Cupid & The Cursed Cup (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 24

Waverly felt her arm being pulled towards the opening, her right foot hitting the first step, Nicole's body vanishing before her eyes apart from her hand, of which she still had a tight hold. She desperately wanted to close her eyes, reach the other side in one piece, hopefully alive, her whole body shaking whether through fear or the sensation of moving through whatever she was moving through she no longer knew. Nicole's voice was reassuring, telling her to breathe, to keep hold of her hand. This is like being underwater, she thought, as she moved through the portal. Like walking on the bottom of a pool, except I can breathe. It's quite fun. Another tug on her hand she emerged in a new space, equally dim, not smelling of rotting bodies, which was a bonus.

"Where are we?" she asked, looking back at the opening, Wynonna emerging holding Holliday's hand, Jeremy following, then Auntie, finally Rosita.

"Not a clue," Nicole replied. "But, Xavier hasn't combusted, so that's a bonus. I reckon somewhere in the Vatican, although not a sacred space."

Jeremy gathered them round. "We're in the Vatican vaults, which I kind of assumed is where this portal would come out given the cup was gone. Now, the question is where is it?"

"Do we spread out and look for it?" Nicole asked, Jeremy rolling his eyes.

"There are miles and miles of vaults, not to mention all the store rooms where the precious artefacts are kept. It would take us months. No, we have to think strategically. The cup and the book will be somewhere else, I simply have to tap into the computer system and check."

Nicole sniggered. "Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think whoever stole the cup is going to leave a message on the Vatican computer to tell us where it is."

"Old-fashioned," Jeremy replied. "Every item in the vaults carries an identification code and a tag, which is logged in the system. All I have to do is see what's gone out recently and where it is. That should lead us to the bad guy, or girl."

"Damn, you're good," Rosita said, smirking at Nicole who poked her tongue out, earning an elbow from Waverly.

Jeremy keyed in his security clearance number, bringing up the relevant screen scrolling through the entries. "There. Solomon's Lesser Key was removed this morning, along with Nero's crown and, oh fuck Solomon's ring. Whoever has these knows what they're doing."

"Where are they now?" Xavier asked, looking around feeling decidedly uncomfortable about now being this close to the Vatican.

"It says they haven't left the Vatican. They're close. One level down. But that area is closed to everyone. Even my pass won't gain us access."

"What's down there?" Xavier pressed.

Jeremy's expression had changed, eyes betraying the worry at what might be occurring beneath their feet. "It's rumoured there are rooms, dating from ancient Rome where others were worshipped. Demons and..."

"And...Jeremy, we're going down there," Xavier said. "Whatever's down there you might as well tell us."

"And, the Angel of Darkness."

"Wait," Waverly said. "We're in the Vatican right. So, why are there rooms for worshipping demons?"

"Because," Xavier replied. "The world isn't black and white. Good and bad are sometimes a matter of perspective."

"We can have a philosophical debate after we get that cup back," Holliday interrupted, looking around for a door. "Jeremy, do you know the way?"

"Yes, but as I said, I don't have access to that area."