A Fire in the Heart

by L. J. LaBarthe

  They walked in companionable silence until they reached the water wheel, and then Ahijah watched as Samael peered at it, examining it as closely as he could without actually touching it.

  “I have not seen one like this in centuries,” Samael said. “It is beautifully crafted, don’t you think?”

  “It works better than our first attempts did when we built the village on the banks of Lake Titicaca,” Ahijah said.

  Samael looked at him. “What happened?”

  Ahijah laughed. “The first one fell apart when we tried to use it. The second one spilled more water than it pumped. The third one didn’t turn at all. The fourth one actually worked. And then we cheered.”

  Samael laughed as well. “I can imagine it.”

  “We hadn’t even built a barn at that point. We had three houses, and Melicia thought we needed water for the plumbing and we shouldn’t be dashing down to the lake all the time. Of course, we’d all grown up in Eden, so living without running water was a bit difficult to adapt to.” Ahijah shook his head, smiling fondly. “We were very glad when the water wheel worked. The next day, we started building the barn and planting for harvest. Coab and some of the others went to buy some cows and sheep and came back with some horses and three dogs and four cats and two dozen chickens as well. Those early days there were hard, but they were happy ones. Time passed, and we built the church and a small shop so we could put our harvest out and everyone could take what they needed, when they needed it. We built a few boats, learned how to make nets and to fish. The animals all bred, as they do, and we lived. Sheltered, hidden, yes, but happy.”

  “I am glad it wasn’t all bad,” Samael said.

  “Most of it was good,” Ahijah said. “It still is good. I won’t leave there, now. I’m too old. Mama loves the place, and the rest of my people adore her. The few Grigori here on Earth come and visit regularly, and that’s good too. Penemuel, Barakiel, and Kokabiel bring us books, music, movies. Kokabiel brings us Belgian chocolate, and Penemuel brings us tea. Remiel comes and goes, and my people are used to him now. But I don’t think any of us would cope well with more than that. They respect you because they know you’re fair, and you understand—probably better than the others—what it means to be hated and feared. But whenever Michael or Gabriel show up, they hide. If they saw Uriel, they’d run. So, I think it’s best things stay as they are. They’re happy. I’m happy. No one’s being hurt.”

  “That is all I ever hoped for, Ahi. I have thought of you and the other Nephilim often, over the millennia. My whole choir did not like the orders regarding you; we thought they were terribly unfair. Michael argued with God about them for some time, but there was no change. Sometimes, I think we all pause and wonder that we were not punished for turning a blind eye to those Nephilim who escaped the flood and for saving you and Hiwa. But then, I think, we all realize that this was some kind of a test. For us, not for you. A test of our compassion.”

  “If it was a test, then it sucked,” Ahijah said. “It sucked for us, living in fear for as long as we have. It’s a major miracle that we didn’t go insane!”

  “But you did not go insane. You are all strong, and you thrived. You lived. You discovered happiness and contentment, and you made your own lives. You took care of animals and the lake and the land around your village. You lived a life of simple pleasures and joys, a life that Semjaza would have denied you. Yes, it was a cruel test, and I empathize. But in the long run, Ahi, you won. You won by simply being you. Your father would have tortured all the Nephilim into insanity and doing his bidding, but instead, he got to spend a very long time locked up in a prison in the stars, put there by the Archangel he hated the most: Gabriel. And then, when he escaped, that same Archangel killed him, and his soul went to Hell. All the while, you were living a happy life—safe and secure and secret to be sure, but happy.”

  Ahijah mulled that over for several minutes. Finally, he nodded. “Yeah. I see your point. You’re right. I didn’t think of it like that. That whole situation with Semjaza and his ego was a mess, wasn’t it?”

  “It was indeed. But he lost everything. He lost Ishtahar, he lost you and Hiwa, he lost his Grigori, he lost Eden, and in the end, he lost his life and soul.”

  “You know Mama thinks you’re awesome,” Ahijah said.

  Samael blinked. “Pardon me?”

  “Mama. She thinks you’re lovely. I mean, she loves Remi, and he loves her, and sometimes it’s embarrassing watching the two of them coo over each other as if they’ve only just met, but she thinks the world of you, too.”

  Samael blushed. “Ah. Well. I see. Thank you.”

  Ahijah grinned. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you blush.”

  “Such a woman as your mother does not give her good opinion without due consideration. It is therefore more worth earning.”

  “Poetic.”

  “Thank you.”

  They stood there for a few moments, and then Ahijah shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “So, you wanted food?”

  “I did. Do you?”

  “Yeah, I could eat.”

  Samael smiled. “I am glad to hear that. Where shall we go?”

  “How about Wabiya Korekido? They do the best yakitori. Hiwa brought us some last time he grabbed a ride with Remiel, and it was really incredible.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Where is it?”

  Ahijah pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and did a quick Google search. It amused him that even after all this time, after war and danger and threats to humanity, Google, the staple of Internet search engines, was still going strong in 2085. “It’s not far. We can walk it, if you want.”

  “All right. Lead on. After we eat,” Samael said, his deep, rich-timbered voice breaking into Ahijah’s thoughts, “we should most likely return to Portland. I am sure there will have been developments in this business since I left.”

  “And we should tell them what we found out from Jessica-Mae’s family, too.”

  “Yes indeed.” Samael sighed. “They are going to be very, very angry when they hear the story of those good people.”

  “I think the tracker—what’s his name? The Necromancer?”

  “Liam.”

  “Right. Him. I think he’s going to be very upset too. From what you told me, he felt pretty strongly about Jessica-Mae.”

  “Yes.” Samael hummed thoughtfully. “He wanted to know if there was no possible way for her to be returned to life or perhaps reincarnated.”

  “Oh dear.” Ahijah shook his head in sympathy. “Yeah, he’s going to be really upset with this information.”

  “I think you’re right,” Samael said.

  “Well, there’s not much we can do about it right now. Why don’t we enjoy our walk, eat some delicious yakitori, and then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to Portland?”

  Samael smiled at him, and Ahijah felt as if he was basking in the warmth of the expression. “I think that is an excellent plan. So let us do it.”

  14

  THE FIRST people they saw upon entering Ondrass’s corporate dining room were Lily and Danny. Baxter couldn’t hold back the whoop that came from him as he saw his pack mates, and as one, he, Angelique, and Riley were running over to join their friends. There were a great deal of hugs and a few tears, and Baxter peered closely at Danny’s face as he gripped his friend’s shoulders.

  “You’re sure you’re all right now?”

  “Yeah, dude, I’m fine.” Danny gave Baxter a light clout on his arm. “Really, I’m fine.”

  “Thank Buddha. We were really damn worried.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Danny’s face grew sober. “I’ve been brought up to speed by the dark lords of fashion and—”

  “You mean the Archdemons?”

  Danny laughed. “Yeah. They are, though, aren’t they?”

  “Hell does seem to dress well,” Baxter agreed. “But yeah, the shit’s gotten real.”

  “Yeah, it has. So what did yo
u guys find in Bangor?”

  “Quite a bit, apparently. Although it was Declan and Liam who did all the hard work. We just sat around a library.”

  Danny’s eyebrows shot up. “A library?”

  “Yeah. Public space, less chance for attack.” Baxter shrugged. “To be honest, bro, being left out of the intel gathering was a bit… weird. It felt like we were twiddling our thumbs.”

  “I can imagine.” Danny shook his head. “Here, we’ve been going over the stuff that Ondrass’s minions found, and the stuff that those Australians sent us. Minnie, I think her name is? And her partner’s Max?”

  “Oh right, yeah.” Baxter nodded. “Know the names, never met the people.”

  “They’re damn good at finding things out, though,” Danny said. “There’s a new facility these assholes are preparing, is that right?”

  Baxter nodded again. “Yeah, we found that out in Bangor. I’m really pissed about that, dude. I hope we found out in time to stop them doing more of those hell experiments, but….” He shrugged helplessly.

  “Me too. And I heard that home got attacked by a coven.” Danny’s expression was now foreboding.

  “Yeah. Shit, that was full-on. Declan got possessed—by choice—with some sort of Voodoo goddess, and Liam summoned up a Voodoo god, and they went and did a bit of a Mexican standoff with the coven until the Archangels arrived.” Baxter took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I think those witches are going to be trouble. They were damn strong. I think it shocked Mikey a bit.”

  “Don’t blame him.” Danny ran a hand through his hair. “So Declan and Liam know Voodoo, huh? I think I want to know a bit more about that.”

  Baxter canted his head to one side, surprised. “Why?”

  “Because I don’t know much about it, and I’m wary of things I don’t know much about. Come on, let’s go talk to them.”

  Baxter followed Danny as he walked across the room to where Declan and Liam were getting themselves something to eat. Declan was piling his plate up as high as he possibly could, and Baxter was privately impressed that he’d managed to balance so much food on one dish. Liam had much less on his plate, but it was still a large serving.

  “You guys hungry, huh?” Baxter said.

  “Damn right,” Declan said, snagging a bread roll. “I need to eat and then I need to sleep. Ondrass told me there’s a guest suite next floor up, so I’m going to make good use of that.”

  “How are you feeling, Danny?” Liam asked. “Although,” he grinned as he spoke, “I bet you’re getting tired of that question.”

  Danny chuckled. “I am a bit. But guys, can we talk?”

  “Can this talk be done while I’m eating?” Declan asked.

  “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

  Baxter watched as Declan grabbed himself a bottle of soda and then made his way to the nearest table. Liam followed suit, and soon, all four were sitting down. Declan was eating as if he had never been fed, shoveling food into his mouth and, to Baxter’s eyes, barely seeming to chew before swallowing. Liam ate at a more sedate pace, but to Baxter’s critical eye, it appeared that his beloved was just as famished.

  “What made you two so hungry?” Danny asked.

  Liam shrugged, swallowed his mouthful, then replied, “Using strong magic tends to take things out of you a bit. Sometimes, when we were working on the road, we’d have to stop at several roadside diners so we’d eat enough to be full and to make sure we didn’t pass out.”

  “I didn’t know Voodoo was that intense,” Danny said.

  Liam shrugged again. “The more you know, then.” He returned to his food.

  Baxter wondered if either of the two was going to explain what they had done and how they knew to do it. The seemingly glib statements they had given earlier, that they had been taught by their guardians in Puerto Rico after their parents had died, didn’t seem to satisfy his curiosity any more. Perhaps Danny was right. Perhaps they needed to know just what talents Liam and Declan possessed in order to not get into trouble.

  “So how do you know all that Voodoo stuff?” Danny was asking.

  Declan quirked an eyebrow at him. “Dude, you were with us in Brittany when we told you about our childhoods.”

  “I was, but it seems to me you left a bit out. Like why you’d willingly let yourself be possessed by a goddess and why Liam would summon a god.”

  “You don’t summon a god,” Liam said, his voice clipped as if Danny’s words were offending him. “You ask a god to help. If they do, then awesome. If they don’t, then that’s their decision. You don’t give them shit for saying no. Especially when they can blow you to smithereens with a thought.”

  “How do you know that?” Danny demanded.

  Declan gave him a withering look. “Common courtesy, dude. Or do you not know what that is, either?”

  Danny frowned. “You saying that it’s all down to good manners?”

  “Why not?” Declan had paused in his impression of a human garbage disposal. “If I want you to do something for me, would you do it if I made demands of you or threatened to trap you in a room if you didn’t do it?”

  “Well no, but….”

  “But nothing. It’s the same thing. Didn’t your father teach you the phrase ‘you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’? It’s the same damn thing.”

  “But….”

  Liam set down his fork. “Danny. Do you know any magic? You, yourself.”

  Danny shook his head.

  “What about you, Baxter?”

  “Me? Hell no. I’m a wolf, and my magic is my giant fangs of power.”

  Liam smiled at that. “And a very pretty wolf you are too. But,” and he grew serious again, “neither of you know any magic, so you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. If you want to know, Danny, just how we know to do what we did, you ask your wife. She’s got her own magic.”

  Danny glared at him. “What do you mean about my wife?”

  Declan and Liam shared a look. Then Declan turned to Danny. “Dude, your wife has gone into Hell, hung around for a while, then returned to Earth. Nobody does that. Nobody does that and lives, sane, afterward. She clearly has some sort of ability that helped her do it.”

  “What are you saying about my wife?” Danny was beginning to lose his temper now, and Baxter rested a hand on his arm.

  “Dude, be cool.”

  “No, Bax, I want to know what these two outsiders are saying.”

  “Danny, did you come out of your coma with your calm genes switched off? Be cool,” Declan said again. “You know your wife; you know what she did, I’m assuming, because otherwise, that’s a hell of a secret for her to keep from you. If you’re having issues about this, then take it up with her. We know it because she brought it up a while ago. Not our fault that we remember shit that you seem to have forgotten because you got hit on the head.”

  “Come on, Danny,” Baxter said, getting to his feet. He could see that his friend was furious. “Leave them to eat, and let’s go talk to Lily.”

  Danny seemed to resist him for a moment, but then he nodded curtly and pulled his arm from Baxter’s grip. “I’ll go talk to her myself,” he said, and stood up. He turned and stormed away without a backward glance.

  “Someone got out of the coma on the wrong side of the bed,” Declan said.

  “He’s not usually so touchy,” Baxter said, sitting down again.

  “Didn’t think he was.” Declan ate some more of his food.

  “He’s got a real problem with anyone talking about Lily, doesn’t he?” Liam asked. “Must piss him off that the Archdemons and Markus are so respectful to her.”

  Baxter blinked. “Oh shit, I didn’t think of that. It probably hasn’t helped his mood, especially if they’ve been here waiting for us for a while. Those Archdemons can be so damn smug.”

  “Goes with the territory of being a demon,” Declan said. “Arch or otherwise, they’re all smug. Until you kill ’em.”

  Liam nodd
ed. “True, that.”

  “Can I ask,” Baxter began, carefully choosing his words, “what sort of vibe did you get from those witches?”

  Declan sighed. “Not good ones. They’re strong, really damn strong, but their power doesn’t seem to come from the Earth. The loa was quite surprised by that, I remember. It’s not an Earth-, Heaven-, Hell-, or Purgatory-based ability.”

  “Something new, then,” Liam suggested.

  “I think so. And I think it might be part of this fucking TCC group.”

  Baxter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He felt very tired all of a sudden, and right then, what he wanted most in the world was to grab Liam, grab a surfboard, get into Liam’s car, and go down to the beach and surf the worries away.

  “What’s up?” Liam asked.

  “Nothing,” Baxter said. “I was just thinking that this is all making me tired.”

  “You want to share a room while we’re here?” Liam asked. “I mean, now, get some rest.”

  Baxter thought about it. He looked over at his pack and could see that Angelique was giving Danny a dressing down. Her body language was tense, angry, and her expression was livid. Danny looked belligerent, but he was enduring it, and Lily was looking on, her lips turned down in a sad expression while Riley looked concerned. Baxter didn’t want to be involved in that discussion, whatever it was about. He could imagine quite well—he didn’t want to listen to the reality of it.

  He turned back to Liam and nodded. “That actually sounds really good.”

  “Awesome. Then when Dec goes upstairs, we will, too, and grab a room.”

  “Just don’t have loud sex,” Declan said. “Some of us have to sleep, you know.”

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Dude, if we were going to have loud sex, why do you think it’d be where you could hear us?”

  “I’m just saying.” Declan got to his feet, stifling a yawn. “Damn. I’m tired.”

  “I’ll show you to the guest rooms.” It was Markus. He had come up silently, and Baxter hadn’t noticed. “You seem to be rather pale there, Declan. Does being ridden by a loa not agree with you?”

  “I’ll be fine. I bet being ridden by a loa wouldn’t agree with you, though,” Declan shot back. “I bet she’d ride you into dust.”