For the Birds by Angela Roquet

Author:Angela Roquet [Roquet, Angela]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi, pdf
Tags: Maraya21, Fiction, Fantasy, Urban
ISBN: 9781484087695
Google: 2EiYmwEACAAJ
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Published: 2014-01-03T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”

-Charles Darwin

My mouth fell open, and I choked down a painful breath. “He has the Helm of Hades. We have to warn Asmodeus.”

I was too late.

Asmodeus stepped inside the roost with his fists in the air. He was dressed in black, from the skullcap on his head down to the combat boots laced up his claves. I’d never seen him without his faded fedora. His aura of cool, casual charm was missing tonight too. It had never occurred to me that the lust demon might be Bub’s first choice for backup, but he looked plenty prepared for battle. Of course, no one is ever really prepared to fight the invisible. I watched helplessly as he doubled over, falling face first into the pool. The bony handle of Atropos’ shears protruded out of his back, the blades angled in deep under one shoulder blade. Beelzebub exploded beside me, shifting instantly into a hoard of buzzing flies. He dispersed around the room.

The storks stopped cooing. The wind stilled outside the windows. The place grew quiet as a tomb, while I listened for some sign of anything or anyone. A single minute must have passed, though it felt painfully longer. Bub’s flies assembled, and he took form again on the upper ledge of the roost. He was dressed the same as Asmodeus, in full combat apparel. His fist tunneled through the air, and I heard it connect with flesh. Caim reappeared as he plummeted from the ledge, Hades’ helm falling from his head and bouncing across the concrete floor. It skittered to a stop at the edge of the pool. Caim’s wings pulled in sharply, buffering his fall. He still landed on his ass, but he recovered quickly, rushing to snatch up the helmet. He snagged Ammit’s headdress while he was at it.

“You sheep! You puppets!” He spat at us. “You’re still letting them run Eternity according to the humans’ desires. We are gods! You let the souls decide, but we don’t have to. You see? I’ve taken these here. I’ve claimed them for Seth!” He held out Ammit’s headdress and shook it. “We will remake Eternity, and victory will belong to the gods who claim it, not the ones who compete in your pathetic pageants!”

Bub took flight again, descending in a violent swarm, but by the time he pulled himself back together, Caim was gone. The coward slipped the helmet back over his head as he stepped through the hatch door. I could tell Bub wanted to go after him, but reason swallowed his fury. Instead, he rushed to my side, retrieving the knife from my boot before cutting through my ropes. Then we both sloshed through the pool to where Asmodeus’s still body floated.

Bub laid a gentle hand on his back, wincing before he rolled him over. Asmodeus was sickly pale. He bobbed in the water, stiff and cold to the touch.

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