I felt totally caught in the middle of their domestic spat. It was nice that she was standing up for me, but I knew Erebus wouldn’t listen. As soon as Lux was gone, he’d be back on the enslavement trail.
I raised a nervous hand. “Thanks for your concern, Lux, but there’s really nothing for you to worry about. I’m good, honestly. A few scrapes, nothing I can’t handle. It looks worse than it is. I’ll be fine. I mean, I am fine.”
Lux clicked her tongue. “You don’t have to defend him, Finch.”
“He isn’t,” Erebus replied. “He understands the nature of our deal, and he knows what is expected of him. He doesn’t need your protection. Do you think it was easy for me to end Katherine? I exerted a lot of energy, and I am still feeling the aftereffects. He made the agreement, which had nothing to do with you, so why don’t you keep your nose out of it?”
“What did you just say?” Lux spun toward him.
“I just want you to understand that everything is fine,” he said, softening his tone. He clearly knew he’d crossed a line.
This was better than a soap opera. I couldn’t help watching with curiosity, wondering where all the bitterness was coming from. Maybe that was what happened when you were stuck with someone for millennia. All their little quirks became thorns. And these two loved a fight. They were always at it, whenever I saw them together.
“Fine, then understand me. Do not abuse this mortal, and do not do anything to upset the natural balance of Chaos. We have had quite enough of that,” she replied. “If things are the way they are, it is because Chaos wants it so. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t mess with it.”
What’s that supposed to mean? What did she think Erebus was up to? That didn’t sit well with me, considering he wouldn’t breathe a word about why he wanted the Fountain of Youth.
Erebus raised his wispy hands in surrender. “I’m not messing around, and I’m not abusing anyone. Everything is in order.”
“Make sure that’s true, or I won’t be so nice next time I come to you.” Lux began to glow more brightly. “I mean it, Erebus. Do not play with nature. I have some of my own business to attend to, but I will be back.”
“I look forward to it, my angel.” Erebus gave a strained smile.
“I’m sure you do.” Lux snorted as she twisted into a spiral of molten silver. The blinding light shot into the sky, blasting across like a shooting star and disappearing into the endless night.
I was left with questions—a lot of them. Not that I was going to get answers from Mr. Tight-Lipped.
“You admire her, don’t you?” Erebus’s voice distracted me.
I shrugged. “I like that she believes in mortal rights, if that counts.”
“Don’t be fooled by her, Finch. She may seem innocent and righteous, but she is as devious as I am, if not worse. There is a reason we fell for one another. We are kindred spirits, even if we appear to be opposites. But she plays her role very well. It is part of her charm.”
Whatever you say, pal. There was no way that Lux was worse than Erebus. She was the perpetual mediator between him and everything he wanted to wreck. This was just another one of Erebus’s games, something to stop me from spilling the beans to his wife and getting him in more trouble. I knew a trickster when I saw one, and Erebus was king of them all, always covering his own ass.
“Well, at least she gave a crap about my injuries. You should listen to her about the rest thing,” I replied.
“You and I both know that isn’t going to happen.” He smirked. “Now, where was I before she interrupted?”
“Pointers.”
“Ah, yes. You are to do whatever you must to get your hands on Ponce de León and force him to reveal the Fountain’s location.”
My jaw dropped. “Wait, that’s it? That’s your pointer?”
“What were you expecting, a map and a list of detailed instructions?”
“I guess that’d be asking too much, huh?” I folded my arms across my chest, irritated.
“Fine, I suppose I could give you one more. You need more power to bend one of these beings to your will. More than just the power that you alone possess. You need to be accompanied by someone who, perhaps, has experience with strange negotiations, and someone who isn’t afraid of such scenarios.”
“Now that I can work with.” There was a slight problem with regards to who I could ask, if I wanted to keep the minutiae of this servitude business quiet, but I’d deal with that when I got back to the SDC.
“There is one more thing, however.” Erebus dropped a dramatic pause.
“Yes?” I sighed. This was getting to be too much.
“Oh, I think you will like this one.” He chuckled. “If you succeed in this, you will be rewarded for your efforts in the way you most desire. You don’t want to be stuck with me forever, do you?”
I stared at him in disbelief. “Is this a trick?”
“No trick, merely an incentive to ensure you succeed. I may be known for my deceptive actions, but I am a Child of my word. I promise you, here and now, that you will receive your reward if you complete this mission and discover the Fount—making sure that it really is where you have been told it is, and that you can access it.”
“Seriously?”
He opened out his arms. “With the Purge beasts and Tartarus as my witnesses, I make this vow to you.”
My heart grew about three sizes. Grinch Merlin, in the flesh. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. But despite my excitement, a nagging doubt lingered in the back of my head, a loud and obnoxious skepticism.
Erebus had said it himself: he wasn’t known for his honesty. He was Darkness incarnate. I couldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him, which would’ve been hard considering he was made of fog. But if there was the slightest hope of escape, I had to seize it with both hands. I hoped he really was a Child of his word.
Seven
Garrett
I left the Banquet Hall with the taste of coffee still in my mouth—bitter and stale. I had a meeting with O’Halloran, and I was late. I hadn’t intended to have breakfast with everyone there. Usually, I got up early so I could eat alone. Being at the table with Astrid was just too hard.
Not that I didn’t like seeing her. I’d have done anything to be close to her again. But she couldn’t look at me without sadness creeping into her eyes. Sometimes she’d laugh and catch herself, as if she wasn’t supposed to be happy. That hurt the most. Those moments when she almost forgot, and almost allowed herself to smile without guilt.
We’d had a few moments in the year since Alton passed. I’d bring her coffee when I knew she’d been working all hours in her command center. She’d brought me the Avenging Angel to hang on my wall. I’d ask the chef to put her favorite dessert aside, because I knew she’d be hungry. She’d ask me questions that she could’ve asked anyone. But it was always awkward, like there was a wall between us and we were looking at each other through a tiny gap.
I understood why. If Alton hadn’t brought me back, he might’ve had another year on this earth. He’d given that up for me. His intentions had been good, but he hadn’t thought about the hit Astrid would take. How could she look at me, knowing what had been sacrificed so I could stand here? It was the elephant in every room the two of us were in. I was a living reminder of her father’s last breath. Nobody could just get over that.