by Rain Oxford
They had the sneers of a specific type of aggressor. I had seen it too often to count. Hunting in packs, these people picked out individuals. Everyone was afraid of them so the only way they could ruin their reputation was to show mercy. As a “freak,” I was sometimes targeted by their kind, yet never twice by the same pack. They never expected a fight and they didn’t know how to adapt if there was one.
Granted, these were extremely powerful wizards, but their weakness was the same. If I weren’t in a hurry and if Luca weren’t being held prisoner, I would have enjoyed teaching the pack that I wasn’t a victim.
Instead, I held up my wrist to show them Langril’s mark before any of them could start their spiel. “Take me to your master,” I demanded.
Their sneers dropped and their posture straightened. Without arguing or asking who I was, they led me straight to the castle. It struck me as too easy, but I didn’t care. When it came to protecting my brother, I could play dirtier than Painter. I almost wanted someone to try to stop me. That darkness in Painter was in me as well, and at that moment, I didn’t care.
We reached the castle and they followed me through the gate, probably confused by my fury. “Are you going to try to kill the master?” one of them asked.
“You’re nowhere near powerful enough,” another said.
“I’ve heard he killed an entire world to take their magic,” the last one added.
“I have no interest in ruling anyone, so no, I’m not going to kill your master.” I didn’t bother to knock and instead opened the door. When the doorman rushed towards me from the end of the hall, I said, “Hasha.” The man was slammed against the wall with enough force to shake dust from the ceiling. Despite the fact that it was similar to the levitation spell, it hadn’t worked perfectly for me before. I had only practiced it a few times because I couldn’t stand hurting Keira even accidentally.
Anger was supposed to make me lose control of my magic, but I never felt more in control.
I reached Langril’s throne room and threw open the door. Langril was in his chair and Heather was next to him, lecturing him about something. When I entered, she stopped and they both looked at me. Everyone else had disappeared.
Langril pursed his lips. “I take it the plan didn’t go well.”
“No shit it didn’t go well. I saved my mother, but Luca was captured.”
“And you didn’t get the sword.”
“I don’t give a fuck about the sword. He took my brother!”
He frowned at me. “Oh, you care about him? That’s strange. People don’t normally cripple those they care about, so you can see why I got confused.”
“I just wanted him to be Luca so that he wouldn’t kill people I love.”
“I see. You wanted to have control over him. That’s perfectly fine as long as you’re strong enough to protect those you control. Anything you have that’s worth having, someone else wants. You and the Painter could have taken him together, easily, but you changed the game. You took all of your brother’s cards and yours, and you apparently suck at it.”
“Shut up. I know I screwed up. How do I get him back?”
“Alive? You can’t. Maori is more powerful than you, clearly.”
“What do I do to save him?”
He tilted his head slightly. “Well, you could make a more powerful ally, but where are you going to find one of those?”
I glared at him and he smiled innocently. “You said you would help me bring down Maori.”
“I said I would help you if you got me the sword, which, unless you’re hiding it internally, you don’t have.”
“What do you want?”
“Painter and you together will be useful to me someday, but not today, and I don’t know how yet. That’s my weakness I’m afraid; I know who is useful, but not how.”
“I won’t make a deal without knowing what you want.”
He shrugged. “Well, let me know when your brother’s funeral is and I’ll send flowers for your poor mother.”
“I don’t take kindly to ultimatums and I damn sure don’t let people get away with threatening me or my brother.”
“Well, then, you’d better go after Maori. Personally, I want you to save him, but I try not to get too invested in lost causes. You’re holding so tightly to your control over everything that you can’t see what it’s costing you.”
“I will save Luca.”
“No, you won’t. I promise you that before this is over, Luca will be gone.”
* * *
I didn’t want to waste time arguing with Langril. He didn’t know me. Instead, I asked if he had any weapons I could use.
“Are you referring to weapons that can kill Maori, or something you can use to reach your brother?”
“What’s the difference?”
“How squeamish you are.”
“I’m not going to destroy the planet, if that’s what you’re saying. I’m asking about a magic shield or weightless armor or something.”
“Then no, I don’t have anything. I have no need of a defense. I kill anyone who isn’t useful to me before they try to kill me.”
“I can see where Painter got his crazy from. If you won’t help me save my brother, don’t expect to get the sword from us.”
“Oh, I will. I’m not worried in the least about that.”
“Give me back the Book of Names.”
“It’s right there,” he said, as if I was missing something terribly obvious. I turned and gaped. There was suddenly a podium with the Book of Names on it next to me. It didn’t escape my notice how easily he wielded magic.
I grabbed the book and slipped it into my satchel.
“Bast, Bast, Bast.” I expected a flash of light…
Nothing happened.
“Do you know what a god is?” Langril asked, amused.
“A powerful creature of magic from the god realm that can look like a person.”
He laughed. “You are correct. If you go to a world that has no magic, you are more powerful than anyone and are therefore a god.”
I thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I guess I can understand that.”
“And by that reasoning, the beings you consider gods are nothing in their own realm.”
I nodded again. “That actually makes the concept more reasonable to me.”
“Good. Then you’ll understand that who you ally yourself with is more important than your own power, because there will always be someone more powerful than you, no matter how powerful you become. On your world, your girlfriend is a goddess. Here, she is merely a powerful magic user.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“Describe a god.”
“Immortal.”
“I taught Painter how to become immortal. Stab your girlfriend in the chest with the Sword of Draskara and you’ll watch her die. Stab me with it and I’ll laugh in your face.”
“That doesn’t make you a god.”
“No? Do you think I’m not more powerful than her? Why hasn’t she come to you, then?”
“She’s busy.”
He laughed. “Very well. Far be it from me to pry your closed mind open. Go outside, through the gate, and you’ll find your girlfriend is suddenly not so busy.”
I left and as soon as I got outside the property, I called Bast again. This time, light filled the space and when it cleared, I was standing in my bedroom. I opened my mouth to ask her why she hadn’t come when I called the first time, but I caught myself at the last second. I didn’t want to piss off my girlfriend. I trusted that she would have pulled me home if she could have. “Thank you,” I said instead.
“I take it he wasn’t able to help,” she said.
“More like unwilling.”
She kissed me softly. “You will think of something. Don’t worry about your mother or anything here.”
Chapter 10
I took a hot shower because I seemed to have my best ideas in there. I couldn’t afford to screw up again. I wanted to ask t
he gods for help, but I didn’t think they would care. Keira cared but she couldn’t go to Kradga.
Keira knocked softly on the door. “Come in,” I said.
She entered quickly and shut the door behind her, trapping as much of the warm air as possible. Then she stripped and joined me in the shower.
“When this is all over, we’ll need to get a real house. One with a two-person shower.”
“I like the intimacy of this one,” she said. “Are you sure you want to commit to a two-person shower? Will Luca have a problem with me staying?”
I shook my head and massaged soap on her back. Her hair frizzed up, making her look a little less godly. “Luca likes you. Painter will never trust you because his wife betrayed him and Set’s wife betrayed him. He’d never trust you. Luca… I think he will. He wants me to be happy. Painter does, too, he’s just… different.”
“I get it,” Keira said.
“Then can you explain it to me?”
She turned me around and started massaging my shoulders. “You want both. You want everything that the Painter and Luca are. Painter is everything that your brother was meant to be, but Luca is the conscience that says, ‘wait, killing Nathan’s parents would hurt him as much as if they actually do betray him.’ You know the Painter can be an amazing hero, but when it comes to you, he’s extremely narrow-sighted. When it comes to you, all he sees is that everyone else will betray you. It never even occurred to him that he could hurt you. In his mind, he was saving you pain. With you, he is a killer.”
“You’re right. You get it. But that’s not all.”
“No, it’s not. When you heard the two opposing prophecies that you would be a savior and that you would be a destroyer, it gave you hope. Before you learned that Painter was your brother, you thought you had a choice. You could be evil or good. Then you found out what he’d done and thought you were the savior and he was the destroyer. Now you see the darkness in yourself and you realize that he killed your parents for you and you’re wondering if you’re the destroyer after all. You want Painter back because you want him to be the destroyer and you want to reform him. You think that might atone for the darkness in yourself.”
I sighed. “You’re spot on, as always. And that just makes me more of a horrible person.”
“You’re not horrible. You’re human.”
I scoffed. “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are, just not genetically. I wish I could say something to make you see yourself in your brother’s eyes, but you aren’t ready to accept the truth.”
“Which is what?”
“Painter was right all along. There is no good or evil, only differences of opinions.” I soaped up my hair and then hers while the water rinsed the shampoo out of mine. I liked touching her soft hair.
“The priest who tried to kill my mother was evil.”
“No, he wasn’t. In his mind, he killed the woman who betrayed him. To him, it was no different than if Painter had killed his wife instead of letting her go.”
“How do you get me so well? You’re not even the same species as me.”
She smirked. “I’m very intuitive. I’m also the only one of my kind I know who likes to take care of people. You and your brother are fiercely protective, but you need a little coddling. Both of you do.” When I froze, she laughed softly. “Don’t get any weird ideas. I think of Painter-Luca as a little brother and you as my lover. He has someone out there for him. In the meantime, he could use a woman in his life who won’t betray him. More importantly, I won’t betray you. Your brother needs to see that someone other than you and your mother can be trusted.”
“You realize you’re perfect for me, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
I kissed her and spent a few minutes enjoying her warm, wet body. She could make any day fantastic. Unfortunately, I had to think of something other than her smooth skin and soft lips. I pulled away from her and shut off the water. She pouted.
“Rescue first, sexy naked fun-time later,” I insisted.
“I know.”
As I dried her off with a towel, I considered my options. Obviously, I didn’t stand much of a chance face-to-face with the god, and Keira wasn’t a fighter. However, she had two advantages over all other gods; she could disguise herself as a cat and walk among people as a person. “Is there any chance you can make me a shapeshifter?” I asked.
She shook her head, taking the towel to finish the job. I grabbed the other towel and started drying myself. “I can’t change your physiology… but since you’re a demigod, I might be able to teach you transference.”
“I don’t see how transferring xp points to---”
“I’m not talking Dungeons and Dragons. I’m talking about animal possession.”
“That sounds a little creepy.”
“I wouldn’t know; I’ve never done it. I know how to do it, though, and I should be capable of teaching you.”
I considered what I would do with the ability. I didn’t like the idea of controlling another being like that, but if a cat or something could wander around Maori’s lair unseen, it could be valuable. I could get information like where my brother was being kept, where the sword was, and how many guards were in a room before I entered it. Of course, the faceless men seemed to be able to pop up anywhere.
Keira and I went to the bedroom to get dressed. I found my robe folded on the bed. Keira had cleaned it and changed it back to silver. While I scoured my closet for something that would be comfortable in Hell with my robe over it, Keira magically dressed herself in an emerald green, casual dress. She was barefoot, as she usually preferred to be. She was also hotter than Hell and extremely distracting. I ended up choosing my normal outfit— a maroon dress shirt and blue jeans.
We left the bedroom to find my mother asleep on the couch, hugging the pillow to her chest. “Did she tell you anything?” I asked quietly.
She shook her head. “It appears she was in good health before Maori kidnapped her. She wouldn’t tell me anything about where she was living or who was taking care of her because she was convinced Maori could be listening in. I think she’s trying to protect someone.”
“We don’t know someone was taking care of her. Maybe she was living independently.”
Keira gave me a sympathetic look. “Don’t count on it. Vessels aren’t even taught to speak. Everything she learned was from Isis.”
“But Isis was more adventurous with Talot than other gods were with their vessels. I look at her and I see the most innocent creature alive. I see a victim. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be.”
“She’s a scared little bunny right now. Give her time to realize she’s not about to have everything ripped away from her and I’m sure she’ll blossom into a majestic lioness.”
“Have you been reading pet catalogues again? You know we can’t have a pet.”
“Dundas said we can have a pet as long as it goes in an aquarium. He didn’t say it had to stay in the aquarium, what size the aquarium had to be, or that it had to contain water.”
“You’re going to get us in trouble.”
“You love trouble. That’s why you stay with me.” She disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a pet carrier.
“How did I miss that?”
“Selective vision, sweetheart. You saw it and your subconscious un-saw it because it didn’t want to get in an argument it knew you’d lose.” She set the carrier down and opened the door.
“Good call.” I expected an extremely shy animal to peek out.
Instead, a miniscule tortoiseshell kitten popped out like it had been about to ram the bars and crashed into Keira’s ankles. With ninja-like skills, it used the momentum to ricochet off her, up the wall, and onto the back of the couch. Keira and I both tried to catch the little monster before it woke my mother, but it leapt from the couch to the coffee table, spreading its arms and legs like a sugar glider. Someone was trans-species.
My mother stirred.
“You’re not
supposed to feed a kitten crack,” I whispered.
“I didn’t.”
I made a grab for it while Keira went around to the other side. The kitten jumped down from the table and dashed under the couch quicker than a mouse. “Damn. How did you catch the little shit in the first place?”
“He was sweet and calm earlier.”
“Teach me how to possess him. Maybe I can get him back in the cage and master the spell at the same time.”
“Stare him in the eyes and imagine yourself seeing through his eyes, thinking like a cat.”
“That doesn’t sound too hard.” I got down on the floor and peered under the couch. “Come out, kitty. I’m not going to hurt you, I’m just going to stare at you awkwardly.”
The cat hissed.
“Don’t give me that, you little shithead. If you want to be a kept kitten, living a life of luxury with kitten food, clean water, and a warm bed, you have to obey our authority.”
Keira laughed. “You don’t even sound like you believe that.”
“I’m trying to soothe him with talking. Get some meat and we’ll lure him out.”
“Don’t overthink it. Treat him like a person. How would you get me out from under there?”
“Take off my pants.”
She laughed. “Yeah, that would work, but I’m not sharing your goodies, so you’re going to have to think of something else. I already fed him all the lunch meat in the fridge.”
I sighed. Reaching under the couch would just scare him more. I spent ten minutes softly trying to coax him out. Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “You try,” I said, scooting back. He suddenly burst out, smacked me on the forehead with his paw, and then raced into the bedroom. I sighed. “Now he’s going to get fleas in the bed.”
“I bet he’s sensing your agitation.”
“Of course I’m agitated; my brother is being held prisoner and I’ve wasted hours trying to come up with a plan. Forget it. I’m just going to go in there and save him.”