Realm Wraith (38 page)

“Nen’kai destroyed my world,” Tomordred began.

“Destroyed—?”

“Do I need to repeat myself? Don’t interrupt.”

“Sorry.”

He continued. “My world, Ivnyaatir. By your concept of time, I’d say it was over eight billion years ago. I was only a child when my god first appeared to me. He made me his catalyst, and used me to bring sin and temptation to my species. They abused his gifts to destroy their entire civilization. That was his plan from the start. He knew that the more corrupt life became, the more the spirit of the planet weakened.”

“What? Planets don’t have souls.”

“All celestial forms do. They are the gods of the physical universe. Ivnyaatir’s soul was a benevolent deity named Ivannos. In ancient times, he walked among my people and guided them. But as we evolved, we turned our backs on the world, and became arrogant. He stopped speaking to us, and became a myth over the eons. By the time I was born, few even remembered his name.”

“Still sounds far-fetched to me.”

“You’re an ignorant mortal. Your race is embarrassingly young. I’ve only seen your kind over the last few million years—strange little things with stubby limbs that only bend in one or two places. Not surprising your planet doesn’t speak to you. Probably embarrassed you even exist.”

“Better than a giant mountain. How do you even move around?”

“I didn’t always look like this. My mortal form was quite different; I was small, and floated through the air like water, trailing my tentacles below me.”

“So Nen’kai turning you into
that
was some sort of punishment?
” Rayne gestured over Tomordred’s massive spirit.

“If you would let me finish—When my world lay in ruins, and our wars snuffed out all other life, my people truly fell into ruin. They turned savage and cannibalized each other to survive. Right in front of my eyes, my own species turned into monsters. I was spared, because I was chosen. That was when my god appeared before us in his true form, that of a thousand-headed beast. He commanded the oceans to rise up, and the sky to rain endless water, drowning the entire planet in an endless flood, burying the ruins of our civilization beneath the waves. I remember a flash of gold as Ivannos tried to fight back, but it was too late. He was too weak from all the corruption, and my god drove him back. I survived the flood, as did a few others, clinging to the broken remains of our fallen cities. Then Nen’kai covered the sky with black clouds, and took away all warmth. The oceans became solid ice, and eventually, I was the only thing left alive.”

“What happened to Ivannos?”

“In the world’s final hours, I met a young child, uncorrupted and pure. And I knew as I looked at him that it was Ivannos, taking mortal form one last time while his true body perished. He was not angry, but his face held a deep, unfathomable sadness. He looked at me, and he asked me one thing: ‘Why?’ And then he was gone, and I was alone on a frozen, dead world.”

“So your god abandoned you.”

“He did no such thing! My god did not condemn me, or leave me to suffer for betraying my planet. He beckoned to me from the void, and took my soul away from my now-lifeless body into Hell, where he bade me to serve him for eternity. How could I pass up such a wondrous offer?”

“By saying no?”

Tomordred’s eye narrowed. “Do you not understand that this was a god? I devoted my entire being to him. I worship him even now! Out of all the Abyss Lords, he is the greatest! His kindness is cruelty, his gifts like sweet venom. He granted me great power, and over time, my form became as you see it. Everything I once was perished, but I became something far greater. It was a beautiful torment.”

Rayne couldn’t believe how calmly this creature accepted what he had become, and the terrible sins that he had committed. Tomordred leveled his eyes upon him, his wistful nostalgia returning to hostility.

“So now you know my story, Rayne. Is it what you expected?”

Rayne wasn’t quite sure what to think. “Why would he do such a thing? Why would he destroy an entire planet?”

“Curiosity, I suppose. Corruption is nothing new to demons; it is in their nature to drive mortal beings to sin, to add to the Abyss’s numbers. But he told me he had his eye on a greater prize. It is incredibly rare for a celestial being to fall into Hell, and it had never been done deliberately. Nen’kai’s plan was to corrupt all life on a single planet, and in doing so, corrupt its soul.”

Rayne sucked in his breath. “He sent your planet’s soul to Hell?”

“No. His plan did not work the way he had hoped. He corrupted everything and destroyed the planet’s physical form, but Ivannos’s soul was spared.”

“That’s utterly mad. And none of this bothered you?”

“I lived for one hundred and sixteen years as a mortal, and I’ve been a demon for eight billion. You may guess which I am more accustomed to.”

“And your god is the only one who knows you used to be mortal?”

“That’s how it’s
supposed
to be
. When I find the souls responsible for spreading this information, I can assure you they will be dealt with.”

“The other Abyss Lords don’t know?”

“Kaledris might, but she wouldn’t speak of it. The rest do not, nor are they aware of my god’s accomplishment.”

Rayne draped his arms around the anchor. “Because he failed? Or did he really not care if anybody knew what he did?”

“That’s how he is; it was just a game to him. Why would a being as great as a god care who celebrated his accomplishments?”

“I wouldn’t call something like that an accomplishment.”

“It’s more than you’ve ever done. I’m surprised you’re not more upset. I was hoping to see you squirm.”

“Of course I’m disgusted.”

“You don’t look like it.”

“What, am I supposed to scream in bloody terror all the time? Were you hoping that if I got frightened enough, your eyes would work on me again?”

“You may be able to stand up to them, but nobody is immune to their power. Stay a little longer, and you’ll understand.”

“Thanks, but—no.”

He could see Tomordred shuffling back and forth. “Very well. Since I have done my part, you
will
keep my secret. Now leave, before I change my mind and eat you anyways, consequences be damned.”

Rayne had already guessed he would not be welcome in Tomordred’s realm. The peace between them was far too fragile, and Tomordred’s power was far too much to stand up against. But he felt a slight thrill that he had accomplished something, and a strange sense of honor from being the first human to learn the reclusive being’s story, even though he could not tell it to anybody. The demon had fallen for his bluff; nobody else knew that the creature was once mortal. Even Miranda had glossed over that fact when they read about it in the book together. But it had worked, and he was free to do as he pleased without the fear of being hunted.

“All right, I’ll go,” he said. “But, I have one more question. You said you were eight billion years old. How long has your master been missing?”

Tomordred glowered. “In your terms? About four and a half billion years.”

“
Four bill—
” It boggled Rayne’s mind. “Right.
That was quite a fascinating story. I’ll leave you alone now.” He pulled himself away from Tomordred’s Hell, leaving the great demon behind him.

His body fell with a thump on dingy ground in neutral territory. Beside him he heard another thump. He looked, surprised to see another body fall beside him. The other stood up, brushing water droplets off himself and vomiting more water onto the ground.

“Baines?” Rayne exclaimed. “What are you doing here? Wait don’t—” his voice choked. “Don’t tell me you followed me.”

Gabriel smirked. “I sensed you were nearby, so I decided to see what you were up to. But now I must be on my way, or I guess as your people say: pip, pip, cheerio!” He vanished before Rayne could react.

“What?” Rayne floundered to find his voice. “Did he—was he there? Did he hear everything?”

He sought out with his mind, trying to find him. But he had lost track of time, and his arms and legs started to fade.

“Dammit!” he yelled out.

* * *

Rayne lay there in bed, furious over losing his chance to confront the other man, to find out what he knew.

The sunlight streaming in through his window irritated him. He rolled over to his wheelchair and slammed the curtains shut to hide himself from that oppressive light.

“Rayne?”

“What?!” Rayne yelled, whirling around, teeth clenched. David stood in the bedroom door.

“I heard you yelling, just wanted to make sure you—” he paused in the doorway. “Are you all right?”

“I haven’t got the time. Where’s that number for Gabriel’s hotel?”

“I think you left it on the hall table, why?”

Rayne brushed passed him and grabbed the card right where he left it. He dug up his phone and dialed the number. The phone rang, and a receptionist picked up.

“Hello,” he said into the receiver. “I need to speak with a Gabriel Baines? Room 106?”

“I’m sorry, he checked out last night.”

“Dammit!” Rayne swore again, smashing his thumb against the ‘off’ button. He couldn’t let this rest. He had to go out and find him. “David, I’ve got to go out for a while!”

“At least put something on other than knickers before you go out.”

Rayne’s face flushed, and he sheepishly wheeled back into his room to get dressed. He returned a few moments later, listening to David puttering around in the kitchen. As he reached to pull his jacket off the hook, a door in the hall opened, and Levi tottered out of his bedroom, his hair still messy from lying on his pillow.

“What’s for breakfast?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

“You’ll have to ask David. I’ve got to go out for a bit,” Rayne said.

“You’re going out? Can I come with you?”

“Hey, there’s an idea,” David called from the kitchen. “Take him along, it’ll be good for both of you.”

“But I—” Rayne looked into his son’s eyes, those wide, innocent, childish orbs that made it very hard to say no, not wanting to see them filled with tears. He softened, and nodded. “All right. We can head down to the park for a few hours. But I want to be back by lunchtime, so not for too long.”

“Yay!”

Rayne hated putting off what he’d meant to do, but he didn’t have the first inkling where to find Gabriel anyways. He needed to cool down a little, and exercise seemed like the best approach. The previous night’s rain had dampened the air. He let Levi push his chair down the wet sidewalk, keeping a slow, measured pace. It felt rather nice to be out in the wet chill, just him and his son. He’d been so focused on work, they never had many of these moments, other than when Rayne walked him to school. And he only did that when David was too busy.

“Levi, I know I’ve been a bit of a nutter lately,” he started to say.

“It’s okay, daddy. You’re better now, right?”

“Yeah. You don’t have to worry.”

They reached the nearby pond. The damp, cold air was not as gloomy as the last time he and David visited during the cold winter. Father and son passed between vibrant shades of green, trees budding with leaves, beds of colorful flowers bordering the sidewalks, lush grass on rolling hillsides. The serenity of the pond’s still surface occasionally shivered in microscopic waves caused by the faintest of breezes. No children splashed there today. Nobody really graced the sidewalks at all, save a stray solitary figure here and there, too far away to be counted. They passed over a small bridge over a brook that connected into the pond. There, Rayne had Levi stop, and he leaned over the side to look down into the shallow run of water.

“Daddy, can I play by the pond?” Levi asked him. His father nodded, and the boy scrambled over to the cold shore. Rayne smiled as he watched. He felt serene, and enjoyed the peace while he could. Faint traces of life stirred here, even if it wasn’t human life. A pair of squirrels scurried around the grass nearby, chasing each other up the trees. Down in the little brook, he saw movement, and a tiny little frog hopped through the water, croaking as it swam around. It jumped back out onto the shore and sat there for a moment, nestled amidst the vegetation.

Rayne found himself staring at the frog with a strange fixation. Its color nearly blended it into the grass, and his eyes stayed focused on it even as it hopped yet again. When it came to a stop, it hid itself beneath the tall grasses, but he still could tell it was there, and he watched that spot carefully, wondering if it would move again.

He suddenly became aware of another presence by the brook, one that watched the frog with the same keenness as he did. A small slithering form, dark green in color, stood out from the paler stalks by the waterside. A grass snake, Rayne realized. The grass rustled and he saw the frog hop out from its cover once more, oblivious to the attention it was receiving.

“That was stupid,” Rayne murmured. The grass snake agreed, striking out with lightning quickness, swallowing its intended prey whole before it even knew what had happened. It coiled itself up afterwards, and looked up at the bridge, aware of the human presence standing there. It stared, forked tongue flickering out of its mouth as it tasted the air around it. Rayne simply stared back, cocking his head. After a while, the creature uncoiled and slithered its way back under the bridge.