by Maya Daniels
“Be careful who you call a coward, little girl. Separate your friends from your enemies before it’s too late.” Ishtar stiffens, glaring at Alexia.
“Are you my friend, Goddess? Are you really?” Tilting her head up, she looks at Ishtar and I can see the glow from her eyes reflecting on the goddess’s face.
Ishtar’s eyes widen, and if I was not paying close attention I would’ve missed her slight step back. Then anger replaced the emotions on her face, and I know I have to stop whatever it is that will take place.
“We have no time to talk nonsense. We need to open the portal and find Anzu before it is too late.” I speak clearly, stopping their banter.
Inanna snorts ungracefully. Remi, Daisy and Jezzinta bury their faces in their hands, and Philip groans as if in pain. I do not understand why they are acting as if I didn’t help. My witch, however, has no problem enlightening my ignorance.
“You mean you didn’t ask about that during your lovely reunion a few minutes ago?” Alexia looks at me over her shoulder, locking those eyes on mine. I feel like I am drowning and cannot get air in my lungs.
“Yes, Lucifer. Why didn’t you ask that earlier?” Ishtar smirks at me, and I glare at her.
This…this feeling is unfamiliar to me. I do not like it. Not being able to contain my emotions will make me go insane. I do the only thing I can think of. Grabbing Alexia by the shoulders, I flip her around to face me. Burying both my hands in her hair, I slam my mouth to hers, kissing her so deeply that she will never doubt the strength of my feelings for her.
At first, she tries to push me away with both her hands pressed to my chest between us, but as my tongue dives deep in her mouth and starts tangling with hers, those same hands grab onto my shirt, holding me close. I keep kissing her, breathing the air that comes from her lungs, not knowing if we are separate beings or one. The clearing of a throat and few giggles break the enchantment that takes over me every time I kiss her, and I pull away, slightly leaning my forehead on hers. Keeping my eyes closed, I take deep breaths, trying to calm down a little. When I open them, I see Alexia looking at me, searching my face for something. I do not know what, but I let her see in my eyes all I feel for her and her eyes widen.
“Do not doubt my love, witch. Don’t ever doubt me,” I mumble, so close to her that my lips touch hers with each word.
“How sentimental.” A new voice surrounds us and we all look in that direction.
Alexia stiffens again in my arms and I pull her closer. She cannot be afraid; the woman is almost stupidly brave when it comes to entities such as myself, so I am on alert because of her reaction.
“Look, my love, Lucifer has decided to visit. He also brought his pet,” Ishtar purrs, slinking towards the newcomer and Alexia stiffens even more in my arms at that comment.
“So I can see! And he brought friends. How lovely! I know the witches but a couple of them are missing. Where is the new addition to your circle? I do not see Meda, either.”
Alexia is strung taut like a bow in my arms and I start to get an uneasy feeling about this. She hasn’t turned around yet, and she never leaves her back towards something or someone unknown. Jezzinta snickers behind me, and that uneasiness multiplies. There is something I am missing here. I do not like it. Before I ask Alexia, the newcomer speaks again.
“Hello, daughter.” He turns towards Inanna.
“Father,” she greets him courtly.
“So, where is the little witch? A fiery spirit, that one,” he chuckles, and Alexia groans, bumping her head on my chest. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turns around, shoulders squared and chin up.
“Sin!” she greets him.
“Hello, little witch! How very lovely to see you again.” His eyes sparkle when they land on her and anger like a beast rears its head in my chest. “And without a summoning,” he adds offhandedly.
“Yeah, very lovely indeed,” Remi mumbles and Jezzinta snorts, covering it with a cough, but I ignore them.
“We need help with the potions so we can find Anzu, that’s why we are here,” Alexia says to the Sun God, with no emotion in her voice.
“Why be in such a rush? We should sit and talk first.” Ishtar adds her opinion and Sin nods slowly, still looking Alexia up and down.
I am missing something, but the narrowed-eyed look on Ishtar’s face says I am not the only one.
“Something is different about you, little witch.” Sin ignores everyone but her. My anger gets stronger in intensity.
“Oh, you have no idea.” She purrs, looking at him through her lashes with a smirk and I snap.
35
Alexia…
Just when I calmed down my stupid reaction of seeing Ishtar touching Lucifer, things take a turn for worse. I mean, really, what did I think? That an ancient angel was celibate and waited his entire existence for me? As I said, stupid! But I can’t help how I feel when I’m caught off guard. Now Sin is leering at me and I can’t help myself. Especially because I feel a slight pressure in my head, like someone is trying to open my skull without me noticing.
“Oh, you have no idea,” I tell him, distractedly lowering my lashes and smiling a bit, while trying to place a protection around me against whatever is pressing on my head.
One second, I feel some relief from whatever it was when the protection snapped in place, and the next, Lucifer springs from behind me, grabbing Sin by his neck and lifting him off the ground. The angel dangles him like a towel.
“What the fuck?!” I whisper incredulously.
Inanna laughs joyfully like she’s watching a circus. Remi, Daisy and Jez plaster themselves to my sides, readying themselves for anything. Philip walks up behind us saying something about stupid men and jealousy, but I can’t be sure exactly what.
“Don’t just stand there and laugh. Stop them,” I tell Inanna.
She just wipes tears from her eyes, shaking her head and starts another round of giggles, pointing subtly towards Ishtar. The other goddess is watching the two men trying to kill each other with a look of shock on her face. Sin got animated after the initial reaction of standing still by punching Lucifer in the face making his head snap back. It seemed like he didn’t expect Lucifer’s reaction. Well, neither did I, buddy. I want to tell him, but I’m worried I’ll only make things worse.
“Lucifer, stop it!” I yell at him, finally.
“Stand back, Alexia. This has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and him,” he says through teeth so clenched I can almost hear them grinding from where I’m standing.
“Excuse me? Nothing to do with me? You just decided to attack him for some other reason, huh?”
Like I haven’t spoken, the two continue throwing punches at each other. The sounds of fist hitting flesh echo around the room, making it hard to think. Sin manages to hit Lucifer square in the jaw, making him stumble back a few steps. Then Sin lifts his hands in the air, calling on his power. Before I even process what’s happening, Lucifer lifts him up using his own power and throws him across the room, slamming his body into the stone walls making them crumble. Bright light flashes from Sin’s hands, slamming into Lucifer’s chest, throwing him in the air and slamming him on his back. The floor cracks from the impact, making all of us stumble.
“Stop it!” I scream as loud as I can, but no one pays me any attention.
They fly towards each other like in some badly-made karate movie. Flesh hits flesh, sounding like a boom. Grunts and curses fill the air. I look around wildly at everyone, trying to figure out why no one is doing anything to stop them. Like me thinking about it was the catalyst for her to act, Ishtar gets animated. I was just about to feel relieved that someone would stop them when I realized she’s headed towards me, not them. Pushing Remi, Daisy and Jezzinta aside before I can react, she grabs my hair and places a jeweled dagger at my throat. I freeze.
“Stop it, both of you, or I will kill her. You want to open the portal? It’ll take a blood sacrifice anyway,” she says conversationally, but she wouldn’t have
made a bigger difference if she screamed.
Everything stops. You could hear a pin drop. Inanna stops laughing. Remi and Jez stand still, like statues with wide eyes. Sin and Lucifer slowly turn their heads towards us from the ground where Sin is on his back and Lucifer is holding him by the throat while sitting on his chest. Philip is standing to the side, pulling on his hair with both hands with Daisy next to him, looking like she will be sick.
“Let her go.” Lucifer’s voice gives me chills at how menacing it sounds as he slowly stands up, turning to face us and forgetting all about the sun god at his feet. My heart stops for a second. I have never seen him look like this, ever. It’s not like this is the first time I’ve gotten myself into a situation like this, right? It’s a given with me, but this feels different. There is a fear in his eyes so deep that it gives me pause. I have no idea what’s going on, but I don’t want to play their stupid games anymore.
“Okay, you got your point across. They stopped. Let me go,” I tell her, trying to step away, but her arm tightens and I stop moving or I’ll cut myself on the damn dagger.
“I don’t think so! You two fight over this thing?” She spits the last word like something vile. “We don’t even know what she is?”
“There is no need for you to know what she is. Let her go, I said.” Lucifer takes a step closer, and I feel the cold metal bite into my skin.
It feels like someone poured acid on the spot. It hurts like a bitch, and I close my eyes, grinding my teeth to stop tears from flowing and curses from coming out.
“No. Not until I hear what this creature has done. What is it about her? Huh?” She shakes me and the damn dagger digs deeper, making me gasp. I hate myself for making the sound.
“My love, let us talk. Let the witch go.” Sin picks himself off the ground finally, glancing at Lucifer, and some unspoken conversation happened in that one millisecond.
“If you move, I will slit her throat,” she tells him.
“Okay, lady. I don’t know what your fucking problem is, but wait in fucking line. You’re not the only one who wants to kill me. Get the damn dagger away from my neck. There are more important things we need to talk about. Those two were acting like idiots; go stab them if you like.” My anger takes the better of me, and I snap at her, wiggling to try to get her off me. It doesn’t work, but the dagger digging deeper hurts like hell and I stop moving.
“Alexia, do not move. That is Ishtar’s blade. It is not a regular dagger,” Inanna tells me slowly as if she’s trying not to spook the goddess.
“I thought Maika had it,” I say while my brain is whirling, trying to remember if I know anything about it.
“No matter where it is, it always comes to her if she calls it. That dagger can kill anything—including gods,” Remi says and inches closer to me. I frown at her to stop but she ignores me.
“Speak! What is it about her that has you all wrapped around her finger, risking your lives and realms to keep her safe?” Ishtar repeats like she hasn’t heard a word anyone else has said.
“She is my vessel, and you are reacting on jealousy. It’s part of her journey. She has been descending ever since she stepped into the circle in the Earth realm,” Inanna says simply as if that will answer everything.
“That’s not it! There have been many vessels, and I haven’t seen any of you go to these lengths.”
“The timing is right, and she will find the tablets of destiny. Tiamat will be stopped once and for all. Quit this nonsense and let her go before you doom us all,” Inanna tells her through lips thin with displeasure.
“She is what?” Sin’s words echo around us.
“You mean you didn’t know who she was until now? I thought you two knew each other,” Lucifer snaps at him and I roll my eyes.
“I was summoned to bless a new witch brought into a coven,” Sin says, arrogance clear in his voice as if that were the most important job in the world.
“And how do you bless them, my love?” Ishtar’s words drip with venom.
“There is nothing wrong in sampling an offering,” he sniffs, but his eyes bore into my face and I squirm.
“You motherfucker!” Lucifer slams his fist into Sin’s face, making him stumble and splitting his lip.
“Ah, ah, ah! Stop or I will kill her,” Ishtar warns and they stop but glare at each other.
“Yo! Are you all deaf? Can we stop this stupidity? I have a dagger digging into my neck.”
“Show some respect, Semiramis. I have no issue ending you right here.” Ishtar growls at me.
“Hold on a minute! Why are you calling her Semiramis?” Sin narrows his eyes on me, and I look anywhere but at him.
“Meet the gift of the sea, my love,” Ishtar tells him and then she laughs hysterically. “Oh, how wonderful! You didn’t know!”
“You tricked me, witch!” He snaps at me.
“I didn’t do shit. You wanted a dance and I danced. If you had asked who I was, I would’ve told you.”
“I was a little preoccupied.” A smirk makes way on his face.
Before I could blink, Lucifer roared and jumped Sin. They topple over to the ground. Ishtar’s hand is jerked away from my neck and my body is slammed to the side, pushing me on my hands and knees on the ground. A gasp so soft sounds, but it echoes like a thunder around me and I lock eyes with Remi. Her face drains of all color and her eyes seem too big for her face. She looks down and I follow her line of sight. Ishtar’s hand is at her stomach, the dagger buried up to the hilt in Remi.
“No!” The word exits my numb lips like air.
Remi’s eyes snap up and lock on mine. Tears stream down her face, but she smiles as if that will make everything better. “I love you, sister,” she says quietly.
Philip screams a gut-wrenching sound and jumps on Ishtar, but in a practiced dance, her hand pulls the dagger out and slits his throat like it’s all a game to her. Remi crumbles next to him on the ground, one hand holding the hole in her stomach that is spilling more blood then I have ever seen and the other holding Philips face as if she is about to kiss him. I crawl towards them through the blood.
“They’ll be okay, it’s not fatal. Right? She can heal.” Like a crazy person, I place my hand to help stop the blood on Remi and start to place the other on Philip’s neck but I freeze when I see his unseeing eyes, “Do something!” I snap at the gods surrounding me. No one moves.
“I guess this can count as blood sacrifice and payment for my help,” Ishtar says so nonchalantly I can only stare at her dumbly.
I can’t even cry, because I don’t think my brain has registered yet what happened. Maybe the denial will make all this go away and everything will start over, having a different result. It’s the only thing I have left, and I cling to it like a lifeline.
“It’s not real. It’s not real,” I chant under my breath million times.
“The payment must be made to open the portal. You must give me something you love and can’t live without. This will be your sacrifice,” Ishtar continues talking no emotion whatsoever in her voice.
“That is not my sacrifice, you murderer! You killed them!” I scream at her. “This is not real…” I keep chanting and the pentagram brand starts pulsing and burning on my palm just like before, when Meda and Faith were taken from me.
Now for the first time, I notice that as all three of them are gone, the stupid pentagram is bringing their life-forces inside me, blending them with mine. I’m disgusted with myself, but I can’t stop it. A light starts glowing from the bag Jezzinta has on her back and she numbly pulls it off and drops it at her feet between her and Daisy. They are standing unnaturally still, tears streaming down their expressionless faces. I can see they feel exactly like I do, numb all over. I turn away from it and start smoothing Remi’s hair away from her face, smearing blood all over it, but I don’t see the blood. I just see her face—her eyes closed like she is sleeping.
“I think she just needs to rest a bit. She’ll be fine in a little bit. She was tired, so let
her sleep.” I hear my voice like it’s coming from someone else.
Scooting a little closer on my knees, I lift her head and place it in my lap. With the back of my hand, I angrily wipe the tears from my face and keep smoothing her hair.
“Alexia, let me take her. I’ll take good care of her, I promise. The portal is opening and you must go, love.” Inanna’s gentle voice makes me take my eyes off Remi’s face and look at her.
Tears, like jewels, sparkle on her lashes but she doesn’t let them fall. I stare at her dumbly, like she spoke in a different language. It takes a while for her words to register. Hope blooms in my chest.
“You’ll look after her, right? She’ll be okay; she just needs to rest.” I search desperately for anything on her face that will tell me it’s true.
“Yes, I will take good care of her I promise.” One tear rolls down Inanna’s face, and she cups my face with her hand. “Go now, love. I promise you will see your sister again when the time is right.”
“I will stay with them, too. My journey ends here, but my heart will be with you always no matter where you are, Alexia. I do love you very much,” Daisy says, her heart in her eyes as she kneels down next to Remi.
I know what Inanna is saying doesn’t mean what I want it to mean, but it’s all I have. Daisy will stay to help. That must mean something, right? The fact that she will be gone from my life as well doesn’t register at all. If I start asking for a clearer confirmation, I know I won’t get the answer I want, so I keep my mouth shut. I can lie to myself better than anyone else can, if that’s what it takes. I don’t think I can do what I need to do if I face the truth. Something pulls on my hands, and I realize Inanna is trying to pry my fingers open because I’m holding onto Remi like a vise. I know I must let go, but I don’t think that I can. My body is not my own. With effort, Inanna makes me release my hold, and someone’s arms wrap around my chest, lifting me up. Just by the touch, I know it’s Lucifer, I don’t need to turn around to see.
