Echoes of the Past (Demon Squad) by Tim Marquitz Read Free Book Online

up alongside me to examine the book. I knew Lucifer probably didn’t want me showing it to anyone, seeing how he wanted it hidden in the God-proof room, but I didn’t want to keep it from Karra .
    “Lucifer’s messenger gave this to me.” I opened the book and flipped through a few of its pages, showing her the flowing script that filled them. “It’s the same language that I saw on the case, and it’s somewhat close to the symbols Hasstor had imprinted across his skin. That gives me a pretty good idea that what was in the case came from out there.” I waved my hand toward the ceiling.
    “Angels?”
    I shook my head. “Aliens, more like.”
    Karra stared at me a moment before returning her attention to the book. She flipped through the pages with wide eyes, her breathing shallow—not that I was looking at her chest, or anything.
    “Can I see the case?” she asked.
    I didn’t see why not. “Sure, I’m going there anyway. Hasstor didn’t tell me shit about the book or why he was giving it to me. He just said Lucifer wanted me to hide it. Maybe we can find something out.”
    Her smile coming back to light up her face, Karra hugged me, and then ran off to the bedroom to get dressed. I watched her until she disappeared from sight, and then looked back at Chatterbox. His ugly mug wiped the leer from my face, but I had to admit it was good to have him home.
    “Nice seeing you, CB.”
    He chittered and gave me a toothy grin. “ Ppoooorrrrrrnn .” He spared me about a half-second of his time before turning back to the TV.
    It’s good to see a man of dedication. “Watch the house, and play nice with our stinky guests while we’re gone. We’ll be back in a while.”
    Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Hell I go.

Chapter Seven
     
    Through the portal that led to my uncle’s quarters, Karra and I were in Hell just a short while after we were dressed. She was excited to go, the tome and case intriguing her and driving her into a frenzy of curious energy. While I was interested, too, it was more of a how will this save my ass? kind of adventure. Unless the book was the Kama Sutra of the Otherverse , and I didn’t think it was—there weren’t any pictures—it was like lugging around an old textbook. Sure, that kind of thing was useful when you needed to pass a test, but it sat in the closet collecting dust, otherwise.
    “Why are you so riled up?” I asked.
    She grinned as we wound our way through Lucifer’s chambers. “The idea of something beyond our existence fascinates me. It’s what drew me to necromancy—among other things.” Karra’s smile flickered for an instant, likely remembering her quest to reanimate her father, Longinus—the Anti-Christ—and the cause of his death: my uncle, whose chambers we were now roaming. A second later the smile was back. “I’d love to see what else God deigned to create.”
    “Preferably dead and under a microscope.” The very last thing I wanted was an army of Hasstor -like beings invading Earth and giving her a firsthand glimpse of alien life. I shivered as I recalled Hasstor’s squirmy appendage. It gave the term violation a whole new meaning.
    As we passed the corridor that led to the God-proof room, I waved Karra on ahead. “I need to stash this somewhere, and it’s probably safest if you don’t know where it is. I can pull it out later for a closer look.”
    “You’re still talking about the book, right?”
    “Mostly.”
    She laughed and shooed me off. “I’ll be down the hall.”
    Once she was, I made my way to the only room in existence—as far as I knew—that no one, to include God, could see or send their senses into from the outside. A gift to Lucifer from God himself, it was the supernatural equivalent to a super powered safe room. Once inside, I found a good spot to hide the tome and made my way back to Karra . She stood at the entrance to the room where Asmoday had been murdered. I had the dread fiends open the place back up afterward, seeing