Family Reunion

Dorian cringed in the corner as he watched Dante slide a large knife from the inside of his boot. The creature pulled its head from the hallway just as Dante vaulted onto the sinuous neck. It hissed and looked over its shoulder. Before the demon could blink, Dante seized the nearest horn and pulled himself onto its head. He plunged the knife into the demon's eye. It shrieked and shook its head. Dante rolled to the floor as the demon banged its head against the ceiling. Dante's knife found a second mark at the base of the neck. In a quick swipe, the blade severed a major artery. The force of the blood spatter caused Dante to stagger backwards. He wiped his mouth with the back of his gloved hand as the demon's head crashed against the wall and open door.

Dorian chuckled. "That was awesome."

Dante's eyes widened as if he had been unaware of Dorian's presence. He turned to look at his grandson with a wry smile. His bloody hair stuck to the side of his face. "Let's go. Company's coming." Dorian clung to Dante's coat as they approached the door. The demon's weight gradually pulled away from the wall as its body slid out of the hole in the wall. Dante listened carefully for unwelcome company until there was enough room to squeeze into the corridor. Dante looked both ways, but there was no sound.

"What are you waiting for?" Dorian asked.

"Shhh." Dante's free hand reached for Ivory. Faint images flashed through his mind as he looked to the right. "Go left."

Dorian released Dante's coat and ran left. He nearly reached the end before someone suddenly blocked the way. Dorian lost his footing. Before he hit the floor, Dante's knife abruptly appeared between the intruder's eyes. Dorian backed away when he recognized Syron.

Syron slid the knife from his forehead. Thin streams of blood flowed down either side of his nose. "I hope you're not trying to escape, Dorian. My mother will be very upset." Dante's hand remained on Ivory while the other one slowly lowered to his other side. Syron noticed. "You're ruining our family outing."

Dante heard faint screeching from the other end of the hall. "Get the hell out of my way." The crystal embedded in his right hand began to itch and burn as he grew suddenly agitated.

"I'd rather not." Syron snatched a lock of Dorian's hair and yanked him to his feet. Just as Syron pulled Dorian to his chest, Dante disappeared in a blur of black light. Dante stopped short of running into Syron and smashed his right palm into Syron's face. The excessive force slammed Syron's head into the stone wall. Before Syron could recover, Dante grabbed Dorian's shirt and shoved him towards the spiraling staircase. Dorian disappeared around the curved corner.

Dante picked up the knife and backed away as Syron's head bounced off the wall. Blood gushed from Syron's ears and nose as every blood vessel ruptured in his brain. He reached out towards Dante, but a sudden burst of pain caused him to drop to the floor.

"You bastard," Syron muttered, but Dante paid him no heed. He quickly retreated into the staircase where Dorian was waiting. He found Dorian leaning against the wall and holding his right arm against his chest. His entire right arm was covered with black scales and exposed bone spikes. His face was contorted in agony.

"Let it go," Dante ordered him. Dorian caught his breath as a seizure racked his arm. Dante placed his right hand over Dorian's. The crystal shard in Dante's knuckle began tingling again. Dorian relaxed a little as the vibration calmed the pain. "Let it go," Dante repeated. "It hurts only if you resist." Dorian flexed his hand as the spikes retracted and the scales crumbled off his skin. Dante released his hand. "If it happens again, you'll have to bear until I get you home."

Dante turned away and continued down the spiraling staircase without another word. His hand was red from the pain and sloughing. Dorian inhaled deeply before following his grandfather.

(X)

Lilith lifted her head as Lucia rushed past her and Sharice. Sharice nearly jumped off the couch.

"Lucia!" Lilith called, but Lucia was already headed for the front door. Lilith remained seated until Lucia returned with someone else in tow. Lilith gasped in a combination of joy and shock.

The newcomer whistled softly as if to get her attention. He was almost as tall as Dante and dressed in black. He had long red hair with a white streak and black roots. Lilith stood as if to embrace him, but slapped him as soon as he was within reach. He recoiled effortlessly from the blow. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman!"

"Thank you, Lucia," was Lilith's only response. Lucia snatched a Jolly Rancher from the bowl before making herself comfortable in a chair to watch the show.

"I'm happy to see you too," the man said. "I see you're nowhere closer to finding Dorian."

"I don't have to be," Lilith commented as she folded her arms. "My father is bringing him home."

The man's eyes widened as Lilith dropped back to the couch. "What the fuck did you just say?"

"You heard me."

The man sighed with a sarcastic smile. "So the bastard is still alive."

"Don't talk about him that way!" Sharice suddenly demanded. She leaned forward as if preparing to jump to her feet. Lilith held her arm out to make sure she didn't.

"And you are?" the man asked.

"His wife."

"Ha, so he got remarried. How nice."

Sharice turned her attention to Lilith without hiding her contempt. "Who is this piece of work?"

"My husband," Lilith answered. "Unfortunately."

The man moved his hand as if to flash his middle finger, but offered his hand instead to Sharice. She took it cautiously. "Your name?"

"Sharice."

"Mine is Koromos."

Lilith grabbed Sharice's hand and pried it free. "If you don't mind," Lilith commented as nicely as possible, "there are more important things to worry about than our names."

"Oh, I thought you wanted to know why Dorian was taken."

Lilith flashed a hostile look. "How would you know?"

"It was Saera, my stepmother, and her two sons. I'm sure of it."

Lilith muttered numerous oaths under her breath. "How is that?" Sharice asked. "If she has children, why was she left alive?"

Koromos deliberately avoided answering. He was the first to turn away when the front door opened again. Dorian squealed with delight as he threw himself into the room. He nearly tripped on his voyage towards Koromos and Lilith. Everyone watched Dante, still covered in blood, almost drag himself through the door. He was rubbing his left eye and smearing red and black blood across his face. Sharice nearly jumped to her feet again, but Lilith held her arm out to keep Sharice in her seat. Dante glanced at Sharice, then stared at her as if he'd never seen her before. Recognition returned when he opened his left eye.

"He's doing it again," Sharice whispered to herself. She watched with poorly hidden concern as Lucia handed Dante a towel. He muttered a thank you and wiped his hands and face.

"You won't believe what happened!" Dorian screamed at Lilith. She placed a finger over her mouth to signal silence. "You won't believe what happened," he whispered.

"Try me," Lilith offered.

"You should have seen it. Eye gouging and decapitations. It was awesome!"

Koromos turned away as he hid a chuckle. "Yeah," Lilith said. "Brings back memories."

Dante immediately turned his attention to Lilith. "Outside. Now." Lilith sighed as she stood without argument and nearly floated across the floor.

"Let's go down into the basement instead. I want to show you something." Dante followed as Lilith headed into the hallway towards the entrance to the cellar. Lilith kept her back to her father as he closed the door. "You go first," she offered as she approached a billards table.

"Koromos?" he accused. "Of all people?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Lilith assembled a shiny black pool cue. "A lot changes in 250 years."

"And you're pregnant!"

Lilith shot Dante a mixed expression of awe and abashment. "How did you know?"

"The crystals in my body speak to me, kind of like my father speaks to you. There are some things, though, that they keep from me."

Lilith shrugged. "I'm only a few weeks along. I know you're upset about my being with Koromos, though I don't believe it caught you by surprise. But, like I said, things change in two and a half centuries."

"Family does not. And now you're going to have another baby by my enemy's son."

Lilith threw her hands into the air. "Does that really matter now! Koromos is not his father. Saera is our problem now. Not to mention her repeated attempts at a coup and using the blood of my son for whatever reasons."

"You seem to be handling it well."

Lilith shrugged. "I'm sorry, but it's too late to complain now." Dante scoffed as he took another pool cue. "You should know," Lilith commented, "Sharice is a very confused little lady. Are you trying to make her fulfill a certain role?"

"I'll pretend I don't know what you're talking about. She's my wife. That's her role."

"Is that all? You make it sound like a play. If all the world's a stage, where does the audience go?"

Dante rolled his head back. "Ever since I got this thing in my eye, I've literally seen the whole world in a new light. Aside from being occasionally incapable of telling the past from the present from the future when I see it, I've seen people in ways others can't. When I first saw you in Alexandria, I thought for a split second that you were my mother Eva."

"What does this have to do with our confused little lady?"

"The first time I saw her, I thought she was Deanna."

"Is this what she meant when she said you were doing it again?"

"I have called her Deanna on ocassion, though not when it mattered. Thank goodness."

Lilith choked down a snicker as she instantly understood the innuendo. "Sharice doesn't look a thing like my mother. Mom was taller, with long black hair, and a slightly darker look. Poor Sharice has short dark hair and looks like she hasn't seen a drop of sunlight."

Dante chuckled at the remark. "I don't know what it means. Sometimes when I look at Sharice, I still see Deanna. I have to consciously stop myself from using the wrong name. I have a piece of the universe in my head, and I still don't understand what it's trying to do to me. Just don't tell Sharice about Deanna. She won't understand."

"So you still have the love jones for your first wife. What's not to understand? Mom is dead. Where's the competition?"

"Competition against an idea is harder to win than against a flesh and blood person. Just keep your mouth shut until I figure it out."

Lilith shrugged. "Fine. If you don't mind, we both have some time to make up. With each other, and Dorian." She leaned over the billiards table. "I call solids."