Page 51 of Into the Abyss
“The jinn might not be able to get into theminds of everyone the wish included, not normally, but if they werealready in an unnatural slumber, they would have an easier timeslipping into their minds,” I said. “But if Sloth is involved, whydidn’t they kill everyone once they were asleep or in the Abyss?Their bodies were about as vulnerable as it gets.”
“Because I’d bet that to get the jinn tojoin them, the horsemen and Astaroth promised the jinn lots oftoys. You yourself said the jinn don’t do well following orders orobeying anyone outside themselves. Do you think their hate forKobal is strong enough for them to play second-fiddle to Astarothif it got them the number of victims they have now? Especially ifall those victims followed Kobal.”
I bit my lip to withhold the tears wellingin my eyes. Now wasnotthe time to cry, but as the truedepth of how entwined the jinn were with the craetons came tolight, I felt hollow inside. I’d picked up on their anger overbeing imprisoned, but I hadn’t expected for them to dothis.
“Before today, no; but now, yes,” Iadmitted. “What an awful mess.”
“I have to go back and alert the others thatthere’s probably a horseman involved in this.”
Biting back a groan, I rose and walked overto him. “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 22
Magnus
When we returned to the cave, I was relieved anddismayed to find three more humans awake and five dead bodies. Caimand Raphael were lifting two of the dead to take them deeper intothe cave when we emerged from the Abyss. These five must have diedright on top of each other if their bodies remained here.
One of the dead was Halstar, our newesttelepathic demon and our communication link with Kobal. We’d haveto send someone back for another telecommunication demon soon, mostlikely Raphael again, but it would have to wait until we resolvedthis mess.
Leaning against the wall, I was glad to findthe skellein, Lix, awake. He held his skeletal head between hisbony hands as if he had a headache. When he lifted his head, therewere no eyes in his skull, but I felt his attention focused onme.
Lix wore a green tie with numerous SantaClauses on it. All the Santa’s were bent over to reveal their whiteasses as they looked behind them to grin out from the tie. Whereasbefore the tie would have been amusing, I didn’t find any humor init now.
Since coming to Earth, all the nearlyidentical skelleins had taken to wearing assorted accessories todifferentiate themselves from each other. After the war withLucifer, only twenty skelleins remained, thirteen of them lived atthe wall with Kobal, and seven were with us.
Lix lifted the flask tied to his waist,uncapped it, and gulped the skellein’s most recent brew. All theskelleins enjoyed their booze, but Lix consuming his entire flaskbefore releasing it was out of character for him. The metal flaskclattered against the rocky floor as Lix’s attention returned to mebefore he focused on Amalia, and his jaw clenched.
I stepped in front of her, and my eyesnarrowed on Lix. The skelleins loved their drink, games, and playas much as they enjoyed killing, but I’d never seen Lix so angrybefore. Bowing her head, Amalia edged back to lean against the wallof the cave. The angels lowered the bodies again.
“How is it going in there?” Corson askedme.
He sat with his back against the wall andWren’s limp body in his lap. Her pale blonde hair spilled over hisarm; a couple of her fingers twitched before going still again.Corson’s eyes glistened with a desperation I’d never expected tosee from him.
“I think there’s a horseman involved,” Isaid and revealed to them what I discussed with Amalia.
“Sloth,” Corson growled.
“But does he have the power to do this to somany for this long?” Erin demanded.
Caim waved his hand at the bodies.“Obviously, he does.”
When I paused to take in everyone, Irealized there were fewer bodies in here than I first thought. Onlytwo skelleins remained, one of them was Lix.
An uneasy feeling grew in me as I looked toCorson. “Where are the others?”
“Dead,” he said flatly.
I suddenly understood the look in his eyesand why Amalia had edged away from them and their emotions.
“Oh no,” Amalia whispered.
Lix’s head turned toward her and thehostility he emitted increased.
“Stop looking at her like that, Lix,” Isnarled at him. “She’s trying to help us.”
Lix’s hand went to the sword strapped to hisside before falling to the ground. Erin walked over to kneel besidehim and rested her hand on his shoulder.
“How long were we in there?” I asked.
