Fallen From Grace | ✔

Chapter Twenty - "Hero"

                “Are you really going to criticise me on how I speak, when Immi's in danger?  Really?”  Seems like Caroline had a change of heart.  "I owe it to her!  She saved me and now she's in danger.  We need to find her!"  Maybe not then.  Maybe she was doing this because she felt like she owed Immi something.

                As everyone started to bicker again, I walked over to Bernadette who seemed to be extremely calm.  She looked deep in thought.

                “Any ideas for where she is?”  I enquired.

                “How well do you know Saria?”  She replied with a question.  It made me curious.  Why did she want to know that?

                “We weren't exactly close.  Why?”  Saria just argued with every little thing.  Even though she lusted for me, she still made a big deal out of everything.  All she wanted to do was kill angels and commit sin.  Her bloodlust for angels was ridiculous.

                “Did she say anything about joining Shax, or Ipos?”

                “Shax?”  Odd question.  “No.  Never once mentioned it.  She hates the guy.”

                “Most people do.  High in power, has a ridiculously big ego, thinks the world of himself... but there was always this little nub of information I couldn't get off him.”

                “How so?”

                “Who was filling him in.  We always had outsiders helping, but there was always one number I could never find a source for.  Not once.”  She stopped for a moment before looking at me.  Marcus was trying to talk to Gustav about something.  “When we raided Gustav's house, he knew where to look for his office.  I could tell that the way he was acting, he was pretending he had no clue where it was.  But he knew.  Those notes on Immi?  They were the only things that Shax took.  Someone who knew that house, or had been there, would have filled him in.  Gustav was never the person to just invite a randomer off the street in.”

                “Then what's this got to do with Saria?”  She was making a good point but I had no idea where she was going with it.  Marcus had already told us what Dimtri was like and how Saria would be at the bottom of the food-chain.  She wouldn't go to them.  Or at least, I didn't think she would.

                “Marcus wouldn't sell Immi out and I definitely know you wouldn't.  Angels stick together and Gustav thought of Immi as a form of experiment.  He was testing his theories on her.  And who hates angels?  Specifically someone who's going to be close to you?  It seems like someone who lusted for you wanted to take out a threat.”

                Everything Bernadette was saying added up and totalled up to Saria, but I wasn't sure about it still.  Surely Saria wouldn't risk being at the bottom of the food chain, right?

                “So you think it's Saria?”

                “No, I'm positive it's Saria.”  She concluded her thoughts.  “I don't think it's a coincidence that she's not here.”

                “What's your plan then?”

                “We hunt her down, find Immi and save her.  That's what you guys'll do.”

                “What about you?”  I noticed how she said that we'd hunt Immi down but she didn't mention about what she was going to do.

                “I'm going to destroy the remains of Dimtri.”  I laughed at her.  How exactly was she going to do that?

                “He's a demon.  He's not like a ghost where you can burn his bones.”  I sobered up before attempting to converse with her again.  “He can still be summoned too.  Isn't that what they were doing?”

                “Not without his heart, you can't.  It's still beating.  You ever wondered how he was able to survive so many attacks and wounds to the heart when he existed?”

                “I wasn't in existence then.”

                “Of course not.”  She muttered, almost scolding herself.  Whilst I may not have existed, I had certainly heard the tales.  I'd even seen some footage, it wasn't the most pleasant thing I'd watched.  “Anyway, using some form of magic–don't even ask how, it might even have been pure darkness that helped him–he took out his own heart.  Locked it away and that is why he's able to be summoned.  It still beats, and you know you can only summon a demon that still exists.  Technically, he exists by essence but not by body.  That's why they need angel blood.  It's as complicated as it sounds.”

                Nodding, I still had no idea how she planned to destroy his heart.  Didn't exactly sound easy.  Not to mention that we still needed to find Immi.  She was my main priority as we'd already spent years on trying to prevent Dimtri from returning.  It's not like it was a difficult task.  Just needed to get rid of some idiotic lower dumb-ass demons.

                As if she could read my mind, she said,  “An angels touch.  Either that or just by hiding it somewhere.  Maybe in angel territory.  It'll slowly torture his heart.  If they don't have the heart with them, they can't summon him.”  A dark smile drew itself on her face.  She laughed when she saw my expression; one of disbelief.  "I'm half demon, I'm allowed to like the image of torturing someone.  And Dimtri deserves it."

                “This is too confusing, you know that?”  I told her.  Surely, if the heart existed then anyone could summon him?

                “His heart is basically protected by pure darkness.  And don't you think a higher levelled demon would know if he was summoned?”  She'd backed up her information well.

                “Touché, Bernadette.  Touché.”

                We sat there for a few moments, not knowing what to do.  Where did we even start?  We didn't even know when they'd left.  In fact...

                “Marcus!”  I hollered, he turned to look at me.  “You were on watch last night, didn't you hear anything?”  He pondered for a moment before he shouted back.

                “No.  It was silent.”

                Then how did they manage to get out without Marcus hearing them?  If there was a struggle, he would have heard and I was sure Immi wouldn't go with Saria.  She may have been naïve, but she knew Saria hated her.

                “That bitch!”  Bernadette shouted.  Panic was seeping into her voice.  “We need to find Immi.  She used gold, or manipulated her.  They could be preparing her for the possession right now.”

                I jumped into action.  Dimitri would not get into Immi's body!  I wasn't going to allow him to!

                "I'll call Henry.  The rat owes me a favour."  I was going to pull every string I had to save Immi.