He grunted weakly. “H-high…f-five,” he rasped, giving me an agonized, crooked smile.
My eyes flooded with tears, spilling down my filthy cheeks. “Air five,” I whispered back, cupping his face with both hands and slowly leaning down to kiss him on the forehead. “Will Shadow Walking hurt you?” I asked, gently patting his cheeks with my thumbs as I saw his eyes begin to flutter closed again.
“S-safe,” he mumbled. I heard sirens in the distance and I was baffled to see that no curious citizen had come over to check on the chaos in the alley. Then again, maybe they had. I could envision a curious teen whipping out their phone in hopes they could catch something on video that would make them go viral. Instead, the budding internet star had seen a crazy flying woman fighting a giant talking spider, causing them to promptly shit their pants and then run away to get right with Jesus.
Someone had called the police.
“Okay. Just hold on a little bit longer,” I said, not daring to use my filthy clothes or hands to wipe away my tears. Fabrizio let out a tired wheeze and passed out, murmuring incoherently under his breath. “I might have killed one angel today, and he wasn’t half as noble as you, Meatball. You’re not fucking allowed to die. Hold on.” I gathered up my dwindling strength to Shadow Walk to Xuanwu’s estate. Aala’s rebirth pond might be able to save his hands or at least alleviate some of his pain.
“S-save…me…vampire,” Fabrizio croaked.
He had seen my fangs. Damn it all.
25
Upon delivering Fabrizio to Aala, I had been promptly ushered into a private bath of steaming water full of floating lotus petals and given a selection of seven different scented oils to choose from.
No one outright said you stanky, girl, but I could read between the lines. I’d soaked for half an hour and then scrubbed the hell out of my hair and skin until I felt raw. The water had been filthy and orange from the demon gore, causing the lotus petals to wilt and wither. Which was when a second nameless, voiceless, robed woman entered the room, draped me in a huge, fluffy towel, and then guided me to a second private room with a new bath of petals and scented oils.
Apparently, they intended to incinerate all evidence from my previous bath and banish the tub to the Neverwas or somewhere else that was equally inhospitable. I cleaned off much quicker since the woman remained kneeling at the side of the tub, giving me the option of either physically fighting her while naked or allowing her to wash my hair and back. It was a close call, but I erred on the side of caution since I had no way of knowing how many years she’d spent learning martial arts with Xuanwu and Ryuu. Could have been centuries. I closed my eyes and tried not to focus on her gentle cleaning over my more sensitive bits, but my mind continued wandering to darker problems on the horizon. She then pulled me to my feet, used a pitcher to rinse me off, and then finally permitted me to step out of the tub and into a long soft robe.
There were hardly any chunks of orange spider brain floating in the second tub after I stepped out. I chalked it up as a win and followed her to a third room, stepping through the sliding rice-paper doors. There, I found the set of clothes Aphrodite had made for me and I let out a sigh of relief. Had Ryuu picked them up for me before heading out to deal with his ninjas and trail Legion?
I had scooped up the gleaming white fabric and lifted it to my nose, grinning like an idiot as I scented Ryuu’s familiar musk mixed with spice and sandalwood. For obvious reasons, those were the two oils I had chosen in my baths. I had then slipped into my new clothes, my boots, grabbed my katana and the two Nephilim cuffs along with various other items from the pockets of my filthy clothes—which were nowhere to be found, likely also having been incinerated.
I made my way back to the training fields to speak with Xuanwu before I headed out. I saw the massive black tortoise sitting in the grass, watching Qinglong, Zoe, and Bai playing what looked like a game of tag twenty yards away.
I smiled and then sat in the grass beside Xuanwu, staring out at the field of purple grass.
“Much better,” Xuanwu murmured after taking a deep breath through his nostrils, not looking over at me. He caught me up on his morning’s events and the three patients I’d dumped on him.
Aala was currently tending to Fabrizio’s hands, floating in the pool with him, even though he was still unconscious. She had been very busy this morning, and had set up a row of sickbeds for all the patients I had given her. Eae slept on one, a bandage around his throat and abdomen, and his wings bound with silk ribbons that were strong enough to restrain him. Golden runes burned on the ground around his bed in a perfect circle, trapping him in the event he woke up without supervision.
A safe distance away, also surrounded by glowing runes—although blue and a different collection of symbols from the angel’s—Adrian, the Nephilim, slept on his own cot. He had been sedated, having woken up once in a panic, swinging his claws in a wild frenzy as he demanded to know where I was. Not knowing if his reaction had been threatening or supportive, Aala had tranquilized him with some crazy ass potion that had been derived from a combination of frog semen, two heron tongues, and yak urine. At least, that was what she had told me. The bowl of flower petals on the bedside table gave me cause to doubt her explanation, but I hadn’t called her out on it.
The third bed would be for Fabrizio, the First Shepherd of the Vatican. Currently, he was still in the pond with a very naked Aala, so I was now certain that nudity had something to do with the healing aspect and not that I had been given a unique experience. Likewise, Eae and Adrian were also naked, covered only by a white sheet at the waist. Fabrizio hadn’t woken up, so Aala was aiding his back-float, doing magical curiosities to him in an effort to hopefully heal his hands.
Next, I told him about my morning with Ryuu. The ninja had likely already told him but men didn’t know how to tell proper stories. They focused on all the wrong parts and skipped over the most important aspects. I doubted this was true for Ryuu, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Xuanwu already knew the major behind the scenes issues—and information about my parents that I didn’t even know yet—so I had no fear of speaking freely. He was also wise as hell and often saw situations in incredibly unique ways. I trusted him with my life. More than almost anyone I knew, as a matter of fact, even though he hadn’t told me all he knew about my parents or why Heaven and Hell feared all four of his Divine family so much. We weren’t incredibly close, but he had formed a Trinity with my godfather, Samael, and everything he had ever done had been to benefit me, whether I had understood that at the time or not.
He nodded along as I spoke, not interrupting me once. When I was finished, I stared out at the field. Zoe and Bai now wrestled in the grass with Qinglong, amidst flames and zipping metal projectiles the size of needles, biting, tackling and hissing or yowling at each other. Qinglong merely smiled, playing referee and putting out fires here and there. Xuanwu smiled, clutching his sword cane in his fist like he always did. Legend said that he could never release it, and that it was one of the most powerful swords in the world. His claws flexed and contracted as he watched them.
I glanced down at the Nephilim cuff I’d placed in the grass between us while telling him what I knew about the jewelry, which wasn’t a whole lot. I even told him about my fangs and new hyper senses, since it was relevant for explaining why Adrian had abruptly switched teams to protect me against his boss, Eae.
Xuanwu had not reacted in the slightest to the information that I might be some kind of metal vampire. Instead, he picked up the cuff, inspected it for a few moments, grimaced, and then set it down with a shrug. “Do you love yourself, Callie Penrose?” he asked after a few moments of silence, when it became apparent that I was finished speaking.
I frowned, glancing over at him. “Sure,” I said, studying him. “You heard the part about me growing fangs and biting his buddy, right?”
He smirked, nodding. “Love yourself for your virtues and your vices. Honestly acknowledge your strengths and your weaknesses.
Walk with pride and dance with humility. Speak with grace and dine with empathy. Do these things and you will never be a monster. Frightening your foes does not make you evil, it makes you into a symbol. The White Rose,” he said, nodding pensively. “With the foundations I just laid out for you, the symbol of the White Rose will strike terror and despair in the hearts of the wicked and inspire loyalty and hope in the hearts of the innocent.” He turned to look at me with a kind, eager smile. “The White Rose does not cast a shadow of gloom and endless night; the White Rose calls the valiant to war to fight for brighter days.”
26
I stared at him, nodding. “I will do my best,” I said, honestly. “And you will tell me when I step off the path, which I guarantee is going to happen. There is a whole lot of hate in this heart, Xuanwu. A whole lot of rage, and I’ve seen what happens to me when I let too much of it out. Keep me accountable.”
He turned to me and grinned, nodding his approval. “Of course, White Rose. I will tell you when you fuck up the beautiful cosmic balance I just described to you,” he said, choking on laughter at his abrupt change in sincerity to the philosophical lesson a moment ago. “Never take yourself too seriously. Laughter heals the soul.”
I grunted, shaking my head. “Okay.” My eyes settled on the cuff. “Anything you know about this could be a big help, Xuanwu,” I pressed.
He glanced over at me with a sad smile. “I think we have helped quite enough this morning,” he said, not unkindly but sternly, his eyes flicking towards the two sleeping men. I sighed, nodding as I scooped up the cuff and slipped it into my pocket with the other. Aphrodite’s clothes fit me like a glove, and pockets were essentially bottomless.
“I’m sorry about Jin,” I said, recalling the name of the ninja who had been murdered.
Xuanwu was silent, breathing steadily through his nose as he watched his siblings play. “I am not.”
That drew me up short. I glanced over at the black tortoise, studying his obsidian eyes and his long, wicked beak. His shell was covered in gnarly spikes and rigid hoarfrost. He seemed slow and mellow, but Xuanwu was a goddamned berserker on the battlefield—like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation. It was wise not to poke the tortoise too much.
“Why?” I asked, frowning.
Xuanwu smiled. “Because it has awakened Ryuu from his peaceful meditation to pursue his true calling. A phoenix of death and fear now haunts the streets of Kansas City to avenge Jin, and all will soon know Ryuu’s name. They have not struck a blow against the ninjas; they have unleashed a terribly vicious calamity, a force of nature so profound that even I shudder in anticipation at what he might do to the murderers and their associates.” He glanced over at me, the frost and ice constantly shifting across his skin cracked and fractured. “Do we know who was responsible? Heaven or Hell?”
I tried to keep my face calm in spite of his foreboding description of Ryuu. I had to admit that it sent a thrill of anticipation through me, too. Not because of the violence, but because an injustice had awakened that violence. Ryuu’s wrath was not an instigation but a retaliation. “Heaven’s minions taunted us about the murders, but they did not outright claim responsibility. It is vitally important that I interrogate those two when I return. Not just about the attack on Jin and my vampire, but about much bigger issues coming down the pipeline.”
Xuanwu was silent.
“Which means you are not allowed to kill them,” I clarified. “Even if they claim credit. Once I’m finished with them, you can do whatever you want with them, but not until I get my answers.”
Xuanwu nodded, turning back to watch his siblings playing in the grass. “I will agree to that. If neither side takes official credit, Ryuu will indiscriminately assassinate the forces of Heaven and Hell, one-by-one. They should be very, very afraid right now.” He took a sip from a cup in front of him. “Tea, Miss Penrose?” he asked in a cordial, upbeat tone, as if he hadn’t just discussed Ryuu murdering countless angels, demons, and Nephilim.
I shook my head, wondering just how crazy all my new friends really were beneath the surface. “No. Fabrizio and I were interrupted on our way to see Roland about my vampires, but I want to take these to Solomon, first. He might have read something about them. The temple is pregnant with books, so if anyone has information on the Sins, Archangels, Olympians, or Divines, it will be there.” I patted the cuff in my pocket, meaningfully.
Xuanwu tracked my motion and then glanced over at the sleeping Nephilim and angel. “A collar,” he mused in a tone of disapproval, “to keep them from knowing their true natures are actually to hunt and kill angels. That is incredibly cruel. Making a lion work for a sheep, by making the lion think he’s a sheep.”
I nodded. “Sounds crazy when you say it out loud. The Nephilim were sired from angels procreating with humans a long, long time ago. Why would their offspring instinctively want to kill angels? I thought the trope of kids killing their parents was predominantly part of the Greek and Norse pantheons,” I mused, rhetorically.
He cast me a very dry look that made my shoulders wilt. “If only there were some other group a wise old man told you about…a group basically founded on the principle of overthrowing one’s ancestors and willing to destroy the world to do it. If only…” he trailed off, deadpan.
I grunted. “Yeah. I walked into that one. The Masters,” I mused, staring off into the middle distance. I wasn’t sure what they had to do with the Nephilim, but their modus operandi was eerily similar. I really needed to sit down with Nate Temple and Quinn MacKenna so we could hash this stuff out. Which only brought on concerns about the Olympian drama. I let out a tired sigh and climbed to my feet. “I’ll think on the Nephilim, but please keep Adrian and Eae safe for now. I’m pretty sure me drinking that Nephilim’s blood broke off Adrian’s cuff, and he immediately sprang into action to protect me. Maybe that means I am destined to become their version of Count Dracula as well. I might not even have to spill any blood to do it.”
Xuanwu grunted, shaking his head in disappointment. “What did the Nephilim you left for dead look like?”
I frowned. “Handsome. Brown hair and pale blue eyes. Why?”
“He wasn’t there when Ryuu’s men went to retrieve the body. Either someone from Heaven came to collect his body, meaning they already know what you did since you took his bracelet, too,” he said, slowly turning to look at me. “Or your Nephilim wasn’t actually dead when you left him. There was absolutely no blood at the crime scene, either. Almost as if someone had sucked it right up from out of the ground.”
I cursed. “Damn it. But the angels would have wanted to clean up Eae’s blood to hide the evidence. Not let anyone discover that they’re vulnerable against the Nephilim,” I said, thinking of Quentin at large on the streets of my city. What if he remembered his old orders and chose to hunt down Ryuu’s ninjas? He had those wicked new claws, now…
Xuanwu nodded. “Perhaps. But if the Nephilim did survive and drank Eae’s blood to heal his wounds…the last thing he would remember would be you stabbing him in the gut and ravaging his neck. I imagine he has strong feelings about that memory. Or Heaven has strong opinions about you stealing what they consider their property. So when you say you might not have to spill any blood…” he chuckled darkly. “I almost feel like you haven’t been paying any attention.” He stared at me for a few more seconds and then resumed his study of his siblings in the field. “Thought you should know.”
I rose to my feet and adjusted my katana, unable to decide which option would be worse: a territorial host of angels knowing I had kidnapped their soldier and almost killed another, and that I had learned the Nephilim’s naughty secret; or a bloodthirsty Nephilim stalking the streets to get revenge on the woman who had tried to kill him?
“Does Ryuu know about all of this?”
Xuanwu shook his head, not looking over at me. “I haven’t seen him since he left with Lucky and Xylo to trail your demon friend, Legion, five minutes after he dropped off Aala’s new patients. Tha
t was hours ago.”
I pursed my lips. “Heaven and Hell both have assassins out there prowling the streets to hunt down my allies in order to bully me into handing over Gabriel and Wrath, who seem to have vanished. Or Pride and Michael, who I also can’t turn in because they don’t freaking exist anymore. Telling them about Lucky will only make things worse. Much worse.” Xuanwu nodded in agreement. I glanced over at Adrian. “But I can start by getting answers on this,” I said, patting my pocket with the Nephilim cuffs. “If I can turn the Nephilim to my side, I can then use them to neutralize the demon assassins, buying us some much-needed time to deal with Legion and the rest of the Sins.”
He thumped his sword cane against the ground. “Sounds like a plan. We will look after our guests until you return.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Xuanwu.” Then I Shadow Walked to Solomon’s Temple to talk to a lion about some Holy handcuffs.
27
As usual when I visited Solomon’s Temple, I arrived on the vast open balcony that overlooked his lands. The first thing I noticed was the sudden vibrancy in the air—the smell of fresh growth from the huge swaths of gardens as far as the eye could see. The second thing I noticed was the dark bubble in the near distance where Castle Dracula was located. There, it was perpetually night, even featuring its own moon. Colossal walls surrounded the huge estate for miles in every direction, preventing all but an aerial army from breaking into the private world of monsters, vampires, and nightmares. But even an aerial force would be hard-pressed to attempt an assault, because I had hundreds of gargoyles sweeping the skies on vigilant patrols.
For such a nightmarish place, Castle Dracula was uniquely sophisticated. We had a Keep, a Clocktower, a Coliseum, an Observatory, a Library, an Armory, a Village, paved city streets, hotels, and brothels, and stunning, labyrinthine gardens. I knew that plenty of monsters had expatriated to Castle Dracula over the centuries, filling the place with creatures that I had never even heard of. It was strangely exciting, in a way, because not all of those residents wanted to be bothered and were very much uncivilized. A wrong turn in the forest might lead to a literal life or death situation. I wasn’t the ruler they loved unconditionally, but there was no longer a question that I was their ruler.
Trinity: Feathers and Fire Book 9 Page 15