Page 146 of Legacy of Temptation

“Oh, cool. I wish I could do it.”

“I’ll tell you all about it later,” she promised.

Stryke went on about how to operate the bubble, mostly how to guide it once it found Draven, operating it like a drone to determine his location. There were a handful of warnings too, like,Don’t press the X and Y buttons at the same time or there might be a bomb-like incident. And,under no circumstances can you allow the bubble to touch Draven. I think doing so might transport him to you. Or maybe cause a rift between the realms and suck us all inside like a black hole. It’s truly a mystery.

So…Stryke was a maniac. Eva was beginning to regret her decision to pilot the device.

“Crux.” Logan came into the game room and dismissed Crux with a wave. “Out.”

Crux pouted, completely crushed. “But I wanna watch.”

“Nope, not this time.” Logan cocked his thumb at the doorway. “Scram.” Muttering to himself, Crux shuffled out, and Logan turned to her. “Blade, Mace, and Scotty are waiting at a Harrowgate, ready to head to the location the moment you find Draven. The Horsemen are on standby, and they’ll go in if Draven isn’t alone.”

“What about you?”

“I’m staying with you until he’s captured. Then I’ll help get him to his parents.”

“Logan, you really don’t need to worry about me.”

“Stryke said something could go wrong. I’m not leaving you until your part is done.”

Relieved despite what she’d said, she sat back in the chair. “Okay, let’s do this, then.”

Closing her eyes, she pressed the B button.

Instantly, like a lit match, a tiny flame appeared in front of her. So far, so good. Stryke said to press the same button again to send the spell out into the world.

Press.

The flame spun itself into a little ball and shot through the ceiling. In her mind’s eye, she saw it zip down the street, weaving between structures, skimming the ground, and sailing over buildings. It built up speed, bouncing around Australia, checking out vast, uninhabited areas and cities alike in mere seconds.

“Australia’s clear.” The thing blipped over an expanse of water. “So’s New Zealand,” she said a few moments later. “Antarctica too. Shocker, there.”

The device cleared another dozen countries. And another dozen. And another…no…wait…

The little flame slowed, circling a city somewhere in Africa. The circles grew smaller, homing in on a garbage dump where people were picking through the trash.

The flame skipped around, going from person to person, and then shot like a bullet to a shack on the far side of the massive refuse center. It went through the wall and under the floor, shooting through winding tunnels of earth and rotting wood.

“I’m in some sort of hidden chamber,” she breathed, her heart racing the way it did when she piloted a virtual racing vehicle.

“Where?” Logan asked.

“Somewhere in Africa. Hold on…I think we’re close.” The flame shot into a chamber of horrors that threatened to make her retch. “Oh, shit. There are a lot of demons in there. I don’t see Lilith. But the demons are…it’s an orgy. There are so many dead things…”

“Demons are fucking disgusting,” Logan muttered. “Dammit, Draven.”

“There he is!” She spotted Draven near a fire pit, laughing as a fat, ugly demon roasted over the coals, its skin burned, fat dripping into the flames. Quickly, she popped the joystick and spun the flame around. She needed to get out of there to identify the location.

The flame followed her direction, going back through the tunnel, but it glitched before she could guide it out of the hut. The flame flickered, and she shouted in surprise as heat flashed into her face.

Suddenly, it darted back to the chamber, making a beeline for Draven. No amount of button pushing or wrenching on the joystick changed its course until, finally, a split second before it struck him, she employed a dive-hard-yoke-to-the-right move that had won her several competitions in the past.

The flame sputtered and whipped to the side. And then, to her horror, she was looking directly into Draven’s eyes. He smiled.

He couldseeher.

“Shit!”

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