Mind Games by Oliver Jana

Author:Oliver, Jana
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nevermore Books
Published: 2015-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

When she called Simon and gave him the news the next morning, he told her he already had a job for them. An hour later, he picked her up in a sedan that was probably his parents’. As he drove them north of the city, his stereo played a Christian pop song by Unspoken, one about starting a fire in your heart. His taste in music clearly hadn’t changed.

“Getting my head in the right place,” he explained, when she asked about the title and artist. He hesitated, then asked, “Did your faith change after you were in Hell?”

That question caught her off guard. “How did you know I went there?”

“Father Rosetti told me.”

Of course he did. After all, Stewart had no choice but to keep the Vatican informed about everything she did, even when it involved an excursion to the fiery pits.

Her silence seemed to make Simon uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, that was kind of a direct question.”

“I just didn’t expect it.” Riley gnawed on her lip. “I don’t know if my faith changed, but my perception of the situation did. When I talked to Lucifer in the cemetery, he was a charming trickster. In Hell, he was a total bloodthirsty warlord. He warned Ori that if he tried to overthrow him, both Ori and I would suffer eternal torment. Judging from what Lucifer did to Sartael, he wasn’t lying.”

“I can’t imagine what it’d be like.”

“Best you don’t. I’ll do everything I can never to see that place again.”

“Even if it means sacrificing someone else’s life?”

It must be the day for deep questions.

She sighed. “I’d like to think I’d do the right thing, but . . . ” Riley shook her head. “Look, if you’re having second thoughts about me helping you—”

“I’m not. You answered exactly how I would have. You never know how you’ll react to a situation until you’re in it. That was the problem with me, at least before I almost died. I was too sure of things. Now I know not to be.”

“I never would have thought I’d sell my soul just to overthrow Sartael. In the end, it was Beck who killed him, not Ori.”

“Is it true that grand masters go to Hell if they’re wounded when they try to kill a Fallen?”

Simon had been doing his research. “Yes, but I can’t say much more than that.”

“I figured that would be the case.”

“Did you get to meet the pope?”

Simon smiled now. “I did. We had a special Mass and he blessed us when we graduated. I really like him. He’s kind.”

“Better be. He’s the leader of how many zillion of you guys?”

He chuckled. “What’s it like to be engaged to a grand master?”

“Strange,” she said before she could stop herself. “Cool and strange. Beck is so much stronger now. He knows stuff he can’t tell me about, but he’s doing exactly what he should be.”

“Bet the Prince loves all these secrets we keep. Helps him in the long run.”

She looked at her companion. “You know, I was thinking the same thing.

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