“Did you clear it with Cat?”
He gave her a sheepish grin.“I was hoping you’d do thattoo.”
“Don’t try Cipher’s charm tricks on me,” Suzanne said with awag of her finger.“They don’t work.”
“So that’sayes?”At Suzanne’sannoyed huff, Hawkyn’s grin turned victorious.“Thanks, sis.”He turned toAurora.“You can ask these two anything you want.They’ll be straight with you,and you can trust them.I’ll see you soon.”
He took off before she could figure out how she felt aboutbeing left in a strange Hell dimension with two strangers, but ultimately, itwas better than being back in Drayger’s cargo container.
She hoped.
Hawkyn sent a summons to both the Memitim Council andthe embassy, figuring either could help him out.Whoever they sent asrepresentatives would be pissed to know he’d sent a double summons, but at thispoint, he didn’t give a shit.He needed answers.
He paced like a lion in a cage as he waited, his patience intatters as the clock ticked off the hour mark.Finally, just as he was about tosend another set ofsummons, an Ascended brother hedidn’t know materialized at the Summoning Stone, his dark skin and hair glowingeven after the light beam that accompanied his arrival faded.
“I am Demetrius, Ninth Chief of Embassy Operations, son ofAzagoth and Luscindia.What is your request, Hawkyn, son of Azagoth andUlnara?”
First, he wanted Demetrius to lay off the formality.Hawkynwould take Jacob’s “What do you want, asshole?”over an overstuffed, pompousdouchebag with too much starch in his holy robes.
But he probably shouldn’t say that.
“Hey, bro,” he drawled, countering his half-brother’sformality.“I need to speak to Atticus, keeper of bizarrely detailed notes, sonof Azagoth and...someangel.”
“You know the rules.Earthbound Memitim aren’t supposed tobe in contact with Ascended Memitim unless they’re employed by the Council orthe embassy.Which he is not.”
“Yes, I know,” Hawkyn ground out.“But this is a specialcircumstance.”
“Aren’t they all?”
Hawkyn gnashed his teeth in frustration.“It’s a stupidrule, and it needs to be changed.Who do I see about that?”
“You can bring it up with a Council member.”
“You mean the Council members who never respond to oursummons?How can I bring it up to them if I can’t talk to them?”
Demetrius’s eyes, so brown they were almost black, took inthe surroundings with interest, even though his monotone voice couldn’t soundany more bored.“Then contact the embassy.”
“I just did.You told me to contact the Council.”
“That’s because they make the rules,” Demetrius explainedslowly, as if he were speaking to Idess’s toddler, even though he was the onewith the idiotic circular argument that made no sense.Hawkyn wanted to scream.
“How about you deliver my message?”
“Not my job.”
Hawkyn hated this guy.“Look, I just need a minute withAtticus.We’re told to protect our Primori and their fates at all costs, right?Well, to protect mine, I need to know more about him, and maybe Atticus canfill in some blanks.”
“Hawkyn, this is your second inquiry about the same Primoriin just days.”Demetrius crossed his arms over his chest.“Why?Are you introuble?”
Hawkyn barked out a bitter laugh.“Do you honestly think I’dtell you?The system doesn’t exactly encourage coming forward, not when we’repunished for doingso.”
“That’s the way it’s always been.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s the best way.”And it was exactlywhy he wanted to join the Council after he Ascended.Shit needed to be changed.The Old Guard needed to be replaced.
In many ways, the earthly realm progressed faster than thedemon and Heavenly ones, simply because the short human lifespan meant thatthere were frequent turnovers of ideas and practices.When a species wasimmortal, ancient customs persisted in the minds and hearts of ancientbeings—ancient beings who were always the ones running the shows.They resistednew things in favor of the old ways, even if the old ways no longer worked inmodernages.
Yes, the Council was in dire need of fresh blood.
