by M. D. Laird
“My next connection was again through you when I saw you in the park and then again when you came to my house, and then you brought me back, and I stayed with you. You saved me from the Imperator by hiding me with the fae, who I allied with, and then they defeated the wraiths. You saved me when you sacrificed yourself for me. You regained your feelings because of me. You lost your position as a demon prince because of me. You suffered your grief because of me, and you knew it because you blamed me—” She halted Calab as he opened his mouth to speak. “Just listen. You began to heal because I gave you a new purpose in the libraries, you couldn’t have recovered as a prince because your emotions would make your work too painful.
“You are always there for me and me for you, no matter what you do to me. I always want you there, and I always sympathise with you—eventually—and try to understand you. Something is pushing us together, and something is keeping us apart. It is keeping us at just the right distance for whatever it has planned. Our feelings for each other have brought us together, but your grief has kept us apart. Our friendship keeps us together, and Will has kept us apart. You opened up to me while I was with Will. You confessed the deepest parts of your soul that made us closer, but we were still being kept apart because of your grief and because of Will.
“And speaking of Will—he was a pawn too. Look. He came back into my life after more than seven years. He arrived in between the time we spent in the cabin and the incident at your house. He helped to hold us apart, and he helped me with my training. He gave me lots of intense support so that I could rival the stronger and faster Impærielas and as soon as I knocked Lord Ezra on his ass and got a compliment from the instructor for my skills he was gone. He started an argument with me, and I exiled him from Arkazatinia. He was gone from my life. His exit was all nice and neatly boxed off as if it was all planned. Like he’d served his purpose.
“And my purpose, I have thought of nothing else but this. I offered my services to Thalia, and despite there being no Crown, it took nine years for Lady Ariana to have her vision. That time means something. I have learned something in that time, and I just don’t know what. I studied biochemistry, I completed a master’s—yet so have the Procnatus. What could my outlander career bring to Arkazatinia that Procnatus scientists could not? Which brings me back to you. You stirred my sympathy when you explained your plight to Thalia, that was one of the reasons why I offered my help. Then I saw you in the park, and I don’t know what that meant. I don’t know why it all took so long. I just don’t know what it means.
“Then you came to my house. You said that you flipped a switch when Jason attacked me, it must be significant, right? There are just too many coincidences, too many links for it not to mean something.” Calab swallowed and rubbed his temple once more and gazed at her shaking his head. “Please tell me that you see that it must be connected?” This is the only thing I have come up with in the weeks that I have been trying to figure this out. Don’t say I am crazy.”
“He was on my decretum,” he reminded her reluctantly. Genevieve’s eyes widened, and she gave him a broad smile.
“You see it,” she breathed a relieved sigh. “I’m not mad, there’s something here.”
“Look, don’t get too excited,” he said, taking her hands. “I see that some force is at work pushing us together or pulling us apart or whatever, but I don’t see how knowing what any of this means can possibly help us defeat the Alchitch.”
“No,” she said, her shoulders sagging as her smile left her face. “Nor do I.” She took a seat on the sofa and Calab sat beside her.
“If there is an answer to be found I will be right here helping you to find it,” he said, putting his arms around her shoulders and pulling her towards him. She rested her head against his chest.
“Thank you,” she whispered and then she was asleep.
Calab rested his cheek on her head as she slept in his arms.
Could she be right? Are we all just pawns in some elaborate game?
He stared at her timeline, map, or chaotic mess—whatever it was that covered the walls of her library. He could add more to it. He remembered the thoughts he had of her after she visited his guild. He thought of her frequently in the days and months that followed. He had hurt her and threatened her life yet the look that came from her young eyes. She was a mere child, he was a demon—he had terrified her, yet she understood him. He had never known such a reaction from anyone, save his close acquaintances.
After he had seen her in the park, she fascinated him. He was mean to her, yet she spoke to him as an equal. She was not afraid of him. His aggression or his demonic features had not intimidated her. He often thought of her and longed to meet her again. It took all of his will not to look for her. He got his wish when Lady Ariana revealed the prophecy. He had never revealed to Thalia that he was keen to see the girl; he used to be good at concealing his thoughts. He felt as though he had been struck when she had said his name in her sleep.
“And like the murmur of a dream,
I heard her breathe my name.”
Coleridge’s words from Love played over in his head. He had become obsessed with this poem since the day he was packing his library and realised it contained Genevieve’s name. He thought about the moment that filth attacked her. He could still remember that feeling when his emotions were released. It was as though they had been locked away deep inside his gut and the attack on her, on this girl he had been fascinated by for nine years, had loosened the lid. Then very slowly at first, they started to creep out. They seeped into his blood until they poisoned him. They filled him with joy, rage, love and hatred for the girl.
Was that what was intended? Could she be right?
He had to admit he felt drawn towards her and repelled from her. Yet, no matter what he felt he always wanted her and always loved her. Even when he could not want her, he did still want her more than his own life. He looked at the map once more. He saw the question mark she had drawn over the nine years it had taken for her to be chosen. She did not understand the reason for the delay. He did not understand any of it, but if he had to guess, he would say that Arkazatinia was saving her for him. When he first met her she was too young for him, she was seventeen and just a child. Five years later, she was a woman. Arkazatinia then gave him four years to become fascinated with her before it struck him. Nine years—nine. Nine circles of Hell and nine spheres of Heaven. The whole experience had been both hellish and heavenly much like his entire life.
Was she with that monster just so I could witness her being attacked?
He hoped not.
Still, I don’t know how this will help us. We’re still doomed.
If they were to be doomed then he wanted no regrets, he turned to the sleeping girl and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Genevieve,” he whispered.
“Could we use adamantine in some way to defend ourselves against the Alchitch?” Eve asked Calab over breakfast the next morning.
“No,” he replied, “we don’t have a stock of adamantine, we only have chains and shackles, and it can only be crafted in Hell.”
“The walls of the Asmodeus guild dungeon are made of adamantine, are they not?”
“They were crafted by the High Prince when the guild was built. The guild façade and interior has changed many times, but the dungeon is the original dungeon built by High Prince Asmodeus.”
“Would Asmodeus let you craft anything in Hell?”
“He is unlikely to let me do anything,” Calab reminded her, “but even if I were still a prince, I wouldn’t dare ask him. Firstly, it would be the last thing I ever did, and secondly, the high princes do not involve themselves in the affairs of Anaxagoras or Lycea outside of managing sins. We are lucky to be involved with Anaxagoras at all—we are not allowed any involvement in Lycea.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure what would help anyway besides perhaps a massive dome,” said Eve. “Is it likely that the fae shields could defend against t
he Alchitch spells?”
“They might, but we would never know for sure unless the fae engaged the Alchitch,” he replied, pouring his tea. “They can’t hold the shields for long, though, and there aren’t enough fae with shielding abilities to take on all of the Alchitch. The alchemists can shield as well. The fae would be drained quickly, and we would struggle to fight them. I think it will probably come to that, but I don’t anticipate a successful outcome.”
Eve furrowed her brows and asked, “Who designs the vox software?”
“It’s a joint effort between the Procnatus IT specialists and the light alchemists.”
“What if the developers could include a shield in the vox software? They would have no option but to engage us in combat and that would even the playing field.”
Calab’s eyes widened. “It might not be possible,” he said. “If it were we could defeat them. They have magic, but we have greater numbers.”
Eve leapt up and strode to her desk. She picked up the telephone and dialled. “Thalia,” she said hurriedly as soon as the phone was answered. “I’m arranging an emergency defence meeting today, and I need you to invite the IT people and alchemists who design the vox software.”
“I’ll do that straight away, Your Majesty,” replied Thalia. “May I ask why?”
“It’s a long shot, but I wondered if they could include a shield against magic in the vox software. Even if they can’t do that, they may be able to do something—we need to meet with them.”
“Let’s hope so,” replied Thalia. “I shall call them now. When is the meeting?”
“Four o’clock at the Guild of the Crown. That should allow enough time for everyone to get here.” Eve then contacted Shanna to ask her to summon the rest of the alliance before replacing the handset and returning to her seat opposite to Calab. “I should have said an earlier time,” she said, smiling weakly. “I’m going to be anxious all day. Do you have to go to work?”
“I was planning a day of admin in Laurasia—it can wait.”
“Thank you,” she said, sipping her tea. “Will you train with me? That will help pass the time.”
“I’ll try,” he chuckled. “I’m a lot stronger than you, so it won’t be a fair fight.” She smirked at him and threw the croissant she was about to eat—he caught it with ease and bit into it.
“You are an excellent marksman,” remarked Calab as Eve hit every one of the targets in the woodlands with deadly precision. “I’d wager that there a very few people who could make those marks.”
“No one can, not even the hominem instructors,” said Captain Lexas, entering the training field armed with his bow. “Those targets are only there to challenge Her Majesty, and she still finds them too easy.”
Eve blushed furiously and stepped away from the mound to allow the captain to take his aim. “You’re embarrassing me, Captain,” she said. He chuckled, armed his bow and prepared to take aim at the targets as Eve strolled towards the melee field with Calab. “This is where I get my ass kicked.”
Calab grinned at her. “You know, you put yourself down a lot. You find it a lot easier to accept criticism than compliments.”
“I know,” she said. “Compliments just feel odd. I think I’d rather tolerate someone taking the piss out of me constantly than have to awkwardly thank people for their compliments.”
“Well,” he said, raising a wooden training sword and entering the ring, “let’s find out which it will be next.”
Calab’s speed and strength vastly outweighed her own. He put her on her ass over and over. Determined not to give up and to get in at least one clean hit, she came back fighting every time. Eve was sweating furiously and breathing heavily, but she parried his blows when she could see them and even though her forearms burned, she tried to resist him shoving her backwards. She lunged at him, and he blocked her with ease, thrusting his arms forwards. He attempted to force her back, but she was ready—she pivoted and whirling her sword around to his momentarily undefended right side and struck his chest. He grinned at her and held up his arms in surrender. She grinned back still holding the wooden blade to his chest.
“You’re like a dog with a bone,” he said. “You just don’t give up.”
She laughed at him as she lowered the blade. “A backhanded compliment,” she said. “I can cope with that.” He chuckled, took her sword from her and returned it to the rack in the equipment shelter. Eve picked up and sheathed her real swords and daggers. Like most Arkazatines, she had now taken to donning armour and weapons wherever she went and kept them close by when in her quarters. If nothing else, it had allowed her to become accustomed to their presence. Unlike when she had first worn them, she was now able to move freely and hardly noticed the weight of the swords and daggers at her side or the bow and crossbow strapped to her back.
It was only lunchtime and Eve still had four hours before the meeting. She ordered lunch for her and Calab to be sent to her quarters, and after showering and changing into clean clothes, she sat opposite him.
“Have you had any more thoughts to my purpose here?” she asked him as she buttered a slice of bread before dunking it into her vegetable broth.
Calab sighed. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this because you’re already obsessive and it won’t help.” He told her his theory regarding the nine years that Arkazatinia had waited before Lady Ariana had her vision. She furrowed her brows before taking a spoonful of broth. They sat in silence for a few moments as Eve mulled over what he had said.
“I guess that makes sense,” she said finally, “but it doesn’t really help me to know why I am even here in the first place.” They finished their meal in silence. Eve poured them both a cup of tea, and they moved to sit on the sofa. “Tell me about when you worked with Jason, maybe there is something there.”
“I don’t think there is. He was on my decretum; it was about seven years ago now… You must keep this to yourself; I’m not actually supposed to divulge this information.” Eve nodded, and Calab continued. “I hadn’t got beyond my initial reckoning before he attacked his partner. When we work with someone, we follow them for some time and observe their behaviour, their temperament, strengths and weaknesses before we decide what we will use to tempt them. For someone to make it onto a demon decretum, they have to have been identified as potentially unworthy by the angels. The angels had found that he was ill-tempered and unkind to others and they decided that he needed to be tested to see if he could control his temper and show kindness to others. He was relatively young then at twenty-one, and many humans show unkindly behaviour during their adolescence, but they are tested by their actions in adulthood. He had been violent and cruel throughout his adolescence towards his siblings and his peers at his school, and the angels had identified him for reckoning at the age of fourteen—he would fall onto a demon decretum when he came of age at twenty-one.
“I only had him on my decretum for a few weeks, and during that time, he displayed appalling behaviour. He was smart and had completed his studies and gained employment. At his work, he was well behaved, friendly and popular. Outside of work he was estranged from his family—he was barely on civil terms with his mother and did not speak to his father or his siblings. He would spend a lot of time drinking and would regularly get into fights—always with someone, he could beat easily, and he beat them brutally. Even then, he could have turned a corner and changed his behaviour. He was only young, and that would not necessarily condemn him to Hell. However, the attack on his girlfriend would.
“He had only been living with her for a month—they had moved in together when he had started his new job after finishing his studies. I won’t share the details, but the sadistic nature of the attack condemned him. He beat her so terribly that she was unconscious, bloody and had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance—he enjoyed every moment of it. It was not even he who called the ambulance but a neighbour who had heard the commotion. If they had not, then it is very likely he would have left h
er to die.
“Afterwards, he showed no remorse for what he had done. He lied when the police interviewed him. He said that he found an attacker in their home and chased them out. The girl refused to speak to the police or allow them to take any samples leaving them no option but to believe his story. Shortly afterwards he was arrested for fighting, and he told the police that he had a problem with alcohol and would get help. They released him without charge, but he was asked to complete an alcohol and anger management programme. I did not finish my reckoning of him before I condemned him after two weeks.
“I revisited him after a few months to check that I was confident in my assessment. I found him boasting to his friends that he was fooling the facilitators of the programme into thinking he had learned from his mistakes and he had continued his regular routine of drinking and brawling. I decided then that I was confident in my reckoning and needed to do nothing further. I did not see him again until he entered your house.”
Eve shook her head. “I met him at work,” she said, smiling faintly. “I thought he was lovely. He was always charming and sweet and very funny. He was nothing like that at home. I guess I should feel lucky that I didn’t come off worse.”
Calab lowered his gaze from hers. “I think you’re right that it’s all connected somehow,” he said. “That the events of the past have led us to this point. I think your relationship with that brute and my knowledge of his history was used to manipulate me. Even your willingness to try to see the good in people despite the terrible things they do is likely to be what allows you to tolerate me.”