“Let’s go back. I want the nymphs to check you over before you leave.”
“Yes, sir,” Mia said and closed her eyes.
They were at the fountain, and Baxter bowed his head before he closed his.
The room was quiet as they got up. Baxter walked over and got his glasses. Mia turned to look at him before she walked out of his office and into the hall.
Ted smiled when he received Mia’s text. He opened the ceiling of the force field, and when Mia texted that she and Altair were in, he closed it. He met her on the walk between the house and office. She giggled as he picked her up.
“You need to eat some donuts,” he said as he set her down.
Mia drew him into the dark of the covered patio. She kissed him long and hard. “I want you to make love to me.”
“Here?” he asked.
“No. After the house is asleep.”
“I’m not prepared,” he said. “I thought it would be weeks yet.”
“I decided to make myself sterile.”
“I was going to do that,” he said.
“I’m the one who doesn’t want to bear more children. My choice, my responsibility.”
“You’re being very responsible these days,” Ted said, trailing his hand down her arm.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a phase,” Mia said laughing. “I’ll be back to my immature self soon enough.”
“What happened tonight?”
“We discussed what could possibly happen Sunday. You’re going to have a role to play, but I’d rather not talk about it here.”
“I understand. What else happened?”
“The nymphs checked me out.”
“And…”
“They really do like you.”
Ted laughed. “But are you alright? I don’t want any harm to come to you, Mia. You are my life.”
“Mbengar says that if I want to continue to live in the bliss of being Mrs. Martin, I better be prepared to fight for you and our way of life.”
“My father said something similar, but his words were, ‘You have a hot sexy wife and five kids, Theodore. You better get your shit together.’”
Mia’s eyes twinkled.
“Do you think Brian gets his poetry from Reg?” Ted asked.
“Definitely.”
Cid smiled as he walked back to his house. He had heard most of their conversation and was pleased his friends could still be so loving after all the stress they had been under. Murphy was standing by his door, and the two went inside.
“What movie would you like to see tonight?” Cid asked.
“Something loud.”
“Oh, you saw the canoodlers on the patio.”
“Yes. I’m thinking Pacific Rim,” Murphy said. “Or Godzilla. I’m in the mood for monsters.”
“Who would win a fight, Godzilla or Otachi?”
“Otachi spits acid. I’m going to go with her,” Cid said.
“Mia spit at me once.”
“I bet you deserved it.”
“Yes, but it just went through me.”
“Who would win a fight, Mia or Victor?”
“Mia. She’d take his balls off first. Nicholai taught her that move,” Murphy said proudly. “Then she would make him eat them.”
“I see you’ve thought about this,” Cid worried.
“Mia has a temper.”
The two started laughing and continued through the evening putting up pairs as they watched both movies.
Ed walked down to the kitchen where Judy had left him several sandwiches in the refrigerator. He noticed Altair sitting and reading. The man read a lot. You would think, as old as the archangel was, that he would have read everything. But this simply wasn’t so.
“What do you have there?” Ed asked, walking over.
“It’s called The Old Ones. It’s a clever little book about primal demons, written by a primal demon. I borrowed it from Quentin’s library.”
“Aren’t those the supposed demons under the ground north of the river?” Ed asked.
“They are indeed primal demons. They are called The Balance. I think they were left alone because no one really wanted to deal with them. Imagine my surprise to find they were here. I lived in Big Bear Lake for many years and didn’t hear a peep about them. You can’t kill them. I think Mia is going to offer them a new home if she can’t get them settled down.”
“Why should they have to move? Too often the indigenous people have to move to suit the white settlers.”
“You have made a case for them, but The Balance came from somewhere else too. I don’t want to get political. I picked up this book because I wanted to read about Mbengar. Here is his description: ten feet tall, black eyes, two eyelids, shiny scales, large lips, gills, and very strong.”
“Hardly poetic.”
“I was paraphrasing.”
“Paraphrase me.”
“Your ego has no bounds.”
“Go on.”
“Tall, piercing intelligent eyes, capped teeth, monstrous muscles, quiet.”
“I had to fix my teeth. They were once filed to deadly points. When you fight a birdman, you have to use every organ of your body. They are vain creatures; they would never think of destroying their smiles to have a handy weapon. Judy made me cap them. She said I would frighten people. My facial tattoos were disturbing to the humans of this time too. I let Judy remove them.”
“Why are you still here in this time?” Altair asked.
“Purpose. I have a purpose now.”
“Save the girl, that kind of thing?”
“No. Start my own tribe to save the world.”
“Ah, another cult leader.”
“You are cruel when you are drunk and jealous.”
“Jealous?” Altair asked.
Ed tapped the book. “Mbengar is not interested in mating with your woman.”
Altair sat up straight. “My woman?”
“Mia.”
“Hold your horses. I’m not interested in mating with Mia. She has a husband who has fathered very interesting children.”
“Then why are you reading about your rival?”
“He’s not…” Altair thought a moment, but the confusion didn’t leave him. “I’m lost.”
“If it’s her mind you want to hold court in, then it’s Baxter you must worry about. Mbengar is now her family. Baxter is not.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Mia doesn’t know I know. I am a god. Gods know everything. Ask Mia why she now smells of cloves and sea breezes.”
Mia’s nose tickled. She rubbed at it, but it persisted. She untangled herself from Ted and walked into bathroom. She navigated by the nightlight so she could stay semi-asleep. She used the toilet, got up, and blew her nose. Mia turned and a hand clamped over her mouth. Before she could put her heel down hard on her captor’s foot, she smelled whiskey. She reached out and snagged a bath sheet and wrapped it around her nakedness. Mia allowed herself then to be carried out of the bathroom, through the sitting room, down the hall, and down the steps to the basement. Only then did Altair remove his hand from her mouth.
“What the hell is going on! Are we under attack?” Mia asked, pushing away from the drunken archangel. She adjusted the towel and searched the darkness of the storage room for something warmer to wear. She ended up with a tattered sweatshirt out of the rag bag.
Altair pulled Mia to him and sniffed her. She smelled of sex.
Mia pushed him away from her. “Freakin’ pervert. Don’t make me draw a sword on you.”
“Sorry. Ed said you smelled of cloves and sea breezes.”
“What?” Mia asked, stalling for time. She braided the mass of knots that was her hair and dropped the towel lower under the sweatshirt to give her more coverage.
Altair narrowed his eyes and pulled Mia to him and breathed in the space in the nape of her neck. It was faint, but it was there. “You normally smell of
wet wheat, not now.”
“Apparently, there are no secrets left to keep. I swam in the Second-day Sea.”
“Why?”
“To smell of primal demon.”
“Why?”
“The Balance won’t trust me unless I do.”
“Did Mbengar sell you that bill of goods? To swim in the Second-day Sea is to accept primal demon genes into your cells.”
“Do I look so stupid as to be tricked into demon genes? I have not felt complete since I exorcised the seductive demon out of my body.”
“But the primal genes will make you sterile. You can no longer procreate.”
“A bonus.”
“You think this will stop them from bartering your freedom?”
“Yes.”
“You may be right,” Altair said. “Lucifer’s crayons! You found a way to solve the birdman problem once and for all.”
“I will not be the future broodmare of the super birdmen,” Mia confirmed.
“How long had you suspected Soren’s plan of world domination through superhuman/birdman hybrids?”
“I kept asking myself why he pushed me to commit to Victor when Angelo emotionally would have been a better choice.”
“Angelo is a half breed.”
“Yes. He has too much human in him. Victor is the strongest, quickest, and smartest of the purebreds. When I realized that Soren wanted to improve the bloodline, I got worried that he wouldn’t wait until Ted died naturally. This is one way of protecting my husband from an…” Mia raised her fingers and mimed quotes before she continued, “accidental death.”
“Did this information come from Baxter?”
“No.”
“Roumain?”
“No. When Michael gave me angel sight, he didn’t know that it also gave me the ability to look at the big picture too. I have Victor’s and Angelo’s soul memories in my mind. They were given to me to help me with battle experience. In the transfer, there were also bits and pieces of conversations heard and overheard by both men attached. The angel sight enabled me to put the pieces into a humongous puzzle. You see, the Council of Women weren’t the only ones capable of a long game.”
“This is why you have Baxter and Roumain as counselors. They have survived for millennia by their wits.”
“Excellent teachers. There is one more thing I’m going to share with you that I advise you tell no one.”
“Go on,” Altair said.
“Mbengar sent Nyx to me. Nyx didn’t know I had exorcised the demon in me when she gave me the ability to draw power from the blue star. Now I can without harming myself.”
“You’re stronger, and you can handle the blue starlight now.”
“Yes.”
“You intend on letting the blue star take The Balance to someplace safe.”
“Safe for them, safe for us.”
“Why not just tell me?”
“When did I have the time?”
“Good point.”
“What were you doing with Baxter alone in the office?” Altair asked.
“None of your damn business.”
“Are you letting him mind-fuck you like Lucifer?”
“I’m leaving,” Mia said. “Thanks for ruining my night. First night in months I can lay and have glorious sex with my husband, and you snatch me from off the toilet. Gee, the memories you’ve given me.”
“STOP!” Altair cried.
Mia turned around.
“I had to see your son killed today, see you battle an elemental to get your babies back, and me not being able to do anything. I was castrated by my situation. I’m supposed to be your guardian!”
“You will always be my guardian,” Mia said softly. “I don’t take for granted your counsel nor the physical peril you have put yourself in for me and my family. Whether you’re fallen or forgiven, you have always been here.” Mia tapped her chest.
“Then why do you seek out Baxter?” Altair asked.
“There are some things in my life and mind that I would be mortified for you to know. This is Baxter’s realm. Also, his nymphs heal me without censure. As you know, there is a certain brutality to Michael’s healing, and Idra treats me like a lab rat. There was simply no real reason for me to be up on blocks sexually for six weeks when the nymphs could heal me.”
“Why did you seek out Mbengar?”
“Initially, I sought him out because I felt he was the quickest route to understanding the old race of demons under the settlement.”
“I found a book in Quentin’s library about primal demons. Surely Baxter knew it was there.”
“Does that book explain what to do about the situation? How to approach a race that has protected their treasure by slaughtering anyone stupid enough to seek it out?”
“No. Mia, you came back changed.”
“Mbengar helped me to fit in the last piece of my armor. These genes help me to understand myself better. They infuse all my cells. They give my mind, including my self-control, more power. No longer can Lucifer bully me, because these cells combined with the angel sight enable me to see his plan prior to him implementing it. I will no longer see fallen eyes as beautiful. They are just eyes. I was at a crossroads, and I was headed the wrong way.”
“You’ve always had a problem with navigation,” Altair said. “From one who has also headed the wrong way, I know how easy it is. I’ll do my best to curb my jealousy.”
“You have nothing to be jealous of. I know it’s asking a lot, but I’d rather the feather crew not know of my primal demon genes until I choose to let them know.”
“If you churn blue-star power, they will know.”
“I bet they will. I have to get some sleep. Burt’s going to confront Gloria Monroe tomorrow, and while he’s distracting her and her ghosts, I’m going to move The Balance.”
Chapter Thirty-six
Mia stood on the top of the well. The large stones beneath her feet were firmly held into place by a few centuries of dirt. She called out in her best High Demon, “Where the hell are you? I’m getting bored!”
The spirits of the first robbers flowed out of the well like an overburdened sewer. Their empty eyes and raised weapons were, at first, a bit off-putting. Next, the three convicts walked boldly up. One ran at her, his manic eyes fixed on her as he drew out a nasty spectral knife. Mia stabbed him with her sword. He turned to ash. The other two fled.
“Honestly, it’s only a matter of time until you’re going to have your gold stolen. You’re time’s up. There is no need to have a ballast of evil when the whole country is overrun with it.”
Sariel, who hovered at a discreet distance with Altair, questioned his friend, “What’s she saying?”
“Something like, pack your bags, you’re going to grandma’s house.”
“Be serious.”
Below them, the outer wells rumbled as the primal demons crawled out into the soft light of the morning. These ten-foot-tall beasts’ bones cracked as they stood erect. Their skin was dark and slimy like slugs. Their eyes were hooded, and their irises black crystals. They were naked, which put Mia eye level with their genitals. “I’m surrounded by dicks,” she mumbled. She twitched her wings and rose. Now, she was eye level with the tallest of them. “I have not come to steal from you. I’m here to offer you a new place in which to polish your gold in peace. No more will you have to hide underground. Unless you prefer it. I will send you and your gold to a new place. You will balance the good that has been created there.”
“Will we still be The Balance?” the alpha demon asked.
“Yes.”
“How can we trust you? We don’t know you.”
“I’m a primal demon like you.”
The alpha pulled Mia to him and undid her hair and buried his face in it. He passed her to the next demon, and he also smelled her hair.
“You are funny looking, but you are one of us,” the second demon acknowledged.
“Gathe
r your gold. We will be leaving as soon as you’re ready.”
“Why were they smelling her hair?” Sariel asked.
“Local custom,” Altair lied.
The demons returned, dressed, this time, in elaborate embroidered tunics and carrying large leather bags. They set them down, and the earth shook with their weight. “We are ready.”
“Did you leave the crooks something to remember you by?” Mia asked, her eyes twinkling.
“You are a primal demon, wouldn’t you?”
“You bet. I hope it’s a nasty surprise.”
“Altair!” Mia called out. “Clear the between.”
Altair and Sariel circled the area above them, keeping all who traveled away. When they had prepared the space, Altair signaled Mia.
“Stay together. Hold on to your valuables, and be not afraid,” she instructed.
Why are they trusting her?” Sariel asked.
“I’m sure all will be revealed. Remember, do not interfere. Mia will change and become a conduit. She will not be harmed.”
“My job is to be her guardian,” Sariel said. “How can I stand by and see her in danger?”
“I am her friend, and I know this is the right thing to do. All will become clear,” Altair promised.
Mia flew up and stopped at the top of the world. She raised her right hand out towards the blue star. The energy moved quickly to Mia. “Nyx, you are the goddess of the night. You bring us dreams, rest, and wonder. Please look upon these creatures and understand their purpose. They are The Balance. They will enrich one of your new worlds. For where there is evil, good grows too.”
“Mia, my daughter, it has been too long. You have been naughty, but all my children tend to act like my father, Chaos, so why not you? I will accept The Balance into my fold. Send them to me.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Mia continued to hold her hand out, guiding the blue starlight to her. She then used her left hand and pointed to the group of primal demons holding on to not only their gold but each other. She could see that they were scared, but still they trusted her. Mia didn’t know why this was, but she was thankful.
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