A Daughter of Nyx

by Alexie Aaron

  “What stops them?” Quentin asked Baxter.

  “He loves her. He won’t let her die.”

  “But that’s a good thing,” Quentin protested.

  “Is it?” Mia asked herself.

  “History will tell us,” Baxter said.

  “Do you think you can design a way to protect the city from the giants heading there first? I’d rather fight them on the lakeside than in amongst the city, like Superman and General Zod.”

  “Mia, you know they aren’t real,” Quentin said.

  “Of course, I was just… oh, nevermind.”

  “Why are you so pissy?” Quentin asked.

  “I let the big boys mess with me to make me stronger for this fight. Michael gave me Victor’s wings… Quentin, stop smirking… Where was I? Oh yes, I have Victor’s wings.”

  “I thought you looked taller,” Baxter said.

  “Ah, that’s just scratching the surface,” Mia said. “Can I show you what I know they did to me, and then, can you tell me what they did to me that they didn’t tell me about?”

  “I’m disappointed you didn’t tell them no, but I understand that you were in no way outfitted for battle. Come on, let’s go into the ballroom. There will be enough height and privacy there.”

  “You said they. Who are they?” Quentin asked.

  “Michael, Sariel, and Gabriel.”

  “But Gabriel hates you.”

  “I know.”

  They reached the ballroom. Mia took off her gloves, shoes, and socks. She discarded her cardigan. “Ready?”

  Baxter nodded.

  Mia brought forth her wings and rose off the ground before she lowered her armor.

  “You’ve had these before,” Baxter commented. “I think your spine has been armored to support them this time. Better design. I would have done it differently, but Michael is set in his ways.”

  “Watch,” Mia said and unleashed her claws and talons.

  “Wicked,” Quentin said. “May I approach?”

  Mia nodded.

  Quentin walked up and took a talon in his hand. “Baxter, Sariel has worked his magic into each claw. These are lethal.”

  “Mia, your soul, your lifeforce, has changed. You don’t alternate between the green of Earth and the blue of the stars anymore. You are unique. You are one. Look, Quentin, have you ever seen that color before?”

  Quentin scrutinized her. “Mia, get mad. Pretend that Victor wants a little smoochy.”

  As Mia’s anger grew, her body took the electricity out of the air.

  “Stop,” Quentin said.

  “Baxter, she’s not drawing power from Nyx anymore or Mother Nature. Gabriel has engineered Mia to be independent from the influences of other entities. They can’t control her. She can pull power away from the elements, nature, and, I suspect, her enemies.”

  “Mia, relax. Put your toys away,” Baxter said.

  Mia did as she was instructed. “I’m worried that my genes have been altered. I don’t want to pass this off to my future children.”

  “That’s very responsible of you, but I think that all this is manufactured.”

  “It hurt like hell. Gabriel took my soul out of my body and mashed, stretched, and reformed it. Worse than a mammogram.”

  “I could harvest one of your eggs to be sure.”

  “Hold on, you probably have Quentin’s sperm on ice,” Mia said, narrowing her eyes. “What assurances do I have that you’re not going to create a monster down there in that lab?”

  “You don’t.”

  “Then I’ll pass.”

  Quentin looked at Baxter. “But you told me that my sperm was normal Superhuman sperm.”

  “It is. She’s talking about the other specimens I took when you were a full Nephilim.”

  “He can’t help it, Quentin. He’s an evil scientist whom I have put in charge of my psyche. Baxter, you wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “No, but if I could create a new lifeform, would it be so bad?” he asked, taking off his glasses and cleaning the lenses with his shirt tail.

  “See, he thinks like a mad scientist. He can’t help it,” Quentin pointed out.

  “Mia, sleep.”

  Quentin caught her before she fell to the ground. “What are you doing?”

  “Making a point. I have some control over Mia. When she came to me fractured, I put in a failsafe to stop her from hurting herself.”

  “You’re not going to rob her of an egg, are you?”

  “No. Not without permission. She has put a magical spell locking them in anyway.”

  “Wake her.”

  “Not until we talk. Do you want her? She can be yours.”

  “She’s my family. I no longer see her as a mate.”

  Baxter smiled.

  “Hey, you were testing me.”

  “And you passed with flying colors,” Mia said, hugging her uncle.

  “You were in on this?”

  “Baxter asked my permission first telepathically.”

  “Bad Mia!” Quentin said and dropped her on the ground. “Talk about villains. You’ve been spending way too much time in Hell.”

  “Don’t be mad,” Mia said, getting to her feet. “We didn’t do this to make fun of you or to trick you in any way.”

  “I just needed confirmation that I don’t have to worry about you in relation to Mia.”

  “My word isn’t enough?”

  “He’s right, it should be, but remember, you just told me you were a villain.”

  “I did, didn’t I?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “It’s not a treasure chest. It’s a doorway to Hell,” Ted said.

  “Where’s your proof?” Charles asked.

  “Here, here, and here.” Ted pointed out the ancient symbols.

  “I still want it open.”

  “I have someone looking into this particular pattern. I hope to have an answer on Tuesday. Can you wait until then before you cut it open?”

  “What happens if I cut it open?”

  “Ah,” Ted said and pulled a folder out of his briefcase. “Here are several similar boxes. Each was forced, and acid destroyed two of them, and sulfur the third.”

  “I feared as much.”

  “Why didn’t you open it in situ?”

  “The Russians were closing in. Amanda had it upon good authority that we were going to be overrun within months.”

  “It’s a popular spot to control future shipping, I hear.”

  “It’s a strategic spot.”

  “I really think you shouldn’t open this. Study the outsides, search your soul, and then dump it in the Mariana trench.”

  “That’s not an option.”

  “Okay, then plan a grand opening in a few weeks’ time. It’s a door. Pull it out of the museum for now. Get a crane to drag it into its upright position, maybe out on Northerly Island, and then we’ll work together and open the door. Right now, it’s causing all these disruptions inside the museum. The dead are coming back to life. If those Egyptians get a firm hold on this realm, they will take it from you. I know a guy who can get you a permit to install it out there temporarily. No one has the means to steal something so heavy.”

  “You’re making a lot of sense. I am concerned that the museum isn’t the right place too. I’ll run it by Amanda tonight. In the meanwhile, work on finding the right sequence of moves on that lock and open it.”

  “I will give it my full attention,” Ted said. “Don’t do anything rash in the meantime. It’s too heavy to steal if you keep it in one piece.”

  Ted walked into Bernard’s office. “I think I have Charles convinced to move the vault out of the museum.”

  “But then we’ll lose control of it.”

  “Not if he can’t open it. I know of three code breakers, and all three I’ve warned off this project. It will buy us some time,” Ted promised. His phone vibrated. “My ride home is here. I hate to leave you in the lurch, but I have a project due on the desk of my client a week from Monday.
I’ll be working all weekend. Mia has a meeting, so we’re anxious to get back.”

  “Don’t work too hard. Remember, overwork doesn’t work.”

  Mia watched as her tall lanky husband strode to the truck. He was wearing what he and Mia called company clothes. The pants were part of an Italian suit, the shirt, JC Penney.

  Ted opened the door. “Is this the train to Big Bear Lake?”

  “Yes, sir, it is. Sit back have a snooze. Don’t mind the driver, she is soaking in booze.”

  Ted leaned over and kissed her.

  “How’d it go?”

  “I lucked out, and Amanda wasn’t there. Charles is pretty reasonable when Amanda isn’t around glaring.”

  “They like you. It’s me whose fallen on ill favor. Baxter gave me something for you to look at when you’re on the toilet.”

  “What?” Ted asked, surprised.

  “Actually, it’s not about toilets, but I told him, these days, if I want to get you to look over something, I have to leave it in the bathroom.”

  “Fecal matter,” Ted said.

  “K, I’ll shut up now. Sleep or calculate or both. I suspect the little sounds you make in your sleep aren’t erotic dreams at all. I suspect dirty numbers, dark matter, and proofs.”

  “That reminds me, I didn’t get back to you to consult on the information you found.”

  “I gave the project to Cid. That was the little report he gave us all on Odin, Vili, and Ve. He was eager to help, and I like the boy.”

  “How can you call him a boy when he’s older than you.”

  “Once I saw how cuddly cute he was as a teen, I knew I’d never see him any other way.”

  “How about me?”

  “I don’t think of you as a boy, obviously. You were quite a player for thirteen. Mike had to untangle you from me several times.”

  Ted laughed.

  Mia was quiet, and soon Ted was sleeping. She drove, thinking about all the things she had to do. The first thing was visiting Hell; second, working with Victor; and third, saving the world.

  “Piece of cake.”

  ~

  Angelo walked into the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and took a moment to appreciate the stained glass window illuminated before him.

  “It’s been called fierce, disturbing, and unsettling. What do you see?” Father Simon asked.

  “I see someone who is fighting for the souls of the lost.”

  “That’s what I was going for.”

  “Although, those are birdman talons. I think that the birdmen have really stepped up this century. Where is Heaven?”

  “We’ll leave that as a subject up for debate,” Father Simon said.

  “I’m here to visit with Paolo Santos.”

  “He’s waiting for you in the back garden.”

  “You have a garden?”

  “It’s more a series of large pots, but it does give me great tomatoes until the frost. Right this way,” Father Simon directed.

  Paolo Santos was on his knees pulling late weeds from a pot of mums. Angelo thought he looked smaller than he remembered. He cleared his voice.

  Paolo looked up and smiled. “It’s good to see you!”

  Angelo reached his hand down.

  “Mia won’t even touch me,” Santos warned.

  “I’m not Mia. You and I have been friends since my adult feathers grew in.”

  “But Gerald had also been a friend. I think losing that friendship is worse than finding out that he took advantage of me to hurt Mia and Ted.”

  “We will make more friends,” Angelo said. “The old days of our sophisticated group are gone. We have to rely on others to fill the missing parts of our team.”

  “I’m too old.”

  “Nonsense. But you do need me to walk your mind house. I had hoped Mia would walk with me, but she has been summoned elsewhere.”

  “She’s not happy with me, so she’s making excuses.”

  “Believe me, Paolo, Mia would much rather be here with you than where’s she’s going. Let’s go in where we can be comfortable.”

  ~

  Mia dressed carefully. She didn’t want to look like Little Nell, but she thought she had better dress better than a hoodie and cargo pants. She rooted around and found some of the old outfits Ralph had made for her. She pulled on an old bomber jacket and walked outside to look for Murphy. He was sitting in the glider.

  “Are you sure you want to go?” Mia asked.

  “I’m going to get a hamburger and a piece of pie before we leave there.”

  “Just take it easy on the alcohol. I don’t want to have to fight you off on the way home.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”

  “It’s okay. I just came this close to dumping you in the lake when you started to get fresh.”

  “You did feel good.”

  “You’re not listening. Do not try to get to first base with me or I’ll castrate you. I’ll take your spectral balls and hang them from my rearview mirror.”

  Murphy swallowed hard.

  “Incoming,” Seth warned.

  Victor landed. He was wearing all black. He motioned for Mia and Murphy to come over. “I’d like to see if Michael’s promise has been kept.”

  Mia slid off her jacket and opened her wings.

  Seth and Enos watched as Victor ran his hand along Mia’s wings.

  “Armor.”

  Mia dropped the armor.

  Victor kept nodding his head. Mia kicked off her shoes and removed her gloves. Claws and talons appeared.

  “Who?” Victor asked.

  “Sariel, on Gabriel’s insistence.”

  He picked up a cord of wood and held it. Mia spun and shredded it with her talons.

  “I couldn’t be happier.”

  Mia retracted the armor, claws, and talons. She pulled on her shoes and tucked her jacket into her belt.

  Dieter, Brian, and Varden stared out from Dieter’s window.

  Victor turned towards the house and looked at Varden and said, “I know.”

  Murphy moved into Mia, and she followed Victor into the sky.

  Dieter looked at Varden. “What was big bird talking about?”

  “I told him that my daddy makes Mommy’s babies.”

  Brian giggled.

  “You have a lot of balls for a little dude,” Dieter said.

  “I think he did fine,” Ted said from the doorway. “Sometimes your mother is so beautiful that even big birds forget that she’s taken.”

  “Where’s she going, Dad?” Dieter asked.

  “She’s going to see a fallen about a flying horse.”

  ~

  Lucifer flipped through the stolen illuminated manuscript. He had no trouble reading it. Abigor stood and looked over his shoulder. “That’s my horse.”

  “And the naked chick is definitely Mia,” Lucifer said. “I watched her pose for that painting. I had hoped to see the artist switch sides and give her a good… Well, that didn’t happen.”

  “When did you start stalking Mia?” Abigor asked.

  “After I saw her with her sword poised to bisect Roumain. She’s powerful. She reminds me of Cleo.”

  “She’s not yours to play with,” Abigor reminded him.

  “Yes, she is. Michael gave her to me.”

  “Loaned her.”

  “Loaned, gave, it’s all the same to me.”

  “I saw her first,” Abigor said.

  “Let’s see if Nyx wants you to put a baby in her belly.” Lucifer flipped the page. “Well, I’ll be a sour washcloth, I didn’t see that coming.”

  ~

  Mia followed Victor into a split in the night’s sky. She had to hold her hand out to block the light that assaulted her. Victor rose up to block the sun. Mia almost barreled into him.

  “Slow down, Little Bird. Those wings are more powerful than archangel wings.”

  “I know, whoa. I’m so happy they are back.”

  Victor couldn’t hide his smile fast enough. Mia pretended she didn’t
see it.

  They landed, and Murphy jumped out of Mia and brushed the spectral dust off his clothes.

  “I do believe he’s preening,” Victor hissed.

  “He is.”

  Victor looked over at Mia. “You could make an effort.”

  Mia walked over to a fountain and looked into the water. She did look a little windblown. She undid her braid and fluffed her hair out. Murphy walked over and spit on a crumpled handkerchief and wiped something off Mia’s face.

  “I have no words for the feeling I have from having dead man’s spit on my face,” Mia said through her teeth.

  The three walked towards the café where Mia and Murphy had met Lucifer before. They stood and waited. Mia was nervous. Victor ran his hand along her back to calm her. Murphy leaned in and whispered that he had her back.

  Lucifer held up the book, looked at the prophesy page, and then at them and smiled. “By golly, it’s Mia and company.”

  Abigor walked over and looked at Mia oddly. He frowned.

  “Do I have something in my teeth?” Mia asked.

  “No, our bond is broken. It saddens me.”

  “I think it was done to make us stronger. Not fearing the other’s death while we fight.”

  “Would you be sad to see me die?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Come, I’ll take you to see the horses. Victor, Stephen, enjoy a meal. We will meet in the conference room in one hour.”

  Murphy put a hand on Mia’s arm.

  “It’s okay, Murph, he may be the devil’s duke, but I trust him.”

  Murphy watched Mia leave with the handsome duke of Hades.

  Victor nudged Murphy. “Lucifer has moved to a bigger table and is waving us over. Mia will be fine.”

  They approached the table. “Gentlemen, I thank you for bringing Mia. We will get her sorted, and then you can take her back and prepare her for battle. Murphy, she is fractured, and Victor has promised me he can strip her down to the cogs and gears and rebuild her into the warrior we need.”

  “Why do you need Mia?” Murphy asked.

  “Because my generals have not been in battle in a while. Mia, who we know is crap at planning, is a fierce, natural fighter. Nyx chose her for her abilities and her unwavering commitment to protecting the innocents of this world. It’s really interesting to have Nyx involved in this at all.”