Fruit of Misfortune (30 page)

“Gee, thanks for the motivating pep talk,
Wednesday Adams.” I took my phone out of my pocket and glanced at
it. It showed a sorry three percent left on the battery life. I
plugged it into its charger.

“Unless…” Galilea tapped her chin with her
finger. “Well, if you had a hot, kickass partner that came along to
watch your back, then I think you’d be okay.”

“Forget it. Calling Eros is out of the
question.”

“I wasn’t talking about
him
.” She
frowned.

“I know you weren’t. Why can’t you ask if you
can come?”

“Because I don’t want you to feel like I’m
trying to manipulate you or boss you around like everyone else
does. You think that I am, but I’m just trying to look out for
you.”

I zipped my backpack and hung it on my
shoulder.

“How do you know all this stuff about me?” I
asked. “It’s like you know all my secrets.”

She pulled up her shirt enough for me to see
the burns on her stomach were almost completely healed. From a
string on her waist, there hung a red velvet pouch. She untied the
knot on the bag and emptied the contents on her hand: five small
rocks.

“These are my Stones.” She handed me one of
the brown rocks. “They don’t look like much, but they help me see
things. Important things. They led me to you.”

“So if they helped you find me, maybe they
can help you see David. To find out where he is.” And then it
dawned on me. “Wait, you already know this. You could’ve found out
where he was six days ago, and you waited all this time?”

“Not with the injuries I suffered. I took a
real beating. I had to regain my strength. But now…” She nodded. “I
think I can manage it.”

I placed the brown Stone back in her
hand.

“Then do it.”

Galilea curled her fingers around the Stones.
“Under one condition.”

“I knew it,” I huffed. “You deities are all
the same. What irrevocable deal do I have to make to get you to
help me? You want one of my kidneys?”

“I don’t need a kidney. But…” She looked at
the Stones in her hands, rather than at me. “I could use a
friend—the real kind, not the kind that pretends to be. Not the
kind that stabs you in the back or forgets about you when they find
someone that’s more fun.”

“I’m confused.” I narrowed my eyes.

“About what?”

“It’s just—I thought we were already
friends.”

“Thanks,” she said.

Galilea placed the Stones on the bed, and as
if by some magnetic force, the rocks began to rearrange themselves.
Symbols materialized on each Stone in the color of liquid fire. The
irises of Galilea’s eyes disappeared, leaving in their place a
white glossy canvas. Whispers filled the air, and Galilea stood
immobile and unblinking for what seemed like a long time.

“I see David,” she said, at last. “He’s below
ground level, in a cellar or dungeon. I’m not sure.”

“Is he—alive?” It was hard to get the words
to rise out from my throat.

“Yes. The man I see next to him is smoking a
cigar and wears a hat. I think it’s called a fedora.”

“That’s Carboné.”

“There are…” Galilea turned her head in all
directions, “five men guarding him. But the Stones tell me there
are more. Many more.”

Galilea’s eyes fluttered and her eyes
returned to their normal state.

“What else did you see?” I asked.

“I saw you walking into the house, and then
it ended.”

“That means we make it there alive. That’s
got to be a good sign,” I said, and Galilea nodded. But something
about the way she looked at me made me feel uneasy. “Is there
more?”

“No. I’d better go get ready. I’ll be quick
about it.”

***

While Galilea changed, I took the opportunity
to peek into the library. It was empty. I walked over to the desk
and looked at the vial that contained the tranquilizer narcotic
that the scientists had fabricated. The sound of approaching
footsteps caught my ears, and without deliberating further, I took
the vial and shoved it in the front pocket of my jeans. I walked
into the hallway and met Galilea.

She was wearing black leather chaps over
skintight jeans and a black leather corset. Her boobs were
threatening to spill out. She had a different pair of boots than I
was used to seeing her wear. They were knee-high combat boots with
steel tips. She was hugging what looked like a pile of black
leather against her chest.

“That’s what you’re wearing?” she asked, as
if I were the one dressed for an S&M affair.

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

“Here.” She handed me a similar looking
corset as hers. “Put this on.”

“Uh… I’d rather stick with my t-shirt.”

“We can’t take chances. This baby is bullet
proof.” Galilea knocked on the leather corset.

“Can I wear my shirt over it?”

“No need. You can wear this instead. It’s a
whole outfit.” She dropped the pile of leather in my hands. “I’ll
be waiting for you in the foyer. Dr. G is already drawing out the
map for us. Don’t take too long.”

I returned to the bedroom. I laid out the
items on my bed: the black leather corset, a pair of knee-high,
black pointy boots, a black jacket, and a black holster that
wrapped around the waist and thigh.

When I was finished dressing, I looked in the
mirror. I looked like the Terminator’s harlot.

“Galilea.” I stood in the foyer hugging my
backpack to my chest, trying to hide my overexposed chest. “About
this outfit…”

“What about it?” she asked, taking the
backpack from me. “Whoa! You look hot! Now you’re ready to kick
some serious ass. But you’re missing one thing.” She slipped a gold
blade out of her boot and tucked it into the holster pocket on the
side of my thigh. “There.”

“I don’t feel comfortable wearing this,” I
said, trying to pull up the top of the corset.

“But you look great.” Galilea circled me.
“Doesn’t she look great, Eileen?”

“You both look—very—uh—” Eileen looked at her
husband. “Tobias, what’s the word I’m looking for?”

“Determined,” Dr. Gunn said.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Eileen
asked.

“I’ve been in major wars. I’ve fought demons
and gods alike.” Galilea put on a pair of dark glasses. “This is
nothing.”

“And you, Isis?” Eileen asked.

“Me? Well, let’s see—I did hard time in
detention once. So, yeah, this should be a piece of cake—or a
sliver—or a crumb, even.”

Eileen gave her husband a worried look.

“Be careful,” Gunn said.

The
garage door opened and out came a black car with a gold bird
painted on the hood.

“Cool car,” I said, slipping into the
passenger’s seat.

“Thanks. It’s a 1977 Trans Am Bandit—special
edition. I did a complete overhaul on the engine last year. This
baby is off the charts on horsepower. It originally had a V8
engine, but I felt like a V10 was more my style, you know? After I
had taken it apart, I had to go back to put in a bigger gas tank,
which was hard to do because I had to redesign the chassis. Taking
it apart a second time was a major pain. But it was a good thing I
did, because I hadn’t considered that the original axels wouldn’t
have held up to the RPM.”

“What language are you speaking?”

“Automotive,” she said. “I was trying to tell
you that it goes really fast.”

“This will come in handy, then.” I secured my
seatbelt.

“You know what the best part is?”

I shook my head.

“We can go up to 220 miles per hour and no
one can see us.”

“Galilea, I don’t think that’s such a
good—”

The tires screeched and my spine sunk into
the back of the leather seat. Galilea ran every red light and stop
sign without using the brake pedal. With one hand, I gripped the
dashboard, and with the other, I held on to the edge of my seat as
we headed down a one-way street.

OhmyGod! OhmyGod! OhmyGod!

I saw my life flash before my eyes more than
once as Galilea skirted left and right through oncoming traffic. At
last, the car came to a screeching stop at a gas station. I heaved
in a lungful of air.

“Pretty awesome, yeah?” Galilea said.

“That. Was. Terrifying!” My insides were
shaking.

“What are you talking about? I’m a great
driver.”

“You ran over a cat.”

“That was a sewer rat.” Galilea dug her hand
into her back pocket and pulled out a colorful Romanian bill.
“There’s no attendant at this station. You mind paying inside,
while I pump? You’ll be visible for only three minutes, so be
quick.”

“I don’t know how to speak Romanian.”

“Just hand the clerk the bill and point to
the car.”

“Fine.” I took the money and walked to the
small convenience store. As I opened the door, another person was
exiting. They held the door open for me. I kept my eyes down. I
didn’t dare make eye contact with anyone dressed in this hooker
costume.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Isis?” I heard someone say my name and
looked back to the door.

Nyx was standing there, her hair slicked back
in a ponytail, wearing a very similar get-up to the one Galilea and
I were dressed in, except she had a shawl that wrapped around her
shoulders.

“Nyx.” I blinked. “What are you doing
here?”

“Looking for you and Galilea. I couldn’t find
her house. I was on my way back to Athens.”

“I tried calling you.”

“I’ve been out of cell service.” She looked
me over. “Why are you wearing our Battle Garb?”

“Galilea insisted. Why are
you
dressed
like that?”

“Because I know that wherever you go, demons
follow, and I don’t like to be ill-prepared.” She took the bill
from my hand and handed it to the clerk. “Galen and Eryx are very
upset with you two.”

“So they told you,” I said, and Nyx nodded.
“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing
to. Now, where’s Galilea? I need to speak to her.”

“Right here,” Galilea said, standing behind
her. “And yes, I do know where he is.”

***

Nyx abandoned the rental car she had been
driving in the gasoline station’s parking lot and slid into the
backseat of Galilea’s vintage sports car. Once we were on the
motorway, Galilea and I told Nyx about the horde of Turpis we had
encountered at the restaurant. We told her how we had found Samuel,
but that he had no knowledge of how to stop my transformation. We
also told her that the doctors Gunn had made it in one piece to the
asylum. I left the part about me running off with Eros for
last.

“Nyx, I didn’t leave with Eros because I’m in
love with him. I left because I love David.”

“Ugh,” she hissed. “Save your explanations.
Right now, I don’t want to hear anything except my son’s voice
again.”

“Are you angry at me, too?”

“Well, I’m not happy,” she snapped.

“Oh.” I turned to face the road, and Galilea
gave me a side-glance.

“So, Nyx,” Galilea said. “Where are the
twins?”

“With their father.”

“In Caelum?”

“Yes, in Caelum.” Nyx’s voice thinned. “In
Caelum. In prison.”

“
What?
” I managed to say, before the
tires screamed against the pavement and the smoothness of the road
became rough and bumpy. The car came to an abrupt and quaking stop
off the side of the road.

“When are they being tried?” Galilea’s face
was ashen as she asked the question without looking back at Nyx.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel with such a solid hold that it
made her knuckles turn white.

“If Dahveed doesn’t present himself tomorrow,
the trial commences at dawn. The Council suspects we’re hiding
something. They released me to bring Dahveed back to Caelum.”

“But the trial—you can stop it, right? Once
we get David out of Carboné’s house, you can take him to the
Council.” Just then, I had another thought. “Wait, if David goes to
Caelum—what happens then?” I asked. Nyx remained silent. “Nyx, what
happens when David turns himself over to the Council?”

“They’ll sense his transformation. They’ll
ask questions.”

“And then what?” I held my breath.

“Everyone involved—” Nyx closed her eyes as
she spoke. “Including your mother and father—”

“No!” I shook my head. “They can’t do that!
I’m the one they want. Nyx, why didn’t you tell them? You have to
take me to Caelum. Take me to the Council! I’ll convince them to
take me and to spare everyone else.”

“They won’t listen to you,” Galilea said.
“They’ll burn us all—alive.”

The knot that had formed in my chest hurt so
bad that it kept me from making any attempt to cry. I watched as
Galilea wiped the tears away with the back of her hand before she
shifted the car into gear and continued onward to Athens.

“What if David doesn’t show up? What happens
to the twins and to Alezzander?” I asked.