Page 179 of Terror at the Gates

“I had bad dreams,” I said, shivering.

“About anything in particular?” he said.

“About demons,” I said, pausing to look up at him. “I think I know where they are coming from.”

Zahariev met my gaze, waiting for me to explain, but I suddenly felt ridiculous telling him something like it was fact when I’d only seen it in a dream.

“When I was at Sons of Adam, Abel mentioned to me that the gates had weakened. He said people think that’s the reason the weather’s harsher, why people are getting sicker and more violent. I didn’t really think anything of it, but last night I dreamed there were cracks in the gate. They have interrupted some kind of spell carved into the stone. That’s how the demons are getting in. And they aren’t really demons.”

The corner of his mouth lifted a little. “You don’t say?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a pretty accurate name,” I said, pulling away. “I watched those fuckers possess a rat.”

He drew from his cigarette then asked, “So what are they?”

“I think the Order of the Serpent’s precious gods aresending their magic into our world,” I said, pausing, brows lowering as I recalled more of my dream. “I saw them, the gods, but there were more than just two. They were basically a race of giants. They had this aura around them they could call up at will, and it would brighten until I felt hypnotized, like they were inside my mind. It’s not so different from the demons.”

Zahariev was quiet, considering. He took a final drag from his cigarette before putting it out against the stone.

“You know what this means,” I said. “Their gods killed Esther. I’m not willing to free the murderers of my best friend.”

Though I’d never been keen on the idea anyway.

“I’m not sure you should lead with a full dismissal of their goal,” said Zahariev.

I glared at him. “You don’t want the gates opened either.”

“No, but the Order still has three blades,” he said. “Or they claim to. We’re going to need to know where they’re keeping them if we want any chance of forging this fucking sword.”

“Do you think we should risk it?” I asked, though without it, it was going to be a lot harder to kill off these demons. “Forging the sword will only make it easier for the families to get it.”

“I’m not saying we’ll keep it forever,” he said. “But we have to be strategic. I can fuck with the families. They know it. That’s why they’re hoping to do me in with a flood.”

I knew he was right, but I wondered if the families would forgo their plans if they knew we had the sword they wanted, but I guessed we would have to deal with things as they came. Right now, we were jumping ahead.

“The sword won’t even matter if we can’t seal thecracks in the gate,” I said. “The demons will just keep coming.”

Zahariev looked away, dragging his hand over his mouth.

“I wonder what weakened the gates in the first place,” he said. “Did Abel have an answer for that?”

“No,” I said. “Everything he told me was something he’d overheard. I think it’s a question for the Order of the Serpent. Saira had the same markings carved in her door as the ones on the gate.”

I assumed the runes were inscribed to seal the doors like the Book of Splendor said, except they had been disrupted.

“Have you read more of that book you got from Lisk’s study?”

“Not yet,” I said. “I’ve been a little distracted, but I’ll read through today.”

Between what I’d seen in my dreams and what I’d read so far in the journal, I was starting to believe Saira was truly speaking with entities behind the gate, but I hesitated to call them gods.

“Right,” he said, though he seemed preoccupied as he nibbled on his bottom lip.

“When you saywe, is it because you’re planning to come with me?”

His gaze shifted to mine. “Well, you’re not going alone. We don’t know these people. What if the Order of the Serpent isn’t even real? Saira could just be a plant working for the church, trying to get the blade back.”

I understood his suspicion, but I wasn’t so sure. I’d seen many zealous people in my life, and Saira seemed genuine.