Demons, Mercenaries, and Other Complications Chapter 2

Hello everybody! Here is chapter two of my book. If you missed chapter one last Friday click here. Be sure to come back every Friday for each next chapter, and visit my Minds page for information on future stories and projects. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

The Harbinger of Death

“They’re hittin’im now boss, shouldn’t take the mercs long to get the prize,” buzzed the hologram Victor held with pale fingers. He walked a ridged pace through the shifting hedge maze never losing his rhythm. His scarlet eyes lit the path ahead like twin lighthouses embedded into his skull. The ethereal glow gave the passing sculptures in the lush garden an ominous look.

With each step the hedges creaked and flowed away from Victor’s hawkish features, and the trees bowed as his stiff form passed. A fact he acknowledged with a distracted wave of his hand. His attention was glued to the detailed mask floating above his interdimensional communicator.

“Good, has Stitch made any progress?” Victor asked as he shifted his bat wings under the low hanging branches of a pulsing blue weeping willow.

The rest of the trees were never going to let the old willow forget about not bowing to the Harbinger of Death. It's not like it was the willow's fault he was asleep in Victor's path.. These plants could be so melodramatic.

The rest of the trees bowed and backed out of Victor’s way dropping leaves and twigs on his pristine black suite. One of the smaller weeping willows tugged on his jacket wrinkling his crimson shirt, and disrupting his train of thought.

Victor loved how the young willows were the only trees brave enough to approach him. He couldn’t decide if it was youthful curiosity, or just a basic lack of self-preservation. Probably both if Victor were to guess.

“She’s made progress my Count, but we can’t do much more without catch’n their attention,” Victor gave a distracted nod to the bleach white bone mask in the hologram.

Keeping his stoic demeanor Victor turned his gaze down to the young sapling ruffling his spotless suite. The tiny willow offered him a white rose with scarlet thorns. How cute of her. The willows did have great taste.

Reaching out Victor grasped the flower’s stem with two long surgeon like fingers. He gave the tiny tree a sharp smile showing off his spiked fangs. They made him look like a wolf inviting a child to its den.

The second he touched the rose the tiny plant shuddered. Its white petals wilted, and were replaced by scarlet ones. The thorns turned to a dark purple, and dripped a black putrid fluid from their cores.

Quick as a flash Victor snapped off the stem before any of the dark substance could stain his clothes. That was close. Victor had forgotten how dramatic roses were. They were worse than the trees.

With a tight flourish he stuck the red flower in his suite nodding his thanks to the sapling. The Rose of Hearts may be a drama queen, but it never lied. Victor had yet to see it make a mistake. Not that he needed a rose to tell him how dark his soul was.

He had more important things to worry about like hiring mercenaries to kill cultists, and stealing enchanted weapons. Maybe he’d start to worry if the roses turned black. That should take a few thousand years though. Victor had plenty of time.

“Keep me posted Bone Face. Make sure Stitch stays focused. I don’t want to have to clean up another massacre.” Victor said “clean”, but not even an immortal like himself could have cleansed Stitch’s last mess. Sometimes that woman really tried Victor’s patience.

“Aye my Count,” the hologram disappeared with slight blue flash irritating Victor’s eyes. How many millennia had it been, and they still hadn’t fixed that obnoxious glare?

Victor pocketed his disdain with his communicator. He had half a mind to rip off some heads right then and there to help the engineers understand his frustration. It was a pity he was far too busy to indulge.

Victor continued his walk through the garden like a ghost on the prowl. He was deep in thought mulling over his schemes. His mind sleeked through the sea of political intrigue that plagued the multiverse.

Something was brewing he could feel it. He could almost smell it. Whatever “it” was it stayed just out of his reach. That bothered the old Harbinger. There were only so many cosmic beings still alive that could hide themselves from him, and they were rarely friendly.

Victor let his meandering thoughts direct his path through the maze leading him straight up a vine covered wall, and onto an upside down stone bridge. The structure thumbed its metaphoric nose at physics with more and more impossible angles the farther Victor followed its mosaic covered path.

Music laced the air dancing to the flickering purple flames lighting the torches on the marble railing. At the sound of the rolling violin Victor picked up his pace. It seems Fate’s daughter wanted a meeting.

Normally Victor would be annoyed at being summoned, but there was just something so classic about a Siren’s call that it made his wolfish fangs smile. Tanya knew him too well.

What could he say? Victor just liked that personal touch, and it wouldn’t be the first time their interdimensional communicators had been hacked. More worlds burned for that little mistake than Victor cared to remember.

Flying rivers sailed around the bridge feeding into a sphere of water resting at the center of the endless hedges and trees. Exotic fish with insect wings dived around Victor as he walked.

Those eccentric fish had struck his face more times than he could count. At least the larger ones had the brains to stay in the rivers feeding into the gravity defying sea. Not unless they wanted to be dinner. Vic scowled at the pests and followed the bridge dodging the more adventurous fish. Eventually the path led him to the churning ocean floating in mid air.

Victor followed a cruise ship sized octopus with his eyes. Its giant form flowed across the looming wall of water. Half human half shark maidens darted around the giant kraken biting it with rows of razor sharp teeth.

A normal person might have been alarmed, but Victor knew when those vixens were playing. He could see them laugh whenever the elderly kraken caught one of them in its giant tentacles, and tossed them around like rag-dolls. The beast had a lot more patience than Victor did that was for sure.

The bridge entered the floating ocean making a tunnel of flowing water around the structure. One of the shark maidens saw Victor and darted over to the stone walkway. She circled the tunnel leaving a trail of shining blond hair in her wake. Victor raised an eyebrow at the mermaid when she tried to use her long blue and black striped tail to douse him with water.

The liquid passed through him splashing to the floor with a resounding slap. A second later the water was sucked back into the swirling sea.

This was Esmeralda’s favorite game: mess up the Harbinger’s suite. Victor knew this “game” could last a few more centuries before the Siren got sick of it. How does such an ancient being have so much energy?

Esmeralda showed off her shark teeth with a disarming grin. With a flick of her tail vines made of seaweed grew around her allowing the mermaid to lower herself into the air pocket above Victor’s head.

“Hey harbinger why don’t you swim with me? I haven’t seen you out of that suite since… Wait I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of your suite.”

“When you grow up Esmeralda you’ll understand,” Victor said with a voice so dry it sucked the moister out of the air. Esmeralda’s carnivorous smile intensified making her look like the unholy love child of a wendigo and a Valkyrie.

“Growing up is for suckers Uncle Vic.”

“Says the five thousand year old child.”

“Exactly,” declared Esmeralda. The seaweed around her body lowered her onto the bridge like coiled snakes. Her tail morphed and shimmered till it transformed into two slender legs wrapped around their make shift seaweed vines. The plants weaved into each other forming a loose green dress with blue lilies blooming over Esmeralda’s smooth shoulders.

Victor didn’t react, and continued on his way without a word. He did however spread his dragon like wings to let the smiling siren skip up to his side.

She wasn’t his real niece, but Fate’s daughters should’ve been his blood family. If Victor was honest he would say he was happy their mother wasn’t. She would’ve been a horrid in-law.

Sometimes Victor wondered how these playful and happy creatures came from such a monster. It never ceased to amaze the Harbinger. To this day Victor never knew what Fate had seen in that decrepit creature.

“Hey Uncle Vic no sour faces while I’m snuggling. Your gloom will infect me,” Victor looked down at the bubbling girl, and gave a terse snort before pushing her face away with his wing. Victor smirked when he felt the shark girl bite him.

Five thousand years old, and she still resorted to biting. Sure she did have a lot in common with a shark, but that didn’t make the reaction any more appropriate. Victor had never bitten her, and he had fangs. Despite this he’d always found himself enjoying her playful nibbling. It was endearing in a violent kind of way.

It reminded the old Harbinger of the first time he held her as a baby. She’d bitten his finger off the little demon. It was a good thing his fingers reattached themselves otherwise it wouldn’t have been half as funny as it was.

Eventually Esmeralda gave up the fight and made her pouting face. A yes, she had that look down before she could even talk. Damn if it didn’t melt Victor’s heart every time. With a sigh he raised his wing, and invited the mermaid back into his embrace. One of these days he was going to learn how to say “no” to this brat.

After a few more paces they walked through a waterfall that splashed around the Harbinger. Not a single drop touched him, but Esmeralda was soaked making her scream. On the other side of the shimmering water rested a park in the center of the swirling ocean with rolling hills and gazebos. Several sprawling figures were relaxing on cushions and benches crisscrossing the many paths.

“Tanya uncle Victor soaked me again! Help me get revenge,” Esmeralda ran up to a taller version of herself with green eyes instead of her baby blues. Esmeralda’s older sister smiled, and put down her violin ending the song dancing through the air.

Before Tanya could answer a small squeal ripped out of a young beautician that had been putting the finishing touches on the older Siren’s rolling blond locks. The sound pierced Victor skull, and made his fangs sprout for half a second before he was able to retract them like an angered rattlesnake.

The tiny woman’s head would have just barely gone over Victor’s belt. How did she have enough lung capacity to make such an atrocious banshee howl? He had enough trouble with real banshees he didn’t need someone mimicking their cries.

“My Lady you didn’t say your sister had even more hair then you do! I’m doing your hair right now young mistress,” Young? She was over five thousand years old. Victor might have even mentioned the fact if Esmeralda hadn’t of gone off into a giggle mess of enjoyment at having the hairdresser fussing over her.

The petite woman’s massive white wings were so bright they irritated Victor’s eyes making him glare hard at the intruder. Who was this girl?

Victor didn’t recognize her, and he knew every servant attached to the royal house. Death had better not be accepting vassals without telling him again. Sometimes the Reaper King tried his Harbinger’s patience.

“My Lord would you like me to do your hair next? It’s so rigid! How do you get it so perfect?” Victor’s eyes flashed into twin scarlet infernos. The sight made the curly haired beautician cower.

Had Death even bothered to do a background check? No he would’ve, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t hire a spy for kicks. Someday he was going to kill his son-in-law. It was going to happen.

A smooth stone sailed toward Victor’s face. He caught it with a snap of his hand, but didn’t take his eyes off the shaking hair stylist. “Grandpa stop scaring the hired help will you? She’s fun. I need more fun in my life.”

Victor turned to face his granddaughter. Long raven black hair encased staggering beauty. Pitch black feathers covered the girl’s enormous wings, and shining brown eyes peaked out from her pure white skin. She looked far too much like her mother. Victor thanked all that was holy that she didn’t have the same temperament.

“Cleo I don’t remember hiring this help.” Victor’s jaw twitched. He was having trouble keeping his jagged fangs in check.

“You’re right Gramps mom hired her,” Cleopatra answered in a dry voice. She didn’t look up, but instead concentrated on shifting the head of a mammoth sized boy sitting at her feet. He was at least seven feet tall, and all muscle. He sprawled out over Cleo’s lap with enough mass to hide her legs from the world. He had long coarse hair like a wolf’s mane that Cleo was brawling with. The Harbinger assumed she was trying to braid it.

Victor calmed himself as best he could. His daughter would never let a spy or an assassin near her children. Still Victor despised new faces. Whatever, he’d deal with it later.

“I see you’re working hard Caleb.” The giant lifted a single eye lid before shrugging.

“Bother somebody else Harbinger.”

“Terse as always,” thought Victor. Still there were few immortals that he would trust Cleo with. In a lot of ways Caleb wasn’t there to guard her as much as guard everyone else from her. The woman was Death’s daughter through and through. Victor knew the werewolf understood how to handle his granddaughter’s more “playful” moods. Which made the Harbinger think about a few missing faces in the crowd.

“Cleo where are your sisters?”

“Aw Gramps you worried about us again? No wait you just want to make sure we don’t eat anyone important,” Victor just smiled at his granddaughter. She would make an excellent Queen someday.

“Fine Gramps,. Violet is off getting charmed by that scorpio warrior whose been hanging around. Don’t worry, Itzpapa lotl, gah tell that obsidian butterfly she needs an easier name, is watching over her. I almost wish the scorpio would try something. I haven’t seen that crazy Aztec on the warpath since that scuffle with those chimeras.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen Cleo,” there were few ancient powers out there that could match Victor. Itzpapa lotl’s name may be exaggerated, but her reputation and power wasn’t. Still, it made Victor happy knowing she was watching over his granddaughter and her new crush. If the half scorpion boy proved his worth then maybe he’d see some great grandchildren.

“What about Scarlet?” Victor was afraid to ask.

“Hmm she’s off terrorizing the Alverians or Albians, whatever they’re called, with her favorite kitty cat. Calm down Gramps they’ll keep her busy for a while right Caleb?” The werewolf looked up, and shrugged.

“I hope so,” Victor loved Scarlet, but he could never keep up with her. It seemed like she had been blowing things up before she could even fly, and she always wanted to blow something up.

“Harbinger a word?” Tanya’s voice brought Victor out of his inner nightmare. She walked down the path using her Violin bow to signal the Harbinger to follow.

“I love you Cleo, Caleb make sure she doesn’t eat anybody.”

Caleb grunted and Cleopatra smiled a sweet smile offset by the fact that her teeth were as sharp as Victor’s. They made her face look less like an innocent girl, and more like a dragon getting ready to spit a wall of flames.

Victor followed Tanya a ways before asking,” So to what do I owe the honor of being summoned Tanya?”

“Dadi’s picked a heroine to wield your pirate sword. He thinks you’re going to like her.”

“Oh? Fate must be confident if he thinks I’ll like her. What’s her name?”

“Riath, Riath Raiyanine. She’s a mercenary, trust me she’ll do.”

“I bet,” Victor licked his fangs, and let out a most malicious smile. He’d have to pay this mercenary a visit. 

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The story continues in Chapter 3: Snakes and Centipedes

Click here if you missed Chapter 1: Missiles and Mercenaries