"Put the knife down." Uriel says as he holds up his hands in the doorway with blood trickling down his arm where a shard of porcelain has already cut him.
"No! You killed Rhea. You killed my sister on purpose. You're nothing but a mean blood-thirsty robot."
"Your advanced vocabulary leaves you when you're angry, doesn't it? I thought the top student at the academy could come up with better insults than that."
"Shut up!" Atlas throws another saucer at Uriel, but he misses. "The hospital called and told me the truth. Rhea didn't have a heart condition. She died from blood loss after you slit her wrists! Now I found out that Ovid has died the same way. They're all dead because of you! You watched them bleed to death and then you took them to the hospital to cover it up. You paid the doctors to hide the truth from me, but I have more money than you. I got everything my father had left when he died."
"Is that why you can break expensive tea sets when you're mad?"
He slams the knife into the table. "What I do with my money is none of your business!"
"Just calm down and we'll discuss this like gentlemen."
"Don't you get it? My entire family is gone. I have no one. All the money in the galaxy can't bring them back. The doctor said that Ovid would have lived. He would be here right now if you hadn't hurt him while he was being treated for smoke inhalation. How dare you?" Atlas picks up his leather messenger bag and slings it over his shoulder. He wraps a dark green scarf around his neck and moves towards the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Uriel asks. "It's snowing out there."
"It's warmer than your heart."
"Don't leave. I need your help."
Atlas pushes past the archon. "Go to hell where you belong, demon. Stop hiding behind the wings of an angel and show the universe your true face. I can't stay here with a murderer. Am I next on your list of people to kill? I'm leaving before you get a chance."
* * *
"Oh my God. Paris!" Silver runs into the room where Paris is curled up in the corner with his knees up against his chest. His face is stained with tears and smeared blood. Dressed only in his white boxers, more blood has covered his chest and legs. Silver kneels down and takes the crying boy in his arms. "What happened? Tell me what happened."
Paris clings to him and continues sobbing as he is carried to the bed. "An angel."
"An angel?" Orion fetches a bowl of water and some towels. "What kind of angel?"
"He had white wings. I can't tell you anything else." Paris closes his eyes and winces as Silver tries to stop the bleeding from his wrists. "He'll hurt you."
Orion sets the bowl and towels on the bed then helps Troy sit in a chair. "Any ideas?"
"Uriel." Troy says. "If he had white wings, it was Uriel. He's working on some nanobot research in Athens. But why he would attack Paris, I have no idea. Though, now that I think about it, Zodiac had cuts on his wrists that Gabriel said were from bonding with him. Paris, did Uriel bond with you?"
"He held me down and cut my wrists."
"So now he's forcing boys to bond with him?" Jarred asks.
"Daedalus said that archons can only bond with one human or android at a time."
"Then why would he choose Paris?"
Troy kicks off his boots then stops. "Uh, guys, Paris isn't a human or an android."
"That's right. He's a Nymph. So why a Nymph this time? Maybe so he wouldn't have to worry with using the negator to shut down the malicious nanobots from his blood?"
"But Paris already has nanobots in his blood because he's a Nymph." Troy says. "What if they interact?"
"Maybe that's the goal." Silver says as he wipes the blood from Paris's chest. "If he's been researching nanobots all this time, then maybe he found something important he wanted to try out."
"Why would he hurt Paris, though?"
"I don't know." Silver says. "However, I've known Uriel for many years. He was always a good guy, very pious and generous. He values his religion above everything else. I can't picture him doing something like this."
Orion takes a can of soda out of the refrigerator. "Well, there's only one other archon still alive and that's Gabriel who has been imprisoned in Athens. There's only one person who can tell us who it was."
Everyone turns to look at Paris who is trembling as the tears stream down his cheeks. He wipes his face on the back of his hands and sits up. "He said if I told anyone, he would kill you three and send me back to Kyro."
"That's not going to happen." Silver takes Paris's hand and holds it tightly. "I swear to you that I will protect you. Not even an angel can take you away from me. The only way we can stop this is for you to tell us everything."
"He said his name was Uriel." Paris whispers.
Silver holds the boy to his chest and kisses his head. "That settles it. Paris will stay by my side at all times. I'm entrusting you two to keep an eye on him as well. No one touches my slave and gets away with it. If I have to kill that winged bastard, then I'll do it."
"We'll sleep in here as well just in case he comes back." Orion says. "We'll be ready to take him down. I will go let Mistress know about the security breach and have her screen all the agents in the building as well as look over the security footage."
7
Chocolate bars, caramel sauce, fruit candies, rainbow sprinkles, and marshmallows are spread out all over the guild hall kitchen counter. Flour clings to the walls and the ceiling and hangs in the air like a thin fog. The scent of baking cookies fills the entire building along with a little boy's laughter.
Silver lifts Paris up and sets him on the counter then opens a can of whipped cream. "Close your eyes and open your mouth." Once Paris's eyes are closed, Silver shakes the can and sprays the cream all over the boy's face.
"Hey!" Paris giggles as he wipes it off and throws it back at him. "No fair!"
Troy steps into the kitchen, followed by Orion who is already half drunk and carrying two bottles of wine and a nearly empty bottle of whiskey. What is going on in here? Both Silver and Pairs are covered in flour and dough. Troy smiles as he watches those two throwing handfuls of whipped cream and candy at each other. "You'd better be glad all the other agents are out on assignment, Master Silver."
Silver wipes the chocolate syrup from his face. "True. Hey, Paris, I think our cookies are ready."
"What kind of cookies take all these random ingredients?" Orion asks as he drinks straight from the whiskey bottle.
"The best ones!" Paris jumps from the counter and runs up to Troy, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I made them for you."
"For me?"
"Yep. They will help you get better."
"I'm almost fully back to normal. Thank you for the cookies."
Orion fetches some wine glasses from the cabinets. "The other agents won't be back until tomorrow night so I thought us adults could have a treat as well."
"What about me?" Paris asks, bouncing on his toes excitedly.
"You won't like wine, but I'll let you try mine." Silver says as he pulls out a tray of cookies from the oven.
Orion fills the glasses and slides one across the table to Troy. "So, Silver, I looked over the security footage from the other night when Paris was attacked and-"
"We're not talking about that now. This is a happy place. Isn't that right, Paris?"
"Yes, Master! You can't talk about sad things when you're making cookies. I'm making a super special one for my best friend, Troy."
Best friend? Troy sips his red wine and watches the boy secretly decorating a cookie on the counter. Does Paris really like him that much already? It's sweet and a sign of hope for someone so young who has gone through so much to be a able to move beyond the abuse he survived in his past. It's wonderful to see him so carefree despite what Uriel did to him just two nights ago. There's one thing Troy knows for certain. Paris is one hell of a strong kid. Hopefully that indomitable innocence won't be shattered.
Something moves across the top of Troy's right boot. He almost loo
ks down, but Paris's flittering laughter tells him he probably doesn't want to. "Snakey is crawling up my leg, isn't he?"
"He just wants to say hi, Troy."
"And eat me. Don't forget that part."
"Get Snakey off of Troy, Paris." Silver says. "He's not used to snakes like we are."
"Okay. First, I have to give Troy my masterpiece cookie." The plate falls from the boy's shaking hands and breaks into pieces on the tile floor. Paris begins breathing rapidly and drops to his knees. Before anyone can help him, an alarm sounds in the guild hall.
Silver runs into the hallway and calls back to them. "Orion, you tend to Paris. I'll go check the premises for intruders."
Orion picks Paris up in his arms. "Troy, clean off the counter."
Troy obeys, pushing the various bowls and baking ingredients onto the floor then helps lay Paris on the flour-coated counter. "Paris, what's wrong?"
"Uriel. He's here for me."
"No. It's just an alarm malfunction. Calm down and breathe for me. Everything is okay." Orion rubs Paris's arms. "You're okay. We won't let anyone hurt you."
Paris sits up, still visibly trembling, and holds onto Troy's chest. "Uriel said that if I told anyone it was him who hurt me, that he would send me back to Kyro. They've come to get me. They'll take you too!"
"That's impossible. We have some of the best security on the planet. No one is getting in here and no one will take anyone."
The door is kicked open and five men in red with black turbans and machine guns storm inside. One of them hits Orion in the back of the head with his gun and he drops to the floor. Another aims his gun at Troy. "On your knees, slave."
Paris screams and tries to crawl away, but one of the men grabs him and throws him over his shoulder with ease. "The little one is feisty. Oh, what's this?" He slides the silver ring off of Paris's finger. "The rejuvenation ring. I found it, men. We'll get paid double for this job.
"Let me go!" Paris yells as he hits the man's back.
One of the other slavers takes Paris's hair tightly in his hand and pulls his head back. "What's with the burns on this kid? Wait. Can this be the same brat we had as a toy a few years ago? The one whose mother threw him in the forge?"
"Looks like it. I could tell when he screamed in that same scared little voice."
"Oh, this is perfect. I know where my gold is going. Get the pure Nymph and the unconscious one chained up and take them out to the ship. I'll stay here for a few minutes to calm this boy down."
"You can't do that yet. You have to pay first." The man says.
"Do what I say or none of you get paid."
"Yes, sir."
Troy grits his teeth as the shackles are secured around his wrists. He watches helplessly as Orion is dragged out of the room and Paris is pushed to the floor and stripped. "Don't touch him. He's a child!"
"Shut up, slave, or you'll be next."
* * *
Uriel opens the door to the technology center on the top of the mountain and closes the door behind him. "Hello, Dion. I'm here to collect on my debt."
Dion looks up from the computer. "Oh. It's you."
"Who did you think it would be?"
"I'm not in the mood to play games. What do you need?"
"Just a small favor." Uriel brushes the snow from the arms of his coat and walks up behind Dion. "Due to recent . . . developments, I had to change the focus of my research. Let's just say that my previous target ratted me out and had to be dealt with. Eventually I'll get the point across that I don't play around. I don't care who you are. If you double cross me, I will make your worst nightmares come true."
"How kind."
"Kindness has nothing to do with it. I tried that path in the past, but all kindness ever got me was pain. So now instead of giving kindness, I cut to the chase and give pain instead. It works out so much better in the end."
Dion sighs and stretches as he stands. "What do you need, Uriel?"
"I need to borrow Nova."
"She's asleep."
"That's okay. I'll wake her up gently."
"Fine. I'll take you to her."
Uriel turns to the door, but stops when he hears a paper being unfolded. Now things get interesting.
"What have you done?"
So he found it. "Only what needed to be done for the best outcome for Olympus."
"Oh, really? And the best outcome for Olympus includes selling people?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"This." Dion holds up a pink slip of paper. "I'm talking about this. You dropped it. It's a bill of sale for three slaves. One of them was twelve years old. You sold a child to Hector's men? Do you know what they do to children down in Kyro?"
"I did what I had to do."
"And what about this one? A pure Nymph? How did you get a pure Nymph? Do you now what kinds of laws are in place to protect the enslavement of pure Nymphs?"
"Trust me. No one in Athens will miss him. He's a Forgotten."
"Oh my gods. It was Troy, wasn't it? You sold our king!" Dion shouts at him as he clenches his fists.
"You need to calm yourself before you force me to do something undesirable. Besides, this sways things in your favor, doesn't it? With Troy completely out of the picture, you get Nova all to yourself. Just tell her that Hector killed Troy, give her a week to mourn, then marry her. Plus, she is my new one and only target. I should be able to use her as both my regulator and my storage device. She will take on her original purpose as well as Paris's. Her nanobot concentration should be high enough for that."
"Who is Paris? Never mind that. I don't want you anywhere near my betrothed. You're not going to hurt anyone else. I've seen your true face."
"But Dion, you're forgetting that we had a deal."
Dion crumples up the pink paper and throws it on the floor. "I want out. I'm done. If you want me to force Nova to be a pawn in your evil schemes, then I'll let her leave and run far away. I already ended her pregnancy, which I was absolutely against doing. I refuse to do anything else. It's not worth it anymore."
"You don't get to break your contract. I have it right here, actually. I figured I would carry it with me just in case you tried to pull something like this. Let's read it again, shall we?" Uriel retrieves a black leather bound notebook from his back pocket and flips through the filled pages until he smiles and holds it up. "October Eighth. I, Dionysus Alexius, son of Themistocles Alexius, do swear on all the gods and goddesses of Olympus the following agreement. In exchange for the guaranteed hand of Nova Cunningham in marriage, I pledge my energy, my mind, and my body to Uriel to be used as he sees fit whenever the time arises." His smile turns dark and malicious as he closes the notebook. "Signed in blood. I did my part. I made Nova go insane for a few days so the other oracle guards would bring her here for you. Now it's time for you to do as I ask."
"Giving Nova to you to be used for some sick experiment wasn't part of that agreement."
"Don't try to go back on your word, Dion." Uriel warns. "Aren't you supposed to be the guardian of purity and truth or something ridiculous like that?"
"Don't mock me, archon."
"How about I put this in simple terms that even an idiot like you can understand?" Uriel draws a revolver from his belt and aims at him. "Do you speak this language, oracle guard?"
"Do you know it's a felony to pull a gun on me?"
"Does it look like I give a damn? How about I tell all of Olympus the truth behind why you dye your hair blue and bleach it everywhere else on your body?"
Dion scoffs and crosses his arms on his chest. "You don't know anything."
"If you don't go up there and bring Nova to me within five minutes, I will expose you for who you truly are to everyone. What happens to you then? You'll be fighting in the arena for your wretched life. The guards have been looking for you for years. You chose one hell of a place to hide out where the city guards aren't allowed to enter. Clever. You've managed to cover your tracks well, but you could say I have the no
se of a bloodhound. Did you actually think you could hide up here forever? Really now, I'm insulted."
"Fine. If you think you know who I am, then go ahead and spit it out. There's no point in hiding it."
"No. Not yet. I have to be one hundred percent certain."
Dion grins smugly. "I thought you had the nose of a bloodhound."
"I'm not here to play word games with you. Go get Nova or I'll blow your brains out all over those pretty monitors and take your microchip along with it."
Dion laughs and pushes his bright blue hair off of his forehead. "Microchip? You sure are bold with your theories, aren't you? You really think I'm one of those living computers? Interesting. You know what? This is turning out to be much more entertaining than I thought it would be."
"No. I misspoke. Why don't you take that coat off and spread the wings you've been hiding, archon?"
"Archon? Now you are too bold. However, I don't want to fight and I see you're far more armed than I am so I'll go get her. But mark my words. If you harm even one hair on her beautiful head, I will unleash all the power at my command to bring you down."
"Now that's a show I'm waiting to see."
* * *
The hot wood of the stage burns the bottoms of Troy's bare feet. He squints in the bright sunlight as the burlap sack is removed from his head. A sea of people surrounds the stage, all speaking excitedly or whispering while their eyes examine every part of his fully exposed body. Athena help him. It's a slave auction.
His wrists are bound with thick rope and tied to the man to his right. When he looks over to see who it is, he gasps. Orion. He's being sold as well? Orion has a black eye and a deep gash on his hip. He looks absolutely miserable. At least he looks better off than the small female slave being auctioned off in front of them. Her pale skin is covered in pink wets. Due to either exhaustion or fear, her knees buckle and she falls. A slaver hits her with a wooden rod until she weakly stands to her feet. The bidding resumes. After the gold is exchanged and the woman is led off to her new owner, the next slave is pulled out in front.
Troy's heart leaps in his chest. Paris. The boy is thrown down to the stage and the crowd cheers as he is kicked repeatedly all over his fragile body. How can they do this? Are they all heartless monsters? As the beating continues, Paris's hoarse screams fill the air above the roar of the crowd until the entire area goes silent.
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 26
