It was weird, and kinda benign for a supernatural encounter, but I nodded my head encouragingly. She was taking this all surprisingly well. Eventually, she also conceded the fact that if it weren’t for Alex and Nate, I’d be long dead by now.
They were still in her bad books for getting me pregnant.
The weirdest part was, once she’d accepted the idea of me being pregnant, she was over the moon. Firmly dismissing the idea that I might be dooming mankind, she joyfully examined me, gave me baby books to read, stocked me up on vitamins, and generally became overbearingly supportive.
If I didn’t know her any better, I’d say that she was being delusional. However, I knew my aunt well. Instead of insisting on me coming to see her at home, she’d started to visit me at Revelations a couple of times a week. She knew I was better protected, and it was safest for me to stay there. I also knew that she felt that this was her sacred duty in life - to protect me at all costs. That extended to making sure my mental state was okay. So even if she did think we were all going to die, she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it. Instead, she cooed and rubbed my belly, and harassed me about eating properly every few days. And, she made jokes about my baby having horns and a tail.
“That baby is going to be one-hundred-percent cuteness,” she said sternly. “You’ve got nothing to fear by having a scan.”
“I know,” I breathed out, exasperated. “But there’s just no point, Margot. It won’t change anything.”
“You can find out the gender,” she cooed.
I scrunched up my face, trying not to laugh. “Are you, of all people, going to suggest I have a gender reveal party?”
She laughed. “No damned way. Like I tell all my pregnant patients - your baby is going to decide what gender it is. All you’re going to reveal is what sexual organs your kid is going to be born with. And that is kinda creepy.” Her eyebrows slid downwards; her expression turned pleading. “You gotta have a baby shower, Eve. I’ll never have one. And, to protest the current trend of rigidly reinforcing gender norms by doing stupid pink or blue gender reveal parties, we’ll have a black shower. A spawn-of-Satan shower. A proper theme party, with goth outfits and death metal music.”
I laughed like an idiot, imagining how much Nimue would probably love that. “You’re ridiculous.”
“If I don’t laugh, I’ll probably cry, kid,” Margot's voice wobbled. “I’m so damned happy and scared for you, you have no idea.”
It was a rare admission. I caught her in a tight hug. “I know,” I whispered to her. “I am too. So happy, and so scared.”
We held each other for a long minute, until the tension passed. She pulled me back; there were tears in her eyes. “So, a Black Shower?”
I nodded. “Book it in for a week before my due date.”
We’d go out with a bang.
Chapter Five
We called Godric into the circle three days later.
It was mid-morning when we climbed the hill to the clearing. This time, we weren’t taking any chances. Nimue had worked out the best time to call an angry soul, and adjusted our schedule around it. The moon was waning crescent, a few days from new, and energy was low and sleepy. Mid-morning was best, the sun had not reached its zenith, nature was still resting and settled. It also helped that most of the guests would still be in bed.
But the weather was not behaving. It was dark, and the clouds huddled close to the horizon, their bottoms fat and dark-grey with rain. I felt a slight tingle in the air; electricity was building. We checked the weather; the storm wouldn’t be here for a few hours yet, so we decided to go ahead.
The last time I walked up the hill to the clearing I’d been in my early stages of pregnancy, and completely unaware of it. My breathlessness had annoyed me then, and I had cursed my lack of fitness. I’d gotten to the top though, puffing and sore, without any help. This time, I knew I was pregnant - heavily pregnant, now - but I’d be damned if I was going to behave any differently. I was determined not to act like a woman that needed carrying.
I’d even scheduled in proper pregnancy fitness training with the Revelations on-site physiotherapist. As a result, I was probably fitter than I’d ever been before. Regardless, I still gasped and puffed and staggered all the way up the incline, with Nate in front of me, and Alex behind me. I could feel their hands inches away from my body at all times, ready to catch me if I slipped and fell. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them would dare.
The clearing was empty. The giant log that had been in the middle of it was now thirty feet away, crushed into the trunk of another tree. I remembered how Hannah had hurled it at me in a rage, and I shivered when I saw the empty space where it had once lain. It could have smashed me to pieces. On the bright side, I felt better now that the clearing was bare. At least Godric wouldn’t have anything to throw at me.
Nimue and Malach were already in the center of the circle when we reached the clearing. Facing each other, five feet apart, they spoke in low tones, their expressions solemn. Malach was wearing a suit today; dark grey jacket and trousers, with a black shirt, no tie, and a couple buttons undone on the shirt. The cut of the suit was extraordinary; it expertly highlighted the breadth of his shoulders and his sculpted chest, narrowing in at his waist, subtly giving a hint of his bulging abs. I would have thought he couldn't look any more physically perfect, but he did today.
I could tell Nimue thought so too. Her eyes were slightly glazed, and she had a soft glow to her skin. She was luminous in his presence. Of course, she looked drop-dead gorgeous too. Instead of her usual cutting-edge tailored outfits or structured ball gowns, she was dressed in a simple black satin slip-dress. Her bright red hair hung loose in tangled waves down her back, and her lips were soft-pink, instead of their usual vampy scarlet.
I could see that both Malach and Nimue desperately wanted to fold the empty space in on itself so that they could be closer. I felt a longing between them that made my heart ache.
Luckily, Zel bounded up the hill, busted into the clearing and broke the tension. He seemed overwhelmed with energy.
“Let’s go, team!” he bellowed, stomping his feet like a bull and flexing his huge muscles. He was in his default white loincloth, and was bare-chested. “Let’s call this mortal soul! May our magic be strong, and our energy flow unimpeded! May this tortured soul face his destiny and ascend to a higher plane!” He lowered his voice and winked at me. “And may he do it all before eleven o’clock,” he added. “Dale and I have got a brunch meeting with the wedding planner.”
“Nice to see you’ve got your priorities right, Demon of Rome.” Alex grinned at him.
“I’m here for you, Cambion,” Zel clapped a hand on his shoulder.
With one last, meaningful look, Malach and Nimue turned towards us. “Let’s bring this in,” Nimue called, and we gathered in a loose circle in the clearing.
“We’ll do this the same as last time,” she said. “Except Alex will step out, and Malach will take air.”
Malach nodded, lifting his proud chin. Nimue continued, “Alex, you stay right next to Eve, outside the barrier.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” he replied, moving closer to me.
“We’ll create the barrier, and make sure it’s secure, then, I’ll open the portal to Hell a tiny crack. You call him, Eve, from just outside the barrier.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I have a few dark memories that will help.”
Alex rubbed my back. “You’re not afraid of Godric.”
“I am,” I muttered. “Even more so now than ever before. But I want to face him,” I said. “I want to forgive him.”
“Once Godric is cornered in the circle," Nimue continued, "then comes the tricky part. We have to open the circle to expose Eve.”
Alex growled, a low, terrifying sound.
I took a steadying breath. “We’ve already agreed, babe. We have to do it. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a common factor of the last two souls that we got to ascend. I wa
s exposed to them,” I shrugged, pleading. “That’s also when the soul started to focus. So we have to do it. Even just for a second.”
“She’s right,” Nate said softly. “Whatever energy she has inside of her might be the key to help Godric start transmuting his negative energy. Try to influence him from outside the circle first,” he said to me directly. “See if he recognizes her from outside. If it works, then she can stay outside of it, protected. If it doesn’t,” he shrugged, “let her into the circle for just a second.”
“No one is ‘letting’ me do anything,” I snapped at him. “Remember, you lunatics are insisting on protecting this baby and me, despite the fact that it will mean the end of the world. I’m not going to let you take that risk without me risking something in return. I’m doing this.” I glared around the circle. “It might be the key to everything. If we’re going to risk it all, we have to risk it all.”
Zel snorted. “That barely made sense, Eve.”
I ignored him. A drop of rain fell on the dust next to him, just one little fat splat. I raised my eyes to the heavens; the sky had darkened perceptively. It looked like the storm would be here sooner than I thought.
When I looked back, Alex’s eyes bored into mine, and I could see the pain reflected there.
“Just for a second,” he conceded. “We’ll expose you for just one second. We’ll play it by ear, see how Godric responds. I’ll be right in front of you the whole time. If Godric still wants you,” Alex's voice deepened, vibrating dangerously. “He’ll have to go through me first.”
I smiled back at Alex. “You heal quicker than I do, so, okay. I consent to that,” I said primly. “Why do I constantly have to remind you that I have my own agency though?”
Alex gave me a lopsided grin back. “If I decided to sacrifice myself so that we could gather a bit of information, would you let me do that?” He cocked his head. “With a smile on your face?”
I closed my eyes briefly, not even wanting to imagine it. “Okay, fine,” I replied. “I see your point.”
Zel clapped his hands together. “Let’s do this!”
Malach and Nimue exchanged another hot stare, and turned to walk to their corners. Zel bounced merrily away towards the north, directly opposite Nimue in the south, and braced himself, rolling his huge muscles around his arms and cracking his neck as if he were preparing for battle.
Malach, taking over Air from Alex this time, moved towards the east. He was standing far too close to Nimue to make a proper square, but he planted his feet firmly, obviously having no intention to move any further to even up the shape.
Nate moved in to give me a hug before he went to his corner. “Good luck, E. Just do whatever you did before. You’ve got this.”
I nodded, squeezing his hard shoulders tight. “I will.”
He walked gracefully towards the western corner, turned, and grinned at us. The circle was complete.
Alex held my hand and led me to a spot in between Nimue and Malach, a few meters back from the boundary they were about to create. A low boom sounded out across the clearing. I glanced towards the sky, while Alex squeezed my hand.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded.
Nimue called out, her voice as clear and pure as a bell. “Ready?”
“Ready!” Zel barked back. He looked amped up.
“He’s changed,” Alex murmured. He looked down and over his shoulder, so he could catch my eye. “Love has made Zel braver.”
“Love makes us do crazy things,” I said airily. “Love gets us pregnant and forces us to fight to save the world from total destruction.”
Alex chuckled darkly.
Arms in the air, eyes closed, Nimue began to chant. The same as before, her voice washed over me like silk, the whispers raising goosebumps on my skin.
This time, I felt the magic more clearly. I felt the energy being manipulated between the angels and demons holding each corner. I felt the vibrations being called into duty, creating barriers that shot out between them. It was a subtle thing, but it was definitely there. Nate was teaching me to feel it, to let it feel me, and at first, I thought he was wasting his time. I’d even snapped at him that it was pointless, as I was hardly going to be able to master this magic to the point where we could use it to do anything helpful. But, as he rightly pointed out, every little bit counts. I wouldn’t be losing anything by trying.
The resonance of Nimue’s voice became louder, penetrating through me like a rush of electricity. “Okay,” she called out, her tone strained. “The barrier is up. I’m going to crack open the portal to Hell. Eve, get ready!”
I steadied myself, and focused on a spot in the middle of the circle. Suddenly, the atmospheric pressure in the clearing dropped dramatically. A chime went off in my ears. I shook my head gently to try and clear it, to equalize the pressure in my head.
A tiny black fissure appeared in the air. The crack between the worlds had opened.
This was it.
Staring at it, focusing as hard as I could, I visualized my own face. I remembered what it felt like to watch Margot with a knife to her throat. I pictured exactly what I looked like in the moments where Godric was threatening to kill her. I made myself feel the fear and terror again, letting the emotion waft out and away from me, like a siren’s song, hoping Godric would hear it, and come.
For a long moment, nothing happened. My gaze flicked to Zel, holding firm and steady this time, steely determination on his face. Malach, as usual, was stone cold, and unmoving as a granite statue.
Alex squeezed my hand. I tried again.
This time, I thought of the moment when Godric thought he’d won. The smug smile on his face - it was arrogance; pride. That was a sin. If my attempted murder wasn’t reeling him in, then a petty sin like pride might push his buttons.
I pictured myself walking to him, shaking in terror, taking the steps towards the spot where he fully intended on plunging his blade into my belly. He hadn’t even known that I was pregnant at the time. I remembered the smug smile on his face, as he realized his victory.
My heart twisted; I put a hand on my bump.
My next thought was of how I shot Godric in the head.
I hadn’t meant to. I was aiming for Godric's torso. But in my heart, I knew that I would have killed him, if I had to, so that my baby might live.
There was movement in the clearing. The same as before - a dark-grey smog blooming in the middle of the circle.
“He’s coming!” Nimue called. “Hold your barriers!”
The smog condensed further, becoming darker, with more substance. It drifted one way, then the other, slowly, and silent as a ghost.
This was unusual. Hannah had wailed like a banshee. Even Aurelia had moaned, her cry low and painful.
“Are we sure it’s Godric?” I whispered to Alex.
“I don’t know.” His voice was gruff.
“I guess he wasn’t much of a talker in life. He’s more of the strong, psychotic, silent type.”
“Try again,” Alex nodded his head towards the clearing, his voice strained. “Project another memory.”
I focused on the dirty grey mass in the center of the circle. It felt like Godric. It had the same sort of vibe as he did in his human form.
That in itself was weird. It felt dangerous, but it didn’t behave like it was volatile. It drifted, silent, quiet as the grave. Another boom of thunder sounded out across the sky, and I flinched. It rolled across the clearing. The ghost of Godric didn’t seem to register it.
“I don’t understand,” I murmured softly. “It’s him. I know it’s him.”
I saw Alex nod out of the corner of my eye. “I’m sure it is too. I’ve never seen a spirit behave like this, though.”
I edged closer, peeking out from behind Alex so I could see the whole clearing better. There was just one spirit there. Godric, with no form, just wispy essence.
“Maybe he’s so destroyed that he can’t sustain a voice?” I wondered aloud.
“Something’s not right about this.” Alex’s voice was low. “This doesn’t feel right.”
I shook my head, silently agreeing with him. Glancing at the others, I saw that Zel was holding steady, the determination still fixed on his face. Malach held firm. Nimue’s beautiful face was focused, but I thought I saw a glimmer of trepidation in her eyes.
I had to do something. I edged forward, closer to the line this time, while Alex moved forward, half-blocking my approach.
I cleared my throat. “Godric,” I called out.
Nothing. The grey mass held steady inside the circle. It was a freakish sight - as if a storm cloud had come to a stop several feet from the surface of the earth, and stopped, unmoving.
I tried again. “Godric!” I kept my voice steady, despite the building panic.
He didn’t move. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see into the middle of the cloudy mass, trying to make out maybe an arm or a head. I was looking for the burning yellow eyes that I’d seen on Hannah. I wanted to make contact.
I edged closer, right to the edge of the boundary, and focused everything I had on Godric’s spirit.
Then I saw it. The realization hit me with the force of a Mack truck.
I thought his ghost was unmoving. I’d thought he was unnaturally still. But he wasn’t. His spirit was vibrating on such a low level that it was pulsing with rage; he was a spring coiled so tight that he flexed on the edge of breaking. I looked into that dark, venomous cloud, and I saw the bottomless depths of his pit of rage.
The pain and anger weren’t assailing him. It was him. It was horrifying.
I took a breath to scream.
In that moment of silence when I drew breath, the coil snapped, and the spirit of Godric lashed out. A horrifying split rent the air; not a scream from an ephemeral voicebox, but a slash in the fabric of reality. The shockwave surged through the clearing, forcing Nimue and Malach back a step.
As the tingling coldness of the barrier cut through my chest, I realised we were in big trouble. Alex and I had been on the very edge of the boundary. The line between South and West had moved back an inch when Nimue and Malach had stepped back.
Revelations: The Last War Page 6