Page 11

11

5656 BC

“ T here’s a new Malachai.”

Thorn looked up from his desk to where Shadow stood across the room from him. “Don’t you knock?”

“Not when it’s something this important.”

Fair enough.

Thorn sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Have you seen him?”

Shadow nodded. “Adarian Malachai. He slaughtered his father more brutally than any Malachai before him.”

Given the atrocities Thorn had seen from a Malachai, that was quite a feat. “Dagon?” he asked, wanting to know where his half-brother stood on this matter.

“Still serving the beast.”

That was unfortunate. But then his brother had spent the entire Primus Bellum—first war of the gods—serving as one of the Malachai’s best generals. Made sense he’d still be on the wrong side.

“Do you think this is the Malachai who’ll break the cycle?”

Shadow shook his head slowly as he moved closer to Thorn’s desk. “I think this Malachai will be the worst one ever.”

“How so?”

“His mother was a demon.”

Thorn sucked his breath in sharply between his teeth. Ouch. “How is that even possible?”

“Ask your father. He’s the one who sent her in to attack Adarian’s father.”

Thorn cursed under his breath. Of course he was.

This was an awful turn of events. And it was the last thing mankind needed. A Malachai birthed by a demon. “Guess you’re here to figure out what your mother and my dad have planned for our new king of demons.”

Confirmation burned in Shadow’s eyes. “A little backup would be nice.”

Great. “Inviting me to the suicide, huh?”

“No one I’d rather jump into the pit with than you.”

“I do have a sister, you know? Why don’t you ever bother her?”

“I’d rather walk into battle with scorpions strapped to my groin than hold a single conversation with Laguerre.”

Thorn flinched at the thought. Although, to be honest, he understood that sentiment as well. “Should I grab my armor and sword, or just wing it?”

“It’ll be easier to run away without the extra weight.”

Stifling a snort, Thorn gave him a droll stare. “I don’t run.”

“Good to know. I’ll shove you at the enemy as I make my escape.”

It figured. But at least he knew where he stood where Shadow was concerned. “So why do I put up with you again?” Thorn asked.

“I’m entertaining. Now c’mon. I don’t have all … day or night or whatever it is here.”

Thorn would correct him, but honestly, he didn’t know either. The worst part about Azmodea was the lack of sunlight. There was no way to tell the time.

Shadow opened a portal for them, so that they could easily access their parents’ dreary castle without trudging there like human pedestrians.

They stepped out of the shadows into an eerily quiet residence. Weird. Normally, there was at least one or two demons screaming in agony.

Today, nothing. Tomblike.

Exchanging scowls, they looked about.

“Where is everyone?” Shadow asked.

“How would I know?”

“You visit here more than I do.”

Thorn gave him a gimlet stare. “Not in the last thousand years or so. I tend to avoid it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I don’t make stopping in for a visit a habit any more than you do.”

“What are you doing here?” a voice growled from the darkness.

They turned in unison to see Paimon in the doorway.

Thorn curled his lip. “Well, if it isn’t my least favorite hemorrhoid.”

“I’d pick another almost adjacent body part.”

Screwing his face up, he turned his head toward Shadow. “Seriously?”

“Sounded better in my head.”

“Enough!” Paimon shouted. “Why are you here?”

Shadow arched a brow. “I didn’t know he had a repeat function. Did you?”

“I don’t think it’s that so much as he’s broken. Maybe a thump to the head might get something else out of him.”

Shadow nodded. “Hit him hard enough, and we could get brain matter.”

“Nah. He’d have to have brains for that to happen.”

Paimon let out a long, aggravated growl. “If you’re looking for Noir, he’s busy in the dungeon. If it’s Azura, she’s busy elsewhere.”

Thorn didn’t want to think about what elsewhere meant any more than Shadow did. So, he closed the distance to Paimon.

“What do you know about the new Malachai?”

Paimon paled. “Nothing.”

Yeah, right. He exchanged smirks with Shadow. “You’re lying.” He pushed Paimon toward his cousin.

Shadow caught the demon about his arms. “Tell us what you know, or we’ll interrupt my mother and blame you for it. Because the one thing I know about her is that she never wants to be interrupted when she’s elsewhere .”

Thorn winced at the very thought. “Hate to be you, buddy. Azura isn’t known for forgiveness.”

Paimon let out another growl before he shrugged off Shadow’s grip and motioned them closer. “They’re going to capture the Malachai and use him to fuel their powers. They’re hoping if they have him here, they can get Apollymi to contact them or build up their powers enough that they can escape.”

That made no sense to Thorn. “But the Malachai isn’t Apollymi’s son.” Why would she care after all these centuries?

Paimon gave them a droll smirk. “He’s descended from Monakribos. They’re hoping it’ll be enough to sway her.”

It was a stupid idea. But Thorn wasn’t about to tell them. “What if they can’t capture him?”

Paimon shrugged. “Then this one will destroy the world.”

Four months later

Simi knew something was wrong, and it wasn’t just because akri was off with the heifer goddess she hated. Artemis was a terrible goddess. Even if hating was wrong, she didn’t care. The moo-moo goddess needed to be added to the Simi’s menu. Why wouldn’t akri let her to that?

But what she felt wasn’t akri needing her.

So, she went to akri-Alexion.

He was sleeping in his bed, with a pillow pulled over his head. So he didn’t need her neither. Hmm …

Confuzzled by her feelings, she flew back to her room and frowned.

Something was wrong. She listened intently for a clue.

All of a sudden, she heard the voice in the ether and knew who was illing.

Akri-Thorn. He was awful hurting. His voice was faint, but she could tell he was having trouble breathing.

Before she could think better of it, she left and headed to the human world where she heard him whispering.

When she found him, he was lying in a field with what looked like hundreds of other soldier men all around him. This was a battle site.

Most were dead.

The rest were dying. It looked like those who were able to leave had done so and not cared about the other poor people who were trying to move away from the bodies. The able-bodied survivors had been out to save themselves.

Tears filled her eyes at the horrible sight. She could feel the pain of the dying as if it were a living, breathing creature. One that suffocated her.

Then she heard it …

The sound of Thorn attempting to crawl on the blood-soaked field. He was whispering the name of his horse as he tried to get to it.

Rushing toward the sound, she found him on his stomach, breathing heavily. “Akri-Thorn?”

Thorn froze as he heard the last voice he’d ever expected, especially after the day he’d just had. “Simi?”

Suddenly, she was there. No longer a little girl, she’d grown quite a bit since the last time he’d seen her. So much so that he barely recognized her.

Had it not been for her wings and red eyes and horns, he might not have known her at all.

“Akri-Thorn … you got lots of aches. You needs help!”

He wanted to argue, but she was right. In a horrid ambush, the Malachai had not only torn his army apart, Adarian had left him in figurative pieces. Never in eternity had he hurt so badly. Every breath was a struggle, and he really thought he might be dying. “Can you get me home?” His pain overrode his powers to such an extent that he couldn’t teleport on his own.

“Simi can try.”

Thorn began coughing up blood.

Simi gasped as she wrapped her arms around him and held him against her. Closing her eyes, she did what she was never supposed to do. What her matera had told her to never do.

She tapped her powers to heal him.

But they didn’t work. Nothing changed. Thorn was just as ill as he’d been when she arrived!

“This isn’t good, akri-Thorn.”

He wanted to respond, but all he could do was cough and gasp for breath.

Until everything went dark.

Simi panicked as she felt akri-Thorn go limp in her arms. How could her powers not work? They always worked. She was a Charonte. Their powers weren’t dependent on others. “No! No! Wake up, akri-Thorn!”

He didn’t move.

Terrified that they both were broken, she called out to akri even though she wasn’t supposed to bother him whenever he was at that mean old Mount Olympus. “Akri, your Simi needs you. I gots a problem.”

Akri answered immediately. I can’t leave, Simkey. Artemis won’t let me. Ask Alexion for help.

That wouldn’t do no good. Akri-Lexi couldn’t just leave their home, and he didn’t know anything about saving demons or gods. Akri-Lexi was wonderful, but not at this.

She tried again to use her powers to heal him.

Again, they failed.

Terrified, Simi could only think of one place to go. Wrapping her arms around akri-Thorn, she took them both to akri’s mama who spent most of her time in her dark garden in Kalosis.

As soon as Simi appeared there with akri-Thorn, akra-Apollymi rose from her perch on the side of her fountain. “What is this, Simi?”

“Akra, the Simi needs your help. Please. Akri-Thorn is illed and the Simi can’t help him.”

“Get that creature out of here! Now! I don’t want it near me!”

Those words startled her, as did the venom in her tone. Simi couldn’t remember the last time akra had yelled at her, and she had no idea what she’d done wrong. “Please, akra! Please?” Covered in akri-Thorn’s blood, she stood up to confront akri’s matera. “He a friend to the Simi and akri. We both would be so sad if he died.”

Indecision weighed in the goddess’s swirling silver eyes. She turned back toward her fountain as if looking for something. “You would dare ask me to help the son of Noir—the beast who condemned my innocent child and his father? Why would I ever help a child of his?”

“But akri-Thorn didn’t do that, akra. He helps akri, and he keeps the Simi safe. Akri would be very sad if something happened to his friend.”

The goddess moved toward them slowly. There was no pity on her face as she glared at akri-Thorn. “I should throw him to my Daimons. Let them feast on his worthless soul.”

Akri-Thorn opened his eyes and looked up at her. “Way I feel right now, it’d be a relief. Put me out of misery, Auntie. I need it.”

A strange expression flicked across her features. “Apostolos is really his friend?”

Simi nodded. “Akri lubs him like a brother.”

She hesitated a moment longer before she nodded. “So long as you’re not lying, Simi, go to my garden and see my dragon, Sarraxyn. Tell her I need the elixir. She’ll know what to send.”

Nodding, Simi laid Thorn down very carefully, then flew to the garden as fast as she could. But there was no dragon there. Only a flame-haired woman with green eyes and pointed ears. She met her in front of the falling water that bubbled and hissed.

“Can I help you?”

Simi pressed her lips together as she looked around for the dragon. “Akra sent me to find her dragon, Sarraxyn. But the Simi don’t see no dragons.”

The woman smiled. “I’m Sarraxyn. What do you need?”

Oh, she was one of them shifty people dragons. That made the Simi feel better. “Akri-Thorn is illed and we needs the licksy that’ll fix him.”

The dragon hesitated until her eyes widened. “I’ll be right back.” Sarraxyn headed toward a copse of trees.

Simi hovered over the ground, waiting most impatiently.

It seemed like forever and then some afore the elfy dragon girl came back.

She handed Simi a bottle of something that didn’t smell particularly appetizing. “This is what you need.”

She wasn’t so sure, but …

Thanking her, Simi flew with it back to akra who was standing over akri-Thorn and not looking very pleasant about it.

“Here, akra.” She handed the vial to the goddess.

The goddess took it and hesitated. “I’m not sure if I believe you, Thorn. Don’t make me regret what I’m doing. If you do, my wrath will be immeasurable.”

Thorn had no idea what she meant by that. Or why she was so angry at him for being his father’s son. Not like he had any say in the matter. It was odd to be hated for something he hadn’t done when his sins were so great. This was a first.

Apollymi knelt and handed him the vial.

It smelled like something that had grown out of his father’s armpits. Nasty.

Maybe death would be preferable, after all. That was his thought until another wave of pain washed through his body. Yeah, fine. Either this would heal him or kill him. Either way, he’d be happy.

Holding his breath, he swallowed it whole.

Then cursed as he realized it tasted even worse than it smelled. That was bad. Worse? It went through his body like a lightning bolt. Or fire. Every part of him burned.

Until suddenly all the pain stopped.

Every bit of it.

Thorn lay there, waiting for it to assault him again. There was no way so much agony could just go away. It didn’t seem possible or right.

Yet as he waited, he felt stronger. Then stronger still.

Rolling to his side, he pushed himself carefully to his feet.

Simi was there, helping him to stand.

“I’m too heavy for you, Sim.”

She blew him a raspberry. “You not heavy, akri-Thorn. Friends help friends.”

Not in his experience. God, he loved how she viewed the world so clearly. What he wouldn’t give to have her abilities.

Just as she opened a portal for them, Apollymi’s voice intruded. “Be glad, Leucious.”

He frowned at her tone. “Glad of what?”

“Had you harmed Adarian, I would have killed you. While he might not be my Monakribos, he is still my bloodline. And in my eyes, blood is blood.”

“I’m your nephew,” he reminded her.

They, too, were blood.

“Son of a traitor who condemned my children. If I ever have the chance, I will kill Noir and Azura for what they’ve done. And if you get in my way, I’ll kill you, too. They are not to know where I am or how to travel here. If they do, my wrath will be absolute.”

“Noted, Auntie.”

And with that, Simi took him through the portal to his home in Azmodea. Not to his formal room where he normally sat. She actually took him to his bed chambers.

Using his powers, he removed his armor. “Thank you, Simi.”

“I would say any time, akri-Thorn, but the Simi hopes you don’t get so hurts like this in the future. It’s not a good thing be so badly wounded, and the Simi might not hear you next time you fall down. So don’t do this again.”

She had a point with that. “Well, I appreciate you. I don’t know what I’d have done had you not shown up.”

“Probably bleed some more and that would have made Simi even sadder. Goodnight, akri-Thorn. Gets some rest.” She flew up and kissed his cheek, then vanished.

Stunned by her sweet actions, Thorn waited a few minutes in his room before he decided to return to the battlefield.

He was hoping to help his men.

What he found there was that the Malachai’s army had returned while they were gone and finished off any survivors. The sight that greeted him would haunt him for eternity.

But not nearly as much as the fact that if Simi hadn’t come to him when she had, he’d be one of the desecrated bodies lying on this field. He owed her much more than someone who’d simply helped him.

He owed his life to her.

And that was a debt he’d never forget.