Epilogue
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I just…when I was walking toward the demon, something told me it wouldn’t hurt me.”
“A guess?”
“A feeling,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t explain it.”
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He nodded. “I just need a minute. I’m exhausted.”
He looked around at the room as though for the first time. He had a look of shock on his face, and Abigail could relate: the entire chamber had been demolished with broken equipment, conveyer belts, tools, and other miscellaneous objects spread all around. It looked like a tornado had ripped through and disappeared.
Abigail’s side was agony, but her body was still pumping adrenaline, so she barely felt the pain.
“I’m not surprised that you’re so tired,” she said. “Doing things like that really takes a toll.”
“Like what?” he asked.
She hesitated. “Channeling.”
“Channeling what?”
“We can talk about it later. I need to get in touch with Frieda and let her know Belphegor has been dealt with. They need to call off the strike.”
“All right,” Haatim said, yawning. “I’ll be right here.”
Abigail headed outside and pulled out the satellite phone. She stepped out into the cool air and dialed Frieda’s number. Frieda picked up almost immediately.
“Are you OK?”
“I’m fine,” Abigail said. “It’s done. The demon is gone.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“All right,” Frieda said. Abigail heard her speak with another person, telling them to call off the strike, and then Frieda was back. “We will send a cleanup crew and create a story to explain what happened.”
“That’ll be an interesting one.”
“Are you injured?”
“I’m fine,” Abigail said. “Couple of scrapes and bumps but nothing major.”
“What about Haatim? Did he get out of the city?”
“Something like that,” she said. “I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.”
“Is he safe?”
“He’s safe.”
“Good,” Frieda said. “His father is furious with both of us.”
“I assumed he would be,” Abigail said. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now. There’s something I need to tell you. Something I heard about Haatim’s father, and you aren’t going to like it.”
“What is it?”
“Not here. In person.”
“OK. Don’t leave the city, Abigail. We’ll be there in a few hours.”
“I need to check on something, but it’s in the area so we won’t have to go far. It’s out near the Church where Arthur was taken.”
“Why?”
“Belphegor was here looking for something, just like the demon that took Arthur. I need to find out what it is and why they were looking for it. I don’t know, Frieda, but this feels important.”
“All right,” Frieda said.
“There’s something else,” she said. “When I spoke to the demon, it told me that they had Arthur.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. Belphegor was working with the demon that took Arthur to hell.”
‘It might have been bluffing.”
“I don’t think so,” Abigail said. “It was…convincing. Belphegor knew who I was and knew things…”
Frieda was silent. “I’ll be there soon, Abi. Be careful, and keep an eye on Haatim until we get there.”
“Will do.”
She hung up the phone. She grabbed some supplies and patched up her side, and then went to find Haatim. He had a little more color in his cheeks but still looked thoroughly exhausted.
“You look like hell,” she said.
“Thanks,” he replied, smiling wryly. They headed for the exit, walking back through the dark office space toward the town beyond.
“I should be thanking you,” she said. “You saved my life.”
“Just returning the favor,” he replied with a shrug. “It’s funny, actually; I learned all of those prayers in my years of studies. Words in many languages for different religions. But, until today, that’s all they were to me: just words.”
“Now they are something else,” she said. “Something to battle against evil.”
He nodded. “I thought I knew what evil was, but I was wrong.”
“Then what is it?” she asked.
“Ambivalence. Standing by and watching people suffer and die when you know you can help them. I realized today that I don’t want to be someone that just sits by and does nothing. I don’t think I could have let those people die without trying.”
Abigail smiled. “I think Arthur will like you.”
A moment passed. Haatim looked at the unconscious bodies of the men on the street. “What happens to them now?”
“The Council will send a cleanup squad. Patch everyone up and concoct a story about what happened.”
“Seems like a pretty big thing to cover up.”
“We’ve dealt with worse,” Abigail said. “Apart from the people who live here, no one will ever believe anything strange happened. Over time even the people who actually experienced these events in Raven’s Peak will start to wonder if their memory isn’t just playing tricks on them.”
“OK,” Haatim said. “So what do we do?”
“We?” she asked. “Your father was quite angry with me when he found out you were here at all. I have been summoned before the Council, so I’ll be arrested and held as soon as they arrive.”
“I’ll talk to my father,” Haatim said. “Make sure he understands it wasn’t your fault.”
“I don’t think he will care.”
“I’ll make him care.”
Abigail shrugged. “Thanks. Any help I can get would be much appreciated at this point.”
“No problem. So, now we just wait for them to get here?”
“Actually, I have one other thing to look into before I’m arrested.”
“Oh?”
“You’re welcome to come with me, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she said.
He let out a sigh and smiled at her. “So where are we headed to now?”
“The old Raven’s Peak. The one we found up in the woods.”
“The mining town? Why? What are we going to do there?”
“I’ll tell you as soon as I know.”
Lincoln Cole
