Mercy for the Damned

by Lisa Olsen

  Picking up the sandwiches, a couple of chocolate fudge brownies and a giant pickle to share, I let myself in to Daphne’s tiny apartment. “Hi, honey, I’m home,” I called out, glad to see she already had cold sodas and napkins laid out on her coffee table.

  “You’re in a fine mood today. It’s good to have Adam home again, isn’t it?” she smiled, taking the bag from my hands and laying things out on the table.

  “It is, though it feels almost strange to have him here. Is that weird? That I should feel off having my boyfriend around?”

  “I think it’s probably normal for you two. After all, you can fit the amount of real time you’ve spent together into a thimble. If you don’t count that dream thingy.”

  “The Ether? Yeah, I guess that’s not reality. By those standards we really haven’t,” I agreed, chewing thoughtfully. “Um, speaking of spending a little time apart… did Sam reach you after what happened last night?” I know I said I’d tell her why Sam left, but I figured he’d probably remember he could call her whenever he wanted to once he was done beating himself up about letting Matty escape with Oriana. But from the look on her face as she grabbed a napkin I realized she hadn’t heard a peep from him.

  “What happened last night?”

  “We got back to the apartment after work and Sam brought us a note that Matty left. He formed an instant attachment to Oriana and decided it was too cruel to use her as a bargaining chip to get Ben back, so he took her.”

  “Well, it is pretty cruel,” Daphne allowed. “What do you mean took her? Took her where?”

  “That’s what Sam left to find out.”

  “Sam left?”

  “He felt sorta responsible since he was supposed to be keeping an eye on Oriana.”

  “He was. We were all watching her, but I left to go to work last night. Sam came to make sure I got home alright, he worries about me you know.” I could imagine. “Then he went back to his place. He never said a thing to me about the two of them running off. Where do you think they went?”

  “I have no idea. Matty’s not exactly a planner and he’s not flush with cash either.” They were probably holed up in a cheap motel somewhere in Tacoma, or maybe even Olympia. “The thing is, we needed her back to get Ben by the solstice, and we’re kinda running out of time now.”

  “Oh, that’s right. What are you going to do? Did Adam leave again too?”

  “No, we actually found another way in to Midian.” I skimmed over the visit to Remiel’s place, figuring Sam had already filled her in on the first time we went to see him. I still wore Lysha’s ring on my finger, and she was very interested in seeing it and the compartment for “virgin’s blood”.

  “Wow, that changes things. When are you going then?”

  “Tonight’s the big night.” I took a deep drink of my soda, cooling off the burn from the peppered turkey. “Daph, do you think I’ve changed much lately?”

  “Is that a trick question?” The corner of her mouth tugged up into a lopsided smile.

  “No, I mean besides the whole angel thing. I mean me, Mercy, personality wise, am I very different?”

  Daphne let out a long sigh. “I don’t know what to say to that. To tell the truth I feel like we haven’t spent all that much time together lately.”

  “What do you mean? You’ve been hanging out at my place all the time. You’re the one who spends it all in Sam’s lap. When’s the last time you went a whole twenty-four hours without seeing him?” I challenged, immediately on the defensive.

  “Whoa… have you had too much caffeine today or not enough?” she frowned, setting down her soda to really look at me and I took a good look at myself in the bargain.

  “Not enough I think. I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s going on with me lately. I even got in a big old fight with Adam this morning.”

  “You did? Over what?”

  “Over him not taking me seriously. He didn’t want to let me go back to Midian to get Ben.”

  “Adam just wants to protect you, that’s all. He loves you.”

  “I know, but he was so…” I could feel myself getting mad all over again and forced myself to calm down. “You should have heard him. He actually started laughing at me when I said I could take care of myself. So I hit him.”

  “You didn’t!” Her mouth fell open in shock, and I gave a half shrug.

  “To be fair, he told me to.” Not that I hadn’t wanted to already.

  “You guys have a twisted relationship.”

  She should talk… but I didn’t say that, instead I took a big bite of dill pickle. By the time I was done chewing, the urge to snipe back had passed. It wasn’t a bad trick really, and I considered that maybe I should keep a pack of munchies on me at all times? “Hopefully after tonight, things settle down, and we can all get back to our regularly scheduled lives.”

  “If you guys get Ben out alright then Sam can come home, right?”

  He hadn’t even been gone a whole day and she already looked down in the dumps, but I couldn’t blame her for having a one track mind. “Yep, that’s the plan. Then we get Azazael bound away, Ben goes home and we look to the future. Adam asked me to move in with him,” I added as an aside.

  “He did? I don’t even know where he lives.”

  “Neither do I, that’s one of the things that’s making me hesitate.”

  “You don’t want to do it?”

  “I didn’t say that, I’m… weighing my options carefully, trying not to leap before looking for once.”

  “It’s a big step,” she agreed pensively. “But you love him, right?”

  “I do.” Even if I wanted to smack him half the time, I loved Adam enough to risk everything for him. Just like that I decided I’d do it. I would move in with him. “You know what? I’m gonna do it. You’re right, I love him, at the end of the day that’s all that matters,” I smiled broadly.

  “I am?” Daphne blinked. “I don’t think I said…”

  “I don’t know what I was so worried about. People move in with each other every day, right? Here I’ve been so miserable without him, and now I have the chance to see him every day. How could I possibly pass that up?”

  “He does have a place here in town though, right?”

  That brought me up short. “I think so. He didn’t talk like it was too far away. Plus, he always got here pretty quickly whenever I called, it has to be around here somewhere. I’ll take you for the tour once this Midian stuff is all over.” Then I well and truly hoped it would be over, but I couldn’t help but think about Adam’s warning in Midian. There was always a prophecy or threat of great evil. Would I be tangled up in it for the rest of my life?

  “I hope it’s not too far. We’ll still do totally awesome Tuesdays, won’t we?”

  Every Tuesday night, come rain or shine we got together at one of our places for a double feature of movies, usually with dinner, but sometimes just with munchies. The past few weeks we’d done it at either my place or Sam’s. Daphne’s was too cozy with the three of us, and Nelo liked to be included, but still didn’t like to venture out of my apartment. “Of course we will.”

  “What if Adam doesn’t like having company over? Does he even like to hang around and watch cheesy movies?”

  I had to admit, I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it, but he’d have to learn to alter his lifestyle a bit if I was going to move in. “I’m sure it’ll be fine, it’s gonna be my place too, right? I can invite people over if I want to. Besides, we’re not talking about a raging party, just a couple of our closest friends. What could be better than that?”

  “Who would have thought we’d end up with a couple of angels?” She dimpled into a smile. “Even Fallen ones. It sounds like a fairy tale.”

  “Just shows you should be careful what you wish for,” I smiled back, wishing her version had a happier ending. “I should really get going. I have a couple of stops to make before I head for home, and I wanted to be plenty well rested up for tonight. I’ve been so tired lately. I t
hink it’s the stress finally catching up to me.”

  “Don’t push it too hard, you might be coming down with something. Do you want me to do anything? I can still drive the getaway car like we planned before.”

  “No, no I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’d hate to have you waiting around all alone, I have no idea how long it’ll take.” Though with the time difference, it likely wouldn’t take long at all in reality. Still, the last thing I wanted was her waiting alone in the dark without Sam or Matty around for protection anymore. I could have called Parker, but something kept me from involving him. I think we needed a little space for a while.

  “Alright, then call me the instant you make it back safely.” Daphne leaned in and I wrapped my arms around her for a long hug.

  “I promise.”

  *

  Errands done, the apartment was quiet when I got home, and I took the opportunity to do all those girly things I liked to do when I got some time to myself. Soaking in a hot bubble bath with a trashy romance novel involving time travel and guys in kilts, painting my toenails a pretty pink color, finally getting to the crossword puzzle in the back of my magazine… I took a guilty pleasure day, just in case.

  Even though Adam didn’t need to eat, I took the time to make a special dinner for us. Roasted chicken with balsamic vinegar, rosemary and olive oil and baby red potatoes, with fresh crusty French bread and salad on the side. I even got a baby chocolate mousse cake for two. On the off chance we never got to take that date to the non-Muppet movie, I wanted to have a special night with him.

  Just in case.

  I seemed to be repeating that in my head an awful lot that day, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was at something of a crossroads. Once we stepped back into Midian, it was anybody’s guess what would happen. It made me stop and appreciate all the things I had to be thankful for.

  I even finished writing that email to my mother, sending it before I put it off too much longer. Deciding not to mention Matty’s disappearance or the new love interest, I kept to as much of the truth as I could reveal. My boyfriend was back in town, and we were talking about moving in together. Things were serious and I was happy. That was all she needed to know.

  Around dusk, Nelo emerged from his closet, and I decided to have a little heart to heart with him before Adam showed up. He was surprisingly hesitant over the idea of moving, but I guess I could understand his reluctance to leave the security blanket that was my apartment. Apart from our trip back to Midian, he hadn’t set foot outside the building to my knowledge.

  “Will I have a closet of my own?” he asked, amber eyes blinking wide.

  “I’m pretty sure we can manage that.”

  “Will Mimsy come too?”

  “Yes, wherever I go, Mimsy goes too.”

  “And Nelo too, Mistress?”

  I heard the fear in his voice and I was quick to reply. “Yes, wherever I go, you go too… if you want to, that is.”

  “Of course I wish to, I owe my life to you.”

  “No, you don’t owe me anything, Nelo. You’ve been a really great friend. In fact, you don’t have to do half the things you do around here for me. You spoil me.” I felt bad sometimes about the cleaning, but at the same time, he seemed happy to do it and my bathtub had never been so sparkly clean.

  “No, Mistress. It is you who spoil me by sharing your Grace.”

  “Okay, we spoil each other,” I cut him off before he started in about how unworthy he felt. “So, I can count you in on the great move?”

  “If that is your wish and Master Adam’s as well.”

  “Don’t let him hear you call him Master, he’ll start to expect it and his head’ll swell so big we won’t be able to get it through the door.”

  “What else should I call him?”

  “Adam is fine.”

  “Talking about me, I hear,” Adam called out from the hallway, a paper bag in one arm.

  “Just making some plans,” I replied, dropping a quick wink to Nelo.

  “Good ones, I hope.”

  “I think so.” I leaned up to be kissed, which he happily took advantage of. “We were talking about moving in with you if the offer still stands.”

  Adam’s smile broadened. “Of course it does. Whenever you’re ready to.”

  “Nelo here was wondering if you had a closet to spare, or if he’d need to find some other place to sleep. I told him I’m sure we can rustle up something for him.”

  “Yeah, in fact, I have just the place in mind for you. How would you like your very own walk in closet?”

  “I walk in to the closet I dwell in now,” Nelo frowned, not understanding.

  “No, I’m talking about a closet big enough for you to make a little home in. Bed, little chair, hell, even a TV in there if you want one.”

  Nelo looked around my living room, obviously picturing something similar. “Would it still protect me from the daylight?”

  “Yes, it’d still be completely dark during the day, you’d just have more room to stretch out in.”

  “Thank you, Mas… Adam,” Nelo beamed, darting a worried look at me when he nearly slipped up. “I would like that very much.” With a happy bounce, he disappeared to go do whatever he did when he wasn’t cleaning something or playing with Mimsy.

  “Great,” Adam clapped his hands together. “Now that’s settled, what smells so good?”

  “Roasted chicken, potatoes, the whole shebang,” I reported with a smile, more than a little surprised with how Adam had been with Nelo.

  “I was talking about you,” Adam kissed my neck noisily. “You must have been reading my mind though,” he produced a bottle of wine from the paper bag.

  “You were very sweet with him.”

  “He might be the closest thing we ever come to having kids of our own, why shouldn’t I spoil him with his own room?”

  I hadn’t thought of it in those terms before. I guess I always thought I’d have kids of my own some day, but Adam’s prejudices in that area weren’t without merit. Still, that was something to worry about in the far future, I wasn’t remotely ready to settle down and have kids. Especially with the danger of the week script my life had been following.

  “Besides, I have tons of space at my place. He could also have his pick of the spare bedrooms or the pool house if he wanted.”

  “You have a pool house?”

  “Where else would I keep the pool stuff?” he shrugged.

  “That makes sense,” I nodded, bringing our plates to the table.

  “This looks fantastic, I see I’ll be well fed,” Adam grinned. “You’re not doing this as like a last supper kind of thing though, are you, babe?”

  I considered denying it, but in the end, I sat down with a half shrug. “Maybe a little. You never know what might happen, I thought it would be nice for us to have a good meal and savor this time, just in case.” There is was again, that phrase. I had to watch it, or I’d start to freak myself out.

  Adam reached across the table to cover my hand with his. “It’s gonna be fine, Mercy. Trust me.”

  “Did you get the… blood?”

  “I did,” he said shortly, letting go of my hand to pour us each a glass of wine. “Are you still set on coming with?”

  “I am,” I nodded, bracing myself for another argument, but he just offered me the glass of wine.

  “Well then, what shall we drink to?”

  “To getting in and out easily?”

  “I’ll drink to in and out,” he smirked, taking a long sip. “But we should probably drink to surviving the trip to Midian too, don’t you think?”

  It was going to be a long night.

  Chapter Fourteen

  There was quite a bit of discussion as to where we should open the portal. The only requirement we had was that we needed moonlight. That meant we could open the drapes to my sliding glass door and open the portal from the comfort of my living room. There was something to be said for the privacy and convenience of that plan. At the same time, we
had no idea what to expect from the portal itself. It could open with a ring of fire and there was no way I’d get my cleaning deposit back if I scorched the carpet or worse.

  Wherever we did it had to be nearby too. If things went according to plan, we’d have Ben with us, and the less time we spent with him out in the open the better, especially since he’d still be trussed up with the blessed ropes to keep Azazael bound to him.

  In the end we decided to do it at Sam’s apartment. No one would be there, and with the big windows on the side of the building we’d have plenty of moonlight. Besides, Adam was still too ticked off at Sam to care whether or not we singed his floors.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  Adam produced a glass vial, carefully pouring a single drop of blood into the ring’s recess and snapping it closed. As we watched, the green stone turned ruby red, and I felt a thrum of energy go through my hand as the ring felt almost alive.

  Taking a deep breath, I spoke aloud in the moonlight, holding tight to Nelo with my other hand in case the portal swept me away. “Goddess Hecate, please open the portal to Midian.”

  Nothing happened.

  “She likes a little bit of the dramatic. Try something like ‘Mighty Hecate, I beseech thee to open the portal to Midian in your divine wisdom’, or something.”

  Was he kidding? “Remiel said it was simpler than that.”

  “For him. She’s always had a soft spot for him. You might have to beg a little. Unless you want to give me the ring and let me take a shot at it? She always did have a smile for me too,” he grinned and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. I did not want to get into a conversation about his connections to various goddesses at that point in time.

  “Divine Hecate, though we are unworthy, I beseech thee to heed our humble request,” I tried again without further comment. “Please open this portal to Midian in your celestial wisdom, so that we may rescue a friend, and contain a great evil.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. Have you done this before?”