“Normally, the Simi would agree, but as you always tell the Simi, this isn’t that simple. Akri-Thorn has many obligations than just Cadegan. Them Hellchasers are also your children. Like the Dark-Hunters are akri’s. You have to protects them. They needs you.”
“Cadegan needs me, too.”
“But he not dead. He’s with his matera. Right?”
Thorn nodded. Surely after all this time, Brigid would welcome him to her pantheon. “What if we’re wrong, Simi?”
“What if you’re right? Have faith, akri-Thorn. Trust yourself.”
Easier said than done. He’d never had any faith in himself. Not even a little.
But Simi was right. This wasn’t an easy thing. If Cadegan fell into the hands of the Malachai, the dark gods would reign again. No one deserved that.
Everyone, including Cadegan, would suffer.
Have faith.
He would try and pray that this was the right thing to do.
17
August 3, 1753
Simi screwed her face up as she sat on the corner of a dirt road, watching the humans travel to and from a bustling port town called New Orleans. Akri had told her that the Adarian Malachai had chosen to call this place home, though he was hiding somewhere around the town.
“Sim?”
She looked to her right at the sound of a familiary voice. “Thorny!”
Akri-Thorn was up on a big horsey, dressed in clothes that reminded her of the pirates who haunted the street around akri’s home. He even had on one of the funny triangle hats.
“What are you doing here?” they asked each other at the same time.
Laughing, akri-Thorn dismounted so that he could stand beside her. “I left a group of my Hellchasers not far away, and I was coming to check on them. You?”
“Akri’s putting a new Dark-Hunter here. Talon. Well, Talon not new. He an old Dark-Hunter. But he new to this place.”
“Understood. Why aren’t you with them?”
She made a face at him. “Boring.”
He arched a brow. “Isn’t sitting here, watching people ride by also boring?”
“Not if they’re bringing food. You’d be amazed at the new spices the Simi has discovered by watching humans. Especially here. They have something called hot sauce. Simi has always loved her peppers, but this is something completely new and yummy! Have you tried it?”
“No, but if you recommend it, I will.”
“You need to, akri-Thorn. It’s amazing. The Simi is now putting it on everything.” Cocking her head, she laughed at the waterfall of lace that fell from his neck. “Though it might be hard to eat it with all this material. You look like one of them … what are they called?”
“Macaronis.”
“That’s it. Macaroni.”
“Well, unlike your akri, I don’t like dressing like a peasant.”
She gaped at his words. “Did you really insult my akri?”
“No. Just the way he chooses to dress.”
