Chapter 17 #2
Alas, he was among the many gods who pooled their power to become physical, falling to the pleasures of physicality and even to the thrill of creating progeny.
He and his cohorts, collectively known as the Tryah, were the first to see what a mistake that was as each bundle of joy sucked out a little more of their power.
Inciting the war was a brilliant idea, reducing the numbers of both humans and Crescents.
Too bad it had resulted in the sinking of the island, condemning the fallen gods to a featureless plane and tethering them to earth and the Crescents they bore. But some of those Crescents had proven useful, tempted into service with their dreams, their weaknesses. Or for the rewards promised them.
“Things are not going well with your plan,” Drakos said to the Deuce god.
Fallon’s long, dour countenance soured even more. “My minions are being bedeviled by a Dragon duo. Worry not. It will be remedied by Purcell, my dedicated Crescent.”
Each god had their own way to see the plan through. Each thought his part of the plan was the best. Time would tell.
Drakos said, “My progeny, too, has run into trouble with a Deuce and Dragon. Amazing what one or two mere Crescents can do when they set their minds on something.”
Fallon made a growling sound. “They have become attached to each other. I suppose not unlike the lust we felt for the humans of Lucifera. But we would not sacrifice ourselves for their safety and wellbeing as some Crescents are willing to do for one another. It confounds me.”
“Love, they call it,” Drakos said, lifting his upper lip in a snarl.
Demis pulled his wings close around him. “Put your fangs away,” the fallen angel said. “They are unsightly.”
Demis was as stuck here as the rest of them. He thought he was better than a god. When he got too invested in his superiority, Drakos liked to remind him of his gaffe during their physicality. Demis had unknowingly mated with Dragon gods in human form, producing unstable, powerful hybrids.
Fallon lifted his hands. “Fight not. Once our plan succeeds, we can go back to hating one another. For now, we must work together. It helped us to succeed before and will do so again.” He turned to Drakos.
“Remember, that dedication you so disdain is the same that they give to us. Those few who still do, anyway. Our minions are invaluable to our plan, after all.”
Drakos would not admit that he was right. “But they have weaknesses. My descendant has not been able to dispatch the troublesome Crescents.” Drakos filled them in on the circumstances regarding Violet and Kade.
Fallon nodded. “I can help where the Vega is concerned. Tell your minion that I will send my servant to him. Purcell will bring him something useful.”
“Thank you.” The words were always hard to push out. Gods rarely asked for help, rarely needed it, back in the—as the humans called it—good old days. It pained him, but the end of this torment was near.
From their plane, Drakos could see the energy of the solar storm approaching like a fiery tsunami. Small waves and flares already reached the physical plane. He took in the beauty of the coming storm. Freedom…at last.
* * *
Kade knew he’d played right into Ferro’s hands.
Everyone in the building had seen evidence that he’d attacked his superior officer without provocation.
His rants about conspiracies only lent credence to Ferro’s assertion that Kade had gone off the rails.
It happened to Vegas sometimes. The pressures of the job, nightmares, and lack of a personal life all contributed.
The worst part was not being able to complete a mission that mattered more than any other Guard mission he’d ever taken.
No, the worst was not seeing Violet again, not helping her. Keeping her safe.
He could hardly do that sitting in the sterile white room, bound in a straitjacket reinforced with Lucifer’s Gold. They weren’t going to keep him in there for long. Ferro would dispatch him at the earliest convenience.
Kade thought of his father, who must have come here to visit the prisoner.
Now Kade knew in the depths of his gut that his father hadn’t gone crazy.
He had clearly suspected truth in whatever the woman told him.
Someone with a corrupt plan had wanted to eliminate a complication, just like Ferro wanted with Violet.
Stewart Kavanaugh had put everything on the line in that most important mission—and failed. For the first time in twenty years, Kade felt pride in his father’s actions. He knew him in a much deeper way. At least he had that. But now Kade was going to fail in the same way.
The door opened and an orderly came in, eyeing him warily. Kade had seen the guy around but couldn’t bring a name to mind. No nametag in sight. The Argus jail staff rarely mingled with Vegas or even Arguses. By design, for this very reason.
The man closed the door and assessed Kade’s jacket.
Then he approached, testing the straps. “Got to be too much, eh?” he said, opening a metal case mounted on the wall and pulling out a clipboard.
“You guys think you’re so tough and important, but when you fall, you fall hard.
” But he wasn’t really talking to Kade as he filled out something, just making lame conversation.
“How many Vegas go nuts?” Kade asked, and he could tell the man was surprised at how sane he sounded.
“I’ve been working the psych ward for thirty years, seen…” He looked up and counted off with his fingers. “Twelve, maybe, go completely insane. Others just need some forced downtime.”
Kade latched onto the first number. “You were here when my father tried to break out the prisoner twenty years ago. Stewart Kavanaugh.”
“Yeah, heard you’re his son. You think crazy runs in the genes?”
“I’m not crazy.”
He chuckled. “Heard that before.”
“Is that what the woman my father tried to break out said?”
He shook his head. “She had an elaborate story, that one of the Concilium members was kidnapping kids and sucking out their essence. Said her name was…Willow, I think, though she didn’t remember her last name.
She claimed she’d been kidnapped as a young child and this Concilium member had kept her all those years. ”
“Who was the member?”
“Can’t repeat that kind of hearsay.”
“Who would I tell? I’m going to be killed in here.”
“Well, you did try to kill him. Those guys don’t like that, you know.” The orderly was used to dealing with insane people. He spoke softly and evenly.
“He tried to have me killed first. I didn’t like it either. He wants me eliminated to shut me up. Did anyone ever check into her story? Just to make sure?”