Page 221 of Nightshade

Tipping his head, he narrowed his eyes on me. “You are asking very dangerous questions, Miss Ravenshaw.”

“I need answers.”

“I’m afraid you’ve exhausted all of my answers. I want nothing to do with that symbol, or what it means.”

I pulled the coin that’d fallen out of the book on the ferry. As much as it hurt to hand it over to him, I’d have given him whatever he asked for, if it meant he could help me. I had no idea what it was worth, but when Xhiphias’s eyes lit up and he straightened on the pillow, a sliver of hope blossomed inside of me. “I. Need. Answers.”

“Do you even know what that is worth?”

“Not particularly.”

“I’d have to slave for centuries for souls, just to make that kind of coin.”

“Give me what I want, and it’s yours.”

He shook his head, pointing skyward. “If they find out that I told you anything about what you’re asking, I’d be the next to be shipped off to Ex Nihilo.”

“Who is they?” I asked.

“The powers that be. The Heavenly Ones.”

“Sentinels.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve fallen out of touch with them. Tell me what the symbol means.”

Rubbing a hand across his forehead, he groaned. “Creation from nothing. It is the very symbol for Ex Nihilo. It comes from the Sigiliuz de’tei, a Pri’scucian grimoire, but is one of the lesser known, as it is very dangerous magic.”

“It’s true, then! It does bring someone back from Ex Nihilo.”

“Yes. It can raise ancient spirits and bring back those in Ex Nihilo. In the wrong hands, it is, perhaps, the deadliest weapon to mankind.”

“How?” I scrambled forward onto my knees, the excitement hammering through my blood. For months, I’d lived alone with my misery, having had absolutely no one, beside Camael, to talk to about it. No one who wouldn’t look at me like I needed to commit myself, anyway. “How do I bring someone back?”

“That, I do not know. Its translation is forbidden for my kind.”

“I won’t tell anyone you helped me. Please.”

“I am not withholding, Miss Ravenshaw. I truly do not know its translation. Only an angel can read and understand its true meaning.”

“But my father did. He brought someone back.”

“And some humans have translated all of the Enochian language, as well. They are not held to the same laws. But demons are forbidden. To read those words aloud would seal my fate. You must find an angel to translate for you.”

The disappointment of his words weighed heavy on my shoulders. “Find an angel? Where?”

“You will soon bear a Sentinel. One day he, or she, could translate it for you. The language is innate for them. Of course, it may take a while. Most natural-born do not come into their power until later in life. Some, well into adulthood.”

“I don’t have that kind of time! And it took my father his entire lifetime to figure out the translation.” I sank my fingers into my hair and took long, easy breaths, desperate to keep it together.

“Did your father brand you with that sigil?”

“No.” I didn’t bother to look at him, but stared off. “Apparently, I’m reincarnated from a girl who lived centuries ago. Cursed. Was, anyway. Guess my pregnancy broke the curse.”

“And the girl before you?”

“She perished. A prophecy about the blood moon. I don’t really understand it, to be honest.”