by ST Branton
The stone Apprenti toppled into the drained reflecting pool and a shockwave rippled outward from his body. The basin shattered, but the ground held it in place. I turned to face my team and the other soldiers. They all stared dumbly at me, their jaws more or less on the floor. The man himself had made his way onto the marble stairs below the entrance to the Memorial’s central chamber. He was still smoking.
I strode closer through a mess of golem carnage and planted one foot on a step. “I’m tired of this shit,” I told him and raised my voice so everyone could hear. “And I guess that means I’m in. Now, I’m gonna come up there, and you’ll tell me how in hell we bring Delano down.”
Chapter Seven
An hour later, we were back at the trucks and preparing to leave D.C. Whatever else I could have said about the guy and his damn cigarettes, he came more prepared than most others I’d met along the way. We would return to Fort Victory with a plan, and that made our otherwise empty hands more bearable. Part of me had hoped he’d give us a secret weapon or something, but I should have known it would never be that easy.
“Vic.” His voice stopped me halfway through the truck door—passenger side this time. Frank sat behind the wheel and looked ready to simply hot-foot it out of there.
I gave him an apologetic glance. “Can you hold it for, like, one second? I’ll keep this as short as I can.”
“Take your time,” the vampire said. A drop of irony laced his next words. “It must be important.”
“It had better be.” I slammed the door and turned to face our host. We were all at least a little antagonized by him, and I was determined not to let him waste my time. Sharing his strategy against Delano had only bought him provisional amnesty as far as I was concerned.
Nobody put Maya in the corner.
He didn’t come closer than ten feet, and he lit a cigarette while I waited for him to tell me what he wanted. He must’ve smoked a whole pack of those things over the duration of our visit alone. “I think,” he said and exhaled a cloud of white smoke that wreathed around his head and shoulders, “that if this works, it will change everything.”
I eyed him evenly. “There’s no reason it won’t work,” I said. “My team and I will play our part as long as you uphold your end of the bargain.”
“Naturally,” he replied. Another drag ended in another billow of white. The smoke seemed to hang around him a little, almost like a clinging mist. He drifted into thoughtful silence. His eyes became distant for a moment or two. “Take care to choose your soldiers carefully when you go to face him.”
I chewed the inside of my lip and raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He seemed determined to irritate me beyond endurance. I could feel the ice he walked on grow thinner.
“Your friends may seem loyal to you at present, and perhaps they truly are.” He flicked the end of his cigarette. “But Delano has powers beyond compare, as you’ve no doubt seen. Can you be certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that his presence will not change their minds? At heart, they are Forgotten. They always will be.”
“Who are you talking about?” I demanded. The question was unnecessary—we both knew which two he had kept in exile outside the Memorial. I merely wanted to force him to say their names and to acknowledge the way he treated individuals who professed to be his allies. He didn’t take the bait and instead, regarded me through the haze of smoke.
“Listen—” I burst out. My anger pushed through my tight control and I couldn’t help it. I wanted to punch some sense into him.
He held up a hand to cut me off. “Do not misunderstand my motives, young one. All I want you to do is think about it. I’m sure your friend in the medallion would agree.” His two cents apparently deposited, he turned to leave.
This time, I was the one to stop him. I had no idea what to say, only the insurmountable urge to say something. “Who are you?” was the question my mouth seemed determined to ask. The man halted. “Really,” I added as if that helped. “I didn’t come here to be jerked around.”
He smiled enigmatically. “Who is anyone?” he asked. “Fear not, my friend. We’ll all learn who we are before the end.”
That was not the answer I wanted. I threw the truck door open and climbed furiously into the seat. “Let’s go,” I said to Frank. “Screw this place.”
“Amen.” He drove around the curve of Lincoln Circle and out to the street. The escort stuck with us until we’d returned to the highway, at which point, they fell away. I watched the military envoy turn back toward the capital in the rearview mirror.
“Hey, Marcus,” I said and chose my words carefully because Frank was right there and I was the one he could hear. “Was he telling the truth about you?”
He didn’t reply for a while. Frank, for his part, kept his mouth shut and his eyes on the road. At last, Marcus said, It is possible, Victoria, that in the presence of an entity such as Delano, even the strongest convictions may waver. I cannot say that I wholeheartedly disagree with his assessment.
Residual anger smoldered in my veins, born of a loyalty I hadn’t truly considered until it was thrown into question. After all this time—all this distance, everything we’d been through together—who was some cigarette-huffing old man to doubt the bonds forged in our trials by fire? I rubbed my face with the heel of my hand and told myself to brush it off and clear my mind. He was a general in the war against the gods, nothing more. I didn’t have to take his word as gospel and I resolved that I wouldn’t.
He was right about one thing, though. By the end, when it mattered, we’d all know who we were. And he would know what we were made of, too.
“Are you good?” Frank asked tentatively. He hazarded a glance in my direction. “Do you want I should stop the car? You look like you might hurl. Or punch the window out.”
I forced myself to grin and some of the tension melted from my body. “Nah,” I said. “I’m good. We’ve gotta go home and get ready to kick some ass.”
“Your wish is my command,” the vampire said and returned the grin. The truck’s engine revved as he stepped on the gas.
Chapter Eight
I rummaged through a pile of clothes on my bed in search of a matching pair of socks. Even though we’d spent a lot of time traveling lately, it somehow still felt weird to pack a bag like this—as if I were going on vacation. I tossed another shirt in along with another pair of underwear. I had no idea how many I’d need, but then again, we were essentially clueless about many things.
For one, how the hell did I think this confrontation with Delano would go? By the time we hauled ass out to Indiana, it would realistically be weeks since I’d last seen him. He could have changed in a million different ways. Even the simple thought that I had to figure that mess out made me both frustrated and anxious. I pushed the half-full bag away and plopped heavily on the edge of the mattress.
“Damn it,” I said out loud and balled my hands into fists against my thighs. “I wish I’d been able to fight him back in Washington. Of course, that was the one time he bailed instead of getting down to business.”
Please do not interpret this the wrong way, Marcus said. However…
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oh, great. Here it comes.”
I feel that perhaps it was a fortunate decision. The magnitude of Delano’s new power cannot be overstated. A battle against him would likely not have ended in your favor at that point.
I laughed grimly. “Just say it, Marcus. He would’ve kicked my ass.”
And laughed about it. Raucously.
I sighed. “I fucking hate that bastard, but you’re right. He’s swallowed gods left and right. I think he might be more than a god now if that’s even possible.”
I shudder to think that it is, and yet, he has made it so. A legion of gods inhabiting one body. I wonder. How long can he sustain an arrangement this extreme?
“Long enough,” I answered. “It barely matters anyway. I’ll drag Delano to hell or die trying.”
A he
ro’s death, Marcus said. He chose not to elaborate. I went back to tossing things into my bag.
The sound of the door squeaking open behind me almost didn’t register over the roar of my own thoughts. It wasn’t until Jules parked herself on the bed that I glanced up.
“Hey,” she said. “How are you?”
I made space for her. “That’s a loaded question.”
She began to pluck articles of clothing from the heap and folded them into neat piles on the bedspread. “I know. I wanted to check on you and make sure you haven’t totally lost your mind. You always have so much to deal with compared to me.”
“That’s not true,” I said with a look of protest. “You’re like the queen of hospitality around here. People might not know it, but you’re the reason they’re so happy living at Fort Victory. You’ve made this place a home for a ton of hopeless refugees.”
She smiled slightly. “Things are never hopeless when you’re around, Vic. And I’m glad you feel that way. I simply…” She paused with a bulky sweatshirt clutched in her hands and shook her head. “I guess I’m the one going crazy here. I’m bored! Isn’t that insane?” Her laugh was as dry as bone. “Imagine being bored in your safehouse in the middle of the damned apocalypse. But that’s the situation. Lately, I feel I could climb the walls. I can’t get out of my head.”
“Yeah, I’ve been there.” I scanned my attempt to pack, decided it would have to do, and zipped the duffel bag.
“You got out of it,” Jules said.
“By shipping out to Washington and almost getting killed by Vikings,” I reminded her. “My solutions aren’t for everyone.”
She was quiet for a minute and her fingers fretted at the hem of the sweatshirt. The gears of her nimble mind worked visibly behind her eyes. “I want to go with you this time,” she declared suddenly.
I was so caught off guard that I laughed, which I immediately saw was the wrong reaction. “Sorry,” I said quickly. “But what are you talking about, Jules? You have zero combat training and no offense, but I’ve seen you shoot a gun.”
She pursed her lips. “And I’ve seen Deacon trying to teach you.”
“Hey!” I laughed and threw a shirt gently at her. “It’s different for me because I have the sword. Teaching me to shoot was all Deacon’s idea.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “When did you watch us, anyway? He always insists that we practice alone, or else I might kill someone by accident.”
My best friend smirked knowingly. “Oh, I’m so sure that’s the real reason. Although it is a valid concern.” Her smile faded. “I’m really happy that’s working out for you two. Deacon’s a great guy.”
“Yeah, you look super happy.” I sat down beside her. “What’s up?” She shrugged and a light clicked on in my head. “Hold on a second. This is about Brax, isn’t it?”
I could tell by the look on her face that I’d hit the nail on the head. She flushed pink all the way to her ears.
“I hate to break it to you,” I said and nudged her in the ribs. “But it’s fairly obvious.”
Jules groaned. “Okay, okay. Yes, it has something to do with him. And no, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way.” She paused. “It’s hard to admit now, but I was afraid of him at first. I thought there was no way he could ever get along with humans in a non-violent way.”
I arched my eyebrows. “To be honest, I doubt even he would blame you for thinking that. Hell, until recently, he probably would’ve agreed with you.”
She shrugged. “I know. Maybe I wanted to help him more than anything—at least in the beginning.” She twirled a lock of her golden hair around her fingers. “Now, we have such a strong connection. He told me about his past, and it helped me see him in a totally different light.” She looked at me with a mixture of worry and excitement in her eyes. “I’m…sort of falling for him.”
I chuckled. “That seems like an understatement.”
“He’s my type, too, which is strange to say out loud.” Her blush returned. “Rough around the edges but secretly soft-hearted. It’s like he’s from a romance novel. And I have to admit, I love it.”
“What kind of romance novels have you read?” I teased.
Jules winked. “The good kind.” She finally finished folding the sweatshirt and set it aside. “Anyway, now you know why I have to get out of here for a while. Not forever. I merely need to clear my head and get some distance so I can think about things rationally again.”
I put my arm around her shoulders. “I’ll let you come with us on one condition.”
“Name it,” she said quickly.
“You’ll not fight,” I told her. “You’re the brains of this operation. It’d be way too dangerous to throw you into combat this late in the game without serious training. Delano’s not like the chumps we fought in New York.”
Jules nodded. “Don’t worry, Vic. I’ll take care of myself and stay out of your way.”
“And you won’t fight.” I prodded her for verbal confirmation. Jules looked soft on the outside, but I knew better than anyone how tough she could be. I also knew that squaring up against a super god like Delano was not in her wheelhouse, regardless of how she felt about a certain demon.
She nodded again, more insistently this time. “Thank you for trusting me on this. I’ll be fine. I promise.” She gave me a squeeze, stood, and was out the door before I had the chance to say anything else. I stared after her.
Victoria, I fear a mistake has been made, Marcus said. I cringed. I had forgotten the old geezer was there. The battlefield is no place for a woman like that. She belongs—
“No way,” I interrupted. “Don’t start on where Jules belongs.” I grabbed my bag, glanced down at it, and unzipped it to check its contents one last time. “Sometimes, you say stuff like that and your age really shows, dude. You have to get with the progressive picture.” Satisfied with my loadout, I placed the bag by the door. “Besides, you never expected me to be this type of woman either.”
The difference is that I was able to train you first.
“And that’s why I told her she couldn’t fight.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure if she actually listened, but I meant what I said. I’m not above tackling her to the ground if I see her even try to pack heat.”
On the contrary, that seems a reasonable course of action for her to take. The middle of this country is cold at this time of year.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m beginning to think you’re doing this on purpose.”
Well, I am beginning to think that your trust in your friends may run too deep.
I stopped on my way into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of my own surprise in the tiny mirror. “Whoa,” I said. “Way to bring down the vibe, old man.”
He didn’t respond as I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and ran a comb through hair that had grown way too long. But his silence wasn’t empty. I could sense his need to speak his mind.
“Come on, Marcus,” I said finally. “Spill it. I have no choice but to listen to you anyway.”
You will be angry with me.
“I might,” I said. “But we’ll work it out. We’re both adults here.”
Very well. It is my belief that the man at the marble house was correct in his caution regarding certain members of our party.
“Feel free to explain,” I said evenly and stared hard at my reflection.
There is no denying that Delano’s strength has exceeded all previously known levels, as we have said multiple times. We know for certain that his behavior has escalated to the point where he now consumes gods entirely, and yet, there have apparently been no ill effects. Given these circumstances, it seems utterly foolish to assume that he would not be capable of controlling Frank and Maya at a moment’s notice. They may be strong, but they cannot compare with entities over which Delano has already asserted his dominance.
I took a deep breath and reminded myself not to be annoyed. This was merely typical Marcus logic as usual. “Maya was able to break away from Lupres,” I said. �
��Frank defied Delano’s orders once. He can do it again.”
Lupres cannot compare. Nor can any previous form that Delano has taken. He has transcended all boundaries. The rules by which we once were guided have lost their relevance.
I closed my eyes and soaked his words in. They made me uncomfortable. “Speaking of which, let’s talk strategy,” I said briskly and snapped my eyes open. “You have advice for everything, and I’m asking for it. Tell me what my expectations should be.”
This kind of thing was what Marcus was best at, and I wanted to steer him away from the doom and gloom. We needed to come at this from an optimistic place.
My plan didn’t work.
I do not know. I have been around for thousands of years. I have watched civilizations grow and die. I assumed I had seen everything and that nothing new remained. I was wrong.
“What’s the prognosis, Doc?” I asked. “Give it to me straight. I can handle it.”
The chances of victory are slim. At best.
A knock at the door punctuated his last sentence. I stepped out of the bathroom and answered it, if only to grant myself a distraction. Deacon stood in the hall and his expression sobered as soon as he saw me.
“What’s with the face?” he asked. “We haven’t even left yet.”
I stood aside so he could enter the room. “Oh, you know. Marcus was telling me how screwed we are.”
That is not an entirely accurate translation.
“Since when have you ever listened to him?” Deacon reached out and grabbed me gently by the waist. “Come on. If anyone’s got this, it’s you.”
I smiled and leaned into his chest. “That’s true. I’ve lived on shitty odds ever since I asked Tommy Reynolds to the Sadie Hawkins Dance in high school.”
Deacon snorted. “What did he say?”
