Hell's Revelation (Book 3)

Chapter 7

The more we talked the more confident I became that they hadn't just spent the entire time I'd been gone sitting around and waiting. They had been working on some semblance of a plan. Well, several plans in actual fact, all considering different potential outcomes and approaches. They'd even developed one they'd have gone with if the Requiem hadn't worked and I'd stayed dead – I'm honestly not sure whether I felt more concerned that they'd had such little faith our magic would work, or pleased that they'd thought to prepare for all outcomes.

One contingency, however, that they had not planned for nor been expecting was Jesse's defection, and figuring out how to put any of their well laid plans into action without him was proving to be impossible. Frank had said it himself we couldn't bring about any change in Hell without him on our team, our force of power needed his human aspect to blend with their demon and hybrid ones in order to project the truths that I could reveal – at least that was the way Frank had dumbed it down for easy understanding.

The prophecy had certainly set out a very neatly devised operation it was just a shame there was no sub-section titled 'What to do when one of your number sides with the enemy'. While I was trying to remain hopeful that the temptation of our uprising and the possible freedom and power that we could offer might tempt him back, the others were not so confident in Jesse, and I had to admit it was entirely possible that Malick had worked some magical mojo guaranteeing him Jesse's loyalty. Unfortunately there were some things we were going to have to play by ear, and if we had to resort to kidnapping to get Jesse back that that's exactly what we would do.

I'm not sure exactly how much time passed as we talked, looking over and over the files and rolls of parchment that littered the huge carved table. Most of the information were things they'd managed to pilfer from files, mostly out of Malick's office – it seemed Lucas had been making very good use of the power they'd never thought to take back from him – and strewn amongst them hastily scrawled notes and other more detailed plans. All of them were good and entirely possible, and yet likewise they all had their own potential set of problems. It became a case of choosing which was the best course of action to follow, or at least which one we tried first, but of course none of us could come to an agreement.

"Well there's hardly any point in us putting something in motion right now. I don't know about you two, but personally I'm exhausted," Lucas said, backing away from the table with his hands raised, tired of the argument going nowhere. "Now that you're finally back, Rayne, I might actually be able to sleep without my brain working overtime."

Frank scoffed and made some muttered comment about Lucas' brain working at less than half capacity at the best of times, but we both ignored him.

"Right, of course. Y'know I hadn't even thought about what time it must be by now," I replied, thinking then for the first time how I wasn't feeling even the tiniest glimmer of fatigue.

"I'm sure you want to do the same. Dragging yourself out of...well wherever the hell you were can't have been an easy task. C'mon, I'll show you where you can sleep. And I suppose you'll be off to do whatever the hell it is you do whenever I try and sleep." Lucas added, looking over my shoulder to where Frank lurked by the dark stairwell.

"Oh you know me, anything to prove my point. You two go and waste time with sleeping, you'll see, by tomorrow you'll both be agreeing that my plan is the best one to go for. I'll prove it to you." With those parting words he slipped into the shadows and was gone.

"You don't think he'll go and try anything on his own, do you?" I asked, hating to admit that I felt considerably more nervous with Frank gone.

Although our little ritual had given all four of us a boost in power, there was no doubt that Frank had reaped the most rewards of the three in the Triangle, being pure demon from the off gave him an edge, and despite the fact that I was now much more powerful that I'd ever been, I still felt far more comfortable with the Whisperer around.