Sixty-Three Samkiel
I had worked for three days straight, carving pieces off that damn mountain and rebuilding. I glanced at my hands. They were all healed now, the silver rings gleaming under the moonlight. My entire body still ached, but I deserved it. I’d felt her cry after I sent her away, and I hated myself for it. I would rather rip my heart from my chest and shred it myself than ever hurt her, but I was so . . . My resolve reasserted itself. I needed to get this taken care of. Then, the emotions could come.
My boots slapped against the small puddles that accumulated along the cobblestones, the rain coming down in sheets. People ran past me, seeking shelter. It was a universal truth that most beings hated the rain and would hide, giving me the perfect coverage. Water soaked my hooded cloak, but I barely noticed as I strode forward.
Lights sparked from the safety of their intricate metal lanterns, blue and white smoke floating skyward. I carefully descended the half-broken steps and wove through the streets, staying in the shadows in this rundown part of town.
I slipped my hand into my pocket, finding the small stone and rubbing my fingers over it. That had been my first stop, and this was the second. I turned down a dark alley. Barrels, overflowing with discarded animal flesh and bone from the nearby restaurants, reeked of rot. A few eight-legged creatures scurried to the sides as I approached. They raised their double tails and hissed at me, warning me off their trash trove.
Music flooded the end of the alley, and the sound of voices grew louder. A sign hung over the door, the letters from the old language carved into the rusted metal. Brothel. Two towering figures stopped when they saw me approaching. A curl of smoke left one’s lips as the other gave me a toothy grin, displaying his serrated teeth. I gazed at them steadily and looked away as I passed.
I paused before the weathered gray door, praying to the old gods he was here. Gathering information while trying to keep a low profile turned out to be harder than I expected. Everything had changed since Nismera took these realms. So many beautiful places were nothing more than rubble now, and it seemed that brothels had become the places that everyone ran to, both to forget and conduct business. Criminals and businessmen alike turned a blind eye to each other here. They were worn down like all the realms she ruled over, tired, hungry, and ruined.
I sighed and squared my shoulders before pushing the door open. Carnal sounds of pleasure could be heard above the music, but that was not why I was there. The outside of this building was an illusion. Inside, it was a massive column, the center open space with rooms lining the floors both above and below.
I moved past a topless waitress, balancing a tray on her feathered tail. She handed glasses out to a group of men. Moans and grunts of pleasure filled the air, some from behind closed doors, some tucked into the darkened alcoves.
I paused in front of one of the viewing rooms. A woman was suspended upside down while a male wrapped his arms around her middle and buried his face between her legs. Their sounds of pleasure and need had me licking my lips, imagining Dianna spread before me like that. I wondered how long it would take Dianna to forgive me for leaving before she let me attempt that maneuver.
“Are you looking for something in particular, gorgeous?” a voice purred from behind me.
Pulled from the erotic thoughts of having Dianna at my mercy, I turned. I smiled and nodded at the harpy. She wore a teal dress that hung loosely on her. Each strand of her hair ended in a fine blue and white feather, matching the bigger ones that grew along the sides of her arms. Talons, thick and sharp, tipped her fingers and toes.
“Actually, I am,” I said. “I’m looking for Killium.”
Her eyes dilated for a mere second before she covered it up with a soft smile. She shook her head and cocked her hip, acting coy. It was an obvious display, trying to avoid my question. But I was in love with the only woman who could ever do such a thing to me. “Sorry, I don’t know that name. Maybe I can find you—”
My smile was pleasant, even if my mood was not. “You do, and I know he’s here. Tell him Donumete wants to see him.”
Her nostrils flared. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said before stepping back.
I watched as she turned down a hall, disappearing out of sight. I leaned against the railing to wait, watching the movement on the levels beneath me. The realms were so different now. I knew when I locked myself away that things would change, but seeing the utter desolation of so many of the realms made my heart hurt.
“I thought sealing the realms, the plan you had always intended, would have left them in peace. Instead, we trapped them here with a monster,” I whispered to the ghost of my past as if my father could hear me even now.
A burst of laughter filled the air, ripping me from my thoughts. There had to be at least a hundred people here. I didn’t see any soldiers in gold and black armor, but I kept my cloak pulled tight, regardless.
I leaned my elbows against the railing, clasping my hands in front of me. My gaze snagged on my bare finger where our mark should have been, or was, I suppose. She had lied to me for months. I wanted to stay mad, to feel as hurt as I should, but a part of me knew why she’d done it. I knew Dianna, and even if I didn’t agree with her actions at times, I understood her reasoning. She held everything she loved close, afraid it’d break or be taken from her, and that was exactly what I’d done. I broke. I died. That part still hadn’t sunk in. I remembered little other than falling asleep as she held me. Everything seemed so blurry, mashes of memories that made no sense.
“I love you.”
Her voice echoed in my head. I would have stayed if I had not opened that portal right then. She’d finally spoken the words I so desperately craved, and it felt as if my soul had ignited when they fell from her lips. My legs had stilled, my body refusing to move, and I’d wanted nothing more than to stay. She’d given up the very fabric of her being for me. I would never be worthy of her, of that kind of love, but I would be a godsdamn liar if I said I wouldn’t try to be.
I wanted to make her promise that we’d never keep things from one another, but I had something I needed to do first. Fear had taken root in my gut, mocking me. I had a throne to reclaim, a crown to take back, and a war to win, but my greatest fear was that I could not protect the one I couldn’t live without.
“Donumete, Killium will see you now.”
I straightened and nodded at the harpy. I followed her around the floor toward the back of the building. As we stepped through a doorway, I noticed the same men from outside standing against the wall. So, they were not just patrons but guards.
The two large creatures smiled their toothy grins. One lifted an artistic picture with a webbed hand and pressed the hidden button behind it. I watched as a part of a wall slid to the side, revealing a small elevator.
The harpy smiled at me as she waved a feathered arm, gesturing me in. I stepped in, the harpy and the guards shuffling in behind me. None of us spoke as the wall closed behind us. A dull, blue light ran around the perimeter of the car before the door sealed shut, and the elevator jerked.
The two guards flanked me, and the harpy was at my back. The guards placed their hands in front of them, seemingly at ease, but I caught the slight twitch of the slightly taller one.
I sighed. “Is this really necessary?”
“I’m afraid so,” the harpy said, and I heard her unsheathe the blade she carried at her side. “Given that Donumete is dead.”
I’d learned far too young all the dirty tricks in fighting. Most went for a weak part, and when facing a taller opponent, that usually meant the knee or groin. Distraction was also a valuable tactic. When fighting in a team, usually one went high, the other low, which in most cases worked. In this case, not so much.
I heard the air curve around her blade as she struck low, and I jumped, avoiding the blade aimed at the back of my knees. I landed in a crouch, the second strike slashing the air right above my head. The taller guard rushed forward as I stood, a blade as sharp as his teeth aimed for my gut. I twisted and grabbed his wrist, using his momentum to slam him against the harpy behind me. They let out a grunt as they hit the wall and slumped to the floor, feathers flying around the elevator.
The second guard snarled, his tail whipping out of his coat, the tip curled around a dagger. He fisted two more and charged. My fist shot out, connecting with bone. It cracked with the contact right as the elevator doors opened. The guard fell into the small room, landing with a dull thud. I reached back and dragged the harpy and the other guard out with me, tossing them to the floor.
“That’s a hell of a greeting.”
I took a deep breath and straightened my cloak before entering the room. A small device chirped, alerting the creature currently crouched over its desk. He turned toward me, his three large eyes squinting behind the circular glasses he wore. I removed my hood. The item he held clattered to the floor as he stood, his long snout gaping.
“May the old gods damn my soul. Samkiel. It is you.”
The drowsy guards in the room practically jumped out of their skin at the mention of my name.
“Samkiel?” A woman emerged from behind a door. Dark gray ringlets fell to her shoulders as she wiped her hands on her apron.
“Jaski,” I said.
Her smile deepened the wrinkles in her cheeks, and a shine of green flickered in her eyes as she looked at me. “My eyes don’t deceive me. You truly are alive, but . . . different.”
Killium pushed past his cluttered desk and limped toward me, the wiry hairs on his back raised in greeting. His leg bore mechanics he hadn’t had the last time I’d seen him. I met him halfway and bent to hug him.
“You were dead. I swore it. We all did. The sky carries your power. I see it every day. Nismera, she—”
I raised my hand. “I know, old friend, we have a lot to discuss. Can we?” I nodded toward the back room.
“Of course, of course.” He waved me on, and I threw a tendril of power behind me, closing and sealing the elevator.