The one with massive mandibles attached to its jaw speaks first, “We have been assigned as Captains of your protective detail.”
My eyes widen, and I have to force myself to hold my ground through the absurdity of its flawless pronunciation of my language. “Protective detail?”
“Yes. The King has relayed that the Abyss is not safe for you to wander alone.”
“Safe fromwhat?”The very guys he’s assigning to protect me? “I really don’t think that’s necessary.”
“It is,” the other one says. It’s slightly smaller, lacking the unsightlymandibles, with a voice that sounds a bit more… feminine? Huh. Until now, I thought they were hermaphroditic, or something of the sort. “King Abaddon has concerns that there may be agents of the Adversary in the city.”
“Seriously? You think the Adversary could get in here?” Or does Abaddon somehow know what Dusk and I did last night? It’s his city, after all. Maybe his walls have eyes.Fuck?—
“It is possible. The Adversary has many talents, and the security of the Abyss is admittedly not as robust as Elohim.”
“That is why it is prudent that we have someone guarding you at all times.” They bounce off each other, speaking one after another in consecutive harmony. “We will not interfere with your daily life.”
“The King has forbidden it. We are only to intervene if your safety is a concern.”
Like a fly on the wall. Except it’s a… different kind of flying bug. A locust, who isn’t really much of a locust, and is very large, very shiny, and very hard to miss.
But maybe, if they’re willing to talk to me now, I can at least glean some information from them. Thatismy goal, after all. “Well, did your King tell you anything else about this potential threat? Is there credibility to it, or is it just a precaution?”
They look at one another, synchronously, before looking back at me. I get the feeling that some strange, nonverbal communication just passed through them.
“We are not permitted to tell you anything else,” Mandibles replies.
“Really?Nothing?”
My hope flatlines. If they won’t even tell me if there’s a verifiable threat on my life, there’s zero chance they’ll hand over instructions for stopping the apocalypse—another dead end. And even worse, with their prying eyes, it’s unlikely I’ll be able to snoop around for information!
“King Abaddon determines what is appropriate for you to know. He would prefer to do that himself, without us as a conduit of information.”
In perfect coordination, they step back to the far wall, taking up a stance that reminds me of the London Guards.
“Guys, I appreciate the offer, but really, this isn’t necessary,” I plead, but they stay firmly in their positions, refusing to even acknowledge I’ve said anything.
I fist my hands for a moment, fuming, before forcing myself to calm down. The locusts are just obeying orders.They’renot the problem.Abaddonis the one who is being insufferably overbearing. And the next time I see that little gnat, I’m giving him a piece of my mind. In fact, I might even try to hunt him down tonight.
But until then, I’ll try my best to deal with the lack of privacy.
I go to the training arena, lift my weights, do my cardio, practice some functional skills—all underneath the beady, watchful eyes of my new pet vultures.
At the end of a long day of physical exertion, I head back to my room to shower before dinner, as I always do.
And guess who follows me?
The locusts, of course. They stand outside my fucking door, waiting on me, for over an hour. I know because I keep checking the peephole, hoping they’ll finally leave me alone. By the time I’m ready to leave for dinner, I’m pissed off.
Whipping the door open, I meet them with a scornful glower.
They hardly even react, barely shifting their bodies to look at me.
“I’m surprised you two didn’t follow me into my room to watch me bathe,” I hiss. “Where is Abaddon? I need to have a word with him.”
No response.
“Seriously?” I throw my hands into the air, huffing, before crossing my arms. “Can you ask him to meet me for dinner, at least?”
There’s a slight pause before the female speaks. “King Abaddon will no longer be dining with you.”
