“I will speak with Astaroth. If he determines that you should take her place, then you will do so.” The halflings would listen to a leviathan, but would Astaroth want one to lead them? Valac didn’t know. It was the option that made the most sense to Valac, and he would argue in favor of it. If not the leviathan, then who?
Talon bared his teeth, and the streaks of shadow on Valac’s skin undulated, preparing to move for battle.
“Talon,” Alex entreated softly, wrapping a hand around the leviathan’s wrist.
Talon relaxed, tugging Alex closer. “Fine,” he relented. “I take it you’ll return soon?”
“Quite. Travel between realms is taxing, but I will return as soon as I can.” He was eager to return. He hadn’t spent asignificant time on Earth in so long. The world barely looked the same as it once did.
“You’ll want to find some better clothing,” Malachi said. “Most people wear pants nowadays.” He gestured to the dark material covering his own lanky legs.
“Pants,” Valac repeated, looking down at his bare legs. “Right.”
Chapter 3
Julian
HQ wasquiet when he arrived later the following morning for drills. Once, people ate lunch out in the grassy courtyard. They teased each other good-naturedly on the running track and while sparring. It felt like a ghost town now. No one went to the courtyard unless there was a mandated cleansing to witness. Training was a sullen, serious affair. Gone was the camaraderie, the companionship. Their servitude now was solemn, even grim.
His eyes lingered on the wooden pillar in the center of the courtyard behind the administrative building. The shackles bolted to the wood were a ghastly reminder of how far they’d fallen.
After Sloan and Father Conroy had whipped all the opposing former council members and the ‘dissenters’ who had been quietly meeting to discuss Sloan’s orders, they’d released everyone back to their duties, but nothing was the same.
Julian would never forget the sound of the whip hitting skin. They’d all received ten lashes each. Most of them had screamed. Nicolas had stood rigid beside Julian the whole time, gripping Julian’s hand painfully tight while he watched his brother bleed. Stepping in would only make things worse. The only one who’d managed to stay silent during their punishment was Cyrus, hisface a blank, pale mask and his knuckles white around the chains holding him in place. The lashes had left bloody, reddened streaks on his tattooed back.
After it was over, each dissenter had been given a chance to confess and pray for forgiveness in front of everyone. All of them did. But nothing was the same after that. Daniel had barely spoken since it happened, and while Nicolas kept his silence on the matter, Julian could see how it weighed on him. Gone were the days Julian would invite the squad to his house for steaks and football. The squad had fractured from within. Most of them refused to work with Daniel for his supposed betrayal, and Nicolas struggled to keep them under control. Julian hadn’t spoken to anyone at HQ about anything but work since it happened.
Now, he made his way to the library so he could type up his report about the stakeout last night. The cavernous library was empty but for the teenager working the desk, Whit. He gave Julian a halfhearted wave.
“How’s it going, Whit?” he asked with a gusty sigh. His eyes skirted toward the private rooms. All of the doors had been removed, and they were being used for storage now. That was where the dissenters had been meeting. The library wasn’t a place for gaining knowledge anymore. It was just a computer hub. Most people didn’t stick around any longer than they had to.
Whit gave him a tight smile. “Just fine, Paladin Heroux. Blessed and ready to serve.”
He didn’t look much like he actually felt the words, but Julian wouldn’t call him on it. He didn’t feel very blessed these days, either.
“Yeah, same,” he agreed begrudgingly, pasting on a smile. “I’m just going over there to write up my report, if that’s okay?”
“Of course, absolutely. If you need anything, let me know.”
Yeah, he needed something, Julian thought as he made his way to one of the computers. Needed to know when everything got so screwed up.
He sat down heavily and logged into the computer. It was time to write a boring, sanitized version of the night he should have had. He’d say nothing about the help he gave the traitors, nor his invitation into the mysterious skating rink. If anybody found out he’d been invited beyond the wards, they would exploit it. No matter how he felt about the demons they associated with, he wouldn’t put the humans’ lives in danger by betraying that momentary trust. He’d helped them when they needed it, and his conscience was clear.
The day promisedto be a warm one as Julian made his way out to the training yard to meet with the rest of his squad. Most of them were already there, stretching and idly swinging their wooden practice swords. Nicolas was passing from person to person, but he kept shooting solemn looks at his brother. Daniel stood apart from everyone else, his gaze averted. One arm hugged his middle, clutching his elbow like he thought someone might take a swing at him, and frustration flooded Julian. Daniel didn’t deserve to be a pariah for daring to disagree with the commander.
“Hey, guys,” Julian said cheerfully, the same way he always did. Only a few gave halfhearted greetings back. Once upon a time, they were boisterous, clapping each other on the back and talking about any- and everything. They used to be his friends. His brothers. Now he barely spoke to some of them. Half of them thought Daniel deserved the whipping he’d received. The other half kept their opinions quiet, so he couldn’t trust them. They’ddrawn lines in the sand, and he didn’t know how to cross them. He didn’t even know if he wanted to, because they’d drawn those lines to keep Daniel out, and Daniel was his best friend.
Julian came to a stop beside Daniel, whose honey brown eyes darted toward him and then away.
“Hey, Danny.”
He gave Julian a curt nod and then walked away without a word, going to the shaded weapons rack to pick out a practice sword.
Julian sighed.
He used to enjoy drills. Being out in the sunshine with his friends, trying to one-up each other. Now, they took their places in silence. They formed two rows, with three in the front and four in the back. Nicolas called out poses, and they obeyed in unison, swinging their practice swords this way and that. Julian, in the second row, stared straight ahead at the fence on the other side of the yard, letting Nic’s commands wash over him and guide him.
And then…
