Mercy for the Wicked

by Lisa Olsen

“I beg your pardon?” I blinked.

  “They’re all swirling inside, part of you, but not. Doesn’t it get awfully crowded?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but um, is that why you came to see me?” I looked for any sign of Nelo, but he was nowhere to be found. Was it strange that I craved a demon’s company to make me feel safe from a human?

  “Oh, I nearly forgot!” She clapped her hands together with delight. “I found you!”

  “I didn’t know I was lost…”

  “You made a new pattern, and it’s all snarled and tangled, but I found you all the same,” she beamed happily.

  “Um, good…?”

  “I thought you might like to have cakes and tea with me.” Oriana held her hands out entreatingly and I found myself thinking she was a few cakes short of a picnic. Then again, maybe she was a little lonely?

  “Yeah sure, cakes and tea it is. Just let me wake up and wash my face, alright?”

  “I could braid your hair if you like?”

  Oh yeah, she was lonely. “Maybe later,” I hedged, ducking out of the room to go wash up. She was waiting in the exact same spot when I came out of the washroom, I’m not even sure she blinked the entire time I was gone. When I approached, her gaze remained unfocused, with the same thousand yard stare that originally made me think she was blind. I wasn’t sure if I should say something, or wave my hand in front of her eyes or what. All at once she snapped out of it, face lighting up with a cheerful smile.

  “Shall we go then?”

  “Go?” Somehow I’d thought we’d be eating cakes and tea in my room. Wasn’t I a captive?

  “Yes, to my quarters. Unless you’d prefer to eat here? Your terrace is much larger than mine, but I do share the same view.”

  “No, out is fine,” I amended quickly. Better than fine, I was eager to get out of my luxurious prison. It turned out we didn’t go all that far, Oriana’s room was down the hall from mine, and she did have a very similar set up, only a little smaller. Or maybe it only felt smaller because it was so crammed full of knick knacks and odd curios. “How long have you been here?”

  Her brow twitched with uncertainty. “I hardly know. Time moves differently here,” she replied, moving out to her terrace which was covered with a jungle of plants, some of which I recognized, and some completely alien.

  “Differently how?” Oriana shrugged her narrow shoulders, and I came to understand that was all the answer I was going to get as she went to the railing. “Don’t you want to try and get home?”

  “Home?” Her eyes remained fixed on the horizon. “This is my home now. Raum is a generous master when he is well pleased, you would do well to give him what he wants.”

  Ugh, was that what the impromptu social gathering was about? “Sorry, honey, I’m not about to drink the Kool-Aid, so you can save your breath. I could care less if Raum is well pleased.”

  “You should care, your safety depends on it,” she said sadly, and I wondered if she was speaking from personal experience, or concern for my wellbeing. “Isn’t that right, Nelo?” I glanced around, but I didn’t see the little demon anywhere. “You needn’t hide, I won’t tell him you came to pay me a visit.” There was still no sign of Nelo, but then he stepped out of a shadow that could not have conceivably hidden him from view.

  “Jesus Christ, how long have you been standing there?” I gaped at him, trying to reconcile how he could have fit into the space. He was small, but not that small.

  “Raum bade me watch over you, I was merely heeding his wishes,” he replied, a guilty cast to his face.

  “Wait… does that mean you’ve been watching me in my room as well? Without me seeing you?”

  Nelo hung his head in shame, “Yes, Mistress.”

  “But how…”

  “Obfuscation is a talent of his kind,” Oriana explained, as if I understood what the hell she was talking about. “But he can’t hide from my sight.”

  A flare of panic went through me as I realized what that meant. “Then you saw…” Adam. Which meant Raum would know I had a visitor, if he didn’t already.

  “You disrobe? No, Mistress,” Nelo interrupted me, “I would never invade your privacy in that way.”

  Holy crap, the little guy was keeping mum over it! “You’d just invade it every other way?” I smirked to keep from smiling broadly over our shared secret. Whether or not I could trust him remained to be seen, but it felt nice to have at least one ally in my corner.

  “Apologies, Mistress, shall I announce myself when I am in your presence?”

  “That’d be nice, Nelo. I don’t like surprises.”

  “I love surprises! They happen so rarely.” Oriana clapped her hands together like a small child. The rest of the afternoon passed like that, with odd outbursts from the girl at random times. It made for a strange conversation that was hard to follow, and I rose to make my escape as soon as it was reasonably polite to do so.

  “Thanks for having me over, we’ll have to do this again sometime,” I smiled faintly.

  “So soon?” Oriana laid a hand over mine, her eyes taking on a faraway cast. “Don’t trust him. He isn’t what he seems.” A flicker of pain crossed her features. “He’ll draw you down to ruination if you allow him to.”

  “What?” I breathed, more than a little creeped out by the proclamation. “Are you talking about Raum? Don’t worry, I don’t trust him any farther than I can throw him.” Her hand slipped from mine and Oriana gave no sign that she was aware she’d said anything at all. In fact, she ignored my last reply as well.

  “I do hope you’ll join me for tea again soon, I had a lovely time,” she smiled brightly.

  “Yeah, can’t wait,” I nodded, more than a little relieved when Nelo escorted me back to my rooms. “Has she always been like that, or did she go a little batty after she got here?” I asked as soon as we stepped into my sitting room.

  “How do you mean… batty?” he blinked up at me.

  “You know, a few bricks short of a load? Spacey. Like she’s there with you one moment, then gone the next, and back again like there’s nothing wrong? What was she going on about? I can’t trust him. Him who?” Did she mean Adam? Could I end up Fallen when I’d never been a real angel to start with, just by association? Or did she mean Azazael?

  “Oh, you’ll get used to Oriana’s visions, they strike at odd times, it’s true.”

  “Will I…” I wasn’t so sure I wanted to stick around long enough to get used to any of it. “Hey, thanks for not ratting me out about you know what, I appreciate it.”

  “She might already know, you never can tell with Oriana.”

  Not exactly a pleasant thought, but there was little I could do about it. I was more interested in his ability to hide himself from sight. “Were you there the whole time Adam was here?”

  Nelo had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. “I am responsible for you, Mistress. My lord bade me not to let you out of my sight, and apart from certain moments of privacy, I have fulfilled my duty.”

  “How did you do that? I didn’t see you in the room. Have you always been able to do that trick with the shadows?”

  “Yes, it is a mark of my kind. We exist as part of the shadow and can step into them.”

  “Can all demons do that?”

  “To some degree all can blend in, but some of us are more adept at it than others.” To demonstrate, Nelo stepped close to a thin ribbon of shadow cast by the dressing table in my bedroom and slipped into the impossibly narrow space, disappearing completely from sight.

  “Get outta town…” I murmured, impressed.

  “I cannot leave you, Mistress.” Nelo poked his head out of the shadow.

  “No, I didn’t mean…” He sorta reminded me of Sam, being so literal minded, and he seemed to have a hit and miss relationship with human references. “Hey, does it work on other demons too? Do you disappear from their view too? Or can they spot you like Oriana did?”

  “I can conceal myself from all
eyes, Oriana ‘sees’ me with her other senses.”

  “That’s gotta come in handy.” Particularly with the way he was treated. As if he guessed my train of thought, he gave a sad shake of the head.

  “Apart from Raum, he always knows when I am present.”

  “But you can move through the palace unseen as long as Raum or Oriana aren’t around?”

  “Yes, and I can step through the shadows.”

  “Step through the shadows?”

  Nelo nodded, demonstrating by slipping back into the narrow strip of shadow completely, and then popping his head out of the shadow of the bedside table across the room. “Like this.”

  “That’s pretty… wow.” An idea began to form in the back of my mind, but I wasn’t sure he’d go for it. “Could you bring a person with you through the shadows like that?” If I could get him to take me unseen though the palace and back to the real world, I’d have it made in the shade.

  “Yes, I think I could. Why? Do you wish to hide from Raum? He would undoubtedly find you, Mistress, and his wrath would be… I would not willingly subject you to it.”

  “I was thinking of something a little more permanent. As in, you helping me break outta here.”

  “It can’t be done, Mistress.” His face clouded with alarm bordering on panic, as if Raum would somehow know we were talking about it. “I can’t step you through the shadows from Midian to the world. We have to pass through the gate, same as anyone else.”

  “But you could take me through the shadows to get out of the palace, right?”

  “Well… yes, but…”

  “And then you could hide me as we passed by the gate guard, right?” I prompted, my eyes shining with excitement.

  “It would never work, Naberios is ever vigilant. He would never let us pass and there are no shadows near the gate itself.”

  “Oh, come on, you’re telling me you’ve never snuck past him before?”

  “No, Mistress,” he shook his head, aghast at the thought. “I have never left Midian, it would be my death to do so.”

  “What do you mean your death? You can’t survive outside of here?”

  “No, I could never return home and I would be hunted by my kind if I left Midian without permission. Please, don’t ask this of me, Mistress. Raum is terrible in his punishments. If he knew we spoke of this…” Nelo looked like he might hyperventilate at the idea, and I felt bad for pushing him.

  “Relax, I’m just thinking aloud,” I hedged. “How long do you think we have before Raum comes back for another bite?”

  “It’s difficult to say.”

  “Nelo, I’m wondering if you wouldn’t mind letting me try out a little something on you?”

  “As you wish, Mistress,” he agreed readily without even hearing what it was I had in mind. I felt a stab of guilt for using him so selfishly when he was so eager to please me. But what I wanted to try would benefit him too, at least, I thought so.

  “Do you feed off of energy the way the others do?” It sounded better than saying souls or ‘innocence’ the way Adam described it, and I didn’t particularly think of myself as innocent anyway.

  “I do, Mistress,” his gaze dropped guiltily.

  “So, if I were to hit you with my Grace, it wouldn’t hurt you, right?”

  His eyes came up in surprise. “You mustn’t share your light with me, Mistress, it is for Raum.”

  “It’s mine,” I corrected him. “And I’ll do what I see fit with it. Right now what I’d like to do is try and see if I can push the Grace on command like I did with Adam, without so much time for concentration. You don’t want Raum to hurt me again like he did last time, do you?”

  “No, of course not, Mistress.”

  “Good, then you’ll help me do this. I’d rather not have to go through that again.”

  “As you wish,” he replied, but he didn’t look all that happy about it.

  “What’s the matter? I thought you’d like to have a taste like everyone else?”

  “I’m not worthy of your Grace, Mistress.”

  “That’s debatable. I happen to think you’re way more worthy than Raum, who takes what he wants like a bully.”

  “If you say so.”

  Geez, I never thought I’d have to beg someone for the chance to feed them a bit of my Grace… “I do. So… stand right there and hold still. Let’s see if I can do this.”

  “Would you like me to try and scare you?” he asked helpfully, and I suppressed the urge to smile.

  “No, part of what I’m trying is to see if I can do this on command, without any fear.” That, and I didn’t find the little guy scary at all, despite his demon status. “Just, give me a sec,” I ordered, closing my eyes to center myself the way Adam taught me. It actually was a little easier without him around distracting me, and I focused the Grace under my hand much quicker. With a little push, I felt it leave my hand, and my eyes popped open in time to see the ball of energy hit Nelo, knocking him off his feet. He lay there, unmoving, still bathed in the glow of my Grace. “Nelo! Are you alright?” I thought it wasn’t supposed to hurt demons?

  “I… I am…” A dazed, unfocused look came into his eyes.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “Hurt?” he blinked, as if he didn’t understand the question.

  “Yeah, are you alright?”

  “I am… I have never felt anything like that before. It was… as though I was part of the light, but it did not hurt, it was… comforting, and warm.” He smiled, a trace of wonder in his voice. “Thank you, for such a princely gift.”

  Sinking back in relief he was alright and because I was worn out, I nodded tiredly. “Yeah sure, glad you liked it.” More importantly, I hadn’t needed to be terrified or in pain to make it work. Step number one of the plan was coming together.

  “Are you alright, Mistress?” His voice dropped in sympathy.

  “Sure, I’ll be fine. I just need to rest for a few.”

  Too bad Raum had other ideas.

  Chapter Twelve

  “The Master comes…” Nelo squeaked, mere seconds before the door swung open. It was barely long enough for me to try and look a little less worn out. Nelo dove for the shadows, I assumed because he was terrified Raum would find out about the Grace I gave him. Knowing Raum, I could imagine he wouldn’t approve of my squandering it on a servant.

  “If it isn’t my host, what a pleasant surprise.” I mustered as much enthusiasm into my voice as I could, hoping to find him in a good mood.

  “In the flesh,” he grinned. “Speaking of which…” He snapped his fingers and my pretty red dress was replaced by a shorter one in gauzy lavender that reminded me of a costume from the old Wonder Woman TV show, when they’re on Paradise Island. “Much better,” his smile turned lascivious, and I wondered what I’d have to endure.

  “Very pretty, thank you,” I nodded meekly.

  “Yes, you are, pretty as a picture. Not that I don’t enjoy you down there on the floor, but please, rise and join me for a glass of wine.”

  “Alright.” Rising slowly, I approached him cautiously, not quite knowing what he expected of me.

  “I must say, it’s pleasing to see you’ve had a change of heart and accepted your fate, but I do miss a bit of the fire in your eyes. So invigorating.” His eyes flashed playfully as he poured us each a glass of wine from a serving tray that appeared on the table.

  Ugh, I wished he’d make up his mind, did he want me to play along or fight him? “I thought about what you said before, I might as well make the best of it right? After all, I’m gonna be here for a long, long time.”

  His eyes widened at that. “Indeed?” Raum pressed the glass into my hand, and I took a deep drink. “How very forward thinking of you.” He almost sounded disappointed I wasn’t putting up more of an objection.

  “But you won’t hurt me if I cooperate, right?” I injected a bit of fear into my voice and was rewarded by his smile. Oh yeah, he definitely got off on the idea that he had me right where
he wanted me.

  “As long as it suits my needs,” he replied, savoring that distinction. “And as long as you keep me satisfied.”

  Ick. “What would satisfy you now, my lord?” I asked as submissively as I could manage. In the space of a heartbeat, he pulled me into his arms, his eyes dark and terrible.

  “For those pretty eyes of yours to cloud with pain.”

  Fear swept through me, despite my best efforts to keep my head. “I’ll give you what you want, you don’t have to hurt me.” I gathered the Grace beneath my hand. Unfortunately it was much harder after using it on Nelo.

  “But I want to hurt you, my lady,” he grinned wickedly. “You taste so much better laced with fear.”

  “Here, take it then.” My voice quavered as I pushed the Grace into him, willing it to be enough. His head fell back with a groan of pleasure, and I thought I was in the clear, but then his teeth descended, rending my flesh until I screamed in pain. The Grace surged stronger, and I felt his corresponding shudder of delight as he held me close. There were no pretty words of encouragement that time, Raum took his fill of what he wanted and cast me aside, not bothering to heal my shoulder either.

  “Make yourself ready, I’ll expect you to attend me at court tonight,” he threw out without a backwards glance as he left the room.

  I stumbled towards the bed, weak between the double shot of Grace I’d given up along with the shock of the wound that still pulsed in pain. Once he was gone, I collapsed against the bed, struggling to manage the energy to heal my shoulder before I got any weaker. The last thing I wanted to do was pass out in my state. I could only muster enough Grace to get the bleeding to stop, and fell back against the pillow, needing to rest to regain my strength before I could attempt anything more. The tears fell as a wave of self pity came over me. How was I supposed to sit tight and wait it out until Adam was ready to spring me?

  Raum didn’t want to be fed, he wanted to take the Grace from me. I knew in my heart he wouldn’t stop at a little bite here and there, it would get progressively worse. My gaze fell to the balcony where I’d last seen Adam take off. “Please, Adamiel… please, please hurry,” I whispered, praying he’d hear me. There was a light touch on my ankle and I jumped, blinking down at Nelo who shrank back guiltily, his voice barely above a whisper.