The news surprised him. How could anyone find fault with such a gentle human? Ill deal with her. Whoeverwhatevershe was. Do you know what Sirena is?
Yes. Evil.
So you arent sure?
No, she grumbled.
Monday, when he flashed Nicola to work, he would find a way to question this Sirena. She wasnt Nefas, and she wasnt demon. But she was something. And if she hated Nicola, she could be working for his father.
At this point, Koldo had to suspect everyone.
Axel sidled up to his side and patted him on the shoulder. Glad you could leave Chesticles long enough to make an appearance.
Call her that again, and Ill cut your heart from your chest and give it to her as a trophy. As he spoke, he spotted Malcolm and Magnus.
The two looked to be of Asian descent. Malcolm had dark hair dyed green at the ends, the strands sticking out in a single spike along the center of his head. He had eyes so pale they were almost white, and bones tattooed on his neck.
Magnus was as serious and clean-cut as any human businessman. Well, if any were six foot eight and three hundred pounds of muscle.
Axel waved the threat away. May I recommend you peel my skin from my body, too?
What could you say to a male like this?
His gaze landed on Thane. The warrior nodded a greeting.
Bjorn and Xerxes frowned as they looked up, up the steps at...Zacharel, who was walking onto the dais alongside the six other members of the Elite.
There were four males and three females, each representing one of Germanuss armies. Though they possessed the same wings of solid gold, that was their only similarity.
The blond and dark-eyed Lysander stepped forward, held up his hands, and the crowd instantly quieted. Expression serious, he said without any hint of emotion, It pains me to be the bearer of bad news, but the time has come. You need to know the truth. You need to know that our king...our king is dead.
* * *
KOLDO REELED. He wasnt sure how much time had passed since Lysander had made his pronouncement, he only knew that time had indeed passed. Shouts of denial and despair had resounded, and, emotions high, chaos had ensued. Fights had broken out, Sent One against maniacal Sent One. Tears had been shed and the future of their kind had been bemoaned. Eventually, things had calmed enough for the meeting to continue. To end. Then, one by one, the armies had flown away. All but Zacharels.
Zacharel had commanded them to stay, and so they had stayed.
Koldo paced back and forth, his body moving of its own accord. His leader was...their king was...Germanus was...dead. Dead.
Gone.
He never should have allowed his anger to override his affection for the male and keep him away from the temple. And not just his anger, but regret. Hed known Germanus would disapprove of his plans for his mother, and he hadnt wanted to give the male a chance to express his displeasure, to warn Koldo against his actions.
Now he would never again have the opportunity to sit with the Sent One who had fostered and nurtured him and soak in his many words of wisdom.
After everything Koldo had endured in his childhood, Germanus had been the only one to give him hope for the future. And now his body was dust, his spirit in the heavens with the Most High.
When could this have possibly...happened? The answer slid into place before the question finished forming. The shaking of Nicolas office, he thought. At the time, hed guessed the shaking sprang from some kind of isolated earthquake. But no. A great and powerful being had died, and even the entire world had felt it.
But Koldo hadnt known, hadnt suspected. Had continued on, as if nothing was wrong.
Zacharel waved the soldiers closer. They stomped forward, and Koldo fought for calm.
We had planned to tell the armies this news at the same time, but after such a strong reaction to our first order of business...well. Zacharel cleared his throat. I want you to know that the Most High didnt want us lost, even for a moment, and so He has placed a new king in charge of this realm. His name is Clerici, and in the coming months he will be summoning each of you individually to meet you and reassure you.
Clerici. Meaning, the clergy. Koldo had never met the male, but he had heard of himheard he was fair, just and driven to succeed.
But he wasnt Germanus.
Z just gets right down to business, doesnt he? Axel muttered in his ear. Hes a man with balls of brass.
Were warriors, not babies, Koldo snapped. We dont need any coddling. But oh, all he wanted was to return to Nicola, tug her into his lap and bury his face in her hair. He would sob like the baby hed just said he wasnt, mourn for the father figure hed turned his back on.
She would wrap her arms around him and tell him the pain of this loss would pass. And he would believe her.
Someones on their period, isnt he? Axel said.
A growl rose from deep in his chest. Do you not regret the loss of Germanus? Was he not torn apart inside?
I didnt know him. Not really.
Then you should regret that.
Zacharel continued to talk, but not about what Koldo most wanted to know. How was he killed? he finally interjected, able to stand it no longer.
Zacharel frowned. That was explained during the
Explain again! A call from the depths of his bleeding soul.
At any other time, Zacharel would have struck him down, he was sure. Instead his jade-green eyes radiated sympathy. Lucifer decided to make another power play for mankind and sent six of his best soldiers to kill our king. They didnt kill him right away, but absconded with him and tempted him to evil before delivering the deathblow. These demons are the worst of the worst, and they arent through with their plan for destruction.
Demons.
Fury burned his chest. Fury and sorrow. Guilt and remorse.
Why didnt you summon us sooner? Thane growled, his own restraint bursting. We could have hunted the attackers. Killed them before they delivered the final blow.
And we would have liked it, Bjorn snarled.
Zacharels expression was grim. You know as well as I that the only way the demons were able to reach Germanus was because he allowed it. For whatever reason, he allowed it. There was nothing you could do that we werent already doing. But we shall employ your skills now, for the demons are on earth and in hiding. We have reason to believe theyre planning to build armies of possessed humans, making it impossible for us to fight effectively.
Because the humans werent to be harmed. Because the humans couldnt be possessed unwillingly. They had to fall to the toxin or welcome the demons with open arms.
They must be found, Zacharel continued, and they must be stopped before their evil spreads like the disease it is. And you, my soldiers, are the ones charged with this task.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ZACHAREL DISMISSED EVERYONE except Koldo and Axel.
Thane, Bjorn and Xerxes flew up and darted west. The females stepped from the cloud and arrowed down, toward the earth. Each person wore a similar expression: a blend of shock and horror, fury and determination.
Koldo wanted to curse. There was only one reason to keep him herean assignment that would prevent him from hunting the demons responsible for Germanuss death.
A horde of Nefas and serp demons did some damage to a park in Wichita, Kansas. Zacharel rattled off the coordinates. Clerici has asked that I send the two of you to clean the mess and find the culprits, since you each have a personal stake in this.
Because we fought the serp scum a few days ago, Axel said, a statement rather than a question.
Zacharels piercing green gaze locked on Koldo. Thats one of the reasons, yes.
He didnt know. He couldnt know. Not even Germanus had known about Koldos origins. Zacharel had to be referring to the fact that Nicola was involved. Ill take care of this. Alone. His fathers people had done the damage, and so Koldo would be the one to fight the battleand finally wipe out the entire clan. And then Ill hunt the demons responsible for this travesty.
Zacharel arched a brow, amused rather than irritated. Actually, youll do it together. Ive decided to make your partnership permanent. And no, you wont be hunting the demons responsible for the kings demise. Youre too busy guarding the human.
I can do both.
But you wont. You singled her out, and I allowed you to bring her into our world because I wanted to see you happy. I know how drastically love can change your
I dont love her, he said in a rush. He couldnt.
Zacharel patted him on the shoulder. You agreed to look after her, and you cannot do that if youre never with her.
Bottom line: he had to choose between helping Nicola and avenging his dearest friend. If your men havent found the demons by the time Nicola is healed and able to defend herself, Ill take over the hunt.
Take over? No. One day, however, I might allow you to join the hunt. One thing you need to learn, Koldo, Zacharel said tightly. You cant do everything on your own. Sometimes you have to accept help. Its a lesson I had to learn, as well. With that, the Sent One flared his golden wings and shot straight into the night.
Should we get rings to seal this deal, life partner? Axel asked, stroking his chin.
One day Ill probably remove your head, Koldo replied, and flashed to the park in Wichita.
The change in time zones brought him to a sun-drenched paradise. Humans strolled through the grass and along the cobbled walkway. Mothers pushed strollers, men walked their dogs. Trees stretched high, casting shadows. He knew this was where Nicola and Laila had spotted his father, but where was the mess Zacharel had mentioned?
He dug the phone out of his pocket and dialed Nicolas number. After three rings, she picked up.
Hello?
The sound of her voice soothed the roughest edges of his emotionsand the knowledge irritated him. Where did you see the bald man?
Oh. She described the area.
Thank you. A pause. Ill be late.
No worries.
He cleared his throat. Are you wearing the pajamas I got you?
I am. But, Koldois everything okay? You sound upset.
Do you care? he wanted to ask.
Axel landed beside him, wings snapping into place at his back.
I must go, Koldo said, shifting from one booted foot to another. Ill speak to you soon. He closed the phone and stuffed it back in his pocket.
So...no rings? Axel asked, as if their conversation had never lagged.
Koldo picked up where hed left off, as well. One day might be today. He walked until he reached the location Nicola had described. There! Tracks. He pounded forward and crouched in front of a pair of footprints. The soles of the boots had been spiked with serp venom, leaving the grass singed. It was a pattern he knew well. His father or one of his men had stood in this very spot and
He sniffed. And infected the bark of the tree, as well. Frowning, Koldo studied the trunk. Several areas had been scraped and left jagged by sharpened claws. The sulfur-scented black smoke the Nefas projected covered the wood. There appeared to be hundreds of tiny bugs crawling from the damage.
Already the tree bore signs of impending death. The leaves were withering. The grass around it had yellowed. Several dead birds lay in its shade. A nearby dog had attempted to mark the tree but was now hopping around next to its owner and whimpering, its paws probably burning.
Whats the damage? Axel asked, stepping up beside him.
Have you ever been exposed to Nefas smoke?
Well, yeah. Who hasnt?
Almost everyone still breathing. But all right. Axel knew what to expect if he allowed himself to so much as brush against the stuff. Check all the other trees. Any bearing the taint will have to be uprooted, the entire area cleansed.
So you plan to be the boss in our little partnership? Axel asked casually.
Koldo ignored the question. Do you have a cloud?
Is this silly-question day? Of course I have a cloud.
Summon it.
Axel nodded, and a split second later, white mist enveloped them.
Let the humans see the park, Axel told the cloud, but dont allow them to come near us.
As the mist cleared, becoming translucent to the eye and somewhat solid to the touch, forming a bubble around them, Koldo jumped into the necessary work. The venom and smoke wouldnt kill him, but it would weaken him. Still, he wrapped his arms around the tree trunk and, using all of his strength, ripped the roots from the ground. He tossed the entire thing into an air pocket to be burned later. He also scooped up every grain of dirt bearing the sharp, telltale aroma of the smoke. He picked up every fallen leaf, even the dead birds.
There were five others, Axel said, returning to his side.
They spent the next few hours on cleanup, Koldo leaving pieces of the cloud around each of the sites, preventing any humans from seeing what had been done. Tonight, when the people were tucked safely in their beds, Axel could remove the barrier. The humans would arrive tomorrow morning and assume what they would about this travesty.
What do you know about the Nefas? he asked Axel as they picked up the last of the infected leaves.
They like to attack humans, Sent Ones, or anyone, for that matter, and they think rules, compassion and generosity are stupid. Oh, yeah, and theyre as bad as demons.
Koldo nodded. Theyre planners. They do little things at first, to see how their opponent will react, as well as to elicit as much fear as possible, since fear confuses, weakens and makes you do things you wouldnt normally do.
Your mother took your wings, but Ill take your heart and feed it to the dogs, his father said. The silver glint of a blade he held waved in the light. Do you want me to take your heart, boy?