Balance (The Divine, Book One) Read Online Free PDF Page A

You
can kill a demon with anything that has been blessed.
    9                You
cannot kill a Divine with anything that is not Divine .
    10            Do
not lose hope and do not give up. You are special.
     
    That
was it. A few bits of advice that read more like instructions, and a few
helpful tips that may or may not keep me alive. That part about killing angels
and demons; I couldn’t even fathom the concept, but if they really were going
to be out to kill me, I guess I wouldn’t have a choice.
    I
reached into the pocket of the blazer, grabbing onto a large wad of paper with
a familiar feel. I unfolded it and a wedge of blank plastic the size and shape
of a credit card fell out. What was I going to do with a blank card? I tucked
it back into the pocket and spread the cash. It was mainly twenties and
hundreds ; four thousand dollars. That wouldn't last me
too long, at least not in the Big Apple, but it was better than nothing.
    Rule
one taken care of, now what about rules two and three? It was nighttime, and
Lady Liberty seemed safe enough for now. The problem was, come morning this
place would be crawling with people and I didn't know if I should be afraid of
that or not. How many Others were there? Did they mix
in with the population, or keep to themselves? What about their allies? I could
just picture Joe Blow the Tourist laying eyeballs on me and literally unleashing
Hell. Of course, I was on Liberty Island . There was zero way I was going
to get out without getting on a boat. There was no way I was going to get on a
boat without any other people on it.
    Decision
made, I figured it best to at least head towards the bottom of the Statue, so
if nothing else I'd be set to make a break for the ferry right away. Once I had
gotten off the island I would find a hole in the wall somewhere and stay there
until Dante got back to me with some useful information.
    I was
cold, slightly confused, and really scared. Through some strange twist of the
Universe I had been granted a second life. It occurred to me that this was not
the kind of second chance I would have imagined, and I doubt one that too many
people would have jumped at. What would have become of me if the dark angel's
sword had made contact? Dante hadn't had the chance to tell me what the
downside to this was, but I could guess. I couldn't go back to Purgatory, and
the other places didn't want me. Could a being just cease to exist completely?
Could I be erased from the Universe?
    It
was a long way down, but to my surprise I didn't tire. I pounded onto the steps
with gusto, hopping two at a time and expecting to become winded with every
drop. I wasn't a total sloth, but I wasn't exactly Tony Horton either. I kept
my body in shape, but it was more of a visual in shape than an actual
efficiency in power and endurance. When I got to the bottom without even
breathing hard, I began to question Dante's assertion that I was alive. He had
called it being Awake. He claimed I had power. Maybe this was part of it.
    I
didn't see any guards, but I assumed that one of America's national treasures
wouldn't be completely deserted. I pushed open the door to the stairwell,
trying to prevent any squeaks or whines from the hinges. The coast was clear. I
slipped away from the stairs and looked around. I assumed the outer door had to
be alarmed, so that was a no-go. What I wanted was the men's room.
    I
circled around the entire area, past the old torch, up the steps and around the
exhibits. I had only been the Statue once before, and I never realized that
there was no bathroom inside the pedestal. I would have to find somewhere else
to hide out.
    The
somewhere else turned out to be a small janitorial closet out of the way of the
main traffic lanes. I was fortunate in that the door was unlocked, hanging open
about a quarter of an inch when I spotted it. It was your standard maintenance
room; shelves with cleaning agents, buckets, mops, and so on. I turned on the
light