The Belial Origins (27 page)

CHAPTER 85

L
aney walked into the building with her uncle. A parlor was on the right and a living room on the left. Straight ahead was the kitchen, which had been converted into a makeshift hospital suite. Laney swallowed as she caught sight of blood on the floor. Her uncle walked ahead of her, coming to a stop at the entrance of the kitchen before turning down the hall toward Henry’s room.

Mustafa walked to the doorway to meet them. Laney’s breath held as her gaze met his. He smiled. “Jake will be all right. By some miracle, none of the wounds were to anything critical. It will take him some time to recover his strength, but he
will
recover it.”

Laney sagged and reached for the wall. “Thank God. When will he be able to be moved?”

“Barring gunfights, he should be ready to move within the hour.”

“Can I see him?”

“They’re still cleaning him up. Besides, he won’t be conscious for a while. When they’re done, they’ll move him down the hall to the room next to Henry.”

“How is Henry?” Laney asked.

“In pain. But he too will be all right. His mother is with him.” Mustafa held out his hand. “I have something for you.”

Laney held out her own hand and Mustafa dropped a small rectangular object in it. Laney inspected it. “What is this?”

“I took the liberty of scanning Victoria and Max when we returned. I found that sewn into the hem of Victoria’s jacket. I believe it’s how Jorgen found us on the road. It’s wired for audio. Whatever you were saying in the car, he heard it.”

Laney closed her fingers over the bug. “Damn it. I should have thought of that.”

Mustafa placed a hand on her shoulder. “No. It was highly unexpected.” He stepped back. “Your friends should be arriving soon. I will go make sure the guards are aware of who they are.”

Laney nodded as Mustafa walked past her. “Mustafa?” she called over her shoulder.

He looked back at her.

“Thank you for everything.”

Mustafa’s eyes twinkled and he gave her a small bow. “It is
you
who
I
should be thanking.”

He walked out and Laney shook her head. She’d only met Mustafa once before, but she felt like he was a friend and that they had known each other for a long time.
I suppose I probably have
, she thought, remembering what Victoria had said.

Taking a breath, Laney skirted the kitchen and walked down the long hall. Ralph stood outside a doorway on the right.

Laney stopped next to him. “Have you heard from Drake?”

Ralph shook his head. “No. I left messages at the box office and the hotel as well as on his cell. He
will
call as soon as he gets the message.”

Laney looked into the room. Victoria sat next to Henry’s bed—well,
beds
. They’d had to add a second bed to the bottom of the first to accommodate his height. Victoria had both of her hands were wrapped around one of Henry’s. And for the first time, Laney thought that mother and son looked fragile.

“Victoria?” Laney called softly.

Victoria turned, wiping her eyes. “Hi. I didn’t realize you were there.”

Laney stepped into the room. “How is he?”

“No change. The doctor says he should be all right, but it will take him time to recover.”

“Why is that? Why didn’t he heal automatically?”

“Part of Cain’s curse. It supersedes any supernatural ability.”

Laney walked over to the bed and pushed a lock of hair away from Henry’s forehead. He didn’t stir, but Laney hadn’t expected him to. They had him on some pretty heavy-duty painkillers. He would sleep well into tomorrow.

“I’ve always viewed him as indestructible,” Laney said quietly.

“That’s how little sisters are supposed to view their big brothers.”

Laney took a shaky breath and looked over at Victoria. “I think we need to chat a little more.”

Victoria nodded with a resigned sigh. “Yes.”

CHAPTER 86

L
aney and Victoria walked out to the same dock where Laney and Kati had sat less than an hour earlier. Laney didn’t want to be too far away from Henry or Jake, but she had a feeling she would want a little space for this conversation. And before they left the house, Patrick had said he’d come find her if there were any changes in Jake’s status.

As Laney stepped onto the dock, she realized she hadn’t told Patrick who Victoria was. With everything that was going on, there just hadn’t been an opportunity.

Laney sat in the middle of the dock, her back leaning against the tree in its center. Victoria took a seat in an old rattan chair after checking to make sure it would hold her weight.

A million questions floated through Laney’s mind. But first she needed a minute. She needed the peace. She watched two dragonflies chase each other across the fetid water. Soon a third joined in the game. Eventually, though, the dragonflies disappeared into the vegetation, and Laney knew she had to get to business. Time was slipping away.

Still, she wanted to ease into her real questions. “There’s something about the creation stories that have bothered me,” she said.

“What?”

“In Genesis, allegedly God said man should have dominion over everything—the land, the animals.” She paused. “But then he takes it to the next step and says that humans should
subjugate
animals, and the world, to our will.”

Victoria nodded. “Yes. That’s what it says.”

“See, that’s the problem. The subjugation part. Why? I mean, Cayce’s argument is the exact opposite. That we’re supposed to be working in communion with nature and animals. Not as overlords. So why would God give that order?”

Victoria’s eyes looked even more violet in the sunlight. “You tell me.”

Laney went silent. She wasn’t sure she wanted to say what she was thinking. But the thought remained firmly stuck in her mind, and she had to let it out. “I don’t think He did. It wasn’t God who commanded it. It was the Fallen. Animals, vegetation… all of that was here before us. And it thrived. Why would anyone tell us to subjugate it? Where is the justice in that? The fairness?”

Victoria nodded. “The Fallen knew how to play on our doubts, our insecurities. We had been so far from the sprit for so long, many couldn’t remember what it was like. All they could remember was the physical world—and that became all they cared about.”

“So before the Fallen, humanity was at peace?”

“Before the Fallen, we were at peace. Then they showed up and everything was turned upside down.”

“They claimed they were speaking for God.”

“Yes. Subjugation of living things is right from their playbook. It benefits them. It justifies violence. It justifies their acts.”

Laney shook her head. From the beginning the Fallen had been plotting, scheming, doing everything in their power to gain more power. It was overwhelming. But it also needed to be faced. She took a breath and let it out slowly. “What can you tell me about the tree?”

Victoria placed her hands in her lap and took a moment to compose her thoughts before speaking. “When humanity first arrived, we ate from the tree. It is what made us immortal. But then the tree was hidden.”

“Drake said there were two trees.”

Victoria smiled. “Actually, there were many. But most people focus on the two trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge.

“Where is the tree of knowledge?”

Victoria gave a wry smile. “You sure you want to go down that road right now?”

Laney paused and then shook her head. “No. You’re right. One’s enough. But when this is all over, we’ll sit down and chat about that other tree.”

Victoria nodded, her gaze on the water. And Laney realized she looked paler than Laney could ever remember her being. Although all things considered, Victoria was holding up incredibly well after all she’d been through—two abductions, numerous gun battles, keeping Max safe, then sitting by her son’s bed while he recovered from wounds received from Cain.

That last thought brought Laney to her real question.

“Why did Cain grab you? If he had left you alone, we wouldn’t have known about any of this.”

“You’ve answered your own question. He grabbed me so you would know about all this.” Victoria looked out over the water and sighed. “Cain is a complicated man.”

Laney’s jaw fell open. “What? He
wanted
us to know? Why on earth would he do that?”

“Whoever controls the tree controls immortality.”

“But why does Cain care? He’s already immortal.”

Victoria watched the water for a moment before speaking. “Cain has been the sole immortal in this world for tens of thousands of years. And he doesn’t want to share his immortality with anyone. He needed you to know about the tree, and that the Fallen were making a play for it… so you would stop them.”

“Why doesn’t
he
just stop them?”

“Believe it or not, Cain’s not a fighter. He’s never had to be. He doesn’t want to face off against the Fallen. He wants you to do that for him.”

Laney stared at Victoria in shock. “We’re Cain’s proxy fighters?”

Victoria shrugged.

Laney shook her head. Crazy as it was, they were actually on Cain’s side in this fight. But imagining a world with immortal Fallen, Laney suspected that Cain’s interest went deeper than merely being the only immortal.

“Cain would also be the
weakest
immortal, wouldn’t he?” she said. “And I suppose there’s no guarantee his sevenfold injury thing would still work against them.” As she thought it through, she had another question about Cain. “But why is Cain immortal in the first place? If everyone else became mortal, how did he escape that fate?”

Victoria sighed. “When Cain was punished, he was banished from God’s sight.”

Laney frowned. “But he was punished for killing Abel. And that must have occurred
after
humans became mortal, or he wouldn’t have been able to kill his brother.”

Victoria nodded. “I had just made the deal when Cain struck Abel. If he had done it the day before, Abel would have survived. But on that day, Cain became the world’s first murderer. His punishment was his immortality—to walk the world forever.”

“Is that really a punishment though? I mean, people throughout time have been driven to incredible lengths to achieve immortality. Isn’t that a gift?”

Victoria shook her head. “Think about it. Everyone you ever care about will leave you. They will age, and you will stay the same—over and over again it will happen. And not only that, but Cain is marked—people will always be startled by him, frightened by him. To make any real connection with a human he will first have to overcome their revulsion. Oh, his punishment is very real.”

Laney realized Victoria wasn’t just speaking about Cain. She was also speaking about herself. “Because God didn’t want to see him.”

“And his mark made it even worse.”

Laney sat back, imagining what that would do to a person. “A mark that guarantees that everybody gives you a wide berth. Even if people don’t want to do you harm, they will still stay away from you. That must twist someone’s mind—the isolation.”

“I think it has driven him a little bit mad over the years.”

“But he’s still powerful. He could do damage if he intended to.”

“True. Cain is cursed, but he’s also the most powerful human in the world, if he chooses to be.”

Laney pictured Cain falling into the swollen river. “He’s not dead, is he?”

Victoria shook her head. “I highly doubt it.”

CHAPTER 87

L
aney sat by Jake’s bed. He’d been brought in about fifteen minutes ago but still hadn’t regained consciousness. Somewhere in the house a cell phone rang and someone spoke quietly.

She reached out and took Jake’s hand. “I’m right here, Jake. You’re going to be fine,” she whispered. It was going to be a long recovery, but Jake would make it through.

Laney glanced out into the hallway. She could see Ralph standing outside Henry’s door. She knew she needed to get moving. Once the Fallen deciphered the book, they’d go after the tree. She had probably already wasted too much time. She could feel the seconds ticking away.

Elisabeta would need to translate the book but still that would only provide them with a few hours at best. Laney looked back down at Jake. There was no way either Jake or Henry was going to be able to help. There would be no rapid recovery for either one, not this time.

Laney swallowed.
Which means it’s up to me
.

But she couldn’t get herself to leave. Not until Jen and the reinforcements arrived. The Chandler plane had run into some bad weather, which had slowed them down.
Of course, even if I left right now, it wouldn’t really help.
We still have no idea where the tree is.

Patrick stepped into the room. “Do you need anything?” he asked.

Laney shook her head. “No. I’m good.”

Patrick pulled up a chair next to her. “The doctor said he’ll make a full recovery.”

“I know.” Laney’s eyes flicked to the heart monitor, needing the reassurance that Jake was still with her. Her uncle sat next to her silently.

Laney finally turned to him. “Victoria is Lilith.”

Patrick nodded, his gaze not meeting hers.

Laney stared at him in disbelief. “Yet again you know something before the rest of us.”

“I didn’t know. I suspected.”

“How?”

“When we spoke about Eve, I knew there was another possibility. And when you told me that Ralph said she wasn’t Eve… well, Lilith was the most reasonable choice.”

“You always know these things. How is that?”

Patrick took her hand. “Let’s just say that, since all of this happened, I’ve tried to keep an open mind.”

Laney studied her uncle; he seemed oddly at peace. “How are you okay with all of this? I mean, as a priest this must throw a lot of what you believe into question.”

“It does.” Patrick paused. “But it doesn’t change what the church stands for—following Jesus’s example. It just broadens the picture a little more.”

“You are
way
too well-adjusted.”

Patrick gave a small laugh. “It has been hard-won, let me tell you.”

They both fell silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. In fact it was the opposite. It was the comfort of being with someone who knew you inside and out and loved you in spite of it.

Laney’s gaze drifted out to the hallway. She knew Victoria was sitting with Henry next door, and she could see Ralph standing guard at the door. “Do you think she’s… good?” Laney asked quietly.

Patrick considered. “I do. But what I think doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s what
you
think that counts. So what do you think?”

“Max said she’s good. That I should trust her.”

“Do you?”

“I think I do. I think my hesitation has nothing to do with her secrets or her being Lilith or her knowing just about everything.”

“It’s because you just found out she’s your mother.”

Laney nodded. “Yeah,” she said softly.

A soft rap on the doorframe drew her attention.

Ralph stood there, his cell phone extended toward her. “It’s for you.”

“Go ahead,” Patrick said. He nodded at Jake. “I’ll stay with him.”

Laney brushed a quick kiss on Jake’s forehead, then took the phone and headed into the hall. “Hello?”

“Ah, ring bearer. It’s lovely to hear your melodic voice again.”

Laney sank against a wall. “Hi, Drake.”

“What? Is that how you greet your most ardent fan?”

“It’s been a rough day.”

Drake’s tone turned gentle. “So I’ve heard. They have the book?”

“Yeah.”

“You were supposed to prevent that from happening.”

“Well, you know, Drake, the ring doesn’t make me omnipotent.”

“True enough. Well, you need to get moving if you’re going to protect the tree.”

“Happy to—except for the small fact that the Fallen have the book which has the tree’s location, and you’ve already made clear that you won’t tell me. I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ve changed your mind?”

“I told you I wouldn’t tell you before because the tree wasn’t in immediate danger. But times have changed, haven’t they?”

Laney closed her eyes.
Thank God
. “Where is it?”

“Ah, right to business. I like the focus. The tree is located in Tianmen Shan, in the northwestern Hunan province of China.”

Tianmen Shan
. Laney knew that name. She looked down the hall to Jake’s doorway as the recollection dawned. “Heaven’s Gate.”

Laney could hear the smile in Drake’s voice. “Happy hunting.”