Takes place approximately ten months after Somewhere Around Nothing
1
The Dead Kennedys screamed from the vacant lot, soon followed by a black 1980 Camaro Z-28 materializing in the shadows. Black tinted windows hid the occupant as the engine idled ominously. Suddenly, all was quiet as the engine stopped, the only sounds now the regular night tones that belied the violence that would soon begin.2
The small whoosh the door made when it opened seemed to echo through the area, accompanied by the light click the three-inch stiletto heels made as they touched the pavement. Easily removing herself from the car, the woman took one cursory look around before her expression fell into its customary sneer. Saying that she was in a bitchy mood would be like say the Titanic was sunk by an ice cube.3
Looking around, Roan used her mystical powers to immediately familiarize herself with the time period she was now in, and adapted herself to the eclectic eccentricities that were abundant. 4
She had been in this time period twice before, but never stayed long enough to bother familiarizing herself. The first time had been in a bedroom, and the second in an alley…both times, although seeming like yesterday to her, had been nearly ten months in the past.5
Snapping her fingers, she changed her clothing from the 1980’s punk scene to something more modern…and stopped when she realized it was all basically the same. The car, however, was changed to a 2008 Shelby GT500KR, but kept with the basic black color scheme that the Camaro had. 6
Now, she was ready. Early twenty-first century…doable. Blending in… manageable. Finding the bitch demon and killing her off…priceless.7
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Bored beyond belief, Tria Cavanaugh, one time Dark-Hunter and current immortal demon hunter, leaned on her hand as she sat at the desk and stared at the computer screen in front of her. Investigating things had never been her strong suit, and investigating demon sightings was next to impossible. 10
The newest protégé of the Chthonian goddess Roan, Tria now had the distinction of tracking down Labeve, a demon that made the Gallu look like sweethearts. For the past few thousand years, Roan, and a group of other gods, some like her, had been traipsing back and forth through time, barely making it to the scene just as the demon is leaving, or fighting and losing, allowing Labeve to leave.11
When the ‘hunters’ are killed in the hunt, their essence goes into a small gem on a leather rope that goes to the next in line. The collective spirits help the next hunter in their quest. Apparently, there were ten or so gems that Tria had heard of, which meant that more than ten gods had died by the demon’s hands. One such gem hung around Roan’s neck, which would be passed on to Tria is the goddess fell in battle.12
That didn’t exactly make Tria feel better, since, although she was immortal and could control fire, she was human. Gods, god killers, Were-Hunters and even other demons had failed to bring this Labeve down… so just how did anyone expect an ex-Dark-Huntress to do the job?13
Leaning back, she looked around the opulent surroundings, wondering how much time had passed since she’d been here at Roan’s palace. Lately, her accommodations had consisted of places that existed outside of normal time, and it was kind of messing with her mind. To her, it had been less than a month since she had been a Dark-Hunter, but to others, it had been at least four months… probably longer. 14
Heck, she’d only been under the protégé of the Chthonian goddess Roan for about four days. Long enough to travel to a few different time periods, witness a few disturbingly dead bodies, and watch an acquaintance nearly die in an alley. She knew from Roan that Dominic Olluein had survived and was now human again, but that didn’t take away the eerie feeling that always came when she wondered how much time would have passed if she picked up the phone and called him right now. 15
With her luck, he’d be a cranky old man, instead of the cranky young man she knew. Laughing at that, since Dom was well over one thousand years old, she shook her head and pulled her attention back to looking through the internet. 16
Trash magazines and internet sites that centered on the outrageous, and local legends were her best sources for information. Everything in legends was based on some sort of truth, and it was up to her to work through the embellishments brought by constant retelling to get to the bare facts. Trash magazines, like the Daily Inquisitor out of Seattle, held a more modern spin. Run by Leo Kirby, the Dark-Hunter Squire Regis for Seattle, the ‘rag’ was designed to keep the paranormal world hidden by posting mostly nonsense stories. 17
There was a truth to every story in that paper, and like legends, Tria had to look well below the surface to find it. She could call Leo, but letting anyone out of a select few know that she was still alive would do more harm than good. Plus, it all fell back to that pesky time thing… calling Leo could catch him at the wrong time, pushing some future event in to a spin, and wrecking others. 18
Something inside Tria’s mind told her that she really had all eternity to find this Labeve, since going back to stop her was entirely possible. Although, not every moment could be selected…once again, to do with that time line deal. Rubbing her forehead to avoid yet another headache, Tria tried to put all thoughts of time out of her mind, and concentrate on the task at hand.19
Now… only if she could find some chocolate, then things would go a lot smoother.20
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Darkness surrounded him, bringing a totally foreign, but faintly familiar trickle of fear wrapped up in unbelievable anger. Unable to move or even use his powers, Savitar’s eyes took in all they could from staring straight up. Lying on a floor that was cold and damp, he was sure he was in some small room, but that was as far as he knew. 23
Well, he knew more, but thinking about it brought the anger to new levels, and the torture of not being able to move to do anything about it was worse than what was undoubtedly in store for him. Now was not the time to fly into a blind rage…there’d be plenty time for that later. No, now was the time for calmness and shrewd thinking. 24
Eventually, the ones that managed to capture him would mess up, and he’d have his chance at retribution. Smiling inwardly at how sweet that moment would be, he planned, once again in precise detail, how he would destroy all. 25
And he’d start with the bitch that brought all this on to him. Against his better judgment he’d let her past his defenses, and ended up paying the ultimate price. Well, he wouldn’t let her cohorts succeed, and once done with them, would move on to her. 26
Light cut through the room as a door opened, bringing a stinging to his eyes that he couldn’t close to relieve. A shadow fell over him, and once in his line of sight, gave a completely evil smirk. 27
“Hello, brother,” the man said, mockery lacing through his words. 28
Okay, this was certainly one of the last people he thought would be involved with trying to end his existence…and one of the few people in the universe he thought he could trust. Since the bitch had tricked him, he’d sworn caring off his list of things to do. Now, he was adding trust and friendship to it. Not that he hadn’t before, but it never hurt to reaffirm one’s views.29
The screeching of a seagull outside pulled Savitar from his dream, and he stared at the opulent ceiling of his bedroom in confusion. Sleep fogged his brain enough to make him wonder if he was still paralyzed like in the dream, and it took a little effort to raise his hand and rub it over his face. Dissolving the window coverings, he exhaled in relief as light flooded the darkened room. 30
“Damn,” he whispered as the dream ran through his mind. Based on actual events, he’d tried to banish the memories from him for the past thousands of years. Then, one mention of the bitch’s name, and it all came flooding back. 31
He had attempted to deal with the thoughts for a few months, but the frequency and depth of the memories prompted him to pull both himself and the island Neratiti out of normal time and space. He’d told his lover Aiden Falconidae that he had some things to deal with, and would be gone for about four months. With three of those months gone, he wondered if he’d ever be rid of the memories. He hadn’t wanted to leave Aiden for four months, since he actually enjoyed her company, but he promised himself once to appear in her life more or less in accordance with normal time lines. He could easily vanish for the four months, and then appear to her the day after he left, acting like he was never gone. 32
He couldn’t do that to her, though…regardless of the reason he needed to leave. Caring had brought it all down on him, and lost him a lot of people that believed and trusted in him. And caring had brought him back from the brink of not giving a damn about anything or anyone in the universe. The best thing about Aiden was that she really didn’t have a deceitful bone in her body. So completely unlike him, and the remainder of what were once the enforcers of regular gods and goddesses. Okay, so maybe Acheron Parthenopaeus didn’t deceive, but he was, as always, the exception to the norm. 33
Speaking of exceptions, he was still, after all this time pissed at himself for letting it all happen. Tricked by someone he thought cared for him, another Chthonian had managed to deceive him by the gift of a simple pendant…one that held the power to make a god paralyzed. He could kick himself for being foolish enough to allow her to slip it over his neck, and once placed over his heart, all he could do was watch as she stepped back and vanished. 34
Next thing he knew, he was in the dark, cold, damp room, being tortured for weeks by other Chthonians… some whom he even considered as friends. The only amusing thing in the whole event was that he couldn’t feel the torture since he was paralyzed. Then, in one wonderful error by an attacker, the pendant was knocked to the side. With his powers flooding back, the other god killer died before he even knew Savitar was free of the restraint of the pendant. 35
Not even bothering to heal himself, Savitar made short work of the other three that had been in on the abduction, and then went hunting for Chthonian goddess that had set him up for destruction.36
Eyes flicked to the side as lightening flashed outside the window, followed by the rumble of thunder that vibrated the entire palace. The island of Neratiti reacted to his whims, wishes, and emotions, and was brewing up another storm based on his anger. Forcing the memories away, he sat up on the bed, then vanished. Appearing on the beach, dressed in a black and green wetsuit, with a surfboard beside him, he watched the churning surf.37
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Eyes tracked the pregnant woman as she walked out of the corner store and headed down the street while sipping on the iced tea she had just bought. Making sure that no one else was paying too much attention, Chthonian goddess Roan pushed herself off from the wall she was leaning against and started to follow. 40
The pregnant woman had no idea of the life her future child would have, and how many people he would affect with his choices. The child would be strong, decisive, and those were traits that attracted the demon Labeve. 41
Roan had caught a break in finding out, in advance, where Labeve would strike next. It was a rare event, and one that Roan vowed to not let pass. Most times, she, or others who aided in the hunt, would show up just as, or just after the demon killed… and by then it was too late. Labeve would simply vanish, or kill the hunter, then vanish. 42
Slowing so as not to attract the woman’s attention, Roan sighing in annoyance as four blonde men motioned from the other side of the street and started towards the pregnant woman. Since the souls of an unborn and its mother were valued by Daimons, Roan now had two fronts to fight on this night. 43
Not even wanting to let this get into a match that would frighten the mother-to-be off, Roan pointed at the men, dissolving them on the spot. The pregnant woman was too interested in her iced tea to even notice the destruction that happened not even twenty feet to the left of her. 44
They were nearly to the woman’s home, and Roan was starting to wonder if her information had been incorrect when everything seemed to happen at once. The pregnant woman stopped with a small shriek as an elderly woman seemingly materialized from the shadows. 45
Knowing the tricks of the demon, Roan raised her arm, aiming the small weapon at the elderly woman. Usually, she would just use her goddess powers, but the pregnant woman was in the way, and one wrong hit would be as bad as allowing Labeve to feed.46
Suddenly, a car screeched to a halt, grabbing Roan’s attention for a split second, and bringing the elderly woman’s gaze to her. Wanting to kick herself for not paying attention to any other people in the area, Roan ignored the newest arrival.47
“Drop the weapon!” was yelled from the side as an officer climbed out of the just arrived police car, followed by a bright light being shone at her face. Ignoring the distraction, Roan checked for Labeve, growling as the only person standing there was the pregnant woman. 48
"No!" she screamed in disbelief, which quickly turned to anger. "No, no, no!!!" She turned to the police that still had weapons trained on her. 49
“Drop the weapon!”50
Closing her eyes, Roan used her powers to confuse the minds of the officers present, and to nudge the pregnant woman to hurry along home. Making the weapon vanish from her hand, she turned and stormed off to the shadows, leaving the officers looking at each other in puzzlement. 51
Making it back to the 2008 Shelby GT500KR that was parked in the corner store’s lot, Roan got in, slammed the door and yanked out her cell phone. Dialing, she flipped the phone shut as she changed her mind, and tossed it on the passenger seat. 52
“Damn it,” she whispered to herself. “I had her.” 53
A millennium old favor had been burned up locating Labeve before she could attack tonight, and now Roan was without that particular resource in any future information. Most times, Chthonian gods and goddess could tell the future, and that went a long way to stopping demons and others. Roan, although at Chthonian goddess, had all the abilities of her brethren…except for one thing. She couldn’t see the actions of the Celtic demon Labeve until a few seconds before they were about to happen. 54
Only twice had she caught a break…tonight, and ten months back with the events in the alley with the Dark-Hunter. It wasn’t like Labeve to make mistakes enough for her plans to be found, and most times the goddess was left cursing a demon whose only goal in life seemed to kill just so she could thoroughly piss Roan off. 55
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“The Simi wants to see the movie, Akri.” Cute as can be, with long black hair, complete with a bright blue front strip, Simi placed her hands on her hips and stared at the tall man with her. 58
Smiling down at her, Acheron Parthenopaeus inclined his head and pulled the wallet out of his pocket. Taking a random credit card out, he handed it to Simi, who clutched it tight, gave him a smile, and bounded off to the ticket booth. 59
“Two please,” she said, then looked back at Ash. “Yous coming to see it with Simi, right?”60
“How can I refuse?” Ash asked, sauntering over to the ticket area, ignoring all the lust filled stares he was getting from the women in the crowd. He paused ever so slightly as he felt a vaguely familiar presence, and stopped by Simi. “Best make that three tickets,” he said, not turning around. “Hi Roan.”61
Turning her head, Simi smiled at the tall woman that was standing just to the left of Ash. “Roan!” she squealed, grabbing the goddess in a brief squeeze.62
“Simi,” Roan said in a neutral tone, wishing that the Charonte demon was a little less enthusiastic about… well…everything. She looked at Ash. “I need to talk with you.”63
“Talk after the movie,” Ash said, handing her a ticket. 64
“Now.”65
”I’m going to be walking through those doors in one minute,” Ash said, motioning to the movie theatre doors. “If you want to talk to me, either fill it in to that minute, or hold on to it until after the closing credits.” He turned, then paused. “Cause if you talk during the movie, I’ll get annoyed.”66
Seeing no real choice, Roan sighed in disgust and followed the tall Goth in to the theatre. Waiting while Simi nearly bought the concession stand out, and hiding a smirk as the demon passed all the goodies over for Ash to carry, she followed the two in to the darkened movie area.67
“I know all about it,” Ash whispered as they sat in the semi-comfortable seats. 68
“Then you know I can’t be wasting my time here,” Roan whispered back.69
“Shush,” Simi told them both as she shoved popcorn in to her mouth. 70
Roan looked at the black movie screen, then back at Ash. “Labeve has been getting sloppy,” she said. “Seems like after the Dark-Hunter took more than a few swings at her, she’s become more erratic.” 71
“Labeve isn’t used to her victims fighting back,” Ash told her. 72
“I need to know where she’ll be next.”73
”I can’t tell you that.”74
Sighing in annoyance, Roan grabbed one of the tubs of popcorn from him, slouched in her seat and stared at the screen. Muttering under her breath, she grabbed a handful of the snack and started to eat.75
“Didn’t quite catch that,” Ash said, even though he heard it rather well. 76
Roan shot him a dirty look. “I said ‘you’re as annoying as Jaden and you-know-who combined’.” Going back to popcorn, she effectively shut him out. 77
Smiling slightly, Ash settled back to wait for the movie. True, the demon broker Jaden was an annoyance, but he tried to do right most times… only problem was that his right was more than a little skewered. The ‘you-know-who’ was Savitar, who hated Roan with every fiber of his omnipotent being. 78
“What movie are we watching?” Roan asked suddenly. 79
“Horton Hears A Who,” Ash replied.80
Roan looked at him slowly, waiting for the punch line. “No, really.”81
“It’s a great movie, Roan,” Simi said, leaning over Ash. “The Simi has seen it fifteen times already, and loves it. If you need the Simi to explains any of it to you, let me know.”
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Impressed as Usual
Lol. That was amazing. The shock in Roan's voice when she realized they were watching Horton Hears a Who as priceless. And speaking of priceless, "Now, she was ready. Early twenty-first century…doable. Blending in… manageable. Finding the bitch demon and killing her off…priceless." I absolutely loved that. I can't wait to read the next chapter.
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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OMG! you have captured Simi in total perfection thought you miss something...where's the barbecue sause Simi loves barbecue sause
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It was wonderful as usual. I can't wait for the next installment and the quip about the 'priceless ads' was hilarious as was Simi and Acheron sitting there watching 'Horton Hears a Who'. I can imagine Simi doing so but Ash...hehe well that is just too rich.
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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Simi has Ash wrapped so tightly around her little finger that he'd sit and watch paint dry if she asked him to
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LOL! Ha! I love it. All of the current things (the priceless ads, the movie) make it feel so realistic. Not to mention, you really write these characters as if they're hanging out in your house with you, with a humorous and sharp, witty edge. You should contact Ms. Kenyon and tell her you're taking over.
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I love those 'priceless' ads, and the last movie I saw in the theatres was 'Horton Hears A Who'. I wish they were hanging out at my house... I'd never leave my living room.
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