“We waste time,” Acelina said. “If we must find food, then we must. Let’s be off before that abomination finds us.”
Right. David shook out his hands, rubbed his temples, and looked to the tetrad.
“This way, then,” Laoko said, and walked into the fog.
The group followed. Jes and Dao fell in beside Laoko. David walked beside Caera, with Acelina directly behind them. The Las, quiet and staring at the angel, walked with Acelina, but Latia hopped ahead until she caught up with David.
“Much stuff happened,” the little gremla said, hooves tippy tapping on the white stones. Such a tiny, dainty little thing, it was a wonder she made any noise at all. It was a wonder she’d survived the day.
“Lot of stuff happened, yeah.”
“But David knows what to do?”
“I don’t know. I just know not doing anything is worse. So I throw everything I know together in my head, come up with some kinda plan that goes forward, and I go. It’s better than sitting still.” Which was killing him. Every part of him wanted to sit down, carefully analyze all the information he had available, and make the most efficient, effective decision possible. But he knew that was a great way to get decision paralysis and doom them. Just get something that made sense together and push forward.
If he fucked up and got them all killed, at least he’d be dead, too.
“Angels scary,” Lasca said, joining them and looking back at Moriah. “This one scariest.”
Moriah aimed her glare down at the little lady. “Leave me be, infernal vermin. How did you recruit the nasty creatures to serve you, unmarked? They serve no one.”
“Fucking christ, they don’t serve me. They’re along for the ride because they like us, we like them, and they don’t want their friends to die, either.”
“Save all the imps and grems in mountain!” Lasca said, and she aimed an angry claw at Moriah. “Many friends.”
The angel scoffed. If not for the massive, bleeding wound in her shoulder and across her chest, she’d probably have struck out at Lasca, with the little lady walking only inches away from her. But Moriah had her one good arm firmly grasping one of Caera’s spikes, and every moment looked like a struggle to keep from falling.
She’d fought so damn hard, her and the other angels, and the rider had run them over like they didn’t exist. No chance Teleius was alive, either. He’d sacrificed himself.
“Laoko,” David said. “Teleius…”
“He is dead,” she said without looking back.
“I… I know. I just, I didn’t expect to see a demon do that.”
“Do what? Fight?”
“No. He came out of nowhere, half dead, and… sacrificed himself… to save you.” Wincing, he looked to Caera, and she returned his glance. That was a somber glance, probably mirroring his own. “I know I can expect that sort of courage from the girls, but from what I’ve seen of other demons, they’re…”
“Selfish and obsessed with nothing but violence?” Jeskura said. “Yeah, they are. Not everyone’s like Dao.”
Dao chirped back at David. Smiled and waved, too.
“Teleius is… was, perhaps, a…” Laoko shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. He is dead. Leave it be.”
David and the girls traded glances. That sounded heavy, and sad, which wasn’t what David expected. In the fight, Laoko had lost a lot of demons, and it hadn’t phased her, except Ericia’s death. But the fight was over now, and dare he even think it, the huge tetrad looked kinda morose.
It wasn’t like demons couldn’t be sad. If Jes lost Dao or Dao lost Jes, Jes would go into a berserk rage, and Dao would be inconsolable. Laoko’s behavior was a bit closer to how Caera had acted when she’d found out Renato was dead. Sad, and bitter.
“Laoko,” Lasca said, hopping further ahead and joining the tetrad. “Laoko… La… oko.” She looked back and her eyes grew wide, big smile with shark teeth on display. “La!”
“La! La! La!” The Las ran up and giggled as they fell in line behind Laoko. Directly in line behind her, like little soldiers. They waved their weapons high before setting them against their shoulders. Okay, not just like soldiers, but actually imitating soldiers doing drills, rifle against the shoulder. Definitely watched the scrying pools a lot.
Laoko looked back, an eyebrow raised. “What in Lucifer’s name?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jes said. “Just… don’t worry about it.”
Say one thing for the Las, they knew how to lighten the mood.
“Unmarked,” Moriah said.
“Yeah?”
“If you insist on this insanity, at least tell me something.”
“I don’t think I can convince you anymore than–”
“You said you were hunted by invisible monsters. Explain.”
Caera snorted. “Why should we tell you anything?”
“You seem intent on saving my life, and you seem sincere in your desire to… save the world. Prove it. Explain to me this journey.”
“I told you,” he said. “Some woman with the same armor and wings as the rider showed up. She saved my life. Mia’s, too. She told us we need to get to the Forgotten Place, and if we don’t, everyone’s dead. Considering the thing I saw in the canyon, I was inclined to believe her.”
“I have seen the… void, in the canyon. Though, truly, it is below the canyon. Below… Hell.”
Oh fuck, he was afraid she might say that. The words sent ice through his veins.
“Know what it is?”
Eyes down and head hanging, Moriah said nothing.
“We don’t either,” he said. “But it sure as fuck seemed like more than just a black void. Before that whole thing, the girls and I were attacked by some invisible monster. Literally invisible. It could touch the ground, and it tried to attack me, but it couldn’t touch me. When it realized, it vanished. I mean, more than it already was.”
“And… the presence in the black void is related?”
“Probably.” For the love of god, don’t tell her if two unmarked get close, Hell gets torn apart. There was no way he could convince her to not kill him if she learned that. “So my sister and I, and hopefully other unmarked, are trying to get to the Forgotten Place. Hopefully, we’ll get some answers there.”
“You wish to visit Lucifer.”