The Opal Blade (The Ashen Touch Trilogy Book 1)

by Kristy Nicolle

  I sweep across the dark floor, placing a cloak on the floor outside and closing the doors to give her privacy as she transforms. I hear the familiar cries, morphing from raven squawk to woman’s agony as I sit down on the edge of our neatly made bed, crossing my legs beneath the many layers of my skirt and feeling my stomach tie itself into knots. I hate this, hearing her cry out, hearing her pain. It breaks my heart every single time without fail.

  “How long does transforming back to a sack of skin and bones take?” Haedes growls, impatiently tapping his foot upon the floor as he sits down next to me on the bed. I momentarily debate turning to punch him in the face, but I know he has the power to kill me and send me back to my mother, or worse The Nether Realm, even if he’d never use it.

  I hope.

  “Give her a second,” I grumble, biting down hard on my bottom lip and watching as Thane’s silhouette reforms from where before there was nothing. Wrapping the cloak around herself, the doors open, and she steps through, slightly out of breath. Her long slender legs protrude forward and out from under the black velvet of the garment wrapped around her shoulders, exciting me when I should be anything but. Her hair is a spikey halo of disorganised black strands, and her eyes move to us both as we stare at her, expectant.

  “Well?” I ask, and she takes several delicate steps forward.

  “They’re alive. Both of them. Sephy got the potion from me, took it, and now they’re on their way back; she saved Xion too.” She sums up the results quickly and with short cut sentences, putting us out of our misery as quickly as possible. I jump up, clapping my hands with childlike excitement.

  “What about… my car?” Haedes asks, and I turn, gawping at him in disbelief.

  “Seriously? SERIOUSLY?” I yell, placing my hands on my hips and giving him a glare that could wither even the deadest of souls.

  “Well, there’s no harm in asking… now I know they’re both alive.” He tries to justify his lack of caring for his daughter, but a part of me wonders if it’s not so much her life he couldn’t stand the thought of losing but his own sense of contentment. The guilt of such a choice would eat any man alive, but perhaps Haedes was, as always, more concerned with his own problems than with those he has inadvertently caused. I really can never tell.

  “Thanks for saving my daughter, Thane. Gee you’re so welcome, Haedes…” Thane puts on a breathless mockery of Haedes voice and then reverts to her own, scowling at him. I move across the slick stone toward her, my bare feet enjoying the cool relief it provides, and kiss her on the mouth.

  “Thank you.” I whisper to her, and she beams.

  “You can thank me again later,” she winks, and I hear fake retching coming from behind us where Haedes is pretending to be sick.

  “Oh, fuck off,” Thane barks at him, sweeping him out of the room and slamming the sliding doors shut.

  Shedding the cloak, she proceeds to dress in front of me.

  “He’s unbelievable,” she growls, and I nod.

  “What do you expect? He has the emotional maturity of an egg,” I state with blunt certainty, and she laughs.

  “I don’t know. I guess I expected him to give a shit about his daughter,” she shrugs, and I mirror her action as she begins to button up a simple white cotton shirt over her milky white navel.

  “I think he does; I think he does more than he’d ever admit, but he’s scared. After today, I can see why. He can’t be a parent. Not like anyone expects him to be. Being a parent makes you weak, weaker perhaps than being in love romantically, and they’ve already put him in an impossible position with her. They wanted him to choose between sacrificing her and losing Mortaria. He turned them down, Thane,” I express, and she gapes.

  “He… he really chose the universe over himself?” she asks me, and I nod, watching her stunned expression as her hollow cheekbones cast shadows over her face. “Well, I’ll be damned,” she exclaims, and I feel my mouth twist into a smile.

  “You are my love. We both are. But yes, he would have sacrificed her to do his duty. I think that gives him the right to be a bit of a jackass,” I sigh, and she frowns momentarily, pulling on a pair of high waisted black pants that hug her buttocks and accentuate the little curve her willowy form possesses, before tucking in the shirt for good measure.

  Turning from her as she finishes dressing, I move out to the balcony once more and look down upon the city, a sound alerting me to Xion’s possible return. Correct in my assumption, I spot the remnants of Haedes’ beloved mean machine, trundling down the road, the engine smoking and the stereo blaring out some hideous song at a volume that is far too acute. I can hear it from all the way up here, and it’s ridiculously cheery considering from where the vehicle’s just come from.

  I shrug.

  Maybe that’s Xion’s thing then? I wonder, hurrying past Thane and opening the sliding doors that partition the apartment, revealing Haedes, who is bickering with the Fates.

  “They’re back. Come on.” I move around the furniture, grabbing Haedes by the crook of his elbow and pulling him with me out of the door. We journey down the spiral staircase together, feet bare and padding against the cold stone as we fall into silence. Thane can be heard locking the apartment door again as she follows us out.

  As we hit the main level of the Exilia Multum, nervous eyes of envy sinners follow us and I wonder what rumours have been spreading. Try as we might, the sinners are never out of The Nexus’ political loop for long. Perhaps that is why so many of them harbour strong yet secret opinions about us, maybe even loathe us a little.

  The flickering light of sconces casts red hue over Haedes worried expression as we race to the main staircase, which descends into the unloading docks for boats and carriages, though out of concern for his daughter or his car I couldn’t tell you.

  Thane grabs my hand as she catches up to us, just in time for us to turn at the height of the double crystal staircase. We descend together, side by side, our tread synchronised effortlessly as she smiles at me.

  “You saved her, Luce,” she whispers to me, kissing me on the cheek. I well up inside, my heart sporting a happy glow as she looks at me like I can do anything, be anything.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you.” I smile at her, sweet in expression, and she blushes slightly.

  “I guess we make a pretty good team.”

  “I guess we do,” I reply, squeezing her hand in mine.

  We don’t have to wait more than a minute and can hear them coming long before we can see them. The blaring of an inspirational and extremely inappropriate song echoes out in the gargantuan wall-less hollow of the entranceway, and soon after, the rolling of the flat tyres squeals up in front of us.

  Xion gets out of the car, his face stern as Haedes moves to scold him. Moving forward, Xion bravely hands his keys back to him, closing his palm around them as Haedes stands, shocked.

  The windshield and all the windows have been shattered within their frames, there’s a hole in the roof, multiple scratches and dents on both sides, flat tyres, a crumpled bonnet, the engine is smoking visibly, and the smell of oil leaking from somewhere fills my nostrils.

  “You might want to have the stereo looked at; damn thing is stuck,” Xion announces, cavalier as he stands before the black and blue smoking wreck.

  Haedes looks like he might cry.

  Returning with haste to the passenger side, Xion opens the door, pulling out Sephy, her red hair vibrant and definitive. I exhale. She doesn’t look too badly injured.

  As Xion shuts the door of the mean machine, causing a few intact pieces of window to fall out and clink against the floor, Haedes physically winces. I ignore this on purpose. My most pressing concern now is Sephy’s reaction to the potion.

  What I’ve given her is potent, to say the least, and as a demi-god and not a full god, it’s bound to have some kind of side effect.

  I watch as Xion walks straight past Haedes, not making eye contact, not trying to talk, with Sephy in his arms. She’s limp,
like a red headed rag doll, and her eyes are closed, her mouth slack. Her chest rises and falls in long deep breaths, showing me that she’s still alive, but for how much longer?

  What if the potion has caused her damage? I wonder as we move in a single line behind him, following up the main staircase once again.

  What if I have put her in a mystical coma or something worse?

  I start to feel fear creep in at the corners of my mind, emerging from the shadows as the words of my mother come back to me.

  You’re a danger, Lucifer. Dark, ancient magic is a danger to us all, and that, my child, is half of who you are. You can’t be trusted. It’s nothing personal, it’s just the way it is.

  Hecate’s dark and seductive tone echoes throughout my memory, as I turn and follow in Xion’s wake. My expression, which had been so full of hope just moments ago, is now laced with anxiety and worry.

  Haedes may have sentenced his daughter to die, but I bet he’d kill me for poisoning her by accident.

  I swallow deep, squeezing Thane’s palm again as we begin to climb the spiral staircase. Thane drops my hand, right when I need the feel of her skin on mine the most, speeding ahead as she takes two steps at a time with her long legs before letting Xion into our apartment.

  He travels the length of our dark luscious interior in only seconds, speeding through the space and laying the demi-goddess atop our black velvet sheets. Her red hair is fiery in contrast to her snowy skin, and she looks porcelain and fragile like a doll.

  “What did you do to her?” Xion demands, his tone accusatory.

  “I don’t know. That potion was strong. She’s been through a lot,” I express, and Xion scowls.

  “Don’t give me that. She just single-handedly fought her way out of the Dark Colosseum. She’s not a child, you… you must have screwed it up!” He’s getting angry now, and Thane places her hands on his shoulders, stilling him as he begins to pace with mad rage around the bed.

  “Xion, stop. Let her rest. You’ve done the hard part, now we just have to wait. Sephy has to come back to consciousness on her own,” she explains, taking the heat off me, for which I’m grateful.

  Haedes hovers behind me, looking timidly at his daughter, late to the party as always. He isn’t angry; he just seems out of place, melancholy, like he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

  “That’s not good enough,” Xion snarls, and I feel his rage getting out of hand.

  “Xion! Enough!” I bark, my voice coming out louder and more feral than I intend. I feel the dark side of me present, and my heartbeat accelerates. I’m scaring even myself.

  “Look, Luce, I’m sorry. I just… wait and see isn’t good enough,” he looks at me apologetically but not enough so that he’s willing to back off.

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, I take Sephy’s hand in mine, looking deeply into her face. She’s scorching hot to touch, and her entire body is limp. I scrutinise her, watching and praying that she comes back to her body soon.

  I turn to Xion, trying to make my own agony over the choices I’ve been forced into making evident in my gaze as I speak.

  “Unfortunately, waiting is all we’ve got.”

  SEPHY

  I’m dragged from unconsciousness, much as I thought I would be dragged from life; kicking, screaming and in great pain.

  I open my eyes, finding myself in unfamiliar surroundings. As I let my fingers splay out amongst onyx coloured velvet sheets, I exhale into the muggy air of the room, blinking once, then twice.

  At least, this is comfier than the cage. I breathe, relieved that my escape hadn’t been some flight of fantasy concocted by my imagination.

  “Sephy?” I hear Luce’s silky tone calling my name, and find her at the foot of the bed. Thankfully, she’s not wearing her horns.

  “Mhmm,” I reply, feeling groggier than I have been in forever, perhaps even groggier than when I had woken up amongst the golden Plains of Ichor, at least this time I’m not nauseated.

  “Do you know who I am?” Haedes asks, peering into my field of vision from the left side of the bed. He’s at my bedside, like he actually cares, making my rage kindle despite my lack of energy.

  “Of course, I know who you are. You’re that guy who just won the worst dad ever award,” I scowl, and he winces.

  “I guess I deserve that,” he admits, and I scowl.

  “Yeah. You really do. Like you also deserve a kick in the googlies so you can never reproduce ever again,” I inform him, and he frowns.

  “How do you feel?” A familiar tone sounds, one that I actually want to hear, and I turn this time to my right where Xion is towering over me.

  “I’m alright. Not Marvin Gaye standard alright. But it’ll do.” I struggle to prop myself up against the pillows, feeling my muscles regaining strength quicker than I’d imagined, considering how chronic I’d felt upon waking just a few minutes ago.

  “I’m glad you’re not dead,” Luce announces, and I narrow my eyes.

  “Why would I be? Wasn’t that potion you gave me safe?” I scowl at her, and she bites her bottom lip.

  “Well, that’s just great. Feeling the love from you all right now.” I mutter. One of them had sentenced me to death, and the other had tried to save my life with a potion that could have also killed me. What a crack team of geniuses. Aren’t they supposed to be gods?

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know what else to do. Do you feel dizzy, sick? Are you having any sudden violent urges?” Luce asks me, and I stare at her again.

  “The last one has nothing to do with the potion, I can assure you of that. But I’m fine really; in fact, I think I’d better be going.” I swizzle around on the bed, stretching upward and yawning. I may have woken up fuzzy headed, but being unconscious was the best quality rest I’ve had since before I got here.

  “What do you mean, go?” Haedes’ voice is the one that vocalises the outrage at this suggestion first.

  “I mean leave, go back to Chicago.” I say it as simply as I’m able, treating him like a child.

  “But… you can’t just… leave!” Haedes sounds like someone has him in a chokehold, and so I twist, looking across the width of the enormous bed and finding his gaze angry, with a hint of melancholy.

  “Look. You’re my father. I get it. But you’re not my dad. Adam Sinclair was my dad. He would have died for me. He risked a lot to give me the future he wanted me to have. You… you’re the God of the Underworld. How can you possibly be anything to me other than that?” I put this question to him, and he slouches under the weight of my words.

  “I’m not trying to be spiteful or unkind; even though after the fact you almost got me killed I kind of have the right to be. But I don’t think that I can be in your life, or you in mine. It’s too much for me. Too much danger, too much of a risk.” I exhale deeply, trying to make him understand without incurring his wrath. “I don’t want to die. I thought I didn’t care, but I realise now that I have to continue to do what I did before I knew who I was. Take care of myself. Because nobody else can do that; it’s just me. If nobody else is going to put my interests first, I have to leave here. Or I’ll end up in a coffin before I’ve even had a chance to live,” I state, candid, and he doesn’t reply right away.

  After a few moments, his head rises from where it’s been bowed, looking at the floor, and his eyes sparkle slightly.

  “You can’t leave, Sephy. It’s too dangerous. The Demon Lords… they’ll hunt you down now, perhaps even harder than before. Am I right?” He looks to Xion, then to Luce. They both frown. “Xion, what do you think?” Haedes asks him, overlooking me and my opinion, like it doesn’t even matter.

  “I think the fact that you’re asking me shows that you don’t realise just how capable Sephy is. You’re demonstrating yourself that you are in no position to make her decisions for her. If she wants to leave, you have no right to stop her,” Xion replies, and I want to kiss him.

  “But…” Haedes begins, but Xion continues as I turn to face him as he h
overs just behind my shoulder.

  “Haedes, I didn’t save Sephy from the Demon Lords. She defended herself. She doesn’t need anyone’s protection. She can look after herself. That’s the honest truth,” he states, folding his arms across his chest. I smile up at him, grateful.

  “Very well then, I guess if that’s the case, I have no choice but to let you go.” Haedes doesn’t stop for a goodbye; he merely storms out of the room, though his hair doesn’t morph to orange, so I wonder if he’s angry or devastated. Against my better judgement, I find myself slightly curious. Sometimes, I wish I knew what was going on in his head, what he really thinks of me. I guess I’ll just have to settle for repressing this entire experience with him like I do everything mildly stressful and completely unpleasant.

  “You’re sure this is what you want?” Xion asks me, and I nod.

  “I’m sure. I just, I don’t think this life is for me. I like the demon fighting part, for now, and I’m pretty psyched about being a demi-goddess, because, you know, I’ll never have to buy matches or pay for a cab again, or worry about anti-aging cream, but other than that, I really just want to be happy. I don’t think that I’ll find that in The Underworld… funnily enough.” I quirk an eyebrow, and Xion nods, looking a little sad but firm in his expression. The rugged lines of his masculine face look down at me, capturing light and shadow and manipulating it so he looks both intimidating and besotted all at once, though that could be entirely my misinterpretation.

  “So, I’m not going to just keel over from this crap you put in my veins, right, Luce?” I ask her between gritted teeth, and she looks sheepish.

  “Uh, no. You should be fine. Do you feel… I don’t know, more goddess-ish than before?” she asks me, and I shrug.

  “I don’t feel like I’ve almost been eaten by a hoard of demons after being kidnapped and drugged.”

  “We’ll say that’s good enough for now. If you have any problems, you let me know.” She gives me a wink, and I can’t help but feel my frosty reserve toward her melt. She has saved me, risk or no risk, after all.