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emerging at birth, materialized from the pages, the two hands that had already been released grasping for
purchase on the stone floor as the demon struggled for freedom.
"Go!" I said to Allie. I pointed to JoAnn. "Get her out of here, and stay out!"
"What's happening? What's going "
"Dammit, Allie! Just go!"
She hesitated, the uncertainty on her face almost masking the terror. Then she went, dragging JoAnn by
the underarms toward the exit as I emptied the water pistol on the emerging Tartarus demon. The flesh
popped and sizzled, but didn't even slow the demon down.
Worse, my pistol was empty. I tossed the useless thing aside, pulled another knife from my belt, and
rushed in to do battle with Cool.
He'd retreated into the far corner, and his incantations were louder and faster. If he finished if he drew
out the Tartarus demons David and I would be dead meat. So, I figured, would most of San Diablo.
His legs were thick and powerful, like an animal's, and while he held the tablet aloft, he kicked at me, the
powerful thrusts forcing me backwards toward the book and the Tartarus demons.
I lashed out with the knife, managing to inflict a deep wound, but paying the price when he kicked the
knife out of my hand, then landed a solid kick to my ribs, sending me flying.
I landed a few feet from the book, near where Allie and JoAnn had been. Troy, I saw, was gone, having
slipped through the far exit. I imagined he was out of the museum right now, running as fast as he could
away from this place.
I forced myself not to go after him and punish him for the hell he'd put my daughter through. The threat
was still here, and powerful. And if I didn't stop it, Allie would be living a far worse hell very soon.
A few feet away, the Tartarus demon continued to fight his way out. My entire body ached as I crawled
toward it, then tried to slam the book shut. I couldn't make it budge.
The claw reached for me, and I jerked back. The demon was still partially in Hell. If he caught hold of
me, could he suck me back in with him?
"Kate!"
David's sharp yell cut through the cacophony and had my blood running cold. I rolled over to see David
on the floor. The marble tiles were slick with holy water, and as he tried to find purchase to push himself
up, Creasley was coming at him, knife at the ready.
"Cane!"
I searched, found it beside me, then slid it across the floor toward David even as Creasley leaped for his
attack.
He caught it just in time, running his hand down to knock off the rubber tap at the bottom to reveal a steel
point. As Creasley's knife descended, David slammed the cane up, that lethal point sinking deep into
Creasley's eye.
The demon escaped to the ether, and the body sagged to the ground. With only one demon left, only one
Tartarus demon could escape. That, however, was one too many.
I didn't bother waiting for David; I clamored to my feet and raced back toward Asmodeus. The Tartarus
demon's shoulders were out of the book now, and a puddle of slime was forming on the floor around
where he emerged. Soon, he'd be out. And the only foolproof way to stop him was to stop the
incantation.
To do that, we needed to kill Asmodeus.
The demon loomed before us, having gained height and bulk as he shed his human form. Open sores
oozed with greenish pus and the stench he emanated was almost unbearable. I told myself this was a
good thing. A revealed demon is a vulnerable demon. Never mind that he's also a damn strong demon.
So long as he stayed outside the human shell, he could be killed. And somehow, David and I were going
to do just that.
I rushed in, knowing the move was risky, but needing to land a blow. More, needing the demon to shut
up to stop the incantation. I didn't bother with fancy moves. Instead, I just lunged, burying my last knife
in his midsection.
He screamed in pain, one thick leg shooting out to knock me backwards, even as his arms continued to
hold the tablets aloft. I landed near Brent's unconscious form, breathless, my knife still stuck in the
demon's thick hide.
I'd stopped the incantation, though. For at least a few seconds, I'd slowed the release of Hell upon the
earth.
David bought us a few more seconds, rushing into the fray even as I climbed to my feet. I'd lost all three
of my knives, and now I looked around for something to use as a weapon. I saw my stiletto shining on
the far side of the room, no longer buried in Troy's flesh. I started to dive for it, but stopped when I heard
the familiar voice call my name.
"Yo! Katie-girl. Over here!"
I spun, handily catching the super-squirter water pistol that Eddie tossed to me. I hooked the strap over
my shoulder, then held up my hand for the sheathed sword that came next.
Only then did I see that Eddie was armed with a squirter of his own. "Now get that son of a bitch."
He aimed and fired, rushing toward the demon with more speed than I would have thought him capable
of. As the holy water fired by Eddie cut pus-filled paths on the demon, David and I attacked those
vulnerable spots with our weapons.
"The tablet!" I yelled. "It's not the book, it's the tablet!"
But try as we might, we couldn't get to it.
We kept at it until both Eddie and I had emptied the pistols. The incantation had slowed, but the demon
was far from defeated. He was huge, vile, and strong as hell. In a nutshell, we were screwed.
I honestly didn't think it could get any worse.
Of course, it did.
"I'll kill her!" Troy's voice filled the room, and I spun around to see my daughter standing terrified, a knife
seemingly floating in space pressed tight against her throat. "You let him finish!" the invisible boy shouted.
"This is mine! And you can't take it away from me!"
"Hold on there, boy," Eddie said, refilling his squirter from an opaque jug even as Asmodeus started back
up with the incantation.
I kept my eyes on Allie, but took a tentative step toward the demon.
"Don't!" Troy called. "I'll do it, I will."
And I believed him. I'd heard that wild hysteria before. The maniacal timbre in the voice of a human
who'd been promised wondrous, horrible things. I believed him, and I froze. And if that meant that a
demon from Tartarus would be loosed upon the world, then so be it. But I wasn't going to risk my
daughter's life just to keep them in Hell.
Beside me, David stood just as still, his face frozen in a mask of fear and determination.
He turned his head slowly, then mouthed a single word to me: Listen.
I frowned. Listen to what? The incantation? The boy?
"Finish!" Troy yelled to Asmodeus. "Finish and give me my reward!"
The demon ignored him, never breaking from his chant. And as he chanted, Troy started to reappear. His
form fading in and out like poor television reception.
"It's happening, Troy," I said. "Listen to me. Believe me. You're becoming visible because he's
abandoning you. That demon on the floor is going to take your place, and you're going to be sucked
straight into Hell."
"You lie," he hissed, his revealed face now contorted in pain.
I looked to David to help me out here to try to convince the boy but he had his head down and was
praying. "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you& "
I stared. He was praying the Hail Mary? Did that mean ?
A keening wail rose behind me, and I turned to see the demon almost fully emerged from the book. He
rocked back on his haunches, black shark eyes aimed toward the ceiling, and his mouth open to release
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