Cursed Mother: A Mongrelverse Book (Mother of Monsters 1)

by Paul C. Middleton

  I shrugged away my ignorance. It's not like I had a solid understanding of all the complexities of Supernatural politics and diplomacy. I knew there were more than forty factions who claimed territory and the rules about how the Supernatural world interacted with normals. I knew a bit more about Angels and Demons, having been made curious by my Catholic upbringing. But I was nowhere near as expert as Alicia—and apparently Anslem—were.

  "Now remember what I said. They’re most likely keyed into attacking distant relatives of mine. If they go for you, run for the shop entrance and try to get whoever’s at the counter to back them off." Anslem told us. “I’ll play keep away while you get whoever is in there to back them off.” Alicia and I nodded to him.

  The town was an unusual place. Rather than the tallest and largest buildings being focused in the center of town, apart from the town hall and Alecto's shop, the center of town was surrounded by mid-sized housing on large blocks of land. Walking back towards Alecto's shop gave me a chance to truly appreciate the distance between houses. It had to average around five hundred meters. That meant that the manicured lawn in front of Alecto's shop had to be roughly a square kilometer. Plenty of space for someone to play keep away, as long as they were faster than whatever they were fighting.

  I could even see some advantages to how they'd laid out the town, having the office spaces at the edges of the residential areas. They still had the town hall for meetings, but the green spaces in the center of town probably meant that it wouldn't heat up as much as most cities in summer. I assumed that having a house closer to the town hall was still some form of status symbol, however.

  As we reached halfway across the park, the statues—Created Gargoyles or whatever they were—started moving. The sound of stone on stone was unpleasant to my ears. Its effects on Alicia were almost indescribable. I thought she was going to collapse to the ground when I first glanced in her direction.

  It made me very glad I didn't have a Were’s enhanced hearing. The rasp was loud enough that I could hear it clearly from three hundred meters away. The sound was akin to fingernails on a chalkboard. It was unpleasant in the extreme, causing me some pain. It obviously had Alicia on the edge of agony.

  Unfortunately for our plan, instead of both of the Gargoyles going after one of us, one stepped in front of the door and the other went after Anslem.

  "Goddamn it," Anslem said as he drew the pistols. Dodging to the side of the charging Gargoyle, he started firing at the one on the front of the shop, the one that was blocking the door. It didn’t shift, and he started cursing venomously. “Cocksucking clever of them. Planning for whomever comes to bring allies.”

  Alicia was trembling in pain from the sound but managed to pull herself together long enough to break into one of the fastest sprints I've ever seen. Forget the fastest man alive running the hundred meter dash in under ten seconds. In about the same time she was jumping through one of the windows to the shop, having covered the nearly four hundred meters to that window. I'd been half afraid when I saw her jump the window that she'd either miss it, or would bounce off it for some reason. Fortunately, neither happened.

  "Go!" Anslem shouted at me. "I've got this, at least for now. Get through that window and see if you can convince them to call the damn things off!" He said as he rolled away from a blow that left a meter-deep, fist-shaped hole in the park grounds. Then he started firing the handguns.

  I'd never imagined that handguns could be that loud. It was like standing next to cannons, if cannons could fire once every three seconds. The steady boom, boom, boom, of his Desert Eagles got me moving faster than anything else could have. They took away the unreal element of having stone statues attacking a companion, especially as I saw glistening fluid start seeping from the divot one of them had taken out of the gargoyle.

  Without consciously aiming at the window Alicia had gone through I was suddenly sprinting towards it, faster than I'd ever run before in my life. Without thinking, I jumped at the window curling myself into a spinning ball as I somersaulted through the air. As I went through, I had the tinkle of breaking glass, and my entire body tensed, anticipating the pain of glass shards cutting into my skin. Somehow, to my surprise, it didn't happen. Looking down at my arms I found them covered in the armor I was wearing. As I jumped through the window, somehow the leather scales had extended themselves down the full length of my arms and legs.

  Entering the room, I saw Alicia curled in a ball, screaming in agony at the sound of the stone against stone. Looking up, I saw someone torn between seeing what was causing Alicia such pain, despite the fact that she was not dripping blood all over the floor, and moving towards the front of the shop to see what was going on outside.

  Raising his head towards me, the person froze like a statue when our eyes met. His mouth gaped open, then closed, then opened again, in a very convincing imitation of a fish.

  There was a flash of recognition in his eyes. Then I froze, as something tickled at the back of my brain. In a flash of shock, I recognized the man before me. I hadn't seen him in 17 years, but it was clear who he was. It was my ex-husband, Dan. The one who had found this damned Fury, and started this mess. It was as if a pocket of silence covered me. As if time, in my shock at being face-to-face with my ex again, had stopped completely.

  The first thing I felt was an almost unbridled rage. My friend was out there, being attacked by stone monsters, because of what this…this…vengeful arsehole had done to me. My hand dropped to the axe. I almost drew it from the baldric. Then a confusing welter of emotions surged through me, paralyzing me. Sorrow over what I'd lost with him. Self-loathing over what I'd done to him. Fear over what Alecto might do if I harmed him. Joy at seeing him so well, and looking so young still. It didn't look like he’d aged a day since I'd seen him last.

  I imagine, without realizing it, my mouth had also been imitating a fish, as all of this rushed through me. I had to physically shake myself to break the flow of my emotions. The renewed gunfire from outside didn't hurt.

  "Dan, please," I begged, "please call off those damn things.” I nicked my hand on the pointed end of the axe blade, then formed it into a solid fist and let the blood drip to the ground, I continued. "He is no threat to you or your Alecto," I almost shouted, or maybe it was more of a despairing yell. "All he did was agree to help me find this place so I can talk to her, try to get the curse she put on me removed, or at the very least, get the exact wording of it so I can try and find a way to remove it."

  Dan stood there, blinking, until the sound of stone hitting wood, and the wood splintering and shattering cut through the relative quiet. Then, rushing to the window, he opened it and shouted out a string of words I didn't recognize. I think that it was in Ancient Greek, but I've never been particularly good with languages.

  The grinding sound s got more intense, even as the sounds of combat outside ceased. After nearly a minute they stopped, and there was a knock at the door. Alicia was still on the ground shuddering and quivering. Apparently the sound of stone on stone was still reverberating through her system. I let Anslem introduce himself to Dan. I moved to Alicia and sat next to her, and gently rolled her head into my lap. Calmly stroking her hair and whispering reassuring phrases I stayed with her until the shuddering of her body stopped.

  When her body finally stop shuddering, she slowly rose to sit next to me. Then suddenly she enveloped me in a despairing bear hug, her kisses warming the side of my face and neck, her wet tears of relief wetting my face, and her wracking sobs making both our bodies shudder.

  It took several minutes, but eventually she calmed down. When I looked up from her embrace, it was to see Dan politely looking away, while he cleaned up the broken glass and wood in the window Alicia and I had jumped through. Anslem was looking at us with a considering gaze. I could see his mind working overtime behind his eyes, but it was unclear as to what his thoughts were. It left me very confused. I had no idea what had made him so interested.

  Finally I managed to pry A
licia's arms from around me, whispering soothingly into her ear, "It'll be okay, love. They've stopped moving, and they won't again while we're here."

  Once I was standing, I looked at Anslem, and saw the entire side of his face was swelling, and would surely be a bruise that was black as a starless night in an hour or two. I winced in apology, but he merely shrugged. "Just a chunk of wood that hit me when the damned thing smashed that tree. I'm not sure I'd still be standing if the thing had managed to land a blow."

  He turned his gaze to Dan. "Why do you even have those damn things? Alecto is strong enough that not many would threaten her! Almost anyone I can think of who could threaten her that wouldn't want to risk one of her curses, and definitely wouldn't want the risk of the Death Curse from one of the Three. Original. Furies."

  Dan sighed, then, after putting the pile of tinkling glass shards into a corner of the room, out of everyone's way, he leaned against the doorframe. "She's had some idiot Demons and Angels causing trouble. The Gargoyles were only supposed to attack them. It's not her fault that their stupidity resulted in a rather nasty treaty change against them. Nor is it her fault that the Devils tricked the Demons into starting a soul game with the Angels. Both of those groups are losing out to the Devils in it. But they decided to blame her, because they aren't allowed to act against her grandson. Not that he's really at fault either. Poor Thal just got caught up in something bigger than he realized."

  I blinked in mild confusion at the name, then realized he must've been talking about The Mongrel as the details clicked together. I had no idea what this soul game he was talking about was, but also wasn't really my problem. Getting the damned curse removed—one way or another—was.

  "You've got a problem anyway. Alecto's away on business," Dan continued in a mildly regretful tone. "Come back in a week. She'll see you then."

  I went to slowly nod, but Anslem was already shaking his head at Dan. "No, you'll call her now. I know that she can be here quicker than that. Glancing at me, he continued, "Your 'grandson' damn near killed me a few months back. If it comes down to it, I'll claim restitution for the fact that he didn't complete the damn job when I asked him to. Or I'll take Sarah to Cain. I know for a fact he won't be happy to see her, or more specifically, what's been done to her."

  Dan blinked rapidly, and then out of nowhere, laughed. "You mean Cain as in from Abel and Cain? He is a myth. No one seen him for the better part of three millennia."

  Anslem merely looked deeply into Dan's eyes, an expression of mixed sorrow and contempt. "You're married to one of the Ancients, yet you have trouble believing that Cain is still alive despite few people having seen him in three millennia?" The scorn in Anslem's tone was poetic. "I've seen him far more recently than that, not much more than two centuries ago. It might take me a little while to find him, but I know I can. Or, considering what the curse has done to your ex-wife, I could just seek out Lilith. Believe me, she's gonna be furious when she finds out. And Lilith is one of the few beings I can think of that Alecto should be terrified of. Call her. Now. If she is not here by the end of the day, we'll leave. We'll go looking for the other options. And because she'll be in breach of one of the requirements on top of the other treaty breaches I believe she's made, which I want explanations for, she won't be happy with anyone for years afterwards."

  Dan winced at that, but then he took a more calculating expression. “Or I could just trap you here. All of you. After all, I do have command of those Gargoyles."

  "That would force me to actually try and destroy them," Anslem said slyly, a grin on his face. "I was trying to avoid permanently damaging them this time. It's going to be some time before one of them is fully capable again. And I'm fairly sure that such a rash action wouldn't improve Alecto's mood when she gets back. Those things have to have cost a fair amount, and I know Alecto doesn't have the ability to create them herself. Even if she did, the materials to build them costs a small fortune."

  Dan snorted in disbelief. Anslem's grin simply grew wider. "Go on, check outside if you don't believe me," he said as he moved away from the door.

  Dan opened the door and looked out at the Gargoyles. I stopped to glance through the doorway, past him. I could see one of the gargoyles was missing an arm and a metallic silver liquid was dripping out from the wound slowly. The pace of the drips continued to slow even as I watched.

  Dan re-entered the store, completely white faced. If Anslem could do that to one of those by himself, there was very little doubt in my mind that with me aiding him in distracting one of them, both could be defeated. There was a muttering of “I’m not sure that one isn’t effectively destroyed,” to be heard as he saw that damage.

  I wasn't sure that Alecto wouldn't consider that gargoyle destroyed either. It did not look in good shape.

  I was wondering why Dan hadn't threatened to call some of the other Furies that I knew had to be in residence in the town to deal with this, but considering he hadn't, I had to assume there was some sort of reason. Maybe he didn't have the authority. Maybe something out of what Anslem had said was preventing him from doing so. After all it was clear we wanted to deal with Alecto in person, and that Anslem was not taking no for an answer.

  Dan actually raced for the phone once he closed the door. He seemed to be vibrating with tension as he waited for someone to pick up on the other end. "Yes dear, I know you told me not to ring unless there was some sort of emergency. I think this qualifies. I have a man here threatening to go to Cain and Lilith if he doesn't see you by the end of the day." There was a mildly controlled terror in his voice.

  "Yes I know you're on another continent. He seems to realize that you can get back here quite fast if you want. No idea how. You haven't even told most of your children and grandchildren that one." There was a tinge of fear and confusion in his voice as he said that. He glanced with extreme trepidation at Anslem.

  "Yes, dear, I can put you on speaker."

  He placed the phone on a bench and pressed the button. A female voice filled with rage blasted out through the speakers of the phone. "Who has the chutzpah to make demands from an Ancient?"

  "Anslem Decca Cain. I seek explanation for treaty violations. Violations of the first order. If not, I will seek out Lilith, who has responsibility for punishing these violations." Anslem spoke in a firm, calm tone.

  "Lilith is gone. Your threat is meaningless. She has not come when summoned for nearly two millennia. At least not to any of the councils or conclaves of the Ancients." The contempt in Alecto's voice was only thinly veiled, although I thought I heard a hint of fear in her tone.

  "You can believe what you wish, but my father took me to meet her as I was growing up. That was less than three centuries ago. I wouldn't want to risk her wrath, but it is on you if you decide that path. I don't have time to argue with someone who isn't willing to talk face-to-face. I'll give you two minutes to decide. A life hangs in the balance, in my opinion. One you should not have put in such danger. Some of the consequences that may befall her are, in my opinion, worse than death."

  There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, in a querulous tone, Alecto spoke again. "Dan, do you know the person?"

  Dan first looked at Anslem, fear of pissing off either of the combatants in this verbal duel clear on his face. Anslem shrugged and nodded. Breathing in deeply, Dan answered, "Yes, light of my life, I once knew her quite well. Haven't seen her in more than a decade and a half. Without her we may never have met. It's my ex-wife."

  I won't repeat the stream of invective Alecto spewed forth over the phone. It might burn a hole through the paper I write it on. Needless to say everyone in the room was blinking in shock. I don't think any of us realized there were that many individual curse words in three languages, but somehow she’d made them seem to fit into one.

  Eventually Alecto calmed down enough to communicate with us again. "Why didn't you lead with that, you damned fool? I'm not leaving you alone with that hussy, even if her friends are present. I don't trust h
er not to try something stupid with you. I'll be back within the hour. You wait upstairs, they can wait in the shop. I doubt any of them are stupid enough to try and steal from me." With that the line went dead.

  With an excess of sangfroid, Anslem said, "Well, I guess it would be a good idea if we followed her orders. Wouldn't do to annoy her more than we already have. That would be just rude."

  With that Alicia broke into a fit of giggles, probably from a combination of residual pain and the nervousness she felt. Weres are terrified of the consequences of potentially pissing off Supes that can innately curse others. We had just potentially pissed off a Fury. The extra weight she brought down on my shoulder soon bore me to the ground, and her giggling became infectious. By the time we finished Dan had disappeared from the store, Anslem and the two of us ladies were alone, waiting.

  Chapter 8

  If there is anything more annoying than standing around while two immensely powerful beings have a conversation about you in a language you can't understand, I don't know what it could be. Especially when the other two people in the room can't parse what those beings are saying, either.

  That was the situation I found myself in as Anslem and Alecto discussed my situation. I could pick out the odd word, like 'Cain,' 'Avatara,' and 'Lilith.' Even Alicia, who'd identified the language as Enochian, or at least a dialect of it, couldn't follow what they were saying. Between the speed that they were speaking, and her lack of familiarity with the nuances of the dialect she was lost. There was also a lot of pointing at me and the Axe I was carrying.

  Eventually I risked starting a conversation with Dan out of sheer boredom. "So, how's life been treating you with Alecto?" I asked with false cheerfulness in my voice.

  A genuine smile crossed his face. He answered cheerfully, "Well, it's never boring. In the world she's introduced me to, the reality beneath what I used to know, it's fascinating." His grin grew broader and he continued with enthusiasm, "Sometimes I’m a little wistful for what could have been, I'll admit. But I wouldn't give up what I've gained in a skinny minute. I'd still be stuck working that damned repetitive management job one way or another like it if I hadn't ended up with Alecto. I do forgive you for what you did now. I see I was leaving you out of everything. I could have helped you with the training to assist me at least. Instead I took everything on my own shoulders. Left you at home to run away with boredom. It was a mistake, but one I live with."