“Because he is Tyler. How long has Eligos been gone?” she asked.
“Nearly two hours, but to him it will be nearly eight.”
“He must be really annoyed.”
“Can you blame him, really?” I said, making myself coffee.
“I’ll have coffee, too, please,” she said, passing me a mug. “You both need to ignore Tyler; once he sees he isn’t getting a reaction he will stop.”
“Eligos didn’t rise to him at all at first and he still carried on.”
“Yeah, good point.”
“You know, there are still things you don't know about me, and if things carry on the way they are at the moment. I may just show you one thing,” I said, passing her the mug of coffee.
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Keira, tell me,” she said, sitting at the breakfast bar.
“I’ll put it like this, when I said that, once I die again, I’ll be able to go to Hell forever, I don't actually have to wait to be killed…I could find out how to get the life taken away again.”
“Why would you do that?”
“To be with Eligos, with my mother, where I belong.”
“But we wouldn’t see you again.” she said sadly.
“You would. You could call out to me any time like I do with Eligos, or you could always summon me. Don’t forget, once I get my seal, you can summon me whenever you like. I can come and go as I please. I’m not the king or queen, so I’m not limited to how much time I can spend on Earth.”
“Keira, you can be with Eligos here.”
“Not all the time. He’s only here so much now because of what’s going on. Once it’s finished, I can’t expect him to stay on Earth. He’ll want to spend time at home. I don't want to lose him, Lily, so I will want to spend time there with him too, without being on a bloody time limit.”
“How long can you spend there?”
“No longer than twelve Earth hours, not while there is life in this body. God, I wish I’d never been given life again. I wish I could have just stayed a demon through and through.”
“Why did you take it?”
“So as not to raise any more questions than necessary. When you die and the life leaves you, the demon in you takes over and your body changes. I mean I know I’m pale, but you go really pale; just look at Eligos. You never get any blemishes, spots, freckles or anything. Also my body temperature decreases, I’m not freezing cold, but I’m always cool, never hot. I can feel the heat but, unless I was in the sun, my skin would stay cool. I wouldn’t have a heartbeat and I would be incredibly strong. How would I have been able to get on with my life here and go unnoticed if I was like that? I know Eligos does, but he’s had practice; he can control his strength. I would be new to it all so it would be really hard. Plus Lilith knew if I stayed as I was when I was dead, I wouldn’t have been here as much. That means all of you could get hurt and she needs you to fight, not die.”
“How would you die then unless something actually killed you?”
“I don't know,” I lied. “That’s something she never told me, just in case I used it I suppose.”
“But surely if it was what you truly wanted, she would understand.”
“She would, but it would have to be for a reason that she agreed with.”
“You are considering asking her how to do it, aren’t you?”
“I will ask her if anything else happens.”
“Well, then I hope to God nothing else does happen. I don't want you to leave us,” she said sadly.
I walked up to her and hugged her for a moment.
“No matter what, if ever you needed me, all you would have to do is call my name, and I would come back to see you, any time, any day, anywhere.”
“I know.”
“Come on; let’s see if there’s been an update on the disappearances.”
We walked into the living room. All the guys were watching some reality TV show. Tyler’s face was starting to bruise already; he looked over at me for a moment, and then turned away again without saying a word.
“Put the news on. I want to see if they’ve found anything yet,” I told them.
Danny changed the channel and moved up on the sofa so I could sit down.
“The police believe they have found a connection to another incident that shook the nation only a couple of months ago. I’m joined once again by Detective James Valero. Detective, what’s the update?”
“We can’t be certain but we are thinking this incident may be related to the missing body’s case that happened a couple of months ago. Forensics have found traces of sulphur on some of the wrecked automobiles and on some parts of buildings that are still intact.”
“Have the police got any leads yet on the missing bodies incident?”
“No, the case is still on-going, but hopefully we may be able to find more clues here and then be able to the link the two incidents properly. If that happens we should be able to find the person or persons responsible and justice will be served.”
“Yeah, right, how exactly are you going to deal with a demon army?” Danny asked. “I’d love to see their faces if they saw just a few of the things we’ve seen.”
“This is even more serious than we thought,” I told them. “Think about it, bodies disappearing, a whole town wiped out overnight; it won’t be long before you start getting religious groups saying the Apocalypse is coming. Can you imagine if this happens again, if another town disappears, it could cause riots, war…More innocent people will die.”
“I never thought of that,” Lucian added.
“No, neither did I,” Danny frowned.
“Someone needs to consult people in Hell, see what they know,” Tyler snapped.
“Do you think we haven’t been trying to find out who’s behind this?” Eligos said as he appeared by the side of the window. “We’ve known about this for a long time, before all you guys even knew Keira existed, and we are still no closer to finding the one responsible.”
“How long?” Lily asked him.
“We found out a few months before your grandparents died. Your grandparents knew about it so I don't know why you didn’t.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Grandparents
Everyone was silent. Nobody knew their grandparents had any idea what was going on. I knew the guys didn’t know anything, and I knew for a fact my granddad hadn't mentioned anything to me, not even in the notes he left for me. All we knew up until this point was that they had all died on March 12th at 11.30a.m. and that they had told us we needed to find each other. We all knew there was something strange about it, since they all died at the same time, but we didn’t know what.
“I take it they never mentioned anything then,” Eligos said.
“Nothing at all, well, apart from the messages they gave us about finding each other,” Lucian told him.
“What were the messages?”
“Find the missing link, for only that one has the power you will need,” Danny said.
“My grandfather said, You will need to reunite if you want to live through this; there is one out there with power much greater than yours,” Tyler added.
“Do not think you can do this without the missing power, if you try you’ll fail,” Jake told him.
“Mine simply said, You must find Putnam,” Lucian said.
“And what did yours say, Keira?” Eligos asked me.
“He said he always knew I was the one with the strongest and purest, and that the extra power runs through my veins. He said he knew from the moment I was born.”
“And didn’t that make you ask questions?”
“They died just after saying those sentences,” Lucian explained. “Our parents didn’t know what they meant and we never got time to ask.”
“I’m sorry,” Eligos said. “I didn’t know it happened like that.”
“It’s OK, don't worry about it.”
“What do you know that we don't?” Tyler asked hi
m, nicely for a change.
“I know that all your grandfathers, I mean the fellas’ grandfathers, knew Keira was alive; they had also been in touch with Keira’s grandfather.”
“How do you know this?” I asked him.
“It’s my job to know,” he told me. “They all met up, not long after Keira’s father died. They summoned the spirit of John Putnam.”
“My ancestor!” I said shocked.
“Yes, that’s how they all found out you were more powerful than the guys. Your grandfather already knew but the others didn’t, so John explained. He told them his grandmother was a powerful witch and he thought she had demon blood inside her, and that it would have been passed on to you. He told them that something was coming, but he didn’t know when. He said they would know when it had started. When they all got sick they knew it had begun. That's probably why they told you to find each other.”
“If they knew where Keira was, why didn’t they tell us? It would have helped,” Jake asked.
“I don’t know.”
“How do you know all this?” Lily asked him.
“Keira’s family has been watched by Lilith since Elizabeth was given the power. Even more so since Keira was born.”
“Is John in Hell?” I asked.
“No, he is in Heaven. He wasn’t a demon, and he never caused anyone any harm.”
“What about Elizabeth, and the other female born into my family?”
“The younger girl is in Heaven, although I don't know why since she had a form of Lilith’s power in her. Elizabeth was sent to the Pits after she came to see you.”
“Why?” I asked annoyed.
“Because she gave you false information. She knew you were Lilith’s daughter and yet she told you it was her that got you the power. She never told you that you were related to Lilith and that really annoyed her.”
“Are our grandfathers in Hell?” Jake asked.
“No, they were good people so they are in Heaven,” he told them all.
“I want you to take me to Lilith,” I told Eligos.
“Why?”
“I’ve got a bone to pick with her.”
“No way, I’m not taking you there for an argument.”
“I need to speak with her.”
“No, sorry, she was going into a meeting anyway, so she will be tied up for a while,” he said.
“Liar.”
“Excuse me, why would I lie?” he asked, a little annoyed.
“To stop me from screaming at her.”
“I told you where she was, simple as that. I’ll take you later when she will be free and you have calmed down.”
“Whatever!” I said, turning away from him.
“Eligos, why didn’t they bring the families back together?’ Danny asked him. ‘If they knew something was coming, surely they should have brought us together.”
“I don't know. Maybe they didn’t want you living on edge all the time. But that's just a guess.”
“Could we summon their spirits?” Jake asked him.
“Maybe…I don't see why not; there are a few of you and you’re all strong. Plus if your grandfathers could do it, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to. Not that I can see anyway.”
“I think we should try,” Tyler said, standing up.
“Do you know how to summon something?” I asked him.
“No, but I bet Eligos does,” he said, turning to look at him.
“Correct,” Eligos replied. “You will need a quiet room, a lot of patience and concentration, some incense and a candle. It would also help if you had something that belonged to them.”
“I have my granddad’s notebook,” I told him.
“And I have my granddad’s ring on,” Danny added.
“That should do it. You can’t expect to get all of them here, but two may be possible,” Eligos told us.
“What are we waiting for then?” Tyler said.
“What exactly do you want them to come for?” Lily asked.
“So we can ask why they kept us apart and to see if they know who is doing this,” Lucian told her.
“Which room can we use, Keira?” Jake asked.
“There are still a couple of rooms on the top floor that haven’t been touched yet. We can take the coffee table up and some cushions to sit on.”
“I’ve got some incense sticks,” Lily said. “And there are loads of candles in this house. I’ll grab one on the way upstairs.”
“I’ll go and get my granddad’s book and meet you in the room. Use the one on the far west of the house,” I told them. “It’s bigger. Danny, Jake, will you get the cushions please? Tyler, can you get the table with Lucian?”
Eligos followed me. “Why are you getting snappy with me?” he asked, turning me to face him and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I don't mean to. I’m just annoyed with Lilith; Elizabeth was really nice to me. If she hadn't have come to see me I may never have learned about Lilith. I’m sorry I was snappy with you.”
“I understand,” he said before kissing my forehead.
“Have you calmed down now?”
“More or less, I just couldn’t help it before, Tyler really pisses me off.”
“I know, don't worry! No one was upset with you for doing it. I think they’ve been waiting for that to happen for a while.”
“Good, next time I won’t be as nice though.”
“Nice!” I smirked.
“I’ll knock his head clean off next time.”
“Well, hopefully there won’t be a next time.”
We stood there cuddling each other for a moment and then made our way to the end room.
Everyone except Lily and Eligos sat around the table. Eligos talked us through what we had to do. Danny took his grandfather’s ring off and placed it in the middle of the table. I put my grandfather’s notebook next to the ring. Eligos lit some of the incense sticks around the room, while Lucian lit the candle and placed it between the book and the ring.
“Okay, Keira and Danny, you need to think about your grandfathers for a few minutes,” Eligos said.
Both of us closed our eyes. I kept seeing my granddad sitting in the rocking chair in his house in West Chester, reading to me when I was a child. I would sit on the rug in front of him and listen to him.
“OK, now you need to call out to them,” he continued. “Call their names and tell them you need their guidance, tell them they need to come to you. All of you open your minds and your hearts.”
“Joseph Goodwin,” Danny said, “we need your guidance, we need your help, please come to us.”
“Patrick Jameson,” I said, “come here this instant!”
Tyler started giggling.
“He used to say that to me if I’d been naughty when I was a child. He’d stand with his hands on his hips and say ‘Keira Jameson, come here this instant’.”
“Come on, granddaddy,” Danny said. “I used to call him that if I was creeping for something.”
I giggled at him and opened my eyes. We waited and waited but nothing happened. We kept calling out to them but still nothing happened. In the end I started to get annoyed. I stood up and kicked the table over in temper.
“Come on, old men. If you had been straight with us from the start we wouldn’t be bothering you now, would we? Now show yourselves and tell us what you know,” I shouted, looking around the room, “COME ON, YOU OWE IT TO US!” I shouted even louder.
“I don't think that's going to work do…” Lucian went to say.
Two figures started to appear in the corner of the room. When they had fully formed they walked over to us. I didn’t know the man standing to the right, but the man on the left was my grandfather. He stood there smirking, and then he put his hands on his hips.
“Keira Jameson, come here this instant!” he said, now smiling.
I ran over to him and threw my arms around him. He felt warm and even smelt the same as he used to. I could see Danny beside me hugging his grandfather. br />
“We haven’t got long,” my grandfather warned me.
I stood back a little and introduced everyone to him quickly.
“So you are the missing link,” Joseph said to me. “You’re not what I expected.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant I wasn’t expecting such a beautiful young woman.”
I blushed a little and smiled at him.
“Now, why have you called us here?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you tell us you knew Keira existed?” Lucian asked.
“We wanted to but we didn’t want you to start questioning why…”
“We had a right to know, and Keira was on her own after losing you,” Tyler said to my grandfather.
“I know, lad, I wasn’t happy with myself for keeping it from her. But she had lost her father, and I knew she was going to lose me; I just didn’t know when. I didn’t want to tell her that. I didn’t want to frighten her. But, I did intend on telling her before my time came; sadly I never got the chance.”
“Bull!” Tyler snapped.
“I was sick for a long time, we all were, and there were days when I couldn’t move a single muscle in my body. I couldn’t talk or communicate in any way. I left a book for you; I started it just before the illness took over me. I couldn’t write everything down fast enough, so it was pretty vague I know.”
“In the book you told me not to believe I had demon blood inside me. Why when you knew it was true, if John Putnam told you about it?” I asked.
“I honestly didn't believe it, Keira. I thought it was a load of garbage.”
“What about you, Joseph?” Jake said. “Why didn’t you tell Danny, or your son?”
“By the time we knew the war was starting it was too late; we couldn’t talk properly. It was as though we were being silenced. Every time I tried to warn him, my voice would be taken from me; my body would stiffen, so I couldn’t even write it down for them.”
“So you were being controlled.”