Page 17

The Salt of the Wicked

Death

Voices, cries, screams, and whimpering. It is the symphony I live my life to. Endless days and nights, the battered souls cry to me to take them to the celestial grounds. Begging. Pleading. It is all the same. Mortal souls are so awfully loud, their agony a mindless static of moans. It runs in my head like a flowing river, the water always churning.

I stand in my study before my fireplace. The warmth radiates and heats my legs. The whiskey in my cup warms my stomach. But my soul is forever frozen. In reality, I have never felt the warmth of love or touch; I have never craved it. I have spent eons alone, and I will spend them happily alone for more eons to come. I do not mind being frozen, I prefer it this way.

So, why is it lately that I have felt an itch I cannot scratch? I have had a craving; for what, I do not know. It has been some years now that I have felt like there was something missing, but I can never figure out what it is. The feeling has been increased lately, not even my books can conquer my lust. I have been roaming the castle all week. I cannot stay still.

It probably has something to do with the human my brothers are hiding from me. I have seen the female. I have seen her soul, wandering in the Darkness. I have felt her presence in it once before, but since she has arrived here, it has increased. Kai has been there as well, no doubt keeping her from me. He knew the mortal had been in there and did not tell me. I am tired of my brothers keeping secrets. It is not unheard of for a mortal soul to wander from their reality in their dreams. What is unheard of is the Darkness to be so accepting. I have seen it welcoming her, hiding her from me. H?l should have ripped her apart in those shadows.

Bile roils in my stomach, burning my throat at the thought of the roaming mortal. The human needs to die; she is upsetting the balance being here in my palace. She needs to go to a blessed realm. My brothers think they are so sly, moving it around the castle. I knew the moment it stepped into my dark palace. I just thought Kai would have killed it by now. Did they really think the servants were not going to immediately tell me of it? I do not understand why they are protecting the mortal so fiercely. Tai was guarding Kai’s room for a while, but now he is gone. They must have moved it somewhere else after I came in to stop their ridiculous fight. It is not worth my time to find out where it is now, the mortal will come out sooner or later. Then, I will send its soul to the Tyrn River.

In a flash, the static in my mind goes completely quiet. In its place, a dark silence I never knew I craved. I almost groan from the delicious stillness in my head. And then, I hear it; a small heartbeat echoing into the room. A scent of Celestial Lilies and sweet honey wafts into the air, pleasing me greatly. I glance behind me to see a nervous little creature standing in my study. A human. This is the mortal they have been hiding from me—I recognize her soul. Why am I so intrigued by her?

I take a careful step toward her. “Hello, little creature.” I give her a sly smile. This is my chance to send her back to the Tyrn, but first, I have a few questions.

Before I can get to her, Tai storms in and grabs her, running away like a child that has stolen candy. The voices come rushing back into my head at full volume, pounding my head like the sacrificial drums before battle. I grip my head and growl. That fucker.

I have questions for her. I need to figure out how she quieted the voices. I have never known a human that can do such a thing. My gaze wanders back to the fire, watching the flames dance in a chaotic waltz. I will kill her after I figure out how she made the voices vanish because, for a brief moment, I felt peace.

I get antsy watching the fire burn, my chest filling with bees as I crack the tension from my neck. I need to speak with her now. I decide I am not waiting any longer, I am going to go look for her. I turn to the door just as a frantic Kai bursts in.

“By my beard, do you never knock?” I mutter, already bored of whatever this is.

“I need to let Chaos out, please ,” Kai begs through gritted teeth. He is panting and tense, I can see the strain in his body from actively holding his other side imprisoned. I smell the desperation rolling off him. I could make this work for me.

“I want to know everything about the human girl,” I demand.

“Fuck, fine, Ro, just get me a girl!” Kai yells desperately, without an ounce of fight from him. He storms out of my study, leaving to get ready.

I grunt in victory. His need and desperation wave through the air, smelling of sweet wine and honeysuckle. I guess I will do this for him, if it will truly bring me answers on the girl. I decide to shadow walk, as it will be easier to cut through the shade, bringing me directly to my location. I travel through the dark clouds in my study, striding through the darkness and aiming for the Door of Souls. It directs me down into the cave where the Tyrn River starts its journey through the land.

I stride down the lengthy stairs slowly, every footstep echoes against the walls. Fog rolls in through the cave’s mouth. Cold, light mist bathes my feet as I stroll to the water, swirling into the air as I kick wind with every step. The Tyrn River holds souls in their In-between, where the fate of their soul’s afterlife is decided. I can pluck them easily from here before they are delivered to their realm. I often grab those who would trade life in the Infernals to be my servant. But sometimes, I summon a girl destined for the Infernals for a date with Chaos before she moves onto her fated realm.

I reach my hand into the glimmering icy waters and grab a young girl; her soul begs to me for something other than her destined realm. So, I answer her cries, and I give her a moment to be with Chaos before she is delivered to her ill fate. I pluck her from the water and drop her wet body onto the slick cave floor. The girl isn’t actually alive, I’ve just materialized her soul. It’s enough for Chaos.

She sputters on the slate ground, shakily pushing herself up with weak arms. The sight disgusts me. “In exchange for this respite, you will go to the God of Chaos and do as he says,” I order firmly.

She stands off of the floor slowly, her wet brunette hair sticking to her shoulders. She gapes at me in fear; her dirty brown eyes are wide while her body is tense. The smell of tart cherries grazes my nose; her fear is inviting. I watch her shivering before me, and I have an urge to push her back into the river. The mortal souls should not be out of the Tyrn, but Chaos must be appeased, or he will send our world into mayhem. I sigh, annoyed.

“Is that her?” Kai’s voice rings from the top of the steps. He races down suddenly, jumping several steps at a time. Large thuds create a cascade of water drops across the cavern as he shakes the long stalactites. I am surprised he did not fall on his ass. I would have liked that very much.

“Is this her?” Kai calls again in a deep voice, it’s borderline Chaos with its gravel distortion. He sprints up close to her, panting and practically salivating as he leers at her. I do not understand Chaos and his needs. Why does he lust after these women?

“Can I have her, brother? Please?” my little brother begs, never losing sight of the girl. The mortal looks at him puzzled, but then she glances between us and scoots closer to Chaos; she is clearly terrified of me. Oh, what a mistake, young girl.

“She is yours, brother, but you remember our deal,” I warn him.

He laughs darkly and yanks the scared girl in close. “We are going to have so much fun,” Chaos purrs into her ear. Large hands grab the girl, encasing her wrists and drag her up the stairs, heading to his tortuous red room.

My eyes follow them before my gaze wanders to the Tyrn River. I watch as the souls float and shimmer, lost. They moan and weep, calling to me. But, in actuality, they do not want me. No, they want their lives back. Mortals are greedy in their deaths. They will do or say anything to stay out of the Infernals. Often, mortals are abysmal in their lives, and when they die, they still expect to go to the Blessed Isles. Many a time, that is not the case. And so, they weep to me and call out my name, desperate for me to ease their suffering. They wish for peace and warmth, but they are undeserving.

I stare at them, flying through the waters, and I feel nothing. They will go where they are fated. I walk up the stairs without a glance back.

I take my time strolling through the hallways. I ponder the girl, the moon-touched human. It is obvious she has been touched by a Moon Goddess, even just a slight moment with her could tell me that, but which one? And why? I need more time with her. After my answers are met, the human will meet her fate. The human is not meant to be here.

I make it into the Grand Hall before a strange sensation washes over me. I have a sudden urgency to check on Kai. Something is wrong. I am pulled up the stairs like a tether with purpose. I pick up my pace and go quickly through his hallway. Once I enter his room, I smell her. Celestial Lilies, sweet honey, and … tart cherries. Her fear fills the space. I glance around his room, but I do not see the girl. My eyes notice Kai’s red room is cracked open. He always keeps it shut when he has someone in there. I walk over swiftly and swing open the door in time to see Chaos cornering the girl, holding a bloody dagger to her face. He is purely animalistic, ready to pounce on her with his hungry eyes.

She backs up into me, pressing her soft body against me tightly.

The voices go quiet.