Protected by Emeralds (A Dance with Destiny Book 5) (32 page)

Akio Kazuto gave her a sharp nod before turning back toward his home. She glanced over at Ahriman and motioned for him to follow. He didn’t. Not until she gave him a little smile and reached for him.

“…Big baby,” she mumbled, bumping him with her shoulder.

Ahriman smiled, entwining their fingers as he squeezed her hand.

*****

Staring out the enormous paned window, Jenevier could see tiny specks of the distant torches in the night. She absently took another sip of tea as Akio’s words filled in all the gaps.

“Izaru watched the whole thing…” Akio was saying. “…at the party that night. He approached me afterwards. I confided in him, told him how I was drawn by your beauty… but fell hopelessly in love with you at the first sound of your bespelling voice.” He sighed wearily. “That was before we found out about Orpheus… before we learned of his death. His body was found early the next morning,
after
Prince Suou’s celebration.”

A silent tear slid down Jenevier’s face; it sparkled against her reflection in the darkened glass.

“Princess?” Akio whispered.

Her back stiffened, but she did not turn to face him.

“The silver woman who visits my father,” he continued. “She told him your story—how you bring death. Do not shed tears, Milady. I know now the truth of it. Whether it was you or Prince Suou, it matters not. That
thing
was not my brother,” he mumbled. “Alas, I had known such in my heart for a long time. That
creature
walking about in his skin, it was not Orpheus.”

“Fine, fine,” Ahriman said, exasperated. “That’s all well and good. A demon wore your baby brother for a bit. I understand. What I am desperately wanting to know is… what has any of this to do with this Izaru person? Explain why you sent him to harm my Angel. Get on with the meat of it, boy. We can stroll down memory lane once the battle is won.”

“But… your battle is already won,” Akio whispered. “I have disarmed the weapon. There is no other reason to fight.”

Ahriman laughed coolly. “If that be the case, baby Lord, how do you explain that?” He motioned to the approaching torches, distant sounds of clanging metal, and the eerie cacophony of dead men’s wailing cries.

“We do not command them,” Akio said. “They were summoned by the silver lady. They take no orders from me.”

“And what of your father?” Jenevier said, still staring out the window. “Do they take commands from him?”

“It would no longer matter if they did. I have stilled his deceitful tongue.”

She turned to look at him then. “What do you mean? Have you slain him?”

The look on Akio’s face answered her question before his words could.

“No. Of course not.” His voice softened to almost a whisper. “I simply helped him to stop. He yet lives, but never again will he lie. Never again will his hand be set toward evil. He will know peace now. His body has been stilled, yet his heart beats on.”

Jenevier just stood there, mouth agape, staring at the resolute young man before her.

“But… that’s not… not how it’s supposed to happen,” she whispered, confused.

“So we can marry now.” Akio suddenly stood. “We will stay here with Father and I will care for him. He will no longer cause us any problems, my love. This I promise.”

Ahriman laughed louder than necessary, causing Akio and Jenevier to both jump.

“Are you mad, little Lord?” He laughed again. “You paid Izaru to kidnap and beat her nearly to death. Do you think that is the proper way to obtain a wife?”

“No. It’s not true.” Akio stared at Jenevier, utter horror twisting his fair face. “I begged only for word of you. I swear it. I didn’t even know he had you. He sent word of a package only, one concerning you.” He stepped toward her, hands trembling. “I knew nothing of the horrors that befell you, Milady. Not until I found the sell-sword’s house. Please, you have to believe me.”

Tears flooded down her cheeks. “And… you think I just walk about with bruises such as those the whole time?”

“No… I mean… I don’t know.” Akio glanced away. “Prince Suou confided in Izaru about how he had first met you, what shape you were in. I didn’t—”

“What did you do to her when your eyes finally beheld her there?” Ahriman was now standing between Jenevier and the shaken man. “Speak the truth, boy. What did you do in that locked room for so long… all alone?”

Akio fixed his gaze upon Jenevier. He didn’t see the silver now flashing in the soul-eater’s icy glare.

“I just… I just… looked at her,” he whispered.

Jenevier turned back to face the window, adding nothing to the young man’s haunted tale.

“We didn’t even speak,” he continued on in a soft voice. “I helped her back to bed. I could barely even believe the damage. She turned away from me. And then… then I just sat there… staring at her.” Tears escaped his unblinking eyes. “She looked so tiny, so fragile. Like a beautiful little Angel with a broken wing… and bruised ribs.” He shuddered. “I watched her shoulders tremble as she silently cried. And I just sat there… crying with her.”

*****

“Aye then, have ye heard enough, Brother?” Vittorio said, turning to face Vareilious. “If I stay here a moment longer, I’ll be ripping heads off before ye can stop me.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard enough,” Vareilious mumbled. “But I’m not leaving here until I hold that Izaru’s heart in my hand. I know we don’t kill humans. But—”

“Aye, Brother. I’m with ye,” Vittorio interrupted. “What say we take oot a few of these demons on our way?”

“Sounds like fun.” Vareilious’s wicked smirk turned up one corner of his sculpted lips. “Now that we know she’s fine, I could do with a bit of play.”

The two Guardians turned from the house, flying off in the direction of the nearing battle. Jenevier watched until they were out of sight.

You have so many people watching over you, little Naga.

I know, Dragon… I know.

It makes my heart smile.

Mine too, Brother. I am blessed beyond my worth.

“Are you even listening to me?” Ahriman said, taking her by the elbow.

“What? Ohh… Apologies. I am not certain I caught that last bit, no.”

Ahriman snorted. “I am not certain you caught
any
of it.”

“Vybius.” She glanced toward him and then back out the window. “The approaching torches… there.” She motioned with a nod of her head. “They are nigh countless, Brother. Tell me. How did you manage to recruit so many, so quickly?”

“Ahh, loveliest of Angels, that was the
easy
part.”

She turned to face him proper. “Is that so? Do tell.”

He smiled. “We love this layer. It is the most fun of them all. Well, I mean…” He paused.

“You mean…
we
, as in demons and dark Angels,” she said knowingly.

He blushed. “Yes.”

Jenevier only stared at him, waiting for him to collect the
proper
words.

“Yes… demons and dark Angels.” He audibly released a long breath. “It was no real chore to enlist them. Seeing as most of them were already here anyway.”

“Doing?”

“What do you mean,
doing
? Doing what it is we do.”

She only raised a single eyebrow, impatiently waiting.

Ahriman sort of shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “Please, do not become vexed with me, my love. I cannot change overnight. Nor can I undo a single moment in time.” He looked away from her then, unable to hold her glare. “Fresh start, remember?” he mumbled.

Jenevier released a long, exasperated breath and turned back to the window, catching his poignant reflection in the glass.

“…Yes,” she whispered. “A promise I will not break.”

“Gratitude, Milady.”

Her heart skipped when his beautiful smile erased that previously haunted expression in the windowpane.

“They smell this sort of thing—blood, hatred, chaos. We all can,” he continued.

Jenevier held her tongue. Didn’t even roll her eyes or sigh, only waited.

“This is your dark husband’s favorite layer, Milady. ‘Tis true for most of us.” His glorious smile grew. “He has done some of his best work, right here.”

Naga, watch his eyes sparkle
, Nilakanta said.
I am not in the habit of saying this, but… he scares me.

Yes… He scares me, too, Dragon.

“You already know he has a silver tongue,” Ahriman was saying. “Well, more like… his words drip with gold and honey.”

“…Spun sugar and pure molasses,” she whispered.

“Yes.” Ahriman snorted out a laugh. “On the smaller layers, he could easily spin his fanciful lies with tales of magic. Or feed off their silly superstitions and ridiculous legends. Hell, he was the one that started the most of them in the first place.” He slowly shook his head as he spoke. “Not so here.”

“Why?” she whispered. “What makes this place so special?”

“The people here. They crave knowledge like no others, above all things. When Apollyon’s usual tricks simply became fodder for their jokes… he joined them.”

“What do you mean, joined them?”

“If you cannot beat them, join them, right? When they began to laugh at the idea of magic, of all things supernatural… when they turned from the teachings of their elders and began to use as great a thing as science simply to prove themselves so much smarter and wiser than the old ones… Apollyon joined them in this.”

“But… you mean… he
helped
them disprove the supernatural? Helped them disprove Angels?”

“Well, he couldn’t very well help them
disprove
such a thing as that, now, could he? No, he simply whispered in their ear.”

“Whispered? About what?”

“About many things.” He chuckled softly. “He told them that if a thing could not be seen… then it could not be real. Simple as that. He convinced them in this, said they should not have to
disprove
a creature’s existence if there was no
proof
they actually existed in the first place. He got the naysayers to turn it all around on the believers, make them
prove
there were supernatural beings.”

“But, how could a human do such as that?”

“Ahh, and there it is, isn’t it? There was no physical evidence that could be convincingly presented. So… there you go.”

“So… since the people of this realm could not
prove
there were Angels…”

“Exactly.” Ahriman smiled. “The unbelievers proved their point with no proof at all. It was really quite easy. Brilliant, actually. Oh, and it was not just Angels, my love. Anything that could not be proven was subsequently disproven by that very fact. Belief in all things unseen was shattered, and faith fell by the wayside.”

She shook her head. “But wait… if Apollyon convinced them there were no such things as Angels, then he convinced them that
he
did not exist, either. Why would he do such a thing?”

Ahriman didn’t answer her. He only watched anxiously as her eyes grew wide with understanding.

“Ahh… and now you see,” he whispered. “His most cunning, elaborate trick of all.”

“…Convincing this world he does not exist.”

“Yes. Like I said… brilliant.”

“So… who do the people think comes to collect their souls? And… who do they pray to or call out to for help? With this many demons scouring the land, there must be almost constant unimaginable pain and misery.”

“True. All true.” He shrugged his shoulders again. “Have you not ever heard the saying… Fools rush in where even Angels fear to tread?”

She nodded her head, fear and dread fast filling her mind.

“And you understand what it means?” he asked, not waiting for her answer. “Angels are not fools. We know. We
believe
. Especially we fallen Angels. We know full well the danger, the fact there is a line that cannot be seen… but can most definitely be crossed. Not so with humans.” He snorted out a laugh. “Imagine that. Devils believe in Father, and we tremble in that knowledge. Humans? Well, they will know and tremble as well… in time. And as far as their souls go, Milady, most people here do not believe they have one. Same premise as before—if it cannot be proven, it cannot be real. As for prayers and belief… there are still a few who cling to the old ways. I mean, if there weren’t at least a few people left to tempt, where would all the fun be?”

She gasped. “Vybius.”

“Sorry. Sorry.” He paused a moment, duly chastised. “Tell me. Why did you think Apollyon’s unholy war did not touch this realm, or the one you now call home?”

She furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… it was no accident that only the first seven layers were attacked and the others spared. Earth is his favorite. He’s got a good thing going here. If Apollyon had brought mindless death and destruction down on these people… well, they just might have gone back to praying and asking for help. He could not let such a thing as that happen. Think about it. If he had sent demons to all-out attack this realm… he would have provided them with the very proof they lacked. It would have ultimately undone all his hard work.”