by JK Ensley
“My heart is not mine to give. This you know. I am another man’s wife, Musashi, and happily so. As for your kingdom, Jinn could wish for no better ruler. Don’t take your title so lightly.”
“Your honest words crush me, a pain I never imagined.” His eyes wavered slightly. “Jenevier, I beg of you. Grant me but one kiss, just one. If you can say those same words with mirrored sincerity after our lips have parted, I will press you no more.” He took her hand in his, lightly kissing it, tracing the tip of his nose down her fingers. “A kiss has the power to stop time, Milady. A kiss can seal two souls together, changing their reality, burning its blessed memory upon their hearts for all eternity. A kiss wields more power than does a sword. For a kiss cannot only kill, it can heal as well. No steel can manage that miracle. None hold such magic, claim no such charm.” He turned her hand over, kissing her palm, cupping it around his warm lips. Holding her there, as if in prayer.
One of the babes cried. Jenevier waited patiently until the Emperor slowly opened his sad eyes. She gently pulled her hand away and put the babe to breast.
Musashi sighed resignedly. “How can you tell them apart? I have looked closely. I can find no mark upon either, no distinguishing difference.”
“Nor have I,” she said. “They are identical in every way… on the outside. Their thoughts are a different matter. They each have their own, incredibly distinct personality. On the inside, they’re as different as daylight is to moonlight.”
“And this you can sense?”
She smiled down at her nursing son. “I can.”
Musashi propped his head on his hand. “What will you name them? Have you decided?”
“I have studied upon it, yes.” She sighed, looking at the Emperor, meeting his gentle gaze. “Naming them was something I wished only to do with Varick. I’m finding it extremely difficult to do so on my own. I feel… by blessing them with their eternal name, I’m stealing something extraordinarily precious away from him. Varick loved him wholly, without thought, without reservation.” She smiled. “And that’s when we believed there was only one. He would be over the moon if he could see the twin miracles laying here beside me now. My devoted husband, keeper of my shattered heart, their rightfully appointed Guardian… I’m being forced to move forward without him. It pierces me, wounds my soul.”
“Can you ever forgive me?”
“This one, here.” She nodded toward the suckling babe. “He is exceptionally bright. His mind races from one thing to the next. I fear he will be more than a handful.” She laughed softly as she smiled down at her little Angel.
“So… you will act as if I did not speak?”
She rolled her eyes. “How do you wish me to answer you, Musashi? This is but my third day here. I was torn from my home, essentially died in childbirth, now I’m blessed with not one, but two tiny Angels. I haven’t taken the time to ponder guilt, retribution, or forgiveness.”
“Daichi,” he whispered.
“What?”
“Daichi, it means intelligent, wise. The old women would say the babe which suckles you now, is Daichi.”
Jenevier only stared at him.
“I wish I could take it back. I wish I’d never laid eyes upon your story. I wish I was a better man, one who would’ve considered you first. I wish many things, Milady. Once I find Mikage Abe, I’ll turn those wishes into your dreams. Send you back from whence you came.”
Musashi tried to hide his tears as he left her bedchambers.
Jenevier smiled down at the tiny Angel in her arms. “Don’t worry, my little Prince. We’ll go home when the time is right, with or without Mikage. I only wish I could take these beautiful moons you love so much back home with us.”
The babe squirmed, seeming to smile as he nursed and slept.
“Would you like that, my Angel? Do you want Mommy to steal their moons? Ohh, I would if I could… my precious little Daichi.”
Chapter 24
Larie
(LARR-ee)
Varick could not enter hell, no, but he knew the perfect demon he could use. He donned his mask, entering the familiar brothel on Praetoria as Alzeen.
“Ah, Larie, you look as lovely as ever.” He flashed a charming smile. “Your beauty sends me to my knees. I’m at your feet, Milady, simply at your feet.”
“Alzeen! Where in the world have you been hiding your gorgeous self?”
“I would never hide from you, Larie. I have been roaming the land, seeking what pleasures may be afforded me.” He winked at her. She blushed. “Is Hamish in tonight? As bad as it pains me to leave your enticing side, I have important business with your master.”
Larie fell silent, pretending to busy herself with the many log books and ledgers spread out before her.
He pressed his question further. “Lovely Larie, do you wish to hide him? From me? What’s running through that beautifully twisted mind of yours?”
He only had to wink at her, flash his dazzling smile once more, and she melted.
“Hamish isn’t here, Alzeen. He’ll never be here again. He’s gone.”
“I see. Then may I speak with Madam Josephine?”
“I fear that’s not possible, either.”
Alzeen took note of the tears she secretly tried to wipe away.
“Come now, beautiful lady. Tell Alzeen what troubles you so. You know how strong my shoulders are. Lean on me, dearest Larie.”
“They’re gone,” she cried softly. “They’re all gone.”
“Who’s gone? Tell me what’s befallen your night people. Perhaps I can help.”
“No one can help, not now. They were all taken from us. Even Jago and Cashiel… they are no more,” she whispered.
“How is such a thing possible, Larie? They could not easily have been taken. Those two, they are ancient, powerful men.” He shook his head. “You err, lovely lady. They are but gone for a season. Fear not. They will soon return.”
“Not so, Alzeen. I saw their deaths with my own eyes. They will return to us no more.”
“You saw this?” He searched her sad eyes. “Who among you could do such a thing? Who upon this realm could best even the weakest of The Thirteen?”
“She wasn’t of us. The Oracle foretold her arrival. He saw her coming, declared her to be the perfect sacrifice.”
Alzeen bristled at her words, suppressing the growl he felt rising within him. He knew all too well what the night people of Praetoria meant when they said sacrifice. He had been summonsed to judge many of them throughout the years. He stilled his disgust, listening closely to her words.
“She came into my shop. I knew her immediately. She was the one. And she was sooo beautiful.”
The middle-aged woman seemed to stare at nothing, a slight smile crossing her once lovely face, gazing at her unseen memory, recalling it for him now.
“Never have I seen a woman such as her. She glowed, even though she tried desperately to hide it. She had smeared filth on her face. Mud covered her enchanting sapphire scar, and all those lovely pink curls… bound up in an old scarf. But her eyes, no matter what, she could never hide those magical pink eyes.”
The wooden railing Alzeen had been leaning upon cracked within his tightening grip, pulling the woman’s eyes from the enchanting scene playing out in her mind back to the flaming-haired man standing before her.
“Go on, Larie. Tell me what befell your masters,” he coaxed.
She let out a deep sigh, wearily seating herself as her story spilled forth.
“Such magic. She was just a tiny little thing, so timid, scared, unsure of herself. I thought at first she was ashamed of her exotic markings. Now I know… she tried to hide them only so she could pass for normal.” Her gaze met Alzeen’s once more. “For she was many things, yet normal wasn’t one of them. I dare say she was the embodiment of magic. Magic things can never hope to be normal,” she mused.
“How long ago was this?”
“Several months now. She arrived on Beltane, our holy of holies. It se
emed to be divinely orchestrated.” She sighed again, her light, drained.
The same thought played out in his mind as he remembered her words… I decided to fly on faith, let the clouds wing me where I was needed.
“I liked her immediately,” Larie continued. “We were fast becoming friends as we made our way to the feast. I know not why I allowed such an attachment to form, knowing what the dawn would bring. But, I couldn’t help myself. She was such an enchanting little thing. I nearly fell in love with her upon sight.”
Alzeen knew exactly what Larie was talking about. Jenevier unknowingly carries a magic so powerful it draws creatures to her. Whether they mean her harm or no, they can no more fight her enticing pull than they can pluck down the stars.
“We feasted and danced and went overboard with the wine. Her dainty giggles were contagious. Even Decimus couldn’t tear himself from her side. Jago was wholly smitten with her, claiming her dance card as his own. It was the most perfect Beltane in history… until dawn approached.”
“What happened, Larie?”
“Naturally, she was the chosen one,” she continued. “Everything went along as planned. It was a beautiful ceremony.” She turned abruptly toward Alzeen. “Have you ever met Decimus? Do you know him?”
“I have, and… I do.”
Alzeen’s jealousy was swelling. He knew the demon Decimus. He knew well the many stories whispered about him, about his sadistic sexual games. Games he eagerly played out upon countless, willing and unwilling, young maids. The thought of Decimus even touching his beloved, was near maddening.
“Then you know how cold he can be to women,” she whispered. “Not so with this maid. He tried, yes. But he was just as smitten with her as the rest of us were. When it came time for him to offer her up, he could only stare at her, gaze longingly at her angelic face. I know not if he would’ve mustered the courage to speak at all… had she not realized what was going on herself. She confronted Decimus’s silence, taunted him, even. When Cashiel and Josephine seized her arms, she fought them not. She kept those magical eyes locked on Decimus…” She paused.
Alzeen noted her glazed-over eyes were staring into nothingness again.
“Until Cashiel spoke,” she whispered.
“What did he say?”
“It wasn’t his words that caused the horrible chaos of that lovely evening, it was the maiden.”
“The maiden? What did she do?”
“She licked him.”
Alzeen couldn’t help the wry smile now crossing his face. Good girl, he thought.
“She licked his neck and laughed. Everything after that seems a blur. Cashiel ordered Hamish to kill her. But something flashed out from her side. Hamish was rent in twain. That’s when we all panicked and ran for our lives.”
“So… you know not what became of the maiden?”
“Not entirely, no. But I know exactly what befell The Thirteen. I hid myself. I was terrified, yet I could not bear to leave. She moved so quickly I wasn’t able to see what she did exactly. But I watched as each of them exploded when she passed them by. She saved Decimus as one of the last. I saw plainly how she disposed of him. She approached him slowly, seeming even tinier next to his massive build. I could see his face clearly. He longed for her to touch him… and was terrified at the same time.”
“What did she do?”
Alzeen almost feared to hear how the owner of his heart dispatched the handsome demon.
“Her back was to me. It looked like she only ran her hand up his stomach, but blood trickled from the corners of his mouth.”
Her claws, he thought.
Larie sighed. “He had a look of pure ecstasy upon his face. He even smiled at her, a breathtaking, adoring smile. Something flashed in the moonlight and his head fell to the ground.”
“Then it was done,” Alzeen whispered.
“No, Jago and Cashiel remained. She crossed words with them.”
“What did she say?”
“I was too far away to hear her clearly. They questioned her. They feared her. She spoke to them of her brothers, of God, and of executions. Jago said she could not claim them, said she didn’t have the right, the power, or the authority. That’s when she smiled at him and spoke of her husband.”
“Her husband? Whom did she name?”
“She didn’t, least not to Jago.” Giant tears trickled down the sad woman’s trembling cheeks. “She removed his head, pulled his heart out with her tiny little hand. Like it was nothing at all to do so.” She inhaled deeply, trying to still her shaking shoulders. “Jago turned to ash. There was no explosion, no mess. He was just… gone.”
“And Cashiel? She did the same to him?”
“Almost, but she whispered in the old man’s ear. I know not her words. He demanded the name she claimed, the name of her husband. I can only assume she whispered it to him. He must have known him, must have known the name she gave, because the sheer horror in his eyes before he turned to ash… haunts me to this day. Rarely a night passes without my dreams containing Cashiel’s terrified face.”
“Then, she left?”
“She disappeared.”
*****
Varick stepped out of Larie’s brothel, shook off Alzeen’s form, and headed straight for Spadroon.
Demons aren’t nearly as easy to come by, not since my Anicee was claimed by that damnable blue Angel. Everything happens for a reason, I suppose. But it doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow.
After he picked up the scent of a new demon, convincing him there was favor to be gained by delivering a message to hell’s dark Prince was the easiest thing he’d done in centuries. Yet Varick was notoriously bad at predicting the actions of the dark ones.
This new demon was enjoying his wicked playtime way too much to return to hell just yet. “I’ll save this little errand until such time as it would best suit me, a time in which I may require some preferential support from the master. No point in wasting good information on nothing of value. I’m still young in this form. I fancy a bit more play before I kneel once more in front of Apollyon. None will be the wiser.” He chuckled to himself, setting his black heart upon pleasure.
*****
Varick wasn’t particularly enamored by the thought of returning to Vanahirdem… and his warring brothers. After assuming his message was quickly on its way to hell, carried on darkest pinions, he took to the clouds.
Donning his human mask, the ethereal Guardian casually walked into Tamar Broden.
Chapter 25
Daichi
(dye-SHEE)
“Come on, Tenshi, come on. Aww, who’s Mommy’s big boy? You are. Tenshi’s Mommy’s little man. Look how big you are. Mommy’s so proud of her little Tenshi.”
About time, I’ve been doing that for days now. Daichi sort of snorted within his thoughts.
Daichi, my Angel. Don’t try to make your brother angry.
Angry? Humpf. More like make him cry.
I heard you crying just this morning, Daichi, Tenshi complained as he reached tiny angelic hands up toward Jenevier.
Picking up her first born, she playfully tickled his tummy. Come now, boys, no fighting. You must always protect each other, be good to one another. You know how it would break Mommy’s heart if something happened to one of my precious Angels. If you determine to love the other more than yourself, I’ll have nothing to worry about, ever.
I do love Daichi. But he doesn’t like me, Tenshi complained. He’s always saying mean things to me when he thinks you’re not listening.
Shut it, Tenshi.
See? Like that. And when you hold me longer than him or let me sleep beside you, he pinches me… real hard. And then makes fun of me for crying.
She could hear Daichi’s muffled laughter clearly within his little angelic head. Daichi, my wee Angel. Why do you torment your brother so? Is he right? Do you not like him?
Of course I like him… sometimes, Daichi huffed. But… he made fun of me, Naga. He hurt my feelings and thoug
ht it was funny.
Are you still fussing about that? Tenshi said. That was days ago. I only did it the once and I told you I was sorry. Besides, you tease me and laugh at me all the time.
Daichi remained silent, or hid his thoughts, Jenevier wasn’t sure which. Come now, my Angel. Tell Mommy how your brother hurt you, Daichi. Perhaps it was a mistake.
It was no mistake, Daichi snapped. He laughed at me because I call you Naga. He made fun of me, told me I didn’t know how to talk, called me a baby. Then he tried to get me to say Mama, all whiney, like he does. I should have pinched you harder, Tenshi. Next time I will.
There, there, now, she said, trying to hide the giggle in her mind. Don’t you believe that’s an awful little thing to get so upset over? I love what you call me, both of you. Naga was the first word you ever thought, Daichi. I treasure it above all others. No matter what name either of you give me, I feel your precious hearts within me, just the same.
“I still don’t understand how all this works,” Mika said, lifting Daichi up, swinging him around in her arms. “If the babes were only in your tummy five months, how is it they were born so strong? The women of my village carry their children almost twice that long.”
“I know not the answers you seek, child. I am new to this myself. Perhaps Angels are different. Look how fast they grow.” Jenevier laughed. “I’ve only been with you for two weeks and see how Tenshi now tries to crawl.”
“Have you decided upon proper names for them? At this rate, they’ll be walking and talking before you realize it. I need to know what to call them when I must scold them for breaking things and getting their clothes all dirty.” Mika giggled, touching the tip of Daichi’s nose as she passed him off to his mother.
“It seems Fate has named my Angels for me, and I’m quite taken with the choices. You now hold Tenshi in your arms, child. And Daichi is at my breast.” Jenevier smiled down at the babe.