Aeron shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not a problem. You’re the Malachai. At 11:34, the veils weaken. It’s easy for you to open a portal and go through.”

“11:34? Why then?”

“Invert it and turn it over.”

Nick blinked at Aeron. “I’m an idiot with a head injury. Want to help a brother out and make it easy on me?”

Nashira snorted. “Take it from me, our Malachai isn’t big on riddles or puzzles. He doesn’t even like to play Zelda.”

“Yeah. Attention span of a gnat. ADD.”

Aeron sighed heavily. “It’s a numeric cipher for ‘hell.’ Before it came to mean ‘infernal damnation,’ it was simply a word that meant ‘hidden behind a veil’ or ‘to keep hidden.’ Even the term ‘hell-mouth’ is an ancient one that was used by my people long before missionaries came to our shores.”

Nashira nodded. “Whenever it turns 11:34 over a hell-mouth or near a hell-gate, the veil thins enough for something to punch its way through from one realm to another. There’s always a chance something can come through. It’s why you saw so many zeitjägers earlier. The atmospheric unrest put all the guardians on notice that the portals were about to be accessed.”

Aeron crossed his arms over his chest. “Even I knew from here that Noir was trying to cross from Azmodea into the human realm.”

“Did he make it?”

Nashira hesitated before she answered his question. “I’m sorry, Nick. They weren’t able to stop him.”

Fear and dread tangled inside him. If Noir had made it through, then he’d gone after those nearest and dearest to Nick. And most likely, Livia was hoovering up to Noir, right now.

Playtime was over.

Ignoring the pain, Nick rose slowly to his feet. “What do I need to do to get us through?”

Aeron snorted disdainfully. “You’re the Malachai. Transform to your body. Conjure a portal. Punch through it.”

Gah, he made it sound so easy.

Nashira put her hand on Nick’s shoulder. “But don’t be hatin’ when you do it.”

Nick laughed at her reminder. “Where are all the riddles and rhymes you were so quick to torment me with in the past?”

She smiled at him. “I’m no longer locked in the necravitacon. My desire to make you crazy with them is gone now.” She rose up to kiss his cheek. “My only desire is to help you and to thank you for my freedom.”

“You’re welcome.” Nick rolled his shoulders and shook his hands to loosen them. “All right. Let’s try this.”

Aeron moved to stand by his side so that he could help guide him through it.

With a deep breath for courage, Nick tapped his powers and let the strength of the Malachai run through him.

For a moment, as he remembered what Livia had done, he felt himself slipping toward the beastly side of it and losing control.