Chapter 4 – Norbert
NORBERT
Ikneel before the god of the Underworld, trembling.
One moment I was pacing the river in the gargoyle sanctuary, trying to decide how best to lead my people since Edgar’s disappearance.
How best to finally rid us of the female monsters that stain our lands with their presence. And then the god was there.
“Gargoyle,” he greets, a mocking twist to his lips.
I wish I could stand, but his powers keep me forced in my position. “Hades.”
“I have a job for you.”
“A job? My lord, I’m but a gargoyle. Gargoyles don’t serve gods.”
“Oh? But Edgar did. Edgar saw that through me he could accomplish so very many things. Things that would make him beloved by his people.” His smile falters. “But Edgar was weak. Are you weak?”
Does this deal have anything to do with his disappearance? It doesn’t matter. The old man was a fool.
“I’m stronger than Edgar, my lord.”
“What if this sanctuary were to overflow with your pathetic gargoyle spawn? What if girl babies were born in droves?”
Could he do such a thing? I imagine it, but then I think of the female monster continuing to bring us their spawn. The idea makes me shudder.
“Or perhaps it isn’t more life you wish for; it’s for lives to be taken?”
I stiffen. Can he read my mind? “I wish to be rid of the female monsters, but they have tricked our people into caring for them. If I were to have them killed, my people would rebel. Our society would descend into chaos.”
His gaze grows calculating, and he says nothing for a long moment. “Actually…I think our goals might align…”
“Our goals?”
“I have a monster I need captured, and this time I won’t fail. You will send your men to retrieve her, and then you can use her to be rid of your own monsters.”
“How?”
“The creature I seek is a shade who has stolen her freedom from me. I would have her under my control once more. But should your people capture her, you can use her to transport the female monsters to the Underworld. Because she is not under my control, she isn’t bound by my rules.
She can take people to the Underworld that don’t necessarily earn their places there. ”
Hope blossoms inside of me. “But what if she refuses?
“She is innocent of everything in this world. She’ll be easy to manipulate into doing whatever we wish. And once she arrives in the Underworld, I’ll spring a trap that will ensure neither she nor the monsters ever leave.”
“And no one will see my hand in this,” I say, understanding dawning on me.
He nods, smiling. “It will be as if they…simply vanish.” His gaze holds mine. “We can help each other, gargoyle. What do you say?”
I realize something a second before I agree to his terms. If all of this was so easy, why hadn’t he simply dragged the shade back to the Underworld? “And where is this shade of yours?”
His expression falters. “Captured by powerful vampires near the Whispering Woods. A group of the oldest and most dangerous.”
Everything clicks into place. The world of gods and immortals isn’t a free-for-all, it can’t be or all of humanity would be destroyed.
The gods have rules, and one was that hurting or killing creatures protected by the gods was forbidden.
Should Hades simply go and kill them all, he would stand before the other gods and be given a punishment.
Something I can’t imagine him enjoying.
We aren’t bound by the same rules, but my men likely wouldn’t survive such a battle, not without considerable loss of life. And our numbers are already so small.
But then, this deal is too sweet to walk away from. I search my mind, looking for an answer, and my thoughts suddenly land on a Brotherhood of entirely useless gargoyles. If they were to go and die, no one would miss them.
I would lose nothing by sending them. But I had so much I might gain.
“We have a deal,” I say.
The god of the Underworld finally allows me to stand. “Let us hope this is the first of many such deals.”
And then he’s gone. I hurry to call the Elites to our town hall.
When we’re all seated, I tell a slight lie.
That I’ve heard word of a powerful group of vampires who grow more vicious each day because of their partnership with a free shade, a monster capable of killing without limit, and that the nearby towns need our help.
Everyone agrees that the mission is too dangerous to risk gargoyle lives on, but I present my idea of the useless Brotherhood.
Some seem revolted at the idea of sending the group, but when it comes time to vote, my side wins. So I send for the Brotherhood to be given their mission, not giving the others time to rethink their choice.
Some of the softer Elites seem upset, but our plan doesn’t trouble me. Even though, as my gaze scans them, I have to accept that those who stand against this idea also look younger and healthier. Gargoyles who live good lives look young and healthy, almost for eternity. While the others age badly.
I’ve aged fairly well. I wonder if my new position will change that.
I push the troubling thought away. It was my responsibility as a leader to make the hard choices. I liked being in control. I liked having the power. I could bend the line between right and wrong if it got me what I needed: to finally be rid of the female monsters.
Something Edgar failed to accomplish.
But then, Edgar had a weakness. He didn’t see the bigger picture. He was too consumed by hatred for the monsters. I, on the other hand, simply understand that their use to us has gone. They’ve given us children, who we will continue to care for, as long as they take after their fathers.
And if they take after their mothers, children are easy to kill.
Sitting on my throne, I glance at Gary. He is the Elite I told the full truth to. The man looks strangely relaxed, sitting on his own throne. His dark hair is slicked back against his scalp, showing the sharp lines of his face in an unpleasant way.
People often think I’m cold. But I’m nothing in comparison to him.
Even I couldn’t send my only son to his death.
“You’re certain?” I ask, the question no more than a whisper.
He doesn’t look at me as he answers. “It’s simply logical, Norbert. Not personal. I understand that.”
I didn’t see how killing one’s son couldn’t be personal, but I keep my thoughts to myself. His vote did allow me to carry out this plan, after all. “Do you think they’ll be successful?”
This time, he does look at me, flashing his yellowed teeth.
“Elliot and his Brotherhood are useless to us. A burden. An embarrassment. If they’re successful, we’ll have a means to kill the female monsters, cleanly and without any blood on our hands.
And if they fail, well, we’ve unloaded our burden. ”
“It’s perfect,” I say, but even I don’t sound convincing to my own ears.
The doors to the hall open, and in strides Elliot. Without his Brotherhood.
Annoyance rises inside of me. They were all supposed to be here.
Elliot clearly tries to hide his limp as he approaches us, but the old injury is hard to miss. And with each ungraceful step he takes, that feeling within me intensifies. He is the leader of his men, and yet even he is an embarrassment to call a gargoyle. This was the right decision.
He kneels when he reaches us, bowing his head. “You called.”
I study him, my anger rising. “Where is the rest of your Brotherhood?”
Slowly, he looks up, his plain brown eyes meeting mine. “They’ll arrive shortly.”
I consider telling him to wait until they deign to join us, but I swallow down the words. “We have a mission for you and your Brotherhood.”
He can’t hide the surprise in his expression, but then, Elliot never could. He was a boy born in this very sanctuary. A boy who liked to fiddle with projects and new ideas. A boy who took little interest in his sword and training.
A child unfit to be a gargoyle of any kind.
“We’re here to serve.”
“Apparently not!” his father barks out.
The gargoyle flinches but holds my gaze. “What is the mission?”
I take a deep breath. “There is a clan of vampires. An old clan. A dangerous clan. They’ve fed on the towns around them for a long time, and we would have them gone.”
His gaze grows troubled.
Of course the boy could not simply obey. “Then, Elite Norbert, why is it only now that you’re sending us after them?”
He’s far too astute for his own good. “They have a new…partner.”
“Partner?”
I grit my teeth together. “A shade. Apparently, one out of Hades’s control.”
“Shades,” he begins, his tone monotone, “creatures born of a violent act, who kill anyone who commits a significantly violent crime, then drags their souls to the Underworld.”
Fucking know-it-all. “Yes.”
“And why is the shade so dangerous if it only hurts villainous creatures?”
Gary swears from my side. “Boy, only you would question a gargoyle hunting a monster.” He turns to me. “Perhaps he can’t handle it. Whether it’s his damn injury, his laziness with a sword, or that mind of his he can’t shut off—“
“I can do it,” Elliot says, his voice quiet but firm.
“You can’t do anything, boy,” Gary hisses.
“Father—“
“You are no son of mine.”
Hurt flashes across Elliot’s face, but he holds my gaze. “Trust me. My Brotherhood and I won’t fail you.”
A second later, the door to the great hall is thrown open again.
Damon, leaning heavily on Cody, stumbles inside.
Damon’s dark hair is a mess. His eyes glint with his drunkenness, and he flashes a smile.
Cody, holding him steady, looks like he’s had a few too, but he seems to have the common sense to try to walk confidently.
When they reach us, Cody tries to bow, and Damon falls to his knees, laughing.
Elliot’s pale cheeks flash red. “Kneel and be quiet. They’re sending us on a mission.”
Damon flashes a smile that draws attention to his dimples. “You mean they’re sending us to do shit that doesn’t matter? Am I right or am I wrong? Because nothing really matters. Time means nothing. Our missions mean nothing. It’s all just shit.”
I level him with a glare that makes him flinch. “Better sober up, because this is one mission that just might get you killed.”
“Killed?”
“Your Brotherhood is charged with the task of killing the vampires and quietly bringing the shade back to our sanctuary.” I take a deep breath.
“And it’s essential that you do everything you can to keep the shade alive.
She can help us with a greater threat, one that could endanger the lives of everyone within the sanctuary. ”
Damon’s smile fades. “Seriously?”
“Seriously,” I say, hating having to speak the word. “Having the shade here to help us is essential. And when we’re done with the monster, we will give you the privilege of killing her.”
“Unless she’s like Medusa and Keto,” Elliot says, his voice far too logical.
I flash a smile. Because they’re so different than any of the others of their kind. “That seems unlikely, but yes, that we could make an exception for. But plan on the shade being a vicious killing machine that will need to be gravely injured to be brought here alive.”
Damon rises slowly. “Then we’ll either succeed or die. Either way it’s an end to this monotony.”
My thoughts exactly. “You’ll find the vampires in the Whispering Woods, and then you’ll bring the shade to us.”
“Whatever you want.”
Settling back in my chair I look at the three disgraceful members of this Brotherhood, and realize to my annoyance that one is missing. “Where’s Jordon?”
“Not to worry, Elite Norbert, I’ll find him and relay the information,” Elliot says.
“You better.”
When the three finally leave the throne room, Gary and I are left in silence.
“We’ll need to ensure that no others know about the shade or they could tie us to what happens next,” he whispers, glancing nervously at the other Elites, who are already speaking amongst themselves.
I wave his words away. “No matter what, no one will suspect us. We’ll simply have the shade brought here, tell her about the ‘terrible’ things the female monsters have done, and they’ll be gone to the Underworld before we can blink an eye.”
“And their mates and babies?” Gary asks, humor in his voice.
“There won’t be a thing they can do about it.”