“I teleported you both to my home. We need to talk to Lucidian, and I do not trust the mortal realm to keep secrets,” Ember said raising her hands motioning in front of her as dark mist surround them. “Don’t worry my darlings, Ember Moon won’t let anything harm you unless you’re into that. Kidding, kidding, just keep your person close to me or a demon can slice your throat open. I’m not lying they have sharp claws, but not everyone is a demon, just don’t do anything stupid.”
“Well. Should we get this party started? Let's talk to this under lord,” Janet said folding her arms over her chest. He wished he was as brave as her. She didn’t fear as easily as he did. The problem with him was thinking about the potential, the dark corners, and especially the unknown, it crippled his life a lot. Missed out on events with people. Didn’t get to travel as much.Made sure his feet were planted to the ground like he was being held back but he didn’t know how to cut the strings.
The chanting started to echo around them, a fire started appearing and disappearing, and the mist started to spin faster and faster like ice crashing into trees. “How can I help you this time dear?” A voice said from within the mist.
“My sweet, and dear Lucidian, it has been a while since we have last spoken. Are you still having trouble with the lady of the damned? Is her lover still mad at you for letting you lay in bed with her? I just have something that may concern you,” Ember said grabbing the vial and shaking it.
The vial began to glow.“Who got hold of that magic? Who took it from my realm?” Lucidian said as an outline of their face appeared in the mist, brows narrowing on the vial itself.
Nick grabbed the vial from Ember's hand and shoved it into his coats pocket. “It was found on an aerion. That aerion is dead now, you’re gonna tell me how the hell your magic made it to the topside,” he said starring into the mist, narrowing his eyes.
“Oh, I like this one. You don’t like me, don’t you? No that's not it. Let me guess you hate what happened with the awakening and you have a beef with my brother, the spirit king. Well, get in line meat bag. That magic is special, it’s from the land of the light and was locked in a vault deep within my chambers, it was never supposed to get out,” Lucidian said as flames started to burst from the mist.
This guy is a real class act. He doesn’t seem to care about what happened to the aerion that died in the human realm. He thought. Nick got some powder from the vial and dropped it on the floor. “I guess you don’t care how someone makes you look like a total ass. You don’t even know who the hell left your realm with this magic. So you did say that it was supposed to be locked away. If you did care, you'd already know, but you don’t.” Nick smeared the magical powder on the floor with his shoe. Just like kids at school that tried to act tough, to try and tout themselves around as high and mighty, sometimes they needed to get knocked down a peg.
“If I knew they would already be dead, how dare you. You know how potent that magic is?” Lucidian said as the mist began moving faster and faster, and different faces pressing against it in agony. “Do you know that it is the last bit that I have of my father? Of my people before I was cast out.”
“You like to go around and pissing people off,” Janet said grabbing her pistol from its strap and aiming it at the mist. She didn’t flinch when the mist was going faster, she focused her body, her trigger, and waited.
“Let me do the talking handsome. You need to learn more about manners and dealing with beings that are more powerful than you. You want to get answers, you need to respect those you are asking,” Ember said holding both hands up and placing a magical barrier around the three of them. “We just need to know if you know who could of went into your realm and left so easily with that type of magic. If it was locked away then it had to be someone close to you.”
The mist started to swirl faster-grabbing bookshelves, and chairs, slamming against the barrier, cracking it like an egg. “I don’t know for the last time. I don’t have time to track every single sinner that comes into my realm. Some people come down to me who are just lost and I have to make sure to guide them in the right direction, for their eternal resting place. Do you think the almighty does the same? Sometimes they just let people slip through the cracks,” Lucidian said as the mist started to become a calm breeze. “Sometimes they let them return, give them another chance at life. To be the people that they always wanted to be.”
“I can see why you were dumped into the bottom of the depths. You are just as useless as the god breakers. We were better off asking some random junkie on the street,” Nick said with a smirk on his face.
The mist disappeared, and the furniture that was floating in it fell to the floor, breaking and cracking. The room turned pitch black for a few seconds, then out of nowhere, a face appeared from the darkness. Crimson red, with horns piercing around their face, and yellow eyes with a fiery glow. “You want to talk about useless? You, mortals, are more damned than me. The awakening was the last resort that god and my brother wanted. Every time someone tries to save you, you spit in their face.”
A giant hand with fanged claws grabbed Nick out of nowhere, shattering the barrier and squeezing him until blood began to pour from his mouth. “Last resort? What the hell is that? You are just telling me that you high and mighty assholes just see us as your stupid playthings. Go fuck yourself,” Nick said taking his hand into his pocket poking around until he felt the metal on his gloves. “You look at us like we don’t belong. You are gods who try to walk in our shoes but can’t because you know if you did the truth would fill you with dread. We are nothing but your little trophies. To tout to each other, and make each other feel like you are doing what’s best.”
“I can’t let you harm that boy Lucidian. Let him go and settle the fuck down,” Janet said aiming her pistol with both hands starting to glow with holy light. “You know that all we are trying to do is to get justice for a dead aerion, you hear me when I say dead? It means that you or your brother could be next. I ask you once again to settle down and don’t make me pull the trigger, please.”
“You have got to be kidding me. A guardian here? This will be fun,” Lucidian said letting his grip on Nick go, vanishing into the darkness.
Ember waved her hands in the air, turning the lights in the room back on. She rushed to Nick's side holding him up as he slumped to the floor, gasping for air. “You silly ass boy, you would have gotten yourself killed. You could have died and what use would you be to anyone then?” she said using her free hand to massage his upper torso, healing the scratches and bruises that were left by the prince of darkness. When she was done a small bit of her finger turned black, and part of her hair turned white. It was her price to pay for magic.
Nick slowly got up, pat around his body, and counted his fingers, and checked his eyes. “I still got what I needed though. That’s all that matters to me. Had to piss him off.”
“You only got away because he saw I was a guardian, now spill it,” Janet said slapping him across the head.
“Fuck, that hurts tia. Can you be easier on me next time? Lucidian isn’t part of whatever is going on topside. We already knew he didn’t keep track of who left his realm, but we didn’t know about his brother and god. What we didn’t know was that the magic came from his realm, but it was from the land of the light. Cameron was partly right. They wanted humans to have one more chance. They caused the great awakening for us to try to be better, to follow what they believe in. We haven’t though. Like always when humanity gets a gift it just got worse with the eternals vs the humans. Hell, we even fought each other before the awakening. But the thing is someone planted that magic on the aerion. Someone came from his realm, knew where it was, and somehow was able to get out and come here. I don’t know who was the one who left his realm, but someone had to hire them, to offer them something that was better than god and Lucidian had. But that’s not all. I think someone is trying to make us humans look bad. Someone wants us out of the picture. They are showing the heavens that mortals don
’t even care for beings of holy light, that we are greedy, and violent no matter how many chances we are given,” Nick said taking his phone out and staring at a picture of the dead aerion laying on the wet cement floor, their eyes open and staring at a wall. He shook his head, with eyes wide open. “Course I didn’t think of it, we didn’t think of it.”
“Didn’t think of what? Trying to bring a nice mix drink for Lucidian to have before we pissed him off?” Ember said picking up different pieces of furniture and smiling at them.
“No, the aerion is staring at a wall. Something is there. I can barely see it, but it has a circle with some tentacles,” he said closing his phone.
“Shit well looks like I’m tagging along with you and your friend for a bit,” Janet said putting her gun back into the holster.
“You two are cute when you know how to get along,” Ember said surrounding them in mist transporting them back to the mortal realm.
15
Veronica opened the door slowly, tiptoeing inside, her feet started to talk with the floor. I really should of let them know that I was going to stay at Domina’s house, but dammit Jake pissed me off so bad. She could feel her body start to warm up and her fist start to tighten thinking about Jake with those people. I really should have apologized to him instead of doing what I did to him. Always just doing something to get a rise out of me, he will forgive me, he always does. She thought.
The castle was quiet except for cracking fire on wood. Lily was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace drinking a glass of blood motioning to Veronica. “You can’t slip by me, darling. I could smell you from a mile away. You should have contacted me or at the very least your father. We have both been worried about you. I know you have a habit of leaving your phone everywhere, just glad you are home safe sweetheart,” Lily said taking a sip from her glass.
Veronica walked slowly towards her mother, letting herself collapse on the couch, leaning back starring at the ceiling. Looking at two people of vampire legend Count Drez and Vansing touching fingers as an endless battle of mortal against immortal was painted in beauty. “Sorry I just lost track of time Lily. Did not mean to worry you at all, just was a night that is all,” she said kicking her heels off her feet.
“I know you don’t have any respect for me sweetie, but at least let your father know. He was here just walking to the front door looking out the window, you had him worried, he cares so much about us, just next time leave a message or something,” Lily said grabbing Veronica's arm firmly clearing her throat. Her mom worried a lot when it came to her father. They didn’t show how much they loved each other due to her mom sleeping around or her father being absent, but they still held firm in their relationship. When he couldn’t sleep she would see him and Lily talking by the fireplace, singing to each other, and telling stories of their past.
“I said I was sorry,” Veronica said looking away from Lily.
Lily tapped her glass with her fingernail. For a few moments, the only talking that was being had was by the fire and the tree branches brushing against the windows. “Jake died last night Veronica,” Lily said, her mouth starting to tremble. “I’m sorry.”
Time stood still, the fire that she was starring at stopped, and no sound could be heard, her mind began to race. He died. He died.No he can’t be dead I just saw him not too long ago. She remembered the time Jake held her when she was getting use to being vorpal. He made the loneliness feel more bearable. It can’t be, it just can’t. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, not for Jake, fuck.She thought.
Lily wrapped her arm around Veronica and pulled her closer to her. “He’s gone and I’m so sorry. I wish you could see him one last time, but for your sake, it would be best not to. You don’t want to see him in that state, just remember who he was, keep that memory darling and stick it in you like a carving to your heart,” Lily said.
Veronica leaned forward on the couch drowning her face into her hands, her body moving back and forward violently and erratic. “It hurts mom, it hurts so damn much. Why would the almighty let something like this happen? Jake was a jerk at times and yea he pissed me off, but to just die all of a sudden. He had dreams, his father, oh god his father is going to be heartbroken. Not Jake, not everything we had been through. He was one of my closest friends,” she said falling to the floor, letting the concrete hold her in its coldness as her body curled up into a ball. “It’s a dream, it has to be this can’t be it.”
“You poor girl. I know how close you two were. The Draken police are going to look into it, they are going to find out what happened to Jake I’m sure of it,” Lily said. She got up and walked around the room closing the curtains and lighting more candles, the light illuminated the room, pictures of old counts and their pets filled the room...
“The Draken police? what do they have to do with anything? Jake wasn’t a regular human, he was vorpal. They don’t need to be in our business, they don’t even like us, Lily. They are just trying to intrude on our territory,” Veronica said wiping her eyes and sitting up. She looked around the room to see if anyone was hiding or listening to their conversation. “They know the police aren’t allowed to be in the undercity without a good cause, why the hell are they going to touch Jake's fresh corpse?”
Lily got some wood that was next to the fireplace and put another log inside the fire. “That is true, that they need a cause, but there were humans with Jake, and one of them died in the same room. The other one they are not sure where that person is. That poor girl, probably just wanted to have some fun and wasn’t expecting that night to be her last. I feel bad for her family and hope that they can find some comfort in knowing that people are working on trying to find out what happened,” she said. “The reason they are so fast with it darling is that they were murdered, someone took a vorpal and a human out.”
Of course, it would be those two that were with him. But why would someone want to kill both of them? She could feel herself start to calm down. Her hands were shaking less but the tears kept coming down her face. It was probably those fucking humans that got him killed. Maybe one of those girls had a boyfriend, or a husband and found out she was sleeping with a vorpal and got jealous of it, and came back to take them both out. She thought. “So now the humans are gonna try to take over undercity,” Veronica said getting to her feet.
“I’m not quite sure what is going to happen, darling. I’m not sure why you think that but the crime scene is set up and they have been there for a few hours. Mostly police officers, and one detective,” Lily said grabbing her glass and throwing it into a wall shattering it into many pieces. “Those fuckers don’t even give a damn about us. They only care because one of their humans was a part of the crime. But if it was any of us dying on their streets they would just toss us into the river and tell people it was just an overdose or suicide…I’m sorry, just a sudden outburst, I’m good, just needed to get that out.”
Veronica stood still. Looking at Lily’s eyes as they narrowed at the fire, and her fangs popping out like an animal ready for the hunt. “I have never seen you like this Lily. You seem to not like humans as much as I do,” she said.
“Humans have done their fair share of harm to me, darling. I can move past it sure, but I can never forget it. Sometimes you can try to be as calm, and as collected as the next person, but you see the world how it truly is, how it twists lives and changes people. You’re still young Veronica, but I and your father have seen many things that happened in the human world. We lost so many, but it makes us stronger. We don’t want our people to suffer and we stick together because we are vorpals. Whoever killed Jake will answer to us, with their blood and screams,” Lily said to Veronica.
16
Veronica came out of her room, she heard voices talking. It was pretty late and she was just barely getting to sleep. One of the voices she heard was her father and the other one was of the Gargoyle leader Thorim. “What are they talking about? father seems upset,” she said hiding behind one of the pillars that surroun
ded his throne room. She spoke in a whisper, tried not to raise any suspicion
“Count, you have to pick the offering before the end of the week,” Thorim said pointing to a folder that he was holding, tapping it repeatedly. His skin was black, with brown patches and a beard that went past his chest. Many years older than Grendil, but from a different world, with many problems.
Count Grendil held out his hand and waved the folder away from his sight. “Not now, that can be done at another time. I just don’t want to think about it,” he said leaning back in his stone throne twirling his finger in a blood-soaked bowl next to him.
“I know this is a rough time for you. I’m sorry about the boy, but this is about your people, our houses. The people in the undercity need confidence in their leader,” Thorim said closing the folder and placing it on the floor in front of Grendil.
“I know Thorim, you don’t have to remind me every time we meet. I am working on who to chose, but it’s not that easy to just go ahead and pick one, there must be a balance,” Grendil said picking up the folder and looking inside of it.
What is father doing? Who is he picking and for what offer? She never heard one of her father's meetings. He always held them late at night and they were always outside of the castle. He never liked to bring business into the home. He doesn’t look happy, not at all. His hands are trembling and he’s biting his lip looking at the folder. She thought.
Grendil sat on his throne looking at images of two small boys. One was vorpal, and the other was a human. They each had smiles on their faces. He saw their age, their family, and what they enjoyed doing. He could see different images of them playing, and at events. It was a small glimpse of their lives and every time he turned a page he would nod. “We have to pick the vorpal boy Thorim,” he said tossing the folder to the floor. “It has to be this way, set it in motion, and make sure it happens quickly.”
The God Breaker's Ruin Page 9