For a second, his determination wavered, and he shut his eyes tightly. The pain on his face was heartbreaking. After a long moment, he opened his eyes again and fixed me with a hard stare. “Did you do something to her?” he asked again. “Did you pass something on to her? Some energy, or something?”
“No,” I breathed out, stunned. “I didn’t do anything to Hannah.”
“She was obsessed with you. She spoke of you often, and she hated you with a passion. Why?”
“It was stupid… petty…” I shook my head, confused at the turn of events.
“Hannah’s not one for remembering names, especially anyone that she considered beneath her notice. The lower classes are faceless nobodies to her. If I held a gun to her head and asked her to name one staff member at Revelations, she wouldn't be able to do it. Yet, she had your staff photo in her suite, with its eyes gouged out.” He cocked his head and eyed me steadily. “Why did she hate you so much?”
I was speechless. I mouthed like a goldfish for a few moments.
Alex rescued me. “Eve was the only person to ever stand up to her,” he said in his deep, distant-thunder voice. “You already know this. Hannah was awful," he went on savagely. "Self-obsessed, spoilt, petulant, vain, and downright nasty. She treated everyone like shit.”
I flinched a little, wondering if Alex’s words would upset Mr. Savage any further. His expression remained hard and focused.
“Eve was the only person ever to call her out,” Alex said. “And she did it in such a way that Hannah never had any recourse to get revenge. And believe me, she tried everything.”
Mr. Savage’s mouth remained in a grim line, and he kept his focus on me. “Hannah spoke to me several times, trying to get you fired,” he said. “I was under the impression it would be a matter of time before you were dead anyway, so I didn’t indulge her.” Mr. Savage’s hard expression wavered for a second. I wondered stupidly if he was upset about the idea of me dying, or not indulging his daughter one last time. “Why did they kill her instead of you?”
Heat flared in my chest. Alex started to speak, but I waved my hand to cut him off.
“Your darling daughter,” I drawled, “tried to make a move on Alex. She threw herself at him, and made her intentions pretty obvious. But as you can see, he’s with me, and will never be with anyone else.”
Indignation flashed in Mr. Savage’s eyes, but it didn’t stop me. “Hannah was upset when Alex made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her,” I went on. “So, in revenge, she tried to have me fired. When that didn’t work, she planted cocaine in my room, and tried to spread a rumor that I was dealing drugs to the guests.” I tossed back my hair. “Fortunately, every single staff member at Revelations saw a video, filmed by my roommate, of her hiding the bag of coke in my bedside drawer, so they helpfully pointed anyone who asked for “Eve” in your daughter's direction. I can only assume that your crazy hired assassin told someone that he was looking for Eve, and got pointed towards Hannah.”
I took a breath and squared my shoulders. “Your daughter is dead because she tried to ruin my life, and it backfired,” I said, never breaking eye contact with Mr. Savage. “But for what it’s worth, I’m sorry that she died.”
His hard face crumbled for a second. “She might have been difficult…”
“She was more than difficult,” I said, twisting the knife. “She was a total bitch.”
“She was my total bitch,” Mr. Savage spat out through clenched teeth. “She was my entire world. The only thing I’ve ever loved.” Clenching his fists, he shook them as despair rocked through him. Suddenly overwhelmed, he moaned and started shaking, then he hit himself sharply in the forehead.
It was like watching the Parthenon burn down. Such a dignified, charismatic, and attractive man, and he was completely falling apart. I couldn’t look away. My anger vanished.
“Mr. Savage…” I raised my hand, as if trying to reach out to him, but I hesitated and pulled away again. “Honestly, I’m sorry she got caught up in all of this.”
He rested his head in his hands, moaning again. “It’s my fault,” he whispered, his voice muffled. “All my fault. I knew you were here, the Black Chalice, and I let her come here too. I should have sent her far, far away, I didn't completely believe the rumors, the prophecies, none of us did. I just wanted her close to me…”
“Why is it your fault?’ Alex asked softly. “Did you-”
Mr. Savage lifted his head, his face wet with fresh tears. “now she’s burning in Hell.”
I squinted at him. “How… How do you know that?”
“I know everything,” he said simply. “I didn’t believe it, the stuff about Hell and how almost everyone goes there when they die. I thought it was just scaremongering by the Church. But now…” he swallowed heavily, his eyes pinching shut again. “... It's like I can feel her and hear her screaming at me, and I can almost see her; I can feel the flames too…” He trailed off, his voice a horrified whisper.
Alex took a sharp intake of breath. “You’re with the Quarters.”
Oh.
Mr. Savage’s face was blank for a long moment, but finally, he nodded. “I am. For the last five years now. It’s been my only life goal, to rise in the world enough to join the distinguished ranks of the most successful men in history. When the last member died, I petitioned, and took his spot.”
“You put the contract out on Eve,” Alex said quietly, a dangerous hint of a growl in his voice. “You sent the Sanctum Domeni after her.”
He shrugged his shoulders carelessly. “She’s going to end the world. Of course, we don’t want that. The Quarters are committed to keeping things exactly as they are.”
“You know that’s not going to happen, right?” My anger at him bubbled up again. “On a few different levels. The Earth is dying. You’re killing it, you businessmen with your plastics and your pollution. You are literally killing the planet. Soon, there won’t be anyone to rule over.”
He shrugged again. “The planet is not going to die. It’s just going to get a little messy. People will pay more for the clean parts. There will still be a few people on the planet whose lives will be worth living, and it will be us.” His face crumpled again. “Or at least, that was the plan.”
I gaped at him. “You were going to let the planet get trashed? Let most people live in poverty and in danger just so you and your little secret society could live in ultimate luxury?”
“The Quarters are only concerned with maintaining our control over the world. It’s of little interest to us what happens to the workers who keep us there. As long as there are enough humans to keep supplying us with workers, we’re fine.”
“Are you kidding?” I breathed. “I honestly thought that the whole illuminati-type, secret-society thing you guys have got going on must be a bit of a beat-up. Like, no group of people could possibly be that evil. I thought you must have some sort of grand plan to help humanity and the planet in the long run, maybe for your benefit, yes…” I trailed off, aghast, and shook my head. “But you really don’t, do you? You guys are just selfish. The epitome of selfish. You bastards deserve everything that is coming your way.”
I’d clearly forgotten we were standing at his daughter’s gravesite, her body cold in the ground beside us.
“Because you’re all going to die soon,” I went on, baring my teeth at him. “And when you do, the accumulated pain you have caused over the decades is going to come bouncing back on you, and it won’t ever go away. It won’t even ease off,” I snapped, tossing my hair back. “Every cruel word, every terrible action. Even all of the animals you’ve eaten over your lifetime. All that misery and hurt is going to bounce back on you a millionfold, and you won’t have a clue how to process it all. You’ll scream and cry for all eternity, wallowing in your misery.” I took a step forward, fixing him with a glare. “You will deserve it all too.”
Mr. Savage broke eye contact first. He glanced down into the hole where his daughter lay, his eyes misting
over again. “I never believed that,” he said quietly. “I don’t really know if I believe you now. However, it doesn’t matter. Even if it’s true, I doubt that any pain I could feel could possibly be worse than what I feel now. I’m already in Hell.”
“You wish, mate,” I drawled. “I’ve heard the screams of the lost souls. What you’re experiencing now is just a tiny fraction of what you will feel when you die. You really do deserve it. Because of who you’ve been, because of what you’ve done over your lifetime. You’re with the Quarters - and you’ve made it clear that they’re the most evil organization on Earth. You will all burn.”
Okay, maybe I was being a little dramatic, but I was mad. And there would never be another opportunity to yell at any of the Quarters ever again, so I was going to make the most of it.
Not that Mr. Savage seemed to care that much. He was outwardly unmoved by my rant.
“That’s just it,” he muttered. “We only care about power. That’s the only important thing, or so I thought. There’s no room for anything else. Especially not love,” he said, his voice breaking. “Because when you love, you are weak. The Quarters are supposed to be strong, before anything else. They’re power. And nothing else matters.” His eyebrows fell. “For that reason, they made a mistake when they chose me.”
He took a deep breath and focused on me, his expression hard again. “I loved my daughter with every cell in my body,” he said fiercely. “It was so natural and perfect that I didn’t even consider the fact that she would be a weakness for me. She was so strong, so feisty and stubborn, it never occurred to me that she could ever be in danger. I had thought I could keep her safe forever, but now, because of my involvement with the Quarters, she’s dead. The one thing on this Earth that gave me happiness…” His mouth trembled. He swallowed, and kept going. “And now, there’s no point,” he said, wiping away fresh tears that fell from his face. “No point to anything.”
The guy was on the verge of a full breakdown.
“There’s always a point,” I mumbled. “There’s always meaning in life. Or, there could be, if you let it. You could help us,” I suggested tentatively. “You could help me. If you could tell the other Quarters that I’m dead, or the prophecy doesn’t exist, so they leave me alone and stop funding assassins that want to kill me, that would be great.”
He glanced back up at me, a hint of hardness in his eyes. “I hardly think that’s going to offset half a century of bad karma.”
“No, but it’s a start, isn’t it? Listen, Mr. Savage. This is all going to come to a head, whether it’s me that gives birth to the apocalypse or not. Even if I’m murdered, there’s a good chance that whatever accumulation of energy that’s within me will just flow on to the next girl with the same sort of… I don’t know, vibration, I guess, as what I have. Hell is going to overflow, no matter what. And when those souls come busting out of Hell, and wreak havoc on earth, they’re going to be focused on wrecking anything negative in nature. That’s you, Mr. Savage. That’s the Quarters, and everything they’ve built. It’s like Jesus said: The meek will inherit the Earth.
Mr. Savage lifted his chin. “I don’t care,” he said, his voice cold. “I don’t care what happens to you, or anyone, or anything anymore.” His eyes fell back to the grave, where his daughter lay. “Nothing matters anymore.” His head dropped down, and he started to sob again.
For a long time, it was quiet. The rain continued to fall, soft and drizzly on the thick, emerald grass around us. The gravestones, slick and wet, shone like gemstones in the distance.
“Mr. Savage,” I said tentatively. He didn’t react; he just kept sobbing. I paused for a minute, and I tried again. “Mr-”
Alex slipped his hand into mine. “I think we should go.”
“We can’t leave him like this.”
“It’s exactly what we should do. He needs to be alone with her.” Alex turned me slightly, so I would look at him. His gorgeous, icy-blue eyes were captivating and impossible to resist. He was right, anyway. I wasn’t going to do any good here, not when Hannah’s body wasn’t even covered with dirt yet.
“Come on,” Alex said. He pulled me away. His hand was firm and hot, holding mine carefully, and he watched my movements, keeping the umbrella over my head so I wouldn’t get wet. He was so big, his shoulders so broad, his muscles bunching enticingly under his crisp white shirt and black tie. When he held the umbrella over me, it gave me the same feeling as if I was standing underneath a mighty oak tree in the middle of a rainstorm. He sheltered me; he protected me. I savored the feeling. I needed it after witnessing Bentleigh Savage’s ultimate breakdown.
We walked away from the graveside, leaving Mr. Savage alone with his daughter.
“You know,” Alex said idly, as we wandered through the headstones. “You couldn't seem to pick a side back there. You’re mad at him for being one of the Quarters, but you’re sad that he’s grieving. You’re mad that he’s literally trying to kill you, but you’re sad that he’s lost the only thing he’s ever loved.”
“Nothing is ever black and white.”
“Tell that to the Percuitait,” Alex frowned. “Everything to that bunch of assholes is black and white.”
“It’s just Vane, now, right? Only one bad guy? From what I understood, he was the only one with a body left.”
“As far as we know,” Alex replied, moving the umbrella closer to me as the rain started to lighten. “According to Zel, it was only three of the Percuitait who got desperate enough to wage a campaign to kill you. The others are probably still sulking around the Earth,” his voice lowered, “glaring at humans that dare work on Sunday, or getting mad at women for touching stuff on their period.”
I turned to Alex, my eyebrows raised. “Okay, what?”
“It’s in the Bible. Leviticus, or something. If you’re on your period, if you touch anything, it’s unclean.”
“Okay,” I rolled my eyes. “Obviously the free-bleeders of the stone age never heard of tampons. But whatever.” I changed the subject. “How many Percuitait actually are there?” It was something that had never occurred to me. “When you give them a plural name like that, it sounds like a lot. I should probably know how many want me dead.”
“No, it’s not. There’s not that many at all. In total, there were only three hundred or so angels created by God, originally,” he explained. “Over the eons, they developed into their own factions and fell into their preferred jobs. Just under half of them fell with Lucifer, and became demons. They’re pretty much one hierarchy down there; they're all greater demons like my mom.”
“What about the lesser demons?”
“The rogues are always Earth-bound, like Zel. He had a breakdown; his heart just couldn’t take it anymore. He’ll be back, though. But yes, very occasionally, a rogue demon will lose its mind and start murdering everyone in the immediate vicinity. Those ones need to be taken out.”
“How do you… ‘take them out’?” I did air quotes.
“Flaming swords, blessed daggers. The usual,” Alex winked at me. “If you cut up a demon’s body enough, his energy will start to dissipate. It’s hard, and you can’t completely kill an immortal creature. Their essence will always be intact. When we destroy them, they become little more than wisps, bodiless energy that floats on the breeze, with no power to speak of.”
“Like what happened to the other two Percuitait? Vane’s brothers?”
He nodded. “Exactly. But we know that these wisps can attach themselves to people, and maybe siphon enough energy over time to sustain some sort of form. I haven’t heard of it ever being done, though.” He frowned. “When the katadonis imbued the essence of the angels, it happened slowly, over a few decades. And even then, they had no powers, they were just immortal. They didn’t age. Their powers developed over millennia, so they could move around on the astral plane and help with messages and stuff like that.”
“And the same with the Imps?”
“Yes, although technically we never asked th
em to help us,” Alex smirked. “They are such adorable little monkeys, though. All they want to do is help us, and have fun. If anything, they should be the ones inheriting Earth.”
“That, my friend, is why you’re on the right side,” I winked at him. “Your sense of justice is impeccable. You still haven’t told me how many Percuitait there actually are though.”
“Probably only around thirty,” he replied. “I know that there are just over a hundred angels in Heaven. The seraphim and cherubim literally just hang around there, keeping the place neat and keeping records on every single little thing that happens on Earth, just in case God wants them. Then there’s the Percuitait, who are supposed to be encouraging humans not to sin, when in reality they’re spending most of the time punishing them for stupid sins. The archangels try and look after the seraphim and cherubim and the Percutait, as well as try and get Ascended Souls to become Guardians, rather than reincarnate on Earth. Mostly, they just drift around, trying to get humans to be good.”
I nodded. I’d heard most of this before. “The Percuitait are the twisted ones?”
Alex nodded. “They feel like humans don’t deserve God’s love. So if they go to Hell, they deserve it.” He gave me a reassuring smile. “However in saying that, there’s only three of them out of thirty or so that are actively trying to kill you.”
“And only one with a body. Good news for me!” I sang sarcastically.
He grinned. “From what Zel has told us, the other Percuitait literally don’t care that Vane and his brothers are trying to destroy you. They wouldn’t save you, but they won’t condemn you. They’re cowards.”
“I guess it is good news that there’s only one.”
Alex squeezed my hand. “I wouldn’t underestimate the other two without the bodies, just in case. Ailo and Loera might just be spirits, but they’re still dangerous. Damn, it seemed like Vane was the only one to worry about.” He furrowed his brow. “In order for the Percuitait to give Godric and his cronies some of their essence, it must have weakened them very badly. Zel thinks that Vane’s brothers were the sacrificial lambs, and that he kept all his energy so that he could fight for them. That’s how badly they’ve swallowed their own Kool-Aid. Vane convinced the others to transfer all their essence into Godric and his buddies. From what you told me about the monks who were chasing you into the caves, it seems the essence was diluted from Godric down. So he’s still the most powerful one.”
Revelations: The Fallen Page 2