Appointed Page 17

A tornado was to Zes’s right, and next to that were two people, one of whom Zes was almost certain looked like Cheyenne. The details were fuzzy on the figure, but something about it made him think of her. She stood next to a young man who had wild-looking hair, almost like there were horns on his head. Maybe Denver? But that didn’t seem right. Denver didn’t have horns. Zes did, but they were small, not large and demonic like in the picture. The male had a circle on his arm, and looking at it made the brand on Zes’s arm burn all over again.

  “It’s not me,” he whispered, and made his way to the kitchen to try and find something to eat, or coffee.

  Zes had picked some up from the cafeteria the other day. Teague didn’t keep coffee in his room, but then again, Zes didn’t want to imagine the kid on the stuff. The countless amounts of soda in the refrigerator were more than enough caffeine and sugar to make him hyper. Zes, on the other hand, didn’t care much for soda, at least not the citrusy kind Teague had. Rather than overload Teague’s space with his own things, Zes had tried to keep things simple. Besides, he’d need the extra boost from the coffee. He had a feeling it was going to be another long day.

  He started a pot and then searched through the cupboards for something to eat. Cereal seemed to be all that Teague owned. His cupboards were filled with different varieties, and his refrigerator was stocked with multiple gallons of milk. At least none of it was expired. Zes couldn’t imagine eating so much cereal. He’d have gotten sick of it a long time ago. In the freezer, there were toaster pastries, a tube of cookie dough, and a box full of sticks of butter. One shelf of the cupboards was filled with boxed macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles.

  Shuddering at the idea of Teague using a stove, Zes grabbed a pot and filled it with water. Macaroni and cheese sounded good to him then. It had always been one of the boy’s comfort foods. Granted, the kind Zes and his brother made was a bit fancier than the stuff from the box, but it would do for the time being.

  “You’re up earlier than I thought,” Teague said, entering the room. He was already dressed and ready to go for the day, although the sun hadn’t risen yet.

  Zes shrugged. “Couldn’t sleep anymore. What about you?”

  “I had a bad dream.”

  “Sorry to hear that,” Zes said. He wasn’t sure how to respond. At least the kid had gotten up for the day instead of trying to get Zes to snuggle with him.

  Secretly, Zes probably wouldn’t have minded it much. He felt like he could use a hug, but he was determined to not seek out childish comforts. Besides, the only person he wanted to cuddle up to was his brother. They were always stronger together, but Zes couldn’t do that. He’d tried to go into the dorm a number of times. The pain in his arm was too excruciating, almost to the point where he’d contemplated cutting the thing off.

  Both of the teens were quiet for a moment. Zes took the opportunity to focus on his cooking and consider what he could add to the pot to give it more than the bland out-of-the-box flavoring.

  Teague stepped closer, studying Zes’s every move. “You’re good at this,” he observed.

  “I’ve had a lot of practice. I do most of the cooking at home,” Zes said, and tried to not let the boy’s proximity bother him too much. They made eye contact, and for a moment Zes was caught off guard. Something about his gaze was so familiar it bothered him. Where had he seen those eyes before? Teague was supposed to be Jewl’s brother, and Zes could see the similarities, but there was something else about his appearance that threw him off, almost as if he were looking into a mirror at times.

  Zes shook his head. Don’t go there. “I notice you don’t have a lot of food. Either that or you really like cereal?” He smiled, trying to be as friendly and inviting as possible. Teague needed some good, real friends. If Anj wasn’t going to adopt him into the group, then Zes would.

  “A little bit of both. It’s easy to make and not complicated. Fast. I actually like the milk the best. I remember someone telling me once, I think it was my mom, that milk would make me strong and tall. It’s one of the few things I remember her saying to me.” Teague smiled sadly. “She said she has a bet going with my dad that I’ll be the tallest one in the family. I don’t want to let her down. It’s small and stupid, but the only thing of her I have to hold onto right now. Those memories aren’t coming back fast.”

  “I understand,” Zes said honestly. “I can relate to all of that. At home, I do a lot of little things to make my mom happy too, because it’s the only thing I have to offer. She’s kind of depressed, and whatever I can do to help, I want to. It’s why I want to stay here and help even if I have the opportunity to go away.”

  “Why would you go away?” Teague moved away and sat down on the counter, a move Zes greatly appreciated.

  “Hmm? Oh, school. Going away for school. You know, college?”

  “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t go away for that. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be done?”

  “Usually,” Zes said with a slight nod. “I’ve been accepted into college here too. At Vala, I mean.”

  “Two schools? You must be super smart!” Teague’s blue eyes were wide.

  For the first time in days, Zes laughed. “So I’m told. I applied to five of them. Still haven’t heard back from the others, but I don’t want to go there anyway. The two I want to go to are where I’ve gotten replies from.”

  “Which one do you like more?” Teague asked a lot of seemingly simple questions, but they were difficult to answer. Which one did Zes want to go to more?

  His answer surprised him. “The one in the city.”

  Teague went quiet, kicking his legs a little as if he were restless. Four o’clock in the morning, and he had more energy than ever. He was clearly a morning person, just like Anj. The two had more in common than Zes would ever confess to his brother. Anj wouldn’t stand for it.

  “So then why aren’t you going to that one?” Teague asked.

  “Because of my family, I guess.” Zes shrugged. Anj had made it clear that he didn’t think Zes should stay at Vala, and at first, Zes had interpreted it as Anj not wanting him around anymore, not needing him. Looking back now, Zes realized what his brother had actually been trying to say.

  He stirred the pot of now-soft noodles one more time before draining the water into the sink. “I’ve always been worried they’d need me too much to leave. But I think that’s part of the problem. We’ve all been relying on each other a lot. So much has happened, it’s kind of hard to explain. But if I have the chance to go to my dream school, then I should, right?” He glanced at Teague, hoping the boy’s simple wisdom wouldn’t fail him.

  Teague nodded. “It’s a dream. When they’re good, you should take the chance to have them come true. Someone said that to me once. I think it’s a good motor to live by.”

  “You mean motto?”

  “Yeah, that.”

  “Yeah,” Zes agreed. “You’re onto something there. I just don’t want to let anyone down.”

  “Going for your dreams shouldn’t be a letdown. If it is, then they don’t love you. Besides, I always thought when you grow up, you get to explore and do things. When you’re all done, you can always come back home again,” Teague said.

  “True,” Zes said softly.

  Teague got off of the counter and grabbed some bowls. “He’s going to wake up real soon. And he’ll tell you the same thing.”

  “How do you know he is?” Zes asked.

  The boy gave him a gentle smile. “Because I said so. He has to, and everything is going to be okay. I know someone who’s going to try and help him, and soon everything is going to go back to normal.”

  Zes returned the smile, humoring Teague for the time being. I’m not so sure, but I’m willing to be persuaded. He ate, although he wasn’t sure how hungry he actually was. But Zes would have done just about anything to get rid of the gnawing hollowness inside of him.

  “Shiny Things, er, Jewl, said she thinks they’re close to finding an answer. And my friend, the one
who’s going to help, he knows what’s going on. He promised he’d make everything better,” Teague added, as if he could sense Zes’s skepticism.

  “Who’s your friend?” Zes asked, curious as to how Teague knew so much about the situation to begin with. More importantly, if Jewl knew too, why wasn’t he being let in on the secret?

  “Why are you frowning? You should be happy,” Teague said.

  “I am happy, thank you.”

  “So then why are you frowning? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  After pausing to take a bite and think over his words, Zes forced a half-smile onto his face. He didn’t lie to the kid, though. There was no point to it. “Because I don’t know what’s going on. If I knew, I’d feel a lot more at ease. Does that make sense?”

  “Because your brother is special, someone did something bad to him. Shiny Things says the angel teacher knows what’s going on but isn’t telling her. But he said he’s going to get his sword and kick some butt. My friend doesn’t think it’ll be necessary. He knows how to stop the bad people without fighting,” Teague explained.

  Zes sighed, exasperated. “Who is your friend?”

  “I can’t tell you.” Teague lowered his gaze and bit down on his lower lip. “He said if I told anyone he was helping you guys, he’d stop and do bad things instead. So I promised not to tell his name.”

  “Well, whoever he is, you tell him thank you and… and I hope he does it soon,” Zes said. I don’t know how much longer I can live like this.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The lush jungle went on for miles. Anj had never seen anything like it before in his life. Then again, he’d hardly seen much of anything. His family didn’t travel. Every picture had come from a book or a movie. Now he was witnessing it with his own eyes. A vision, but he was seeing it all the same. The smells of the jungle filled his nostrils. Fresh, thick, moist air enveloped his skin. The trees were so tall, he couldn’t find their tops. Some even had flowers. Bird songs filled his ears. It was like paradise.

  A river ran through the jungle, and he followed it to a pool. Across from the pool was a desert wasteland. The tan sand of high dunes was off in the distance, and cutting through it was another river that connected to the same pool that the jungle river ran into. A third river intersected it as well, and that one flowed from a snowy tundra. It looked more desolate than the desert. High cliffs of ice were separated by the fast-running water.

  As Anj gazed into the pool, he saw the three rivers swirl together into a typhoon. The water sparkled with three different colors: emerald, gold, and silver.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered.

  ****

  “Yes, it is beautiful,” Lucien agreed, and his voice snapped Anj out of the vision. “I don’t quite understand how this is supposed to help me. I asked for answers, and you show me a fictitious place.”

  “It’s not something I’m making up.” Anj closed his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain shooting through his spine once more. The demon was gripping the blue chain again, digging his claws into the links. Anj tried to keep calm, and no matter how much he wanted to lie, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was much too afraid of the demon. Something told him Lucien would know the instant he was dishonest, and if Anj ever wanted to rest again, he had to continue to cooperate so he could live to fight another day.

  “I asked you for—”

  Anj let out an exhausted sigh. “And that is your answer. Find the pool and you will be Divine. You do not need to steal or cheat. Touch its waters, and you will become like the gods.”

  Lucien scratched his chin. “It sounds too simple, boy. There has to be a catch.”

  “The pool is well guarded, but those who are worthy will succeed. A test of the mind, body, and spirit. If you are who you claim to be, then you will not have any problems besting the guardians of these waters. One bath in them will bring you one step closer to your goal,” Anj said. He felt as if he weren’t in control of his words. Since becoming Lucien’s dream slave, his own consciousness was out of his control. Sometimes he was his normal self, and at other moments he was on autopilot, watching his life being lived as if someone else were in charge. Not Lucien, but someone else inside of him.

  The one hundred Fates who died and gave me their power? Denver said the answer would come from a collected knowledge among us. Are the other Fates taking over? No, that doesn’t seem right. I just have their knowledge. And the knowledge of the Fates before them was inside of him as well. That was why the Fates passed on their powers through death, so the things learned over so many generations wouldn’t be lost.

  “Interesting,” Lucien said. “But I will not be Hades’ heir.”

  “You will never be his heir, anyway, from what I understand. You’ve already manipulated the Divine into believing you are. They gave you Persephone’s daughter, so why continue the guise? Taking the Divinity from Aphrodite’s heir wouldn’t have made you Hades’ heir either. You can only get that right by having it given to you.” Anj glared at the demon. “This is the answer you sought. If you don’t like it, that’s not my problem.”

  The demon’s grip on the blue chain tightened, causing Anj to howl in pain. Lucien peered at him, his gaze like ice. “So then, what will I become a god of? Should I not be the ruler of the underworld? That is what was promised to me, and that is what I shall have.”

  “Then you’ll have to kill both Hades and his heir,” Anj choked out. “But you will still need to be Divine. Either way, your destination is the pool.”

  “Where is it?” Lucien demanded.

  “I don’t know.”

  Another hard pull on the chain made Anj hurt so bad, he was doubling over, ready to vomit.

  “Where is it?” Lucien repeated, his wings spreading wide and his slate gray eyes glowing in the dim light like a cat’s.

  “I don’t know!” Anj screamed. “Please stop. I’m cooperating. You promised.”

  Lucien chuckled. “I’m a demon. Perhaps I should just kill you.”

  “And then the secret dies with me until whomever my powers go to comes of age. Do you have that kind of time to wait?” Anj panted, desperate.

  “No.” Lucien stared at him for a moment longer and then released him. “The location, remember it, and it better be soon for your sake as well as your brother’s, your girlfriend’s, and everyone else’s you’ve ever cared about. Do you understand?”

  “Yes. Please let me rest. I’ll remember more if you do.”

  When the chain was released, he imagined Heaven would be filled with similar pleasures. The pain was replaced with nothing, and he could see only the darkness of the dungeon once more. He missed being completely blind and living in his own private world. Anj closed his eyes and took slow, deep breaths. I’m not weak for giving in, am I?

  “You’re smart,” Lucien said.

  But Anj wasn’t listening to him. Another vision was beginning.

  ****

  “I’ve given you demons too much power down here. Time for that to change,” a man in his thirties said. His voice was deep and rough, full of authority. Anj would certainly think twice about crossing him. The next thing he noticed about the man was his bold, green eyes. Only one other person he’d ever met had those kind of eyes — Denver. In fact, there were a lot of physical similarities between them. The same dark hair and strong, chiseled features, to name a few.

  A group of demons, all similar in appearance to Lucien with large, angel-like wings and strong, young bodies, surrounded the man.

  “We’re replacing you with one of our own,” one said.

  Another nodded. “We don’t need you anymore, Hades. You’ve been good to us, but your reign is soft. Not how a ruler of the underworld should be at all.”

  “Respect for the dead is key. Those who have earned it should be treated with it,” Hades said. “And I have respected your kind, given you the control you’ve earned. Now you want to usurp me? You must be out of your minds. Why on Earth would you think I’d
ever give you my kingdom freely?”

  “Because you won’t have a choice. If you don’t, we’ll do some rather horrible things to your wife and son,” a third demon said.

  “I’ll be having a word with your master, and he will not—”

  “Lucifer is the one who told us it was time to take over. He has chosen your new heir, and you will appoint him as such or suffer the consequences,” yet another demon said.

  Hades’ jaw went tense. “And who is this new heir supposed to be?”

  Lucien stepped forward then and made his presence known. “I am he. You will name me your son and give me your power as you are no longer fit to rule.”

  “Kill me, because it won’t happen.”

  “Then we will kill your son as well, and the power will be lost. We are not so dumb. There are ways of making you change your mind. Perhaps we should lock you in the deepest cell, close to our master, and see how long it takes for you to go insane?” Lucien smirked.

  Hades glared. “Even if I was insane, I would never give up my power to you. You’re wasting your time, and the rest of the Divine council will never support your behavior.”

  “But they already do. Zeus, Hera, and Poseidon have given me the stamp of approval. The Fates will soon follow suit, as well as the rest of the council. They’re all tired of you, especially your inability to fulfill a prophecy that should have come to pass ages ago. And I believe that is your fault as well. They are now losing their power because of you. The less strength the council has, the sooner they will join my cause,” Lucien said.

  “Persephone didn’t love me, and I didn’t love her. We tried to date, and it just wasn’t clicking. You can’t force someone to love you. That’s the whole point of the covenant our ancestors made. They screwed up and are trying to right the wrongs of their hearts. So they sealed away their spirits to someday be reincarnated and—”

  Lucien faked a yawn. “How sappy and sentimental of you. I always thought Hades was hardcore and rough, but I guess I was wrong. You are indeed soft.”