Fractured Souls by Ava Marie Salinger

40

A hard expressiontightened Bostrof’s face as he and Lilaia finished watching the videos Morgan had had Maggie send through of the fight from Occulta and the Lucifugous who had been in the alley behind the bar the night Jerry Carneiro died.

“Alas, it is as I surmised,” Bostrof said grimly.

“Do you know who that demon is?” Cassius asked.

Bostrof hesitated before nodding. “It confirms what I suspected at the time when I heard what had happened between you and the warlock at Occulta. The Lucifugous on that recording is my brother, Oroak.”

Cassius exchanged a shocked glance with Morgan and the others.

“Your brother?” Morgan repeated.

“Yes.” An unhappy expression darkened Bostrof’s face. Lilaia placed a gentle hand on his arm. He closed his fingers over hers, his features softening at her reassuring touch. “Oroak is my younger brother. He was the commander of my armies before the Fall. He was always a demon with deep ambitions, but being on Earth for so long has truly corrupted his mind and soul. I have long suspected him of trading Reaper Seed from the Shadow Empire, but I couldn’t find any concrete evidence of his crimes until now.” Bostrof’s eyes hardened. “That drug is causing a wave of addiction through the communities of Lucifugous on the West Coast. If left unfettered, it will soon affect humans, magic users, and the otherworldly too.”

“The Reaper Seed isn’t just being used to turn your kind into junkies,” Morgan said stiffly. “It’s a key ingredient in a series of human sacrifices we’ve been investigating for the past two months. Our suspects are a group of black-magic sorcerers led by that warlock.”

Morgan indicated the frozen image of Eric Crawford on the screen.

Lilaia frowned. “They are killing humans?”

“They are stealing their souls, to be precise,” Cassius said. “We think they are attempting to harness the power of fractured souls to breach the Nether.”

Lilaia paled. Bostrof scowled.

“They will cause another Fall,” the Nymph murmured.

Cassius clenched his jaw, more convinced than ever that Eric and his master’s goals had nothing to do with simply tearing the Nether open. “I don’t think so. We captured one of their sorcerers and interrogated him. He said the warlock and their master were after the Eternity Key and the Keeper of the Key. I believe that’s their true end goal.”

Bostrof and Lilaia stared at one another, their eyes rounding.

Cassius’s heart thumped against his ribs. “You know what it is, don’t you? The Eternity Key?!”

Lilaia swallowed and dipped her head. “Like Bostrof and his kind, the Nymphs also retain certain memories from before the Fall, although they are often just vague dreams that taunt our consciousness with distant knowledge, such as your identity as a Guardian of Light and Morgan’s as a Prince of Night.” The Nymph’s eyes grew troubled. “All I recall is that it is a weapon of immense power. One that was used to lock Chaos, the first Primordial God, in the Abyss. Its last known whereabouts are said to be in the Seventh Hell. Only the Keeper of the Key knows its precise location in that realm.”

Cassius’s stomach plummeted.

“Chaos?” Morgan repeated, stunned.

“The Seventh Hell?” Julia mumbled.

Of all the Hells, the Seventh was the most vicious, its dark lands wreathed in smoke and fire and its inhabitants monsters of the worst kind.

“I heard a recent rumor about the Keeper of the Key,” Bostrof said in the stunned hush. “He apparently left the Nine Hells a while ago and came to Earth. He is reputed to be wandering this realm disguised as an animal.”

Cassius stiffened. “An animal?”

Bostrof nodded. “He is a very clever imp is the Keeper of the Key.”

Cassius sucked in air and met Morgan’s shocked stare. “Loki!”

“What?” Adrianne said, her confused stare swinging between them.

“Loki is an imp,” Cassius said. “Benjamin told us so!”

“You spoke to the Reaper again?” Julia asked curiously.

Cassius’s cheeks grew warm. “He, er, kinda turned up last night.”

“Shit.” Morgan scowled. “That sorcerer must have been after him when he went to Joyce’s house!”

“Who’s Loki?” Bostrof said, puzzled.

“He’s a cat I rescued from the sewers a few nights ago,” Cassius explained. “The one that got me into this whole mess in the first place.”

Lilaia observed Cassius solemnly. “The Fates work in mysterious ways. It seems the Keeper of the Eternity Key chose you for a reason, Guardian.”

“Maybe he knows Cassius is the only one who can protect him,” Bostrof murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

“Do you know where Oroak is?” Morgan asked urgently.

“No.” Bostrof frowned. “But I can find out.” He paused. “Leave him to me. I will take care of my brother. As for Chester Moran, you should try and use the witch to locate him.”

Cassius’s breath locked in his throat at the name Bostrof had just uttered.

“What—what did you just say?!” he stammered.

Bostrof pointed at the frozen image of Eric Crawford. “That man is Chester Moran. Judging from what you’ve just told us, I am pretty certain he is Tania Lancaster’s son.” He narrowed his eyes at their dazed expressions. “You didn’t know Tania had a son?”

“We were aware she had a child. He would have been above five at the time of the battle in London.” Cassius raked his hair with a hand, his heart thundering at the enormity of what Bostrof had just revealed. “But Chester is said to have perished shortly after his mother died. The house Tania was hiding him in burned down.” He stopped and swallowed. “Rosen and Hexa discovered the remains of a male child that fit his physical description in the ruins of the property. We never found out who was behind the arson attack.”

“We know that man as Eric Crawford,” Morgan said in a hard voice, his cold gaze on the Lucifugous and the Nymph. “He is Francis Strickland’s former apprentice and was a member of Hexa until he disappeared from Seattle a few years ago. Why are you so sure he’s Tania Lancaster’s son?”

“Because magic never lies,” Lilaia said steadily. “He carries his mother’s powers in his blood and more. We crossed paths with him briefly, a long time ago, in Europe. The fact that Tania had a son was never made official, so we couldn’t be certain until now.”

Bostrof’s gaze grew distant. “Hmm. Chester may have approached Strickland knowing full well the mage was one of his mother’s murderers.”

“That’s what he meant,” Cassius mumbled, the blood draining from his face. He met Morgan’s puzzled gaze. “What he told me in the alley that night. About me deserving to die for what I did. He meant killing his mother!”

Tense silence befell them.

“What did you mean about using the witch to find Chester?” Zach said with faint frown.

“She broke his leg with her magic, did she not?” Bostrof said.

Zach’s eyes widened. “You mean Suzie?”

Bostrof nodded. “Her magic is powerful. A Level One, from what I can see on the video? It should have left a trace on him if she managed to pierce his flesh. The Guardian may very well be able to sniff it out.”

He indicated Cassius.

Cassius blinked. “I may?”

Lilaia smiled. “It seems you are still not aware of all that you can do.”

“He’s an Empyreal, can summon Reapers, can see and destroy soul cores, and can awaken latent powers,” Adrianne mumbled in the silence that followed, counting on her fingers. “And he can also apparently detect magical remains and is some powerful guardian of sorts.” She stared at Morgan and cocked a thumb at Cassius. “You should marry him.”

Morgan rose from his chair. “He’s already mine. Putting a ring on his finger is neither here nor there.”

Cassius narrowed his eyes, annoyed. “Since when was I yours?”

Morgan gaped and spluttered. Bostrof patted the Aerial lightly on the back, causing him to stumble forward a couple of steps.

The demon’s expression had turned sympathetic. “The road to love is a thorny one, my friend.”

Morgan scowled. “Who said we were friends? You’ve been busting my balls non-stop for the past eight years!”

Bostrof sighed. “That was just business. And you’re hurting my feelings.”

“Do you know the name Ivmir?” Cassius asked the couple.

Bostrof and Lilaia glanced at one another, puzzled.

“It is not a name we are familiar with,” Lilaia said. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s what I called Morgan when I was in that armored form in the alley,” Cassius said.

Morgan explained how he’d been plagued by visions of Cassius in his dreams since he fell to Earth and how their soul cores had resonated since they met.

Lilaia studied them solemnly. “Your bond is truly special.”

“You said you would tell me where I might find answers,” Cassius said in the hush that followed, his gaze on Bostrof.

“The Spirit Realm,” the Lucifugous murmured. “If there are any who recall what happened before the Fall, they will be there. That’s if you can get to the place.”

Cassius’s pulse quickened. He glanced at Morgan and saw his own surprise reflected in his blue eyes.

The Spirit Realm was the reputed home of the Gods of the Underworld and other lesser spirits. None had traveled there since the Fall and neither had its inhabitants ever set foot on Earth.

“Who sits on your throne?” Cassius asked the demon as they got ready to leave. “Now that you are no longer king?”

“Therreg,” Bostrof said with a faint frown. “I believe him to be a former subordinate of mine, one who was not ripped from our realm when the Nether tore. From the rumors that have reached my ears, he is drunk on power and addicted to Reaper Seed himself.”

“Can’t you just reclaim the Shadow Empire as your own?” Bailey said curiously.

“Few can travel between the realms at will,” Bostrof replied sedately. “Otherwise, the Fallen would have left Earth a long time ago, even if it was to return to a watered-down version of their true homes. If I were to reclaim the Shadow Empire, most of my people would not be able to follow.” He smiled at Lilaia. “A king is nothing without his subjects.”

Lilaia clasped his hand, her expression loving.

They were about to walk out the door when Cassius stopped and turned. “I have a favor to ask of you.”

Bostrof and Lilaia shared a surprised glance.

“We will grant your wish if it is within our powers to do so,” the demon murmured.

The Nymph dipped her chin regally.

“There’s a Lucifugous who lives in the sewers close to Bayview Park. His name is Akamon. Can you take him under your wing?”

Bostrof’s expression grew guarded. “Why? What is he to you?”

“He’s a friend,” Cassius said.

“Your kindness will be your downfall, Guardian,” Lilaia murmured after a pause.

Cassius smiled faintly. “But at least I will remain true to myself.”

Lilaia’s lips curved in an answering smile, her eyes full of sadness.

Bostrof dipped his chin. “He will be taken care of. Now, go.”