VEE

A day since we saw Leoc and Erzla, two days since we saw Seth. Hours that seem like an eternity as the axe hangs over our heads, swinging from side to side while we wait to see where it will fall.

The morning starts quietly with breakfast and checking whether a chaos god has wrecked anything while we slept. Syv sleeps late. I looked in on her last night where she lay snoring under a duvet on the spare bed and a hand beneath her pillow.

When all this is over, will she stay in touch?

One strong coffee later, I sit in the lounge room to keep myself away from the tension in the kitchen. The guys can’t hunt Seth and this causes as much stress as when he is taunting. Personally, I think he’s in hiding. Watching. Waiting.

A knock at the door silences the house and I stand in the lounge doorway as Xander walks by to answer.

“Wards don’t work on you either, then,” he says to someone, and Erzla and Leoc step inside.

I watch them half-hidden. Erzla carries his usual disdain as he walks along the hallway to the kitchen. Leoc pauses as she passes and turns her head to smile at me. The smile that sends a shiver through.

“Hello, Vee. How are you?”

“Uh. Good. You?”

She inclines her head. “Come and talk to us. We have news.”

The discomfort turns to dread.

I follow the angels and Xander into the kitchen. Joss stands from where he sits at the table and steps backwards. Ewan straightens and Heath takes my hand as I step inside.

“What’s happening?” asks Xander. “Have you found him? Are we ending this?”

“I bloody hope so, since we’re running out of time,” says Ewan.

Erzla catches sight of something behind Joss and points. “What’s that? In the towel?"

“This? A weapon.” Ewan unwraps the blade.

“Weapon?” Leoc straightens. “What do you mean?”

“We had a friend who was attacked and taken or killed. Her attackers left behind a weapon.”

“Associate, not friend,” puts in Joss.

“One of the demons you’ve chosen to ally with, I presume?” asks Erzla. “That’s not such a shame, then.”

“Someone who was going to help us with translating the text. We think Seth took her—or people working with him,” I reply.

“Interesting.” Leoc pulls out a chair and sits, resting her arms on the table. “I would like to see this weapon more closely.”

Ewan places the bright silver blade in front of Leoc as he did with Syv. I watch her face but her expression is inscrutable.

“Erzla.” She shifts in her seat so he can see past her.

Erzla’s face remains passive too. He scratches the corner of his eye. “We don’t involve ourselves in the petty squabbles between the races who escaped through the portals the first time. We’re not the best people to ask about their weapons.”

“Right.” Ewan sighs and folds the cloth back around the blade.

The floor above our head creaks and Erzla glances at the ceiling. “You have a demon in the house.”

“Another acquaintance?” asks Leoc with sarcasm. “You have made some bad friendship choices recently, haven’t you?”

“Syv is okay,” I say. “She helped when nobody else could.”

The sharp look Leoc gives me won’t work to quiet me. This angel told me I’m more powerful than anybody in this world, apart from Seth. I trust Syv more than Leoc and won’t allow her to threaten Syv.

“She’s only half-demon,” puts in Heath.

Erzla makes a derisive noise. “Half is still too much. You should kill them all. I’m surprised you haven’t, Verity.”

“Why? With the other powerful gift, you gave me?”

My irritation rises and Joss places a hand on my arm. He shakes his head and I draw in a calming breath.

“We have news too. We’ve figured out a way to ensure Vee lives,” says Xander.

“Oh?” Erzla pulls out a chair to sit beside Leoc.

My stomach twists into knots as Xander explains their theory and plans. I don’t want to listen to conversations about Order, Chaos, and battles to the death. The angels still fill me with discomfort. I believe they are who they say, and that they want Chaos dead. But I don’t like their evasiveness—it makes me nervous.

Footsteps thump downstairs and I glance in alarm at Joss. He gestures to the door, sharing my concern. What would happen if Syv met angels? Erzla already indicated he wouldn’t be welcoming.

“Excuse me.” I slip through the door and close it with a quiet click, just as Syv appears at the bottom of the staircase. She’s brighter this morning, her stance more upbeat.

“How’s your hand?” I ask.

She holds her palm out to examine. “Fine. The mark faded. I’ll look out for anything that looks similar to that bloody item. I’m not touching one of those again. I need a coffee.”

She steps towards the kitchen and I step in front of her. “We have visitors.”

“Ripley?”

“No. The angels.”

Syv’s mouth parts and her expression switches to curiosity. “And you don’t want to introduce your demon friend?”

“I’m worried how they’ll react to you.”

She huffs. “Fair enough. I’ll go elsewhere for breakfast.”

I blink as she turns away, runs upstairs two at a time and returns a minute later with her jacket. She shoves her arms in. “Coming? There must be a café nearby. We can eat.”

“I’m um… busy.”

Syv pouts. “You don’t want one last breakfast date before the apocalypse?”

I’m unsure what disturbs me more—Syv inviting me on a ‘breakfast date’ or her blunt mention of the apocalypse.

“Hang on.”

I open the kitchen door wide enough to poke my head around. “I’m going out with Syv.”

“Out?” ask Ewan and Xander in unison.

Anybody would think I told the guys I was about to hunt down Seth alone.

“For breakfast. Late breakfast.”

“With the demon?” asks Erzla, his usual disdain replaced by shock.

“Yes.”

“No.” Xander pulls himself away from where he leans against the kitchen counter. “Not alone.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath but Leoc interrupts my response with a surprisingly supportive statement. “Vee doesn’t need your protection, Xander.”

“I don’t think Seth is waiting around the corner,” I add with a smile.

A smile not shared by any of the guys. “How can you be sure?”

I wave a hand. “If he is, Seth won’t act. He wants you guys, remember? And he’s certainly not powerful enough to abduct me. You saw how I deflected him in the desert that day.”

“There’s nobody around but us. And Leoc is correct. This girl contains the power of a god.”

Don’t say that. “Finish up your meeting and follow us,” I suggest.

“Yes. We won’t be long,” says Leoc. “The guys could meet you in ten minutes?”

“But we won’t be joining you and the demon spawn.” Erzla pulls a face.

“Okay.” I say brightly and turn to leave before either I say something I regret, or one of the guys decides I need protecting and drags me into the room.

I close the door and turn to Syv. “Let’s go.”