Pursued by the Gods

by Rebekah Murdock

  However, I understood it now. It took every fiber of my being not to throw myself in front of her, to fall on my knees and beg Torde to spare her, to kill me if necessary, to do whatever he wished, if he would only let her live. I would have endured anything if it meant stopping the pain she was in, even for a moment.

  But I hadn’t, and that had been the hardest thing I’d ever had to do. I knew from the way she had looked at me that she thought I’d betrayed them, that I was the reason they’d been caught and brought here. She’d be disabused of that notion soon enough, but seeing the abject hatred on her face had cut me to the core.

  I watched as the demon guard hauled her away, shoving her towards the door, and I made a mental note to keep an eye out for that one. Just seeing his hands on her made me seethe with rage and the possibility of what else he might do to her was enough to make me once again want to break out of the ranks of the other gods and goddesses and commit murder on the spot. But somehow I’d managed to fly under the radar, with no one the wiser that I’d known about Ravenna, her lovers and their sins, and I wanted to keep it that way.

  I needed to keep it that way, if my plan was to work.

  Somehow, I managed to make pleasant small talk with the others as the room cleared. Naika, Torde’s queen, had left the moment the proceedings were finished and she could do so politely, even before her husband. Kore was sobbing, and Iad was ushering her out hurriedly, before Torde could notice how upset she was. “Surely we can get her from Vashta, once she’s dead,” I heard her say. “He’ll make her a night hag, Iad!”

  “Hush, Kore,” I heard him say, not unkindly. “You can’t let them hear you talk like this.”

  The one bright spot in coming here had been that I’d hoped to speak with my friends, the gods and goddesses I’d been separated from for decades, since the schism. But they—the ones who had disagreed the last time something like this had happened—left as quickly as they could, not wanting to be seen in open disagreement against Torde’s edict, but also not wanting to have to pretend to think he was right. I knew we would scatter again after this, and it made my heart feel even heavier than it already did.

  As soon as I was able I slipped away, out into the gardens where I could wait unobserved for night to fall. After that, I could only cling to hope that all would go according to plan.

  ---

  It was well after midnight when I left the gardens. Torde’s palace was silent and still, not even the hum of servants and staff buzzing through the air. I walked quickly but quietly, slipping around corners and hesitating at every door, hoping no one would come by. If they did, I could claim to be lost, I supposed, but it might seem strange. I had, after all, been here many times before, even if I’d been gone for a very long time.

  I managed to get to the door that led down to the cells without too much trouble. For the first time, I wished I’d taken Isa up on his insistent offer that he should come with me. I’d said it was too dangerous—and it was—but his considerable presence would have been welcome for what came next. I was about to try to break out two prisoners sentenced to death, and if I were caught, I would join them the next morning on the scaffold.

  Almost immediately, after making the first left, I nearly ran smack into one of the tall, muscle-bound demons that guarded the place.

  “What are you doing here?” he snapped, his hand going to his belt.

  “Um,” I started to try to think of a valid excuse, and then I remembered—most demons are human. Some are made, but the majority are humans sent to the underworld after their deaths. “Hell” isn’t exactly what mortals have made it out to be, after all. And if he had once been human, he would be susceptible to my charm.

  “I was just asked to come down and check on a couple of very valuable prisoners by Torde, make sure their final night isn’t going too smoothly. After all, people who’ve done what they’ve done don’t deserve one last good night’s sleep, do they? They should be awake, thinking on their sins. Thinking about the crimes they’ve committed, doing penance.” I smiled, broadly. “Now that I think about it, you’re doing a hell of a job, working the graveyard shift down here. You deserve a promotion. And as soon as I check on the prisoners, I’ll be sure to relay that to Torde.”

  He wavered for a moment, but I could see the power working on him. His eyes had gone a bit glassy, and he frowned. “I don’t know if…it’s highly irregular…who are you here for again?”

  “I didn’t say,” I assured him. “Takwa’ay-chi and Whcha’ri. Sentenced just today, in fact. Torde believes in swift punishment. And swift reward, too.” I winked at him.

  He frowned. “They’re just down this way. Cells next to each other, a little extra torture, you know?” He sounded positively gleeful, and I wanted to smash his head into a nearby wall. “One of them shouts for the other, they’ll hear it. One of ‘em stays up crying all night, the other will hear it. Real useful if you want to get one of ‘em on edge, make them start talking.”

  If he doesn’t stop talking, I will bash his skull in, I thought. I followed him to the first cell, where he produced a key and opened the door.

  “While I speak with the one in here, go and get the other and bring them in, will you? Torde wants them to see each other, a little extra twist of the knife, if you will.” I thought that would please the guard, and it did. He grinned maliciously as he opened the door wide and headed to the next cell.

  I stepped in, and the room illuminated immediately, the stark white walls glaringly bright. I saw Ravenna huddled on the mattress in the far corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her forehead resting on them.

  “Ravenna,” I said softly. “Ravenna, I’m here.”

  Her head snapped up and she was on her feet in a second, lunging towards me. The bars appeared out of nowhere, shimmering between us, and I saw the manacles on her wrists appear, an iridescent yellow. “How could you?” she snarled, her hair swinging around her face as she jerked on the chains. They brightened, but she barely even seemed to notice. “You betrayed us! You son of a bitch, you fucked me and then you betrayed us! How could I ever have been so stupid!”

  “Ravenna, please.” I took a step forward and she lunged again, like a wild animal, the chains heating to a painfully bright red. “Ravenna, stop, you’re hurting yourself.”

  “I don’t care,” she hissed. “Nothing could hurt as much as what you’ve done to us. What I’ll have to see tomorrow, what I’ll go through every day after that.” She tossed her head back, and I saw that her beautiful dark eyes were shining with tears. “You said you loved me, Toven. I’ll never forgive you for that.”

  I walked up to the bars, dropping my voice as low as I could and still be heard. “Ravenna, listen to me. I’m here to rescue you. You and Kavi.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” she snapped.

  “Isa,” I said simply. “He came back after his change and saw the truck, the blood on the road. Thorn and Maril didn’t bother with moving it, but then again, the only person who would have known it for what it was, as far as they knew, was Isa, and he couldn’t get to you once they took you to the realm of the gods. He managed to get to me, even as weak as he was the night after his change, and he told me what had happened. After that,” I shrugged. “I knew the only way to save you was to answer the summons and come here, and hope to break you out.”

  Ravenna stared at me. “If they catch us, they’ll kill you too.”

  “You said nothing could be a greater torture than living forever knowing you would never see the person you loved again. I never understood that, Ravenna, because I’ve spent years running from any chance of it.” I touched the bars, pressing my hand to the flat panel at the front of them, and they disappeared. I took two quick steps forward and wrapped my hands around the manacles at her wrists, and felt a quick flash of pain before they vanished.

  She let out a long breath as the pain stopped, and before she could say anything, I reached up, burying my hands in her hair as I leaned down and kissed h
er. “Now I understand, Ravenna. I would rather die with Kavi tomorrow than live forever and know you were gone.”

  “What’s going on here?” The guard stepped into the cell, Kavi chained next to him. “I thought you said you were here to see that they were awake, thinking on their sins and such.”

  I smiled brilliantly, turning up the charm another notch. “You’ve caught me,” I said, spreading my hands. “I came down here for something a little more, ah should I say, nefarious. Although, I assure you, Torde is still fully aware of my presence here.”

  “What’s that?” The guard scratched his chin, and I saw Ravenna glance at me worriedly. Kavi was staring at me with anger etched on his every feature, righteous hatred burning in his eyes. I nearly flinched at the intensity of it.

  “Well, have you ever been with a man or a woman who knows they’re going to die in the morning?” I asked, walking towards the guard, the smile still plastered to my face.

  “No, I can’t say that I have,” he said cautiously.

  “They’re absolutely desperate for any last taste of what it’s like to be among the living. Positively ravenous. They’ll do anything you want. It’s the most delicious thing, seeing the need on their faces, knowing they’re getting it for the last time, knowing they’re picturing the person they really want it to be and so needy they’ll do it with you anyway, and that you’ll go on living the next day and you’ll be the last person they ever touch.” I shuddered and licked my lips. “And what’s better than two? So leave him here, be a good boy, and keep an eye out, will you? I’ll give you something to reward you for your time, and what we talked about earlier, hmm?”

  The demon looked hesitant. “I…well…I suppose. They’re dangerous prisoners, though.”

  “And I am a god,” I reminded him. “Look, when I’m done with them, maybe I’ll let you have a turn with one of them. Whichever one’s more to your taste. How’s that sound?” I laid my hand on his arm. “A warm body and a promotion. Surely I’m offering more than enough?” I let the smile be tinged with a hint of a warning, just enough to let him know my patience was wearing thin, without letting up on the charm.

  “Oh, oh, yes sir! Of course. I’ll make myself scarce.” The demon stepped away from Kavi, inclining his head, and shut the door behind him.

  The moment the door was shut, Kavi lunged forward, slamming me up against the wall. I was impressed, really, I would have expected it from Isa, but not Kavi, and I was shocked enough to momentarily not resist.

  “Kavi, stop!” Ravenna rushed forward. “Kavi, he’s here to help us,” she whispered urgently. “He told me everything.”

  “After all of this, you still believe him?” Kavi snarled. “How would he know we were here, unless he betrayed us?”

  “Isa found the truck, and went to tell him. Isa sent him here after us. He’s telling the truth, Kavi, now let him go!”

  Kavi’s grip on my throat loosened, and I slumped against the wall, coughing. “Look, we have to be smart about this. I’m going to have to do something to neutralize that guard the minute we leave this cell. Once we’re out of the palace I can get you home, but we have to get out of here first.”

  “How?” Ravenna’s brow was furrowed.

  “How are we getting out of here, or how am I getting us all back to earth?”

  “Both?”

  “The second question is easy: once we’re out of the palace, I can travel between realms, and so can you, if you’re touching me. But it’s strictly forbidden within the palace and the palace prisons, for obvious reasons, and restrictions are put in place to make it impossible. As for the first part,” I shrugged. “I have a variety of excuses which, along with my charm, should get us through. And if not,” I smiled at her. “Then I’ll die tomorrow with Kavi, and I’ll be glad for it.”

  Ravenna’s eyes filled with tears, and Kavi looked at me skeptically. “You really mean it, don’t you? You’d die to get us out.”

  “I’d die to get her out,” I corrected, “and you come as part of the package deal. Trust me, if it were you alone, I’d let them drown you tomorrow and not blink an eye.”

  “Toven!” Ravenna exclaimed, but Kavi waved a hand.

  “It’s alright,” he said, “I wouldn’t sacrifice myself for him either. But for you, I’d save anyone, do anything, if you loved them and it made you happy.” He looked at me, and an understanding passed between us.

  “Let’s go then,” I said. I wrapped my hands around Ravenna’s wrists, and the manacles appeared again. “I’m sorry for this, my love,” I said gently. “But it has to appear that you’re both my prisoners.”

  “I know,” she said. She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my mouth. “Just get us out of here, Toven, so I can kiss you properly.”

  “All the better reason to do this quickly.” I pushed the door open, gesturing for them to follow. The hall was empty, and I walked with purpose, squaring my shoulders and trying to look as if I belonged, as if I had somewhere to be. We made it all the way to the last hallway before we rounded a corner, and there was the same demon I’d promised a reward to.

  Fuck.

  “Hey!” The demon sounded surprised. “You said…that’s not…”

  “I’m sorry about this,” I said, and I genuinely meant it, as I snatched an iron dagger from my waist, and plunged it into his throat, yanking it down sharply. The demon made a terrible gurgling noise and shuddered, his body collapsing inwards into a pile of skin and tar. “I hope oblivion is good for you,” I said, wiping the dagger gingerly on what remained of his clothes before sticking it back into my pocket. Demon blood tended to be a bit…acidic.

  Ravenna was staring at me, frozen with shock. “Come on,” Kavi whispered to her, tugging at her arm. “We have to go.”

  Once free of the prisons, we didn’t have far to go. The palace was mercifully empty, and we skated around the outside edge of the main hall, into the gardens. “I know a back gate,” I said. “Follow me, it will take us down to the lake, which is just past the barrier.”

  We hurried down the grassy knoll, the sky wide and black above us, the stars bigger and closer than they ever were on Earth. I saw Ravenna staring at them, wide-eyed, as we scrambled down the hill to the lake. Beneath the willow tree that stood on the edge of it, I passed my hands over their wrists again, and the chains disappeared. “Now hold on to my hand, both of you,” I said. “It’s going to feel like you’re going to be sick, and you’ll want to let go, but don’t. Whatever you do, don’t let go, or you’ll be lost and I won’t be able to save you. You must hold on.”

  Ravenna nodded, her eyes wide. I leaned forward and cupped her face in my hands, pressing my mouth to hers. Her lips were soft and sweet, and they parted beneath mine, sending a dizzying rush of lust through my body from the top of my head down to my toes. “I love you, Ravenna,” I said softly. “Now let’s go home.”

  Kavi grunted. “This seems one-sided,” he observed. “I feel left out.”

  I turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “You know what?” I said. I took a step forward and gripped his upper arm, pulling him towards me. I bent and kissed him, too, a hard press of lips, and it sent a shiver through me. He smelled of rainwater, like damp grass after a storm, and it wasn’t unpleasant.

  “That’s for giving Ravenna immortality,” I said softly. “That’s for risking your own life for the woman you love, and in turn giving me a chance to meet her, and love her too. Thank you, Kavi. I am forever in your debt.”

  “It’s settled,” he said gruffly. “You’ve saved our lives. Now let’s go home,” he echoed, reaching for my hand as Ravenna took the other one.

  33

  Ravenna

  It took only a second. In a dizzying whirl of light that turned to darkness, to swirling stars and back again, I was one minute standing under a willow tree in another realm, and in the next I was on a tarmac, a hangar for a private plane five yards to my right. The air had gone cold, and I shivered, still only in the linen prison s
hift. “Here,” I heard Toven say, and he handed me a stack of clothes, and one to Kavi. “I left them in the car. There’s a bathroom inside where you can change.”

  When I came back out, warmer in jeans, a soft black sweater that I knew Isa must have picked out—it was his favorite—and my denim jacket, I saw a familiar face standing there on the tarmac, next to Toven and a woman I didn’t know.

  “Isa!” I shouted, running towards him faster than I’ve ever run in my life. He grabbed me in his arms, picking me up and holding me against his body as my hair fell around our faces and I bent, kissing him madly as he squeezed me tightly to him. “Isa, I thought I’d never see you again.”

  “I told you that wouldn’t happen.” He set me down, his hands still on my waist. “I vowed to protect you, Taki, and I couldn’t keep that vow this time, not entirely. But I found someone who could.” He grinned at Toven, and I saw with relief that what bad blood had been between them seemed to have faded away. “You did good, son.”

  “You know I’m almost two millennia older than you?” Toven glared at him.

  “Figure of speech. Where’s Kavi?” He glanced around worriedly.

  “Changing. He’ll be out soon. Toven, where are we? And who is she?” I looked at the woman standing next to him. She was one of those women who didn’t show her age, all high cheekbones and angles in her face, dark glossy braids piled atop her hair. She was wearing a batik printed shift with a leather jacket thrown over top and boots, and she wore it as well as any fashion model.

  “This is Amelie,” Toven said. “She is a very powerful witch, and she has agreed to grant me a favor, a favor that will keep the three of you safe.” He gestured towards the plane. “We have a flight ahead of us. I managed to get us a private plane, so we’ll do it in style, and with no one to see us or ask questions.”