His face was hard, scarred, and as unforgiving as an Oak tree. “I’m…” he cleared his throat, “I’m sorry, Pandora…”
Her voice cracked as she let loose a small sob, and then she was racing towards him. He caught her in open arms, face shattered with shame and guilt. I felt like an intruder. I began to step back, but Pandora lurched away from him in a sudden shout, almost the moment they touched.
She was rubbing her hands as if wiping away filth, and her eyes went from wild with outrage, to sadness, and finally… to regretful understanding. It was a confusing chain of reactions, and her features shifted from one to the other in a rapid flash. “Oh, Achilles…”
He nodded. “Pain begets pain. Consequence begets consequence…” he murmured, eyes downcast again. “I had meant my apology as more of a blanket apology. For actions both known and unknown.”
She was shaking her head, but not in anger, more in utter despair. “But you know his ways. How could you?”
I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but took a step back to leave them to it.
They both held up a hand, commanding me to stay put, but they didn’t turn to look at me. “My heart refused to let me see it, although I knew I would experience pain today, my grief allowed me to overlook the obvious signs.”
She pointed a finger at Achilles’ arm.
And I all but jumped back in alarm. A spiderweb of darkness crept where his veins would be, as if his blood was the blackest of oil.
And I had seen it before.
On my own arms. I was suddenly glad my arms were concealed, but horrified to see Achilles had made a deal with Silver Tongue at some point. Then another thought hit me. He had called me Silver Tongue at the bar. Almost as if… warning me. Which was on par with his previous actions. He never outright warned me, simply casually said things that I was meant to pick up. But this was cutting the cake.
“I think one of you needs to tell me exactly what the hell is going on here, and I think you need to leave, Achilles. You have not been entirely honest with me. I hereby revo-”
A bar of light slammed into me before I could complete my sentence, and I found myself suddenly suspended in a glittering white cage a foot above the floor. I shouted, and hammered fists against the cage, but no sound came out. I also felt no pain from striking the surface. No matter how hard I struck the force, I felt not a flicker of injury or pain. But it was as solid as marble.
Pandora lowered her arm, having been the one to cast the spell. “Do not be hasty, Master. He has indeed misled you, but more out of personal embarrassment than anything sinister. You and the Armory are in no danger.” She cocked her head at Achilles, who nodded his agreement. She finally turned to face me. “Can I presume you will act like a rational, responsible adult, and hear him out?” I nodded, gritting my teeth.
She released me, and I immediately threw myself at the demigod. A metaphysical fist of raw purple Maker juice formed, already sailing towards his jaw even though I was still six feet away. His head hammered back at the blow, but he didn’t raise a fist in retaliation. And his feet never left the ground, taking the hit standing. I threw another punch, and this time a vague representation of a spear – seemingly made of condensed air, as I could see distorted shapes through it as if looking through smoked glass – appeared in his fist. The spear pierced my metaphysical fist from underneath and it exploded with a crack, blowing our hair back.
He lifted his merciless eyes to mine. “I warned you about that once, Maker. You won’t like me when I’m angry. There will be a reckoning. But right now, by the Gods, you will listen. There are things you need to know. And some things you need to derive on your own.”
I spat out a sneer. “You made a deal with a crossroads Demon.”
The silence was deafening. They turned from me to each other, and then back again. “In a way…” Achilles answered. “Where did you come to this conclusion?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, but it does. For that person is a dead man.”
I was silent for a time. “He is.”
Pandora was staring at me oddly, then her eyes shot open, flicking to my forearms, even though they were concealed beneath my shirt. “No! I warned you of this!” She collapsed to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees like a child, and began rocking back and forth urgently, murmuring under her breath. “Fire. Sparks. Embers. Fire. Sparks. Embers…” Again, and again, and again, non-stop.
Achilles shot me a glare as he knelt to comfort her. “There, there, Panda… all will be well.” He turned to me, eyes like spears as they flickered down to my forearms. I bared my skin to reveal similar dark veins. His eyes smoldered in response. “How stupid could you possibly be? She warned you. Your world is forever changed now, boy. You have no idea.”
“Warned me?” I shouted back. “She said that same phrase,” I gestured, pointing at her murmuring about embers and sparks, “and then told me not to worry about it in her next breath. I still don’t have any idea what happened. Indie was dying. A man in my shop brought up a solution. He warned me repeatedly, telling me it was only a last resort. I decided it was the only option available to me. I’ve checked with Pandora. My parents. You. Asterion. Midas. Everyone. And none of you could… or would,” I snarled angrily, “help. So, I made a choice, consequences be damned. I made a deal with the crossroads Demon.” I glanced at his arm. He instinctively slammed his palm over the now-visible black veins. “The same choice you made. Silver-” I hesitated, remembering the dangers of speaking his name, “he promised that she would be healed. She has been. It was worth it.”
He was shaking his head. “No, lad. No, it wasn’t. You didn’t know what you were doing, but that was intentional. It is his way. None may speak of it with the uninitiated, punishable by death. Even to someone like me,” he added angrily.
I swallowed audibly, wondering what could kill a demigod.
“But now that it’s done, we may speak freely. Somewhat. I chose fame over happiness. I had the opportunity to go to war at Troy and to have my name remembered for the ages… or to find true joy and happiness, but my name forgotten for all time. I had a responsibility to look after her, and a desire to. But one small fight…” he glanced down at Pandora, who was still rocking back and forth, eyes closed as she repeated her mantra, “and I flew off the handle. Made a choice I will regret forever. What I was promised came true, but at what cost?”
“Your deal with the crossroads Demon made you decide to go to Troy?” I asked in disbelief, wondering how a Demon could so directly affect world events.
He blinked back at me. “No, you idiot. That was my hubris. But my agreement not to fight or interact too directly in world events – only with those also affected by the same restrictions – was as a result of my desire to at least gain something out of what I lost.” I stared blankly at him, not following. But the look on his face told me it would be pretty wise to let him say it on his own terms, at his own speed. “I wanted to at least see Patroclus again. I couldn’t interact with him, but I wanted to see him. At that time, I had unsuccessfully tracked Pandora for centuries to no avail. The only peace left to me was to see my old friend again. I made the deal. I saw the shade of my friend, for all of five minutes, and I have been paying for that glimpse for close to one hundred years. A ghost myself. A part of the world, but not truly. I am merely a spectator. Me! One of the most active demigods in history, forced to sit in the stands. The three immortals you face made similar bargains,” he muttered.
I frowned. “If that is the case, why did you let Van Helsing slap you around?”
His scowl deepened. “He was on orders from our master. Something that directly impacted you somehow. Which meant, the real world. Which meant, I could do nothing. I even told you the damn name, boy. Silver Tongue. Do you never listen?”
I threw up my hands. “What the hell was I supposed to do with a random name, especially when you called me Silver Tongue? It’s a turn of phrase, meaning someone who can se
ll anything.”
He nodded. “I know.” He looked frustrated. “It was more than I should have been able to do, muttering that name, but I had hoped that it would be remembered. At least when you heard it again, it might give you pause, remembering my past subtle ways of assisting you.”
Which was right. In his own way, Achilles had always managed to feed me information I needed. Although I had yet to follow through in time, building a widening gap of anger and frustration between us.
“Oh, Midas and Asterion told me as much as they could about Silver Tongue. Which was a whole lot of nothing. By the time I realized who it was, it was too late. I had to make the deal to save Indie.”
“None of it matters anymore,” he sighed with regret. “What did you trade?”
“Wilhelm’s amulet.”
He stared at me as if I may have been the stupidest creature to ever grace his presence. “A fucking seeder amulet,” and he began to chuckle in despair, defeat, and dark humor at the hopelessness of what I had unknowingly done.
“And what is that?”
“One of the first Grimm amulets. It can grow other amulets. So, congratulations for bringing the Grimms back,” his eyes glittered with a frosty fury, “you idiot.”
My blood froze. My mouth opened, then closed. He rolled his eyes and turned back to Pandora, rubbing her back affectionately, murmuring soothing words to her.
My mind was racing at the possible consequences. I began to talk aloud. “Everyone at the party has dealt with this demon…” Achilles squinted a bit at me for some reason, but nodded. “But that doesn’t explain why they are all after this book.” Achilles shrugged. My eyes trailed to Pandora, and an idle thought slipped out of my mouth. “Why didn’t you press me sooner on visiting Pandora?”
He stood to his feet and looked at me.
When I say looked, it should really come with a warning label. Because I wanted to instinctively run away. He didn’t answer at first, but I heard him loud and clear.
None of your business.
After a few moments, he finally spoke. “I was… ashamed.” It took a lot for him to say that, and I suddenly felt bad for asking. I didn’t respond. I just waited. And he continued after a time. “I learned to play the long game over time. Not being able to participate actively in the world forced me to take another perspective. When I heard about you and the Armory, and then you wound up in my shop, talking with Death at the bar, with no clue who he really was…” his eyes twinkled in distant amusement, “and then you sucker-punched Eae.” He let out a barking laugh of disbelief. “I knew I was going to like you. Because I used to be just like you.” He weighed me with his gaze. “Which means I know how you think, and the errors you are likely to make. But… I couldn’t influence you.” A wave of frustration rippled across his cheeks and lips. “So, I helped you in ways you mistook for betrayal.”
And I remembered a few months back. When he had pointed me in the direction to hunt down a rogue vampire. We had almost been slaughtered in the sewers, and had instantly made me presume it to be a setup. But… it had put me on the trail for the Grimms before I would have known otherwise, and it had led me to a new friend, Alucard. But… I had thanked him by picking a fight with him, disrespecting him in front of his friends, threatening him, destroying his door, and then pinching his heel.
“I have killed men for less,” he added, as if reading my thoughts. I nodded. “I earned my way into your good graces by not killing you,” he chuckled. I smiled back. I couldn’t help it. He was telling the truth, and it had worked. “I knew if I could earn your trust, perhaps respect even, you would eventually mention my name to Pandora, or I would discreetly press you to do so. And then gauge her response.” He shrugged. “Worked out perfectly well until you fucked it all up by making a deal with Silver Tongue.”
“I’ve never heard his name until recently. Granted, I’m not that up to date on demons, but-”
He was frowning at me again, so I stopped talking. “You do know that he isn’t truly a demon, right?”
I stared at him, and the pieces began suddenly crashing together. But I stubbornly shook my head, denying it. I began to pace, sidling up to the railing overlooking the desert, thinking furiously. My mysterious client wanted his book, come hell or high water. The immortals wanted the book, but wouldn’t tell me why. Or had conflicting descriptions of what it was or did. The immortals had made a deal with this Silver Tongue at some point. I had made a deal with him to save Indie. And I suddenly realized why Eae hadn’t sensed a Demon when we shook hands. Indie was either sick from her powers, which didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, or… she had gotten sick from the book. The book all those infected by Silver Tongue wanted. And every time I asked why they wanted it, they clammed up.
Just like every time I had asked Achilles about the immortals.
Because… they couldn’t talk to someone who hadn’t made a deal.
But now I had made a deal.
“I think it’s time for me to crash this party.” I turned back to Achilles to find him holding Pandora easily.
“She’ll be fine shortly. I’ll talk to her, if you don’t mind…” I nodded absently as he placed her on a sofa just as Indie entered the room. Achilles shot me a warning look as if reminding me not to talk to her about my deal.
I wasn’t that stupid. She would kill me before Silver Tongue ever would.
“I can find my own way out, as long as you are okay with that.” I nodded, smiling as my cheeks reddened at my previous outburst.
“I did get a nice punch in,” I teased.
“And I took it without flinching…” his eyes twinkled in challenge.
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“Just remember your bad idea, and let me know. I’ve got a few friends who might like to make use of this… loophole.” I nodded.
Indie was watching us curiously, not even noticing Pandora tucked into the couch as Achilles was blocking her view. “Let’s go, Indie. We have places to be.” Indie frowned, nodding slowly as her eyes drifted to Achilles, likely surprised that I was leaving him alone in the Armory.
But she didn’t question me. I smiled at her. She studied the look on my face, but finally stepped closer for a hug, not pressing the issue. But I was pretty sure she was simply running through wedding plans.
I let her. Something nice to think about before the shit hit the fan.
Also, because I wasn’t entirely sure of her role in all of this…
But I knew how to find out.
I hugged her back, masking my thoughts as we left.
Chapter 50
I meditated, allowing the events of the last few days to coalesce around me in a complicated swirl. I heard a deep purring, and cracked an eye to find the cat sauntering into the study before me. I had lit a fire, and the cat apparently approved. I didn’t despise it…
As much as I had before, anyway.
It had revealed a secret passage to me, confirming my thoughts about the incorrect blueprints. The cat studied me for a moment, something clutched in its mouth, before flicking its tail and curling up on the rug in front of me and the fire.
A foul smell permeated the soothing smoke.
Fish.
Raw fish.
Just then, Indie popped her head in the door. “How’s it going, Buddha?” she teased.
I pointed at the cat, closing my eyes again. “Did you give him treats? Now he’ll never leave.”
She laughed musically. “Of course, I gave Sir Muffle Paws a treat. He helped you find a dark and dusty passage. He is now officially a Temple.”
“Raw fish is not exactly a good treat for him to carry around the house. If he drops any of it, we’re going to have rancid fish hidden behind a chair or something.”
There was a silence. I peeled open my eyes to look at her. She was frowning at the cat. “I didn’t give him fish. I gave him some treats Dean picked up at the store. Dry treats.”
We both turned to look at the cat, who had fin
ished the fish, and was now rolling on its back, stretching. “Dean?” I asked softly.
“Why would he buy dry treats and then give him fish…” she murmured in response. “I’ll go find him and ask. Leave you to your meditation. I’m sure it’s nothing. You going to be ready to go soon?”
I nodded, discarding the thought as the fish smell faded away under the smoke. “Think so.”
“You haven’t told me where we’re going yet,” she added, pausing in the doorway. “Will this outfit work?”
I glanced at her. Jeans, tee, and sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. I nodded. “Smoking.”
She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she left, humming as she meandered through the halls in search of my Butler. Our Butler. The sunken look under her eyes was entirely gone, and she merely looked like she had just woken up from a long nap.
But I still had questions about her involvement. She could successfully lie to Jeffries – the supernatural lie detector – so I knew there was no way I could simply ask her for the truth. I had to find out on my own.
And I still had me to worry about. I had taken to wearing long sleeves. Luckily, she hadn’t noticed anything yet. I took a deep breath, shot another look at the cat, who was now cleaning itself in the most inappropriate of places, and closed my eyes with a disgusted grimace.
What felt like hours passed as my mind danced from idea to idea, connecting, disconnecting, and reconnecting dots from the puzzle of recent events, but I’m sure it was only half an hour. With a sudden grin, a solid plan formed and I opened my eyes to find the book directly in my gaze. I stood, stretching slowly as I picked it up, opened it to the last page, and read the Ginger’s response. My smile stretched wider as I asked one last question. The frosting on the cake.
Silver Tongue: A Novel in The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 4) Page 27
