In a way, I could totally identify with that anger. I certainly remembered how infuriated I'd been after Katie spurned my lovesick attentions. Now I had all sorts of women fawning over me all thanks to incubus pheromones. At least I knew Elyssa had liked me even when I was still a chubby nerd. My thought process took a detour back to one of the newer women in my life, namely, the olive-skinned girl who was also apparently Nightliss, the cute little black cat.
I'd nearly forgotten the encounter, what with all the post-traumatic golem stress and prophecy talk. "Kassallandra, who was the girl you were speaking with in the forest? Is she a felycan?" It was the only thing Nightliss could be. Then again, Stacey was a felycan and she'd never had a clue about Nightliss's true identity.
Kassallandra sniffed. "A felycan? Don't be silly."
"In case you hadn't noticed, she turned from a cat into a human."
"You're talking about that dark-haired girl I saw running away into the woods?" Elyssa said.
I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Elyssa hadn't seen the kiss. If she had, a response wouldn't have been long in coming. Elyssa wasn't one to bottle up her emotions. "The girl was Nightliss."
"What?" Elyssa said. "Nightliss is a felycan too?" She shook her head. "That can't be right. Two female felycans would never live together. That's not their modus operandi."
"What is she, Kassallandra?" I asked. "You two seemed pretty chummy and all, not to mention the language you were speaking sounded pretty funky."
Kassallandra's eyes flickered bright red and her pupils shrank to pinpoints. "I do not know who she is, but I think I know what she is."
"Whatever you said made her leave even though she was scaring your dogs."
"They are hellhounds, Justin, not dogs. And only one thing I know of can cause them such distress."
"A giant squirrel?"
A sarcastic smile broke through the flat line of her lips. "She spoke to me in Cyrinthian."
I remembered how surprised Kassallandra had looked when Nightliss yelled at her. I also remembered someone else mentioning this language. "Shelton said sorcerers use Cyrinthian to write scrolls. He said it's the base language or something like that." Ever since Shelton had first tried to capture Dad and me for a bounty, he'd become a useful source for information on all things magical, if not a friend. I'd been meaning to learn more about the arcane arts but something always seemed to come up. Hellhounds were obviously a detriment to my higher learning.
"It is, although I believe the Arcanes only use it to look impressive just as others still speak Latin, if only because they wish to brag about it." She touched a dainty hand to her chest. "I think it rather pretentious. Scrolls do not require Cyrinthian to work, as the paper they are written upon is sealed with the spell and unlocked by the triggering words on the page. But since very few people speak the language, there's little danger of someone accidentally casting a scroll by saying the proper word combinations."
"Is it a dead language like Latin?"
"Nearly. Daemos must learn the language as part of schooling. Arcane Academy requires some proficiency in it as well. But I have never heard anyone with such a grasp on the language as the girl. It sounded as though it were her native tongue."
"Did she give you her name?"
"No."
Elyssa spoke. "You said you only know of one thing that can cause such distress in a hellhound, Anae Kassallandra."
"You may think me unbalanced for supposing such a thing, but once I grasped her nature, I was able to use it against her."
"I already kind of think you're unbalanced," I said, "even though it's probably not your fault."
Kassallandra narrowed her eyes. "You would do well to learn some manners from your beloved, boy."
"He's a bit rough around the edges, but adorable once you get to know him," Elyssa said, one corner of her lips curling into a lopsided smile.
"Does that not describe all men?" Kassallandra said with a huff. "So very few refined males." Another sigh followed her pronouncement, as if adding italics to an already bolded and underlined sentence.
"Ha, ha, fine, make fun of me all you want." I threw my hands up in exasperation and clamped my mouth shut before I went on a rant about crazy women. The best way to see crazy was to tell a woman she's crazy.
Kassallandra walked to the boulder where the giant hellhound, Malkesh, rested, his yellow eyes following each move we made. His ears raised and swiveled on occasion, probably due to some noise even my super-hearing couldn't pick up.
She rubbed him affectionately on his great head and said, "I believe your dark-haired girl is, in fact, an angel."
Chapter 6
Elyssa burst into laughter which she quickly stoppered by jamming her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Anae Kassallandra, but are you kidding?"
I gave Elyssa a questioning look. "Hey, remember back in the Grotto? You told me that if demons came from one plane, it's entirely possible that angels could exist on another."
"Yes, but—"
"Were you were just saying that to make me feel better? Or did you mean it?"
Elyssa's face flushed. "You seemed so depressed."
I turned back to Kassallandra. "Do you honestly believe the girl is an angel?"
She nodded gravely. "It was just a feeling I had as I spoke to her."
"Did you ask her outright?"
"No. But I told her she couldn't directly interfere in our affairs. She is forbidden by ancient pact."
I frowned. "Ancient pact?"
"Legend has it, their kind and our distant relatives—"
"You mean full-fledged demons?"
Her eyes met mine. "That is exactly what I mean. Those known as demons made a pact that our plane was off-limits to interference."
I thought back to the demon that had killed Meghan Andretti's mother. "It just so happens I saw one—a big green one with a huge shark mouth—kill someone when I was a kid. Obviously, our dear relatives aren't following that agreement."
"They can come when summoned." Kassallandra shrugged. "As I said, the pact is more myth than reality. We know of no written accord or book of rules we can consult. In all likelihood, entities of that sort do not stoop to using pen and paper."
I didn't know what to think. Had I really been kissed by an adorable angel? Or was I confusing the biblical or mythical definition of such a being with their true nature? The classical definition of an incubus or succubus made us out to be dream invaders who seduced humans. The reality was quite a bit different. "What were you and the angel talking about? I want to know everything."
"She told me not to harm you, that you were very important. I asked her who she was and what right she had to interfere with my business. She then told me she was the only one who made it through and would do whatever it took to keep you safe. It was then I felt the strange energy between us, like magnets pulling one moment and pushing the next. I just knew what she was and forbade her interference."
"And just like that she gave up?" I groaned. "Guess I don't have a guardian angel anymore."
"I think she's just another felycan with the hots for you," Elyssa said scowling.
"Babe, you know I'm yours."
"Yeah, but you have incubus issues." She sighed.
I laughed. "I think most guys my age have enough hormones in our blood to give us issues, incubus or not." I glanced back at Kassallandra. "Can angels turn themselves into cats?"
The redhead quirked an eyebrow. "Obviously."
I rubbed my eyes and paced for a moment. Looked out at the green-hued lake and the gray granite walls beyond. Vegetation grew through cracks in the rock, clinging to the chiseled cliffs. A couple of trees had also taken root, the width of their trunks evidence of how long this place had been abandoned. "Of all places, why did you bring us here? Couldn't we have had this discussion at a coffee shop?" I looked at Kassallandra.
She produced the tiny black arch. "This artifact was brought back by our lone survivor of the Thunder Rock slaughter, Pallassiana Assad. She was thrown into the lake by an explosion and a slab of rock fell and pinned her to the bottom. As she struggled to free herself, the bed of the lake collapsed beneath her and she fell into an underwater cavern. She won her way free and found an air pocket. During her search for a way out, she discovered a polished circular surface at the bottom of the cave."
I couldn't help but notice how similar this story sounded to Underborn's own experience when he escaped the carnage that fateful day. It only served to reinforce my belief everything had been carefully staged and planned.
"A circle?" Elyssa said.
"Yes." Kassallandra rubbed her thumb against the surface of the tiny arch. "One exactly like the polished circle beneath the Obsidian Arch in the Grotto."
"My God, so this place really is another relic."
"It would seem so. Pallassiana examined the circle and found something in the center." Kassallandra held up the arch. "This is what she found."
"She told you all this?" I asked.
"No, I read this in her secret reports many years later, though they had been warded and sealed by command of the Paetros."
"In other words," I said, "you broke into her files."
"Yes. I have long sought answers for the Thunder Rock massacre. Since I was to serve as a sacrificial bride to House Slade, it seemed only fair I understand what caused the rift between our families."
"Doesn't your duty override all else, Anae Kassallandra?" Elyssa asked.
A wistful smile played about the other woman's lips. "While I am a firm believer in our customs, I also believe a strong woman should understand the many underlying facets of her duty. I also wish to see the true perpetrators of this crime punished."