Azrael: the plunge (ch. 14)
I had no time to waste. I needed to get the necklace to Pyrrhus and Robert, then we could figure out what to do next. I ran through the halls of the clergy with the necklace in my hand. A ghoulette appeared in front of me, and before I could stop myself, I ran straight into her and we both tumbled down the stairs.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! I JUST BOUGHT THIS DRESS!" She screeched.
"I'm so sorry, I should've watched where I was going," I said, offering my hand to help her up. She smacked it away and I realized it was one of Pyrrhus's friends, the one with antlers.
"Asteria, was it? I am so so sorry."
"Yeah. I swear to Satan if this dress is ruined... I will personally make sure you don't see the light of day again," she hissed, the patterns on her skin glowing brighter. She noticed the necklace in my hand, and all of a sudden she wasn't mad anymore.
"What'cha got there bud?"
She rolled her eyes. "I can see that. It's very pretty. Mind if I see it?"
"Uh, actually I—" Her eyes flashed bright blue and I was overwhelmed by the urge to give her the necklace. Before I could realize she was hypnotizing me, the necklace was already in her hands.
"Hey! Not cool, give it back!"
"And why should I, you threw me down the stairs, remember?"
"Please Asteria, I'll buy you ten new necklaces, just give me this one back," I begged.
"What makes this one so special?"
"Well, you're lucky I have the whole day then," she said with a victorious grin. I could tell she wasn't going to budge.
"Fine, I'll tell you, let's just go sit down somewhere."
She nodded and lead me to a common area of sorts that looked like a coffee shop. We sat down and I told her the whole story.
"And that's why the necklace is important. We need it to conjure up another vision. To help us defeat whatever that man is."
She stared at me for a beat with wide eyes. Then she squinted and smirked. "Right... So that is probably the fakest story I have ever heard."
"What? You don't believe me?"
"Of course I don't! It sounds like the biggest bullshit ever!"
I sighed. What did I think was gonna happen? She obviously wasn't going to give me back the necklace and she was just playing with me because we fell down the stairs.
"Wait a minute. Aren't you a quint ghoul?"
"Yeah, whatever, you hypnotized me before, so could you maybe, I don't know, help me conjure up a vision? Then you would see I'm telling the truth, I would get the info I need and I'd let you keep the necklace."
I saw her considering it. "And why should I help you? You pushed me down the stairs."
"Ugh, fine, just because I'm a nice person, I will help you and give you back the necklace."
"I wouldn't say nice," I muttered under my breath.
She shot me a deadly look. "As I was saying, I will help you, but if this doesn't work... you'll be wishing you had never met me."
"Thank you," I sighed exasperatedly.
She leaned back in her chair, cracking her spine, sat up straight again and cracked her knuckles. "Take my hand."
"You said you had until solstice, that's in less than two days."
I took her hand and she placed the necklace on the table between us. She closed her eyes and I followed suit. I felt a thrum of energy surge between us and my head was thrown back. I saw the image of the necklace around that man's neck. Then I saw Pyrrhus and I holding hands as a searing white light enveloped us. The man disintegrated right before us. The scene changed. I saw the literal life force getting sucked out of us. We collapsed on the ground. Everything around us, including us became this dull shade of gray as the man stood over us, laughing coldly. Everything went dark and I heard a voice that made my heart stop all around me.
You have already lost, Azrael. And you saw what will happen if you fail.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I screamed and everything came back into focus. I fell out of my chair, landing on my back, taking the chair with me.
Asteria rushed to me. "Unholy fuck, are you okay?" Her eyes were wide.
"Yes, I am, do you believe me now?" I asked, getting up. She nodded.
"I need to get to Robert and Pyrrhus now."
"Not a chance, it's too dangerous."
Her eyes flashed blue again. "I'm coming with you!"
We ran through the clergy halls to the courtyard. As I ran outside, the ground beneath my feet disappeared and I plunged into complete darkness. I heard Asteria calling out my name from a distance. When I looked up though, there was nothing but darkness. As I kept falling, one thought stuck with me.
Robert wasn't in any of the visions.
