by Maya Nicole
"Just a sip to take the edge off." He wiggled it and smiled. "I can't drink alone."
"Sure you can. You just don't want to." I took the flask and took a drink. It burned, and I grimaced. "What is this?"
"Bourbon. Another alcohol you lack here." He screwed the lid back on and set it on the floor. "Come here." He patted his lap.
"This is hardly the time to get frisky, Raphael." I finished cleaning up and pulled on one of Kage's t-shirts I had brought with me. "Where are the others?" I put out one of the two lamps.
"Drinking and being merry." He patted his lap again and I rolled my eyes before lying down next to him. "Well, okay then. Do you want me to leave?"
"Lie with me." I traced a circle on his knee. "Please."
"Well, since you said please." He lay facing me and cupped my cheek. "Are you doing okay?"
I shut my eyes and leaned against his hand. "I might have to watch my brother die tomorrow."
Raphael was quiet and smoothed my hair. I was starting to nod off when he spoke in one of the softest voices I'd ever heard from him. "I know it's going to be tough if it comes to that, Sammy. You don't have to be the one to do it, but if you are, we're here to support you." I turned and kissed his hand. "You said he isn't like the Taylor you grew up with. Remember that tomorrow."
The sounds of hooves echoed as we rode through the forest. It was just before dawn and we had set out, leaving our camp behind to return to after we won.
We would win.
We had the element of surprise on our side. I hoped.
The guys kept stealing glances my way. Amari was now in his panther form and Nico in his squirrel form. We had strapped Nico's fanny pack around Amari's neck and Nico rode on his back, holding onto the straps.
Raphael had taken a picture with his phone and said he was going to have a large canvas made for the castle.
"Something's wrong. I sense it in the air." Picard had apparently decided to reveal himself at the campfire the night before and then gotten drunk. I guess he felt safe enough with us that he was okay with everyone knowing he existed.
"What do you mean?" I tried to figure out what he was referring to, but all I saw and heard were soldiers and trees.
"There's a darkness heading toward us. Not that far ahead." He pointed ahead of us, as if I didn't know which way he was referring to.
"Picard says there is darkness heading this way," I said, loud enough for the men around me to hear.
"I sense it too." Raphael took off to the front and my heart beat wildly.
I had been in small skirmishes from time to time, including the one in Val's village, but what we were headed toward was nothing like what I'd ever experienced. Would we be able to kill enough vacants to have the upper hand? What if they overpowered us?
A shout came from the front. "Fall back!"
The convoy started to curve to turn around when shouts came from the front.
Raphael flew overhead, his white wings a beacon in the darkness of the forest. He hovered over me. "There's black smoke rolling in through the forest. I tried flying over the trees but couldn't see anything besides the smoke."
"Not good. Not good at all!" Picard turned his head up and looked at me. "It's dark magic in its purest form. We have to go, now."
"It's coming fast!" A shout came from the front and then the horses freaked out, throwing men and taking off back the way we came.
I couldn't see Val, Amari, or Nico anywhere. "Val!"
"They're just ahead. Run, Sammy. I'll take care of them." Raphael flew toward the front.
I ignored him and urged Buttercup forward. Buttercup was one of the few horses not running around frantically trying to escape. He dodged other spooked horses with a fierceness only a hell horse could bring.
The smoke was rolling forward in a wall of darkness. It had reached the front of our men. As soon as it covered them, the silence that followed from them was deafening.
Raphael had landed and was working to lift a horse from Amari. He didn't look up as I came to a stop and jumped off Buttercup to help.
"God damn it, Samara! I told you to run." He looked toward the smoke. "On the count of three."
On three we lifted, my arms and back aching as we moved the horse enough for Amari to scoot out. He tried to stand and fell back to the ground, a look of pain in his eyes.
Nico was nowhere to be seen.
"Nico!" I looked around frantically and then tried to lift the horse again. I was strong, but not strong enough to lift a horse on my own. The smoke was almost to us, and if we didn't leave soon, it was going to get us.
"I'm right here!" Nico was on a horse with Val draped across his lap. "His horse threw him."
Raphael picked up Amari with a grunt and his wings extended. "Go!"
I practically flew onto Buttercup, and as soon as I had ahold of his reins, he took off. The smoke rolled after us, but it wasn't fast enough to catch a horse.
"It's not stopping!"
Picard pulled himself out of his harness and climbed onto my shoulder, holding onto the edge of my armor. "If I don't come back, tell Kage he has been a fierce protector and that he doesn't need a monkey or a rag to find his voice."
Before I could stop him, he jumped from my shoulder and onto the ground. He disappeared between the hooves and frantic feet.
I was sure he had been squashed when a blinding light lit up the forest. "The smoke is slowing!"
We created more distance between us and the smoke, until the smoke started to retreat. I turned Buttercup and stopped.
A single figure walked in the distance. He was carrying a large stick with a skull on it. Wisps of the black smoke came out of the holes in the skull. I wanted to scream and bit my tongue.
He stopped and picked something up, holding it in his hand. My heart leapt into my throat as my brother's eyes met mine. A smirk spread across his face and he held up what he had picked up.
Picard.
Taylor turned around and started walking away.
"Taylor!" I urged Buttercup forward. "Stop!"
He stopped but didn't turn around.
"What do you want?" I held my voice steady considering we had just lost almost half of the men.
He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. He laughed and threw his hands out to the sides, Picard still clutched in one of them, his skull scepter in the other. He spun around and my stomach seized.
"Everything, baby sister. Everything!" As he started walking again, the still figures on the ground rose and followed him.
Raphael stood in front of my horse. "Don't even think about it. We need to regroup. We need more men. I wish regular angels could tolerate Inferna." When I gave him a confused look, he continued without me having to ask. "It drains their light energy. I guess it's similar to how certain demons weaken on Earth."
Even if we were to have reinforcements, I wasn't sure we were any match against the magic Taylor was using.
Chapter 11
Samara
Defeated.
There was no other way to put it when it came to what we had been up against. How were we ever going to stand a chance against my brother when he had taken us out with a cloud of dark magic?
Picard had stopped him, but at what cost? None of us were sure if he had even survived. If he did, he probably didn't want to if he was in the hands of Taylor.
It was a long trip back to the castle. Half the men were injured, including Amari, who had crushed several of his bones. Bones took longer to heal, even with Raphael's intervention.
Val had been distant once we got back to the camp and woken up from being knocked out. He had stayed outside the tent most of the time we had been working on Amari. Amari wasn't quiet about his pain either, which made me want to run and hide as well. I didn't like seeing a man I loved hurting or to feel it in my soul.
I didn't like the distance I had started to notice between Val and Amari. They were each other's worlds, but now it seemed I was negatively impacting that.
Getting him to shift back to normal had been rough enough. He scratched Nico and practically bit Raphael as they shoved a herb that forced him to shift down his throat. Most of the healing was done while he was a panther, but a few things had to be done in his own skin.
"Amari is finally asleep. He will most likely be out for a few days while the bones finish healing." He squatted in front of me and took my hands. "What do you need from me?"
I looked down at our joined hands. "I don't know." I choked on my words and took a deep breath to stop myself from having a meltdown.
Queens couldn't have meltdowns. Losing half the soldiers didn't make me feel like much of a queen.
Nico came in with food and handed me a plate. "You should eat." He handed the other plate to Raphael.
"I'm not really hungry." I set the plate on the ground next to me and watched Raphael start to eat. He kept his eyes locked on me, but didn't say another word.
Nico went and stood next to Amari and looked down at him. "You should have recorded how big of a baby he was on that contraption of yours."
Raphael finished chewing a bite of food. "Sorry. I was a bit busy trying not to get a limb bitten off to record him on my cell phone. Is your arm healing okay?"
Nico put his hand over the bandage that covered his left arm. "It is. Thanks." He came back over to us and sat down. "Peanut, try to eat something."
I picked up the plate. I was going to eat because I didn't want to hear either of them give me grief for skipping a meal. Had they presented me with wine, I'd have gladly had that for a meal.
We ate in silence, and once we were finished, I handed Nico my plate. "Where's Val?"
"He's right outside. He said he'll keep watch." Nico took Raphael's plate and stood. "I'm not sure what his deal is. I asked him and he hissed at me."
I looked over at Amari sleeping soundly. "I think it's because Amari isn't a gargoyle anymore. He's vulnerable now." I stood and took the plates from Nico. "I'm going to talk to him."
I half-expected them to stop me, but they both moved to their bedrolls without a word.
Once I dropped off the plates at the cleaning station and spoke a few words of gratitude and encouragement to some soldiers, I found Val sitting on the ground on the side of the tent.
"Hey." I sat down next to him. "We're going to get some sleep before we head out in a few hours. You should join us."
"I don't feel like it." He stared off at the next tent over. "I should keep watch."
"There are enough soldiers on duty." I laid my head on his shoulder and hugged onto his arm. "What's wrong, Val?"
"I'm going to lose him." His voice was so small it was almost unintelligible.
I lifted my head and turned his face to mine. "He's going to be fine. Raphael said-"
"I don't mean like that. I mean, now that he isn't bound to my house, why would he stick around? If it wasn't for you, he'd probably be long gone by now." He tried to turn his head, but I gripped his chin. "Samara. Let me go."
"He loves you. When you were all bloodlusty, he made sure no one killed you." I let go of his chin and pulled my knees up, wrapping my arms around them. "I think when you are so used to how something is and it suddenly changes, it can be a big adjustment."
He mimicked my pose and leaned against me. "Is that how you're feeling?"
"Yes." I put my chin on my arms. "I've been half-tempted to tell Raphael to hide me away on Earth."
"You've fought too hard and lost too much to do that." He stood and pulled me to my feet. "You should get some sleep."
"Only if you come. You shouldn't be alone. What if you're tempted?" I didn't want to show my worry, but it was hard not to. "It hasn't been that long, Val."
He nodded. "I did struggle today, but I've been drinking a lot of blood. I'm fine."
I hoped he was right.
Telling a room full of people that half of the soldiers had died or been turned into who-knew-what was one of the hardest conversations I've ever had.
"That went about as expected." Val pulled off his shirt and threw it across the room. "Now we have even more witnesses to how bad this thing is and we will have more support."
"But can we really expect them to risk their lives when we don't even know how to stop him?" I put down my knife and bar of soap and turned in my chair. I had immediately begun carving after fielding questions and calling for more soldiers.
Nico walked in the room with a pinched look on his face. He crossed his arms, sat down on the bed, and patted Amari's feet. The panther had been out cold since we had healed him the best we could. "Kage is binge cleaning again."
"Do you want me to go see if I can calm him down?" Raphael didn't look up from his phone. He had been glued to it since we'd returned to the room a few hours ago.
"I'll go." I stood and slid my feet into a pair of slippers. It was rare that I just sat around in my room as of late, but tonight it was necessary for all of us to try to unwind.
"He's in your parents' old room." Nico cringed. "He was muttering something about needing to rid it of Lilith's stench. I guess it was never cleaned after she was killed."
I didn't want to go into my parents' old room, but it seemed I didn't have much of a choice. I headed down the hall and past the stairs to the other wing that had a series of rooms that belonged to my parents.
I slipped into the bedroom and shut the door gently before turning around and being hit with memories.
"Mama." I scrambled across the sitting room to the bedchamber door. The door was locked. "Mama!"
Tears ran down my face and my entire body shook from the nightmare that had woken me up with a scream. Dream demons weren't supposed to have nightmares or have trouble sleeping. I was a null though, so I got them all the time.
The door flew open and my father stood there in his robe, looking annoyed he had been woken up. "What are you going on about?"
I threw myself at him, my arms going around his waist and my face burying in his stomach. "Daddy!" I sobbed into the smooth material and he stumbled back a step.
He stiffened but then wrapped an arm around me, patting me gently on the back. "Samara, what in the name of hell horses are you doing out of bed at this hour?"
"The monsters, Daddy." He walked me backwards and sat me down on a sofa. He knelt in front of me and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
It was a loving gesture that I didn't often get from the gruff man that was always so hard on me. He was made of stone.
"What monsters?" He moved to the couch next to me and wrapped an arm around me. "We've talked about the castle being safe from monsters. They can't get in here."
"Where's Mommy?" I looked over my shoulder at the ajar bedchamber door. I hadn't seen her when my father had opened it. "She's not in bed?"
"She is looking after your brother." He looked uneasy, shifting in his seat. "You should get back to bed."
"The monsters come in my sleep." I started to cry again, and he made hushing noises, trying to get me to stop. "They kill you and mommy and they take Reve and Taylor to the darkness."
"I'm going to kill your brothers for telling you scary stories." He clucked his tongue. "You can sleep on the sofa." He stood and went back into his room, returning with a pillow and blanket.
I put out my bottom lip. "Can I sleep in your bed? Please?" He tucked the blanket around me.
"I'll sit right here until you fall asleep, how about that?" He sat down in a chair next to the sofa.
I blinked away the memory and looked at the sitting room that looked almost exactly the same as it had centuries before. The only difference was the brownie shoving an armoire trying to move it.
"Kage." I stepped toward him, but he ignored me. I was pretty sure he heard me. "Kage, what are you doing?" The armoire made an awful noise as it mo
ved across the floor and I cringed. "Have you been doing this since we got back?"
No response.
He was distraught and angry. He dropped to his knees and began scrubbing the floor with a cloth and water, the faint shimmer of magic particles running up his arms.
I slowly approached him and scooted the bucket out of his reach with my foot. He hesitated briefly but then continued scrubbing the dirty floor that had been under the armoire.
"Maybe I should go get Raphael." I backed up a few steps, but he reached out and grabbed my ankle.
"I don't need Raphael," he snapped.
I was taken aback but knelt down next to him and tried to take the rag from him. We started a tug of war with it before he finally let it go and I fell backwards onto my ass.
"S-S-Sammy! I'm-" I held up my hand as he tried to apologize.
He leaned back against the armoire and stared blankly across the room. He was upset about Picard, I knew that, but he had been concerningly quiet. When I had told him what happened, he had disappeared without a word.
"I don't know how to take your pain away." I sat on the other side of him. "But cleaning until you kill yourself isn't helping anything."
"I n-need h-him."
"I don't think you do. He was only with us for a few days, Kage. He showed you a confidence you didn't know you had." Guilt ate at me since I was the reason Picard was no longer with us.
He pushed to his feet. "I need to finish cleaning." He pulled open the armoire and started fiddling with things inside. "Lilith had her special servants clean her chambers and they clearly did not do a good enough job."
"Will you be better once you clean this room?" I stood and took a wooden box he held out to me. It had the family crest carved in the top of it and was big enough to fit a pair of shoes. "Why would Lilith have this?"
"This armoire hasn't been opened in centuries. I can tell by the dust and particles that seeped through the cracks."
It needed a key. I examined the tiny keyhole and then remembered a necklace my mother used to wear with different talismans, as she liked to call them. I pushed open the bed chamber door and went to the closet.