Page 84 of The Sinner and the Scholar
“Wait. Hold that thought.” Swishing and then a clicking sound. “You’re on speaker now. The girls are here. Please repeat that last bit.”
“The staff healed Wesley’s stab wound, and it healed everything the demon did to him, too—it even healed an old scar on his palm. I think his tattoos might need to be reworked too.”
“Did you say you stabbed Wes?” The Rev asks.
“I’m fine.” He waves as if they can see him. “We kissed and made up.”
Wes realizes what he’s said and blushes. I give him a crooked smile, and his bashfulness deepens.
“But you have the staff,” the Rev says.
“Yeah, we got it. We’re at the safe house, and I’ll think of a way to wrap it before we get on the jet.”
“There’s something else you should know,” Wesley says, adjusting his specs. “Thea was able to extract the true name of the demon inside Prue.”
Rapid-fire Italian can be heard in the distance.
“Dom,” Wes explains to me.
We wait for more, and then the Saint’s deep voice comes on the line. “I’m ready.Parlare.”
“The name is Loimós Leviathan,” Wes says. “I think it’s Pestilence.”
“Si.”
“Pestilence.” Raven’s husky voice is unmistakable through the phone. “You mean the horseman?”
I share a look with Wes, and he nods. Then between the two of us, we relay what we know about the prophecy and Lilith’s ultimate goal.
“She’s trying to bring on the apocalypse,” I finish.
Silence answers me. It’s a lot to take in.
“Anything else?” the Rev finally asks.
“She’s doing it by growing the divide between women and men. She’s sowing distrust and hate. Creating enemies where there should be lovers.” I lift my eyes to the heavens at the magnitude of this plan. “Vepar admitted Mary’s gospel was a long-kept secret for this very reason. If the world believed Mary was a whore instead of Jesus’ greatest confidant, perhaps even his wife, then equality between the sexes never existed.”
“I see.”
I hear her brain ticking over. She knows this is going to put the Sisterhood in jeopardy.
“How is Prue?” I ask.
“She’s not good. The induced coma seems to be losing efficacy. Whatever is inside her is gaining strength. The drugs won’t hold it at bay. But with this name, the Saint seems to think Father Angelotti will have more power over it. If it breaks through the coma, we might be able to hold it off from consuming her until you get here. Get some rest while you can. We’ll talk more when you get home.”
Home.
The word is a beacon to me. Suddenly there’s no other place I want to be.
“We’ll see you soon.” I cut the call.
Now it’s just Wesley and me in the dark cabin of the car. He reaches across our seats and tucks hair behind my ear. It reminds me of when we met on the steps of the abbey, and my eyes fill with water.
“Come on, love,” he murmurs. “Let’s get inside and do as the chief ordered.”
Unable to form words over the lump in my sore throat, I nod. I’m not an emotional person. I don’t know why I feel so overwhelmed, but know it has something to do with having someone to lean on.
I take Wes inside the building and switch on the lights. But they don’t work.
