Lyden faces his biggest and deadliest challenge: Aldol and his armies. Will the Outsider stay and fight, or will it run away again. When the dust settles and the cost is tallied, who will remain standing?
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Chapter 34
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Putting Out Lights
"I think you're healed enough, Generator," a gravelly voice speaks next to me, startling me awake. "Your battles aren't over yet and I'm tired of having you in my home."
Opening my eyes, I see Marchosias in his wolf form, licking his lips. If nothing else, that wakes me immediately! Does he have to look so hungry?
"I'm awake!" I scream, sitting up. Brooke and I are still covered in gore, but somewhere along the line Areth has gotten herself cleaned up.
And attached to another one of Marchosias's light traps. In fact, it's the same one that Miranda's brother was on last night.
"You let him go?" I ask the demon, nodding my head at the trapped fairy.
"I wondered if you'd caught my plan there," he tells me. "He should be back in your world soon, heading for the Paladonic Knight's fortress."
"You sent him on a suicide mission," I state, not really caring what happens to the werewolf. He was an enemy yesterday. One less person to fight for the Outsider today.
"I gave him hope, and don't underestimate the pup," he rebuked me. "Do you know why the Sisters of Respite are called that?" I shake my head. "Because all of them are supernatural creatures.
All
of them. Fowl magic is used to subjugate and overcome their true natures. They receive a respite from their natural selves."
"Do they even know?" Brooke asks, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. I see Ondine waking up also, trying to cover a yawn with the back of her slim hand.
"Only the highest ranking members know," Marchosias growls. "They hide it from their members and force them to kill their own kind." I wonder why they would do that, but If Marchosias wants me to know, he'd say something. Besides, I have more important things to worry about.
"Are you just going to leave me up here?" Areth demands. We all look up to where the fairy is futilely kicking her feet in the empty air. I can see right up her slim legs and know she's wearing nothing under her skirt.
"Didn't you learn your lesson last time?" I ask the golden woman, trying to hide my smile.
"But it's so pretty!" she pouts in response, twisting and trying to pull her hands free.
I turn back to the demon. He chuckles and licks his lupine lips. I'm doing my best not to laugh as well. "Do you mind?" I ask the demon-beast.
Once the fairy is free, Marchosias guides us back out of his cave.
"Your rides are almost here," he tells me.
"You're not coming with us?" Ondine demands.
"No," he replies, a laugh in his voice. "I would make little difference there, and I'm needed here to keep things in order." He takes a second to pierce each woman with his powerful gaze. "Keep the generator alive. He is our best hope of defeating our enemies." Before any of them have the chance to respond, he turns on his lupine legs and heads back into his cave.
"I still don't trust him," Brooke whispers to me.
"Me neither," I reply, just as softly.
The rocs land on the soft sand of the beach a moment later and we climb onto their backs, Brooke sitting comfortably behind me. The massive birds spread their titanic wings and we're airborne, wending our way to Gaia's domain. We have to grip the feathers tight, in order to stay on as the birds speed their way south and west. There must be some sort of magic involved, keeping the wind from ripping us off.
"Aunt Angie's forces are holding their own," a voice whispers to me on the wind. "But you need to hurry. The rocs will take you through Darkness's domain."
"Aunt Angie?" I ask. I know Lysa must be talking about Angela, but still.
I hear her sweet laugh, so like her mother's, before her voice grows serious. "Hold tight to the Talisman of Darkness. It'll shield you from those that would do you harm, father."
Just as quickly as her presence came, I feel it leave. My heart still warms every time she calls me that.
I glance over at where Ondine and Areth are holding tightly to their bird and pass on Lysa's information. Reaching into my filthy shirt, I find the talisman that Eris had given me, and hold tight to it. I hope we don't run into any problems.
The sky descends into darkness. Brooke's hands grasp my waist tighter, letting me know she's worried.
"We'll be fine," I tell her. A moment later, I feel her lips brush the back of my neck.
"Are you so sure of that?" another voice, richer and deeper than any I've ever heard before asks. The sky is completely dark now and we're flying blind.
"Who's there?" I ask, trying to see through the gloom surrounding us. It's no use. At least my voice is working this time.
"I have many names," the voice replies. "Lord of the Morning, Satan, the devil, Lord of Lies—"
"The Pillar of Darkness," I reply, a pit forming in my stomach. I thought we were supposed to be shielded from anything dangerous!
"Don't worry, little generator. From any creature other than myself, you are invisible. Yes, I can read your mind. No, your daughter thought I wouldn't bother, but when I sensed someone using my power, I grew curious. Eris mentioned something about granting you a token of my power. Sorry I was too distracted to meet with you myself. I had a few nymphs, Lampads, and even a couple succubae to entertain." His voice is oily and sweet, while remaining deep. I don't trust it. His reference to entertaining succubae gets under my skin, but I force the dark thoughts away before he can read them.
"Too distracted to work towards saving this world?" Brooke demands, anger filling her sweet voice.
"Did I mention that it was a few nymphs, Lampads, and a couple succubae?" the voice asked solicitously. "Besides, I'm the ruler of chaos and entropy. What do I care if everything gets destroyed?"
"Um, you'll be killed along with the rest of us?" Areth comments in her standard suave way.
"Ah, the sweet candor of the fairy folk!" he says happily. "None of your kind ever visit me."
"Duh! We like seeing where we're flying. Maybe if you turned on some lights around here." I really hope she doesn't piss off the Pillar of Darkness. "Fairies don't care for this darkness."
"Alas, but no." The man actually sounds disappointed that he can't do it. "So many of my denizens would die, were I to do that. Well, take care generator. I hope we meet again."
"What?" I ask, shocked. "That's . . . it? Hi, how are you, goodbye?"
"Lyden!" Brooke hisses at me. I realize that I really don't want the Lord of Lies to hang around. Why did I have to open my big mouth?
"Oh, yes. There was one other thing." Somehow, the way he says that, I know he didn't forget. "Eris mentioned the deal she made with you, Brooke and Lyden." When he says our names, we both shiver. It feels almost as if someone just ran their fingers through my soul. "She may enjoy causing people pain, but I find that to be overly dramatic. I will therefore give you a choice. I can unlock the block on the baby, letting the Pillar of Earth work her magic upon it. Or I can leave the child be, and it will be what it will be."
"Why would you do this?" I ask, not trusting him.
"I don't suppose you would believe I'd do it out of the kindness of my own heart? No, I didn't think so." I hear him sigh, dramatically. "I have my reasons, but I will not give them to you. Either accept my offer, or be gone from my domain."
I can feel Brooke shaking against my back, and know what her answer is. Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to trust the Devil.
"I'm sorry, but we made a deal with Eris," I state. "I'm not the type of man to go back on a bargain once struck."
His following laughter is both horrible and deafening to hear.
"Wise decision, generator! Had you taken my offer, the child would have been forever tainted by my touch. Since the other option was to be gone,
LEAVE
!"
Blinding light hurts my eyes and I hear the other three women cry out in pain at the same time.
"Gaia's mountain!" Areth declares, being the first to recover. A second later, I'm able to peek through my squinted eyelids and see her fortress looming before us.
"How did you get here?" the Pillar of Earth asks when we land on the balcony. "Lysa said you would be at least another hour."
Brooke and Ondine begin explaining what just happened to them while I head over to Thomas. From what I hear them saying, we weren't teleported, I guess that's impossible, but we were forced out of the Devil's demesne at a tremendous speed.
"How are things going here?" I ask our general.
He jumps, and I know he hadn't realized we were back. Ondine breaks away from Gaia, rushing to the older man, hugging and kissing him furiously. It's the first public display of affection I've seen from the two. It makes me happy to see it, though I see Thomas's cheeks burn red..
"We were doing well, until a few moments ago," Thomas informs me as soon as his mouth is free. "Some of those fire ants appeared out of nowhere, behind our lines. They need reinforcements bad!" He draws in a deep breath before continuing. "Lysa, have this group of succubae reinforce their right flanks. Pull these dragons up from the south to fill in where the succubae were fighting. Have this group here fall back, and recover. There doesn't seem to be much going on at the moment right there, but I don't want to leave it unguarded." Thomas told me he hadn't made it very far in the military, but he seems to know what's needed on the battlefield.
I can only assume my daughter hears the orders and relays them to the combatants.
I walk over to the pile of hilts with invisible blades and pull one out. It fits easily into the sheath that Murasame once used. If anyone notices that my father is missing from my hip, they don't say anything.
"We should get going then," I say, heading back to the rocs.
"We can't go with you," Brooke says, fear and worry in her tone. "We won't survive in Fire's domain." I remember what happened to Brooke the last time she was there. The arid atmosphere was too dry for the mermaid. She'd almost died.
"Take me, Master," Sheila pleads with me.
"I can't protect you," I try to let her down softly. Almost everyone else that'd been in Marchosias's nightmare world gained some fighting skills, but my ex-boss was a tavern wench.
"I can't stand staying here and not knowing," she tells me. I glance at the map that Thomas is looking over, but know what she means. We likely hadn't shown up on it while swimming. "I can fight. I can watch your back. Just don't leave me behind! I need to be with you, Master.
Please
!"
For a second I'm tempted to act like the stern master I know she appreciates, but when I see the desperation and love in her brown eyes, I relent.
"I'd better not regret this," I tell her, waving to one of the rocs waiting on the balcony. "Expect to be punished when we get back." She shivers at my tone, and I know I've pleased her. My heart wrenches, knowing I won't be coming back.
