by HDA Roberts
"Of course not, it's what it's there for. Make yourself at home."
"Careful with an invitation like that, Mathew, it means more than you think to a Sidhe," she said with a wicked smile. She kissed my cheek ever so gently and vanished.
I wish someone would teach me how to do that...
I really appreciated that nobody had said 'I told you so'. After all, the Fairies had seen this Cathy-thing coming, somehow. I imagined that it was just killing Adriata not to send me a gloating note.
I barely managed to warn Cassandra in time, before the various Fairies from the Grotto showed up. Even so, she was pretty startled when Kay started cantering up and down the corridors, poking into everything.
The nymphs were very put out about the lack of a water feature.
So they made one.
Lunson aided and abetted, and there was suddenly a not insignificant pond in my house garden, complete with fish transplanted from the lake in the Grotto, which gave the Nymphs a link they could swim down.
"Mathew!" Tethys said, appearing out of nowhere, "Why did my house suddenly transform into a Disney movie?"
"Hello!" The Pixies said, flying around Tethys, who had rather a soft spot for them, and then Jewel said, "We came to visit! Princess Gwendolyn made us a place!"
Tethys sighed, "Just keep them out of the study?" she asked as Meadow landed on her head.
"Yes, Ma'am," I said with a smile as a Nymph appeared and splashed me, soaking my trousers. I turned to glare, but she was hiding in the little pond. I reached in and tickled what I found. The water exploded with bubbles as she squealed and swum away.
"Mathew!" Cassandra shouted, "They found the chocolate!"
Oh dear. I darted to my feet and headed off in the direction of her voice. It was the best I'd felt in weeks.
That Friday, Death came to see me.
Well, Killian did, anyway. He had Demise with him.
I was sitting propped up against my tree, Kandi asleep on my lap, her head resting on my thigh, snoring gently. Her back faced upwards, and I rested my arm on it while she slept.
"Good grief, Graves, are you the only male in the whole building?" Killian asked as he walked towards me, escorted by Cassandra.
I smiled and tried to rouse Kandi.
"Kandi? Wake up," I said.
"Won't, you can't make me," she said sleepily, yawning.
"Death is here," I said.
"What?" she said, suddenly awake, eyes wide before she saw Killian, "Matty! Don't scare me like that, you boob!"
"What? He's Lord Death."
"Ohh," she said, standing up and offering a curtsey, which looked a bit odd in a crop-top and jean shorts, "Sorry my lord."
"How come I never get a curtsey?" I asked.
"I sleep on you. We're a little past that, don't you think?"
She flicked my ear and left us to it.
"How the hell is this Blackhold? This place used to be scary," Killian said.
"Tethys remodelled," I replied, standing to shake his hand and then Demise's.
He grinned, Demise looked even more peculiar than usual.
"What brings you two by?" I asked, leading the way to the drawing room.
"Well, it seems I have something of a staffing problem," Killian said after we were sat down. One of the valets brought in coffee for them.
"Oh," I said, a little confused.
"Indeed," he continued, "it seems you rather corrupted one of my retainers."
He gestured to Demise, who coloured slightly.
"I did what?" I asked.
"Oh yes, all sorts of strange ideas, a whole bunch of new-age hippie crap that has no place in a house of death, can't have that," he said.
Demise looked away, her expression vulnerable.
"It so happens that new-age hippy crap is rather my thing," I said, playing along, "Perhaps I might beg an introduction to the retainer in question, assuming that would be acceptable?"
"Well, if you feel that strongly about it," he said, "I was just going to retrain, but if it would please you, Lord Shadow, I'm sure I could be persuaded to part with her services."
Demise looked up at me, showing the barest flicker of a smile.
"That is a great favour, Lord Death, how might I balance the scale?" I asked.
Forms, you know, it was a pain in the neck.
"I would request a sum, but it so happens that you did one of my retainers a good turn not so long ago, something involving Demons? I forget the specifics. I would consider this a repayment," he said with a sly smile.
"That is most generous," I said, "Assuming, of course, that the retainer in question is satisfied with the arrangement?"
"Why do you think we're here, Graves?" Demise asked sharply, apparently unable to keep to her part of the script any longer.
"Three seconds, that's all it took before she started snapping. She beat Cassandra's record of five seconds, which is impressive," I said with a smile.
Killian chuckled, "You're just the most whipped man in the country, aren't you?"
"You've seen the hands holding the whips, can you blame me?"
He laughed, startling Demise.
"Fair enough," he said, looking at his watch, "Well, I have a thing. Demise's stuff arrived ten minutes before I did, so that's all sorted."
I blinked, and started to comment, but Killian had already left.
Demise was still sitting across from me.
"So... how have you been?" I asked, not really knowing how to start.
She shook her head in exasperation.
I handed her off to Cassandra, who gave her the tour. I went back to my reading, barely able to concentrate, but glad that she was back. I'd been trying to get in touch since I came out of the hospital, but it was surprisingly difficult to get a hold of Death, and Demise didn't have a mobile.
She could be a plant, of course; that was a real possibility. But she was also my friend, my strangest friend. And I rather missed having her around, how messed up was that? I hadn't been allowed to shower alone in months because of her, but I'd rather grown used to it.
I fell asleep but was woken up when Demise dropped down next to me and prodded me with the edge of a chessboard.
Chapter 27
After another week, I was slowly beginning to recover, at least physically. That was mostly down to Kandi's relentless following of the instructions the doctor had given me. She actually made me exercise, for God's sake! I protested and she just made me do more. Demise 'helped' too, in her way, making sure that Kandi was obeyed. Cassandra thought this was hilarious; Tethys offered to hide me under her desk.
What was worse is that I actually took her up on it once. She giggled the whole time, nearly giving me away when Demise came looking.
I decided not to go back to Windward. I didn't need to. Leaver's Day wasn't really a thing I cared about, not now anyway, and I couldn't bear the idea of running into Cathy. Nothing short of a cataclysm was getting me back there (and even as I thought that, I knocked on every bit of wood in range and wasted an entire salt-shaker over my shoulders to avoid fate taking me up on that tempting thought).
A few days later, I was in Stonebridge, coming back from the Archive, where I'd visited Mira (the avatar of the Grimoire, my repository of forbidden knowledge). I went to see her every couple of weeks, just to make sure she was alright and keep her company. Her avatar looked a lot like Cathy, which hurt a bit, but that was hardly her fault.
I bought an ice-cream and settled down in a nearby park, enjoying the July sunshine. The space was more or less empty, and not especially big; there were a couple of trees, some well tended, very green, grass but it was quiet. I yawned and stretched as I finished the ice-cream, letting a little peace seep back into my heart after everything that had happened over the last couple of months.
"Lovely day," said a deep voice to my left.
I turned to see a man, tall and attractive, late twenties, dark hair and eyes, wearing an immaculate pinstripe suit and bespoke
shoes. He carried a black cane with a silver top, carved into the shape of a snake's head, its eyes made of rubies that seemed to follow me. His complexion was healthy, his smile easy and friendly.
"That it is," I said.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked politely.
"By all means," I said, stifling a yawn, "Excuse me."
"Nice city," he said casually, which was unusual. People generally didn't make casual conversation with me. If the scars didn't put them off, the eyes did.
"That it is," I said, slightly confused.
"How does it compare with Gardenia?" he asked, his face breaking out in a smile that wasn't entirely wholesome.
I sighed and turned towards him.
"Can I help you, Sir?" I asked.
He smiled, twirling his cane with his fingers.
"Not today, Mister Graves, or would you prefer Lord Shadow?"
"Mathew's fine," I said, casting Mage Sight... and rapidly wishing I hadn't.
I'd been suspecting something along the lines of a Magician working for Sutton.
He was definitely not a Magician.
From the looks of him, I'd have to guess something more along the lines of... Archangel.
There was a lot more packed into that shape than there should be, a vast and powerful presence that seared my inner eyes just to look at, making me snap them shut to avoid my senses getting burned out. If Rose was a lizard, this guy was Godzilla, there was that much of a difference in their levels of power, and let's not forget that Rose was strong enough to bend Time, so this guy had to be... cosmically powerful.
And I wasn't entirely certain on this one, but I didn't think he came from Rose's side of the fence, if you know what I mean. There was something in his energy that said 'run like hell', emphasis on 'Hell'.
I swallowed hard.
"Very well, Mathew. I'm Neil," he said.
"Neil?"
"Just so."
"Alright, Neil, what can I do for you?"
"For me? Oh, nothing at all, my boy. I'm here to ask what I can do for you!" he said cheerfully.
"Sorry?" I asked, slightly taken aback. This wasn't what I was expecting, not at all.
"Well, you're practically family now, and I wanted to show my appreciation for what you did for my little Gabrielle," he said with a genuine (maybe) smile, "By the time I'd found out what was going on up here, it was all over. You saved her from a horrific fate. So I am in your debt, young man."
"I must disagree, Sir. I'd have done the same for anyone in pain."
"And therein lies the debt, don't you see? You make no distinction between a Demon and anyone else," he said with a beaming smile, "That's a very good thing."
"From who's perspective?"
Neil chuckled, "Well, mine certainly. So, what would you like? A new staff perhaps? I have weapons that could lay waste to cities. An amulet that will keep you alive even under the most mortal of wounds? Wisdom of the ages, the secret truths of human history?"
I smiled, "No, thank you, Sir," I said politely, "I don't like the idea of putting a price on what I did, not when the alternative would have been immeasurable suffering. That seems... unseemly to me."
His smile turned predatory, it was disturbing, especially bearing in mind his likely identity.
"A bargainer, good. Let's get down to the good stuff, then. Your face; I can fix that, easy as pie, really, an instant's work. I'd have to leave the eyes as they are, though; my Gabrielle is rather fond of them."
Oh, that was tempting...
Which was rather the point.
"Palmyra's working on that."
"Then how about a Succubus all of your own? To love and treasure for all time, someone who would love you unconditionally in this life and the next, you can't say better than that!"
In my current state, that was a very nice offer.
"You can't create love," I said after a hard minute's thought, "What you would do is provide a facsimile, though no doubt a pleasant one, for me. I'd think that the Succubus would feel rather tortured by the idea of being tethered to me for eternity. Oh, and I also plan on doing my level best not to end up 'downstairs', can she come into heaven?"
He laughed, a full and genuine sound, "Oh, Gabrielle was right about you, my boy. You are a sharp one. Just about everyone falls for the Succubus."
I tilted my head in acknowledgement of the complement.
Besides, I already had a Succubus (or quite possibly two). I didn't need another one.
"Alright, how about this, I'll fix your brother," he said.
I froze. He smiled slowly.
"Ah, it seems I have your attention."
Clever bugger.
I had to think about that one. Really, really hard.
"What's the catch?" I said finally.
"What do you mean?" he replied innocently, too innocently.
"Well, I've been thinking lately on the rules by which your two factions operate. And I'm fairly certain that you can only get involved if someone invites you to. So, the second I say 'go ahead', not only do you get your hooks into me, but you also have free reign inside my brother's cranium. And I'd imagine that the second you wanted something, my brother would take an instant and thoroughly unexpected 'turn for the worse', am I right?"
He coughed, his face colouring a little, "No, of course not."
I heard a tiny chuckle in my ear. Rose was around, somewhere.
"You're not used to dealing with particularly smart people, are you?" I asked dryly.
"Mostly desperate fools these days," he said sadly, "I haven't had a really good negotiation since Einstein. That man knew how to make a deal, I can tell you. Well, a fool you may not be, but that doesn't mean that you aren't desperate. Final offer, you clear my debt, I give you Cathy back."
"Just to be clear, do you mean in terms of a relationship, or do you mean that you took her and this is now a ransom?"
"The first one," he said through gritted teeth, "I'm not an animal, kidnapping little girls, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm fairly certain you're the devil, you can't pretend hurt feelings over the issue of your trustworthiness," I said.
"Really? You got Devil from merely wishing to clear a debt? That hurts."
"Well, that, and the fact that you're an Archangel from the pit with no spiritual degradation, you're talking about a Demon like she's a daughter, and I'm fairly to moderately certain that Neil is short for Sataniel, from that I get Devil."
He looked at me, dumbstruck.
"Shit," he said simply.
I smiled, "I get that a lot. Generally before someone tries to kill me."
"I can sympathise," he said, and after a dramatic pause, "with them."
I have to say, immeasurable evil aside, I quite liked the guy. He was witty, and he obviously loved his kids. That counted for a lot in my book.
"Well, you never answered my latest offer. Would you like your Cathy back?"
"Not like that," I said, "It would be a violation. Evil."
"Yes. But fun. Very, very fun," he said with a leer.
And I stopped liking the bastard. I wondered how many other people he'd made an offer like that to? How many said yes and damned themselves by enslaving the woman or man that they loved? How many people then had to love against their will for the rest of their lives?
"I think we're rather done," I said coldly.
"Wrong button, eh?" he said, "Mind if I ask why?"
"I love her. If she doesn't want to be with me, that's her choice. I'm not going to force her to be with me against her will. That would be horrific! Do I really need to explain this?"
"No, just wondering if you knew," he said, tapping his cane on the flagstones, "Alright, last chance for repayment. What do you want?"
"Nothing you can provide," I said softly, looking away.
"We'll see," he said, standing up, I did as well (manners), "Shadowborn always go bad, Mister Graves. You may need a friend in low places. Keep me in mind."
We shook hands and he v
anished.
I let out a long exhale.
"Well done, Mathew," said a voice from behind me, giving me a nasty shock.
"Wah!" I shouted (and in not anything resembling a manly way, to my shame), jumping three feet into the air, before spinning mid-jump to see a familiar face, "Rose! Don't do that when the bloody Devil's wondering about the place!"
"Sorry," she said before hugging me. Unexpected... but certainly not unwelcome. Her hugs were wonderful things. It banished pains I hadn't even noticed and soothed the ache in my chest that Cathy had left.
"Dare I ask what that was all about?" I asked as she pulled away.
"You didn't believe his heart-felt tale of a debt incurred for a good deed? That's awfully cynical of you, Mathew," she said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes and sat back on my bench, she joined me. She was wearing a forest green dress that day, no shoes or socks as usual.
"We're running out of time, Mathew," she said, "The plan for Source is nearly finished."
"Wait, what?" I said, "But I thought we'd at least set them back, if not stopped them outright. How are they nearly finished?!"
"Because, just like a human, you started the job and then laid down to die half way through it," said a spine tingling voice from behind me.
"Seriously, why do you people always have to turn up right behind me?" I asked, not bothering to turn and glare as Gabrielle approached and ran her fingertips gently along the back of my neck, raising goose bumps before joining us on the bench.
"Because I like it, that's why," she replied.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes.
"Can you tell me anything?"
"Ankiala," Rose said quietly.
"What's that?"
"That's what I can tell you," Rose said, "And if you don't move on this information in the next thirty-six hours... Gardenia will die. And everyone in it."
I was a little shocked at that.
"What? The whole city? How?"
"Ankiala!" Gabrielle snapped, "Are you deaf, or something? Personally, I hope you screw up. I love it when a city burns."
"Oh, just... bollocks," I said tiredly.
"If you don't finish this task before the time limit expires... humanity suffers immeasurably. And there's nothing we can do. It will be a human choice. We can't intervene," Rose explained.