"Was. Yes."
Still, she couldn't grasp it. Not given what she knew of their past. "Aunt Artie?"
"Why do you keep saying it like that? We loved each other more than anything. I can't imagine we could be different in your world."
Oh, she could. But that was her dimension and time. No need in ruining his memories of her aunt here. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
Kody offered him a bittersweet smile even while she ached inside. What she really wanted to do was have him hold her like her father had once done. Have him tell her that everything would be okay. But that would never happen again.
I want you back, Daddy.
But Acheron wasn't her father. And this would be infinitely easier if he wore his hair black in this universe as he did in hers.
Blond Acheron ... that hit too close to home.
Not wanting to hurt anymore over memories she couldn't change, she needed to put distance between them before she said or did something even more stupid. "I'll be right back with information." Closing her eyes, she summoned her powers and used them to teleport to the realm where the Arelim had built their fortress and homes long ago.
Existing outside of human time and space so that it didn't matter what dimension she accessed it from, theirs was a sterile and austere place. The Arelim as a rule were very circumspect and puritanical. They never met a rule they didn't embrace wholeheartedly. Because of that, she rarely ever came here to check in.
Usually her contact found her on the mortal plane where she worked to thwart the Malachai bloodline. And mostly at the worst possible times.
With a deep breath for courage, she walked to the grand hall where their commanders often gathered to exchange information or socialize.
Today, it was eerily empty. Only the lights from the winged torchieres that lined the walls burned. The fire made a light hissing noise and left a scent of cinnamon in the air.
She moved to the center of the vibrant white room and braced herself for the worst news. "Sraosha?" she called, summoning the Arel who was her direct contact.
He appeared instantly, dressed in his battle armor. Extremely tall, blond, and beautiful, he dwarfed her with his massive girth and height. "So, you finally remembered your station and duties. I have to say I never expected to see you again."
The accusation and anger in his tone surprised her. While she'd known he wouldn't be pleased that she hadn't killed Nick yet, she hadn't anticipated this much hostility. "What do you mean?"
"You failed to complete your mission. Again." He spat those words at her as if they left a bitter taste in his mouth. "I do believe that I instructed you to destroy the Ambrose Malachai."
"No. You ordered me to murder Nick Gautier. He isn't Ambrose." At least not yet.
He rolled his eyes at her. "You disgust me--you and that bleeding heart that sees lies instead of truth. You were given a direct order. You failed and now..." His scowl deepened as if he had another thought. "Why are you here?"
Something wasn't right about this.
For that matter, something wasn't right about him. Everything was off and every sense she possessed rang out with warning.
Kody glanced around to see faint burn marks on the wall. Several of the chairs were missing and one window had been broken. Even though it was forbidden by their ancient laws, it was obvious someone had fought in here. Fiercely. "What happened?"
"That doesn't concern you."
She looked over her shoulder as she felt someone approaching her from behind. It was Ameretat and another Arel whose name she didn't know. When they reached for her, she twirled away from them.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
Sraosha curled his lip. "You're being decommissioned, Nekoda."
Her eyes widened at his declaration. What he meant was executed. "Why?"
"Insubordination. Refusal of orders. You have put our enemy's life above that of the entire world."
She shook her head in denial. He couldn't issue that order alone. Not even he had that kind of power among their ranks. At least five Arelim had to agree for a death warrant to be issued on their own kind. "Where's Adidiron or Suriyel?"
"They won't save you. They can't." He jerked his chin at Ameretat. "Take her and show her how we treat traitors."
CHAPTER 13
Kody dodged Ameretat's arms. She tried to teleport out, but couldn't. With no other course of action, she ran for the doors. They threw fireballs to stop her retreat, some of which came so close, they singed her arm. She dodged them as best she could and summoned her armor for protection. Thankfully, that part of her powers still worked.
If only the power to teleport out would operate, too. That would be just tasty perfect. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape here.
Twisting and dodging, she made it across the room and headed for the main doors. With no clear-cut plan or destination, she'd almost reached them when someone grabbed her from behind, threw her through them, and held her in his muscular arms as he dragged her into a small hidden alcove in the marble foyer.
Her scream and squirms were cut short as the one holding her put his hand over her mouth and whispered in her ear while Sraosha and Ameretat continued to hunt her.
"Sh!" It was Suriyel. "Stop struggling. I'm here to help. I swear." He loosened his hold.
Still, her heart pounded so hard that she was surprised it remained in her chest. Relaxing a small bit, she allowed him to carry her away from the ones who searched for her.
She expected him to take her to one of their modest-sized homes that had been placed on the hill, around the hall. Instead, he took her to a dark underground shelter where Adidiron and a small handful of others waited. Everyone was dressed for battle and some of them were bleeding from fresh wounds. That explained the damage in the room she'd just left. They must have fought each other mercilessly.
Suriyel released her and stepped back to give her a little space.
Turning around to scan each Arel there, Kody frowned at the group. Ragged defeat and daunted determination burned in their eyes as they watched her warily--as if she'd turn on them, too.
"What is this?" she asked.
His gaze even more troubled than the others', Suriyel sighed. "Sadly, the small number of Arelim who oppose tyranny and stupidity."
That made no sense to her whatsoever. "What?"
With his blond hair braided down his back--something he only did for battle--Adidiron stepped forward, out of the shadows. His beautiful face now had a fresh, healing scar running down the left side, from hairline to chin. "After the senior Malachai was killed last night and his powers drained, Ameretat and Sraosha took it upon themselves to stop the Malachai bloodline. Forever."
Suriyel gave a solemn nod in accordance. "They think that if they kill the younger Malachai, they can reset Order and bring about the Sada."
Kody's frown deepened at his words. The Sada was said to be the time of innocence and purity. A utopian world where all evil was vanquished and only good survived.
In theory, it was a great thought.
But in reality ...
"It's a myth," she said. "Sada upsets the necessary balance. If you do that, it will destroy the entire universe." A universe that hinged on an ever-shifting balance and harmony with all things.
Even good and evil.
Adidiron snorted. "You know that and we know that, but they don't believe it. Or worse, some of them do, but since they know the world will end by the fledgling Malachai's hand, they're willing to cut the deadline short and let it perish under their kinder, gentler destruction now."
But that made no sense. Her jaw went slack. "You're kidding me..." Even as the words left her mouth, she knew she was being rhetorical. She'd seen the madness in Sraosha's eyes herself. For whatever reason, he wanted Nick's throat and he wasn't going to let anything, even world destruction, stop him from getting it. "Why have they done this?"
A ferocious tic started in Suriyel's sculpted jaw. "Simple. When you bound N
ick's powers, you provided them the perfect opportunity to kill him while he's too weak to stop them. Or protect himself. Right now, they don't need you to do it. They're more than capable and willing to end him."
Sick to her stomach, she struggled to breathe. "What have I done?"
By trying to save Nick, she'd handed his head to his enemies on a platter.
Adidiron put his hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Your job." He tightened his grip. "You've done nothing wrong, little sister. This sin is on their heads. They are the ones seeking salvation through destruction."
As so many do ... Kody squeezed her eyes shut as the horror of it all racked her and she tried to come to terms with her own part in this wretched play. "We can't let them destroy everything. What do we do now? This is awful."
Adidiron patted her shoulder before he stepped away to pace among their small group. "No, Nekoda. It's prophecy. We've always known this day would come. We just didn't know when or how."
She arched a brow at something no one had told her. "How do you mean?"
Suriyel picked up the explanation. "In the Mashuan, it was written that the last Malachai would bring about the downfall of the Arelim."
Adidiron inclined his head to Suriyel. "We always assumed the Malachai would defeat us in battle at the End Time."
"Now we know better." Suriyel folded his hands behind his back as he paced in an opposite direction. "For the first time since the Primus Bellum, we're divided against ourselves. Our order is split and in chaos. Our brethren have become our enemies."
"Because of the Mashuani," Kody breathed as she finally understood what they were telling her.
The Mashuan was the tablet of fated destiny while the Mashuani was the tablet of prophecy. Twin documents that had been written by the original gods, aeons ago when the world was brand new.
The Mashuan told what was destined to happen, the other foretold ways to accomplish or divert the Mashuan. It was the tablet of what-could-be.
And it had been written on the Mashuani tablet that a Malachai would be born who could turn against his dark nature and become an instrument for good. One who could restore balance and make sure that the world didn't end. That he held it in tandem with his brother. And so long as they stood united, nothing could destroy the world or universe.
Because Nick's father, Adarian, had seemed more vulnerable and human than any Malachai before him, Kody had thought he was the one it'd spoken of. It was part of the reason she hadn't killed him when she'd had the chance. Why she'd hesitated.
But one look in Adarian's eyes as he mercilessly stabbed her while she'd been helpless before him, and she'd known better. Even though he could cleverly mimic compassion, Adarian had lacked all humanity. All decency.
It wasn't until after that, she'd learned Adarian Malachai had been the same soulless monster who had betrayed her uncle Seth and had left him in the hands of their enemy to be brutally tortured for centuries. Even though Seth had risked his life to free Adarian from their master, Adarian had gleefully sacrificed Seth for his own selfish gain.
For that reason alone, she'd held no hope for Nick's humanity. Surely, the son would be even worse than the father.
Yet Nick had surprised her in every way. He was the one the tablet had predicted. She was even more sure of that now. No Malachai before him had been born of a human mother. None had known love. None had been capable of love.
Not until Nick. He was nothing like the others.
He, alone, could save them....
If he didn't kill them first.
Terrified to think about the fact that Nick would most likely stab and kill her in the future, she faced Suriyel. In the past, he had adamantly refused to hear anything good about Nick. Like Sraosha, he'd wanted the boy slaughtered before he ascended to his Malachai role. "So you believe me now?"
Biting his lip, he glanced away. "I never would have had I not seen it with my own eyes."
"Seen what?"
"Adarian Malachai sacrifice himself to save Cherise Gautier and their son. Against everything, that rabid animal did love her. Right to the end. Even more than himself."
Yes, but he hadn't known how to show it. Adarian had single-handedly ruined Cherise's life and traumatized her. Instead of cherishing what he'd loved, he'd been abusive and mean. And that was no way to have a relationship with anyone. Marriage and friendship were built on trust and loyalty. Not deceit and lies.
Love could only be given. It could never be demanded.
But in the end, Adarian had given every bit of his power to his son so that Nick could protect his mother at all costs. As Suriyel had said, Adarian had loved Cherise completely. No Malachai before Adarian had ever placed the needs or welfare of anyone above himself. They were creatures of ultimate hatred and violence.
Of betrayal.
Yet something in Adarian had changed when he met Cherise. And while Cherise hadn't been able to completely alter or tame the demonic beast that was Adarian, she had nurtured their son from Nick's very beginning. Her love and kindness, her personal sacrifice for him, kept Nick anchored to her. It overrode the innate congenital need in him to be cruel and violent. To lash out in hatred and destroy everyone near him.
Including himself.
So long as Cherise remained alive, there was hope for Nick. He would do nothing to shame or harm his mother.
But when she died ...
That would be the first step toward Nick's devolution into the Malachai. It was a path Kody intended to change, no matter the cost. Given Nick's heart and compassion, surely it could be done.
No destiny is set by any birth, no matter how lowly or how high. All creatures have the right and ability to choose who and what they become....
Be it good or evil.
She met Suriyel's gaze. "So you finally accept that Nick is the one the prophecy speaks of?"
He nodded. "No."
She scowled at his contradiction.
Laughing, he let out a tired breath. "I want to believe it. I do. But you yourself faced him centuries from now. You have seen firsthand what Nick will do if he's not stopped."
"And I have seen a boy who is more than capable of defending himself, who had the powers of a Malachai at his command, allow a mere human to beat him to the brink of death because he made a promise to his mother to never fight again. What Malachai would ever do such?"
He glanced toward Adidiron.
Kody looked at the others. Her lips trembled from the weight of her painful emotions and memories. "I know what it is that I'm asking of you. I do. And all of you know what I have lost in this battle already." And that included her sanity, most days. "What I stand to lose in the future if he's not stopped." Tears of grief filled her eyes as she relived the deaths of her family and friends at the hands of the Malachai and his demonic army. She had seen too many ripped apart and murdered. Too many brutally slaughtered.
"It is not easy for me to find anything other than sheer hatred and contempt for the monster who will one day rob me of all I hold dear. There's not a being here who hates the Ambrose Malachai more than I do. Believe me, it's not possible. Yet..." She broke off as her agony overwhelmed her.
Angrily, she brushed away her tears and forced herself to continue. Her voice shook with the weight of her grim determination. "Nick is not that beast. He is not a monster. Not yet. The boy he is deserves a chance to be saved."
"And if you can't save him?" Vahista asked.
"No one will suffer more than I, I assure you." Kody held her breath as they exchanged looks with each other and she waited for them to decide Nick's fate. "Nick Gautier is worth it. I promise."
After a long, nerve-racking minute, Suriyel stepped forward to face the other Arelim. "We all know what is at stake. If we allow the others to kill Nick now, the Sada will definitely destroy the balance and end the universe for all creatures. There is nothing to stop that from happening. The balance can shift from one side to the other, but one side can never be fully destroyed. All of us have swo
rn to maintain the Order and to observe that balance, in all its incarnations. If there is a single chance of saving the universe, we have to fight for it. United. That is the oath we're sworn to, and we will die upholding it."
Kody swallowed hard. "I hope it doesn't come to that."
"So do we," Adidiron said under his breath.
Suriyel ignored him. "Are we in accord?"
One by one, they inclined their heads to him and reswore their oaths of loyalty.
Relieved that she wouldn't have to fight alone after all, Kody relaxed.
Adidiron crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell us what you need, little sister."
A miracle. But she didn't say that out loud. They knew that one as much as she did. So she focused on the more immediate concern. "I need Nick returned to his own body and his own time period."
Each of them looked away, shame-faced.
That was not a comforting reaction and it most definitely wasn't one she wanted to see. Dread hugged her close to its heart. "What?"
Suriyel cleared his throat. "We'll need the Magus Stone to do that."
She'd never heard of such before. "What is the Magus Stone?"
"A very special piece of Libyan desert glass. It was formed when the first primal gods were at war. While fighting, Rezar hurled a piece of the sun at Braith. She deflected it and it landed in the desert and made a stone that was as bright a yellow as the sun itself. Perfectly smooth and round, it radiated the sun's brilliance. When the war was finally over, Rezar retrieved it from the desert--his domain--and had it set into a sun medallion that he gave to Braith as a peace offering."
Kody's jaw went slack as she realized something that had never occurred to her before. "Is that why her symbol is a yellow sun and he's considered its protector?"
He nodded. "And while Rezar fashioned the necklace for her, he cut himself and bled into the stone. That imbued it with some of Rezar's powers, including his ability to create chaos and split the dimensions ... and remove the soul from a body."
Kody winced. While she loved and adored her grandfather, she could choke him for that gift to his own enemy. Little had he known then that when he gave that power to Apollymi, she would one day use it against the human race to create the Daimons who preyed on them. "Where is it now?"
They all looked to Adidiron. She turned to face him.