Virtue - a Fairy Tale (12 page)

“It doesn’t matter if her dead mother approves of me or not,” Lux pointed out. “It only matters that we find Lily. When this is all done, you can spit on my grave, for all I care. But right now, I need you to stop hating me. I know I can’t do this on my own, not after the way Ira took me out. I need you, and you need me. For Lily.”

“You’re right.” Wick pushed her hair behind her ears and took a breath. “I know I have another cloak around here. As soon as I find it, we can leave.”  

Lux went to the hole in her wall, staring out at the night. The moon was still swollen, shining down on the Necrosilvam. When he was around, the woods were silent, but he didn’t understand how anyone could live out here. The charuns were troublesome, and the trees were known for thieving. He’d never seen a purple apple tree before, and as he admired it, the branches started quivering.

Wick didn’t think anything of it because the protective sphere had been going haywire since Lux arrived. He’d disturbed its balance. Then she felt a more drastic fluctuation, as if the world pulled and swayed, and Lux looked around, meaning he’d sensed it too. A gust of wind blew through the house, and an apple fell from the tree, landing on the ground with a thud.

Something was coming, and Wick got to her feet just as the front door swung open.

11

Wick had her hand on her wand, and Lux was at her side, his stance defensive and confident. She’d expected him to cower in the corner, but when he ran to her aide, Wick started thinking that perhaps she’d underestimated him. Not that she had much time to think because someone entered her cottage.

The thin man came inside with an overly casual stride. His clothes looked even finer than Lux’s, all silks and leather. Gaudy rings ordained his hands, along with a heavy chain around his neck. His features were refined and delicate, bordering on feminine but still attractive. He kept his blond short and perfectly styled, and his dark eyes went over the room with contempt.

“You didn’t have to clean up on my account,” he said. He ran his finger along the counter, and when it came up covered in dust, he wiped his finger off with disgust.

“Who are you and what do you want?” Wick demanded. She hadn’t raised her wand yet, and she didn’t want to waste her energy if she didn’t need to. Her other hand dropped into her pouch, digging for something to frighten him away.

“Avaritia, what are you doing?” Lux asked when the man didn’t answer.

“Avaritia?” Wick questioned, looking at Lux out of the corner of her eye. He was another peccati, but Lux hadn’t relaxed since he came in, so she wasn’t sure if it was good that Lux knew him. “Greed?”

“Right.” Avaritia smiled at her, flashing perfect white teeth. “It’s a good thing you’re smart, because you’re horrible at housekeeping. And you’re not much to look at either.”

“Why are you here?” Wick asked, ignoring his jabs.

“I came to see how Lux was slumming it.” Avaritia turned his attention to Lux. “This really is quite repugnant, even for you. You can’t possibly be
intimate
with that woman … can you?” He wrinkled his nose and nodded at Wick, who rolled her eyes.

“What I do doesn’t concern you,” Lux said flatly. “I don’t have anything you want. You have no reason to be here.”

“Oh, I know you don’t have anything! That’s why I’m here!” Avaritia gestured to the mess and laughed, but it was a joyless sound. “I’ve been hearing all about your terrible fall from grace, as it were, and I had to see it for myself. Disasters are so much better up close.”

“What have you heard?” Lux narrowed his eyes at him.

“That you’ve completely lost your mind. You’ve forsaken our master in exchange for the castimonia, although Gula thinks she might have put a spell on you so it’s not your fault.” He picked absently at his manicured nails.

“You know she’s the castimonia?” Lux sounded shocked, and Wick looked over at him. It was starting to seem less and less like he’d lied to her.

“You didn’t?” Avaritia smirked at him. “Oh my. You’re even dumber than I thought. What on Earth did you possibly want with that wretched girl?”

“Nothing you would understand.” Lux lowered his voice, and before Avaritia could comment on that, he rushed to continue. “Have you come to escort me back to Valefor?”

“No. I’ve never been much of an errand boy, though I certainly did a better job than you,” Avaritia winked at him. “Valefor is much too busy with the girl to worry about you. But don’t worry. He has plans for you at a later time.”

“Of course,” Lux sighed. “So what are you doing here?”

“I already told you.” Picking up a rag, Avaritia wiped at a spot on the counter. Once he was convinced it was clean, he leaned back against it. “I’m here to poke at you when you’re down.”

“You’ve always been so thoughtful,” Lux sneered at him.

Wick gripped a vial in her hand. So far, Avaritia didn’t seem threatening. Lux didn’t appear concerned, only annoyed. Just the same, she didn’t want to take chances with either of them. The cottage smelled too much of brimstone, and Wick sneezed.

“You’re allergic to clean then?” Avaritia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you two old friends?” Wick ignored him and wiped at her nose with her sleeve, making him wrinkle his face in disgust.

“We go way back,” Lux said carefully. He didn’t want to alienate Avaritia, not yet anyway, but he wouldn’t call him a friend. It was hard for peccati to be friends, especially when they’re as conniving and sniveling as Avaritia.

“Yes, I suppose we do,” Avaritia mused, picking at his nails again.

“What does Valefor want with Lily?” Lux asked. He’d yet to have deciphered that himself, and if Avaritia had been hearing things, he’d probably heard that, too.

“Who?” Avaritia asked, being willfully dumb.

“Lily. The castimonia,” Lux clarified, even though he knew he didn’t need to.

“Oh. I wasn’t aware that
it
had a name,” Avaritia shrugged, and Lux clenched his teeth to keep from hitting him. “Valefor wants her because she is the castimonia, of course.”

“She’s not yet, not really,” Wick was quick to amend. “She hasn’t taken her vows yet.”

“Precisely!” Avaritia pointed at her, as if she’d won something. “See! I knew you were smart.”

“I don’t understand.” Lux shook his head. “If she’s not a true virtu, why does he want her?”

“He wants her to take her vows to
him
,” Avaritia explained as if they were both small children. “If she serves him, a daemon, and not an irin, he’s won.
We
’ve won.”

“What?” Lux furrowed his eyebrows, but Wick’s jaw dropped as she started piecing it together.

“The most epic battle of all time!” Avaritia said gleefully. “Good versus evil! The whole reason we’re here! The daemons and irins were put here to see who would have the most, and if Valefor steals a virtu from the irin, we have more!”

“I thought they meant human souls. She’s not human,” Lux said, but the room already felt like it was spinning a bit.

“Technically, she still is, until she takes the vows and accepts the gifts, but she’s in such a unique position,” Avaritia went on. “Daniel can’t make any more virtus. Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. It’s always seemed like a horrible idea to me. Valefor can go on replacing us until the end of time. But that seems to be approaching rather quickly.”

“You think the whole world will end if she serves him?” Lux asked.

“The world as we know it, yes. That’s what Valefor thinks, and he’s never wrong,” Avaritia smiled. Valefor was many things, but he was rarely wrong. “Then this will all be ours! Well, mine, since I’m certain you’ve been disinherited after this stunt you’ve pulled.”

“She won’t serve him,” Wick said quietly. “Lily would never serve someone like him.”

“Maybe not,” Avaritia shrugged, as if he didn’t care one way or the other. “But she is in a perfect position. She doesn’t even know what she is. Nobody’s bothered to tell her or train her, and she’s so trusting.” Lux swallowed hard, trying not to throw up.

“What happens if she says no?” Lux asked numbly.

“He’ll kill her,” Avaritia said. “Valefor has been feeling tired lately, and since she’s a virtu, she has a stronger lifeforce. He plans on taking that, getting a bit of rejuvenation.”

Valefor was immortal, but overtime, he’d weaken. In order maintain immortality, the daemon and the irin had to make sacrifices. Irins sacrificed all earthly pleasures. Daemons sacrificed lives.

“What happens if she does serve him?” Lux asked, and Wick glared at him. She wanted to argue that Lily would never succumb to Valefor, but when she saw his ashen face, she realized he was only trying to think of a way to save Lily.

“He plans to wed her. He wants a bride to rule by his side, helping him take over the Earth.” Avaritia stopped picking at his nails and looked up at them. “You’re really concerning yourself too much with her, Lux. I don’t understand what’s gotten into you, but this should be a very joyous time for us. This is everything we’ve worked for, and you’re getting yourself tangled up with some
girl
.”

Lily would end up either dead or married to Valefor, and Lux honestly didn’t know which would be worse. The whole idea disgusted him so much, he could hardly stand it. Lux pressed an arm against his stomach and looked as if he might pass out.  

Wick knew if she didn’t say something, she’d have to deal with reviving him and getting rid of Avaritia.

“What is Scelestus getting in return?” Wick blurted out.

“Pardon?” Avaritia raised an eyebrow.

“Lady Scelestus. She’s the one that gave the castimonia to your master,” Wick said. “But she wanted something in return. What was it?”

“Oh that. She wants to be the invidia,” Avaritia grinned. “She didn’t even know that the girl was a castimonia. She approached Valefor looking for a position, and after listening to her, he deduced that Scelestus was in possession of a castimonia. He would’ve agreed to anything, but she had no idea what she was bargaining with.”

“Does Invidia know that he’s about to be replaced?” Lux asked.

“I doubt it. But he’s been so useless, he should’ve seen it coming.” Avaritia clicked his tongue and shook his head. “He envies the most ridiculous things. He’s always trying to steal my shoes! I know I have fabulous footwear, but he should be out coveting and garnering nations, not apparel.”

“Where’s Lily?” Lux asked as soon as he calmed down enough to talk about her.

“What?” Avaritia looked up him, honestly unable to comprehend what Lux was getting at. “Why do you even care? What has gotten into you? You’re living in squalor, associating with
that
, fighting Ira, and obsessing over some stupid mortal.”

“I need you to tell me where she’s at,” Lux repeated.

“What for? So you can storm the castle and save the princess?” Avaritia shook his hands, pretending to be impressed. “I hate to break it to you, Lux, but you’re weak and stupid. Let it go. Maybe if you go groveling back to Valefor and help swing the castimonia’s vote his way, he’ll let you live and enjoy the apocalypse.”

“He won’t have her,” Lux said flatly. Avaritia looked at him, gauging his sincerity, then nodded.

“I can see you’re a serious man. I don’t agree with your choices, but I admire your conviction.” He looked from him to the wand in Wick’s hand. “I can help you out if you can help me.”

“You want the wand?” Lux asked incredulously. “You can’t even use it.”

“You really can’t,” Wick echoed, holding the wand close to her. “You don’t have the magic for it.”

“I don’t want to use a stupid wand,” Avaritia looked offended. “I have enough of my own magic, thank you. But that’s the horn of a unicorn. It’s very valuable.”

“What would you give us for it?” Lux asked, and Wick shot him a look.

“It’s not for sale,” she snapped.

“Come now.” Avaritia grinned. “Everything has a price.”

“You know what we want,” Lux said, ignoring Wick’s icy glare.

Avaritia shook his head. “I can’t give you the girl, no matter what you had to offer me in exchange.
But
I can tell you where she’s at.”

“She’s with Valefor, isn’t she?” Lux asked.

“Perhaps.” Avaritia shrugged and went back to picking at his nails. “Or perhaps not.”

“Tell us where she is,” Lux commanded.

“Tsk tsk.” Avaritia wagged his finger at him. “Horn first. Then I’ll tell you what I know.”

Lux sighed and held out his hand so Wick would give him her wand, but she held it to her chest.

“He doesn’t know anything,” Wick protested. “Or at least not any more than you do. Lily’s with Valefor.”

“No,
you
know she’s on her way to Valefor.” Avaritia’s lips spread out in a smug smile. “But you don’t know if she’s made it there yet, or what Ira might be doing with her.”

Wick and Lux exchanged a look. She didn’t want to give up her wand, especially for tepid information at best. But Lux’s blue eyes were serious and imploring. They both needed to do what had to be done to get Lily.

Wick scoffed and shook her head, and she finally handed her wand over to Lux. 

“Thank you,” Lux said quietly, but she turned away from him and muttered to herself about how ridiculous this all was.

She crossed her arms over her chest and watched from the corner of her eye as Lux took a step toward Avaritia. Avaritia rubbed his hands together, his eyes locked on the prize he’d won from them. But he should’ve been paying more attention to Lux.

Lux moved swiftly, reaching out with his empty hand to grab the back of Avaritia’s precious hair and jerk his head back. Before Avaritia could let out more than a surprised yelp, Lux had slammed him back against the wall. The unicorn horn in his hand was pressed against Avaritia’s throat, the sharp tip ready to tear open his jugular.

“Where is she?” Lux asked, his voice calm.

“Hey, Lux, take it easy!” Avaritia held up his hands but didn’t try to push Lux off. Lux was broad-shouldered and strong, and Avaritia was a waif and a sneak. “I don’t have her! Messing with me won’t get you closer to her!”

“Maybe not,” Lux allowed. “But it would send Valefor a message.”