AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ishtar frowned. “The Aeons would not send one person to do the job.”
“I’m not suggesting that he was sent here,” Cain told her. “I’m saying it is possible that he’s here of his own accord. Going by the things he said to Wynter, Saul is focused on a personal vendetta.”
“That is not to say that he has come without backup.” Ishtar flicked her blonde ringlets over her shoulder. “Such a thing would be foolhardy. Especially when his death would further weaken our cage.”
“But people do unwise things when caught under the weight of grief,” said Dantalion, who’d been mistaken by humans for a demon. But then, he gave off a cunning, predatory air that many found unnerving. “The survivors of the battle will have made it clear that they all underestimated us. The Aeons will not make that mistake again. They’ll be more cautious this time round. But Saul might not have been willing to wait for them to regroup and plan a second battle.”
“Yes, he could have instead chosen to take the risk of coming at us alone,” said Seth, Cain’s brother.
There wasn’t much resemblance between them. Seth’s wide eyes were amber, like their mother’s. He also shared her dark-blonde hair and pale skin. Another difference between Seth and Cain was that Seth was good. A person who was fair, noble, and forgiving. Cain could never be described as good.
Ishtar tossed Cain a dark look. “It is a shame that Wynter did not kill him. What kind of revenant is she anyway? I thought they were renowned for their ability to destroy anything.”
Cain barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The woman never missed an opportunity to whine about Wynter. It was as petty as it was irritating. “As I’ve already said, the facts suggest that he called to the wind to relocate him. And watch your tone when you speak of Wynter.”
Ishtar gave him a “don’t be so dramatic” look. “I am merely making the point that he shouldn’t have had the chance to escape. Her monster should have eliminated him by then.”
Impatience glimmered in Lilith’s vivid green gaze. She had little tolerance for Ishtar. In terms of clothing, the women went for the same style—classy, formfitting, partially revealing. But whereas Lilith dressed stylishly for herself, Ishtar dressed to impress others.
“It’s one thing to be able to kill an Aeon,” Lilith said to her. “It’s another to successfully manage such a thing. Saul in particular is a tremendous fighter—hence why he survived the last battle against us.”
“He also sees no shame in running to fight another day.” Seth scraped his teeth over his lower lip. “If Wynter’s monster dealt him a deep injury, he could have decided to flee and give himself time to heal rather than push his luck.”
That seemed the most likely situation to Cain.
Ishtar sniffed. “Hmm, well, I still say that her monster should have done more than injure him. Kali obviously lumbered Wynter with one of her weak pets. How disappointing.”
Azazel cast her a droll look. “If it was weak, it would have been killed.”
Ishtar’s cornflower-blue eyes flared. “And if it was strong, it would have—”
“Sister, please,” said Inanna, placing her hand over Ishtar’s. “This is hardly helpful. Let us not argue.”
“I am not looking to argue with anyone,” began Ishtar, “I am simply offering my opinion. It is not my fault if others do not like that opinion.”
“Be that as it may, I suggest that we drop the subject of Wynter and her monster,” Inanna proposed. “It is Saul and the other Aeons that we need to focus on.”
Clamping her lips shut, Ishtar inched up her pointed chin. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” Relief flashing in eyes the same shade of blue as her sister’s, Inanna gave Ishtar’s hand a pat. “Sad to say, Saul won’t be easy for our search parties to track.”
“No, he won’t,” Cain agreed. “We could try tracking him ourselves, of course—”
“I vote for that,” Ishtar piped up.
“I don’t,” said Cain. “Because drawing us all out into the open could be his aim. After all, although I doubt it, it is possible that he’s not here alone. There could be others waiting for us to show ourselves so that they can blindside us.”
Seth made a sound of agreement. “It might not even be that they’re working with him. Saul could simply be bait and may not know it.”
“One thing is for certain,” said Inanna. “He would like the thought of making us chase him, and I am in no mood to humor him. I say it is best that we do not allow him to draw us into his game. If he wants us, he must come for us.”
“My thoughts exactly,” said Lilith. “I dance to no one’s tune. And I didn’t survive living in a cage all this time just to go and take risks that could very well leave me open to an attack.”
Dantalion tapped his fingertips on the table. “It is better to play it safe. It’s very important that the seven of us are alive and fighting as one if we’re to defeat the Aeons when they return. And they will return.”
“Then it is agreed,” began Cain. “We will leave the tracking of Saul to our search parties. At the very least, they’ll keep him occupied.”
The other Ancients nodded or murmured their agreement.
