by T. G. Ayer
Now Mykia smiled at Evie and for the first time the nephilim had to wonder if the Master really was on her side. There was a certain look of honesty in the woman’s eyes that gave Evie some hope.
Evie cleared her throat. “Thank you. For trying to make this easier for me. But I have to admit I’m still confused. When do you think my legal counsel will visit me?” Evie asked softly, taking care not to appear passive aggressive.
But Mykia simply nodded firmly. Then she raised her hand and to Evie’s surprise, the Master drew a ward of silence around them, her expression determined. “I may as well bring you up to speed. I’m not sure whether I can trust the old masters now. I gave Master Braxus specific instructions to ensure you can defend yourself against all the charges and he appeared to be compliant. But the fact that nothing has happened...well it just makes me wonder if the suspicions are correct as to the questionable loyalties of the current leadership of the eastern seaboard Irin.”
Evie’s ears rang with the Master’s words and she shook her head. “Are you sure that you should be telling me these things?”
Mykia shrugged. “Well, considering someone somewhere has decided it’s best for you to not be able to defend yourself against the charges, which translates to wanting you to be unable to prove your innocence, it seems to me that you are the most unlikely person to be in cahoots with this lot.”
Evie just stared. She wasn’t sure how to respond so she just said, “If this is a way to trick me into incriminating myself or dropping a few key identities of people involved in this terrible plot, then consider me tricked, only I don’t know who is involved, and I have it on good authority that I’m not guilty of doing anything wrong.”
As soon as the words fell from her lips Evie felt a twinge of guilt within her gut. She was guilty. But she still wasn’t at all sure who she was supposed to have attempted to murder.
Mykia took a slow breath and pushed forward a file. “Inside this folder you will find information regarding the details of the charges and some of the evidence collected by the prosecution.”
Evie’s eyebrows rose but she said nothing as she took the folder and flicked it open, her action nonchalant though the emotions swirling inside her gut was as far from uncaring as she could ever get.
Murder.
She’d been accused of the murder of the Grand Master of the Irin, Marcellus Bactor. Evie blinked a few times as the name, written in a grandiose scrawl that she’d have suspected immediately was written by Daniel, had she not already been aware that he was very much gone.
Mykia sighed and sat back, clearly far too impatient for Evie to complete her all-too-slow read. “So Marcellus was missing for a few days, and his body is yet to be found. The last mention of his whereabouts was testimony from a few of his personal guard who confirmed that he’d come to visit you in the underworld where you sicced an enormous canine on them, and did nothing to help when the creature chased the Grand Master into the tunnels and ate him.”
Mykia had paused and Evie couldn't wait to drop a quick response in right then. “Sorry, I’m not getting how I can be held accountable for the death of a man who was supposedly killed by a huge dog.”
Mykia smiled. “Yes, I do believe I had a hard time getting around that. But the guards swore that you deliberately commanded the dog to eat the Grand Master, and that you didn’t tell the creature to stop when you saw what it was doing.”
Evie shrugged knowing all too well that the guards had fled before Marcellus had met his gory end. “I suppose it doesn’t matter much that it was a chimera who was the real murderer, does it?”
Mykia’s eyes widened and then she shook her head. “It matters, of course. We just have to find a way to ensure your side of the story isn’t ignored.”
“And for the record, the guards never saw what happened. They fled when Cerberus ran after them.”
Mykia sat up. “Cerberus? Mangy mutt, three heads, overactive saliva glands? That Cerberus?”
Evie smirked, holding back her laughter. “Yes. That Cerberus.” Evie didn’t want to go any further into the implications of Mykia’s statement. Not now at any rate.
So instead she sighed and said, "So I suppose the best thing right now is to tell you what really happened." After Mykia nodded, Evie said, "Do you know anything about the Seals of Hades?"
The Master nodded, her dark hair shifting to catch the light as she squinted to recall the details of her knowledge. "Yes. We'd had a meeting a year or so ago where all the Masters were updated regarding the nature of the Seals and what it would mean if they were to get into the wrong hands." She paused, straightening her head and studying Evie, eyes now narrowed. "Why do you ask? Do the Seals have anything to do with Marcellus's death?”
Evie shook her head and held back a smile at Mykia's impatience before saying, "I'm afraid that Marcellus had a darker reason for discussing the Seals. Did your meeting have a resolution in the end? Like, did the meeting end with you guys all deciding to find the Seals and hide them somewhere safe?"
Mykia stiffened. "No. We all decided that the responsibility of safeguarding the Seals would be best to remain in the hands of their longtime guardians, the Demon Overlords."
Evie took a slow breath. "Oh. I see." She bit her lip for a moment and then asked, "Did you guys have contact with the Overlords at all? Or was the decision made entirely by the Brotherhood?”
The Master shook her head and then got to her feet. "No. We had a discussion with one of the overlords. A demon named Baltazar. He assured us that the Seals were all completely safe and that if they were ever to be found, there was one key piece that he was certain was lost forever, until it wanted to be found again. He promised us that even the Overlords would have no way to use the Seals for any nefarious purpose as even with all the Seals, they would still require the final piece to complete any sort of ceremonial ascension rite."
Evie nodded slowly and took a breath. "Well. I have bad news for you. And maybe there will be a few brothers who won't be all that surprised."
Eyes narrowing again, Mykia said, "You're hinting a little at conspiracy here.”
Evie held her breath as Mykia’s eyes flashed with suspicion.
Chapter 10
A tense moment past until Mykia relaxed. “I will ignore the ramifications of your accusation for now...until you complete your briefing."
Giving a quick nod, Evie swallowed. She very much appreciated Mykia's calm interaction and her patience too. Which made Evie all the more certain this woman was trustworthy.
Evie cleared her throat and said, "For the past year, all the warriors of the Irin were taken off their regular mortal protective duties and given a specific task." Evie got to her feet now and began to pace the floor in front of the sofa, ignoring her bound wrists. "The Irin warriors were briefed on a daily basis, each provided with a name of a demon and a location. We were instructed to terminate that demon, and to return with every single piece of metal on their person. The standard rule of throwing all demon possessions into the smelter was revoked and we were under the strictest of orders to hand over all possessions, specifically metal ones."
"Surely Marcellus wouldn't have expected you to break our age-old rules. Those rules have been in place for a good reason. Seals of Hades notwithstanding." Mykia appeared to have trouble remaining calm and Evie suspected the Master knew what was coming.
Evie smiled sadly though her expression had gone unseen by Mykia. Then Evie said, "He was adamant enough. Even to the point of searching the rooms of warriors he suspected were holding back some of the items. There was an incident before I left."
Mykia's eyebrows curved, "The one which involved Warriors Ling and Ash?"
Nodding, Evie gave a frown. "I'm assuming they told you some of what happened." tThen she sucked in a deep breath. "But I'll go over it again. My last mission was to terminate a demon but when I completed my task, I felt ill. Literally. As though I'd done something terribly wrong. I tried to figure out why. I thought perhaps it had
to do with how confused this demon was. How perplexed that I would be there to kill him. He was so caught off guard that he didn't even defend himself. And it didn't sit well with me at all."
"May I ask who this particular demon was?" Mykia asked slowly. "Ash and Ling appeared to not know his identity."
Evei's shoulders bowed. "His name was Baltazar." She ignored Mylia's gasp of horror and continued pacing, needing to get the story out before she too became too drained. She was oddly tired and suspected it had to do with having been so depleted of her energy after eliminating the Shade. "When I returned to hand over Baltazar's metal possessions--sans the Seal as its presence rang all my bells of suspicion--Marcellus was furious. He seemed far more angry, as though he'd suspected I'd return with something important but I came back empty-handed. At the time I knew nothing of the Seals themselves but I was happy that I'd kept the Seal. I'd picked up one before that as well, from another demon though he had fought back so that mission didn't set off any alarm bells for me. Par for the course I guess, other than the Seal he had on him. Anyway, while I was in his office I spotted what appeared to be a list of names., The parchment was ancient and the lettering seemed rather old-world. Marcellus seemed satisfied that Baltazar's name wasn't on the list and I was confused. Later I found out what that list was."
Mykia nodded, her complexion now ashen. "Marcellus had the Demon Ledgers. Why he had it, is what I’d like to know. He had no business with that information in his possession. The Ledgers is a record of every living demonic soul, including all the Overlords’ names and designations. There is an appendix that goes with the Ledgers which allows you to locate any of the demons on record. Only if you knew how."
Evie shrugged. "Well, Marcellus certainly knew how. He eliminated almost all of those overlords who were responsible for protecting the Seals. They'd apparently had those Seals in their possession for more than a millennium." Evie rolled her shoulders as she sighed. Her cuffed wrists were pulling
The cuffs were pulling her arms down and causing a strain on her shoulders. Added to that strain was the leather cage that bound her wings to prevent her from simply flying to freedom. They felt cramped and shuddered from time to time as though they wanted out of their confines. Evie understood how they felt.
She took a slow breath and forced herself to relax. "So after seeing the list, I began to suspect something was up. So I broke the rules."
"You mean you broke more rules," Mykia corrected, though her eyes glittered with amusement.
Evie smiled. "My next mission was to eliminate a minor demon but he told me a few things, including the fact that Baltazar was a pretty nice guy. He also sent me to meet with Baa'ruk, one of the high-level overlords who was based in New Orleans. I let the demon live even though I knew Marcellus would punish me for it. But I figured I had his Seal in my possessioned and thought it would come in handy. Then I met with Barry and let's just say, all became clear. He clued me in on the Seals, what they were and the power they held for whoever owned them. Of course, he didn't tell me about the final piece needed to complete the rite but I suppose he was still trying to protect the Seals."
Mykia shifted forward to rest her elbows on her desk. "Without that final piece, even Marcellus would be stumped. So this Barry guy, he knew Marcellus had no hope of using the Seals?"
Evie nodded. "No hope of using them, but it was possible that he'd find a way at some point. I did figure out how he knew all of this, but that information came a little later." Mykia's eyebrows rose in question and Evie replied, "Marcellus wasn't working alone. And I don't mean that he definitely had other masters working with him."
Evie must have paused for a little too long as she thought about how to put her revelation into words because Mykia cleared her throat. "You're keeping me in suspense, Evie."
Evie let out a soft chuckle. "Sorry. Just not sure how to say it but here goes. You remember Daniel Feinstein?"
Mykia glanced at the door, probably wondering where the elusive Master Braxus had gotten to. Then she replied, "Didn't care much for him to be honest. The feeling was mutual from what I heard. Had he been around I wouldn't have been elected, that much I know for certain."
Though she was a little surprised at Mykia's transparency, Evie didn't comment. She just said, "Your instinct was correct. Daniel didn't...I mean he wasn't...."
Evie swallowed hard, well aware that she wasn't about to confess that Daniel was her father. Not right at that moment when she wasn't dead certain Mykia was on her side. All she had to convey was the truth without saying who he was to Evie herself. Feeling better about her internal battle, Evie said, "Good thing you're sitting down for this. So, Daniel Feinstein wasn't a Brother. He would have passed the Trials, yes, but he wasn't at all a mage or a mortal for that matter."
Mykia shifted in her seat. "Evie? Don't tell me he was a god hiding in our midst?"
Evie smirked. "Close enough. Daniel Feinstein is Daniel, the Archangel."
The room stilled, the silence twisting around and around the two women, almost suffocating as reality slapped Mykia in the face while Evie relived the other reality of who her real father was and what he'd done to her. Not to mention what he felt for her and her mother.
Mykia rubbed her forehead. "I'm beginning to regret this discussion." Then she sighed. "How did you discover this information, Evie? I don't believe he would have knocked on your door, invited you for a coffee and then spilled the beans."
Evie shook her head. "Hardly. That man--angel I mean--appeared to hate my guts. I only found out when I went to the Underworld to return the Seals to Hades himself."
"Daniel followed you to Hades? But how would he have entered-- Oh, right, Angel. Got it." Mykia waved a hand for Evie to continue.
"So, Daniel came to Hades but ended up having a great old battle with his old buddy Gavriel which is when Daniel showed his true colors, and by that I mean his wings. I can confirm I was shocked beyond belief at who he was," Evie said, aware that what she meant was far more than she was ready to reveal to Mykia."
"Is he alive?"
"As far as I know, he is. Hades sent him to Tartarus for attempting to kill his brother, but he was set free and now he's pretty much in the wind."
Mykia's scowl was almost comical. "He's gone? How did he get set free? a little irresponsible of Hades if you ask me."
Evie grinned. "Yeah, we can put a word in when his next salary review comes up, but to be fair subterfuge was involved. Persephone had other ideas and she let Daniel go. The woman is mental if you ask me, but you didn't hear that from me."
Mykia's face went hard for a moment, but then she shook her head. "This is a lot to take in." She sighed and sat back, pinching her lower lip as she thought things through. "So the Seals were returned safely to Hades but Daniel followed you there, presumably to take them back, and he ended up in jail and then freed. What about Marcellus? How did he end up dead?"
Evie swallowed hard. "So Marcellus came first to retrieve the Seals. He had a bit of a breakdown, yelling and freaking out, then threatened me and my friends. Then he admitted his involvement in my father's death."
Mykia frowned. "Marcellus killed your angelic father?"
"No, no. Father Patrick I mean. I found him dead just before I left for Hades. I'd heard Marcellus speak to Daniel asking him if something was done. So Daniel killed Patrick but I wasn't sure why. I'm still trying to figure that out." Which was a lie. Evie had realized that Danie may have had a good reason to get to Patrick. He could somehow have tracked the final seal to Gavriel, who then gave it to Patrick for safekeeping. Daniel had wanted to find out if Patrick knew where the final seal was. Had Patrick died without revealing the truth? That would have made sense considering Daniel had been surprised when Evie had revealed her identity. Because of course, Daniel had no idea that Gavriel had given Patrick something else in addition to the Seal.
Evie.
Chapter 11
Any further discussion was curtailed when a knock sounded at the door a
nd Mykia called out, "Enter."
The door opened to reveal one of the kitchen staff, a middle-aged woman whose chubby cheeks made Evie smile. The woman wheeled a trolley into the room then gave Evie a tender smile in greeting though she didn't say a word. She looked over at Mykia and nodded. "If there is anything else?"
Mykia shook her head. "Not right now. But I do want you to look after Evie's meals for the rest of her...stay downstairs."
The woman grinned as though she'd been given a prize, and then her jaw tightened. "I will. Wish I'd been given the responsibility instead of Glen. Irresponsible wretch." With that she gave Evie a wave and bustled outside before closing the door.
Mykia got to her feet and came to the sofa where Evie sat, studying the food. Her stomach growled loudly and she giggled, though her bound wrists quickly killed the sounds. The Master sat beside her and cleared her throat. "Evie? I can unbind you while you eat but I'd need your word of honor that you will allow me to put the bonds back before you return to your cell. I'm willing to help you as much as I can because whenever I smell something fishy, there is always a good reason. Too many things have happened here from even before you left for Hades. All of which are screaming that there is something else going on here that I haven't yet seen."
Evie nodded. If only Mykia knew how right she was. Was it time to tell her about the Shade's attack? But Evie still wasn't sure. She needed to get all her ducks in a row before she truly trusted Mykia.
The Master continued speaking, "So can I trust you? I will offer you peace while you are within my presence. I will remove the Angel Bonds while you eat and while we talk. tThereafter I will put them back. Is that something you can agree to?"
