Rival Demons by Sarra Cannon Page B

safe place Jackson could think of to bring me to was full
of demons who despised humans. He'd said they would come around
once they learned more about me, but I wasn't so sure. The way they
looked at me now made it very obvious they didn't want me here.
Some even looked openly afraid of me.
    Stepping into the more quiet corridor, I relaxed
a little. The hallway was deserted except for our small group of
travelers. Jericho led us down toward the very end of the hall, and
all along the way we passed dozens of stone doors. I shivered as
this place reminded me of the Hall of Doorways in Shadowford's
attic. I wondered where all of these doors led to.
    We finally came to a stop in front of a set of
double doors at the very end of the hallway.
    "We have plenty of extra housing down here,"
Jericho said. "Andros decided to put you on one of the empty halls.
The ladies will all share this one suite of rooms if that's okay. I
understand if you'd rather be in a room separate from the
humans."
    "I'm sure this will be fine," Lea said.
    Jericho wasn't very good at hiding his
disappointment. He frowned, then let his eyes flicker over me, no
doubt wondering why in the world a Princess would want to live with
two human witches. I honestly just wanted to stick my tongue out at
him.
    "Can we get inside?" Jackson asked, his voice
tense. "I have a girl here who needs medical attention, and I don't
think we have any time to waste."
    "Of course," Jericho said. He took a small green
stone from his pocket, then placed it up against a carved symbol in
the stone beside the doors.
    Both of the large double doors opened inward to
reveal a gorgeous suite of rooms beyond. I tried not to act
impressed, but it was hard. Jericho led us inside, and I had to
press my lips together to keep my mouth from hanging open.
    The floors were pure white marble, smooth and
cool and polished to a high shine. The walls were a bluish-gray
slate and were decorated with golden sculptures and paintings made
of colors so real and bright, they looked like windows to some
outdoor landscape. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in
the center of the room, but it wasn't like any chandelier I'd ever
seen before. It was a mess of geometric shapes and crystals in
about seven different colors ranging from aqua to dark purple.
    Jackson laid Mary Anne down on a soft
fur-covered couch in the living room. "I take it the shaman is on
her way?"
    He said it more as a demand than a question. He
seemed to be losing his patience with Jericho. He definitely didn't
seem like he was in any hurry to help Mary Anne.
    "I'll take care of it right away," Jericho said.
"And I left one of my stones on the table there for you just in
case."
    Lea glanced toward the table in the main area
and nodded.
    I walked over to the table as she moved to see
him to the door. I hadn't noticed him lay it down, but now there
was a very small, round gemstone laying in the center of the white
table. A ruby from the looks of it. I picked it up and rubbed my
index finger over the smooth surface of it.
    It seemed gemstones were used everywhere here
in the Underground. First, there was the dark stone that Marlana
kept touching to bring us down through the soul stone. There was
the soul stone itself, covering the area above this entire hidden
fortress. There was the key to this suite – a green stone pressed
against the strange symbol outside. And now Jericho had left a
small red stone here so that we could contact him if we needed
anything.
    My mind raced. What was the true power of all
these stones? And how did it relate to the portal stone in each of
the demon gate towns? How did it relate to the power of my own lost
pendant?
    I set the ruby red stone back on the table.
Maybe hiding down here wouldn't turn out to be a complete loss. I
couldn't help but think that the answer to some of my many
questions about the Order lay in the secret of the stones.
     
     
Past and Future Pain
    The three of us sat in the living area