I was pissed and still running high on endorphins when I hit the elevator. I would be damned if this faction decided that the way I entered the faction meant that I’d sit on my fucking ass and let them continue to act like children. We were in the middle of what could be the end of theCatervae Paxand a new rise to fascism, and I wasn’t about to go back to letting men believe they had the power to run shit. I’d spent thousands of years in Hell listening to the same type of men reminisce about how they’d fooled everybody. They hadn’t fooled anyone, but they knew how to play the game they’d designed. I wouldn’t play by their rules, and they hated it.
I exited the elevator, spotting both Medb and Adaela walking toward the conference room we’d used that first day we were here. I figured I’d divert their interests in favor of lunch and maybe a walk downtown, since I hadn’t had the opportunity to really learn what this part of the city had to offer yet.
I walked in after them, hoping I wasn’t imposing too much.Adaela’s face shut down in annoyance as if she were about to interrupt whoever was walking in, but when she saw me, it was like watching sunshine peek out through the clouds. Her smile completely transformed her face, and it made my sour mood vanish. Medb was on her laptop with two of her hands, while the other two held a croissant and a cup of coffee. I hadn’t been in her presence in centuries, so I was sure my own smile reflected Adaela’s.
“Vada, it’s great to see you. We were just talking about the men I murdered a few weeks ago. Medb figured out who the culprits are, and the Elves are tracking down our leads,” Adaela said, walking over to give me a hug.
I embraced her, putting my hand on the back of her head to pull her in closer, taking in her petrichor scent as I relaxed even further. “That’s great news. When should we expect them?” I asked.
“Soon, I’d think,” Medb said, and Adaela leaned over her laptop as Medb pointed out something.
I was still too antsy to sit down, so I walked around the vast expanse of the conference room, laughing about how many gods damned meetings we had just to keep this dream running. Stopping in front of the Marung statue again, I took in its immaculate details. The statue’s wooden sections were made up of intricately carved snakes, almost like Medusa on steroids. Snake heads were interwoven through the hair, on its shoulders, and its fingers were snakes. It stood on snakelike legs, though the legs, along with the torso and head that were humanoid, were made of white marble. It was fascinating. The artist who created this was wildly talented.
I turned to ask Adaela who’d created this masterpiece, but they were still finishing up their conversation. My phone buzzed with an incoming text, just a meme from Amayah, and I busied myself by doom scrolling while trying to give them thespace to finish before I spoke. While I could hear their conversation, it was a courtesy to pretend as if I couldn’t.
The sound of a chair rolling back from the table caught my attention, distracting me from my phone. Adaela glanced at the Marung before she’d focused her gaze back on me. “What are your plans this afternoon? Did you know you have blood on your collar?” she asked, checking me over for injury.
“It’s not mine, no worries. Had to take care of some demon shit. Pan did a number with that faction. They need some help remembering who they are and what this community is about,” I replied. I pulled her into my arms. I couldn’t help myself, but she smiled as she buried her head into my chest. I wasn’t a touchy-feely person, and I got the sense that Adaela wasn’t either. The comfort was nice, though.
“Before we head out, I need to talk with you and Medb about something,” Adaela began as Medb started to stand up. She sat back down with a lift to her brow, and I reluctantly let her go.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I’m sure you were made aware that I have some objects in my possession that thePaxleadership have knowledge of,” she said, and both Medb and I nodded.
Adaela took a breath before naming Pandora’s Box. I hadn’t realized it was anything more than an allegory. Medb either, by the look on her face.
“How’d you come to be in possession of it? I thought I’d heard that it was in Tartarus,” Medb said, confirming that she did know of its existence.
“I’m honestly unsure what Cronus’s intentions were behind giving me the Box. At the time, I was still very young, and I’d guessed he suspected that my father was searching for it. I’d already sworn to keep the sword away from King Cernunnos, so it only made sense that he’d give me another worlds-endingobject to protect from my father. Now that I’m older, I’m not sure that was the case,” Adaela said, and I could see that she’d been questioning this for quite some time.
I gestured both Medb and Adaela out of the conference room, “Why didn’t you say anything before now?”
“I’m guessing she likely couldn’t for whatever reason,” Medb said gently.
Adaela nodded. “I’ve been so used to doing everything by myself, and the thought of anyone knowing outside of my ex wasn’t something I thought I could ever trust anyone with again.”
That made sense. Adaela had largely been alone her entire life. Trauma didn’t just go away, and if left alone, it festered. I could only imagine just how much she’d been keeping to herself over the years. It was a lonely place to be, even if she’d believed she was solely responsible for it. I had gotten to know her friends over the last month or so, and they’d have been there for her.
We walked out into the sunlight, confirming with security before we’d walked out of the building that there weren’t any Vampires or other creatures who were allergic to the sun within the doorway. From what I understood, they didn’t spend much time near the doors during the day if they could help it. The younger ones remained dead during the day anyway, but with proximity to the first Vampire, Bram, I was sure they’d likely had their own schedules based solely on his powers. Vamps were scary.
We’d decided to make our way the opposite direction of thePax, toward Washington Avenue for lunch. There was a new restaurant that Medb wanted to check out. They both pointed out various buildings as we walked about eight blocks, telling me of their history before thePaxand what they were used for now. Many of the buildings had been modernized andrenovated over the last sixty years or so, mostly by magic users who had a love of older architecture.
We were turning a corner when we heard someone scream. The fact that we could hear it over the bustle of cars and city life was a testament to just how loud they’d have to scream to be heard. Adaela’s shadows shot out lightning-quick, turning the corner before any of us could begin running. We sprinted, watching as a human woman was dragged through a portal. The being dragging her through wasn’t fast enough to outrun Adaela’s shadows. They wrapped around the attacker’s head, and they stumbled before pushing the woman through the portal.
Before I could even try to submit the being into the dream realm, Adaela’s shadows had put them out. We arrived seconds later, the portal closing before we could get to the woman.
“Fuck,” I shouted, pulling at my hair. I grabbed my phone and texted headquarters, asking them for assistance and to figure out who else had been taken or killed. I was more determined than ever to figure out who the fuck this was behind it.
Adaela’s shadows receded, and Medb turned the culprit over, cursing under her breath. She had worry etched across her face as she addressed Adaela. “It’s who we were searching for. This is Borom.”
“Who’s Borom?” I asked.
“Borom here is one of the shit stains who knows something about the two guys I murdered in that alley, aren’t you, Borom?” Adaela gritted through her teeth.
Borom spat near Adaela’s feet, and she moved before it could land on her shoes, kicking him in the face and knocking his ass out. She smiled maliciously, turning to thePaxmembers pushing through the crowd toward us.
“I need a portal user to see if you can glean anything from this area. The portal closed before we could get to the woman. Iwant to know if any signatures can be traced here, and who the fuck is behind this,” Adaela said to the guard who’d gotten to us first. She nodded, shooting off a text.
