much as I can. I only take my demon form in situations of great need, such as this one.”
My eyes were still wide as I took him in. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re about to do. Really, I’m forever in your debt.”
Ethan coughed loudly. “You may need to take back that statement, Tegan.”
I glanced at him in confusion. “Why?”
Edwards answered before Ethan had the chance. “Being indebted to a demon is a nasty business. It’s a good thing I’m half-human and have a sense of right and wrong. Don’t worry, my dear, I won’t hold you to what you said. Just be careful of what comes out of your mouth should you encounter any of my kind in the future.”
“Alright,” I mumbled, feeling foolish. I thought humans could be sticklers for rules, but they had nothing on supernatural creatures.
Edwards came to stand before me. He took my hand into his strange, clawed one. His blue skin felt weird and scaly. “I’m the one who should be indebted to you,” he said. “I have longed for a mission like this one for quite some time. Rescuing your father will be my final triumph.”
I blinked back a tear, unable to do anything but nod at him. Even if Edwards did manage to save Dad, who would he be when he returned? Marcel said he’d be changed, but how much? And in what way? Pushing these questions from my mind, I made an effort to focus on the present. Taking a deep breath, I let go of Edwards’s hand.
“Okay, what now?”
“Now,” he replied, “I prepare to open the door.”
He picked up his satchel, swung it over his shoulder, then retrieved the digital clock I’d spotted earlier. He began pressing numerous buttons, as though setting several different alarms.
“Time doesn’t work the same in hell as it does here. In layman’s terms, it’s not linear. I need to keep close track of it while I’m there. I’ve set alarms to let me know how much time has passed in this dimension so that I can accurately estimate how much time I’ve spent over there. I endeavour to return to this very spot by daybreak, but depending on how difficult it is for me to find your father, it could take longer. There’s also a chance I could return within minutes, there’s just no way to tell.
“I’d appreciate both of you waiting here for the night until I return. If I don’t come back by morning, then you can take it as a given that there have been complications. But mark my words, come hell or high water, I will be back,” he paused and rummaged in his bag, pulling out a small copper coin. “Take this.”
I silently took the coin, peering down at it before slipping it inside my coat pocket.
“That’s my token. It will allow me to open a door to wherever it is should I not make it back to this location, so keep it with you at all times. If I’m not back with your father by morning you may leave, and I will find you by locating my token. Please try to keep it safe. It’s highly precious to me.”
“I’ll guard it with my life,” I promised him.
“Thank you,” Edwards said before turning to Ethan. “Mr Cristescu, it was an absolute pleasure.”
“Likewise. Good luck on your journey,” Ethan replied.
The two exchanged a handshake. Edwards inclined his head and then, as though by instinct, stepped into the spot where Marcel and his group had opened the black hole. With one clawed finger pointing out, he lifted his hand into the air and drew a circle. The atmosphere seemed to crackle and spark and a gold-coloured opening appeared. Edwards turned to look at us one last time, giving a farewell salute, before stepping into the opening. A moment later, it disappeared.
“Wow … that was weird,” I said, turning to Ethan.
“Demons are weird creatures,” he said, leaning back against the cave wall, watching me.
“He looked so scary with that blue skin, but he was just himself inside a new body really,” I went on thinking out loud. When I looked back at Ethan, he was still watching me. What was up with him? I rubbed my arms against the cold. Even in my thick coat, I was still freezing.
“You don’t need to stay here with me,” I said. “I can wait it out on my own if you have somewhere you need to be.”