“Then akri will teach his Simi. She will be the bestest demon, and she will eats them heads and learnst to protect akri and herself from everyone. Even the meanest gods!”
Shadow smiled. “There you go. And whatever you do, Simi, stay away from Azura and Noir. They hate Charonte and all they want is to free Apollymi and unite their army with hers so that they can destroy the world.”
4
Simi crept quietly through the dark lands. Not the shadowy place where akri-Shadow lived or the hell realm where akra-Apollymi was trapped. This was the forbidden place that would make akri extremely angry if he learned Simi dared visit here.
Azmodea. The home of Azura and Noir.
There had been a time long, long ago when akra-Apollymi had called this place home, too. When the angry goddess had lived here with her brother and sissy. Noir and Azura. Simi didn’t know if they were older or younger than akra-Apollymi, not that it mattered.
They were no longer family because akra-Apollymi hated them with all her hearts. Simi wasn’t exactly sure why, but it had something to do with a baby born before akri. A baby boy she’d heard her matera and sissy whispering about when they thought no one else could hear them.
A boy called the Malachai that akra-Apollymi had been forced by her brothers and sisters to curse. That was why akra-Apollymi had been so incredibly angry about losing akri. Her heart had already been broken by having to lose one son. The last thing the goddess wanted was to be forced to lose another.
“What are you doing here, Simi?”
Simi froze at the sound of a deep, accented voice that kind of reminded her of akri’s. Only it wasn’t akri. This one was deeper and with a gruffer accent that wasn’t as musical and sweet as akri’s.
Turning around slowly, she faced a tall, dark-haired man who had two different colored eyes. One was a deep brown that reminded her of the nuts she liked to snack on, and the other was the bright green of yummy mint.
“Who are you?” she whispered, not sure if she was in trouble or not for her snooping.
His features softened. “Jaden.”
Ah. This being was definitely a god and a powerful one at that. His powers were old and extremely strong. He reminded her a lot of akra-Apollymi. Only he was a lot sadder …
Like akri. He had tons of aches in his eyes and heart.
Simi stepped closer to him so that she could stare up and the giant god who no longer scared her. “Hi, akri-Jaden.” She held her hand out to him. “The Simi’s pleased to meet you.”
That made him smile as he knelt down so that he could take her hand and kiss her knuckles. “You shouldn’t be here, Simi. It’s not safe for you in this realm.”
“I know, but the Simi wanted to see the dark gods.”
He frowned at her. “Why?”
“Well, akra-Apollymi is a dark god, but she’s very kind. Simi knows she doesn’t like her brother and sissy, but Simi was wondering if maybe they’re not so bad. Maybe they’s just been misadjudicated.”
He chuckled at her words. “I wish they were misadjudicated, Simi. They’re not. And they’re nothing like Apollymi. She has a heart where they don’t. Not even for their own children.”
“Then that is very sad indeed. How can someone not love their simis?”
He scooped her up in his arms and stood. “I don’t know. Sometimes it seems like people don’t love their babies when they do.”
“You have simis?”
“Yes, I do and I can’t be with them. That is its own kind of hell.”
She could only imagine.
Jaden let out a tired breath. “Then there are gods like Noir and Azura who really don’t love their children, and they don’t care what happens to them.”
“That’s so awful!”
“Indeed.”
Simi sighed heavily as she tried to imagine having parents who didn’t love her. It was impossible in her mind, especially given how much akri loved her. “Why would they have simis if they don’t want to love them?”
