I awoke on the operating table again, reliving my nightmare. Two people loomed over me, both tall and handsome, one fair haired, the other with hair as black as pitch, the blond looking almost frightened and his dark-haired counterpart looking indifferent.
"Oh, gods- Ivory, you're alive after all..We thought you were dead, what happened, why did the doctor-" Spawn looked shaken and he undid the bands that kept me to the gurney, helping me sit up and then pulling me into his arms. I stayed quiet and still, closing my eyes and letting him hold me, looking around the bloody dissaray that was now the operating room- the windows had been smashed in, there was blood smeared on the walls and operating tables, and the surgical tools were strewn across the ground. They glinted like eyes in the dim light.
"The doctor was a Daimon, dipshit," Zarek snapped. He turned to me. "We stormed in here just as he was about to finish you off and dusted him. Jesus, what were you thinking, letting a Daimon opperate on you? Were you trying to get yourself killed? Or do you just like the sensation of people biting you?" He glared at me and looked mad enough to kill. "It's bad enough that you almost got Sharon killed, you had to go and almost get yourself killed, too? What, do you want Acheron to murder me?" By now Zarek was screaming at me, looking enraged and ready to kill me himself.
Spawn stood to his full height, letting go of me, and then he pushed Zarek back. He hit the wall with a loud SLAM and bounced back, a foot from Spawn's face. "Don't you ever fucking touch me again!" He screamed, landing a punch on the man's jaw, sending him stumbling back into the gurney. I leapt up, putting myself as a barrier between the two.
"Stop it, stop it now!" I shrieked, placing a hand on both of them. "I know this was my fault but I need to leave, I need to ask-to ask Acheron-"
"To ask Acheron what?" A voice said, a familiar voice, and then I turned to see him, Acheron, in all of his almost 7 foot, sexy-as-hell glory, with purple streaked hair, a pair of black pants and a My Chemical Romance tee shirt over a body so gorgeous it should be illigal.
I watched him for a moment, my eyes wide, then I looked to Spawn, looked to Zarek, and promply fell to the floor, out cold.
"Great," Zarek muttered. "Her last line of defense is to play dead."
"She's hardly playing dead," Spawn snapped. "She's lost a lot of blood. We should take her for a blood transfusion." He made to pick her up and Acheron stopped him.
Ash kneeled by her body and muttered something in a language neither of the men could understand and then her ankle seemed to heal before their eyes, her neck wound cleaning itself until only two small lacerations remained. He covered them with the remains of her black sweater, which then repaired itself and settled back onto her skin.
"She'll be fine," Said Acheron, standing and brushing off his leather pants. "Just give her time to rest. A few days, at the least."
"Ivory can stay with me," Said Spawn quickly, and then Zarek glared at him.
"She's my Squire," He snapped, standing his ground with his arms crossed over a black too shirt. Spawn, too, crossed his arms, glaring back at the other man.
"I'm less likely to kill her," Reasoned Spawn, turing his gaze to Acheron. Ash nodded, shrugging.
"He has a point," He told Zarek, who gave a sullen glare but said no more on the subject.
"Well, the undead army knows where this particular Daimon lives," Zarek reminded Acheron, sneering at the other hunter.
"Well, Roman, this particular Dark-Hunter knows how to fight them!" Spawn replied, looking as though he was going to pay Zarek back with interest for the man's punch.
"Zarek," Acheron warned, "Leave him be. Spawn, stop egging him on. The hope of keeping the Atlanteans sealed and keeping Ivory alive lies in your hands, boys. As we speak, her sister begins her army of the undead victims of Daimon attacks all over North America. You have to create your own army to battle hers, along with the troops that Aria will be sending. I can try to stall the army that her sister is beginning from Olympus, but-"
"Why can't you stay here and help us?" Demanded Zarek, glaring at him. Ash looked really irritated, and then he shook his head.
"I have business elsewhere," He told him, and Zarek snorted.
"Let me guess-Olympus, right?" He snapped. Acheron did not answer and kept his eyes distant. This was all the answer Zarek needed. "Greak. Fan-fucking-tastic. So you leave to bump uglies with your girlfriend and we have to run an army to save my ungrateful Squire who I didn't want in the first place?"
"Shut up!" Spawn shouted, baring fangs, and then he turned to Acheron pleadingly. "You heard it- he admitted it. He doesn't want a Squire. So make her my Squire. Now."
Ash sighed, hating the situation the men had put him in. "Spawn," He muttered, "You know damn well why I can't do that."
Zarek gave Spawn a look of disgust. "Take her," He said, glaring at the other man. "I'm leaving." And with that said he strode to the door, slamming the double doors open with his mind and hitting them so hard on his way out that they swung for a moment or two after he had gone.
"Well," Acheron said, placing a hand on his forehead and looking pained. "That ended about just as well as I imagined it would, even a little better."
"So Ivory will stay with me?" Spawn said. Acheron sighed, nodding and still looking annoyed.
"I guess so- But Spawn?" Spawn looked up from the floor, where he had been kneeling to pick up Ivory, his face a mask of strange, concieled emotions. "You know how this is going to end." He closed his eyes, nodding. "So stay away from her. It is best for everyone if none of this starts and you just let the Fates do their job- as much as I hate to admit it, this is one place where we should just not interfere."
Spawn opened his eyes again and nodded to his leader. "I have never been one to listen to those vindictive old hags," He muttered.
"I assure you, they don't hold high esteem with me, either, but this is life or death for Ivory. If we don't listen to them, there is no hope left for her." He looked down to the unconsious little demi-goddess. "Keep her safe and keep Georgia and Ebony away from her. I am trusting you, my brother, to keep this woman from death." Spawn nodded, holding Ivory close.
If need be, he would kill anything-anyone- to keep her out of harm's way.
I woke up in a soft, warm bed-not the bed at the Holiday Inn, and certainly not the small bed I had shared with Nikitas at Zarek's home. I sat upright, feeling my acheing head, and then I padded around he bed, looking for the end. I found it when I fell off the edge onto a hard wood floor, hitting my face against the cool material.
"Fuck," I muttered, scrambling to my feet. I had a terrible headache, too- I felt like there were elves pounding in my head with little hammers. Elves or evil little demons.
I felt my way toward a light switch, which turned on the wall sconces around the room, giving the entire place a dim, soft light, and I looked around to see tall windows cut off with large blackout curtains, black drawers and a large black bookshelf, and a desk and chair. What caught my eye was the king sized bed with a red and black duvet, along with red and black pillows and an iron bed frame, a bed that was only slight rumpled from where I had been sleeping.
I knew where I was, and when I opened the curtains I was sure of it, especially when I looked outside and saw the two black SUVs and a sleek looking snowmobile resting in the pure white snow.
I opened the door leading out into a hallway and saw a long line of doors on either side of the hall, leading toward a single door at the other side of the hall, that had a large pad lock on the knob. I turned around to see a staircase leading down to the first floor, which I took, surprisingly feeling no pain in my bad ankle as I held onto the rail, just in case. When I reached the bottom I sat down to check my wound, surprisingly finding not a trace of it.
"Acheron," I muttered, smiling in spite of myself. These were the times in which I thought I loved the man.
"What?" A voice called from the kitchen. I froze, thinking it was the head honcho himself, and then slowly made my way toward the room. I found Spawn instead, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He was sitting at the table, typing into a computer and he had a cup of coffee beside him. His blond hair was sticking up in spikes, like he had just woken up, and he wore black jeans and a black sweater. I smiled to him, nodding in greeting.
"Oh, nothing. Did Acheron fix my ankle?" He nodded.
"Is it feeling better?" He asked, standing up from his computer and coming over to stand the doorway. I nodded, feeling too close to him, so I stepped away, looking away as well. My gaze caught the window, which had been replaced since the encouter with Georgia. I reigstered the empty spot in my heart that had once been held by Nikitas. I missed the kid more than I wanted to say, especially not to Spawn. I was trying not to think about it, either. Just in case.
"What happened to Zarek?" I inquired quietly, my eyes dark and wary. Spawn smiled faintly.
"Well, there's been sort of a change of plans," He told me. "You're safer here with me than you are with Zarek at the moment, so for the time being you'll stay here, if that's alright with you."
"Oh, that's just fine!" I said happily, smiling to him. I'd rather be at the bottom of the ocean than back at Zarek's cabin. He smiled back, looking a little happier, and then he walked over to the counter. "Hey, can I check my E-mail?"
He nodded and I logged onto Gmail from the computer, tpying in my password and waiting for the page to load. Spawn gave me a cup of coffee with creamer and sugar in it, taking his seat and taking a dip of his own drink. When the page finished loading, I noted an e-mail from an unknown address that the spam filter hadn't caught.
I clicked it, saw that it had attatched pictures, ran the virus scan, and downloaded them. When they opened, I almost fell out of my chair in shock.
There were five pictures- One of me leaving the general store in Fairbanks, Nikitas in tow, one of me in the club arguing with the Daimon man, one of Spawn and I kneeling beside the body of the young woman, one of me entering the hospital, and another of me leaving, being carried by Spawn and followed by Acheron. All taken from stalker-ish vantage points, all with the same sharp focus, that focus on me.
She'll lead you to ruin. Don't ever think you aren't being watched; the e-mail read. One line, enough to make me want to lock myself up and never leave the rubber room again.
"Oh, Jesus Christ, really?" I muttered. Spawn looked up, seeming only minorly interested, and then I pushed the computer towards him, the coffee cup was still raised to his lips, and his eyes got wide as he saw the e-mail.
"Who is this from?" He said, setting the mug down and pulling the computer towards him. I shrugged.
"I have no clue," I told him. He frowned at the screen and then looked up at me, still frowning, an eyebrow raised. He looked down to the screen again and then rubbed his eyes, staring at it in what seemed to be disbelief.
"No..." He breathed, shaking his head. I stood and looked over his shoulder. He was on the same page, the mouse frozen over the sender's e-mail address.
"What?" I asked. He looked up at me, looking a little sickened.
"Nothing. It's nothing." He shut the computer. "Maybe you should go back to Zarek's."
"What?" I cried. "He's going to murder me, Spawn! He will fucking kill me." I slammed my fist down on the table for emphasis. Bad idea, seeing as how I got an instant bruise and spent a moment shaking my hand to try to regain feeling in it, muttering fetid curses under my breath.
"Well...We have to talk to him about this. Maybe he could patrol this area, make sure that nothing happens...I mean, I would be patroling as well, but we need to have someone keeping an eye on you."
I glared at him, crossing my arms. "Spawn. I've known how to shoot a gun since I was seven and a half. I've owned my own gun since I was eleven. I can use a knive, a gun, a sword, and I'm pretty good with hand-to-hand combat. Hell, I know how to use a flamethrower. Now don't treat me like some goddamn damsel in distress who just sits by and does nothing to try and save her own goddamn life. Give me a gun and put me out on the battlefield. Fuck, I'd like to rip Ebony apart with my own hands, okay?" I was seething, pacing the floor now with my hands balled tightly into fists. "I don't need Zarek's help and I don't need your charity!"
"I'm not offering charity. I just really don't want to get another Squire killed." I stopped dead in my tracks and looked back at him. He looked more serious than ever before, and when I frowned in confusion he looked down, looking almost ashamed.
"What do you mean?" I inquired, and he motioned for me to take my seat again. I did, and he gave a deep sigh.
"Georgia, the woman who was killed-she had been my squire for five years. She was pregnant with Alex when she was assigned to me. She was so young...she wasn't supposed to die, Ivory, she wasn't. But being a squire made her a target. When she and Alex died, and then when their bodies went missing, I knew something terrible was going to happen, and that it would be all my fault. And then you, you get assigned here...I just don't want you to die too." He looked down again and closed his eyes.
I stared at him, at a loss for words. "You're joking."
"I wish I was."
I blinked at him, my jaw on the floor and my eyes wide. "Is that why...when you saw her..." He nodded. "But you shot her. I was there."
"She's dead. But...It sickened me to see her like- like that." He closed his eyes again and I leaned across the table, taking his hand.
"I'm not Georgia, and I can promise you, if they change me into one of those freaky things, you're the first person I'm coming after, seeing as how you think this is your fault. But give me the chance to fight in my own army and for my own life." I stood and crossed to the door. "And by the way, about this whole situation; I'm not asking your permission."
"Where are you going?"
I took the keys from the keyring by the door and opened it. "I'm going to try and make things right with Zarek."
"But why?"
"So he'd be less likely to feed me to the bears around here, or worse, to the Daimons."
"Well then," He said, standing. "I'm going with you."
"Why?" I inquired. He raised an eyebrow.
"At least my presence will weaken him, so if he does attack, you'll have time to run away." He looked down to me, and his face was very serious. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can't just have Ash knock some sense into the guy? Or maybe me?" I shook my head.
"I'm not going to run to the teacher like a five year old with a broken toy. I can handle this myself-I think." I shrugged. "And if not, I'll spare Ebony the time it would take to kill me."
"You're suicidal, aren't you?" The words struck a chord with me, a long buried memory, and I shook my head, opening the door.
"Not anymore," I muttered.
As I sat in the passenger seat of one of the SUVs, I came to a realization that filled me with relief- I hadn't been pulled into another memory by Ebony in almost 48 hours. I didn't know why she'd stopped-maybe killing me was a full time job. Maybe she didn't have time to tamper with my mind while she created the army of Daimons, or the undead, or the evil fluffy bunnies, whatever she was going to use to end me.
"What does Ebony show you in your memories?" Spawn inquired suddenly. I looked up in surprise, pausing for a moment.
"My past, obviously. She shows me memories of Olympus, sometimes my mother, and..." I paused again, taking a deep breath. "And Icarius."
"Who is Icarius?"
"He was my husband." He looked shocked.
"You had a husband?"
"Apparently."
"What happened to him?" He said in a steely voice. I glared out the window.
"He raped me at my sister's temple, and before that he murdered me by throwing me off the balcony into a river, where I was impaled on a shard of rock. When I was dead, Ebony brought my soul to Olympus and put it back in my body. I'm...well, I'm not really sure how she did that. But anyway, Aphrodite burst in and demands that she let me go, and since Ebony was only a minor goddess, she had to obey. Aphrodite took me away from her temple, and I don't know what happened to my body or Icarius after this. I think she just killed him and fed his soul to the Daimons."
"Serves him right," Spawn chimed in, looking angry. "Tell me, when did you learn about this?"
"Only a few days ago," I admitted. He nodded.
"That must take quite a toll on you," He added. I nodded and shrugged in response, not really knowing what else to say. We were silent while he drove the car through the blanket of snow on the road.
"I want you to stay here while I talk to him," I told him. He glanced over at me, seemingly surprised.
"Why would you say something like that?" He laughed. "You'll get yourself killed." I looked back at him, my gaze level.
"Acheron wouldn't allow that. If I have as much power as he does to expose Atlantis and free Appolymi, Ash is not going to let Zarek kill me." He shrugged.
"Well, he was pretty irritated about you bringing the little Appolite with you. Maybe he's still pissed." I gave him an apathetic look.
"You lost your parents young, didn't you?" He didn't respond, and I continued. "How old were you when they died? Three? Maybe four? Unless they turned Daimon. Did they?"
"I'm not going to talk about this with you." His voice was angry and told me this was the last he wanted to hear of it. I sat up straighter, trying desperately to prove my point.
"Nikitas has no one, and he's not even an Appolite. I don't know who his father is and to the best of my knowledge when I found him is mother was dead. He's an orphaned human-and Ash needs to understand that I have to help him. He's just some poor little kid who needs my help, and I have to find him before those horrible zombie things convert him or something. Ash can't be mad at me for helping him forever. Can he?"
"I've known immortals to hold grudges for a long time," He admitted, "But not Acheron. Maybe he's forgotten it by now."
"Ha," I said, rolling my eyes. "He may forget it soon, but I promise he wouldn't have forgotten it yet."
Don't do this, imora, he will not listen. Find others who will, and stay clear of the evil hunters.
"I have not forgotten about you, lady. 'Let the fates cut the string'? Are you nuts?"
"Are you talking to yourself?" Spawn said with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head.
"My mom," I told him. He gave me another strange look, and I clarified, "Ancient Atlanteans talk to me."
"Right," He said, rolling his eyes, and then he fell silent,
"Who do you think Alice meant when she told me not to trust the goddess?" I asked finally. He glanced over at me and then back at the road.
"What do you mean?"
"Alice told me before she died that I should not trust the goddess, that she'll lead me to ruin for her own benefit, or something like that. Who do you think this 'goddess' is?"
It is not me, darling baby, I would lead you only to victory for the benefit of all.
"Not talking to you, mom," I said under my breath.
"Artemis, probably," He said, his voice little more than a growl. I looked up, sort of surprised.
"Why do you think that?" I inquired.
"Because she's a selfish bitch who never thinks of anyone but herself and does things to benefit her and only her. She's never lifted a finger to help another god or human without knowing that somehow things were going to work out to help her in the end." He was glaring at the road now, his hands clenching the steering wheel, and my surprise grew.
"What do you mean?" I responded. "She created the hunters to save the human race from Apollo's biggest mistake, the Appolites and Daimons. So she can't be all that bad."
He laughed bitterly at this, and it was then that I realized what I had said. "'Biggest mistake', huh?" He said quietly. I shook my head.
"No, I mean, I didn't-" I shook my head again. "I meant the-" Daimons.
"If Artemis is all that great, I have to say I'd rather have died an Appolite than survived the centuries as a Dark-Hunter. I had a normal life before the Fates intervened and in a moment of angry weakness I sold my soul for revenge. I would sell it again to die and be with the ones I loved." He gave me a sharp look and then sighed. "Sorry. I'm just bitching."
"It's okay. Sorry I called you a mistake." He nodded, his face unreadable.
"You say that Artemis created the hunters to help the humans," He continued, on the same subject. "She had her own agenda for them, too. She wanted to keep what she wanted trapped and the best way to do so would be to play on his sense of responsibility and honor. He became the first Dark-Hunter."
My jaw dropped and my eyes grew wide. "You mean Ash?" I managed to say.
"I didn't tell you anything," He replied smoothly, placing two fingers under my chin to close my mouth again. I shook my head to clear it.
"You're kidding," I said, still shaking my head. He shrugged.
"Believe what you will," He replied with a smirk. "But remember, I didn't tell you anything."
"Okay," I said quietly. He looked in the rear view mirror and frowned, and then he picked up the speed. "What?"
"Someone's following us," He said without taking his eyes from the road. "I don't know who they are, but I think they're following us. No, I know they are."
"How do you know?"
His voice took on a deeper octive. "The Atlantean is in the car ahead of us. If we lose her, Strykerius will have our throats.
His voice then became higher and quieter, little more than a hiss, almost like the voice of a woman. "If this fucking moron next to me drove faster, maybe we could catch up with them before next winter-wait, are they speeding up? Have they seen us?" He cleared his throat and his voice returned to normal. He smiled to me, showing fangs. "Anyone's mind. Anywhere."
"Great. Now Stryker is coming after us. What next? Godzilla?" I laid my head on my hands and shook my head slowly.
"No," He said. "The horde of evil zombie Daimon kills comes first, then Godzilla."
I glared at his misplaced humor. "So not the time."
"I know, I live to piss people off. I guess you could say that I'm like Zarek, in that sense." He smirked to me. "What say we test my thoery about our friends following us and take these guys for the ride of their life?"
"What do you-" But before mean escaped my lips the car shot forward, speeding away from the soul-sucking Daimons behind us.
"You're going to kill us!" I shouted, desperately checking my seat belt to ensure that I wouldn't go flying out the windshield. Spawn laughed as I noted that the spedometer hit 150.
"I can't die!" He reminded me.
"I can!" I screamed.
"Well then, hold on!" He shouted back. Another small scream escaped my lips and then I shut my eyes, clenching them tight and praying silently under my breath.
I heard a loud curse and then turned to see the other black SUV cut across our path, blocking both icy lanes. Spawn swerved to avoid hitting it head-on and probably killing me, and the windshield was hit with snow as we dove into the snowbank by the side of the road. Thank god the air bags didn't deploy, or I would have been dead. I coughed and tried to unhook the seatbelt that was going to crush me to death, and then Spawn leaned over to undo it for me.
"Thanks," I said quietly. He nodded, and then motioned to the glove compartment, which I opened, revealing a small handgun and a butterfly knife, folded. I handed them to him.
"Stay here," He ordered me. I nodded, willing my mind to stay blank.
"Be careful," I told him, trying to seem forceful. He smiled down to me and brushed my hair out of my eyes with the strangest look on his face, before he opened the door, walking out into the snow.
Being me, I snuck out a milisecond later to follow him.
"You were supposed to stay in the car," Spawn hissed to me, cutting a glare in my direction as I padded along side him, knee deep in the snow. It came to about his lower shins.
I tripped over my feet and still managed to glare back. "You weren't supposed to crash the car," I snapped back.
"Ouch, my feelings," He said, rolling his eyes as we approached the black Explorer with tinted windows. He stood a few feet from the window, his arms crossed, and we were silent, me at his side.
"What happens now?" I whispered. He looked over at me and then back to the car.
"We wait for them," He muttered back. I looked at him in surprise.
"We can't just, like, smash the windows and drag them out?" I whispered in reponse. He shook his head.
"No, Chuck Norris, I don't opperate like that. Go for it, though. Have fun." He nodded to the car. We were silent again.
For a minute.
For two.
For three.
For five.
And then I balled up some snow, weighed it in my hand, and tossed it with accuracy, hitting the passenger side window. It splattered and I heard a curse from inside. Spawn laughed, either at me, the sound the Daimons made, or what they had thought about my actions.
I stepped back very quickly when the door opened and a tall man and an equally tall woman stepped from the car, the woman in the passenger seat and the man driving. They were both fair and thin, their faces angelic and their fangs hidden-she wore a pair of leather pants with a tight corset top and a long leather coat, and he wore a black sweater with jeans. Her hair curled around her beautiful face, and his was brushed back from his forehead, and they both wore expressions of pure uninterest.
Spawn pulled out his gun, and I did the same, pulling my gun from the holster on my belt, feeling very much like an NCIS undercover agent.
The couple raised their hands, pulling out their weapons and throwing them into the snow in front of them. One of them used telekinesis to push them toward us.
"We come in peace," Said the woman, and the way she said it mde is sound as though she had said 'Ve come in peaz.' Her voice was emotionless and monotone, and her comanion nodded in agreement.
"Do not shoot. We are not threats to you or your woman."
"She's not my woman," Spawn snapped, not lowering his gun. "And what do you want?"
"We represent Stryker. He wishes to help."
"With what?" I spoke up. She looked at me with large black eyes, saying nothing, and I felt myself walking forward. Spawn said something, but I did not hear him. I felt myself falling, floating, being hypnotized by the woman's gaze.
Before I knew it, a knife was at my neck and I was being pressed up against her body, and I registered that it was her hand holding the knife and the horrified expression on Spawn's face.
I looked down to see my gun laying on the ground beside their weapons, glinting in the snow. I wanted to hit myself for being so stupid.
"Call Stryker," Ordered the woman. "Tell him we have the girl."
I don't like being tied up- I hate it more than I hate being in hospitals. I hate being confined, hate not being able to move or free to leave. And when I'm angry, I get loud.
"You fucking bastard bitch!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I hope you burn to death on your children's funeral prye, I hope your choke on your blood and your eyeballs are ripped out by the Furies, AND I HOPE SIMI ATTACKS YOU WITH BARBEQUE SAUCE AND A FORK!"
Five minutes later I was thrown in the back of their car, tied at my hands and feet, a strip of silver Duct Tape across my mouth.
"Why does Stryker want to meet with her?" Asked the man. I looked up over the seat to see them speaking, while the woman fiddled with the dials on the radio and heater. The man looked back at me. "She doesn't look important. She isn't even that pretty."
"Hey!" I shouted, but it came out as a muffled 'MMh!'.
"She's important, all right," Muttered the woman darkly. "Remember the myths? The ones told to Strykerius by the Destroyer? You know- the tourture twins? Agony and Remorse? They are known by many names. One upon Olympus resides, and the other..." She looked back meaningfully to me. I glared at her, sending her mental 'Fuck you' vibes.
"No," He breathed quietly. "Why is she here?"
WHERE IS SPAWN? I screamed in my head. I hate to play 'damsel in distress, but help. Really. Where did you go?
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" She whined. "Gods. Your Dark-Hunter is in the car behind us. We told him, one wrong move, and..." She fingered the knife that she was spinning on her left knee. She grinned to me. "Stryker wants to see you-do you think how many pieces you're in matters?"
Why? I thought, my eyes sharp and angry. Why does Stryker want to see me?
No, daughter! Get away! Stryker will destroy you with his lies! He will try to turn you against me!
SHUT UP, MOM.
Will you swear not to listen to his lies?
Sure. Fine. Whatever.
"That's why. That little voice you have, in the back of your head?" She tapped my temple. "That's exactly why the boss wants to meet you."
But why? She's harmless, just sort of annoying. I cut them suspicious looks. Wait a second- are you working for Ebony?
"No," Said the woman, cutting her companion a smile. "We're working for you."
Then take this goddamn duct tape off my mouth!
"Promise to not start screaming again?" She said, raising an eyebrow.
Scout's honor.
"Fine." She leaned back and ripped the tape off harder than nessicary.
"Ow!" I snarled. She held up a warning finger and I fell silent again. "Can you untie me?"
"No."
"Why not?" I whined.
"How do I know I can trust you not to try and leave?"
"The fact that you said you're going to help me. I need all the help I can get," I said honestly. Her features became sharp and she didn't reply, and then she reached back with her knife and cut the ropes from my wrists and ankles, careful to draw no blood.
"Much obliged," I said, rubbing my raw wrists. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"To Stryker."
"I understand that-where exactly is that?"
"You'll see," She replied cynically. "Just stay quiet so we can concentrate." She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a nimber, holding it to her ear. "My lord," She said quietly. I strained to hear her. "We have the girl." There was a pause. "She is safe, yes. No. Her hunter follows us though. He wouldn't let us take her alone. He understands."
Understands what? I thought. Is Spawn...working with them?
"If he tries anything, we have to kill her. I know. I know, my lord. Yes. We will be there shortly. Yes. I understand. Good bye."
She turned back to me. "He wants to neogiate with you."
"Why?" I inquired. "I'm very confused."
"Just be quiet."
"Why?"
"Be quiet!" She snarled again. "Gods, would you just listen?"
"Silence, Isla," Demanded the man. Isla looked to him, indiginant.
"You do not control me, Solomon," She snapped. Then Solomon sighed, snapping his fingers. She tensed and then reached for her throat as though trying to remove invisible hands, choking all the while and spluttering out apologies and pleading cries. He snapped his fingers again and she colapsed against the seat, breathing quickly and in short, gasping breaths.
"Think twice before you say this again," He told her in a quiet, deadly voice. She nodded quickly, still gasping for air.
I watched this ordeal with wide eyes from the back seat, feeling like the poor kid who'd just seen a drunk daddy hit mommy with a closed fist in the living room. My hands were at my mouth, fighting back a scream. Great. A wife beater and a crazy Russian chick.
"He wants to discuss bringing in some of the elite Spathi to help you defeat the menace that Ebony has created to destroy us all," Solomon told me.
"All?" I echoed. "She's just going to destroy me."
"With your death, the slumbering demon-goddess with be freed and will kill the destroyer, and when the destroyer is killed Apostolos will return and destroy the world."
"So...if I die, the world dies?" He looked at me in the mirror and with a grim set line for a mouth, he nodded. "Great. And I was just going to let her kill me."
"You now know that this is not an option. If you die the realm of Daimons will be destroyed and the Demon-Goddess will be freed, and she will murder the Destroyer."
"Appolymi?" I gasped. "But how could she be killed?"
"Only the demon knows. And she will not share this information with anyone, though Stryker has been trying to persuede her to tell."
"But if he wants her dead, why is he going to help me?" I felt deep suspicion that gnawed at my stomach and I felt that his answer might drive me deeper into my confusion.
He shrugged. "Who knows how that man's mind works?" He gave a small, bitter laugh. "I certainly don't. We're going to just have to wait and see."
"Gee, thanks, Mr. Motivator," I said under my breath, considering jumping out of the car as I gave them both a peeved glare. Isla regained her voice and turned around, pointing a warning finger at me.
"We had a deal," She snarled. I raised my hands, nodding.
"Okay, okay," I relented, rolling my eyes. The car made a sharp turn across the road once more and then came to a stop by the side of the road, deep in the snow. "Great," I muttere,d spotting a group to our left, partially secluded in the darkness by the black clothes they wore. Their fair hair and skin, however, glowed under the moonlight, spare the hair of one, which blended with the black of the night. I heard a door slam behind us and then Spawn was at my side, his fists clenched.
"Stryker," He growled. The black haired man smiled faintly.
"Ah, a hunter. What a surprise," He said calmly, in a voice that showed that it was really no surprise at all. I felt the tense mood all around me, and I caught the eyes of the man, taken aback by them- they swirled like liquid silver, like hot metal...and just like Acheron's.
He gave a light laugh. "Ivory, is it?" He cocked his head and studied me. "Ivory Saint-John."
"Yes. Stryker?" He nodded, and I was silent. "Hm. So, are you going to kill me now?"
He blinked, looking at me with surprise, shaking his head and frowning. "Of course not. Why would I want to do something like that?"
"To regain the Earth for the Appolites and the Daimons, destroy the human race as we know it, to destroy the gods of Olympus, kill the Destroyer, and unearth Atlantis from its watery grave," I told him, my voice solemn and quiet. He shrugged.
"If there are no humans, there is no food for us, if the gods are destroyed the earth will crumble and the sun will be shaken from the sky, killing us all, I really hate Atlantis and all it stands for, and to get to Acheron, I need Appolymi alive and well," He countered smoothly, smirking to me. I regarded him still suspiciously, keeping a safe and considerable distance between the rest of the Daimons and I. Spawn took a grip of my hand and glared at the man as though he were the scum of the earth.
"What do you want, Stryker?" He said, his voice little more than a hiss, and then Stryker gave him a sharp look, silencing him.
"I only wish to help. If Ariatine is freed, she will destroy the world as we know it."
"Ariatine?" I repeated. It was pronounched 'Ahr-ree-autin-ee.' He nodded.
"The Goddess of Demons and minor diety of Destruction," He explained. "If keeping her confined means keeping a human," He almost sneered at me, "Safe, then so be it. Our truce ends when we defeat Ebony and then we will never speak of it again."
"And I will ask you the same thing one of your warriors asked me earlier- How do I know I can trust you?"
"Because I'm the only thing that's going to keep you alive. Acheron is stuck on Olympus for two weeks, and none of the Olympians will help you. You have two, maybe three Dark-Hunters who can and would fight with you, and even then they can't be together for more than fifteen minutes without becoming too weak to fight. I don't take advantage of the weak and certainly not anyone in your situation. Besides, if I help you, you'll owe me a favor, and I'll use that as I need to."
"Not for sex."
"Not for sex," He agreed with a smirk.
"Or for money."
"Or for money," He agreed again, shaking his head and smiling.
"Or for the blood of my first born child."
"Or for the blood of your first born child," He repeated, starting to look a tad irritated.
"Or for-"
"I get it!" He snapped. "Jeez. My favor won't be any of that. Don't worry."
"Well, then," I said, stepping forward. His Spathi gaurd surrounded me, almost as though I posed a threat to the Daimon king. I merely extended my hand, waiting for him to follow suit. "I put my life into your hands. Do not make me regret my decision."
"You won't," He told me, looking sincere as he shook my hand. His hand was warm for someone who'd been techincally dead for eleven thousand years. I pulled my hand back first and then walked back to Spawn, who looked at me like I'd just signed a contract with Satan.
"What?" I inquired. He looked away, shaking his head, and I slipped my hand into his, still looking up at him until he looked back at me. "It's an ally. A valuable one at that. It doesn't matter what he is, he's going to help."
He began to walk away through the snow, and I followed. We were almost to the car when a voice called out, "Lucian."
He turned and faced Stryker, who continued. "She's staying with you-keep her safe, and if she falls victim to any harm, you have someone much more frightening than me to answer to. We will not near your house and as long as you do not kill my warriors, I won't kill you."
"I took an oath to kill any Daimons- this is my area to keep safe, and it's not just Ivory who needs to be protected," Spawn replied in a deadly and dangerous voice. "I would not hessitate to kill any of your men or women found taking souls in this town."
"It's a shame, isn't it?" Stryker said offhandedly. "To turn on your own people?"
Spawn closed his eyes and grit his teeth, turning away from the other man. "Shut the fuck up," He hissed. He took a tighter grip on my hand. "Ivory. Come on. Now."
I looked back at Stryker, stumbling through the snow along side the Dark-Hunter. The Daimon smirked to me, showing a bit of fang. I shuddered, thinking of the doctor, and then Spawn looked down to me.
"He's dead. Stop obsessing about it, okay?" I frowned at him as he led the way to the car.
"Mood swings, Lucy?" He cut me another irritated glare. I raised my other hand. "Innocent Squire, here, don't take it out on me. There's pleanty of Daimons back there, so go knock yourself out."
He sighed. "Sorry. Daimons piss me off."
"Well, they're not my favorite, I promise you," I muttered. I raised my voice to say, "Do you trust them?"
"Are you kidding me?" He laughed angrily. "Of course not. Do you?" He looked very accusingly toward me and I shook my head, looking back to them again nervously. I was not surprised to find the clearing empty.
"No," I said, trying to stay calm, "But if they can help..."
"They're still soul sucking assholes."
"Well, Mr. Self-Hating Daimon, sorry you feel that way." He shot me another furious look, walking around to his own door. He slammed it shut and turned on the car, smirking to me. "What are you doing? Open this door right now- Spawn!"
He covered his ears and then continued to smirk, flicking the lock on his door shut. I glared at him, pulling out my cell phone. "I AM NOT ABOVE CALLING ACHERON TO TELL ON YOU!"
"Baby!" He teased me. "You are such a baby!"
"Don't lock me out!" I whined.
"Don't call me a Daimon!" He snapped back. I sighed.
"Fine. Just unlock the door."
He did so. And then when I reached for the handle, the door locked again. I tried the handle, pulling it with all my stength. No dice. I punched the window with a closed fist, shouting many curses at the man. I stuck my tongue out at him and then stormed away, in the direction of civilization.
He forced the large SUV into a U turn to follow me. "Ivory. Get in the car."
"No! You locked me out!" I turned around and glared at him. He smirked, shaking his head.
"Get in the car."
"No!"
"In the car. Now."
"NO!"
"Ivory!"
"Spawn!"
He sighed, opening the door and walking toward me, looking dangerou, his eyes narrowed and his mouth a fine set line. I stepped backwards, eventually turning around and running as fast as my feet would take me, but he caught me around the waist and threw me over his shoulder. I started punching him in the back and kicking at him, hitting his chest a few times, writhing and screaming at him all the while.
I think I sort of pissed him off by screaming 'Rape' at the top of my lungs, but he merely sighed again, shaking his head. He opened the front door to unlock the back seat, throwing me inside and kicking the door shut. It automatically locked behind him, and I continued to shout at him.
"You can keep yelling, I'm not letting you out of this car," He warned me.
"KIDNAPPING!"
"Actually, the term is 'Squire-Napping,'" He corrected, sliding into the front seat and speeding away from the spot of my 'Squire-Napping'. I glared at him, purposely knocking into him as I slid into the passenger seat.
"You know, I'm not letting this go. You just abducted me from the side of the road. You could be some psycho killer, for all I know, and I-"
The car slammed to a stop and I lurched forward, hitting my knees on the dash. I glared at him. "Oh, and now you're trying to kill me? Really, nice, that's just-"
With an irritated sound he pulled me towards him, placing his hands on both sides of my face. I looked at him with fear in my features for a mere second, and judging from the irritation in his eyes, he really could have done anything from screaming at me, shaking me, or breaking my neck.
So I was sort of surprised when he kissed me.