Evenstar (35 page)

Furcas stared at the ground.

“Bullshit!
 
I give him
everything
he wants!”
 
Paimon slammed a car into Barachiel.
 
He shone with green and blue light.
 
Plants raced and stabbed at the Archangel, following him into the air as he flew higher.
 
Seedpods burst, shooting acidic sap at the Archangel.
 
Plants, barely looking like flora, belched flame and noxious gas.
 
Flowers snapped petals lined with razor sharp teeth.

Barachiel ignored them and hovered over the pair.
 
He spoke to Furcas, “Paimon is going to get himself killed and then you really will be alone, just like you fear.”

Paimon glared at him.
 
“He goes
nowhere
alone!”

“Really?”
 
Barachiel smiled.
 
“Furcas does not seem to think that is true.
 
You left him alone for some time, Paimon.
 
You
abandoned
him.
 
You were not there for him when he needed you the most.
 
You were too busy thinking about yourself.
 
You have only ever thought about yourself.”

Paimon snarled.
 
“You don’t know anything about us or what we’ve had to go through!”

“On the contrary.”
 
Barachiel rolled his eyes.
 
“I know more than you, I can see everything he is thinking as plainly as if spoken aloud.
 
He is so
afraid
.”
 
Barachiel laughed at Furcas.
 
“
Terrified
.
 
Oh Furcas, you should have listened to me.”

Paimon seethed.
 
“So that he could be
what
?
 
One of your mindless drones?”

“He would not be afraid at least.”

“He wouldn’t be happy either!”
 
Paimon stomped towards Barachiel.
 
“We might have our issues, but at least we have something that is
ours
!”

Barachiel sighed and flew overhead.
 
“See what he does, Furcas?
 
He says things that he does not really mean and you stupidly put yourself at risk for him.
 
He makes you suffer for his mistakes.
 
When he goes wrong,
you
are always the one that ends up hurt, look at you now.
 
How many times will it take before you realize this?
 
How many times are you going to let Paimon hurt you before you realize that he does not really love you?
 
In fact, he enjoys hurting you, Furcas, he gets off on it.
 
Paimon loves it when you suffer.”

Furcas held his head and stared at his feet.
 
Tears streamed down his cheeks.

“You ineffective shit!”
 
Paimon launched cars at Barachiel.
 
“You can’t even fight!
 
You just hover and blabber about bullshit you don’t know anything about!”

Barachiel shrugged.
 
“I am just buying time until Michael can get here.”

Paimon’s eyes flicked to the sky.
 

Barachiel laughed and lifted his mace.
 
“I should—”

A flame whip cracked the Archangel across the face.
 
A being of fire smashed into him, sending him careening into the nearest building.
 
The Fury landed on the concrete and snapped her whip sending a fireball chasing the Archangel.

Paimon nodded to her.
 
“Apple.”

Apple saluted.
 
A squad of City Guard marched up the street, weapons drawn.
 
They were tired, battered, but alive.
 
She smiled.
 
“You always throw the best parties, sensed you from miles away.”

Paimon grinned.
 
“Always open invite.
 
What happened to Berith and Lucifer?”

“Those two can never party for very long.
 
They had to go home like old men.”

Barachiel snarled and leapt into the air.
 
He spotted Apple.
 
“Two Fallen and the Princess, Michael will be so pleased.”

Furcas tried to wheel his chair to Paimon’s side, but he did not have the strength.
 
He rocked himself out of the chair and crawled across the concrete trailing blood behind him.
 

Paimon looked at him, horrified.
 
He ran over and picked him up.
 
“What the fuck are you doing?”

“You need to know, he was lying!”
 
Furcas clung to his clothes.
 
“It was worth it and I don’t believe what he said about you.”

“Now’s not the time to talk about this!
 
I said
later
!”

Furcas shrugged, barely able to keep his eye open.
 
“Of course it is time, we could die.
 
There might be no later.”

Apple threw herself at the Archangel.
 

Paimon grimaced.
 
“Fine.”
 
He sent a wave of vines at Barachiel to distract him as Apple launched fireballs.
 
He looked at Furcas out of the corner of his eye.
 
“I never got bored with you or fell out of love, not once, not ever.”
  

Paimon flicked his wrist and trees swung their branches like clubs.
 
“But I’ve had your fall on my conscience and I’ve been guilt ridden since you lost your wings.
 
Then the lamin thing happened and I just couldn’t take it anymore!
 
I led you astray in the first place.
 
I
hurt
you.
 
I couldn’t prevent what happened during the war, and then I couldn’t even save you from stupid fucking humans!”
 

Paimon growled and pointed at Barachiel.
 
“That dim fucking excuse of an Archangel is right!
 
All of the shit you’ve been through is
my
fault!
 
I should never have let you get near me in the first place.
 
I don’t know what I was thinking!
 
I
wasn’t
thinking!
 
If I’d never petitioned Lucifer, you’d still be in Heaven, whole.”
 
He looked away.
 
“All I wanted to do was make you happy, but all I’ve done is bring you misery.”

Flames and acid filled the air overhead.
 
Paimon focused and seedlings in the air burst like mini bombs around Barachiel’s face.
 
“I tried to make you see that by keeping at a distance, but it only made you unhappy.
 
So I came back…for
you
.
 
I realized there was no taking back what had occurred.
 
I couldn’t undo what happened to either of us and all I
was
doing by hiding from you was hurting you,
again
.
 
I was punishing you for
my
crimes.
 
I only seem to cause you pain.”

Furcas blinked away sleep.
 
“Why didn’t you say that?
 
You just popped back around with no explanation, acting as if nothing had happened.
 
We hadn’t seen each other in centuries.
 
I hadn’t heard from you, and you just come back out of the blue.
 
What was I supposed to think?”

Paimon scowled.
 
“I’m no good at talking about my feelings!
 
I just thought you knew with your intuition or something!
 
So—” Explosions knocked them back.
 
“I’m sorry!
 
I’m sorry for everything!
 
If there is anything I can possibly be sorry about, I’m sorry about it!
 
And I love you, I always have and I’ve never fallen out of love with you, got it!”

“Got it.”
 
Furcas smiled a little.
 
“Apology accepted.”

Paimon dodged as Barachiel sent an arc of searing light at them.
 
“Are we fine now?
 
Everything’s aired and no more miscommunications?
 
You’re wonderful; I’m a dumbass, everything back to normal.
 
Right?”

Furcas nodded and leaned his head on Paimon’s shoulder.
 
He smiled.

Paimon looked back up at Barachiel.
 
“Now tell me what he meant by saying you could not get everything you wanted.
 
What haven’t I been able to give you?
 
Tell me now.”

Furcas drifted off towards sleep.
 
“A baby.”

“A kid?”
 
Paimon looked at him, confused.
 
“How is that impossible?
 
We can go adopt one pretty easy.
 
There are plenty of Lilliam orphans that need—”

“No.”
 
Furcas’ voice trailed off.
 
“I want to create
your
baby.”

Paimon’s mouth dropped open.

Light as bright as the sun illuminated the space around them.
 
Phoenix stepped out of the light, followed by Agni.
 
Agni grabbed Apple and launched a jet of flame at Barachiel that engulfed the entire street.
 

Phoenix expanded her portal and pointed.
 
“In now,
all
of you!”
 
She grabbed Paimon’s hand and pulled the pair as the rest of the City Guard followed.
 
Agni stepped through last with Apple in tow.
 
The light flashed and the street was empty.

***

The group materialized inside the palace.
 
Apple landed on her ass, shook herself out of Agni’s grip, and tried to throw herself back through the portal.
 
Queen Daphne grabbed Apple’s hand and doused her flaming daughter in ice water; she slapped Apple then hugged her.
 
Berith was next in line; he wrapped her in a hug and refused to let her go.
 
The City Guard backed away from the area, spotting the King, Queen, and the rest of the Fallen.

Phoenix and Agni faded out.

“What?”
 
Paimon cradled an unconscious Furcas in his arms, gaping at him.
 
“You want to create my
what
?”

Lucifer looked at Furcas’ injuries.
 
He opened his mouth to speak when Furcas lit up gold and white.
 
Lucifer’s face drained of color.
 
“She is in imminent danger.”

Furcas went limp; blood dripped from him a steady stream.
 
Ceres blinked into existence, took one look at Furcas, and teleported him to the Sanctuary.
 
Paimon followed on foot.
 
Lucifer ran alongside him.
 
“How long has he been flashing?”

Paimon shook his head.
 
“A day I think.”

“Where is she?”

Paimon scowled.
 
“He doesn’t know, so I don’t know.”

Lucifer grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
 
“How can he not know?”

Paimon punched Lucifer.
 
“He is
dying
!”
 
He took off at a run.
 
“Damn it, where is the Sanctuary?
 
This place always confuses me!”

Lucifer grabbed him and morphed the building, dropping them off in the room outside the Sanctuary.
 
“They are inside, do not interrupt.”

Paimon paced in front of the locked door.

Lucifer watched him.
 
“What has he said about Dahlia?”

“That they have Andy, Dahlia, Helion, and Whitney in some kind of room.
 
So far they’ve ignored Dahlia, Furcas would know, but they’re torturing Helion and Andy.”

Belial stormed in.
 
“
Who
is torturing them?”

Paimon rubbed his eyes.
 
“Same people that have Dahlia.”

Belial pushed him.
 
“Well where are they?”

Paimon backed up against the Sanctuary door.
 
“I don’t fucking know!
 
All right!
 
Furcas is
dying!
 
He isn’t exactly coherent when he’s raving!”

Berith stepped in-between the two groups; Apple sat on his shoulders.
 
He held his hands up.
 
“Furcas will know once he is healed, they can heal him, we wait.
 
It is all we can do.”
 
The Fallen stared at the small door silent, worried, and angry.
 

***

Friday

Solomon Soldiers handcuffed Dahlia and Whitney to a metal ring in the floor.
 
They were left able to sit up, but were only a few feet away from the fire.
 
Whitney slept leaning on Dahlia.
 
Both of them were exhausted.