Alazar raised his eyebrow. “I’m so glad that you had a psychic kick to the head that cured your stupidity, but that’s not what I asked. I asked you why you brought her here,” he growled, impatient for the answer.
Hanging his head, Haydn dropped his arms to his sides. “I planned to make her release you before I killed her,” he confessed quietly.
Alazar’s fist was colliding with Haydn’s eye before Haydn could raise his arms in defense. “How dare you!” he hissed.
Haydn’s glasses snapped and fell to the ground as he staggered back on his heels. “Why can’t everyone leave my glasses unharmed?” he growled. He quickly rebounded and stepped closer to Alazar. He stared at him through his swelling eye. “What terrible fate befell you, Alazar? Anjali warned me not to cross the line and end up like you. I have a feeling that you are as guilty of being stupid as I am,” Haydn said boldly. He took another step forward and crowded Death.
Alazar wanted to punch the son of a bitch again, but he couldn’t. He was in no position to be self-righteous.
When Alazar didn’t answer, Haydn’s green eyes bore into his, something people rarely did. Most feared the icy gaze of the Angel of Death, but Distrust wasn’t showing any fear.
“I sense a great deal of doubt in you, Alazar. Who didn’t you trust? Was it our master or was there someone else?” Haydn asked as his voice became hypnotic.
Alazar opened his mouth, but abruptly shut it.
The air crackled with power as Haydn continued to speak. “Who did you betray, Alazar? Who placed their faith in you only to be let down? What friendship did you ruin by thinking the worst of the other person? Who did you betray?”
Sweat beaded up on Alazar’s forehead as he thought about all his mistakes. Tristan was suffering because he didn’t trust him. What kind of leader was he if he couldn’t trust all the Predznak, not just the ones he felt were strong enough to carry out Anjali’s will? He should have helped Tristan instead of mocking him. He should have done everything within his power to make sure that Tristan succeeded at being a Predznak and never had a reason to run home.
He should have trusted his own past deeds. He had allowed the prisoners to condemn him instead of reminding them why they were in Hell. He allowed his doubt to cloud his mind and he had paid the price for it.
Looking into Haydn’s eyes, he saw the truth. He should’ve had faith in Anjali and her ability to lead the Predznak. After so many years of barely keeping everyone alive, he had never truly let go of the reins. He had never allowed Anjali to become their leader. If Tristan wanted to go home, it was up to Anjali to fix things, not him. He could advise and support his master, but ultimately, the problem wasn’t his to fix. He needed to give control of the Predznak to their rightful master and have faith in her ability to lead them. She needed him to fight by her side, not call the shots, because he was meant to follow her, not lead her.
“Let him go!” Balthazar roared beside him. “Tempting a Predznak is against our rules.” He pointed his gun at Haydn’s head and put his finger on the trigger.
“Stay out of this, Balthazar. He needs this. Trust me,” Haydn said softly, still in possession of Alazar’s eyes.
Alazar’s body trembled under the weight of the truth. He fell to his knees and began to sob. “I didn’t have faith in her. I didn’t have faith that she could lead us. I should have let her deal with Tristan and his ability to go home whenever he wanted, but I overstepped my bounds. I never let her become our master because I was afraid to let go. I didn’t want to be perceived as a failure and in doing so, I failed her.” He wept uncontrollably just as he had the last time he was with his master. He had questioned her authority and been banished for it. “I let my doubt overwhelm me in the Realm of Nightmares and allowed the prisoners’ condemnation of me cripple my ability to carry out my duties. I let it affect my judgement. In both ways, I failed our master.”
When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Haydn standing over him.
“Are you ready to move on and be the angel she needs?” Haydn smirked.
Alazar nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’m ready to be her Angel of Death,” he said proudly. He wiped away his tears and stood up to meet Haydn’s gaze. “Are you ready to do the same?”
Haydn nodded and held out his hand to shake Alazar’s. “I am,” he smiled.
Balthazar frowned at Alazar and turned to look at Distrust. “How did you do that? He’s been moping on a beach for a month and in a matter of minutes, you manage to get him to admit his failings and help him move on from his defeat. Why weren’t you this awesome before?” he chuckled.
Laughing at Balthazar’s joke, Haydn lightly punched Balthazar’s shoulder. “I was always awesome, I just forgot who I was for a while,” Haydn winked. “Thankfully, I remembered how much I love tempting people.” He waved his hand and put on yet another pair of sunglasses.
Balthazar laughed so hard that Haydn jumped back at the unusual noise coming from the stoic Predznak. Haydn motioned to Alazar with his chin. “Did you know that he was capable of actual laughter?”
Alazar chuckled and cleared his throat. “As I said, much has changed,” he said, patting Haydn’s shoulder.
∞
Anjali laid in the tall grass and looked up at the clear blue sky. She hummed a random tune and tried to figure out what to do. The cell phone at the hotel would be dead by now. She had no idea how long it would take for someone to return to the demolished hotel, but it was the only hope she had for a rescue. She needed to get up and start the long journey back, but she had no will to do so. She tried not to cry when she thought of Viktor being in the Harpy’s claws. She was helpless to aid him and he would certainly die once Celaeno grew tired of waiting for her to arrive.
She closed her eyes and thought about her Nachtghuls. She wished more than anything to see them again. They would give her the strength she needed to carry on. She pictured each of their smiles and sighed. She wondered how Liam was getting along without her. He was still learning how to control his new abilities without Fenris calling the shots. She worried that Lucifer and Hades would give him a hard time since he was still learning the rules of Hell. She gulped when she thought about a prisoner from the Hall of Shadows attacking him during his routine patrols. She hoped that he was all right.
Picturing Derick’s black hair, blue eyes, and kind face, she knew he would be disappointed in her for wanting to give up. He always had complete faith in her. He had an inner strength that she had seen many times, but he often doubted himself. He had stood up to Alazar and Michael, two of the most feared angels in their world. He had braved a horde of revenants to save humanity and survived an attack by the hungry Shades. The poor man had even stood up to Fenris, who threated to kill him if she didn’t surrender. He would tell her to get up and face her next problem head on.
Calin’s shrewd green eyes would be judging her while telling her to get off her ass and handing her a weapon. She laughed at the thought of him mentally cataloging his cache of weapons. He would tell her that he had her back no matter the odds. In her heart, she understood that Calin didn’t fear many things, but losing her would drive him out of his mind. She was a little afraid for Hades’ safety. If Calin found out that Hades was actively working against her and sending his Harpy to kill her, she wouldn’t have to do anything to Hades. Calin would make sure that Hades was never seen again.
She blew out a breath and tried to make her weary body move off the ground, but it was useless. Instinctively, she knew the bonds were responsible for her lack of motivation, but she was unable to resist their power.
She settled into her cozy spot and stared at the clouds. She listened to the sound of the birds calling to one another until they suddenly fell silent. She stopped humming when she realized that the normal hum of the jungle had stopped and everything was quiet. Something was wrong. Her skin prickled and her hearing went into overdrive as she listened for anything that would alert her to danger.
A huffing nois
e close by made her freeze. Afraid that the jaguar was coming back for round two, she kept her body still, but moved her head around to search for anything that could be used as a weapon.
Hearing a snap above her head, she arched her neck to find a big wet nose hovering over her face. She was about to swat at the beast, until she saw the white muzzle she had come to love. There was no possible way that a giant white wolf was native to the island. She rolled onto her stomach and threw her arms around the puffy neck of the wolf.
“Liam!” she shouted as she hugged him.
She was greeted by slobbery kisses and a wagging tail.
“As adorable as this is, I need to see your face,” she giggled as he nuzzled her cheek.
He quickly shifted and became Liam, who was still overjoyed to see her.
“You scared the hell out of us. What are you doing laying here in the grass?” he said, kissing her cheeks with his lips this time.
“Giving up,” she said softly.
“I can fix that. Give me your hands,” he said. He reached down, placed his finger on the lock, and released the dreaded bonds.
Anjali felt dizzy as her energy and will to survive returned to her in a rush. She was able to think clearly again as the fog lifted from her brain. She felt like she had been drugged. Taking in a deep breath, she stood and immediately waved her hand to remove all the dirt and sand from her body. She snapped her fingers and conjured her full dress and beloved boots. When she felt more like herself, she opened her mind to Liam, Derick, and Calin, who cheered at her return.
The questions and concerns that flooded her mind made her smile. She was at home again with her men.
All your questions will be answered, but right now, we need to find the Harpy. She has Viktor, she said to all three of them. She avoided a lengthy explanation by showing them some of her encounters with Viktor, the ones that wouldn’t cause Calin to shoot him, and gave them a play by play of the Harpies attack in Greece.
Anjali, those memories are old, like ancient. How long ago did the Harpies attack you and how are you able to remember them now? Derick asked.
I encountered the Harpies during the Greek Dark Ages. I’ve been remembering bits and pieces of things ever since Fenris invaded my mind. I have a feeling that he somehow cracked the safeguards that keep my memories hidden from me. I finally pieced together the incident with Farouk and then the Harpy ambush came to light. I have a feeling that it’s just the beginning. Do you have any information on Celaeno? she asked.
Liam shook his head. “Celaeno is dead. Tristan and Alazar watched Hades kill her with their own eyes. I was unconscious at the time, but I believe she’s dead. You said that the other Harpies were dead and Hades didn’t mention anyone other than Celaeno. How is there another one?” Liam asked as he put his hand on her cheek.
She leaned into his warm hand and thought about her encounter with the Harpies. Looking back, the Harpies were similar in height and shape, but their faces were slightly different. One had a longer beak and another had different eyes.
“Damn it! Hades lied again. He may have killed Celaeno, but Aello is still alive. She’s the one who grabbed Viktor,” she grumbled. “She fooled me back at the compound. Both Harpies were right there and I ignored them to fight the soldiers.”
Calin chimed in once he was done reviewing the Harpy fight. According to Alazar, Celaeno was hurt. Her wing hung at her side and she hobbled around. I don’t think she recovered from her injuries from the fight in Greece, Calin suggested.
She nodded and accepted his theory. “So why doesn’t anyone know that Aello is alive?” she pondered.
Let’s find her and ask her, Derick said darkly.
She chuckled at his menacing tone. This is why you aren’t allowed to hang out with Calin for long periods of time. You’re starting to sound like him, she said, rolling her eyes.
Calin shook his head at her comment. Hey, I will have you know that Derick tricked the Shin No Kao’s assassins into attacking each other and kept Luna from eating him all by himself. Unfortunately, she did manage to take a chunk out of his shoulder before Liam could get to him, Calin said in Derick’s defense.
She frowned when she heard that Derick had been that close to a siren, though she had no idea what a Shin No Kao was. I’m glad to hear that you bravely faced a deadly siren, but I may have to punish you for needlessly putting yourself in danger, she said seductively.
Derick chuckled. Then let’s hurry up and find this Viktor guy so that we can get to the punishment part, Derick smirked wickedly in her mind.
She nodded and winked at him. As you wish, she smiled. “Predznak, I summon you!” she said raising her voice to the sky.
∞
Standing in the compound, Anjali watched the Predznak and Nachtghul comb through the entire area searching for clues as to where Aello may have gone. Now that they knew two Harpies existed, they tried to piece together why they were at the compound in an effort to better understand Aello.
“Someone buried all the bodies, though I doubt that Aello did it. When I left Hades, he was going to bury Celaeno, but didn’t ask for help with burying the soldiers. He must have done it himself. Perhaps he felt guilty for their deaths since his monster killed them,” Alazar said softly. He had been quiet since their brief reunion before heading out on their search. She was afraid to ask him if he had made his decision since he still had a few more days. At the moment, she wasn’t physically or emotionally prepared to handle any more bad news if he decided to go back to Heaven.
“There has to be something that will lead us to Hades or Aello,” Anjali said, tapping her foot in frustration. “How hard can it be to find a fucking Harpy?”
Liam had found Celaeno’s final resting place, which made Anjali breathe a little easier. She didn’t like the idea of fighting two Harpies, even though she had more resources at her disposal this time. Aside from the grave, they hadn’t found anything except black feathers scattered in the field and around the barn. She was afraid that Ocypete was still alive, since no one knew about Aello’s existence. It was very possible that none of them had been killed. Ocypete had clearly been the brains of the group, so it was doubtful that Ocypete would remain hidden, leaving Aello, the brash one, in charge.
Calin holstered his guns, accepting that Aello wasn’t within striking distance. “I doubt she took Viktor back to Greece. It stands to reason that she would stay close if she wants you to engage her,” he said crossing his arms.
“Aside from revenge, what does she want?” Balthazar asked as he bent over to examine the ground near the barn.
Anjali shrugged. “She wants me to suffer before she presents my corpse to her master. All the Harpies talked about was their master and not wanting to fail him, but Hades doesn’t have a grudge against me anymore. I’m still going to punch him in the throat, but I don’t think that he’s been hiding them all these years just to spring them on me now. Hades is in for the long con most days, but he’s had plenty of time to kill me. Besides, Aello didn’t come after me until after Celaeno was dead. Aside from proving herself to Hades, I don’t know what she wants,” she sighed.
Derick scratched the back of his head and blocked the sun from his eyes. He turned in circles to view the entire compound. “If Aello didn’t come after you until after Celaeno was dead, it stands to reason that she was afraid to attack you with Celaeno close by. You could have used Celaeno as leverage. Celaeno was barely able to walk on her own, so she would have been helpless to defend herself against an enemy,” he suggested. He turned toward the barn and tapped his foot. “Alazar overheard Hades talking to Celaeno. Hades had set her up with an animal farm to feed on not far from here, but the food ran out according to Celaeno. Hades was surprised since the animals should have lasted her for years, so he couldn’t have known about Aello. The food was enough for one Harpy, not two. Hades didn’t hire these mercenaries, which means someone did. I believe that Aello was the mastermind behind whatever went on in this compound because she
was trying to provide for her sister. If Hades is missing, then I think revenge may be her motivation, but not the way you think. Imagine that Aello found out that Hades killed the sister she had been keeping safe for centuries. It wouldn’t matter how loyal she was to her master, she would be furious with Hades. She could have attacked Hades by Celaeno’s grave and taken him somewhere to hurt or kill him.”
“You have no idea how much I have missed you,” Anjali said, quickly hugging Derick. He smiled broadly at her praise.
Anjali thought back to her interactions with “Maria”. Aello had played a convincing mortal and could have easily interacted with the men on the farm. It surprised her to realize that Aello had somehow devised the complex system to feed both of them. Celaeno must have been too weak to hunt on her own, causing Aello to bring the food to her.
Santiago and his men grabbed the women from the towns and held them captive, but they were being paid by the mercenaries who were taking the women for their own reasons. If Aello had no way to pay Santiago and his men, she would have needed a source of income to keep the farm running, so extra women were grabbed. Rodrigo had mentioned an incident where he had lost some of his men. Santiago had warned Rodrigo that he had to pay for the women and that he was in this situation because of his own lust. It was likely that the mercenaries had tried to take some of the women without paying for them and Aello attacked them. It would have explained why they were so heavily armed and nervous when they came to the farmhouse that night. They feared further retribution from Aello.
Since there were no mass graves at the compound, “Maria” and Celaeno, aka Juanita, the woman in the poncho with the strange accent, must have taken them somewhere private to keep up the ruse. She grimaced when she remember what “Maria” said upon her arrival in the barn. When asked where they were, Maria told her it was Hell. The Harpies were intentionally scaring and torturing the women, just as they had in ancient Greece, except the women were going to the compound, not the real Hell.
“From what I saw of Aello, she was more rebellious than the other two. Ocypete kept trying to rein her in every time she wanted to deviate from their specific orders. If no one is keeping her in check, she’s a serious threat to the mortals. She will need to feed again,” Anjali said ominously.
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