by Kyra Quinn
“What did you want me to do, restrain her?” Remiel scowled. “Viktor and I did all we could to warn her against the dangers of trusting a demon. But she and the mage believe they are acting on the orders of Osius.”
Elijah shook his head. “It must have been a djinn or a high-powered demon. The Reapers have had dominion over death since the Era of Innocence. Our best guess is that Osius and the other gods abandoned this universe for one they thought better, or to make a new one.”
“What about their offspring?” Remiel rubbed his chin.
Elijah shrugged once more. “Also unknown. Which is part of why the camphelem poses so much of a threat.”
Remiel scoffed. “Zanox will execute Lili the moment he gets his hands on her. Problem solved.”
“Samael wanted the girl brought to him.”
“Because he sired her. You neglected to mention that part.” Remiel’s expression hardened once more. “It is far too late for him to take an interest in fatherhood now.”
Elijah rolled his eyes. “Samael wants to assess the threat she poses for himself. He will decide how to handle her from there.”
“I was one of you for long enough to see through the smoke, Brother. Samael wanted us to keep an eye on her while he built a cage strong enough to contain her.”
“That isn’t for us to decide—”
Remiel slammed his fist against the table so hard the wood shook. “Precisely. We have lost all say in the matter because Samael is too late. Zanox and his demons have the camphelem now. I imagine she’ll be dead by the time the sun rises. I entertained my nostalgia when I first saw you, but I refuse to make that mistake twice. Now take your holier-than-thou bullshit back to the Gardens and stay out of my affairs.”
Elijah frowned. “I had hoped you would have changed by now, Remiel. But you are too blinded by your pride to ever grow.”
“My apologies for the disappointment. Not sure how you expected centuries of exile to warm me up to falling in line and taking orders.”
Elijah leaned in inches from Remiel’s face, his voice low. “You have forgotten your place, Remiel. You have spent so much time down here among the humans you have come to think of yourself as one. But you and I both know the truth. You are an angel, created with the sole purpose of serving and defending the Gardens. Tell me, brother, are your days with the Garrison so far behind you now you no longer remember the countless villages you laid to waste?”
Remiel rose from his chair in a calm, fluid motion. He shot Elijah an icy look and said, “I have spent centuries trying to purge my memory of the atrocities I committed in the name of the Gardens and our gods.”
“Since when?” Elijah snorted. “You spoke of your conquests with the same arrogance then you address me with today.”
“Because the Garrison brainwashed me into believing I served a righteous cause. The Archangels attributed the bloodshed to the will of the gods. No one dared question their divine ruling. But where are they now, Elijah? What higher purpose do you hide behind now?”
“It is not for us to know their plans—”
“Bullshit. If it is our place to execute their enemies, it is our place to question why.” He marched towards the door with his spine erect. Viktor flipped Elijah off and scurried after Remiel, his steps lighter than they’d been hours before.
“Where are you going?” Elijah demanded, still seated at the table behind them.
Remiel did not pause. His face hardened as he mumbled, “To correct my mistakes while there is still time.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Mother of Darkness
I fell through the pitch-black abyss for what felt like hours and seconds all at the same time. My body flipped and tumbled through the air like a child’s doll. My limbs flailed by my sides. The urge to scream disappeared after the first few seconds. Wind peeled the skin back from my face as gravity pinned my wings to my back. No matter how hard I tried to flap, the air forced my wings down.
Just when I thought the fall might never end, my body crashed against a cold, hard surface. Spots filled my vision. I groaned as pain shot through me like an arrow. Every inch of me hurt as I pushed against the slick black asphalt to my feet. Blood dripped from my knees down my legs, my palms and elbows also scraped. Wonderful.
“Lili? Lili, look.” Aster stood a few feet away. A thick gash ran from her hairline to her eyebrow. Drops of crimson dripped down her cheek. Her face lit up as she bounced on her heels and pointed.
I spun around in a slow circle and rubbed my eyes. My mouth dropped as my chest swelled with reverence. From the way Remiel and Viktor had described the Shadowrealm, I’d expected to find an empty wasteland full of sorrow and death. I’d come prepared to land in the clutches of ravenous demons or hungry shadow monsters. Instead, our arrival went undetected.
From what little I could see, the Shadowrealm was anything but badlands. Concrete buildings and glass towers stretched towards the pitch-black sky above. No stars or moon illuminated the inky night above us. A mirage of rainbow lights blinked from the roofs and sides of the buildings. A cloud of red smoke hung over the vibrant city, the buildings washed in an eerie pink glow. I took a step closer, my mouth open.
“This is the Shadowrealm?”
Aster nodded. “I expected more fire, but it’s nippy.”
I laughed, more at the absurdity of it all than Aster’s observation. Every time I thought I understood our situation, something new humbled me with a reminder of how little of the world I comprehended. I sucked in a breath and studied the unfamiliar landscape. While I was grateful to be proven wrong in my assumptions about the Shadowrealm, we hadn’t made it out of the danger zone yet. The scene in front of us presented yet another new challenge.
“Gods, help us.” I rubbed my temples. My head still throbbed from my impact with the ground, my thoughts muddled. “Where do we find the scythe?”
Aster’s eyes flickered to the buildings around us. “No idea. Better question: what the Fey is up with the lighting here? They aren’t candles or oil lanterns.”
At least I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand our strange new surroundings. But we couldn’t afford to stand around waiting to be captured. “Where should we look first? We can’t stroll into the local tavern and ask if anyone’s seen Osius’s stolen scythe anywhere.”
Aster frowned. “We need to keep a low profile and be stealthy if we want to avoid the demons. Stick to the shadows and follow me.”
I held my breath as we stalked towards the city in silence. My heart pounded in my ears as my eyes flickered around the streets for signs of danger. Sleek black pavement replaced the cobbled streets and dirt roads of Astryae. Smog and sulfur hung in the air. I wrapped my arms around my body and pinned my eyes to my feet, careful to avoid attracting attention from any of the other creatures we passed.
Aster froze in her tracks. Her arm flew out by her side and into my stomach to stop me. “Do you hear?” She cupped her ear and grinned. “Music.”
It didn’t sound like any music I’d ever come across in Astryae. Strange noises pierced the night, the sound simultaneously horrid and catchy. I wrinkled my nose and stuck my tongue out. “Gods, is that what they call this garbage? Let’s try not to stay long. That noise is murder on my headache.”
“Where should we start?” Aster spun in a slow circle as she studied the surrounding buildings. “Think there’s a demon arms dealer somewhere with a warehouse? Not sure how much use my stave will be here.”
“Not sure. What’s a casino?” I asked, pointing to the tallest building in the strip’s center.
“I don’t have the slightest clue. Shall we find out?”
I frowned. “That sounds like a terrible way to approach this plan.”
Aster winked. “Since when have we tried it any other way? Come on, let’s go peek.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the sidewalk. The touch of her skin sent a jolt of electricity up my arm. Her skin was softer than I’d expected, her touch war
m. At least if I died, I’d have the pleasure of dying with the first friend I’d had in years.
Two demons stood posted in front of the doors to the casino. They wore identical three-piece black and white suits, their eyes hidden behind dark glasses. They grimaced as we approached.
“Are you here to play or pay?” the bigger one on the left asked.
“Sorry?”
“Play. Or. Pay. Are you here to gamble or settle an old debt?” the second one asked.
Aster and I exchanged nervous glances. As far as I knew, neither of us had brought money for this adventure into darkness. “Play?”
“The buy-in is a hundred shadow stasi.”
I blinked. I had no idea what a shadow stasi was, but I knew I had none. At least the bouncers didn’t appear to recognize either of us. How many humans wandered through the streets of the Shadowrealm? I shifted my weight and tried to peek in through the door, but the broad chests and bulky arms of the bouncers obscured any view.
“What if we want to watch?” Aster softened her voice as she batted her eyelashes. “We promise to stay out of the way.”
The first bouncer shook his head. “Mr. Bokath doesn’t like voyeurs. You pay the buy in, or you don’t come in.”
Out of other options, I thanked the bouncers for their time and hooked my arm through Aster’s. I drug her away before she mouthed off to the massive demon guards. The longer we avoided attention, the longer we might pass through the shadows undetected.
Aster glared daggers as we hurried down the street. “Now what? Give up and go back to the veil?”
“Of course not.” I rolled my eyes. When I felt certain we’d made it far enough away to be out of earshot, I dropped her arm and stopped on the side of the sidewalk. “The last thing we need is a fight with those red-eyed bastards. We’re probably the closest things to humans in the Shadowrealm. Don’t draw attention.”
Aster growled in frustration as she raked a hand through her hair. “We’ll never find the scythe without talking to people.”
“I didn’t say we don’t talk to people. Only that we don’t start confrontation with everyone we meet.” I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck, my next words chosen with care. “I like you. I like the way you work. But this isn’t Astryae. We need to take a more defensive approach until we have a better grasp of our environment.”
Aster didn’t agree. Her mouth opened as if to argue, but she snapped it shut and gave a short nod. “We can try things your way. When that fails us, we’ll do it right.”
“Fine. Let’s go figure out where demons stash their ominous stolen weapons.”
We spent the night exploring the outside of Shadow City, too afraid to approach any other establishments without currency. I waited what felt like an eternity for the darkness above to give way to the sun, but daylight never came. The city remained alive and vibrant in the depths of darkness. It struck me as odd how anything flourished with only artificial lights, let alone an entire civilization. The longer we spent in the shadows, the more I wondered how much Father had deceived me over the years.
“What about this place?” Aster pointed towards a smaller brick building. “It looks like a library or a bookstore. Maybe we’ll have luck in there.”
For all her impressive combat skills, Aster was a nerd at heart. I smirked as I shook my head. “This doesn’t strike me as a place where the answers hide in books. All the demons we encountered in Astryae had weapons, right? We need to figure out where they got them.”
“We should probably pick something up for you while we’re there.” Aster shot me a sideways glance. “You can’t always rely on your powers to save you.”
“Hey, I’d love to have something to engage with besides my two hands and sheer dumb luck.” I flexed my frozen fingers. “It’s not even predictable when the magic will come.”
“Not yet. Your abilities haven’t finished evolving, and you have had little practice with them. By this time next year, I bet your bare hands will be more dangerous than any stupid fire sword.”
I smiled as I pictured Viktor and Remiel watching my powers with awe. A small seed of hope bloomed in my chest. If I survived this adventure, Osius would strip the darker parts of my soul and leave only the purest of powers. No one would dare try to take my agency from me again. Thanks to my mysterious birth parents I was anything but a weak and ordinary girl. I was a living weapon.
“What about that place?” Aster asked. “It looks busy. Perhaps we can sneak through the back.”
I followed Aster’s gaze towards the only round building on the street. The concrete structure stood at least three stories high, the windows all covered with silk curtains. The point of the roof looked sharper than Remiel’s blade, a statue of a raven positioned on top. A line of people stretched from the doors down the sidewalk, all draped head to toe in a sleek black fabric. Music filtered out of the open doors into the streets, the sidewalk vibrating beneath my boots.
“I’m not sure we match the dress code,” I said.
“We can.” Aster grinned and pulled out her stave. “Come on. Let’s duck into that alley and change.”
Aster reached for my hand and pulled me into the shadows of the alleyway beside the nightclub. She pressed the tip of the ruby against her palm and winced as the crimson liquid spilled from the edges. The gem glowed as it sucked the blood up and activated Aster’s magic.
Aster lifted the stave with one hand. The other cradled her chin as her eyes swept over me, her mind moved on to the next order of business. “Hmm. We need something that blends in, but also leaves us enough mobility to fight. Something dark and sexy. We want to look like Shadowfey girls who belong in a hip nightclub.”
I bit back a smirk. I couldn’t imagine our wardrobe being critical to our success, but Aster’s rapid speech gave away her excitement. Changes in wardrobe would slow us down, but I resigned to leave Aster to her fun. If playing dress-up gave her the confidence to kick ass when we needed to, I’d be the last person to complain.
“I think I’ve got it,” she said after a few moments. “Hold still. This might burn a smidge.”
“Wait, what?”
But it was too late. Aster waved the stave from my head to the toes of my boots as she whispered, “Obcaeco verum.”
‘Might burn a smidge’ turned out to be the largest understatement of the decade. Aster clasped a hand over my mouth to muffle the cry of pain that slipped past my lips. I wiggled and writhed against the wall of the building behind me. Every inch of my body felt as if Aster had dipped me in fire. I rubbed my hands up and down my skin, but it didn’t help.
“Shh. Apologies, friend,” Aster whispered, her eyes panicked as she squeezed my mouth. “The pain is temporary. Try to fixate on something else.”
I shook my head, my eyes squeezed shut to force back tears. She’d done something wrong. Her magic didn’t work here, or the stave hated me. Maybe it was part of her plan all along. She’d wait for me to collapse from pain and deliver me to the demons for a hefty reward. How could I have been so stupid? I deserved to die this way. I—
All at once, the pain subsided as suddenly as it came. My chest heaved with each breath as I waited for my pulse to slow. Aster’s hand lifted from my mouth as I opened my eyes. She put a hand on her hip, her expression smug.
“See? Not so bad.”
“Easy for you to say,” I grumbled. “You weren’t the one on fire.”
Aster waved the stave over her own outfit. Her clothes sizzled and fell away from her body, but she didn’t move or flinch. She smirked as a tiny sequined black dress took the place of her pants and corset top. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and puffed out her chest.
“You’re just theatrical. But this time hurt a bit more than usual.” Her forehead creased as she glanced at her injury. “Any chance you can do your thing?”
My hands went cold. Could I? I swallowed and reached for her hand. “It didn’t work last time, but it’s worth a shot, right?”
Her so
ft skin against mine quieted the storm inside my head. I closed my eyes and focused on the way my skin buzzed with energy against her hand. My thumb traced a gentle circle over her open wound. I kept my touch light, afraid to apply too much pressure to the hole in her palm.
Aster gasped and jerked her hand back. I opened my eyes to see her twisting her wrist back and forth, her eyes wide. The cut had vanished. Not even a faint mark or tiny scar remained in its place.
“Marvelous,” she said, her voice breathy. “I have never seen it work so fast.”
“You’re welcome. Where did your daggers go?” I asked. “What happened to not relying on our powers all the time?”
“Mine are more reliable. Besides, the daggers are right here. I’d never be stupid enough to walk into a demon pit without backup.” She lifted the hem of her dress to reveal a thigh sheath strapped to her leg. Aster winked, then frowned as she studied my outfit. “You look better than I do. Maybe I should change—”
“You look great. Let’s go.” I gave Aster a gentle push forward, though I hadn’t bothered to look down at my clothes. I didn’t care if we had to retrieve the scythe in the nude. All I wanted was to find what we’d come for and escape while we still had a chance to.
I followed Aster out of the alley and back towards the club. Once we reached the light, I took a moment to study my appearance and cringed. My father never would have let me leave the house in so little. A black leather skirt cut off in the center of my thighs, a skin-tight mesh shirt pressed to my torso. The center of the chest had a deep V carved out. Ribbons crisscrossed over the open space like shoelaces. I looked cheap, but I didn’t look half bad. In a warmer climate I might have even liked it.
“This line will take forever,” I groaned as I approached my place in the back.
“Not if you do it the right way,” Aster winked as she looped her arm through mine. She tugged me back into the alleyway and around the back of the building. A single metal door stood in the back’s center, a cluster of dumpsters nearby.
