The Veritas

by Wendy Saunders

  Sam glared as he looked down into the blazing eyes of his father.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ he smiled slowly. ‘I’ve been locked in here under guard, how could I have had anything to do with it?’

  Thomas threw Sam to the side, watching as he tumbled into the furniture, sending a fruit platter from a nearby table tumbling to the floor with a loud clatter.

  ‘She had to have had help,’ Thomas turned to Marcus. ‘There is no way she could’ve escaped from Lucifer’s cage alone. Find them, I want to know who helped her and I want her dragged back here by her hair. This time she will feel the full weight of my wrath.’

  ‘Of course,’ Marcus bowed, to cover the fear in his eyes.

  He practically ran from the room and Thomas watched him disappear back through the doorway. The sound of a slow chuckle had him turning back toward his son who was propped up against the wall in amongst the ruined fruit, a cut at his temple dripping blood into his eye.

  Baring his teeth in pure rage he leaned down and grasped the front of Sam’s linen shirt, hauling him to his feet. His hands were so tightly fisted the linen tore loudly as he slammed Sam forcefully back into the wall.

  ‘Where is she?’ Thomas growled once again.

  Sam continued to laugh in his face.

  ‘Tell me,’ he smashed Sam against the wall again and when he still didn’t answer Thomas pulled his fist back and slammed it into Sam’s face.

  ‘You’ll never find her,’ Sam smiled, his teeth stained with blood. ‘You still don’t fucking get it, do you?’

  ‘Get what?’

  ‘You rule through fear and control,’ Sam replied. ‘You don’t understand such a simple thing as love or loyalty. You won’t find her, because they will protect her until the very end.’

  ‘Who are they?’ Thomas pulled his fist back and punched Sam again.

  Sam smiled despite his split lip.

  ‘You want to keep hitting me? Go right ahead. You will never find her now; she is beyond your reach.’

  Thomas wrapped his thick fingers around Sam’s neck and squeezed.

  ‘Kill me,’ Sam wheezed breathlessly as his oxygen was slowly cut off, ‘I win, and you don’t get your heir.’

  Thomas howled loudly as he threw Sam’s limp body to the ground, watching lividly as Sam coughed and drew air into his lungs.

  ‘This isn’t over,’ he threatened as he turned and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

  Sam pushed himself upright, shakily propping himself back against the wall as he took slow even breaths. He wiped the blood from his lip onto his sleeve, wincing as the tear in his lower lip stung.

  Glancing over at the wine jug lying on its side in a pool of crimson he picked it up. Glancing at the dregs left in the bottom he picked up a nearby cup which was also lying amidst the contents of the overturned table. Pouring himself a cup from the wine that was left he raised it to his lips, mockingly toasting the doorway his father had passed through.

  He gingerly pressed his cheekbone and wiggled his jaw. His father sure as hell had a solid right hook, but there wasn’t too much damage done. Nothing that Aalia wouldn’t mind fixing.

  He was slowly sipping his wine when the door opened once again. This time Tyrel slipped through, quietly clicking the door behind him. His brow folded into a frown as he took in the devastation Sam was sitting in the midst of.

  ‘What happened?’ Tyrel asked.

  ‘My father and I were bonding,’ Sam replied dryly.

  ‘Bonding?’ Tyrel repeated in amusement as he crossed the room and offered Sam his hand. ‘You’ve gotten soft in your old age.’

  ‘Yeah well,’ Sam took his hand and allowed Tyrel to help him to his feet, ‘I’m a lot older than you. In fact, I think I’m technically older than my father at this point. Plus, I’m getting over nearly dying.’

  ‘Excuses,’ Tyrel grinned.

  ‘Tell me what happened?’ Sam asked eagerly as his gaze flicked to the doorway briefly.

  ‘We got her out,’ Tyrel whispered, ‘she’s safe.’

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘With the Guardian,’ he replied.

  ‘Good,’ Sam nodded in approval, ‘she’ll be safe with Olivia.’

  Sam sensed Tyrel’s hesitation, saw the almost imperceptible tightening at the corners of his mouth and knew he was holding something back.

  ‘What?’ Sam asked as his stomach did one long roll of unease. ‘What are you not telling me?’

  ‘Sam,’ Tyrel frowned as he shook his head.

  ‘Tell me,’ he insisted.

  ‘When we got to her…’ he shook his head again, words failing him as his voice tailed off.

  ‘What did they do to her?’ Sam swallowed painfully.

  Tyrel opened his mouth but once again he couldn’t force the words past his lips, knowing what they would do to his friend.

  ‘Your father….’

  ‘Will she live?’ Sam’s jaw tightened.

  ‘She’ll live,’ Tyrel nodded, his eyes dark, ‘but she’ll never be the same.’

  Sam closed his eyes against the helpless wave of rage. His fist closed around the small cup as he launched it across the room with an animal-like howl of pain. The cup cartwheeled through the air, spraying dark red wine like blood as it crashed into a huge ornate gilded mirror, shattering it on impact and sending shards of glass skittering across the floor like ice crystals.

  Sam dragged in a deep breath; his voice threaded with steel.

  ‘I will make him pay for what he’s done.’

  ‘You may get that chance sooner than you think,’ Tyrel told him quietly.

  Sam turned to stare at him, his deep blue eyes unwavering.

  ‘It has begun,’ Tyrel nodded, ‘the days of prophecy are upon us. It began the moment Scarlett sacrificed herself to save you. It has now set in motion a chain of events I fear cannot be stopped.’

  ‘We don’t want them stopped,’ Sam replied, ‘this is what we have been preparing for. You know what to do.’

  Tyrel nodded.

  ‘And the others?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Are all in place awaiting your orders.’

  ‘Good,’ Sam grasped Tyrel's forearm, ‘this is what we’ve been waiting for brother. Everything is about to change.’

  ‘Your father knows how to read the signs too,’ Tyrel told him with a frown. ‘He’s slowly pulling his commanders back and placing them in key positions. Azariel is doing the same; they’re preparing for a coup. Heaven is on the verge of civil war.’

  ‘I know,’ Sam scowled, ‘there is no way to avoid it now. Azariel and my father are set on a collision course and anyone who gets in their way will be obliterated.’

  ‘Thomas is planning something,’ Tyrel told him worriedly.

  ‘Do you know what it is?’

  Tyrel shook his head, ‘he’s recalled Jairus.’

  ‘Jairus?’ Sam frowned, ‘that can’t be good.’

  ‘I’ve been trying to get close enough to figure out what they’ve got planned but Thomas is playing it close. The only other one he’s trusting is Marcus and Marcus won’t betray him.’

  ‘We need to find out what it is they’re planning,’ Sam paced. ‘We’ve spent too long planning this out to the last detail, we can’t afford any surprises now.’

  ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ Tyrel nodded. ‘I’ll send Aalia back to tend your wound. Rest and regain your strength, you’ll need to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.’

  Sam nodded.

  ‘Tyrel?’

  Tyrel turned back to Sam.

  ‘Thank you,’ he spoke quietly, ‘thank you for risking everything to save her.’

  Tyrel let out a slow breath. He reached into his pocket and withdrew something as he covered Sam’s hand with his own.

  ‘She’s strong brother,’ he replied, ‘she’ll survive the days ahead.’

  He withdrew his hand and Sam stared down at his palm. A small bloodstained gold band lay against his skin
. His hand fisted around the metal tightly as he looked up at Tyrel and nodded.

  He watched as Tyrel turned and headed out of the room leaving him once again alone. Tired and weary right down to his bones he crossed the room to the small bowl and jug which stood on a plain circular side table. He lifted the jug and poured, filling the bowl with crystal clear water.

  Placing the ring in the bowl he carefully cleaned off any trace of blood before reaching under the collar of his shirt and pulling free a long chain with his own ring attached. He added hers to his own, raising them both to his lips. He pressed a soft kiss on the warm metal and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to flood with images of her.

  ‘Hold on Scarlett,’ he whispered into the stillness of the room. ‘I’m coming for you, I swear it.’

  9

  ‘Has she regained consciousness at all?’

  Olivia glanced up to see her husband leaning against the doorframe, his hands tucked in the pockets of his jeans and his dark eyes unreadable.

  Olivia shook her head. With a small frown of concern, she turned her attention back to the woman in her spare bed.

  ‘No,’ Olivia murmured thoughtfully as she gently cleaned Scarlett’s wounds. ‘I’ve done everything I can but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. She’s in a pretty bad way; there’s so many wounds. I’ve used the last of Evie’s salve, but I have no idea how to make more. I wish I’d paid attention when she tried to teach me as a kid, but I was too restless, too impatient. I wanted to be out in the woods playing with Jake and Louisa.’

  ‘Not much has changed then,’ Theo smiled softly as he stepped into the room and stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at the injured angel.

  ‘I guess not,’ Olivia replied with a sigh. ‘I don’t know what else to do for her Theo. If any of her injuries get infected or she gets worse...’

  ‘I know,’ Theo frowned, ‘I share your frustration. I guess only time will tell.’

  ‘I feel… inadequate,’ Olivia admitted quietly. ‘All this power I have at my fingertips, I could rip mountains out of the ground or tear entire continents in half, but I can’t take away her pain.’

  ‘I wouldn’t recommend ripping out any mountains,’ a smooth familiar voice spoke from the corner of the room.

  Olivia turned and stared quietly.

  ‘I thought I told you to stay away from her,’ Hades said dryly.

  ‘Yeah well I wasn’t expecting Clark and Lois to drop her in my lap.’

  Hades released a long-suffering sigh as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

  ‘The most fearsome warriors in the Underworld and you have reduced them to pets,’ he shook his head. ‘You’ve ruined them, you know.’

  ‘Hades,’ Olivia frowned, ‘what was I supposed to do? Look at her. I wouldn’t turn away a stray dog; I couldn’t just leave her lying there in the dirt bleeding.’

  Hades stood slowly from the chair he’d been perched on. He slowly crossed the few steps to the bed, his cane echoing against the wooden floor with every step. He studied the unconscious woman dispassionately.

  ‘Sloppy,’ his lips pursed in disapproval, ‘no elegance, no sense of style. No one takes the time to torture with finesse these days, they’re all in such a rush. Brutish, lazy dilettantes, they have no idea that true torture is an art form. It is as much about the mind as it is the physical. There are so few of the masters left now, everyone is all about instant gratification.’

  ‘Hades, if you can’t add anything constructive you can leave,’ Olivia told him flatly.

  He let out a frustrated huff of breath.

  ‘You have no idea what you’ve exposed yourself to,’ he shook his head in annoyance. ‘You have no idea who she really is… who her father is.’

  ‘Who?’ Olivia’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

  Hades ignored her question, instead giving a small growl of frustration as he turned on his heel, pacing the floor.

  ‘This was not how it was supposed to happen; Sam was supposed to be protecting her and keeping her far away from you.’

  ‘What?’ Olivia scowled, ‘why?’

  Hades shook his head.

  ‘Believe it or not Olivia I’m trying to protect you and your family.’

  ‘And don’t think I don’t appreciate that,’ she replied, ‘but I want the truth, no evasions or half-truths. Why are you trying to keep the two of us apart? What have you got against her?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Hades stopped pacing and stared at Olivia for a moment before releasing a resigned breath. ‘I have nothing against her, in fact she has my deepest sympathy. It is no small thing to have your own people turn their back on you.’

  For a second, she thought she saw a flicker of pain cross his eyes before it vanished.

  ‘But putting the two of you together in a place as powerful as Mercy is just asking for trouble,’ his eyes once again settled on Scarlett as she slept on unaware. ‘She will have every demon, angel and Sentinel after her once she wakes. I don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire.’

  ‘What’s a Sentinel?’ Olivia asked. ‘I’ve never heard of them.’

  ‘You may not have heard of them,’ Hades replied in amusement, ‘but you are extremely good friends with one.’

  ‘Who?’ Olivia frowned.

  ‘Sam,’ Theo spoke up quietly from the corner of the room, ‘it’s Sam, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes,’ Hades answered simply.

  ‘What exactly is a Sentinel?’ Olivia asked curiously.

  ‘They are Heaven born, like the angels,’ Hades told her, ‘but they rarely leave Heaven’s boundaries. They’re warriors, a kind of police force if you will. They are supposed to keep peace within Heaven’s borders.’

  ‘Why do I sense a but?’ Olivia’s head tilted as she watched him.

  ‘The angels and the Sentinels despise each other; they have done nothing but squabble for thousands of years. They are bratty, badly behaved children all of them.’

  ‘So, if angels and Sentinels hate each other so much,’ Olivia turned to look at Scarlett, ‘what was she doing with Sam?’

  ‘Their story is not mine to tell,’ Hades shook his head.

  ‘Where is Sam?’ she asked worriedly.

  ‘I do not know,’ he answered truthfully, ‘but judging by the state of her, I can conclude nowhere good.’

  ‘Urgh,’ Olivia rubbed her face tiredly, ‘what a mess.’

  ‘You are determined I suppose,’ Hades asked directly, ‘to keep her here with you while she is injured?’

  ‘I can’t just throw her out,’ Olivia sighed.

  ‘I can make arrangements for her to be moved elsewhere.’

  Olivia’s gaze tracked over to her husband and almost as if he could understand her silent question, he gave a small nod.

  ‘No,’ Olivia turned her attention back to Hades, ‘she stays here with us. I can’t explain it; I just feel it in my gut. I’m supposed to help her somehow.’

  ‘I know better than to try to change your mind once it’s made up,’ Hades sighed. ‘Fine, I will send the Chimera to help the Gata patrol the perimeter of your home. He is most lethal and as you seem to have domesticated my cats, he will make sure no one crosses the line who shouldn’t.’

  ‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea,’ Olivia frowned. ‘I mean, the Gata are one thing, they can make themselves invisible. Although we’re pretty secluded up here by the lake, I don’t want anyone from town getting freaked out by mythological creatures or hurt for that matter.’

  ‘The Chimera will also take steps to conceal himself from the mortals, as the Gata do,’ Hades shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Oh, and Olivia, he is one of my most dangerous allies; he is thousands of years old and has an awe-inspiring reputation,’ his eyes darkened. ‘Don’t go giving him a stupid name.’

  ‘Not making any promises,’ Olivia shrugged.

  ‘Oh, and by the way,’ Hades smirked, ‘be careful of the Hydra in the lake.’

  ‘THE WHAT?’

  But it was no use, h
e was gone, and Olivia stood wide eyed as Theo began to chuckle slowly.

  ‘What?’ she snapped in annoyance. ‘You were awfully quiet.’

  Theo crossed the room and slowly wrapped his arms around her, smoothing out the crease between her brows with his forefinger.

  ‘I know better than to get between you and Hades,’ he smiled in amusement. ‘It never fails to amaze me the way you provoke him, and that he puts up with it.’

  ‘Yeah well,’ she muttered sourly, ‘he loves me, he doesn’t have a choice. Just like you don’t.’

  ‘I always had a choice,’ Theo smiled as he brushed his lips against hers. ‘Now stop frowning or, as Louisa is so fond of saying, you’ll get wrinkles.’

  ‘I’m just getting a little worried I suppose,’ she replied. ‘I get that Hades is a little overprotective but first the Gata, then a Chimera… which, is super cool by the way, it has the head of a Lion and the tail of a snake, but now an honest to god sea monster in the lake? I mean, it’s summer, now I have to worry about the local swim team getting eaten?’

  ‘I’m sure that won’t happen,’ Theo soothed her. ‘Hades knows to keep a low profile, whatever he brings here cannot be exposed to the residents of the town.’

  ‘It’s not just that,’ she frowned. ‘Zeus strictly forbade Hades from interfering with the mortal world. The last thing we need is him finding out. Last time Zeus threw a temper tantrum, he burned down the whole of the woods and nearly took most of the town with it.’

  ‘But he didn’t,’ Theo stroked his hands down her arms softly. ‘Let’s just worry about one thing at a time, shall we? If we’re going to keep Scarlett here with us, that makes her our responsibility and you’re right, unfortunately she needs more healing than you are able to give. We need to reach out, see if we can find a healer with enough skill to help.’

  ‘I know where you’re going with this,’ she grimaced.

  ‘You need to speak to your father,’ Theo told her firmly.

  ‘I don’t think it’ll do much good,’ Olivia huffed out a disgruntled breath. ‘He’s MIA again.’

  ‘You really should be a little bit more understanding Olivia,’ Theo gently admonished, ‘he’s not dealing well with your mom’s death.’