Rhyn's Redemption (19 page)

Death was right.  Kris didn’t have what it took to keep the Council together.  He may have just lost one of his brothers, because he lost focus of what he should’ve done.  Maybe he should’ve known Jade was a traitor or Hannah was a demon.  He hadn’t known of Andre’s danger or been able to bring the Council together to fight the demons that threatened them all.  He hadn’t been able to keep Hannah safe or Toby or Katie.

His eyes went to Rhyn’s back as his half-brother hacked through a few branches in their way.  The sense that the exiled half-demon could do what he couldn’t returned.  Kris touched his collarbone, the one Jade had broken. If not for Rhyn, Jade might’ve killed him a few days ago.

He didn’t believe Rhyn would’ve made the right decisions all along, but he couldn’t deny that the half-demon wasn’t the creature he remembered Andre sending to Hell.

None of it mattered now, however.  Kris had responsibilities, and he had to find a way to fulfill them the best he could.

Rhyn stopped and knelt, placing his hands to the ground.  Kris crossed his arms.  A blast of energized air swept over him.  Rhyn sat back.

“What did you just do?” Kris asked, looking around for any change in their surroundings.

“One person can help us.  I just encouraged her to come find us.”

Coldness settled over Kris.  He gazed around warily. Rhyn rose and flipped the dagger he held in the air, catching it effortlessly.

“Did you tell her off or ask nicely?” Kris asked.  The jungle stilled around them, and the snake-like branches froze.

Rhyn responded by pulling a dagger from the small of his back and tossing it. Kris caught it by the hilt and waited, the sound of his heart pounding loud in his ears.

They waited.

Chapter Thirteen

Katie heard Deidre’s footsteps stop abruptly and turned around.  The woman was facing the opposite direction.

“Deidre, we should hurry,” she called.

“I hear something.”

Katie listened hard and soon heard it as well. It sounded like a herd of horses plowing through the jungle. 

“Demons,” Toby said. “We can take the trees, but sometimes they drop you.”

“Sounds like hundreds of them,” Deidre said, troubled.

“I told you there were – “

“Not now, Toby,” Katie said. “We need to get to safety, and I don’t have enough food to blow up the amount of trees it’ll take to stop a herd of demons.”

“Trees!” Toby yelled. “Hold onto them, Mama.”

Before Katie could respond, one of the nearby trees snatched her and flung her into the air.  She soared above the treetops and let out a cry when she started to fall.  A branch caught her and flung her back up.  She saw Deidre and Toby sailing through the air in a similar fashion.  The second branch almost missed her and snatched her around the leg before throwing her back up.

She gritted her teeth in pain and sucked in a breath as she started to fall again.  She glimpsed demons hovering a short distance away over an opening in the jungle.  They looked like massive, angry hornets before disappearing from her line of sight.  A branch grabbed her arm this time and threw her back over the treetops.  This time, she faced a different direction and saw a sprawling palace the size of a mall. They were closer than she thought.

Deidre screamed, and Katie twisted in midair.  The woman was tumbling towards the treetops.  Branches snatched at her and missed, and Deidre fell through the canopy to the jungle below.

“Toby!” Katie cried. “Toby, Deidre – “ A branch grabbed her around the chest, squeezing out the air in her lungs.  When she was sailing again, she looked around for Deidre and Toby.  The angel was soaring through the air, head over feet, but Deidre was nowhere to be seen.

Helpless until the trees finished flinging them around, Katie struggled to grab the branches, so she didn’t end up like Deidre.  Finally, a branch wrapped around her and pulled her through the canopy, dumping her at the edge of the jungle.  Toby landed with a grunt beside her, and she lay still to catch her breath, still hoping Deidre reappeared.

“Deidre’s okay,” Toby said.

“The trees got her?”

“More or less.”

Katie rolled onto her stomach, almost too tired to get up.  The sky and jungle were growing dark.  Through the bramble, she saw the marble palace.  Death’s palace.  Katie’s heart beat harder as she looked at her destination, not at all certain this was where she should’ve gone but not knowing where else to go.

The sound of the demons’ pursuit reached her again. She stood on wobbly legs and all but dragged Toby to his feet.

“Toby, come on.”

The angel found his footing and took her hand.  They raced through the last of the jungle and across the expanse of grassless yard between the jungle and the palace.  The sounds of demons grew louder.

Katie sought an entrance into the palatial estate, not seeing one along this side.  She ran alongside the marble structure.  It was well over quarter mile in length.  Toby pulled away from her suddenly, and she stopped so fast, she tripped.

“Dammit, Toby, come on!” she yelled.

He faced the jungle.  The trees were battling demons, but one then a few then a dozen of the creatures escaped the jungle’s grip to pursue.

“You know any more tricks?” she asked him, taking his hand again.

“I’m a failure!” he wailed.

“Jesus, Toby, it’s no time for a fucking meltdown.  Come on.” She pulled, and he ran. 

Katie felt the ground shake beneath them as the demons pursued.  Several flew overhead and dropped directly in their path.  She stopped and shoved Toby behind her, drawing the knife Gabe had given her.  Before long, they were surrounded.

“Toby!” a male voice yelled.

“Gabe!” the angel cried. 

Katie pressed back against the wall of the palace.  The demons gathered around them, and she saw the flash of Gabe’s weapons as he tried to cut a path through the creatures towards them.  The death-dealer went down as three demons dog-piled him.

“Gabe!” Katie shouted.  He reappeared, blood flying with his weapons.

“Oh, no.” Toby tugged at her arm.

Katie tore her eyes away from Gabe to follow where Toby was pointing, hoping to see Rhyn.  It wasn’t Rhyn or anyone else she expected to see, and she gasped.

“She’ll be killed!” she exclaimed, watching a disheveled Deidre march from the forest towards them.

The petite woman started to run, ignoring the demons that swiped at her with talons large enough to take off her head with one swipe.  She seemed immune to the demons’ strikes.  They fell away, as if hitting an invisible shield.  The bizarre display drew more than Katie and Toby’s attention.  A ripple went through the demons, and they turned to watch the tiny woman sprinting towards them with flashing blue eyes.

“Is she insane?” Katie breathed. “What is she doing?”

“She’s pissed,” Toby said and sank behind Katie.

Deidre reached the group of demons.  Rather than attack her, they parted, inching away from her.  Speechless, Katie watched her approach.  The demons fell silent, and even those fighting Gabe stopped.

“Go inside,” Deidre said, stopping in front of Katie. “I’ll take care of this.”

“Nice of you to show up,” Gabe snapped.

“You’re … Death,” Katie said, stunned.

“To you, I’m Deidre,” Death said. “I liked being Deidre.”

“I …l liked you being Deidre,” Katie stammered.  Her gaze traveled to Gabe, who was bloodied and beaten. Suddenly, Deidre’s vague story of lost love and Gabe’s bitterness towards her clicked.

“Go inside and wait for me.”

Katie turned away and snatched Toby’s hand.  They approached the demons tentatively, waiting for the quiet creatures to attack rather than move.  As if under a trance, the demons moved away in synchronized steps. Katie ran.

“Gabe, clean up this mess,” she heard Death say.

“Working on it,” Gabe growled.

Toby took the lead, and the demons, Death and Gabe disappeared as Katie rounded the corner of the palace.  The angel released her and raced into the palace and up a set of stairs.  They ascended several floors, until Katie was sucking wind bad enough to stop.  Toby didn’t wait for her, and she stumbled forward.  The interior of the palace was unlit, and the darkness of evening crept into the hallways.

She stopped, but Toby yanked her forward.

“We have to
go
!” he shouted.

“She said to wait.”

“Mama, if Death –“

“If Death what, Toby?” Deidre demanded, materializing beside them.

Toby mumbled.  Katie made out the words
dead-dead
and
underworld
.

“What he’s saying is that I’ll kill you,” Deidre said. “Toby, I could’ve done that yesterday.”

“Worst. Angel. Ever,” Toby said, his eyes watering. “I’m so sorry, Mama.”

“But I won’t,” Death added.  “You have a lot to learn, Toby, but you’ve done the best you can.  It wouldn’t have been enough, if there weren’t other issues, but you got lucky.  Sometimes, that’s half of what Fate is.”

“I’m proud of you, Toby,” Katie said, seeing the look that crossed Toby’s face. “No normal ten-year-old would’ve come to the underworld to find me.”

“I’m twelve,” Toby said miserably.

“Seriously?” Katie cleared her throat, not sure what else to say. She looked from Toby to Death. “What happens now?”

“I want you to remember Deidre, not Death,” the petite woman said. “It would be nice to be remembered for something other than stealing the souls of loved ones.”

“I can do that,” Katie said. “We made a good pair in the jungle.”

“We survived,” Deidre said with a small smile. “I don’t have much time.  Toby, take her to the portal.”

Toby gasped.  Realization broke over Katie and with it, joy.  She flung her arms around Deidre and hugged the small woman tightly.

“Mama!” Toby cried in shock and pried her away.

Deidre offered one of her amused smiles. “You should go quickly, before I change my mind, my dear.”

“One more question,” Katie said. “What about Andre?  I know I saw him.”

“You saw his ghost.  I took his form first but found it lacking.”

“So he’s dead-dead.”

“But you are not.  Hazel is safe.  She’ll be a beautiful woman – if you leave now.”

Katie couldn’t help the bubble of happy laughter that escaped.  Death chuckled with her then motioned to the stairwell Toby was desperately trying to pull Katie towards.  They ran through the palace.  Katie trailed the angel until they reached a small chamber she would’ve mistaken as a janitor’s closet on the top level.  Toby wrenched open the door and ducked into the dark room.  A portal glowed in the center.  Katie entered, overwhelmed by the thought of leaving.

“Toby,” she managed. “What about Rhyn?”

“That’s between him and Death,” Toby said. “She’s breaking Immortal Code to let you go.  We have to leave, before she changes her mind.”

“I don’t want to leave without Rhyn.”

“He has a better chance of making it if you’re not here,” Toby said. He tugged her towards the portal.  “Everyone has to deal with Death on their own.  Please,
pleeeeeeease
come with me, Mama!  We have to take you to the Sanctuary.  You’re still not alive or dead yet.  We have to make you alive.”

“Can we come back through for Rhyn?”

“Um, yes.”

Katie had never been so happy to step into the eerie shadow world.

Chapter Thirteen

Death didn’t come.  Darkness fell, and Rhyn waited.  He paced and stretched, imagining there would be some kind of a struggle.  At long last, he forced himself to admit she wasn’t coming.  No one could’ve overlooked the blow he dealt her underworld.  The trees all around them had died off with a tear forming in the earth that led in the direction of the palace.

“How long are we staying here?” Kris asked at last. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company.”

Rhyn snorted in amusement. “The feeling is mutual.  You’re the reason I spent so much time in Hell.”

“You earned your place in Hell, Rhyn.”

Kris’s confident response rankled Rhyn.  He leaned his back against a tree and faced his eldest surviving brother.