22. Two Tentacles and an Arm
Walking through shadows, though still unsettling, was a lot easier with Cufio there. It was also the best way to get into Olian’s spot without immediately signaling her and her men of my arrival. As I suspected, Cufio confirmed she could sense my arrival if I used my ability. As far as he knew, Olian had no way of detecting his presence.
“The problem for most of the sensors is that the shadows, especially here in the Bane, are always active. It’s nearly impossible to single out one signature, and even if you could, it would take a lot of power to do so for an extended period. In other worlds, where the dark passages are quieter, that’s a lot easier to accomplish,” Cufio explained while he navigated the darkness with me in his arms.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said, more to keep the noise from being limited to the eerie groans coming from the surrounding darkness.
“Of course. Just never tell Metice I had to carry you like this.” Cufio laughed. “Last thing I need is him coming for me.”
“You think he would?”
“You didn’t see what he did to that room you were in. Let’s just say the guy is crazy about you. Crazy enough to level a building. I don’t need there to be any misunderstandings.”
Cufio laughed again, but I could tell by the way his fingers nervously shifted that he was truly worried about what Metice would do. I smiled at the thought of having someone who would go to war for me. For too long, I’d been sitting across poorly lit tables from men who probably wouldn’t defend me against a fly. Now, there was one in my life who literally faced demons from hell to save me. Call me a stereotype, but that shit was sexy.
I dropped my hand to my hip to make sure the bag was still there. Our three passengers were still safely secured. There was no way I could walk into Olian’s space with Di, Do, and Piko in their beastly forms. I wanted to get in and out and do as little damage as possible. Those babies were my backup plan.
Likosa provided me with a carrying case that felt like something Mary Poppins would use. I watched in complete awe as Di and Do easily stepped into the ten-inch pouch before Likosa held it out to a reluctant Piko. After promising him several times that it would be safe, that I wouldn’t leave him locked inside with Di and Do, the little blue guy hopped in.
“All you have to do is open it and they will do the rest.” Likosa instructed as she strapped the pouch to my waist. Before we left, she gave me a long hug, and I could damn near hear the suggestive thoughts in Cufio’s head.
“We’re here.” What felt like ten minutes later, Cufio stopped moving. “Are you sure you’re ready to go in there?”
“Are you sure you won’t go with me?” I asked once more as Cufio lowered me from his arms to stand in front of him.
Through the veil of shadows, I could see the large room. It looked a lot like the one she held me in, only four times the size. I scanned the space. It was empty—and then I saw him, chained to a wall with large bronze cuffs around his ankles, wrists, and neck. The cuffs had an odd glow to them, which had to mean they weren’t normal. To keep Metice down, Olian must have used magic on them.
“I think I’ll sit this one out.” Cufio nudged me forward. “Look, I’ve never been a fighter. I stick to the shadows, get intel, and leave. What you’re in for is a lot more than I’m capable of.”
“Thanks anyway.” I couldn’t blame him. This wasn’t his fight, and he’d already done enough to risk his own life.
“Good luck.” Cufio waved as he backed away from me, leaving me alone in the shadows.
“Here goes nothing.” I took one deep breath for confidence, then left the unexpected safety of the shadows.
My first step from the shadows was a careful one. The ones to follow weren’t. My footsteps were like echoes of my heart as I ran across the room to him. It didn’t matter the eyes I felt watching me. I knew going in that it wouldn’t be easy to save the man.
“Metice.” I dropped to my knees beside him and took his face in my hands. “You’re alive.”
“Rayna, no. This was a trap for you.” Blood spilled from his lips as he spoke. “She wanted you to come.”
“Yeah, I’m old enough to know how all this works.” I winked. It was obvious what Olian wanted. She had to get me out of the picture, as if that would make Metice fall for her.
“Why?” he asked. “Why would you risk coming here?”
“As if I could leave you here.” I kissed him. “We already know what you would do if I were locked away like this.”
The slow succession of claps echoed off the stone ceiling. Olian, hidden in shadows, stepped from the darkness. It was her grand entrance, the big bad reveal, as if we didn’t already know it was her behind the chaos.
“I wondered how you would make your way in here. I’ll have to thank Cufio for his help.” Olian pointed to the shadow where I’d entered the room. “That is who helped you, right? One of the few allies Metice has in this world. Well, maybe not after today.”
“Let him go.” I would not play into her banter. Olian was an attention seeking whore, and as far as I was concerned, giving her any more of my energy would only make things worse.
“No.” she said. “Why would I do that after all I did to get him here? I had to wait for the right moment. To think, we had to watch the two of you and that puke inducing planet all that time.”
“Why would you go through all that for a guy you know doesn’t want you?” My hands moved from his face to his neck. Metice was fuming, and I hoped my touch would keep him calm. This fight wasn’t his. It was mine.
“You have something I want.” Olian lifted a slow, dramatic finger and aimed it at Metice. “If I can’t have him…”
“Please, don’t do it.” I held my hand up, the laughter already threatening to erupt. “Don’t say if you can’t have him, no one can. Are you really that lame? I really thought, with all your green badassery, you’d have a better line than that!”
“Fine, I’ll cut to the part where I take off your head.” Olian rolled her shoulders as her tentacles sprouted from her back.
“Give it your best shot,” I challenged her, because I knew something she didn’t.
She shot one tentacle out at me, and instinctually, I pushed Metice away and jumped out of the target zone. Once clear, I tapped into my own power. I popped away from Metice’s side and reappeared just behind Olian as my size ten foot landed in the middle of her back between the nasty appendages.
“Ah, yes, your little trick.” She straightened. “How could I forget about that? But exactly how long do you think that’s going to help you?”
I popped again and got right up in the bitch’s face. Before she could respond, I connected fist to jaw twice, then popped away.
“Let’s find out.” I wiggled my fingers at her. “I’m actually pretty good at this, thanks to my excellent trainer.”
“Too bad that trainer didn’t teach you to do anything else!” Olian shouted.
“He taught me enough.” Again, I popped from my place behind her, wrapped my hands in her braids, and pulled her to the ground. Her head slammed into the floor.
I tried to move away, but one of her tentacles was wrapped around my leg.
“You’re so predictable, it’s laughable.” Olian stood and held me, dangling upside down. “It’s time to end this so Metice can be with who he’s really meant for.”
I could hear my friend’s voice in my head. Shoot the bitch! So, that’s what I did. I reached behind me and found the spot where Likosa put the bubble. It took a second to reach it, but once I did, it popped open, and Keri’s special friend fell into my hand. I quickly aimed for Olian’s knee and pulled the trigger. Pop!
Olian screamed out and fell to the ground, dropping me on my head in the process. After having my skull crack against the hard ground, the room spun.
“Damn, that hurt.” I scooted away from her, waiting for my head to clear before standing again.
Summoned by Olian’s scream, the doors opened, and demons entered, led by her orange boy toy. The orange one ran right for me, scooped me from the ground, and slapped a cuff on my wrist that matched the ones Metice wore.
“No more hopping for you,” he grunted in my ear.
“It’s time to watch her die!” Olian teased Metice while hopping on one leg. “Then you can get over this nonsense and join me like you promised!”
“I will never be with you, Olian,” Metice told her. “You kill her, and you might as well take my head off right now.”
“How could you say that? How could you throw away everything for a human?” She pointed to the orange demon. “Bring her to me.”
The demon grabbed me by the throat and dragged me, kicking and screaming, to Olian. Her demonic minions stood around and cheered for my approaching death.
I locked eyes with Metice, who fought against his restraints. I tried to pop over to him, but I could feel the cuff on my wrist locking me in place. That was how she kept him there: the cuffs.
“Say goodbye to your girlfriend.” The sharp clink of metal rang out as Olian pulled out a large blade and held it against my throat. This was her plan, to torture Metice with the thought of my death instead of actually doing what she threatened. I used this to my advantage.
If there was any time to reveal a secret weapon, that was it. I could have said something funny, but my head was still spinning, and I wanted to keep it attached to my neck. The latch on the bag gave me some fight, but after a few seconds of fumbling, it opened.
First came Di, then came Do, and then Piko, in his normal size, hopped out. The room went wild. Piko ran to Metice, but Di and Do were on a mission. They immediately identified the threats, and those gentle, rainbow-colored giants turned into terrifying monsters. Their bodies turned a mystic grey as sharp horns sprouted from their heads.
Di’s hands turned into double barreled cannons, which he used to blast the enemies with so much water, they struggled to escape and ultimately drowned. Do had another tactic: beneath his head, his torso became a pool of water. When he wasn’t chopping off heads, he pulled the smaller adversaries into his body, where they remained suspended until they drowned and fell to the ground beneath him, demon poop.
In the commotion, the orange one picked me up and returned me to Olian, dropping me when Di popped out the bag. The moment he released me, Do snatched him up and threw him across the room. His head smashed into the wall, and he fell limp to the floor. Before Do could finish the job, another demon attacked him. Do turned on the goblin like demon who cut into his back and quickly removed its head before moving on to a new target.
“You think this is enough to stop me from killing you?” Olian growled at me as her tentacles reappeared.
I heard him before I saw him. Piko yipped, leaping into the air and landing on Olian’s back. His body exploded as his jaw clamped onto two of the tentacles and pulled. Blood splattered on my face as Olian writhed in pain and Piko tossed the appendages aside. When Olian dropped to her knees, crying, Piko ran to help Di and Do, and I turned to get to Metice. We wouldn’t last long without his help. Soon, more of Olian’s demons would be on top of us.
“Stop this. You need to get out of here,” Metice said as I pulled against the chains that held him. “More will come, Rayna. It’s not worth it.”
“Shut up,” I snapped. “I’m not leaving you here. Now help me!”
“Watch out!” Metice yelled, and I turned just in time to see Olian.
Her broken body soared through the air, the blade above her head.
Alright, last surprise.
I lifted my hand, pulled the energy from the room and… Boom!
Olian’s eyes widened as she realized what I’d done. It was too late for her to change course. The blast of energy slammed into her chest and knocked her back across the room.
“How did you do that?” Metice asked.
“Likosa’s training is a lot more effective.” I winked.
“My arm!” Olian screamed out. The green demoness lay with her back against the wall as blood oozed from the opening at her left shoulder.
“Oh, shit!” I slapped my hand over my mouth. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“Maybe Likosa’s training isn’t so great after all.” Metice joked.
The door opposite us flew open, and a line of armored demons filed in, but they didn’t join the fight. They lined the walls and held their place. A moment later, a man so large, he barely fit through the door entered. He snapped his fingers twice, and all the demons who fought at Olian’s side stopped.
He was massive, his skin the same green as Olian. I thought he looked mostly human. Despite his giant size. That was until I saw the tail on the ground behind him, and the hooves where I’d expect to see shoes.
“Who is that?” I asked Metice.
“My former boss and Olian’s dad,” he whispered back, and I felt his energy shift from fear to worry.
“What is this?” Boss-Dad roared, his voice so loud, it shook the walls.
“Get me out of this now,” Metice said. “Use your power. Break the cuffs.”
“Okay.” I aimed my hand at the one on his right wrist.
“Carefully,” he warned.
The concentrated energy popped from my hand and successfully removed the first cuff. The chain rattled to the ground before I moved to his other hand and did the same. After I snapped the first two, he pulled the others off himself.
The moment he was free of the restraints, Metice’s body expanded. I stepped back to give him space and gawked at how quickly he transformed. Not only did he expand in size, but he looked terrifying. Razor-like armor covered his body, and his horns were so big, I could comfortably stand on them. He’d told me about this talent, but I’d yet to see the full transformation in person. Soon, I felt like a child standing next to two giants. He didn’t hesitate; Metice walked over to the large man, putting himself between me and the others.
“Klougus,” Metice addressed the demon. “It’s good to see you.”
“Metice.” He looked around the room. “You’ve brought this disaster into my home. Why?”
“I did not. Your daughter did.” Metice pointed to Olian.
“The story of unrequited love.” He glanced over his shoulder at his daughter. “Still, how can I turn a blind eye to all this? At least twenty of my men are dead, my daughter disfigured, and you’ve bought three beasts into my home.”
“It was my soulmate,” Metice spoke about me. “She brought them here.”
“Your what?” Klougus frowned. “Since when do you have a soulmate?”
“I’ve had the marriage of souls.” Metice explained. “Your daughter, after learning about this, captured me. And my mate, well within her right, did what she had to do to get to me.”
“The marriage of souls.” He glanced at me. “This is the woman?”
“Yes,” Metice said proudly. “Rayna, my soulmate.”
“She’s beautiful.” Klougus gave the compliment before he addressed his daughter. “Olian, did you know?”
Olian clamped her wound and shouted. “He promised to be with me!”
I felt her heartache, and for a quick second, I felt bad for her. If she at any point felt what I did for Metice, I understood why she wanted to preserve that. Still, the bitch was out of her mind.
“Did you know, child?” her father snapped. “Did you know he’d completed the marriage of souls?”
“Yes,” she pouted.
“And yet you still wasted our resources on this foolishness? You know the bond is final. There is no return from it.” He turned to her. “Have you learned nothing from your last century of solitude? Would you like to go back?”
“It’s not fair. Metice was to be mine,” she cried. “You promised him to me.”
“Olian, get over it.” Klougus waved her off. “All the demons in the world want you. Well, they did before you went and disfigured yourself.”
“I didn’t do this. She did!” Olian pointed at me. “She took my arm!”
“Get a new one.” He rolled his eyes before leaving a new question in my head.
Could she just get a new arm?
“Metice, I’m sorry about this. It can be so hard to raise a daughter, especially without her mother around.”
“It’s okay, I get it.” Metice stepped back to stand by my side as his form returned to normal size. “I didn’t mean to break her heart, but-”
“You found your true soulmate. I know how it is.” Klougus nodded. “Only a few are so lucky. Who am I to deny it?”
“Dad!” Olian screamed. “Stop this! Make him leave her.”
“Such a disappointment.” He pointed to the orange demon who escaped death at Do’s hands. “Take her to cool off and repair her injuries.”
The orange one picked Olian up and carried her out of the room. The other demon guards followed them out, but Klougus remained as Di and Do climbed back into the pouch and Piko returned to his smaller, cuddlier size.
“Oh, a Denati companion? You got yourself a good one here. Well done, Metice.” Klougus clapped as his laughter boomed. He looked at me like he saw a new prize waiting to be claimed. “Remember, my offer still stands. Come back, and you’ll have your rank. I could use a guy like you, and your new partner as well.”
“I’m not coming back, Klougus. Nothing’s changed. I’m done with that life.”
“Can’t blame me for trying.” He turned to leave and called over his shoulder. “Metice, get out of my house.”
Moments later, we were back in Metice’s home, which had been destroyed by Olian’s men. He flipped the couch over and sat down.
“Look at that: I saved you.” I flexed my muscles and gave my best superhero pose.
“Yeah, you did.” A slow smile lifted on his face as he watched me. “Thank you.”
“This calls for a celebration.” I turned and started twerking in his face, beat boxing to make my own music.
“Yeah, shake that ass,” Metice laughed. “Now strip for me.”
“Seriously? You’re covered in blood. You need to rest.” I planted my hands on my hips. “Is this really the time?”
His eyes darkened, and his horns sprouted from his forehead as he leaned forward.
“Woman, I said strip.”