A huge fireplace roared and crackled along the left wall. Grown men could have easily stood inside the thing; it looked like the mouth of Hell with tongues of red and orange flames flickering inside, and licking up the walls. The closer we got to it, however, the warmer I felt. It was a nice change; I’d been chilled to the bone since leaving the little cabin, but that might have been just a little righteous fear making itself known. Small wonder, really.
At the far end of the room a huge, oaken table sat up on a dais. Two men and a woman sat at the table and watched us approach with critical, curious eyes. If this were my trial, then this must be the judge, juror, and executioner. I desperately wanted to ask Asher who they were, but one warning glance from him was enough to tell me that I had better shut up. His brows were set in a permanent scowl as he glared at the trio waiting for us.
The woman who sat between the two men was a masterpiece, as surely as the artwork we passed. She was a gorgeous creature with long, curling brown hair twisted into a shiny, vaguely Grecian hairstyle on top of her head. Several long curls trailing down her back and across her one bare shoulder in an alluring manner. Rich bronzed skin was on full display in a gossamer gown nearly the same shade. If a person were very far away, they might almost believe that she were nude.
I glanced down at my well-worn hoodie and less-than-fresh blue jeans with a critical eye. There was a new hole in the left knee of my jeans, and a few smudges of dirt on the sleeve of my hoodie. It wasn’t surprising after the day I’d had. Oh, well, nobody told me that my trial required formal wear.
Jade green eyes sparkled as she watched us move closer. She reminded me of a snake, patient and venomous, waiting on a fat little mouse to happen by. She would be the executioner, out of the three. She licked her full lips, almost seeming to savor the moment. “Ashrael, darling, you've been a very naughty boy. You’ve been keeping secrets from us.” She pouted prettily.
Asher barely inclined his head. His mouth was set in a hard line, and his ice looked like chips of ice. “No, Clotho, I have not.”
“But of course you have. Introduce us to your little friend.” She waved an elegant hand in my general direction. I had a sneaking suspicion that most everything she did was elegant.
Asher didn’t even turn in my direction, just remained calmly at my side. I sneaked a glance at him from the corner of my eye. He looked faintly bored. I, on the contrary, was just about to the end of my rope. I felt like the guest of honor at an old-fashioned witch trial. I wondered when they’d bring out the thumb screws and the water board, and get down to business.
“Isabel, may I present Clotho?” He sounded faintly bored, too. “She is Fate. To her right you will find Cronus, but you will know him as Father Time.” He smiled slightly at the young man with the short, curly brown hair. He must be the jury. “And to her left, you will find The Archangel Suriel, the Angel of Wisdom and Death.” And there would be the Judge, I thought as Suriel turned sharp, unfriendly eyes on me. Well, at least he wasn’t prematurely biased against me.
Cronus didn’t seem to be a total loss; he wasn’t eyeing me with distaste like nearly everyone else is this strange place. Maybe one of the three would give me a fair trial? Then I remembered something Asher had told me about being friends with him. Sort of. It might help.
He watched me with curious, brown eyes. He seemed vaguely familiar to me, but for the life of me, I couldn't place where I’d seen him before. Maybe he just had one of those faces that seem familiar. It was probably just another illusion, but he looked far too young to be Father Time. On the other hand, he looked sane and relaxed, too, but according to Asher he was supposed to be looney as hell.
I nodded politely to all three of them, but felt it wise if I spoke only if spoken to. This game they played was dangerous, and since I was the only human here, I knew who would come out on the worst end of things.
Clotho clasped her hands together and smiled brightly. “She is a lovely girl, Ashrael, but by all accounts, no longer quite human. Would you care to explain why you suddenly felt the need to meddle in human affairs? It hardly seems like something you would do. You’ve always held yourself above such things.”
Halo, standing next to me, decided to put her two cents worth in. “She stinks of Nephilim.” Her voice was hard, and ugly. She spat the word Nephilim out like it had left a nasty taste in her mouth.
I sniffed at my armpit delicately. “That’s odd, because I had a shower just this morning. I shouldn’t smell that bad.” Ok, so I’d tried to remain silent. I just didn’t try hard enough. The three at the table may have scared the hell out of me, but I’d had just about as much of Halo’s shit as I was willing to take. Cronus snickered at my little joke. From the corner of my eye I saw a muscle jump in Asher’s jaw. Well, if he didn’t like it, he was more than welcome to jump in at any time with a brilliant solution that would get us out of this mess.
“Shut up, monkey.” Halo’s upper lip curled back into a sneer and her eyes glowed red as she glared down at me. That’s never a good sign in a Reaper.
I turned on her, wanting to kick her ass, even though she could step on me like a nasty little bug. “Just what is your damned problem with me, anyway?”
Halo got right in my face. “You are an abomination, Nephilim.”
“The Nephilim were a race of giants bred from angels and humans. Do I look like I came from a freaking race of giants?” I barely came up to the witch’s nose. Years of reading the dictionary for fun had finally paid off. I was about to get killed for my smart mouth, but I had the satisfaction of watching Halo totally lose it. Her mouth dropped open in a sharp-toothed sneer.
Asher shoved me back just as she started to lunge for me. I tripped on my own feet and landed hard enough to bruise my hip on the stone floor. I watched, open mouthed, as Asher grabbed Halo by the throat and threw her into the nearest wall. She landed with a bone-crushing thud. Pieces of the rock wall shattered and broke away. A marble bust crashed to the floor and exploded into tiny pieces. Halo lay in a broken heap, and for a second, I thought he might’ve really hurt her. She was dazed, for sure, but not out cold, like I’d hoped. She shook bits of rock and other debris out of her hair as she got to her feet. “You will pay for that, Ashrael,” she hissed.
It was sanctuary, he’d said. I couldn’t be attacked, he’d said. I wondered if anybody had bothered to tell Halo that.
“That is quite enough!” Suriel came to his feet looking properly outraged. He banged his fists against the table and set every cup on it to dancing. Things had gotten quickly out of control.
Cronus watched everything with a look of amazement on his face. I would’ve loved to know what was going through his mind at that moment. If Asher was right, he should have been expecting something like this to happen.
Two guards stepped up and tried to help Halo to her feet, but she snarled at them and got up by herself. They both watched Asher with wary expressions, and hovered close to her side. It was pretty obvious that they were there for her protection, and not to keep the peace.
Asher somehow managed to still look mildly bored. He reached down and offered me a hand up, but he barely glanced at me. I took it, gratefully, and let him pull me to my feet. He squeezed my hand before letting it go. Tiny though it was, it was the only sign of affection he’d shown me since the cabin. Still, he wouldn’t look at me.
“Well, this is getting off to a fine start.” Clotho sighed dramatically, and placed a slender hand against her temple. It was as if all of this were just too upsetting to her fine sensibilities. “Halo, you may be excused. We will deal with your issue, later.” From the chilly tone of her voice, I almost felt sorry for Halo. Almost.
I had to bite my lip to keep from saying that Halo had lots of issues. Whatever her problem was would have to wait. Antagonizing her more would be pointless, and probably wouldn’t end well for me. Halo was removed from the great hall, not quite forcibly, but the guards went with her, standing on either side of her. The look she gave me as
she passed by promised violent and painful retribution. I refrained from sticking my tongue out at her.
“Now, Ashrael, if we are done with all of this childish business, back to the issue at hand…you tampered with this human, and now we have a dead Reaper on our hands. Would you care to explain to us what you were doing?” Clotho leaned forward, her entire attention focused on Asher, like a bloodhound on a scent trail.
To his credit, Asher didn’t appear even slightly ruffled after his skirmish with Halo. Not a hair was out of place. He was, as always, cool and collected. “There is nothing to explain.”
Suriel looked like he’d just swallowed something sour, or perhaps, a bug. Beady dark eyes glared at Asher, then at me. I fought the urge to take a step back. “You had better do better than that, Ashrael.”
“Where would you like me to start, Suriel?” Was he deliberately trying to provoke an Archangel? Even I knew that was a bad idea.
Cronus sat up on the edge of his chair, eyes bright. “Start with ‘once upon a time.’ I love that story.” He clapped his hands lightly. “It always has a happy ending.” So, maybe he was a little off his rocker?
Suriel was not amused, but then, I bet not much amused him. “You may start with Mairya. How did this,” he looked down his pointy nose at me and made an impatient gesture in my direction, “human, manage to fight off, much less destroy an immortal?”
Asher actually started laughing. “You seriously think this girl fought off a Reaper, all by herself? Of course, she did nothing of the sort.”
“Well, if this girl didn’t kill Mairya, then who did?” Suriel snapped.
“I did it, of course.” Asher was lying through his perfect, white teeth, trying to protect me. “Mairya led an unprovoked attack against a group of humans. Someone had to stop her.”
Clotho shook her perfect head of curls disbelievingly. “Immortal cannot kill immortal. It has ever been so.” She leaned in closer, cleavage on full display. I had a painful urge to slap her. She narrowed her eyes at him shrewdly. “Unless you have developed a new talent, Ashrael, we must believe that this hybrid of yours is the guilty party.”
Asher smiled coldly up at her. “You will have to take my word for it, Clotho. It was as much of a surprise to me as it is to you, but in the heat of battle many things can happen. Unfortunately, the only way to prove it to you, is if I repeat it. Unless you have a volunteer who would not mind dying to prove my point?” He arched a perfect blonde brow and waited for that to sink in.
She leaned back in her seat and tapped her pointy nails against the wooden table. It grated on my nerves as much as if she’d just raked them down a chalk board. “Touché. We have no witnesses. Only a body.” She narrowed her eyes on Asher. “There is also the matter of recompense to poor Halo for the loss of her mate.” Hold the phone… Halo, and Mairya? They were a couple? Were angels allowed to hook up? That explained why Halo was such a hateful bitch.
“Alas, I am truly sorry for Halo’s loss, but I know of nothing that can make up for the hurt she has sustained.” He actually sounded sincere.
“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, tooth, tooth,” Cronus muttered softly to himself as he rocked back and forth in his seat. Fate latched onto it with all of her claws. He really needed to go find himself a nice, quiet room somewhere to rest in… before he gave her any more ideas and got me into some serious trouble.
“An excellent idea, my dear.” She patted his hand, in an almost motherly way. “An eye for an eye, indeed!” Whatever she had up her sleeve wasn’t good. Asher took a step back so that I was on his left side. His right hand fell to the pommel of his sword, resting, but ready; an unspoken promise hung in the air. He hadn’t said a word, but even I knew better than to mess with him. Maybe everyone needed reminded of that neutral zone thing he’d been talking about, earlier. No fighting; no killing the human, that sort of thing.
Suriel cleared his throat before speaking. “As Halo has lost her mate, so shall you, Ashrael.” Asher stiffened, just the tiniest bit.
“I have no mate, Suriel. You speak nonsense.” His eyes were as cold as ice.
Poisonous green eyes narrowed on me. Clotho’s smile froze the blood in my veins. “Oh, don’t you? That little hybrid you’re protecting means more to you than you’re telling us. You have shown affection for this human. Even now, you stand ready to protect her.”
Asher shrugged. “One may show affection for one’s pet, but it means little. This girl means nothing to me, Clotho.” I didn’t know if he was lying, or not, but it kind of hurt my feelings hearing him blurt out in front of everybody that I meant nothing to him. Jerk.
“No? Then why is she here?” She was playing some kind of game, and she was enjoying it, but damned if I could follow it.
“Because she is stubborn. It was not her time, and I interfered to prevent another wandering Sorrow. Now, if you will call off your Reapers, I will take her home, and that will be an end to it. I grow bored with babysitting her, anyway.” I was wrong; he wasn’t a jerk, he was a total a-hole.
“The girl has been changed too much, already. She is no longer human.” Fate leaned over and whispered something in Suriel’s ear, then did the same with Cronus. For all I knew she was making a date for later, with both of them. It wouldn’t have surprised me, if she did.
Asher remained quietly watchful as he waited for them to decide what to do with me. I couldn’t look at him, now. He sure didn’t sound like he was lying. I blinked quickly when I felt that nasty little stinging behind my eyes. Not one of these a-holes would get the satisfaction of seeing me cry; not them, and sure as hell, not him.
This mess had gone from bad to worse, fast. Finally, Fate looked up and smiled at me. An evil, terrible smile, like the Grinch right before he stole Christmas. “We will not be rushed into a decision. This girl will be watched and tested to determine how far the changes have gone. If she is found to be a threat, you, Ashrael, will destroy her.”
Asher inclined his head. “Fair enough. And if no threat is found in her?”
“Then she is free to go, but you will have to wipe her memory, of course, and you will have nothing more to do with her. Ever.” My heart dropped into my stomach.
“Of course,” he quickly agreed. Well, he took that pretty damned well.
***
I paced the spacious length of the room I'd been locked in, anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop. With the way my luck was running, it was bound to drop on the back of my head. I had been left in these rooms hours ago. It looked like the penthouse suite in some fancy hotel I would never be able to afford, but for all that, it was still just a prison cell. A fluffy, white prison cell, with too many pillows scattered about.
If Asher had any kind of plan, I was pretty sure that this wasn't it. Asher...just thinking about him hurt me. He’d done nothing to stop the guards who took me. I still had bruises on my upper arms in the form of fingerprints, and I hadn’t tried to fight. No, Asher had left me hanging.
Gwen had been right all along; the fairy tales we'd been fed as little kids were pure bullshit. Half the time, Prince Charming was probably trying to get lucky with the ugly stepsister, and the princess might as well go ahead and save her own ass. Although how I was supposed to pull that off, was beyond me. I was trapped inside a castle in the clouds with a bunch of crazy, bloodthirsty immortals. Un-freaking-believable.
I glanced glumly at the fancy curtains hanging along the far wall. They were all for show. No windows lay beyond them, just a blank wall of stone. I had already tried the door a dozen times, even going so far as trying the trick of using my Will to move the lock. Apparently, my Will wasn’t that strong, at least not unless I was under immediate threat. It remained locked, and I remained a prisoner. I glared at the door as I continued to pace back and forth across the fancy, marbled floor.
I hesitated when I heard a key turn in the lock. If this were a movie I could jump whomever came through the door and make my big escape. Who was I kidding? Even if I mana
ged to escape my room, there was no escaping the Aerie.
The door swung open and Fate glided through my door on a cloud of expensive perfume that almost made me gag, and my eyes water. A guard followed, hard at her heels, but she shooed him away with an imperious hand. "I want to speak with the girl alone. Thank you, but you are dismissed. I will call for you if I need your services.” He glared at me with suspicious eyes, but simply nodded towards his mistress as he closed the door carefully behind himself.
I watched her warily, she was up to no good, I could tell. She smiled at me as she sat daintily on the edge of the over-stuffed cream sofa. Her skirts belled out around her like a rare and exotic flower. She had changed her clothes again, since the last time I had seen her. This dress had a similar cut to the nude one, but it was a strange material that shifted colors between blue and green every time she moved. Enormous sapphires, blazing with blue fire at their heart, dripped from her throat and earlobes. Blue and green ribbons were braided throughout her hair. Sitting there so pleased with herself, she reminded me of an exotic bird. 0h, she was everything that was beautiful, but there was something rotten at her core. Like a shiny, red apple with a worm in its heart. Whatever she had in mind would be bad for me, I was sure.
She regarded me with curiously bright eyes. "Well, first, just let me say how delighted I am that we can finally meet in the flesh. I’ve waited an eternity for this moment, and I must say that I am not disappointed." Well, that was cryptic. Had I missed something? I just stared at her. "What's the matter girl, has the cat got your tongue?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm just not sure what you expect me to say.”
Clotho shook her head sadly. "It's just so terribly sad that the social niceties are no longer observed, these days. This new generation is always in such a rush. Hurry, hurry, hurry. You rush your lives away." I arched an eyebrow, wishing she'd get to the point or go away and leave me alone.
Wings of Darkness: Book 1 of The Immortal Sorrows Series Page 18