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I nudged Onyx into a gallop after him and whistled to the dogs to stay back. Not that I’d have minded watching them mete out their vengeance.
After all, Soreth was a prick for having slaughtered puppies.
* * *
“For God’s sake, man. I need to get off this blasted thing before my groin explodes.” Soreth cupped himself with a moan, as we brought the horses to a stop along the tree line of a forest. “Honestly, you must have iron balls.”
We’d traveled most of the day, and the waning light told me it’d be dark in the next couple of hours. The castle was only about a league away, and I’d hoped to lessen the distance, but perhaps it was best to get the dastardly deed of drugging him over with then.
“Fine, we’ll stop for a quick respite.”
“How much longer until we reach Obsidia?”
Had I said another few miles, assuming he had any basic lay of the land, he’d have been suspicious. “About another two hours.”
“Thank goodness, then. I need to rest. I could not tolerate two more hours of this. Truly, humans are such masochists.”
As I hopped off my horse, I grabbed the vial of cat’s claw from my pocket in as subtle a movement as I could muster and poured a capful onto a kerchief. It only took a miniscule amount of the elixir to knock an angel out. I popped the cap off the water sack, and with my back still turned to Soreth, who moaned and complained as he walked off the pain, I coated the outer rim of the water sack’s neck. Twisting around, I handed it to him for a sip. “Drink?”
Soreth stopped his pacing and accepted the sack. “You didn’t poison it, did you?” As he raised it to his lips, he paused halfway, then lowered it. “You first,” he said, handing it back to me.
With a snort, I took the water sack from him. “Have ye so little faith?” I tipped the sack back, close enough to my lips to look as if they’d touched, but far enough not to expose myself to the drug, and poured a long swill down my throat. I opened my mouth to show him the water pooled there, before swallowing it back. “Satisfied?”
“Yes.” He flicked his fingers for the water. Not that angels required water, like humans. After a day of travel, the cool sensation of the liquid simply felt good against the back of the throat. It was refreshing without being a necessity.
I watched as he pressed the water sack to his lips, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
He handed the water sack back, before returning to his pacing, and for a brief moment, I wondered if he’d caught on. If he’d seen that I hadn’t actually put my lips to the thing and followed suit.
He stumbled.
Stumbled again.
“What in the unholy …? I think … I’m no’ feelin’ s’good.” He staggered to the side, rubbing his forehead, and swayed. “Wha’s’ron’ w’me?”
A second later, he crashed on a hard thud into the dirt.
I couldn’t help but smile as I stood over him, staring down at his gaping mouth as an obnoxious snore flew out of him.
So much for angels being perfect.
I lifted his upper half up off the ground and carried him toward his horse. With one heft, I hoisted his body over the saddle, his abdomen teetering across the center, arms and legs dangling at either side of the beast. After grabbing the reins and mounting my own horse, I headed toward Ariochbury.
* * *
Stone walls stood the height of the skyscrapers found in the mortal realm, their stones fortified by a dark magic that prevented anyone from entering without permission. I tugged the cloak over my head, hoping the guards would not recognize me in the darkness, and set Onyx on an easy pace toward the gate.
Once there, a guard I’d never seen before looked me over, before setting his attention on Soreth, and jerked his head toward him. “What’s this?”
“A gift for the Noxerians.” I flashed him the pin bearing the Knights of the Infernal Order emblem, praying he wouldn’t suddenly study my face.
Ordinarily, he would’ve collected my weapons, but the emblem implied loyalty to the highest degree, and so he did not bother to ask for them.
Unlike in the earthly realm, demons held business hours at night, which made our arrival timely. The guard smirked and strode toward Soreth. Kneeling to the ground just below Soreth’s head, he took a drag of hisfumoszh,which resembled a black, earthly cigarette but carried a toxic fume that only a demon could resist choking on. He blew the smoke into Soreth’s face, and the angel didn’t move. Didn’t so much as twitch. Seemingly satisfied, he waved me on, and the heavy iron gates lifted, beyond which lay a massive courtyard that teemed with all sorts of high-ranking demons.
