"Whether this death was the result of an attack from a demon has no bearing on it being ordained or not. If death is meant to find you, there is no avoiding it."
"Which doesn't actually answer the question of whether or not a demon did this."
"It could be either a malevolent spirit or some kind of demon, thanks to the first portal being open."
And it was only open thanks to me.
"That thanks belongs to us all," he corrected softly. "It is a blame that lies with everyone who was involved in that first quest."
But in particular, with one.
He might not have said the words, but they hung in the air regardless. And while it was now very obvious that Lucian had an agenda all his own when it came to the keys, I didn't think he was responsible for snatching the first one. He'd been as furious as we'd been over its loss.
Of course, I'd also been sure that he'd never harm me, and his strangulation attempt had certainly proven that wrong. Yet I still believed he didn't want me dead. Not until the keys were found, anyway.
I frowned. "I thought you said malevolent spirits were of this world rather than from hell?"
"They are."
"Then why would the opening of the first gate affect them in any way?"
"Because the dark path is a place filled with dark emotions and, with the first gate open, these emotions have begun to filter into this reality."
"Meaning what?"
I slowed as I neared the living area and trepidation flared, though I still had no idea what I feared. Maybe it was simply death itself. Or maybe it was just a hangover from the hell of the last few weeks. Between escapee demons, malevolent spirits, and psycho astral travelers, I'd certainly been kept on my toes.
Or flat on my back, bleeding all over the pavement, as was generally the case.