Heaven Sent

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Since this place is off of any known map, I doubt we'll be discovered."

"Still, jail doesn't sound too great right now."

"A jail cell cannot hold a vampire. I'd have you out within the hour."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?"

Elijah's laugh echoes around us as he leads me into the unknown, sure of his surroundings. "Need I remind you that you've faced much worse than police holding? Hell, for example."

"You're such a smart-ass."

"Watch your step. Careful here." He cautiously helps me down a broken ledge, lowering his voice. "I think we're here. Hand me a match."

I hear the friction of the stick skidding against the wall and the whooshing sound of a flame igniting before I can finally make out the shape of him, and then the walls that are closed in on us. There is open space ahead but first Elijah grabs the toppled lantern left on the ground by the last mysterious explorers before heading inside.

"This place gives me the creeps."

"Well, it is a tomb. They aren't meant for comfort."

I grimace, squeezing his hand, recalling a time, back in what feels like ages now, when he was sentenced to such an eerie fate, forced to endure a slow death, and after that, the madness of purgatory. Shivers move through me when I think of how long he remained like that, resigned to believe I would never be able to reach him, trapped in slabs of concrete.

"You know, we can go, Elijah... We don't have to..."

He glances back at me, a wry smile on his face showing little signs of trauma. "Do not concern yourself with me, luce mia." He places a hand on the back of my neck, guiding me down with him as we enter a room with an unusually low ceiling.

"Do you see anything?" I whisper, secretly wondering if we're in the presence of spirits.

"It's definitely been raided. Recently, I'd suspect, considering the littering. Thankfully, what we're looking for would be on the walls, Stohl said."

Releasing me, we start at opposite sides of the small room, studying the walls for symbols in the faded art. Unfortunately, from lack of maintaining, there is almost nothing legible anymore. I figure that out about halfway through, and Elijah agrees, reluctantly.

"If it were here, we wouldn't know it."

I sigh, bending, nervous about the durability of our surroundings. "So far, we've got what? Death, sand, moon, afterlife? It seems like all Jehovah is pointing us to is alchemical elements."

"We have a month. All hope is not lost."

"I know. I just... I don't see how us running all over the world is going to work. Even with Damien and Paris helping us, and Erika working from the inside, we don't have nearly enough time to locate every single one."

"It's frustrating. I know. But we will figure it out. Stohl said he will continue the search once we have gone. I trust in his word."

"I know."

He bends, inspecting the underside of a piece of fallen limestone. "We'll reconvene with Damien and Paris, see what progress they've made."

"Okay."

The complete stillness of the underground reminds me of some places in Hell, places I'd go to escape Samael's eyes and ears, the demons working overtime to appease him. I would never be alone for long but the time I did have helped immensely. I came to find the barriers of darkness soothing.