by Brey Willows
*
“So, you see, that’s where things stand right now. I could use you on my team. I’ve quoted plenty of your essays in my video talks and conferences, so my followers are already interested in you. Now all they need is a face to go with the brilliance.”
He was laying it on thick, and she couldn’t get any sense of whether there was anything genuine to what he was saying. She leaned forward, keeping her focus on the fork she kept moving a millimeter to the right, and then back to the left. “Frey, what if we’re wrong? What if God, or any of the gods, exists? What if they’re out there, answering prayers and doing what gods do? What if…” She swallowed. How much can I say without sounding like I’ve just been released from a locked unit? “What if religion is real, and hell is real, and there really are rules based on belief systems?”
He stared at her, clearly bewildered. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back in the chair. He looked contemplative for a long moment. “I don’t think we’ll convert the true believers. The ones who need faith in order to get up every day. But they’re rarely the ones making massive decisions about life on this planet. The more non-believers and undecided we can convince, the more that will spread. I had a phone call from an important head of state recently. He said he’d been following my talks and had his kids watch them. He’s teaching his kids to think philosophically, logically. And those kids will be decision makers one day, making decisions based on truth rather than superstition.” He took a sip of his wine, not taking his eyes from her. “And if these supernatural beings really do exist, I imagine they’ll put a stop to it, somehow. A plague, or flood, or something like that. To let us peons know they’re still up there. Although, we’d probably discount that as a change in climate.”
Frey’s words hit home. That’s me. I’m the way they’re trying to stop it. The idea that she was being used rankled. And yet, it also made them more…real. They weren’t sending plagues or floods. They needed someone to plug the dam, and instead of using old-school tactics, they sought out help in the unlikeliest of places. Their vulnerability made Selene pause. It wasn’t their fault they had humanity’s flaws, when they’d been created in man’s image, was it? They stayed quiet for a while before Selene said softly, “And who are we to tell people what to think? What to believe?”
“We’re the ones who are right. We’re the ones who know better and have to step up and lead. If we don’t, who will? Those who can, lead. Those who can’t, follow. We can teach more to lead, and teach even more to follow. We can make the world a place of sound reasoning rather than ill conceived, faith based entitlement.”
He placed his hand over hers, making her shiver. “Can’t you feel it? Can’t you feel the potential for greatness? For people to look up at you, adoring you, hanging on your every word? Imagine, Selene. Imagine the control we could have, to make the world better.”
She shrank from him, pulling her hand from beneath his. “That sounds…frightening. More than frightening, actually.” In that moment, she saw beyond the great philosopher, the beach boy façade. She saw something flutter around him, a darkness she’d never noticed before. “Is that why you’re in this? For fame and power?”
He tilted his head. “Of course not. I want to make the world a better place. But if fame and power come with it, is that a bad thing? Plenty of corrupt religious and political people have power, and they ruin the world with it. If we have it, we can use it for good. Why not?”
“Power corrupts, Frey. And what you’re saying sounds a lot like things said by people you wouldn’t want to be compared to.” Her chair scraped loudly as she pushed away from the table, causing a few of the diners to look their way. Frey smiled at them uneasily. “I’ve made my decision. You can keep your job, your TV appearances, your radio talks and blogs. I’m not sure what I believe in anymore, if anything, but I know damn well I don’t want to be part of some power grab.” She picked up her purse and coat. “I believed in you. I really thought you were one of the good guys.” She sighed and looked away so he wouldn’t see her eyes welling up. “Please don’t call me anymore.”
Patrons stared as she walked from the room, but she didn’t care. She’d finally made one decision, and she felt the burden weighing her down ease slightly. She still had to figure out what she wanted, what she believed, and what to do next, but it certainly wasn’t going to be with a glory hound like Frey Falconi, even if she agreed, or had agreed, with some of his ideals. And what was that surrounding him? It wasn’t like the strange shimmer she saw when she was looking at Alec. It was more like a barely perceptible mist of some kind. But she hadn’t seen it the other times she’d been with him.
Out on the street, she looked at the promenade of shops and decided she didn’t feel like going home just yet. She wandered aimlessly, looking in shop windows but not really seeing anything. Okay, break it down. Look at it logically. 1. God, and lots of other gods, exist. This is a fact. 2. People believing in them keeps them alive. When people stop believing, the gods fade away. Or get real jobs. 3. Religion gives people hope, a reason to continue on in the face of entropy. 4. Religion gives people a crutch to lean on, and a reason for war. 5. People will always have a reason for war. Is fighting for gods who do, actually, exist less worthy because I don’t agree with it? 6. Do I have the right to tell people what to think or believe? Especially when I know that the people they’re praying to are listening?
She stopped and stared into a shop window, unseeing. That was it. Yes, she could tell people to think logically. She could tell people to be rational. But she could no longer suggest that religion was a myth, an antiquated mythology intended to keep people compliant. Because she knew it wasn’t strictly true. Is there a middle ground? Can there be both?
She finally looked at the glass, at the shop. It was empty. But what she saw standing behind her made her knees buckle.
It was the…the things, that had been behind her on the freeway that day, like the one on the train. They grinned at her, their yellow, pointed teeth catching the last light of the day. She spun to face them, placing the window at her back. People walked along in both directions, totally oblivious to her terror and their malicious stares. They came toward her, people parting around them, as though they knew something was there to be avoided, but not aware they were even trying to avoid something.
“You’re coming to meet our master,” one of them hissed, and his breath smelled of sour fish and smoke.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Selene swallowed, fighting every instinct to mentally beg for help. I’m not helpless. I don’t need gods to save me.
“You are, pretty flesh sack. And when he’s done with you, he’s promised us we can have you as our toy.” He stroked her face, his nails raking her cheek. “Don’t you want to be our toy?”
Selene screamed. Not out loud. She screamed in her head. She screamed for Zed, for Alec, for anyone listening.
Thunder suddenly boomed above them, and both creatures cowered slightly. “Take her now. If we don’t bring her back, Master will be angry with us.”
The other creature’s breath smelled of rot, decay, and death. Selene gagged but managed to speak. “Do you think I’d be out without guards? I think you’d better run, you maggot ridden filth trenches.”
Thunder crashed again, this time rattling the windows. A shadow fell over the three of them, and Alec was there in all her terrifying glory, her wings spread, her eyes black-cherry red, her fangs looking razor sharp. The snake tattoos on her arms raised their heads and hissed, swaying back and forth as they moved toward their prey. The creatures fell into a crouch and scuttled, crab-like, backward. “You’ll regret this, fury. Our Master wants your head next to Medusa’s. He said to tell you to come see him for some fun.”
She let out a roar that made Selene’s eyes water as she moved protectively in front of her. “Tell your master I’ll be waiting for him. When he’s ready to come himself and stop sending toadies, we’ll talk.”
The creatures disap
peared into the crowd and the clouds cleared. Alec turned to Selene and folded her wings. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. Alec, I don’t understand why those things are after me. What master were they talking about?”
Alec sighed. Or, at least Selene thought she sighed. It was hard to tell under the fangs and feathers what the emotion was.
“We’re trying to find him, and once we have him, I’ll find out.”
Alec’s fangs retracted and her tattoos became, once again, incredibly lifelike ink. Her pupils rounded and she stood before Selene as the woman she’d met on campus. It feels like a million years ago now.
“You’re safe now. Want to grab a drink?”
Selene nodded and hooked her arm through Alec’s. She needed the physical contact to know she was safe. They headed toward the Coffee Bean in silence, though Alec covered Selene’s hand with her own.
Once seated, Selene gratefully sipped the hot drink, feeling like she’d been frozen inside. Alec simply sipped her own drink and watched her impassively.
“Did you hear me call?”
“Every non-human in the Milky Way heard you call. Zed was keeping an eye on you from a distance, but I’ve been around, making sure the daevas didn’t come after you.”
“You’ve been following me?”
“From a distance. We know you’re in danger. And I’m sure as hell not going to let anything happen to you.” She looked down at her coffee and said softly, “I promised.”
“I had a feeling someone was watching, but I wasn’t sure if it would be you.”
“I gave you space. I stayed far enough away not to bother you, but close enough to keep you safe. Like a bodyguard.”
Selene snorted. “A five-thousand-year-old bodyguard with fangs. I’m a lucky girl.”
Alec gave her a sad smile. “I would’ve hoped you thought so, once.” She shrugged. “But life goes on, right? Have you given any thought about what you want to do?”
Selene thought about the epiphany she’d had just before the daevas had shown up. “I think so. I need to decide on a plan, but I think there’s a way to meet in the middle. To get people thinking critically, but without asking them to stop believing in whatever faith they have.”
Alec looked so surprised, so relieved, Selene wanted to reach across and hug her. Instead, she held her mug tighter. “When I’ve got more than a germ of an idea, I’ll let you know.”
Alec’s smile could have lit up the room. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear it. I mean, you know what it means to me. To us. The Fates are always right. I shouldn’t have doubted.”
Selene frowned. “I’m not doing this because some old hags with control issues in your office said some magic words and sent you an email. I’m going to do this my way, so it works for all of us.”
“Speaking of us…” Alec looked at her searchingly.
“I don’t know. You lied to me. Right from the beginning, you lied to me, even if you did eventually tell me the truth. But that was only because you had to. How will I know you’re telling me everything in the future?” She let the tears roll down her cheeks unchecked. “How can I trust you?”
Alec shook her head. “I don’t know. I lied because it’s not the kind of thing you tell someone when you first meet them. ‘By the way, I need you to believe in things you don’t believe in, and save a world you know nothing about.’ It doesn’t exactly scream second date, does it? But you’re right, I could have come clean sooner, and I didn’t. I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to give you time…”
They sat silently, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Alec said, “If you give me a chance, Selene, I’ll never give you reason to doubt again. I swear it, on what I stand for as a fury.”
The words were clear, sharp, undeniable. Selene swallowed and came around to Alec’s side of the table. She sat in her lap and wrapped her arms around her neck, feeling secure when Alec wrapped her arms around Selene’s waist. She was tired of being alone, and this woman, this fury…wanted her. And she wanted her in return, whatever she was.
“Okay. We can talk about it. I miss you, and I’m going crazy without you.”
Alec lifted her face and kissed Selene softly, sweetly, making promises of a future they couldn’t be sure existed yet. “I hate watching you from afar, not close enough to take away your pain.”
They sat cuddled like that for some time before Alec sighed. “We’d better let Zed and the others know what’s going on. You shouldn’t stay alone at your place until we know what the hell is going on. Are you okay staying at Afterlife? I could stay at your place with you, instead of in the trees outside, but I think it would be better if we were closer to backup if we needed it.”
“Can I stay with you?” Selene bit her lip, unused to being so forward, but not wanting to spend another second without Alec at her side.
“We could, but my place isn’t nearly as secure as the company grounds, and I’ll feel better if I know you’re in a secure area. So I’ll stay there with you. Just for now, okay?”
“You won’t leave me?”
Alec kissed Selene’s knuckles while looking up at her. “Never.”
They untangled and walked down the promenade back to Selene’s car. Selene stopped to dig around in her purse for her keys. “I call it the magic bag. I’m always finding things in it I’d forgotten about—”
She cried out as she was flung to her knees. Pain flared through her wrists as she caught herself on the ground, and a weight on her back pushed her cheek to the pavement. She heard Alec roar and swear, and as the toxic odors of fish and smoke assailed her, a rag was placed over her mouth. She tried to scream and breathed in whatever chemical was on the cloth, making her cough. Nails gouged her cheek, the car tires in front of her spun, and the world faded into fog.
Alec…
Chapter Twenty-seven
Alec groaned. The pain was excruciating, constantly dragging her under. Her toes only just touched the ground, and her wrists were attached to thick, heavy chains above her. Worse, her wings had been attached to the chains as well, spread open and impaled with rings to attach the chains to. It felt as though every nerve in her wings was on fire, and she couldn’t feel her hands, which were also bound in chains, keeping her from motioning with them. Her shoulders ached unbearably and her toes kept cramping as she tried to get some purchase to take the weight from her arms.
None of that was as agonizing as watching Selene and knowing she couldn’t do a damn thing.
Selene lay unconscious on the cold cement. Chains bound her wrists and ankles to a large bolt in the floor, but she hadn’t woken up yet, and it had been several hours. The need to get to her, to make sure she was okay, was tearing Alec’s mind apart. Once she got free, she’d shred every breathing body responsible for this.
Selene moaned softly and stirred, and Alec took a breath of relief, which made her ribs ache even more. “Selene? Baby, please wake up. Please, sweetheart. I need you to wake up.”
Selene blinked and coughed. When she spoke, her voice was a harsh wheeze. “What happened? Where are we?” She struggled to an upright position, but just as quickly scooted away to vomit, going to the end of her chain length. When she was done, she collapsed back in her original position and finally looked at Alec. Horror and fear appeared instantly.
“Oh my God. Alec…Jesus. What have they done to you?” She tried to get closer, but her chains kept her a couple of feet from where Alec hung.
“That bad, huh? I managed a few good punches, I think, before they hit me with some kind of Taser thing and dropped me. I’m so sorry, Selene. I was unfocused, paying attention to you instead of our surroundings. I knew they were around; I should have been more aware. I just figured they’d scuttled back to their nest. Are you hurt?”
Selene flexed her limbs. “My left wrist hurts and it’s swollen. Everything else seems to be okay.” She touched her face and grimaced as she traced lines down her cheek. “That thing got me with its nails. Now I need a rabi
es shot.”
“Probably tetanus too. I think their nails may be partially metal.” Alec tried to make light of it, but the fact that they were trapped there was very, very bad news. “Selene, can you try praying? Like you did when you screamed earlier. I have a feeling nothing will get through, but can you try?”
Selene nodded and closed her eyes. Alec could feel her energy pulsing, and she caught a kind of echo of the prayer, but it was as faint as mist.
“What do you think?” Selene asked.
Before Alec could respond, the door to their cell opened, letting in bright light. Selene stood in front of Alec protectively, making Alec’s heart swell. Sweet, sweet woman. She didn’t seem at all fazed by the fact that the being who had just entered had ram’s horns and hooves, as well as a snake-like tail.
“I’m so sorry for our inhospitable welcome. I’m afraid my lackeys can be rather overzealous. However, we also need to talk uninterrupted, and this seemed the best way to do so.”
“Who are you? And why have you done this? Take Alec down right now.”
The man laughed and tilted his head at Alec. “Aren’t you going to introduce us, old friend?”
“We were never friends. Selene, this is Aka Manah. He’s a demon—”
“No. Not a demon. The demon. And I’m hurt by that friends comment.” He turned back to Selene. “You can call me Adam. It’s easier in this era, and I fit in a bit better.”
She lifted her chin. “How does something like you fit in anywhere?”
He laughed again, a cruel, grating sound. “The same way a creature like your girl Alec here fits in. We blend, hiding who we truly are, taking humans unaware, forcing ourselves on them, watching them wither and die under our power.” He gave Selene a wide berth as he moved toward Alec. He looked up at her, his head tilted slightly. “But then, sometimes something happens, and we forget which mask is the true one.” He drew back and punched Alec solidly in the stomach, making her body swing and her wings and arms take her weight. She gritted her teeth against a scream, unwilling to give him the pleasure, and not wanting to scare Selene, who screamed for him to stop. She caught her breath again when her toes touched the ground.
