The Titan Awakes: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Kat Drummond Book 18) by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Author:Nicholas Woode-Smith [Woode-Smith, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ParaForge
Published: 2023-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23.

Treaty

The world froze. The blue and red of the police lights kept flickering, even as the sirens ceased.

The police stared. Dumbstruck. I couldn’t blame them. I felt the same.

He looked the same as when I’d last seen him at the 6th Convent. There was still dirt on his tousled black coat. It was as if only moments had passed since Treth had shoved him into the dirt. But he no longer held that terrified stare. He looked confident again. Almost cocky.

I didn’t like to see him this way. I didn’t like to see him at all. But I knew now that it was foolish to expect him to wait for this war to end before confronting me again.

“No hug?” He asked, grin widening. “Not even a how are you?”

I didn’t respond. I channelled everything into my death glare. I didn’t charge or move against him though. Something told me it wasn’t the time or place. He could voidwalk in and out of existence. He could open rifts to other realms to release hall spawn on the city. And he would.

But, for now, he wanted to talk. So, I let him.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head, placing his arms against his sides as if lamenting the tantrum of a small child.

“We have history, Kat. I would think that would mean something.”

Treth, Ariel, Arden, Hammond, and many of the more militant Vessel spirits, manifested by my side. Fuming.

The Mentor raised his hands, diplomatically. I could see in his eyes that he didn’t only see Treth. He saw all of them.

“I’m not here to fight. You know that. Else, you would have foolishly tried to cut into me with that void-sword of yours. No, you understand this little dance of ours. I speak, you listen. I plot, you brood. Despite everything we’ve gone through, it is a comfortable pattern that I’ve grown quite fond of.”

He sighed. “Alas, all good things must come to an end.”

“What do you want?” I finally yelled, my fingers itching to grab the hilt of a sword or to pull a trigger. But that would do no good. Despite everything, I still wasn’t ready to face him. Not yet. Not now.

“You know what I want!” He spat, voice suddenly cold and fiery all at once. “For you to fulfil your mandate. To be the protector against the apocalypse. But I know that you will never see reason. So, I am looking for closure.”

He looked out towards the east towards the rising sun.

“I know you have your hands full, but for all we’ve gone through, I hope you will make time for me. Of course, I respect your time. You’re a busy girl, after all. And the Mad Empire waits for no one.”

He turned back to me, and I felt frozen in the spot under the intensity of his gaze. The rawness of his hatred, his madness, his power, and a host of other emotions that a human had no business feeling.

“We will meet at sunrise tomorrow morning for our final showdown.

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