by A. Catherine
I clenched my jaw. “What about her?”
“I hear she’s got a few tricks up her sleeve.”
I resisted the urge to laugh at that. Instead, I gulped down the remainder of my scotch in one swig.
I tossed the glass, letting it shatter against the obsidian walls.
“If you only brought me here to play games and dilly-dally, then I’m leaving.”
He pouted. “So soon?”
“I have more important things to do than to play catch up with daddy.”
Lucifer clicked his tongue. “Tsk, tsk, son. Don’t forget that you have obligations to this realm that you’ve been slacking on, don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
I rolled my eyes and walked towards the exit.
“Everything is being managed just fine.”
“By your lackies, not by you. These tasks weren’t meant to be overseen by a fifth-generation grunt, Kaleus,” he said.
A nerve, he was touching a nerve, and he knew it. It wouldn’t even get to me if it weren’t for the fact that he’s trying to get under my skin and knows exactly which buttons to push. He’s played this game with me too many times not to.
“I’ve made it very clear that you are not to speak ill of Seere.”
His voice was deadly calm, “Let me remind you, boy, that I am still in charge here. You may pretend to be in charge when you’re colluding with the angels, but here, you answer to me. Lillith answers to me. Daevas answers to me. Your pup answers to me.”
I flipped to face him. His face cold and unfeeling, aside from the subtle incline of his mouth.
He was goading me, and I would be a fool to fall for it.
“So, this summoning is actually just a chance for you to prod at me again. I thought we were getting over this cycle of cat and mouse.”
He shrugged. “After the last incident, it’s clear to me that you haven’t been pushed far enough. How’s that fire stoking? Is it raging to escape once more?” he teased.
I loosened a small growl from deep in my throat. “I’m in complete control.” Much to your disappointment.
He tapped the glass in his hand with a finger, sipping it again without looking away from me. He released a loud sigh after swallowing the last of his scotch.
“If that’s true, you shouldn’t have any trouble sticking around a bit longer.”
All I wanted was to leave. Run back to the mortal realm, hop on my motorcycle, and drive the long distance to the warehouse to clear my head. To be rid of the heat of this place and the smoldering it caused in me.
How much I longed to get away from this forever. A mortal life always seemed so much more amiable than this.
But Lucifer was right. If I were to prove that I could in-fact control the danger I possessed, leaving right now would be counterproductive.
I took a deep breath, sending a quick thread of thought to Seere, looking for that tether to sanity.
“Fine. But enough with the games and the delays. Let’s get to what you wanted me here for,” I demanded.
I sat in an armchair on the opposite side of the room, putting more space between us.
I felt Seere reach back, a short message. Iaoel and I are just getting back to the warehouse. Just tolerate him until he’s done frolicking.
I hid the relief her voice gave me. Someone who knew me, jagged edges and all, and would never turn away or encourage destruction.
Lucifer returned to the bar to refill his glass.
“The wraith you captured, said it was released from Fangelsi?” he asked.
I shot a look towards Lillith, who only lazily sipped on her martini.
“That’s what it told us.”
He looked down for a moment, then at me. “Only archangels can open those prisons,” he stated.
I furrowed my brows.
“You think an archangel is behind it?” I asked. “I assumed we had ruled them out already.”
Who would unleash the very things that they imprisoned millions of years ago?
Lucifer shook his head. “It’s unlikely. My siblings are loyal to our almighty father. Chamuel and Gabriel weren’t even born until the very end of The Tear. They wouldn’t even know how to open them.”
I waited, but he stayed silent for a while, thinking. “Then how did it open?” I pressed.
He drank some of the amber liquid, before something dawned on him, a realization.
“There were a few relics from before the Pațaippu period, before Nēram, dating all the way back to the Before.”
“Before the original creation?”
He nodded. “They are certainly powerful enough to be able to negate the spells and powerful wards put on the prisons to keep them shut. If those relics were wielded by a powerful being who knew how to use them. Maybe…but a lot of those relics disappeared during Paṭukolai, right in the middle of the slaughtering.”
During The Great Slaughter that led to The Tear.
This might be something—something we can work with and move forward with. We were reaching a limbo, unsure how to move ahead, only gathering information hoping something would lead us to the next step.
But this, might be the very information we needed.
“Is there record of these relics, what they are or what they look like?” I asked, sitting up straighter.
“Maybe, you’d have to look pretty deep into a lot of Scribe bases. Heaven might be the best place to start.”
Seere began sending me concerned thoughts. Hey fire-boy, you might want to get back here.
Oh great, what now?
“How would we know what we’re looking for?” Lillith asked.
She also didn’t exist until after The Tear, these relics were new to the both of us.
I only reached back halfway, trying to listen to both Lucifer and Seere.
This isn’t great timing, beasty.
Lucifer went to the wall of obsidian and with his finger he signed two markings, ancient markings on the wall for us to see.
“Look for Eternal sigils. They should be on anything that would be relevant from Vāļkkai to The Tear. These are the two I’m familiar with. The others are unlikely to be scribed in any written word,” he said.
I studied the markings. I recall learning a little about Vāļkkai, the first corporeal beings in the universe, the almighty, his companion…forming from the various matter floating around in the void.
Daevas went inside Heather’s mind, something about searching her memories. Gabriel is livid, he’s become completely unhinged. If you don’t get here soon, the brute might do something he regrets. Seere quickly explained.
I sighed.
“I have to go. But I’ll tell the others and we’ll start looking.” I looked towards Lillith. “You coming?” Her eyes drifted to Lucifer lustfully.
“She’ll catch up.” Lucifer purred.
I resisted the urge to gag and left the room swiftly. I began walking briskly to the upper levels where winnowing would be easier.
I’ll be there in a few seconds.
I shifted to the Ethereal and warped to the warehouse. As soon as my smoke and fire retreated I heard the commotion in the upper room. My own inner fire still churning and festering.
“Calm down! Everything was fine!” Jade’s voice sounded.
“Fine? A demon wandering around a mortal’s consciousness is dangerous! You should have waited for me,” Gabriel snapped back.
Daevas’ voice chimed in, low like he was struggling to breathe. “She was in no danger.”
“No danger? Then why is she now unconscious? You have no idea what kind of damage you could have wrought on the fabric of her mind!”
I began running up the stairs.
“I think I do…”
“Shut up!”
“Seriously! Let him go, you stupid oaf!” Seere chirped.
“I should just smite you here and now for even trying it.” Gabriel’s voice was murderous.
I reached the top and rushed into the room.
Ga
briel had Daevas pinned against the adjacent wall, full power and wings out in all their glory. Seere was a few steps back, daggers drawn.
Jade was behind Gabriel, not daring to get in the crossfire. Jophiel only sat at the far end of the table, watching out of boredom and annoyance.
Heather was in a chair, completely passed out, Duma was trying to assess her while also flicking his attention to the ongoing tension in the room.
Gabriel had all his might out, which meant even if they all tried to subdue him, there would be a lot of unnecessary injuries.
I stared only for a moment at Gabriel and Daevas, who glared at directly at one another. Neither willing to yield, and the longer they stood there, the more Gabriel glowed, as though ready to erupt.
Something about his grip on my friend loosened some of the stirring flame in me. And all at once the room filled with smoke and electricity.
Some of the others jumped and started at the sudden influx of power. I stepped closer to Gabriel, dragging his eyes to me.
With a mere flick of my hand, Gabriel went flying backwards towards the couches, landing hard and fast. Jade managed to dodge quickly enough to avoid injury.
Daevas sagged to floor, but he quickly regained his footing, rubbing his neck. The tentacles tattooed there now turning purple from bruises.
I squared myself between Gabriel and everyone else. He grunted, lifting himself up on his knees.
“That temper of yours is really unbecoming, feathers,” I said calmly.
He growled. “I’m her Guardian. It’s my job to protect her, even against you,” he spat.
“He wasn’t going to hurt her,” I stated. He huffed.
“Then explain her current state.”
When I turned to Daevas, he began to explain, “He broke my focus.” Glaring at the arch-asshole, “You have no one to blame but yourself.”
Gabriel went to lunge for him, but he was met by another blow from me, flinging him back on his ass once more.
“Stay put until you take a fucking chill pill,” I ordered.
He glared up at me, but he didn’t try to move again, his glow diminishing some.
I turned and walked over to Heather’s unconscious body that Duma was still assessing. I jerked my chin and he moved out of the way.
I knelt down in front of her. First I clutched her ankles, they were steady, she was still grounded.
I clasped her hands, her pulse was steady as well, meaning no immediate trauma. I closed my eyes and focused on her. Slowly approaching the outer barriers of her consciousness.
A small wooden gate was there. I put my hand on it and sent a tendril of power further in.
“Heather?” I spoke into the void.
The wooden gate fell away, and all around me the landscape came into view.
A garden full of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, outside of a small house. A middle-aged woman with a sunhat and bright blue gardening gloves was moving a potted plant into a hole she had just dug into the ground. The woman had dark hair, and big brown eyes. She wore a floral apron that was worn and covered in dirt. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm, looking off into the distance.
I followed her gaze, landing on Heather. Younger, no older than seventeen maybe. She was sitting on a porch swing reading a book. Wearing a pair of pink eyeglasses, a bright green blouse and denim overalls, barefoot.
This must be a memory.
Maybe this was the last one they were in before Gabriel interrupted and Daevas had to pull out of it.
I didn’t need Heather’s permission to get in here, so it must have turned into a dream after Daevas left. She was in her subconscious now.
I let out a relieved sigh and retreated out of her mind.
Opening my eyes, Heather was still unconscious in front of me. Maybe not terribly comfortable sleeping in a chair, but nothing seemed to be wrong otherwise.
My eyes lingered on her face, seeing the similarities between her and the middle-aged woman gardening, who I assume was her mother. And for a moment, just a moment, I admired the beautiful human woman before me.
But I let the moment go and turned towards the crowd, waiting for me to say something.
“She’s fine.”
Some of them sighed, having been holding their breaths. I locked eyes with Gabriel, who too had eased some of his tension.
“Daevas is the best at what he does. Despite your rude and thoughtless disruption of a very delicate process, he managed to seal her in the memory they were in. It more or less became a dream. And I’m guessing that she is still out because the memory walking was exhausting. She’ll probably be out for a couple hours, maybe even a day or two,” I explained.
Gabriel was standing now, wings no longer protruding from his back. He even dared to look ashamed. He looked to the floor then to me then to Daevas, clearing his throat.
“I apologize for my…recklessness.”
Daevas didn’t pretend to be forgiving or pleased with his empty apology, but he did see fit to give him a curt nod as a response.
Then Daevas turned to me, and I already knew what he was going to say. I held up my hand to silence him before he could speak.
“There’s no need.”
He hesitated, but again nodded in understanding.
I once again turned towards Heather’s unconscious body. I sighed.
“I’ll take her to her room,” I slid my arm under her knees and the other around her waist, cradling her against me.
“I can take her,” Gabriel said, ready to jump in.
I tensed and backed a step. “I think you need to take a break from playing protector.”
Despite his sneering he allowed me to take her. I turned and began down the hallway.
Jade in the other room said, “I will put on some tea.”
“Make it whiskey,” Seere chimed.
The few responding chuckles eased some of the lingering tension.
I rounded the corner and carefully carried Heather to her door, spearing my power to open it.
Her duffle was open and spread on the dresser, some of her books and notebooks on the bedside table. I lowered her down onto the bed, gently resting her limp head onto the pillow. Once she was settled in, I lifted the blanket over her form.
Sitting on the edge, I just watched her for a moment. I could still feel the after-effects of my outburst. So, I took this moment in the dark quiet to try to soothe the fire once more.
I hadn’t even realized I was stroking strands of her hair as I went through my own mind and soul, fishing out every last burning ember and blowing them out one by one until I no longer felt the rage and mania.
It must be nice to be a human. Not having to worry about getting angry for fear of burning a building down. Emotions are just feelings, however unpleasant. Not a catalyst to calamity.
There’s no doubt Heather’s mortal life is anything but normal, and it is a shame she has to be a part of this. But at least when it’s over, she has the option to forget and move on.
But the frenzy will never end for me.
I must have been there a while, because Seere reached out.
Do you want us to start without you?
I assume she meant another debrief of what we found out today. I stroked Heather’s hair again, letting the smoothness soothe my soul.
Give me another minute. I felt her agree and leave.
My thoughts drifted back to the words my father used to goad me earlier, and then Gabriel losing his shit. I took a deep breath and looked at Heather one last time.
“I don’t know about you. But I’m starting to root for whoever started this madness.”
NINETEEN
Kale
“ETERNAL RELICS?” Jophiel asked.
All of us now gathered in the large room, maintaining a safe distance from one another. Lillith had finally decided to grace us with her presence not long after the fiasco.
I nodded. “From before the original creation. Any idea what they might be since you w
ere alive before The Great Slaughter?” I asked her.
Gabriel might know, but only from second-hand accounts.
Jophiel tapped the table, thinking. “I recall some objects that belonged to the almighty, but I don’t know if those would be what you’re referring to. As far as I remember, they went missing or were destroyed during the onslaught. That or they were cleverly stashed. I always thought Lucifer stole away with a few during The Fall,” she replied.
