“She would have fainted from mortification, even after having kids,” my co-worker replied with a grin. “Once she got off the floor, she’d remember she isn’t a virgin thanks to her gorgon-incubus doohickey, resulting in even more chaos, as she would do her best to convince her gorgon-incubus doohickey to keep her around.”
“Pardon, but did you just say gorgon-incubus doohickey?” I asked.
I’d heard the phrase before, but I hadn’t thought anything of it. I’d been aware both chiefs could transform into cindercorns, but what did gorgons and incubi have to do with Samuel Quinn?
“Sam has diverse genetics,” the Devil replied. “His primary shapeshifting form is a hybrid of a gorgon and an incubus. He needs every advantage he can get herding his cindercorn. Bailey is a genuine cindercorn, where Sam uses his shapeshifting talents from his incubus genetics to cater to her species. You’ll get used to it.”
“I will?” I blurted, horrified that I would adapt to the strange and the stranger.
“You handled my brother sucker punching you quite well. I see you have figured out the general loophole regarding the handcuffs. You’re ruining my fun.”
“Your fun was barring us from making any progress,” I replied. “How can we help you?”
“I come bearing a gift of information.”
After my first and brutal brush with an archangel, I’d learned gifts could hurt—or came at some price. “Is this information a double-edged sword?”
“Absolutely.”
Damn it. “Okay. Is the double-edged sword lethal for anyone in this room?”
“Not necessarily, although you may find yourself inconvenienced and at risk of death if you decide to indulge in acts of blatant stupidity. As you’re not the kind to indulge in acts of blatant stupidity, you should be fine.”
“Should be fine is not the same as will be fine,” I pointed out.
“Humans have an unfortunate tendency to indulge in acts of blatant stupidity, resulting in the deaths of others. As you aren’t the kind to indulge in an act of blatant stupidity, you won’t end up offing yourself as a result. I cannot promise that another human indulging in an act of blatant stupidity won’t get you killed. This is humanity’s nature—and its curse.”
No kidding. “All right.” I snagged a notebook, grabbed a pen, and prepared to take notes. “I’m ready.”
“Before I begin, how familiar are you with continental drift?” the Devil asked.
“You mean the idea that the world used to be essentially one massive continent and drifted apart into the continents we know today?” I asked.
“Yes. For you to follow this, you need to accept that this theory is fact.” The Devil shrugged. “It is, by the way. Just becauseHecreated the planet does not meanHecreated the planet in the time frame humanity prefers to believe in.Hemerely began the process of evolution and allowed nature to thrive.Heis not a fan of unwarranted devotion, andHecares about deeds rather than any pleas for forgiveness. After all, someone who apologizes for a wrong but does nothing to change hasn’t really apologized sincerely, right?”
Ouch. I’d believed similar things in my life, especially when it came to supposed believers claiming they were devotees. Without fail, they turned around and made snide remarks about people they disliked solely based on their appearance. “Right. I follow.” I made a note about the Devil’s observation andHisgeneral tendencies, curious to see where the information might lead us.
“Humanity did not pop fully formed from the ground as the sentients you know of today. Humanity had several stages. Before the first humans came along, whom society dubbed Adam and Eve, there were several species vying for superiority. One would become humans. The rest would become extinct without rising to their full potential. Unlike the whole snake in the tree with an apple nonsense people like to believe, sin has existed all along among mortal beings. Until I came around, sin amongHisdivines wasn’t possible. We didn’t have free will.”
“But mortals did.”
“Somewhat.Hedid not feel like overseeing every last breath on the mortal coil. View the mortal coil as a giant terrarium, and the terrarium’s owner prefers to observe unless something is going to break the whole ecosystem.” The Devil shrugged. “Heenjoys watchingHiscreations grow. In reality, before my fall, free will was a future shadow. Everything had a set destiny.Heknew every choice to be made, andHewilled these choices to be made. My fall enabled true free will—or the ability for all things to fight the fate predetermined for them. Do all things fight their predetermined fate? No. But some can—and do. Your investigation needs to delve into the depths of predetermined fate and the requirements needed to fight it.”
I jotted down notes on his commentary, reviewing what I had written while considering the implications of his words. “The requirements needed to fight it?”
“Yes. Essentially, the curse on your companion involves predetermined fate—events that have been decreed to happen, unless someone puts in a great deal of effort to change it. Then you will need to decide if the predetermined fateshouldbe changed.”
Having participated in the debate over fate versus free will before in school, far more times than I cared to count, I caught onto what the Devil meant, although the reality of the situation annoyed me. “Because not all predetermined fates are bad things. The consequences of those fates may be necessary.” I guessed.
“No matter what you decide to do, there willalwaysbe a consequence. Sometimes, there are many consequences for a single action. For example, your decision to work without being handcuffed made you more efficient at your work. That is a consequence. Defying me also has consequences, although they are not negative ones. I appreciate when mortals think for themselves.”
“But what does that have to do with Mr. Mortan’s situation?”
“All of the deaths he has witnessed were predetermined fates; without major effort on the victim’s part, their deaths were inevitable. The curse seems to implant either a compulsion or suggestion he should go where the death will take place. For example, if there will be a fatal car crash, he would unconsciously select the route that would put him in the wrong place at the wrong time,” the Devil explained.
I narrowed my eyes. “I don’t need to be handcuffed to him at all?”
“Technically not,” he admitted with a grin.
