“Is a pipe dream at best. I’m one insignificant soul, Des. Is it really a sacrifice if no one else has to suffer?”
I froze, or perhaps my blood froze in my veins. Regardless, I stood immobile as I remembered the last time I heard someone say those exact words to me more than three hundred years ago. It couldn’t be.
“What did you just say?” I asked. I had to have misheard.
“I said, is it really a sacrifice if no one else has to suffer?”
I could not believe it. The words were like a punch to the gut that kept going, tearing through me until they reached in and ripped apart my soul with more efficiency than any angel could ever manage. The memories from my lifetime, from the events that would be my undoing, flooded back with clarity, as if it had happened yesterday and not centuries ago.
I had been blind, perhaps even deliberately so. The signs had been there the whole time. The familiarity, so much stronger than other familiar souls I had met along the way, could no longer be ignored. The missing pieces fell into place, both in my mind and in Seth’s soul. A connection rose up around us, blinding in its radiance, even against the already saturated brilliance cast by the angel’s aura.
It had been Sarah’s birthday and our last night together. The slave quarters had been filled with laughter and celebration. The cook had managed to sneak a small cake from the kitchen and spirits were running high well into the night, which drew the attention of the master. He saw the small, decorated cake, recognizing it as being like the one he’d had the kitchen make for his daughter’s afternoon tea party and flew into a rage, demanding the kitchen staff line up for punishment.
It was then that Sarah stood, tall and proud, and took responsibility, stating that she had snuck into the kitchen and saw the cakes. Wanting one for herself, she coerced the staff into stealing one. She begged to spare them, offering herself for punishment instead. The way the master looked at her disgusted me. A cruel smile twisted on his lips and he told her to follow him.
I begged her not to go. I knew the punishment he had planned was far worse than the beating and humiliation he’d planned for the kitchen staff. I told her that the violation would be punishment far worse than the simple crime of coveting sweets demanded. I argued that if anyone deserved punishment, it was the cook who stole from the kitchen, but she wouldn’t listen.
Instead, she turned to me, a sad smile on her lips, and said, “Desi, I am but one insignificant and nameless soul. Would you have me watch our friends whipped for their kindness? Kindness I did nothing to deserve but age another year? I will face the consequences of my actions. Is it really a sacrifice if no one else has to suffer?”
With that, she was gone, not just for the night, but removed from my life forever. My greatest fear had come to pass. The master of the house took a fancy to her. Adding insult, her sacrifice had been for nothing. After she was removed, the kitchen supervisor lined us all up, not just the kitchen staff, and we were each beaten in turn. When Sarah discovered this, she snuck away from the great house. She came to me and dressed my wounds, apologizing, but it was too late. The master followed. We were both beaten and I was sold the next day.
“This ends now,” I hissed. “Do you hear me? This ends now!” I called out, cursing the Creator, the Cycle, and myself. Nothing mattered except for the realization that I had been so close to losing forever everything that I had lived for. I wrapped my arms around Seth and pulled him out of the time stream.
* * *
“You knew!”
Desmond’s voice was heavy with accusation as he glared at the Creator, whose form was currently that of the war god Aries. It stood over Seth’s unconscious body, smiling as it brushed a stray lock from his face.
“I did,” it admitted in a neutral voice that was neither defensive nor admitted guilt.
“Why?” Desmond cried. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why hold back something this important?”
“I am incapable of influence, Desmond. I am but the Creator. I gave you only as much as I could. Fate decided the manner in which your souls would be reunited.”
“It wasn’t enough that Sarah suffered in one lifetime? That she’s been tormented for all of the intervening years is unacceptable!”
“I understand your anger, Desmond,” the Creator said. “I cannot say much, but I can assure you that in the years between Sarah’s death and Seth’s birth, the soul was at peace. After gazing into the eyes of an angel, I should think that Seth is more at peace than you would imagine.”
“He what?”
“Yes, Desmond,” the Creator said with a firm tone. “The soul looked upon itself and saw balance. The angel offered annihilation for a price. Seth’s acceptance of the offer would have made him a soulless servant of Chaos. Your arrival was just in time.”
“All the more reason why you should have told me,” Desmond shouted. “I could have lost her forever!”
“But you didn’t,” the Creator reminded him. “Fate intervened, Desmond, balance was restored. The soul residing in Seth’s body is once again complete and unfettered by restrictive loyalties. The protective bond is broken and you are now free to destroy the Discordant, Amara. What happens to Seth from this point forward will be his choice.”
“Will he know?” Desmond asked, daring to glance at Seth. He looked completely at peace in his dormant state.
“That is entirely up to you to decide.”
Desmond sighed. The enormity of the knowledge weighed heavily upon him. The connection he had felt from the beginning now displayed itself for what it was; love that defied all odds. But would such love be welcome in their current form? In the life they now led?
“In time, perhaps,” he said at last. “I do not wish to upset the fragile balance we have at the moment.”
“A wise decision,” said the Creator. “It is time to go back. This victory is not small, but the battle is not yet won.”
It spoke the truth, of course. Seth would live, but there was still Amara to contend with, and now an angel that would need banishing as well. Desmond took Seth into his arms and slipped back into the Cycle.
* * *
The blinding light still surrounded us, but it began to ebb and Seth stirred back to consciousness.
“Desmond? What happened?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I only meant to tell him that it was over, that his soul was once again whole, but I could not even do that. Little things, small and insignificant mannerisms that I had overlooked were suddenly so apparent in their familiarity. I looked away, turning instead to where the three witches stood, watching with wide eyes and spells at the ready. The angel’s powers must have weakened when we broke through the ward because a circle of protection surrounded them and us, keeping the vile creature from coming closer.
“We’re okay,” I managed to mutter as I led Seth to the nearest bench.
“What just happened?” Donna asked. All three women rushed forward, blocking the abomination from Seth’s view.
“The bond with Amara is broken. Seth’s soul is once again whole.”
“What? How?” several voices asked at once, Seth’s rasping cough of a voice included. He was still winded from the unconventional travel method. I felt awful for pulling him from the Cycle like that, but I wasn’t going to leave him, not even for the fraction of a second it takes to slip out of time. Not with that thing still in our midst.
“Later,” I dismissed, though I wasn’t sure what I would say when asked again. There would be plenty of time to concoct a plausible explanation. In the meantime…
“Is there a purpose to your intrusion, Warrior?”
…I still had an angel to get rid of.
“Leave us,” I said, keeping my eyes downcast as I addressed the abominable creature. “You are no longer needed. Seth’s soul has been repaired. His purpose for summoning you is now void.”
“You, Warrior, of all people, should know that leaving is not a simple matter,” it said, taunting me with its voice.
“I have been summoned. As such, a promise has been made. I will not leave here without reaping my reward.”
“Then prepare for battle,” I growled, growing impatient with the creature.
“Did you forget your promise?” it taunted.
“Never,” I spat, disgusted as much with myself as with it. In my quest to avenge Sarah’s death, I struck a bargain with the angels. The soul of our former master was destroyed. In return, I promised not to harm them. I was newborn and still clung to the Christian belief that angels, even Discordant angels, did God’s work. I was incredibly foolish. Fortunately, there was a loophole. “I will not kill you, but I’m about to banish your ass back to the deepest pit of that Hell you call home.”
“You will find that I am more of a challenge to banish than a common demon, Warrior. I will have what I am owed.” Though I kept my eyes averted, I sensed its gaze sweep the room. “I sense many souls tormented by sin.”
“Uh, you do realize we’re witches,” Louise quipped. “We don’t do sin.”
All of the sudden there was a scuffle in the back of the cathedral and I heard the voice of the last person I had expected to make an appearance.
“Hey, uh… Hey there, hold up. Nobody do nothin’ rash!”
“You have got to be kidding me,” I groaned as Bogie came waltzing into the church, followed by, of all people, Amara, who was obviously very uncomfortable to be inside a church. “You know, Bogie, I wanted to be wrong about you.”
“Hey, chill out there, big guy. Amara here was just worried about Seth, ain’t that right, doll?” He grabbed the succubus’ arm and yanked her forward.
She put up a struggle, but she wasn’t looking at us. Her eyes were locked on the angel and it was clear, she was terrified. Oh well if she was. She was still dead. I reached into my pocket and withdrew a silver dagger. Normally, I’d be much more subtle, but even after the damage it sustained, the church’s magic was strong. She couldn’t transform. I wanted her to know exactly what I had planned.
“You can’t do anything to me, Warrior,” she taunted, but her voice had a panicked edge as she realized she was trapped.
“Of that you’re certain?” I taunted.
“Whoa, whoa, time out,” Bogie said and crossed his hands in a ‘T’ formation. “Don’t do anything rash, Des. I got a solution to alls of our problems, includin’ yours,” he added, slipping on a pair of mirrored glasses before nodding to acknowledge the angel.
“Explain yourself, demon,” the angel said.
“See uh, the thing is, yous gotta have a soul before you leave, right? And Des here needed to have Seth whole so that he could whack Amara here, who’s a succubus by the way, and not a very nice one at that. So the way I sees it, you take a good look at her, see all the crummy stuff she’s done, get what you came for, and skedaddle back home. Maybe put in a good word with the council for poor ol’ Bogie.”
“You what?” Amara rounded on Bogie with murderous intentions flashing in her eyes.
“Hey, all’s fair in blackmail and bribery, honey,” Bogie answered with a shrug.
Well, I had to hand it to the little weasel. Whether it was his intention or not, he did seem to have a practical solution.
“I am not a tool that can be used to do your dirty work, demon,” the angel spat. “Even if I complied, I would reap no satisfaction. The Discordant soul is too imbalanced.”
And there went that idea. Never expect the Discordant to understand practicality. Amara flashed a smug smile, but instead of accepting defeat, Bogie’s grin became even wider.
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing our little succubus here ain’t no true Discordant, ain’t it?”
“What?” several voices, including my own, asked in unison.
“Funny story,” Bogie said, pacing in front of the altar as if he were a lawyer presenting his evidence to the jury. In some ways, he was. “See, Amara here wanted me to help her convince Seth that life as a Discordant ain’t all that bad. I told her I wasn’t gonna lie to ‘im because Seth is smart enough to know that she was just lookin’ to enslave him. But then she pulls out this whopper. See, it turns out, she thought she might be able to sway him if she went ahead and skipped the whole enslavement thing and got right to the turnin’ Seth into one of us thing. So instead of askin’ me nicely, she threatens me with blackmail. What little missy here was plannin’ on doin’ was transferrin’ my essence into Seth, killin’ me, and makin’ him a demon.”
“Such a plan would be foolish,” the angel interrupted. “A soul who takes from the Discordant would bear the mark of the Damned.”
The Damned were both the most foolish and most cunning of the lost. They were the lost souls who wished to become Discordant without first submitting to enslavement in the realm of Chaos. Very few succeeded in accomplishing their goal and those who did were hunted down and quickly punished by the Discordant. That is, if we didn’t get to them first.
“Funny you should mention that.” As Bogie turned, Amara bolted for the door, but didn’t make it very far. All three of the witches threw themselves in her way, causing a collision that brought all four women to the floor.
“You mean this mark?” Betty asked, dragging Amara to her feet and pointing to where the collar of her shirt had ripped in the scuffle. On her left shoulder, just below the collarbone, was a small red circle with a black five-pointed star.
“Impossible!” the angel exclaimed. “We would have discovered this long ago.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it,” said Bogie. “She’s a succubus, remember? Not only that, but her protection came from a martyred soul. She’s basically been holdin’ the Boardwalk and Park Place in one helluva long Monopoly game. But now she ain’t got no bond to Seth no more, so it’s pretty obvious what yous needs to do, ain’t it?”
The angel reached out. I could feel the sickly tendrils as it probed, as well as the shock when it discovered, as I had, that Bogie was telling the truth.
“Five?” the angel bellowed. “You took the essence from five vampires, knowing that one was enough to turn you into the abomination we see before us today. Come, stand before me child. Your greed alone merits your judgment.”
“N-no! Please! Seth, don’t let them do this to me!” Amara cried out, kicking and screaming as Donna and Louise frog marched her to the altar, followed by Bogie and Betty. I positioned myself as well, just in case she made a run for it.
“Don’t you even dare,” I muttered as Seth’s internal struggle became apparent. “You just went through Hell to stop her.”
“I know,” he said and stood gingerly. Hope flared in Amara’s eyes as she silently begged. “I’m sorry,” he said and turned to Amara. My heart sank as I reached out to prepare a binding spell. “I think I’ve given you more than enough help for over one hundred years.”
The hurt I had expected, but the anger was new. I held back on the spell as Seth turned from the cowering vamp, who now looked like a scared child, and addressed the angel directly. “I do believe I can indulge in one selfish moment without guilt. Will the soul of the Damned be enough to spare my companions?”
“Your request is fair,” the angel replied with a nod of respect as it reached out to cup Amara’s chin in its hand. “Do you wish to watch the proceedings?”
“No,” said Seth with a slight shudder. “I’ll be… I’ll just go wait outside, if you don’t mind.”
I wanted to follow, but somehow, I knew Seth needed this moment alone. Besides, I was not as trusting. The judgment was not pleasant, nor brief. With her soul in pieces, Amara let out one last, terrible wail before her soulless husk dropped to the floor, shattering into dust that slowly drifted away.
“Gross!” Louise gagged as she stepped away, brushing bits of blackened dust from her clothes.
“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Donna chastised, brushing her hands over her own clothes. “It’s just bits of charred flesh, not cooties.”
A collective sigh went up as the mood in the Cathedral lighten
ed considerably. That had more to do with the fact that the angel had returned the mask to its eyes than the witches’ ridiculous banter. It turned its head to me. Even with the mask in place, this was unnerving.
“The terms have been settled and I will now take my leave. Until we meet again, Warrior, I bid you goodbye,” it said with a slight bow of its head as it opened a portal back into the realm of Chaos.
“Thank you,” I said, mimicking the gesture and forcing a smile that didn’t quite make it to genuine. If we never met again, it would be too soon.
“Hey uh, not so fast, Goldilocks.” Bogie came forward, still brushing the dust from his shirt. “I uh, I gotta think that ferreting out what yous guys missed should at the very least allow me back into the realm. You think you could put in a good word with the council for ol’ Bogie?”
The angel pursed its lips, regarding Bogie for a moment before nodding its head. “Very well. Return to the realm and a trial will be arranged. Convince the council, and perhaps we shall grant you reinstatement.”
“Good enough for government work,” Bogie shrugged.
I let out the breath I had been holding only after the angel stepped through the portal.
“Whelp, you hear that? I might be outta your hair, Des. You gonna miss me?”
“You know, Bogie, I just might,” I said with a tired chuckle. “But there’s just one thing I need to know. How did you know the curse was broken?” I asked.
“Good old-fashioned technology,” Bogie answered with a wink as he removed an earbud from his ear. “And a little old-fashioned pickpocketing,” he added and pulled out his phone, showing me that he was connected to an incoming call that came from my phone. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, I had been on a call with Bogie for several hours. I didn’t know whether to be impressed by his ingenuity, pissed at myself for allowing him to pull one over on me like that, or pissed at him for racking up overage charges and skipping out on the bill.
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