“I’ll survive,” he replied. “C’mon. We’re not out of danger yet.”
“I did as you said and kept to the stream. I saw him again.”
“Who?”
“Andre.”
“Andre’s dead-dead.”
She sighed and followed him, almost too exhausted to argue. The odd sense of someone following – a sign she now knew was the phantom trailing them - returned. Andre’s specter appeared to her right, keeping pace silently with her.
“You don’t see him?” she tried one last time.
“No.”
The specter pointed back towards the lake. Katie slowed and watched Gabriel continue onward. She’d liked Andre above any of the Council members, but his insistence that she go in the direction opposite of which she was headed puzzled her. If he was dead-dead, what creature wanted her to go elsewhere and why? If he wasn’t dead-dead, why didn’t he speak to her?
“Gabe, where do Immortals go when they die?” she asked.
“Same place as mortals.”
“Then what’s the difference between mortals and Immortals?”
“Mortals can be killed by anyone. Immortals can only be killed by other Immortals or demons. It’s part of the Immortal Code.”
“How many rules are in the Immortal Code?”
“More than I can count.”
“Hundreds? Thousands?” she prodded.
“More.”
“Then how do you know if you’re breaking them?”
“Immortals have an eternity to learn the rules,” he pointed out.
“Do demons have Immortal Codes?”
“Why do you ask?” he asked and turned suddenly.
“Just curious.”
Gabe studied her then allowed a small smile to cross his features. It was a hollow smile, and she wondered if Death was on his mind again.
“Yes, they do,” he said and turned to begin walking away. “There are ten.”
“And the Immortals have thousands,” she said. She swiped at a branch that snaked in front of her. “Do demons have to pretend to respect a human’s free will like Immortals do?”
“No. Mortals are like … candy to demons. Demons don’t need them, but they taste good.”
Katie almost laughed at the oddity of his words. He didn’t seem to be joking, but she couldn’t see his face to tell one way or another.