The Horsemen glanced around at each other again.
“I have heard of that theory,” Famine murmured. “Souls must process their pain to ascend into Heaven, or to reincarnate on Earth.”
“It’s just a theory,” War snapped.
“It’s true,” I told them. “And Hannah managed it.”
Finally, Bentleigh Savage’s head snapped up. “She ascended to Heaven?” he asked, his voice croaky.
I nodded, curling my lip scornfully. “No thanks to you. I suppose, if you asked her, she’d say she forgives you for what you did to her. But that’s not going to help you when you die.”
He sat back in silence. The other Horsemen glared at him for daring to show emotion.
Lachlan Keyes head snapped back to me. “Girl, watch your tongue. You are here at our pleasure, and for our purposes only.” His dark eyes cooly assessed me, then flicked back to Bentleigh Savage. “Although, this meeting has assisted us in making at least one situation clear,” he said silkily.
I swallowed. It looked like Mr. Savage would be confronting his sins sooner rather than later.
I plowed on. “So you see, if you stop trying to have me killed, I can find a way of delaying the apocalypse for good,” I said, my voice pleading. “I can help clear out Hell. We can call souls, have them confront their demons, so to speak.”
Alex stirred beside me. There had been so much going on in this meeting that I hadn’t had time to ponder why both he and Nate were so silent. I wondered about it now, but quickly figured that they were letting me plead my case on my own.
“It would take decades to make a difference, from what my sources tell me,” Lachlan Keyes said idly.
“I can teach others how to do it,” I said passionately. “I can help people understand their life choices. My friends will help me.” I gestured to Nate and Alex, standing like statues beside me. “We can help people evolve.”
War glared at me. “That is not in our best interests either.”
I was stunned. “You don’t want humanity to evolve?”
“We like the world exactly as it is,” Famine said bluntly. “And you are a threat to that.”
For a moment, I was absolutely gobsmacked.
The Quarters didn’t want their fellow humans to be happy, to become better versions of themselves. They just wanted to preserve their power. I had known it, but I didn’t truly understand how absolutely evil they were. And these men had no intention of letting me live, now that they knew for sure that I would be the one to cause the apocalypse.
Now, too late, I realized that I’d given them the information they needed to proceed in the way that benefited them. I'd confirmed that I was a threat.
I’d been so stupid. I’d delivered myself to them on a plate.
“You knew about the prophecy,” I whispered to myself, horrified. “You suspected that you were the Four Horsemen. You knew that doing the Overlander ride would signify the beginning of the end. You did it to flush me out.”
The Horsemen smirked.
“A Seer told us that the Chalice would be wherever we decided to start the journey,” Famine replied arrogantly, his chin held high. “As soon as we made the decision to join up here and start our journey, we found you. You fitted all the specifications of the Black Chalice. Not all of us believed in the prophecy,” he said, tossing his head. “However, if there is a threat to our way of life, we will always make an effort to neutralize it.” His eyes were black and soulless. “We don’t let anyone get in our way, even if they turn out to be harmless.”
I took a quivering breath, and my eyes fell to the floor. “Poor Horace,” I murmured, irrationally thinking of my favorite horse. He’d been chosen to take one of these monsters on his back.
Everyone knew of the Horsemen. Yet no one gave a thought to the poor, brave creatures that carried them.
War gave a chuckle. “He’s with God now.”
“What?!”
“The chubby old bastard is dead,” War continued, savagely indifferent to my distress.
“You killed him?”
"Why would I waste my time killing a stupid horse? He did deserve the thrashing I gave him on the ride, he was always so slow. But he was fine when we got back from the Overlander. No, I went to the stables this morning for a ride. That raggedy, ugly stable girl was crying over his body when I got there.”
Horror and guilt surged through me. I had no idea that Horace had died. When did that happen? Why hadn’t I heard? I hadn’t checked in with Andrea for days… I didn’t even know she was back at work after being sick.
She would be inconsolable.
“Don’t worry, girl,” War smirked. “You’ll be joining him soon.”
Oh, God, they were going to kill me.
“If I die, then whatever Omega energy inside of me will just shift to another woman,” I said desperately.
“At least killing you will give us a few more years,” War said, an evil glint in his eyes. “And we will find the next girl easily.”
“I’m no danger to the world,” I stammered. “I have no intention of getting pregnant, for one.”
Famine looked at me with black eyes. “That is hardly under your control,” he said, his voice dispassionate.
His words hit me like a truck. Suddenly, images from my previous attacks filtered through my mind's eye, taking the breath from my lungs. I saw the men that had tried to force themselves on me. The ones that almost succeeded. I remembered the worst one; the man from the motel, the sleazy salesman who had harassed me for days, and who had finally held a knife to my throat in the motel car park.
I felt my legs shake and threaten to give out under me.
It would be so easy to crumble now, to admit the truth. The Quarters were right. I couldn’t control the men who attacked me. It might only be a matter of time before some crazed lunatic got through my defenses, raped me, and got me pregnant.
But you escaped, a tiny voice inside of me said. You lived. You were stronger.
With an enormous effort, I lifted my head and stared at the men sitting at the table.
“It is under my control,” I said, my voice clear and determined. “Of course it is. I survived so far, unprotected, and now I have the best protection a girl could have.”
“We know he is your boyfriend,” War grunted, nodding at Alex. “And the other may also be your lover. You’re playing with fire. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Do you think they are with you because you are pretty?” Famine sneered. “They lust for you. How they have managed to not force themselves on you is the only mystery we need to clear up.”
War grunted, pointing at Alex, then Nate. “We know you are with the special forces. Only an elite soldier could protect this girl. We’ve tried many times to have her killed, but all our efforts have been thwarted so far. Tell us,” he commanded, eyeing the boys. “Which government do you serve? Who is your master?”
His words echoed around the room. No one replied.
My mouth dropped open.
Both Nate and Alex stayed silent.
War’s eyes narrowed, his rage palpable. “You refuse to answer me?” His voice was a low growl. He pointed to the door outside. “The soldiers we have brought with us are vicious killers, the most skilled in the world. You saw them on your way in,” he spat out. “You are nothing compared to them. They could destroy you in a heartbeat. You are only alive because I want to know who you serve.”
I was absolutely floored. I glanced up at Alex.
He shrugged, ever so slightly. “I serve her,” he said simply.
War turned his murderous gaze back onto me. “Well, that clears everything up nicely," he said. "If we terminate all of you, our problems are over.”
A giggle escaped my lips.
It was an odd sound in the silence of the room. My laugh bounced around in startling contrast to the anger and hatred that seethed from the Horsemen.
I couldn’t help it. It was as if a bubble had formed around me, cus
hioning me from their malice.
They all glared at me. I chuckled again.
“We don’t need your hysterics, girl,” Lachlan Keyes said quietly. “We will make it quick. We can be merciful.”
I ignored him, and grinned up at Alex. “They don’t know who you are?”
He smiled back down at me. “Nope.”
“They don’t know what you are?”
He shook his head silently, a playful glint in his eyes.
“We have never let them know about us,” Nate said simply. “They are out of our reach to help in any way. Rotten to the core.”
Putting my hands on my hips, I glared playfully at Alex, then back at Nate. “What the hell have you two been playing at? Why were you letting me go through all that? They scared me, goddammit!”
Nate snorted. “Pah. Nothing scares you,” he patted my shoulder. “And this is your show. We’re just pretty back-up.” He shrugged. “You know I don’t like killing humans.”
“You mean to tell me that they have no idea what you are?” I asked again, incredulous, pointing at the Horsemen.
I gave them a quick glance,
“And what exactly are you?” Plague’s voice seethed with rage.
“Nope!” I held up my hands and grinned at them. “You’re not getting that out of me.” I turned to Nate. “Honey, do you think you can get rid of the soldiers outside for me?”
A breezy draft flew through the room, ruffling some papers on the table. Nate smiled at me.
“Done,” he said.
I turned and arched a brow at the Horsemen.
Lachlan Keyes's dark eyes narrowed. “What are you playing at, girl?”
“Silly buggers,” I told him.
War got to his feet, scraping his chair back. “Tomas! Gendy!”
Nothing happened. I tilted my head towards War, a smile playing on my lips.
His face was turning as red as his hair. “Soldiers! In here now!” he screamed at the door.
“They’re not there,” Nate said softly. War’s head snapped towards him, his eyes bugging out.
“You didn’t kill them, did you?” I said out of the corner of my mouth.
Nate shrugged. “If I did, it wasn’t intentional. All four of them are now naked, huddled on a ledge down in the Devil’s Drop. It will take them a while to scale out.”
Alex chuckled, and slung a casual arm around my shoulders.
“I’m going to kill you, you know that,” I said to him sternly, leaning into his embrace. “I swear, I almost wet myself, I was so scared.”
He pressed his face into my hair, kissing my head. “Forgive me,” he said, grinning. “The build-up makes the rest of it so much more fun.
The Horsemen were apoplectic.
“What the hell is going on?” War bellowed. He marched to the door and threw it open. “Where did they go?” He peered out, and then shoved his bright-red face back inside the room.
Nate shrugged. “I took care of them,” he said simply.
The other four men at the table got to their feet. “Hans, where is your extra backup?” Lachlan Keyes murmured to Plague.
Fear clouded the pale man’s features before he composed himself. “They are at my bungalow.”
Another blast of wind shot through the room.
“They’re not there now,” Nate said happily. “They’re tied to a gum tree, a mile out in the jungle.”
I giggled, watching the flabbergasted faces of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They’d gone from sneering arrogance, bloated with power. Now they were confused and absolutely outraged.
“You’re right,” I told Alex. “This is more fun.”
War gave a bellow, and began to stomp towards me on heavy feet. “Girl, I will rip you-”
His words cut off abruptly. Alex was suddenly in front of him. War’s eyes widened. “How did-”
“This world is not yours,” Alex growled, his voice low and dripping with menace. “You think you control it. You have snaked and sniveled your way to the top of human industry, and you have the nerve to think that gives you ultimate control over the destiny of the world.”
He leaned in closer, looking down on War’s quivering face. “Your arrogance is your ultimate failure. The world is nothing like you think. You only control the tiniest portion of it.”
Lachlan Keyes stepped towards us slowly. “Now listen here, boy. You don’t know-”
“He does, actually,” I waved my hand, cutting him off. “I suspect he hasn’t killed you all yet because he knows that another sniveling, power-hungry moron the same as you will just take your place on the top of your food-chain.”
Alex nodded at me. “Human failings,” he said. “As I said, these ones are a lost cause. Better to focus our efforts on the humans that can actually be saved.”
“It’s true,” Nate pitched in. “Ultimate power only makes you miserable. It's better to let that misery fester and rot in just a small bunch of humans, like these ones,” he waved his hand at the Horsemen dismissively. “Better that they destroy themselves, and let chaos and fear reign the industries they oversee.”
I shrugged, understanding that mindset. “So you can’t kill them now.”
“I don’t actually want to,” Nate replied. “I don’t like killing humans.”
“I wouldn’t mind killing these ones,” Alex nodded, his eyes still locked onto War. “They keep threatening you.”
War seemed to have lost the ability to speak. I cocked my ear. All that came out of his mouth was a choking cough. Sighing, I turned to face the rest of them.
“I think I have a better idea,” I said to the room in general. “Let’s just scare the crap out of them. Maybe that will work.”
Plague broke first. “G-Girl….” he stammered, “Miss Horne,” He tried again, trying to smooth his voice, but it just sounded gluggy. “Perhaps if we were to discuss this, we could come to some sort of arrangement with your friends-”
“What are you?” Keyes shouted, his fury overcoming his fear. I could see his emotions at war on his face. He was the most powerful man in the world, and that certainty would never crumble. “WHAT ARE YOU?”
I sighed, and nodded at Alex.
Alex shrugged. There was another puff of air, and an enormous crack sounded through the room. The next moment, Lachlan Keyes dead body fell to the floor, his neck broken.
“I made it quick,” Alex said, sardonically echoing the words of the dead media mogul. “I can be merciful.”
My stomach heaved. Despite my bravado, I didn’t want to see people killed. Seeing my distress, Alex came to me and folded me into his arms.
“I’m sorry, Eve,” he whispered to me. “He was a lost cause. He won’t break. The rest of them will,” he said, pointing at the other Horsemen. “Keye’s son will slide into the vacuum, and he’s almost as evil as he is,” he said, nodding at the dead man on the floor. “Although, we might have better luck influencing him.”
“Maybe that’s the key,” I said to myself. “The Quarters only understand fear and power. We need to make them understand they have no power.” I glanced at Plague’s terrified face. Famine was frozen. I could see sweat beading on his forehead. “And we can use fear to do it.”
“They might change,” Nate said. “Still, what if they don’t?”
I shrugged. “We don’t have anything to lose. If any good can come of this - apart from keeping me alive - maybe we can break them enough that they understand what their sins will do to them when they die?”
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my head. “What if,” I said excitedly, “we not only scare them straight,” I said, pointing at the rest of the shaking Horsemen. “But we get them to trickle it down? Like what is happening with the Church now? The Pope has given away a massive amount of wealth directly back to the poor, and look what it’s doing! It inspired the Princess to give up her crown and go work in an orphanage.”
“I’m not following you, but I like your enthusiasm,” Alex grinned at me.
> “We scare the bejesus out of them,” I said, pointing a thumb at the terrified mortals. “We get them to institute changes in their respective industries. Worker rights, more charity works, selfless devotion to the poor, that kind of thing. It might inspire other humans to be better people.”
Alex placed his hand on my cheek, gently stroking it with the ball of his thumb. I leaned into it like a kitten. “You’re too good,” he said softly. “They don’t deserve to live, especially after they threatened your life so explicitly.” He leaned back and cracked his knuckles. “For you, however, I will hold back.”
He turned away from me then, his broad, hard-muscled back to me, facing the Horsemen and blocking my view of their terrified faces. I felt his demeanor change. He was suddenly a predator. His movements promised violence of the worst kind.
I turned away and walked slowly towards the door. I didn’t want to see what was coming next.
Chapter Eleven
Two days later, I went home to Margot.
Alex and Nate both drove me back to Jagera on a glorious warm afternoon. The sun was only an hour from setting. It blazed brilliant orange in the distance as it headed towards the horizon, tinting a couple of fat clouds with a citrus glow.
We drove towards the setting sun. Alex took his time driving, setting a relaxed pace. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other one on my knee. Nate sat in the back seat, his long limbs stretched out, relaxed. The silence in the car was calm and content. For the first time in what felt like a long time, I felt at ease with both Nate and Alex. Things were back to how they should be. Alex was my lover; Nate was my friend. The boys were like brothers again. I hoped this mood would last.
I squinted into the setting sun. The sky was otherwise clear, promising a beautiful night in Jagera. I was hoping I could head up to the top of the ridge tonight and show them both the stars. On a clear night, they were spell-bounding.
As usual, it was a warm day. It never got cold here. My window was down, and I rested my elbow on the doorframe, enjoying the breeze that tickled over my hot skin as we drove.
Revelations: The Fallen Page 16