“Burr has held that position regardless,” Henry said, almost dismissively. “He’s always been the main person in power, though he pretends he isn’t. Burr wants chaos to break out in the city. He wants the Five to fight over it. Fighting for power will cause more crime, more crime for the police–corrupt as corrupt can be–for Black Wing and for you, to save it. With that, people lose faith. When people lose faith, their demons get the best of them, which means Burr gets more sheep added to his flock. They turn from God because they do not believe He will right the wrongs in their lives, and instead, look inside themselves. They turn selfish. They turn to the devil.”
“Which gives Burr more power because, in essence, he’s collecting new souls.”
“Precisely.”
Reese furrowed her brow. “Henry, you basically said there’s no point in me doing my job,” she said. “And by job, I mean, being a Seer. You said that the crime rate in Onyx since Noir’s disappearance has drastically increased to the point where the police–those that haven’t been bought off–Black Wing and I can’t save everyone.”
“Why do you think your job–as you so lovingly put it–requires you to save people? What I mean is, why do you think you’re supposed to save individuals?”
“I was told I’m a savior,” Reese said. She just finished her croissant and took another sip of her tea. “Isn’t saving people in my job description?”
Henry bobbed his head, pouring himself another cup of the amber liquid. Reese noticed he didn’t put cream or sugar in his drink. “Yes and no,” he said finally. “Think about it, dearie: when God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to save His people, did He name names or did He mean the population as a whole?”
“I really don’t feel comfortable comparing what I do to what Jesus did,” Reese said, feeling her cheeks turn pink.
“Of course you don’t.” Henry smiled. “I’m not comparing what you’re expected to do, and what God expected His son to do; I’m trying to give you perception. You are not supposed to save individuals, Reese. That is not what you’re here for, not what’s in your job description. It would take too much time, and knowing you, you would get too emotionally invested. You can’t save everyone. But I think you already learned that lesson.”
“The hard way,” Reese murmured, taking her fingertip and caressing the rim of her teacup.
“No, you are not required to save individuals,” Henry said. “What you do is you See the future and use the visions in order to assist you by saving the people of Onyx. You are Ollo’s Seer, and Ollo is stationed here. Onyx is the battleground of this war. Your visions will assist whichever side you choose, whether it’s Burr or Ollo. And, from everything that has happened, you have chosen Ollo.”
“So, what’s my job, then?” Reese asked. “Why would you have me go out on the streets with Black Wing and save individuals if I’m not supposed to save individuals?”
“Because it’s teaching you the lessons necessary for you to progress.” He leaned forward, interlocking his fingers and placing them on the flat surface of the table. “Don’t you see? Clearly, you have learned you cannot focus on individuals; you must focus on the greater good. If you focus on individuals, you could lose your own life in the process and your entire being, your entire role in this war would be for naught. You are supposed to save the people of Onyx, dearie, and by saving them, you give them hope.” He paused, allowing time for his words to sink in. “Not everything is literal.”
Reese pressed her lips together, nodding her head. What Henry said made sense. It was obviously easier said than done, of course, but it made sense. She made sure to avoid Henry’s eyes, only because she started to think about her vision, about how she risked her life in order to save Ollo’s.
30
Keirah wasn’t nervous when Seph led her to Hades. Haye. She didn’t particularly like his nickname–his modern name–so she continued to refer to him as Hades because the name was more significant, had more power, commanded more respect. She kept her dark eyes straight in front of her, rather than gaze around gap-mouthed and foolhardy. She had a confidence in her she hadn’t realized she lost now that Noir was back in her life, and instead of cowering in the presence of the god of the Underworld or standing in awe at what surrounded her, she felt as though she were the prize and how nothing else measured up to having Noir back in her life.
She rolled her shoulders back and arched her back up. Her breasts were small and perky, and she knew exactly how to position them to make them look as supple as bigger ones. Her stride was long and purposeful, her hips jutting out with every step. If there were people here–men, especially–she knew her walk would get attention.
Not that she would have noticed.
Her eyes, along with the rest of her body, her mind, her very soul, belonged to Noir.
“You look… different,” Seph said once the two had emerged from the hallway. “In a good way, of course.”
Keirah’s smile deepened. “Thank you,” she said, knowing exactly what she meant.
“So, are you nervous in any way?” She looked over her shoulder and slid her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I mean, not that you have a reason to be. Or anything like that. I just, I’ve just never seen anything like this, and I wasn’t sure how Haye was going to respond. I still don’t, by the way. He doesn’t really talk about his whole decision-making process. I think it’s a guy thing. I just wanted to know you’re feeling on the whole thing.”
“I’m not nervous,” Keirah told her, making sure her voice was just as strong as she felt. “I’m ready.”
Seph nodded, her blonde ponytail bouncing with her head. “Interesting. May I ask why?” She stopped suddenly. “I hope I’m not intervening with your personal business. I’ve just never met a breather before. I want to know how you think. How you work. Is it the same as gods? Is it the same as souls? I guess I’m trying to pick your brain.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” Keirah felt herself furrow her brow at Seph’s awkwardness. She was certain that Seph could come off as relatable and endearing, but there were times when she could come off as annoying and distracting. Keirah wanted nothing more than to focus on her task at hand–get out of Purgatory and back to Onyx with Noir in tow–and talking to Seph about why she felt more confident now that she had her man back in her life seemed like a waste of time.
“Can I give you some advice, Seph?” she asked. It was comical – Keirah was giving a goddess advice about self-confidence, but Keirah felt she needed to say it. “I love Noir. When he’s around me, I feel like myself, my true, real self. I don’t have to hide myself. I am who I am, and that’s it. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else says.” She pushed her brows up. “Noir isn’t the right guy. He never will be. But he’s the right guy for me. I don’t care what people think of him or of me or of us. I can feel the way I want to feel, and that’s it. I don’t have to hide my feelings. I’m ashamed of nothing. I have no reason to be.”
Seph blinked once, twice, then looked back at Keirah with a soft smile on her face. “Thanks,” she murmured. “I think I needed that.”
“I kind of figured.”
Five more minutes and through the door, the two were back in the throne room. Hades was already there, dressed in all black, waiting for their arrival. He had his right ankle resting on his left knee and his hands holding onto the arm rests, but not tightly. He looked casual, nonchalant, but still prestigious.
“Thank you for bringing me Keirah, Seph.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Isn’t she supposed to be your queen?” Keirah asked, though she probably shouldn’t have. Perhaps her overzealousness should have been curbed, at least slightly. “Shouldn’t she be above running miniscule errands for you?”
Hades raised his brow, maintaining eye contact with Keirah while keeping silent for a long while. Keirah did not squirm. She did not blink or twitch or move. She did not even breathe. Instead, she met his eye contact and held her own. However, a voice in her head tol
d her to calm herself down, that she shouldn’t press her luck. Not when he might give her something she wanted.
“I requested she get you because I know you’re comfortable with her.” His voice was soft but firm. “I thought I was doing something considerate. I respect her more than anyone I’ve ever met, but that’s none of your business.”
“I… apologize.” Keirah wasn’t sure what else she could say. She felt humbled, and allowed herself to feel that way.
“I’ll just-uh leave you to it, then,” Seph said. Keirah couldn’t tell if she wanted to say more, if she wanted to stay and be privy to Hades’ decision. But there was a hesitation in her voice that was easily detected.
When she left, Hades focused his attention back on Keirah. “Before I tell you my decision, I want to show you around,” he told her, standing up in one fluid motion. He had the grace of a cat, the power of a lion. “I want to explain what Purgatory means because your request, while romantic, completely violates everything that we stand for here. Even asking for it seems selfish.”
Keirah nodded, choosing to remain silent. He hadn’t said no. Just because he didn’t agree with what she was asking for didn’t mean he rejected her request outright. At least not yet.
She followed him through numerous hallways, in a variety of rooms. It reminded Keirah of an upscale hotel, like the Ritz Carlton. There were multiple kitchens, one on every floor, and every bedroom had an attached bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi bathtub, a shower, and a vanity with plenty of storage space. Each room had either a wardrobe or a walk-in closet with clothing that somehow fit its occupant perfectly. There were no windows, no view of any sort, but paintings occupied every wall and rugs littered the floor. The beddings on each queen or king-sized bed were bright and rich, which gave color to an otherwise bleak environment.
“Why would people stay here?” Keirah asked after the two exited yet another bedroom that looked like hers.
“Not people, souls.” Hades barely glanced at her as he continued to walk around his home. “They stay here because they are not yet ready to move on. We offer them comfortable lodgings, a place where they can wait for family and friends. But sooner or later, everyone leaves. They get on Henry’s ferry, and they go one way or the other.”
“Do they get to choose?”
“I guess you could say that.” He stopped abruptly in front of a wall and typed a security code into the doorway. Keirah couldn’t even see the numbers, let alone what the code might be. She also had a feeling Hades would know if she tried to spy on him and that clearly wouldn’t work in her favor, so she averted her eyes. “Everyone has freewill.” He stopped and this time gave Keirah his full attention. “What I’m about to show you is the most important place in Purgatory. It would behoove you to pay attention to your surroundings.”
Keirah nodded. Now she could feel her heart hammer in her chest, could hear the pounding ringing in her ears. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she knew it was big.
When the doorway was open, Hades led her inside and beckoned her to follow. She kept her eyes sharp, not caring anymore if she was the gap-mouthed fool, awestruck by the sights Purgatory provided her. It was dark, at first, which wasn’t all that surprising. But after being in the room for a while, her eyes adjusted, and soon, she could make out a circular vortex in the middle of the floor. Keirah nearly backed up just to ensure she didn’t get sucked into it; she couldn’t make out what the silvery liquid was, but she knew if she fell in, it wouldn’t be good.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Hades murmured as he watched her take a step back. “It can get a bit… slippery around here.”
Keirah wasn’t sure what that meant and didn’t want to speculate. Her eyes focused on the liquid. There was something off… and that was when she noticed it. The silvery liquid wasn’t liquid at all, but forms; transparent forms swimming around in the vortex in a counterclockwise direction. She couldn’t make out the color of their hair or eyes or skin, but she could guess at gender. They weren’t wearing any clothes, but they were in their human forms.
“Are these… souls?”
Hades nodded, his own eyes fixed firmly on the vortex. “Yes.” He looked back at Keirah before resuming his stance. “This is where Noir was. Before you showed up. Trapped in the Vortex. Swimming in a circle, condemned until he redeemed himself. His face was passive, his body unmoving. He didn’t care one way or the other that he was here. I’m sure you can see the other souls–in pain, in shock, scared and sad–but not Noir. He didn’t look anything, really, except… pensive.”
Keirah smiled without thinking about it. “That sounds like him,” she said under her breath. A thought struck her. “Wait, so these are the souls that are being punished?”
Hades nodded. “They are trapped in their own nightmare,” he explained. “Not in their own fears, per se, but in something that will motivate them to want to be better. Those that refuse automatically get sent to Hell. Those that agree are trapped here until their time is up. Sometimes I get to decide that, sometimes God gets to. It all depends.”
“Noir…?”
“Noir arrived not quite knowing where he was. It was clear as an Excom he wasn’t, nor did he have any desire to, redeem himself. I know it would be you. You were going to save him. That is why I chose to release him from his Vortex last night. So he could see you. So he knew you were real and that he was allowed to hope.”
Keirah furrowed her brow. “You’re trying to save him?” No one thought Noir could be redeemed, not even Keirah. But Keirah was fine with it. Yet, Hades stood before her claiming otherwise?
“No.” A pause. “Not save. I want to give him a new perspective. That even someone as helpless and angry and terrifying as him can feel hope. You are his hope, Miss Shepherd. You are his redemption.” Another pause. “He’ll never change. And when you die, he’ll be stuck here in Purgatory forever. But right now, in this moment, he needs you.” Finally, he turned to look at Keirah. “Do you see that, Miss Shepherd?” He pointed upwards, to a staircase. Keirah hadn’t even noticed it before, but she nodded her head. “That is the exit back to earth. It will take you exactly where you were before arriving here. Before you get any notion of trying to reach the staircase on your own, keep in mind you will get nowhere near it without my presence. It simply will not let you.”
“Why are you showing me this?” Keirah asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the staircase. She studied it, hoping to get a clue on how it worked and how she could use it to her advantage.
“Because I am going to agree to let you leave with Noir, Miss Shepherd,” Hades told her. “But there’s a catch.”
31
How long had it been now? Though it felt like one of the longest weeks of Andie’s life, in actuality, only two days had passed since she had left the manor and moved into the guesthouse. The Phillip Guesthouse was located across the street from the manor. It was substantially smaller, of course, but it had two stories, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a large kitchen, a larger living room, and a game room filled with two billiard tables, air hockey, foosball ball, and a jukebox. Originally, Andie had left the manor with only the clothes on her back, but there were times when she knew Jack wouldn’t be home, and as a result, went over and slowly started to collect the things she needed. She had only been over there twice, but she managed to avoid Beverly. Andie made it a point to take only what she needed, so the guesthouse only had six pairs of clothes, her laptop, and some of her DVDs.
What Andie wasn’t exactly expecting was just how lonely she was. She knew that she had made the right decision, that she really did need space to move past what Jack had done despite it being indirect, but she found it even harder to fall asleep. The nights were probably the longest because she wasn’t there when Jack left as the Black Wing, and she wouldn’t be there when he returned – if he returned.
But no. Andie forced the negative thought out of her head.
All she knew was that she couldn’t sleep without him l
ying next to her, and the three or four hours she managed to catch weren’t fulfilling in the least. She would wake up looking absolutely horrible and all but fall asleep at work. Despite the fact that Lorraine didn’t know the details of what transpired between both Andie and Jack, she could definitely tell something had affected Andie because she looked… well, horrible.
Currently, her boss was in her office, nursing her second glass of milk like it was a bottle of beer and staring blankly at the computer screen doing absolutely nothing that interested her. Lorraine shook her head. It was a sad sight. Maybe she was still sick…? But no, this had to do with her feelings. Lorraine could tell by looking in Andie’s eyes. What had happened? The personal assistant didn’t know.
The phone rang, breaking Lorraine from any and all speculation. “Shepherd Animal Sanctuary,” she answered almost automatically. “How may I help you?”
“Lorraine?” the familiar voice on the other end inquired. “Hey, it’s Melinda. Is Andie busy?”
“Hey Melinda,” Lorraine said with a grin. “No, I’ll patch you through.” For a moment, Andie’s personal assistant put Melinda on hold, and after informing her boss of who was on the line, transferred her.
“Andie?” Melinda asked after the young woman mumbled a greeting. “Is that really you? Okay, what, exactly, happened between you and Jack because I’m going to be honest, the man is… well, I’m sure you know how infuriating he can be.”
“What makes you think Jack’s attitude has anything to do with me?” Andie asked, raising a brow, though she had to admit that what Melinda had said had certainly piqued her interest.
“Oh, don’t even give me that,” Melinda chided. “He’s out at lunch right now, which is why I’m speaking so freely. But for a moment, cut the crap for like one second and tell me the truth. His attitude always has to do with you. When he’s getting some, I actually notice him smiling. When you guys are fighting, he’s just…” She let her voice trail off. “Angry.” She paused, before conceding her point. “But then again, Jack’s always been the quiet, brooding type of guy. How did you end up with him again?”
Sacrifice: Book 3 of The Dark Paradise Trilogy Page 22