now as he was then, I do,” he confirms, turning to pick up a strange, gold cylindrical object from the table behind him. He holds it carefully, as if afraid it might explode on him. Slowly, he rotates the object so we can see the runes carved into it. They’re complex, ancient-looking things, ones I don’t think I’ve seen anywhere else. “I engraved this myself, as insurance, in case I should ever need it.”

“That’s an inerancultur,” Ash says, sounding extremely shocked as he steps closer, suddenly examining it with great interest.

“Aninnyranculter…?” I attempt to ask, no doubt butchering the word, given the cringing response from both of the demons present.

“It’s an ancient device. It can hold open a stable dimensional tunnel for extended periods of time,” Ash explains beforeglancing up at Eligos curiously. “These markings you’ve added aren’t standard, though.”

“That’s because they’re designed specifically to bypass the warding he uses on all of his structures. So long as you have something of hers to set the specific location for the other end of the tunnel, you can use this to open it right through all of his defences and get her as easily as if they didn’t exist.”

“A useful thing to have,” Ash comments, his gaze turning considering. “Why would you give it up? You have to know he’ll change his security measures after this. Yourinsurancewill become worthless.”

“After some consideration, I came to the conclusion I couldn’t in good conscience not offer it to you,” Eli answers as he passes the priceless object into Ash’s hands without hesitation. He turns back to me with a sad shine in his eyes. “I’m very sorry, Torrin. If I didn’t continue to do business with Paimon, then he never would have stumbled upon Eden that day. It’s my fault he took an interest in her. I should have done more to distance myself from him or, at the very least, let you know this isn’t the safe place you believed it to be.”

“You think it’s your fault that Paimon’s an unhinged power-hungry asshole?” I ask with a smirk, attempting to reassure my friend, but the words don’t seem to ease his guilt. “This is already enough to make up for it, Eli. You don’t need to put yourself at even more risk by involving yourself in this anymore.”

Rio scoffs at my words, but we all ignore him.

“No,” Eli objects with a strong conviction in his voice, even as his hands shake while retrieving his phone from the pocket inside of his jacket. Despite always having known he owns one, the modern device still looks so odd in his hands. “I owe you and your family for much more than I can ever repay,more than you know,and in turn, I put you and those you care for in danger. Iwillcall him and lure him out.”

“Fine, but hold off for a moment,” I reluctantly agree, sensing that this isn’t something he’s going to budge on. “We need a little time to prepare and go grab something of Eden’s. Unless the sperm of her baby daddy counts?” I joke while looking at the others, but no one seems inclined to laugh at the moment, though I do see Ash crack a small smile. Eli lifts his brow, and I clear my throat. “Right. Uh, we’ll text you when we’re ready.”

“One hour tops,” Daion adds, then reaches for the spelled dagger he keeps strapped to his forearm and holds it out to him. “You should take this.”

“You think I don’t already have a collection of my own weapons? I have a collection foreverything.” Eligos snorts, smirking, but I see the fear in his eyes that he’s trying to hide.

“You don’t have to do this, Eli,” I say again, offering him an out one more time, but he shakes his head.

“Yes, I do. Now go.”

“I know you aren’t doing this for me, but I’m still grateful,” Ash says. He then tips his head forward and tucks his chin, letting his eyes fall shut. He holds the pose for a long moment, long enough for the gesture to feel significant.

Eli’s eyes go wide for a second, but he nods back as Ash straightens, then awkwardly coughs. “Please, tell Eden that I’m sorry. I truly hope for her safe and quick return.”

Having gotten what we came for, and with none of us wanting to waste any more time than necessary with Eden in the hands of that psycho, Eli sees us out.

We exit through the front, hearing the door being locked again behind us. As we head back to the car, I can’t help but glance over my shoulder at the closed door with a horrible feeling of dread. Paimon is both powerful and cruel. Will Eli be okay dealing with him by himself? He’s got collections of all kinds of powerful shit, stuff I’ve never seen anywhere else.Something there has to be useful against someone like him, right?

Fuck, I really hope so…

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

I’m not sure exactly how long I've been trapped in this cell before Lord Piehole finally shows his stupid face again. Judging by the four meals which have appeared and the lights dimming for what I’d guess to be around eight hours, it’s been at least a day.

I wish I had my phone. It would be useless for calling for help without any signal, but it could have helped me keep track of the time better. Who knows what weird schedule he’s feeding me on? He could be spacing the meals and sleep lighting oddly just to confuse me for all I know.

I spend the time alone thinking, trying to figure a way out of this mess. I’ve gone over every avenue of escape my panicked brain can conjure up, and while I’ve not given into defeat, I hate that none of them feel like good options. I hate how fucking powerless I feel. In my head I’m tearing him into pieces and breaking down the walls to my freedom, yet reality is hardly as kind as my fantasy. It’s a painful little bitch of a struggle, but I refuse to let it beat me. I won’t let him win.

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