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The doors burst open and Caine came stomping into the room. Anger and frustration rolled off him in waves.
“That fucking rookie at the gates wouldn’t let me the fuck in without a password. What fucking password? Since when have we needed a password? Mrs Briars had to chew him a new one in order to get me in. Also, why the fuck did I need to get buzzed in? Why couldn’t I portal into the damn forecourt directly?” Caine ranted.
“Uh, um, shit. I forgot to send you the info. Sorry, big guy. My bad,” Deus said, sheepishly.
“As for the why, have you forgotten the traitor and all that jazz? Precautions needed to be taken,” Mrs Briars added, as she appeared at Leraie’s side, drawing Caine’s eyes her way.
Athon chuckled, Dante snorted, and Luc even smirked as Caine’s face turned ashen and his expression turned to fear and mortification at the sight of Leraie. She’d played a part in his creation as an angel and helped him keep his sanity after his human years were over. While the rest of them didn’t know everything that went down in its entirety, they knew Caine both respected and feared her with good reason.
“Sorry, Leraie, for my outburst. If I had been informed you were already present I would have controlled myself better,” he uttered as he bowed low.
“Relax, Caine. It’s not like I haven’t heard the word fuck a time or two in my existence. Hell, I’ve even engaged in the act a few times. Oh, the shock and horror, I know,” she laughed at his discomfort and waved him up from his courtly bow.
“Right, since we’re all here, what say you we get started, Leraie?” Luc ground out grumpily.
Someone was in a bad mood and hadn’t taken his chill pills today. But that wasn’t anything new lately. The added strain of the last five years had taken a further toll on their fearless leader.
“Right you are, Lucifer. Take your seats everyone and we’ll get this show on the road. Lace up your boots boys and girls, you’re going to need them.” Leraie sat back, seeming content to wait until they did as she asked.
It was then Athon realized his boots were undone, confirmed by Leraie’s wink as he looked under the table and back up. He squeezed Roth’s hand and pushed his chair out to quickly secure his boots, as Roth caught on and did the same.
“Everyone ready? Good. Because even if you’re not, the ride’s about to start, and you’ll be on it whether you want to be or not. The Almighty got word from the fickle bitches of Fate that now is the time. Since other things are in motion elsewhere it was up to either me or them to bring you the news and be your guide.”
At Dante’s derisive snort, Leraie nodded sagely. His face was pale, his eyes haunted.
“Yeah, no way was the Almighty going to allow them entry here. No matter their protestations that it’s their job. Not with their history with you, Dante. They know they are banned from having any further direct interactions with you, or your future.”
“Good, ‘cos I couldn’t have guaranteed my restraint if they ever entered these walls. Even without my own ax to grind, I’d never allow those bitches the opportunity to hurt Dante any more than they already have. Or any of you for that matter,” Mrs Briars snarled.
Her snarl was a thing of feral beauty, and it warmed Athon’s heart to know this wonderful lady was on their side.
“It’s time for what, exactly, Leraie? I’d rather not spend all day trying to figure out your cryptic riddles. Just spit it out,” Luc bit out roughly. His tone bordered on derisive.
“Sit up, shut up, and listen, Luc. Cut the attitude with me or I’ll put you on your ass. Speaking of his ass, anyone tried to dislodge whatever’s been stuck up there lately? No? Shame, he used to be much more fun,” Leraie chastised him. Under her breath she muttered, “Damn stubborn jackasses, smart mouths obviously run in the family.”
Still, Athon managed to catch the soft-spoken words, and the chuckle that followed.
“Hold onto your britches, boys and girls, we’re going on a field trip. One of the things you’ve been searching for is about to be found. The others not so much, but this one’s a game changer.”
Questions like where, what, who, and when, flew through the room until Mrs Briars’s loud, piercing whistle snapped every mouth shut. Even Leraie flinched back from the noise as it rang out so close to her ear. She shook it off with ease and kept talking.
“As you know, all things come to be in their own time. The when, where, how, and who are controlled by the Fates. Generally, with a few unfortunate exceptions, those bitches are controlled by our one and only Almighty. So, as angry as this may make you all, you need to try to understand that it is only in the now that this information can be passed on to you. All parties needed to be ready, all players in place for the creation of the future the Almighty has planned for all of you. So take a big breath and bite your tongues ‘til I’m done.” Steel threaded through her voice toward the end.
Athon found his mouth sealed shut as Leraie smiled benignly at them, still, the apology in her eyes was clear to see. Luc, though, looked ready to throttle her, but as he stared at her, he seemed to calm, bit by bit, until he huffed through his nose and leaned back into his–much less majestic–chair. Leraie focused on Luc, locking her eyes on his.
“The woman you seek, the one who’ll mean the world to you, your greatest gift and treasure, who will change who you thought you were, can be found in the one place you have never set foot. The one place even angels fear to tread.” Leraie’s eyes roamed the table and stalled, bouncing between him and Roth before she continued on.
“The red-haired woman is the first key to a future you all deserve. Though the how, may just surprise you. You’ve all got twenty minutes, then we leave.”
The invisible seal lifted from their lips instantly.
“Nestradia? Why the fuck would she be there?” Fynn burst out. “How did she even get there?”
“Because that is where she needed to be, Fenris,” came Leraie’s tart reply.
“Of course, the one place we can’t just portal into on a whim. How has she survived there for, what I’m assuming, is years now?” Malech pried.
“She is so much more than you expect her to be.” Leraie reveled in cryptic shit like this.
