9. Killing Kind of Knowledge
Chapter 9
Killing Kind of Knowledge
Jared
“ R agnarok, what the fuck?” I questioned the second I heard Dom say the word, knowing exactly what this meant.
We were currently in his office where, after my outburst when first arriving, Keira convinced me to calm down enough to explain everything that had happened. Which was only interrupted when Carrick walked in the room, someone Dom had reached out to, so as to aid them in discovering more about Ella’s old soul.
However, what he had found led him more down Garmr’s path than that of Ella’s, as he discovered more of our enemy’s origins. Both Keira and Dom look disappointed by this, but no more so than I, as it was clear I was getting more frustrated by the second. Especially now I was left with more questions than answers.
As for the others in the room, there was Sophia, her husband Zagan, Lucius and Amelia, along with Clay, the Vampire’s head of security. A being that was actually the true King of fraud because Clay was Geryon, someone Garmr was currently posing as so as to have access to the King’s armies. We all agreed that Garmr most likely had no idea that he had killed the wrong person, as Clay assured us that no one but his stand-in knew of the switch.
The last person in the room was, of course, my brother, who for the most part was doing a half decent job at keeping me calm.
“Oh wonderful, another power-hungry asshole that wants to rule fuck all left of the world… smart that,” Orthrus muttered dryly and well, he wasn’t fucking wrong.
Dom released his own frustrated sigh as he too had heard all Carrick had to say. The high-ranking Death Dealer who just so happened to have aided Keira when bringing my Ella into this world.
That in itself was all types of fucked up, as let’s just say bringing life into this world was literally the opposite to what they were created to do. And as for the current bringer of death in our company, he had just finished explaining who the fuck Garmr truly was. But more importantly, why he might be obsessed with my girl. Although without knowing who his mother was, it was still unclear as to how he could be related to Ella’s old soul.
“Unfortunately, this looks to indeed be the case,” Carrick said, replying to Dom the moment he guessed where this was going. Which seemed to be yet another world domination rabbit hole these fuckers were obsessed with jumping into.
We all had to question the why and how if we were to have any hope of stopping him, because Carrick had just finished explaining Garmr’s origins and his connection to the God Loki. Or should we say, his connection to Hel, the queen to another realm of the dead.
Information that no one knew until now, not even Dom, who was the oldest of us all and knew practically everything there was to know about every Supernatural being. But as for Garmr, then before now, nothing was really known about his past, only that he was once known as the guardian of Hel’s own underworld.
What had happened to end this position, no one knew. Only that what arose from the events, was an alliance formed between Hel and Hades. Something that made sense, considering the boarder to their realms were connected.
Forming such a union wasn’t unheard of. Many rulers sought out alliances to neighboring lands as it gave each greater strength in numbers. Which meant everyone just assumed this to be the reason for their treaty. And well, they did have the same job. They both traded with souls, after all.
But as for discovering things about Ella and the origins of ‘her old soul’… that was a dead end, a comment that was quickly followed by Carrick saying,
“…No pun intended.”
“So let me get this straight, my girl is somewhere in Hell, the one place that now makes it easier for this fuck, Garmr, to get his hands on her, and all we have learned so far is that he is another arsehole that wants to destroy the world. Something that he needs Ella to achieve, but we don’t know why, don’t know how, nor do we know one fucking thing about her past?!” I snapped, so close to losing it again.
I looked to each person in the room, but in the end, it was my brother I focused on because he looked deep in thought.
“You have something to say, Orth?” I asked in an exasperated tone.
“Something Marcus said,” he replied, making my body go taut as I folded my arms before pointing out,
“You’ve changed your fucking tune.”
“I am going to ignore that,” he said, pointing a finger at me.
“Please continue, Orthrus,” Keira said, after first giving me a disapproving look, one I was quick to ignore.
“You said we don’t know where she is, but we do.”
“I am not believing a single word that fucker said!” was my hotheaded response because, well, I was still hurt as fuck over the betrayal. Although this time it was my brother’s turn to grant me a judgmental look.
“J, come on, man. Yeah, I grant you, it’s shady shit not warning us about what was coming, but it’s not like we also don’t know why he didn’t.”
“I am not listening to this,” I said, putting up a hand and walking to the door. I just needed to fucking think for five fucking minutes without someone reminding me of how fucked this all was!
Ha, even the word fuck made me think of her, and not for obvious reasons. She would no doubt tease me had I said this aloud, asking me if I got enough fucks into one sentence.
Fuck, I missed her!
However, before I could escape, a question stopped me in my tracks with my hand frozen on the handle.
“Have you not yet asked yourself why when he said Ella went to the Underworld… that she went home?”
My whole body tensed because now, for the first time, I was replaying these same words he had said back to me. I was also now asking myself why hadn’t I questioned this earlier?
Because I had been blinded by rage, that was why.
I looked back at Orthrus, ignoring the rest of the people in the room before telling him with gritted teeth,
“No, but I am about to find out.” Then I left and went in search of the one person that would have the answers I needed.
Because he had known it all… right from the start.
To say that this was a bitter pill to swallow was a fucking understatement! So, I stormed back into the empty club, leaving Dom’s office and hating that the last time I was there, I had only just experienced the blissful happiness in knowing my girl had agreed to marry me. And now, here I was, having lost her again for what felt like the fucking millionth time, like some fated fucking joke! It had been time and time again and I couldn’t help but question why the Gods would be so cruel.
“Yeah right,” I muttered aloud because the answer came to me just as quickly as I had asked myself it. Cruelty had always been in their nature, just as wars didn’t happen among the peaceful and contented. Well, never before had I felt so much like their fucking puppet, as all they needed was to dangle the Fated Queens in front of us Kings to have us dancing to their merry fucking cruel tune!
Well, no more!
I was taking Fate into my own hands, starting with one of their own.
“J!” I heard Smidge say, making me turn as I crossed the VIP and saw her head pop up from where she was slumped down across one of the sofa’s. The near empty bottle in her hand I knew was not enough to ease the pain etched on her expression. As for my own features, I felt them harden, knowing exactly what was coming.
“Where is he?” I demanded, knowing that if anyone knew, then it would be the girl that had been in love with him since the very first day they met. At first, I got her hopeful expression but after a few seconds longer, looking at my face was all it took for her shoulders to drop, along with her optimism.
“He’s gone,” she muttered dejectedly, taking another swig from her bottle.
“When?” I snarled, damning my own temper for being rash enough to banish him so soon, knowing there was still so much more I needed from him… like the fucking truth!
“Not long ago,” she admitted, although when I turned and started to make for the stairs that would lead me to exit, she told me quickly,
“He didn’t go that way!”
I paused my steps before they took me back to where she was sitting. Then when I was close enough, I raised her face up to mine after taking hold of her chin. He pretty hazel eyes were sparkling with unshed tears, reminding me of all that time ago when I had saved her life and found her looking just as she did now.
All hope lost and forsaken.
“Where did he go, Smidge?” I asked in a gentler tone, hating how much this was hurting her, how much of their history together had always hurt. For there was nothing worse than living with the one true love of your life, one no more than an arm’s length away, yet it would always be too far to touch. And now I finally knew why, as no Oracle was permitted to be claimed by love. Not when the God Janus had already a claim on his Fated vessels. It was why Lucifer himself could not claim the Oracle Pythia, not until she had been released of her charge as what had been foretold alongside of the Great Prophesy.
And now Smidge knew why, as all these years he was also forbidden to reveal himself and the true nature of his being. Which was also why I could see the track marks of her shed tears for myself, as it was clear before he left, they had spoken.
Hence the bottle.
At my question she sighed before pointing to the door I had just walked through. One that would take me back into the castle that was the heart of Afterlife. A maze of rooms, hallways, and staircases. Something I didn’t have fucking time for, which was why by the time I got to the double doors, I was grateful when Smidge stopped me to ask,
“Are you going to kill him?”
It was my turn to release a sigh, and I closed my eyes as I did, as even the thought of killing my best friend had pain coursing right through me. Which was why I told her honestly,
“No, I couldn’t, not even if I wanted to.”
Naturally she released a relieved breath before confessing,
“The library, that’s where he went.”
I frowned at this, wondering what he could find there but determined to discover the why all the same. And well, I just hoped I wasn’t too late to find out.
“Smidge…”
“Yeah?” she said, raising her head up from where she was now sitting up but looking down at her feet, the bottle swinging between her bent knees.
“Thank you for trusting me,” I said, making her nod her head.
Just as a tear fell, she told me in return something that meant a great deal to me.
“Always, J … always.”
I dipped my head toward her, wishing I had the time to hug my friend but knowing I didn’t as I quickly rushed through the doors. I then started running down the hallway, but after passing the door to Dom’s office, I heard it open behind me. This was once I was at the end of the hall, about to round the corner. Of course, I felt a presence catching up and I didn’t need to look to know that it was my brother.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?” he asked.
“I need to get to the library,” I told him, not letting up my speed, knowing he would easily match it.
“Why, you gonna get a fine?” I rolled my eyes at his joke and replied with only one word,
“Marcus.”
“Well, I will take you using his name again as a good sign,” he commented, making me roll my eyes.
“Like I said, you changed your tune, what has he been for this last decade, pencil dick?” I was quick to remind him.
“What can I say, I’m a sentimental bastard and he’s like a piece of the furniture now, I’m used to him.”
“Fuck me, only took what…? A few decades over two hundred years,” I pointed out.
“You know it takes me a while to warm up to people,” he joked.
“Oh yeah, looked that way when Red came along.” Just saying her name sent a spike of pain through my body at not having her with me, but I continued anyway, “As I recall, you were ready to kick my arse on that plane, and not even twenty-four hours after she walked back into my life.”
Fuck, but if only I could go back to that day… how much differently I would have handled things. For starters, I would have allowed myself the freedom to openly fall in love with her, instead of fighting against what I knew deep down was already happening.
“That’s because you needed your head examining or kicking, I am still unsure which works best.”
At this I decided to play him at his own game, instead of just agreeing with what we both knew was right.
“And the coffee shop girl, wanna explain that one?” I asked, slowing now we were at the door to the library, smirking when I saw him grit his teeth.
“No fucking comment, dickhead.”
I chuckled, enjoying the small victory.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought, but hey, I will keep the head-kicking in mind for when it’s needed,” I told him as I opened the doors and hissed, “Fuck!”
This was because Marcus was nowhere to be seen, and I soon knew why when I saw the door in the fireplace slightly ajar.
“Come on, let’s get in there before he finds himself in some ass end of a realm!” I said before running across the room and wrenching open the ‘not so secret’ door, which would lead us both back into the temple.
“Where the fuck could he be? I mean, look around, J, there are like a million fucking doors here,” My brother said, making me look both ways down the colossal hallway that could have been made with a giant in mind.
“What was he even hoping to achieve here? Skip out on the plane fare and make his way back to Devil’s…? We will most likely find him rat arsed drunk, fighting every fucker known to…?”
At this I closed my eyes and held up a hand before snapping,
“Shut the fuck up for a second, will ya, and let me think!” Then I started to play it all out, asking myself what would he find here if not a way out back to Devil’s. Something I didn’t think he would do. No, this right here was too important to just walk away from and I knew my best friend. He wouldn’t just take my word and give up. He would be looking for a way to fix this. Just like any other time he had ever fucked up, he always came back punching.
He was tenacious.
The fucker never gave up.
We were the same like that.
“I know that look, Brother, so wanna fill me in here?” Orth asked when he lost his patience with waiting.
“Marcus said he couldn’t say anything right… that he knew but couldn’t tell me,” I said, making Orthrus frown.
“Yeah, that was pretty much the gist of it… so what?”
“Well, what would you do if you wanted to tell me something, but someone was stopping you?” I asked, making him rub his head as he thought about this.
“Go straight to the source of the problem,” he said at last, making my eyes shoot straight down the hall to the end of the temple and back to the atrium.
“The Janus Temple… The overruling God of Fate… fuck! But I think I know what he is planning! Come on, we have to stop him!” I said in a rush before I took off running once more, and this time it was to stop the very thing I had wanted. Because it was too high a price and not a cost I could bare paying.
So I ran as fast as my legs could take me, only stopping when I saw Marcus standing in front of the fountain.
A fountain I knew he was going to step into.
A fountain that was sure to…
Kill him.