Evenstar (80 page)

Belial eyed him.
 
“What are you wearing
that
for?”

“You’ll see.”
 
Paimon grinned and set his backpack on an empty countertop.
 
He spotted Furcas searching for a good one-handed weapon.
 
Paimon gestured for him to come over.
 

Furcas eyed the bag Paimon held with a mixture of curiosity and anxiety.
 
“You have that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“The ‘I have a new science project’ look.”

Paimon grinned and patted a stool next to him.
 
“Give me your left arm.”

Furcas stripped out of his shirt and held up his arm.
 
He did not look at the missing limb.
 
Paimon pulled a wrapped item out of his bag.
 
“Close your eye.”

Furcas closed his eye.
 
Something cold was placed against his left arm.
 
Paimon fiddled with the thing.
 
Intense brief pain shot through Furcas’ shoulder, then pleasure and warmth.
 
Furcas opened his eye.
 
Paimon grinned.
 

Furcas looked down.
 
Where his limb ended in a stump, Paimon had attached a metal forearm of gears and plate.
 
The device was beautiful, each piece etched with the whorls and swirls that would have adorned his wings, if he still had any.
 
Berith smiled, and Furcas saw his handiwork in it.
 

Furcas stared at the metal; he wanted to see the other side.
 
His metal arm moved and the left hand turned over.
 
Furcas gaped.
 
He held in his breath and thought about making a fist.
 
The hand responded and made a fist, the metal flexed just as real muscle would.
 
Furcas leapt on Paimon.
 
“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Paimon smiled.
 
“Because I wanted it to be a surprise.
 
Try shifting.”

Furcas changed to Faith, the arm changed too, appearing as a regular girl’s arm, flesh and all.
 
Furcas switched back and kissed Paimon.
 
“You wonderful bastard!”
 
He practiced punching the air with both arms, the left responded just as well as his regular hand.

Berith appreciated his work and nodded to Paimon.
 
“It was a good idea.”

Paimon nodded.
 
“Where is your chemical cabinet?”

“In the back.”

“Thanks.”
 
Paimon picked up his backpack and walked towards the forge.
 
Furcas followed along on his heels.
 
He grabbed a pair of kusarigama from the wall and trailed behind Paimon.
 
The pair drifted out of sight.

Helion ducked into the room.
 
“I have the sylphs and Whitney ready.
 
They’ve been informed of their responsibility.”

Berith nodded and handed Helion a tower shield and a pair of heavy-duty earplugs.
 
“Keep her safe.”

Dahlia swung her scythe and bumped into Lucifer.
 
The scythe came unhinged in the middle and she found herself holding two smaller scythes connected with a length of chain.
 
“Badass!”

Berith grinned.
 
“Thought you might like that.”

Tokala and Celeste were in next.
 
Tokala bowed to his sister.
 
“The City Guard are prepared and armed.
 
They await your orders.”

She nodded.
 
“Good, I will be out shortly.”

Berith eyed Celeste.
 
She wore City Guard armor.
 
He looked between her and Tokala.
 
“Have you fought beside a berserker before?”

Tokala shook his head.
 
“I have not.”

Berith nodded.
 
“You are ultimately responsible for her safety.”

Celeste scoffed.
 
“I can take care of myself!”

Berith nodded.
 
“Yes, you can, except you won’t be able to feel when you have taken damage.
 
Your blood rage will be all encompassing.”
 
He pointed to Tokala.
 
“You must pull her out when she has been damaged too much.
 
She
will
fight to her death.
 
There will be no hesitation on her part.”

Tokala nodded, and the pair walked out.
 
Apple kissed Berith’s cheek and followed them, her mind already running through the speech she would give her volunteer force of the Guard.
  

***

Helion, Whitney, and Jacob were flocked with sylphs, wraiths, and banshee.
 
The contingent flew in the air above the City.
 
Jacob turned to his girls and gave them a thumbs up.
 
Their smiles and giggling nature gone, they looked sharp, cold and biting like the winter wind.
 
He nodded and turned back to Helion.
 
“Can the angels see us when we go invisible?”

Helion scratched his head.
 
“I do not think so, they see sound, light, or heat, and you are just air.
 
Keep your temperatures matching the ambient atmosphere and I would think you would be invisible.”

Jacob nodded.
 
“Good to know.”

Whitney faced the volunteer force of banshees and wraiths.
 
Their appearance no longer bothered her.
 
The banshees floated together in plumes of mist, making the air cloudy.
 
The wraiths were shadows, gray and mostly transparent.
 
Their eyes burned as if lit from within.
 
Their mouths opened to a darkness that sucked in light and life force.
 
One ate a piece of wedding cake, another picked off pieces of confetti.
 

The temperature dropped and dread crept upon them.
 
Whitney shivered and looked down.
 
The vampires came out of the ground.
 
They stretched and snapped bones, their white skin pulled taut over their skulls.
 
They opened webbed wings and took to the air, joining Whitney and Helion.
 
Their fangs stuck out of their receding gray gums, and their eyes were the color of dried human blood.
 
They smelled like the earth.

Helion smiled at them.
 
“Thanks for coming, guys!”

The eldest volunteer grinned and the dread in the area faded.
 
“We have not been aboveground in some time.
 
We look forward to this.”

Whitney shook hands with those in front.
 
“Paimon says we will have hours of darkness where they are attacking.”

“Good.”

She eyed him.
 
“Do you need blood?”

He shrugged.
 
“From time to time.
 
Why?
 
Will there be any available?”

***

Tracy pulled at Nodin.
 
“What do you mean you are going up there and I cannot come?”

His face was stony.
 
“We are being attacked, and you should not come.”

Tracy snarled.
 
“It is our wedding night, I want to be together!
 
Either I go—”

“No!”

“Then we both stay!”

“I have to go!
 
All of my siblings are going aboveground.”

Tracy shook.
 
“Then let me come!”

“No!”
 
He hugged her.
 
“You must stay safe.”

“I am luck itself!”

“Tracy, you have our next generation to think about.”
 
He looked past her to their sleeping baby.
 
“Satan needs you.
 
The City needs your luck here.
 
If I die, you need to live.”

Tracy slapped him as Apple walked into their suite.
 
Apple looked between the two.
 
“We go to the surface soon.”

Tracy rounded on her.
 
“He cannot!”

Nodin scowled.
 
“Tracy, I must!”

She pointed to her already swelling body.
 
“You got me pregnant again just so I could not go!”

“It was an accident, I did not mean to!”

“Liar!”
 
Tracy slammed her horns into his head.
 
Nodin fell to the ground, his eyes unfocused.
 
Tracy folded her arms.
 
“Sorry, I accidently concussed you!
 
Didn’t mean to!”

Nodin tried to stand.
 
“Apple!”

Apple looked him over.
 
“You’ve got a concussion, little brother, sorry.”

Nodin rolled to his stomach.
 
“
Apple
!”

Apple grinned.
 
“Mom and Dad want you to stay anyways, you have kids now, chill.
 
Bye!”
 
She slammed the door shut and ran.
 

Nodin staunched his bleeding head.
 
Satan started to cry.
 
Tracy picked up their baby and rocked him; she refused to look at Nodin.
 

Nodin stood and winced against his headache.
 
“You bitch.”

Tracy smirked.
 
“Yeah and?”

He hugged her and their child.
 
“I love you.”

***

Monday

The Fallen stood on the Grand Promenade where it met the entrance to the Old Road.
 
The metal gate rose above them.
 
Behind the Fallen, the City Guard assembled silently.
 
Apple stood at their head, her brothers Grendel and Varen at her side.
 
Above them the undead and sylphs circled in the air.
 
The City beyond was quiet and tense, the tenants waiting for destruction or evacuation.

Helion stood with wings folded; a tower shield protected his body from foot to shoulder.
 
He’d pulled his hair back into a ponytail.
 
He had on gauntlets and reinforced boots; the leather and steel came up to his knees.
 
A plain pair of blue jeans was the only other thing he wore.
 
Whitney had painted his chest with a giant red cross.
 

Belial stayed by his side.
 
She wore an ancient set of armor.
 
One of her first, it was light and tight fitting.
 
She had modified its surface to reflect the light, making it shine white in the gloom.
 
She’d strapped her twin blades to her back.
 
Next to her, Andy stood similarly attired, his morning star secured at his belt.
 
He flexed his arms, making his leather gloves creak.
 

Berith waited bare-skinned, with barely a wrap around his waist.
 
He stretched and double-checked his swords and his axe.
 
Among the sheaths and straps, Berith had added two Apple-sized footholds.

Furcas marveled at his mechanical hand.
 
Paimon took his other hand and squeezed it.
 
Furcas looked up and smiled.
 
They were outfitted as opposites.
 
Furcas had no top on, while Paimon had his leather jacket zipped up to his chin.
 
Paimon adjusted his goggles.
 
Furcas wore a metal eye patch; black, it matched the weapons at his back.
 
Furcas stood in sandals, Paimon in boots.
 
Paimon wore thick leather gloves with the fingertips cut off.
 
Furcas was barehanded.
 

Paimon twitched and fiddled with the metal contraption at his back, controls in his hand.
 
Satisfied he took out a flask, took a shot, and handed it to Furcas who did the same.
 
Furcas passed the flask down the line.
 

Dahlia and Lucifer stood in front of the rest.
 
Dahlia had her weapon drawn; Lucifer rested his bat against his shoulder.
 
The pair held hands and stared at the entrance to the Old Road.
 

Dahlia squeezed Lucifer’s hand and left his side.
 
She walked to Furcas and kissed his cheek.
 
“Thank you for the years of protection, but our bond is ended.”
 

Furcas lit up briefly as their connection was severed.
 
“It was my honor, Dahlia.”

She looked to Paimon.
 
“You two, stick together.
 
I can take care of myself now.”
 
She grabbed Paimon’s shoulder.
 
“Protect him.”