by Jack Crosby
Argus’s shop was just a bit away. I tried to run faster, the door getting closer. Then like a fish in the water, something hooked me. I was lifted a few inches off the ground and dangling like a fool. Whoever was after me finally caught up. I wasn’t feeling good about this at all.
The sound of heels clicking on the pavement told me which direction to look for the demon It was a Lust demon, one who was incredibly beautiful. But wait, something was wrong. The closer she came to me, the more familiar her aura was. Her aura was nearly identical to mine.
She placed her finger on my chin. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Oz.” I struggled to get down but her power kept me where I was. “Can I ask why you’re holding me hostage?”
She walked around me, as if to inspect me. “You are a Lust demon, yes, but there is something else there too. Do I detect the signature of the Horseman Death?”
My wings came to life and the weight of the chains broke whatever enchantment she used to keep me hanging. It also answered her question. “Yeah, he’s my dad.”
“That’s impossible!” Her temper flared. “What sort of trickery is this? I know all of my children and you are certainly not one of them. I’ve never mated with the Reaper.”
Oh. Shit. “Is your name Jecella by any chance?”
Her nostrils flared. “How do you know my true name?”
Well that confirmed it; I was standing toe to toe with my mom. My real mom, not that Roxanne wasn’t. You know what I mean. “Oh damn, I don’t even know where to begin.”
She produced a wicked looking whip with a very sharp edge on the tip. “I’d start figuring it out.”
Well, I was about to screw up the timeline. When faced with the possibility of being killed by my own mother, I spilled my guts. I told her how she was in fact my mom and in fifty or so years she was going to shack up with my dad. The whole time traveling this really messes with you. When I wrapped up my story (which I left out the part how she died), she seemed to be a lot more accepting of me. “This is truly a miracle. I thought this was an ill omen sent to cast me down.”
“Nope, just your awesome, time traveling son on a mission of the utmost importance.”
Jecella, or mom, beamed at me. “I never gave birth to a son before.” This time when she touched me, it was in a very motherly way. “Even though I haven’t had you yet, my baby boy is grown up.”
I’m not sure why but this hit me hard. I’d only heard stories about her and Roxanne did an amazing job raising me. Yet here in front of me was my real mom. The one that witch Sabrina robbed me of. I took her hand in mine and got a bit teary eyed. “I love you mom.”
“Don’t cry my child, when this adventure is over, you’ll return home to me right?”
“Of course.” The words felt bad leaving my mouth. There was a bitter taste from that lie. “It’s just been a bit and I wasn’t expecting to run into you in the past.”
She didn’t seem to be expecting to be here either. “Lord Astaroth sent me to this realm on a wild goose chase. Beelzebub seems to think there’s an enchanted weapon in these lands that he can use.”
Again, another story I’d heard from my dad but wasn’t about to lend an assist on. “I hope you find it.”
“Thank you son.” Mom’s black, leathery wings spread out from her back. “I look forward to our reunion in your time.”
I watched her fly off into the night. When she was out of sight, I collapsed against the building we were in front of. My mom, right there out of the blue. It was like the universe wanted to give me a chance to talk to her, if only for a moment. Had I done the right thing by telling her about me?
A bird chirped above me, bringing me back to the present. Darina was in danger from my brother and I had to stop him. I pulled myself together and finished my journey to Argus’s shop. Of course it was dark and closed up; they told us to always stay inside at night here. I knocked on the door a few times, hoping someone would hear.
No one did. So I sat there the rest of the night, waiting for anyone to approach. I guess I dozed off as I was suddenly woken up by crying and strangulation in the form of hugging. It was Cassandra. “It’s you!” That was the extent of her words usage before going back to the strangulation.
I patted her on the back a few times, softly at first, but a bit harder when I felt myself turn blue. She loosened up and the immediate relief of air rushed back into my lungs. “I’m alright Cassandra.”
The witch looked up, fresh tears streaming from her eyes. “We all thought you were dead.”
“Sorry about that. As you can see I’m alive and well.”
She hugged me again and gave me a long kiss. I didn’t fight back or resist. “With everything else that’s happened, we needed some good news.”
The two of us got back to our feet. She was in a black dress that flattered her body well. I wanted to take her right here and now, but controlled my Lust. “What’s happened? Is everything okay?”
“Jacoby has the Mermaid Queen. According to Argus, we have exactly two days to find him before he can take the pearl from her heart.”
Shit, I was too late.
Chapter 16 – In a Bad Way
Argus looked like he was hanging on to dear life. His face was swollen to the point of barely recognizable. His arms were black and blue, a sure sign of them being broken. He was resting comfortably in the bed at the angels’ safe house. Or at least that’s what it looked like. Cassandra probably had him under a spell.
It got worse from there. Tyra looked to have been beaten badly as well. In fact I didn’t even see her wings. I went to ask, but Cassandra put her finger up to her lips. Across the room, Cas looked despondent. Cassandra motioned for him to follow her and the three of us walked back out into the sunlight.
She closed the door. “Jacoby is one of the worst monsters I’ve ever seen. He brutalized us for fun before taking Darina with him.”
“What about Lilith?”
“She didn’t recover in time. In fact, I think a little timely intervention by Lucifer himself is what saved her.”
It was hard to see the mayhem my brother had caused. I’d agreed to come on this mission to save him. After seeing what he’d done to Argus and Tyra, I didn’t know if that was possible anymore.
Tyra… “What happened to Tyra’s wings?”
Both siblings looked at the ground in shame. Cas explained as only he could. “He fucking ripped them off. Nothing takes away an angel’s powers, nothing except forcibly removing their wings.”
I felt helpless. She’s only come on this forsaken adventure because I asked her to. Now, it appeared as if she paid the ultimate price. “My brother needs to pay for this.”
“He’s a dead fucker, that’s for sure.”
“I can leave those two in their sleep. My magic will keep them safe.”
Cas pulled out a set of car keys. “I jacked these from a dude last night.” He was unbelievable. “Do we have any idea where Jacoby’s taking the queen?”
“Considering the island in quarantined, I can’t imagine he’s gone far.”
Cassandra’s news about the island being quarantined was odd. “We’re stuck here?”
“Apparently there is a dispute between the United States and Key West over a few sensitive issues. There’s check points on and off the island. This works to our advantage.”
This place wasn’t that big so it shouldn’t take long to find him. “Last dumb question and hopefully I’m up to speed – why do we have two days to find her? What happens then?”
“At the new moon, the pearl becomes tangible. He needs to keep her alive until her can actually take it from her heart.”
Of course the witch would know the magical aspects of all of this. “We know at night this place is dangerous, but I also don’t think Jacoby will be out and about during the day.” It looked like we were about to become the night shift. “I think the best bet is to rest up during the day and take to the streets at night.”
Cassand
ra and Caspian didn’t look thrilled, but they both agreed.
****
The sun was setting on the island and the things that went bump in the night were about to come out. Asunder was back in my possession which made me feel better. At least I’d have a weapon to fight things back with if needed.
All three of us were dressed in black. We were going to stay off the main roads, hit the shadows where Jacoby might be lurking and searching for help. In a place crawling with demons, he’d have his pick of the litter in trying to eliminate us.
We crossed off Duval and found ourselves in a little back alley. “I feel like a ninja.”
Cas laughed while Cassandra rolled her eyes. “I know you are trying to keep tensions low, but this is very serious. Let’s go.”
The three of us stuck to the alleys and snuck around. After about an hour or so, we had no leads and I was hot. The atmosphere was muggy and sticky. “Let’s take five. I think we can all use some water.”
I opened my bag and passed around the water bottles. I squirted some over my head too, just to cool off. As I was enjoying the cool water falling down my back, I saw a random demon wandering around. Based on his slow movements, I ventured to guess he was a Sloth demon.
I pointed with my finger and Cas and Cassandra took notice. The three of us slowly got up and bum rushed him. Cas and I tackled him high while Cassandra shot a spell out that took his feet out from under him. With him on the ground, she wrapped him up nicely with another enchantment.
While the Sloth demon seemed to be shocked at the quick takedown, he wasn’t all that angry. No, he seemed relatively calm for such a rude introduction. “Are these binds necessary children?” His voice was monotone and he emphasized every word.
“You tell me. You’re the demon.”
Even my sarcasm seemed lost on him. “I’m just a soul looking for a little love. The place you have apprehended me at is a brothel.”
“There’s a fucking whorehouse around here?” Cas seemed rather excited. “I don’t see anything.”
This Sloth demon didn’t really seem to be much of a threat. I nodded at Cassandra who undid the restraints. Even freed, he wasn’t in any hurry to get up. “Thank you. I hope the rest of our meeting can be held with grace and honor.”
“You’re a weird one.”
“Coming from an anomaly such as yourself, I take that as a high compliment.” Could he tell my nature too? Man, I was a walking, talking beacon. Soon my secret would just be a joke. “Is there something I can assist you with?”
Wow, this was all transpiring easier than I would’ve assumed. “Yeah, we’re looking for someone, he’s half Nyx.”
Our Sloth friend’s expression changed immediately. “I’m sorry but I can’t help you!” The last word hadn’t even left his mouth and he was on the move out of the alley. He’d gone from tortoise to hare in a split second.
He knew something and I wasn’t about to let him get away. Cassandra whipped a spell towards him, just missing him. It accomplished enough to slow him up just enough to allow me to jump on him again. This time I had my wings out and the weight kept him in place. “Listen friend, we were keeping things on the up and up until you bolted like that.”
“Please, you don’t understand, that monster is unrelenting. If I tell you anything, I’ll be torn to shreds!”
I’d seen Jacoby’s work firsthand and knew the Sloth demon wasn’t bluffing. If my brother found out he was betrayed, I could totally see him using extreme prejudice. “Listen, we’re the ones who are going to stop him. You help me, you help yourself.”
For the first time, he really saw my wings and the chains intertwined in them. “Do those chains represent what I think they do?”
Cas walked up behind me. “Yeah, he’s got the power of fucking Death. You don’t tell him what we need and your goose is cooked.”
“Would you stop blabbering that about?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry Oz dude. I thought maybe knowing that would loosen his lips a bit.”
“If you are truly one of Death’s, then if I tell you what I need to know, you have to give me mercy.”
I didn’t know how to do that. “What do you mean?”
“Extinguish my fire; send me back to the Pit. I do not wish be found out by the destroyer.”
The voice this time came from within. “Can you perform what he is asking Master Oz?”
I focused on Asunder. “I don’t know. I’ve never had to do anything like this before.”
“Do not make a promise you cannot keep. We do not need to add to our enemy list tonight.”
He was right. “I don’t know that I can do that for you. I’m just now growing into my power.”
He pushed himself back up. “Then you will get no assistance from me.”
Cas pulled a gun out on him. “You might be scared of that creature, but we’re the ones you’re dealing with now. We’ve killed demons before and we’ll kill them again.”
He scoffed at Cas. “Then do it human. What you hear from me is what you’ll hear from anyone who has had the misfortune of crossing the half Nyx.”
I placed me hand on his shoulder. I didn’t know how to do this but we needed information. “You tell me what I need to know about Jacoby and I’ll give you mercy. This is the only time I’ll offer that to you.”
The Sloth demon extended his hand. “On the honor of Lucifer, I accept.”
Chapter 17 – Divine Intervention
I reread the address the Sloth demon had written down. “You’re sure this is his hideout?”
“Not hideout, just last seen location. Trust me, you try to keep tabs on monstrous creatures that make Pride demons seem friendly.” Call me weird, but I was getting used to his long, drawn out drawl. It made me want to take a nap.
Cas ripped the note from my hand. “I’ll hold on to that.” He shoved it into his pants pocket with his normal cocky smirk. “So, do you have any idea how to do what he wants you to do?”
Nope, not a clue. I’d heard my dad talk about reaping souls, accidently handing out immortality, and seeing humans’ deaths by contact, but none of those things really applied to me. My powers seemed to be more on the Lust demon side of the family tree. So my first thought was to use the only thing of his I knew I inherited; the chains that wrapped around my wings.
I walked over to our Slothy friend and allowed my wings to materialize. The ghostly white chains caused him to jerk back for a moment. I’m guessing Death’s powers weren’t well looked upon in the Downstairs land. “Okay, I need you to put your hands on the chains.” He didn’t look thrilled by that. “Seriously, this is our best shot.”
He looked at them warily. “I feel this promise was not made in earnest.”
There was a very high chance he was one hundred percent correct. “Ahh, c’mon, trust a guy.”
“Fuck this.” Cas moved forward and pushed Slothy’s hands on to my wings. His skin immediately started to smoke and make all sorts of weird noises.
He ripped them away. “Trickery!” He batted Cas away from him, sending the human into a wall behind us. This pissed Cassandra off and magic appeared in her hands; black, lethal looking magic.
I stepped into the middle. “Everyone calm down!” Slothy and Cassandra didn’t take their eyes off each other. “I told you I’d do this demon and I plan to do it.”
The black orb of destruction didn’t dissipate. “He tried to harm my family. For that, he pays with fire.”
The Sloth demon, while harmless looking, was still a demon. Plus any sort of carnage in the middle of the night might draw out even bigger, badder demons. “He did, but he’s trying to die peacefully. Let me make one more attempt.”
Neither party looked willing to back down, so I closed my eyes. In my mind, I tried to see if there was any power inside me I missed. Nothing sprang forward, but I did have a sword with a mind of its own to keep me company. “I am afraid what you are looking for does not exist.”
“What do you mean
Asunder?”
“I have plumbed the depths of your power and while there is a bit more of your father here then you have noticed, the power this demon wishes you to use is not present.”
Damnit. “So what do we do now?”
The sword went silent. Whelp, it looked like I was on my own. Opening my eyes, the Sloth demon was staring at me and Cassandra no longer had her ultimate voodoo in hand. Cas was beside her, rubbing his head. “What the fuck were you doing?”
“I found my dad’s power inside me. But it is a bit more complicated than I assumed, so may I have a minute with Cassandra to set it up properly?”
Tension left the Sloth demon. “Of course. Sometimes one only needs to focus to find their inner strength.”
“That’s right!” Over to Cas, “Keep him company for a few moments will ya?”
He gave me the middle finger as Cassandra followed me over out of hearing range. “So I can’t do this at all. I don’t have that juju.”
Her smile seemed forced. “I don’t use my brother’s language that often, but what the fuck are we going to do?”
“Smoke and mirrors of course!” The one thing my dad did have a knack for that anyone could do was the show. From the cloak to his scythe Leviathan, he had pizzazz. In fact, according to him, most people were dead before he ever did the whole reaping thing anyway. “Can you provide a circle of fire and some mystical looking smoke?”
She shook her head. “You’re absolutely crazy, you know that right?”
“You’re probably right, but I think we can pull this off.”
So with a plan in place, we broke our huddle and headed back over to the Sloth demon. He was staring at Cas who had a gun out for some reason. Hell, I didn’t even know he had that thing with him. “You and my sis figure things out?”
I walked into place. “Yep. Since I only have half my dad’s power, Cassandra is going to be able to act as a conduit to complete the ceremony.” I hoped all the fancy bullshit would add to the authenticity. “Cassandra, whenever you’re ready.”