The Irin Chronicles Box Set

by T. G. Ayer

"So, you got your eyeful. Satisfied?" A demon with self-esteem issues. Evie knew she'd need to tread carefully so she didn't take the bait.

  "Will you let me talk now or would you like to just kill me and get it over with?" She crossed her arms and waited, knowing she was making herself vulnerable. Not that she wouldn't be able to defend herself, no problem there. Just that she'd prefer not to get damaged in the process.

  Great. She was beginning to think like Ash.

  She waited. Baa'ruk was bent over again, one finger under his nose as if he could possibly stop the next sneeze before he uttered it. Evie felt alarm surge thorough her. What would happen if he stalled one of those tremendous sneezes? Wouldn't the pressure explode his brain? Evie wasn't keen on getting sprayed with demon blood and brain. His next sneeze rocked the walls and sent plaster dust floating to the ground.

  "You might as well talk and get out of here. I think I'm allergic to angels." He waved a hand at her to say what she wanted.

  "Nephilim, actually."

  Baa'ruk looked reasonably human again, although he shimmered now and then as if a breeze interfered with his glamor and shifted it a tiny bit, allowing her to see the creature within. Only one other thing stood out on Baa'ruk, more startling than his albinism. And perhaps because of his lack of color.

  A swirling inky tattoo on his neck, which undulated on his skin like a living thing. It was some sort of script, so similar to the writing inscribed on the Seals that Evie shivered.

  He raised a single eyebrow. "Nephilim. Angel. Whatever. You are the one responsible for killing so many of my people. I should actually kill you here and now on principle."

  Evie stepped forward a single pace. Unseen feathers flapped around them and an equally invisible breeze blew silvery dust around them.

  "Okay, okay, I see your point." He conceded, raised his hands in defense, and stepped back. "What is it you want?"

  "What I don't want is to keep killing demons." That got Baa'ruk's attention easily enough. "What? Did you think I was here to eliminate you?"

  "That's what you usually do with my kind." He shrugged, as if he didn't care, but his eyes were on her face, intent, watchful.

  "Not because I want to. And not anymore." Evie scowled. The memory of the Irin Master's treachery still tore at her gut. He'd been using them. Why, she had yet to figure out. But it still pissed her off. "I need some information about a set of Seals inscribed with an unknown script. Funny enough, that script is remarkably similar to the writing on your neck." Evie stepped forward and inspected the demon's tattoo closely. The writing moved of its own accord just beneath his pearl-white skin. Creepy.

  "The Seals." Baa'ruk's voice was a hushed and reverent whisper. He was oblivious to her inspection of his tattoos. But his words brought her back to the reason she was here.

  "These Seals—what exactly are they?" Evie asked, her nose still inches away from Baa'ruk's neck.

  "I can't tell you that." He was shaking his head. As if the very thought of revealing the purpose of the Seals would cause him to burst into a thousand hell-bound flames.

  "You know, if you don't tell me, then more of your boys will bite it. It won't be me. But I don't have any control of it any more than the rest of my team." Evie frowned as she straightened and shook her head, still digesting the reality of the Irin Master's betrayal. She shuddered. Didn't much like the thought she had been his pawn over the last months.

  She could still feel the weight of the Seal in her hand even though it was safely tucked away.

  "Why do you want the Seals?" the demon asked.

  "I don't want them, Barry. Someone else does, and I want to know why. And I want to stop him from getting them. Those Seals have cost too many lives. Demon and ethereal."

  Baa'ruk glared, affronted at Evie's use of his human name. "I still don't think I can tell you just because you say you want to know."

  "Fine, then. Someone I know already has four of your little rocks." Evie picked a number from the air and didn't add that she had two counting Renfru's, and Ling had one. "You can deal with them when they come visit for the rest of the Seals." She turned to leave.

  "Wait." Baa'ruk took a small step toward her and stopped. "Who is it? Who wants the Seals?"

  "First—what are they for?" Evie folded her arms, her eyes remaining on him, hard as obsidian.

  He threw her a resigned glare. "They belong to Hades." He shook his head. "I can't believe I am actually telling you this, especially since you're the killer that's been offing my guys. But it was suspicious that only the Seal-Bearers were being eliminated."

  "Seal-Bearers? So were they guarding the Seals?" Baa'ruk nodded. "How many Seal-Bearers are there?"

  "Twelve, including me. There is only one whose identity I don't know." The demon studied Evie, the half-dreamy expression said he was remembering the majesty of her wings. "The Seals were protected. They cannot fall into the wrong hands. Way too powerful mojo."

  "I had no idea there was a larger purpose until today." Evie could still feel the tingle of the disk in her fingers. "They sing, or have some sort of energy?"

  It was that statement that shocked the demon more than even her wings had.

  "You heard it sing?" At Evie's nod, he continued, "There are twelve Seals in total. Eleven Seals was charged to an Earth-side demon to protect until the Millennium of Service was over."

  "Millennium of Service?" Evie was intrigued.

  Baa'ruk scowled. "If you want me to tell you, then quit the chatter. Ask your questions later if you must." After one last glare, he said, "All twelve Seals are needed to mark the coming of the next Hades."

  Evie opened her mouth to ask another question, then clamped it shut when Baa'ruk threw her a warning glare.

  "The Seals of Hades form the gateway to the Underworld. Every millennium the Underworld becomes unstable. The balance of the Mother is shifted, and the Underworld falls into Chaos. New blood must complete the Rite of Passage, to assume the Throne of Hades for the next millennium. Hades must be good. Hades must be fair to rule the Underworld with heart and balance and justice. The Seals are hidden across the world, charged to the care of soldiers of the Underworld. The Seal-Bearers will guard the Seals with their lives, defend it to their deaths, for the Seals must not be possessed by evil."

  Evie thought that was a bit of a contradiction, considering Hell is supposed to be essentially evil anyway.

  "So only a good guy can be the King of the Underworld. That is so wrong!" Evie laughed. Then belatedly remembered she was supposed to shut up while the demon told his tale.

  A look in Baa'ruk's direction revealed he was in fact finished talking.

  "What about the twelfth Seal-bearer?" Evie asked.

  The demon chief shook his head. "No idea. And it's probably safer that way."

  Evie frowned and studied Baa'ruk's face, then decided he wasn't lying. "Okay, so what happens if a bad guy gets the Seals and become the next Hades?"

  "Er...the shit hits the fan. Armageddon. End of Days. Put it any way you want but it's very, very bad news."

  "What's the big deal?"

  "The big deal, Nephilim, is the King of the Underworld controls the natural geology of the Earth. Volcanoes, earthquakes, tectonic plate activity." Baa'ruk raised his eyebrows. "You get the picture?"

  Evie suppressed a shudder. "Okay, that is a big deal. So I get the job of making sure all the Seals are safe from the bad guy."

  "Do you know who this guy is?" Suddenly Baa'ruk seemed very interested.

  "I think I do, and now it's pretty clear why he's been having those awful tantrums when certain items never made it to him. It's like he knew when the demons were dead and when they got away." Evie frowned, talking more to herself than the demon, thinking back to each kill and Marcellus' urgent reaction to her kill confirmations.

  "It's possible that he has the Tablet," Baa'ruk added, nodding almost to himself.

  "Tablet?" Evie frowned.

  "An ancient parchment with the names of every Earth-si
de demon inked into it. Each time a demon is killed, the name disappears from the list." The expression on his face said he was not happy revealing that little tidbit either.

  "Like a GPS for demon-kind?" Evie asked.

  Baa'ruk grunted, not appreciating her humor. "Kinda. Specifically, for the Seal-bearers actually."

  This was a lot to take in. Evie felt a bit shell-shocked. Now it sounded very much like Marcellus had every intention of finding all the Seals and claiming the position of King of the Underworld. Evie gritted her teeth. She'd known he'd been bad news all along. This just confirmed it.

  "How do we stop him?" She looked at the albino demon, wondering if just maybe she could trust him.

  "Make sure he doesn't get all the Seals." The demon studied Evie, a thoughtful lien to his features. "Tell me, were you sent to kill me?"

  "No. I was sent by Renfru. He directed me to you. I told him to scram. Someone will come for him, especially now that you say the Tablet will tell the bad guys he's still alive." Renfru's boss grunted. "Cut him some slack. He refused to give me any information until I told him I'd killed Baltazar."

  "You killed Baltazar?" Baa'ruk's eyes were wide with shock, and oddly enough, sorrow.

  "Yes. He was my last target before Renfru. I was just doing my job, but something felt wrong about it." Guilt raised its head again.

  "Probably the fact that Baltazar wouldn't have killed you before at least getting some answers from you." Baa'ruk's words were accusing as his blue veins pulsed beneath the white, almost translucent skin of his neck and face. His fists were clenched so hard the knucklebones were almost visible. It seemed poor Baltazar was going to be sorely missed. Now Evie felt worse than when she had actually killed him.

  "I am truly sorry." Evie couldn't believe she was actually apologizing to Satan's spawn, but she had no choice. And he didn't seem to be very spawn-like either. Everything seemed to be happening around her, forcing her to act with the minimum of control. "If I'd known—"

  The demon cut her off. "You need to collect all the Seals and take them back to Hades."

  "Huh? You mean I need to take the Seals to the Underworld? Hell no!"

  "Very funny." Baa'ruk rebuked her but smiled. At least he had a sense of humor. "It's the only way, unless you give them all to me."

  "Now why would I do that?"

  "I'll take it to Hades for you," he said with a smile.

  "Sorry, but somehow I don't believe that. How do I know you won't take the Seals and make yourself the new King of the Underworld?"

  "You don't. Nephilim, you cannot trust anyone. Not for this." Baa'ruk grabbed Evie by the shoulders and shook her. "Don't trust anybody. Once word gets out that so many of the Seal-Bearers are dead, every demon and his cousin will be looking for the Seals."

  He moved a step back and reached inside his shirt, pulling out a thick lead chain. On its end hung another Seal. He tugged at it, breaking the links and freeing the Seal. "Take it," he said as he placed it in Evie's hands. "Take it and leave. Don't tell anyone that you have any of the Seals with you. Trust no one."

  He squeezed her hands and looked deep into her eyes. Then he turned and began to walk away. He would have disappeared into the hot, humid New Orleans night. If she hadn't remembered something vital.

  "Hey, Barry?"

  He turned and gave her a questioning stare.

  "I'll need a map then."

  Baa'ruk stared at her, confusion knitting his colorless brow.

  "Er...how do I get there? The Underworld?" She raised her eyebrow at him.

  "Oh, yes. Right." Baa'ruk entered the courtyard again and led Evie to a white wooden door, the first of four identical doors on the ground floor of the building.

  Darkness closed in on them within the room, but the demon didn't seem to care. Perhaps he had some power to see in the dark like the Nephilim. Another reminder that they may have more in common than was comfortable to consider. Rummaging in a drawer near the door, he retrieved a fountain pen and a serviette marked with a smudge of something red. Evie hoped it was ketchup.

  When he handed her the napkin, she was surprised to see a cellphone number scrawled in a penmanship which belonged in the middle of the eighteenth century.

  "Call me when you're ready. I'll fetch you. You will need to be ready in time to make it to the entrance by dawn. There is a window open at dusk and at dawn, only twice a day, so if you miss it, you will need to wait the day."

  "Why are you doing this?" She studied his face, searching for a clue as to the reason why he was ready to help her when she'd killed so many of his people. She twisted the napkin in her hand and stared at his face.

  "There's something about you that tells me you are the right one to protect the Seals. You and I still have a few scores to settle for my friends, but that can keep until the Seals are returned. We've hidden them long enough, and if someone out there is so desperate to find the Seals that they are now killing off the Seal-Bearers, then there is something going on here that's way bigger than just you and me." Baa'ruk walked to Evie and stared her straight in her eyes. "If you are the one, then you will succeed. Good luck. I shall await your call."

  He walked Evie out into the courtyard where she left him standing, looking slightly forlorn, bereft of his friends and now his precious Seal.

  Evie rose in a magnificent flourish of wings and angel dust, ensuring she kept a safe distance from the demon. He inclined his head in an elegant, gracious nod and watched her as she hovered over the courtyard.

  Then Evie turned and made for the estate.

  Chapter 10

  Back home from the bayou, Evie's head throbbed with a multitude of emotions. Confusion, concern, and suspicion warred within her. But all her thoughts ended up in one place. Why would Marcellus want the Seals of Hades? Did he really want to be Hades? And was that even possible or was the albino demon just messing with her head?

  Evie was certain of only one thing—it was now imperative that she ensured the Master of the Irin did not get his grubby hands on all the Seals. Even if she hid a few of them from him, it would ensure he would be unable to perform the ceremony to transform himself into the new Hades.

  She had to assume that was his goal and plan accordingly.

  Knocking at Ling's door, Evie waited impatiently for her friend to open up. Ash answered and shoved it wider for Evie to enter. Ling sat on the bed, which was the only thing in the room that hadn't been turned upside down. The entire room looked much like a tornado had blazed through it. Tables and chairs were on their sides, cushions from the couch were upended and the stuffing ripped from them.

  "What happened?" But Evie figured the question was moot.

  "Marcellus and his army of looters, that's what. It must have happened while I was out." Ling was shaking her head, her face pale, but the skin at the corners of her eyes was tight. Ling appeared shaken but also angry.

  Ash was just as upset. All color had drained from her cheeks so that she looked much like one of the white marble Apsara statues which graced numerous temple walls around India.

  "Well, it's a good thing you didn't keep it here then," Evie said with a soft sigh. It was clear from the events of the last day that the Seals were the object of Marcellus' raids.

  Ling nodded, rather more vehemently than she had intended, but the movement appeared to relax her. "You can say that again." Then she paused and gave Evie an odd look. "I don't know why, but I went to the armory and brought it with me." She patted her side, revealing the outline of a small bag which she'd strapped to her waist under her shirt.

  Evie sighed. "That's good." The soft mattress gave as she sat beside Ling. She felt a bit awkward. It may not be prudent to try to comfort Ling, who had always professed to being anything but an emotional basket case. "Maybe you should keep it on you at all times."

  "What if they search her?" Ash asked.

  "Do you think they would dare?" Ling stood, her eyes flitting anxiously between the other two girls, hoping they'd both laugh off the pos
sibility of a body search.

  But Evie couldn't deny that Marcellus seemed to be getting more desperate. They could hardly rule out the possibility. "Maybe you should find a good hiding place for it. When you find out what it is, you won't be so keen to keep it too close to your body anyway."

  "What is it?" Ling stared at Evie and frowned.

  Evie hesitated.

  "Look, Eves, you'd better tell me right this minute or so help me I might knock you out with the damned thing." Ling's grip tightened on the Seal, but Evie knew she didn't mean what she said.

  "Okay, okay. Threats to my person will get you everything." Evie waved her hands in resignation. "Okay, so these disks are called Seals."

  "Seals for what?" Ash butted in. "What are they for?"

  "They are actually called The Seals of Hades."

  The silence in the room was a palpable and shocked thing. Evie placed a finger beneath Ling's chin and lifted it slowly until the other girl's gaping mouth was closed.

  "You'll start catching flies soon."

  Ling clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What the hell are The Seals of Hades? It had better not be what I think it is."

  "Trust me, it probably is."

  Evie brought the two shocked Nephilim up to speed on the Seals, their purpose, the Seal-Bearers and Baa'ruk's offer to help them.

  "What we need is to make sure we have all the Seals and then you can call Barry." Ling confirmed what the other two girls were thinking.

  "How do we find the rest of the Seals?" Ash asked, frowning and glaring at the Seal in Ling's grasp as if it were a coiled viper ready to strike.

  "Marcellus might have them considering he's been sending us to every corner of the world for them. If he does, they may be hidden somewhere in his office." Evie voiced the plan, knowing the other two girls would not like it at all.

  As they argued, Evie rose and began to pile the goose-down stuffing back into the cushions of Ling's couch. She plumped the cushions up and pressed them back into the base of the seat. Two of the gold brocade cushions sported angry slashes on their once-beautiful surface. Evie walked around the room, keeping her hands busy, righting lamps and resetting drawers. There was nothing to be done for the curtains, so she dragged them off broken rods, which were now lying beneath the sill in a crumpled heap. She surveyed the damage, trying to tamp down her rising rage.