Page 48 of Infernal Secrets

“Fiiiine. I need to go anyway.” She stood and grabbed her things. “Call me if you need me. Seriously.”

“Sure.”

She turned back toward the table a few feet away and fanned herself, pointing between Zeke and Ash. I expected a thorough interrogation about the two men the next time we met.

I watched her disappear into the crowd before focusing on the two men. “I thought you were going home.”

“We’d like to,” Ash said, leaning forward and clasping his hands on the table. The cheap plastic chair protested under his large frame. “But unless Ezra’s father summons us or we’re able to figure out a spell to send us back, we’re stuck here.”

“Can’t you contact him? Why do you need him?”

“Whenever we’ve come to Earth before, we bring special stones that open gateways to our world. Without those stones, he’s the only one powerful enough to move anything across the divide without real consequences,” Zeke said.

“So he’s stronger than you are?”

“By far,” Ash said. “In both magic and influence over Elyrdin’s citizens.”

Zeke twirled my straw wrapper between his fingers. “Can’t expect anything less from the ruler of Elyrdin.”

“Ruler? Like a king?”

“Sort of. He leads the council of elder Shyrlivi that oversees every part of life in Elyrdin. Their reach stretches throughout Niemna, but the places beyond Elyrdin’s walls are wild and lawless.”

The way he described it made it sound like a city in the middle of a dystopian wasteland. I’d seen enough post-apocalyptic movies where big walls protected cities from the outside world. I wondered what surrounded Elyrdin. Deserts? Towns crawling with criminals?

“So, if Ezra’s father is like the king, does that make Ezra a prince?”

Zeke nodded. “All four of us are heirs to the council.”

“You’re all princes, or are you two dukes or something?”

“We’re all princes. Even though Ezra’s dad is the official ruler, the council runs things.”

“And your parents are on the council?”

The muscles in Ash’s hands flexed as he tightened his interlaced fingers. “No. My parents are dead, but since they once sat on the council, it secured my seat.”

“He can’t take his seat until the current leadership steps down or dies.”

I looked down at the table, recalling what the hollow-eyed guy had said to Maya.

“The princes won’t save you,” he’d said.

Did he mean Ash, Zeke, Cyn, and Ezra? Save me from what? It raised more questions than it answered.

The revelation of demons and a powerful, magic-wielding council forced me to question everything I’d grown up with and rethink Grandma’s stories the family dismissed as madness.

“So what will you do if he doesn’t summon you and you can’t figure out another option?”

“Well, we’re kind of going to need you,” Zeke said, his voice lowering with each word until he mumbled. Then he added, “We’re stuck here. It won’t take long before Ezra’s dad notices we’re missing, if he hasn’t already.” He twisted the paper tighter between his fingers.

“I mentioned this to Ezra already,” Ash said, leaning back in his chair. “But I suspect whatever brought us here caused a disruption between the infernal and human plane. This is the second day we haven’t reported to the council. Cornaith would’ve sent someone for us once he discovered our disappearance. He’d have traced our location and brought us back.”

“Cornaith?”

“Ezra’s dad.” Zeke dropped the paper. “Ash is right. He’s not the type to let us go days without contacting at least one of us. I bet he’s pissed.” His eyes dropped to the table, and a tremor passed through him.

“We won’t let him do anything to you,” Ash said, voice softening as he leaned forward to catch Zeke’s eye. When he looked up, Ash added, “You know that, right?”