No Place Like Home

A big fat, I told you so, is coming to the world the day Artificially Intelligence begins to rage wars, and Lucifer discovers ways to make this accessible to his plans. The beautiful raven just delivered the second letter of today. Both letters are from different senders, Blair and Ananias, but both express the same feeling about how much they detest handwritten messages and that I don’t have a communicator. Ares, Divine Deity of War, supplies them to all guild members; I refused mine. When I walked away from the Divine War, I had planned for that to be the last time anyone saw me; therefore there was no need to keep a communicator. If Blair and Ananias want to hear from me, they can come to the Fae realm and find me in Thymuqe within Night Court. They know where my mother lives. They have eaten plenty of meals in her kitchen and slept plenty of nights in one of her guest beds. They are always invited to my mother’s house. They also know that if they utter one word about war or the guilds, I will remove them from this home. Or at least, I would try. No, I didn’t spare the time to read those letters. Once I got to the hate about my lack of communication, I already knew what this was about. They need me to come back to the trenches of the In-Between realm. Well, that’s not happening. I am required here in the night court. For many years I have dedicated to the guilds and fighting against Lucifer. I came home to live in peace and take care of my mother. I believe I am owed that in return.

Dark Prince is the nickname Ares gave me while serving the Devil’s Snare Guild. Every warrior within the guilds greatly respected me and my abilities as a Spirit Dragon. The shadows supply eyes and ears for me and serve as a doorway into the shadow realm of limbo. I won’t lie, I use the doorway to move faster through the human and In-Between realm. It’s convent when you’re a spy.

My mother, Nonnie, comes down the stairs from the upper front wearing a sundress and an apron. “Would you like some acorn pie and green poppy corn for dinner, dear?” She asked as she headed for the kitchen.

“Sounds wonderful, Mom, " I muttered, throwing the letters into the fireplace. The less she knows about the war, the better the situation is for her. She’s so proud of everything that I’ve done. She would ignore her own needs to sacrifice my presence with her for the war and guilds. In her time, females of any realm were not permitted to participate in the guilds unless they supplied food and shelter for warriors.

A knock on the door makes me tense as I set the table. At that moment, Mom decides to lean in from the kitchen door and shout at Texton, “Can you get the door?” Giggles escape me as my anxiety rises. The table settings were already finished, so I headed to the front. Knowing full well who was at the door, I slammed the heavy wooden door after I opened it. Blair was standing inside the door with a hand on either side of the door frame and shoved his foot in the door to barricade the entrance. Ananias was standing right behind him, patiently waiting for us to finish our childish games and let them into the house.

“Hey, Nonnie,” Blair hollered through the door and over my shoulder so my mother could hear him. His entire face transforms into wicked delight. Blair is a sin. “What’s cooking? It smells divine,’ he continued as stared into my eyes and licked my nose. Knowing full well that repulsing act would get me to let the door go. Blair and Ananias push their way through and shut the door back to them when my mother walks up to greet them.

“Hello, boys. Your timing is perfect. I just finished cooking mid-meal. Come have a seat,” Nonnie cooed with a smile that reached her eyes as she coaxed them to the washroom. It gives me great joy to watch her smile and do anything for it to remain. As on cue, she turned and said, “You too Text, go wash up.” She turned back to the direction of the kitchen and disappeared.

With her gone, now, a word with those two is much needed. When I reached the washroom. Blair is in only a towel and his black, silver, and purple hair is dripping on the floor. Ananias is sitting on the bench waiting his turn. They might as well be my siblings, sighing and growling, “I take it you didn’t have time to go get cleaned up before coming to aggravate me. Walked right off the battlefield, off to my house. No detours.” Laughing, I lick my lips and continue, “I guess I should feel special.”

“We missed our Dark Prince,” Blair said quickly. Of course, he’s the one to answer. Ananias feels regrets for the reason they have come, that’s why he has spoken a word.

Deciding to challenge him, I asked, “Oh yeah, what else, Blair?”

Ananias got up and removed his leathers to head for the bath. That man was still beautiful. Trolls are not far from being human. Slight discoloration in the skin like green, dark gray, or sometimes black. The bright green eyes and tusk are about the only thing that would give him away. His beautiful chocolate brown wavy hair is longer than usual but you don’t get many grooming options on the battlefield. Solid muscle all the way up, my brain begs me to look away. You would never guess that we used to be lovers with the silent treatment he is giving me. First, he was my father’s best friend until he died, then my mentor. I remember thinking about how much I wanted to be like him. Drove my desire to train and improve my skills. Eventually, we became war buddies after we came across Ares, Blair, and the Devil’s Snare Guild members. One night after ten waves of Lucifer’s army ambushed our convey into the trenches of Widow’s Cliffs. Ananias and I lay among the living and the dead, on a day of devastation and triumph, our bodies became united and our souls encouraged us to live. That was so long ago, I can’t even remember the reason we ended, but I still love to look at him and remember those days.

Completely dry, Blair drops his towel in the hamper and pulls spare leathers out of the bottom cupboard. After he dresses, he turns back to me. “Let’s have a great visit with your mom first then will discuss the issue. I already know what you’re going to say but I still need you to know the damage. Please, old friend, I wouldn’t be here if it was something simple,” he pleads with me and those red and black swirling eyes never leave mine.

“Let’s get through dinner. I believe my mother is leaving for the evening to spend time with a friend,” I said in response.

We make our way into the dining area after Ananias emerges from the bath and dresses. Mother has our plates and glasses already filled to the rim and waiting to be consumed. Happily, we sit and empty our plates. Blair rambles on about his insane techniques for keeping happy warriors. Tutu Tuesday is for Blair’s enjoyment, I don’t care what anyone says and Orgy Friday is definitely for his sick benefit. Damn, Fallen Angel. He’s always bending things to benefit himself.

As Ares’s right hand, no one questions Blair’s loyalty. Though Ares hasn’t regained memory or joined the guild yet, she has been reborn and come of age to join. Can you imagine? Ares, being born female this time around. Blair, of course, has already found her and sent a scout to inform her of the guilds. They inform her that they believe she’s an In-Between creature. It’s best if Ares remembers on her own. Blair will push the boundaries. He always does. Impatient. Sometimes I wonder if it is actually Ares who runs the guilds or if it is Blair, but then there are those moments when I see Blair stare at Ares with such love. I wonder if Ares being born female will change that for him? Looking up at him telling my mother about torturing a Damn-born Orgy fiend that was found terrorizing the east side of the In-Between realm. Damn-born means, born in the realm of The Damned. Lucifer’s realm. The reason the guilds never stop raging wars is because if we did, then the human realm would cease to exist. At least, not in the way the realm does currently. No one would be safe. Blair is like torturing Damn-Born. It’s like spitting into his grandfather’s face every time he plays with his creatures. Blair loves destroying Lucifer’s plans and that’s how I know he is loyal to the guilds. Devil’s Snare is his home, even when Ares is there.

The raven slipped to the open window in the kitchen and dropped a letter in my mother’s lap then slipped back out the window. She picked up the letter and without opening it, she stated, “That’s my cue to head out to Spring Court.” When she stands, she leans in to hug and kiss us all before removing her apron and grabbing her satchel from the hall cupboard. At the door, she turns and says, “I’ll be back before dark. I love you, Text. Behave.”

Blair and Ananias said their goodbyes to my mother then turned back to look at me. Waiting for me to give the go-ahead for them to spill the guild news, I sat there and stared back at them like they were stupid.

Ananias finally speaks first, “We’ve heard from Eason, the necromancer. His spirits have come to him with evidence that Lucifer has been making visits and dealings in the Fae realm. He’s enslaved some of the creatures and we don’t know what for or what areas he is hitting.” Ananias paused and leaned both elbows on the table. “We want you and Nonnie to come to guilds until we get this sorted out. We fear he might get word that the guild’s favorite shadow is home,” he persuaded. Blair is staring at me the whole time waiting for my response so still that you would have thought he was a statue.

“No,” I finally responded. I looked Ananias right in his beautiful green eyes and challenged him to ask me why.

Blair chimed in, “I already guessed as much. That’s why we will have a few assassins stationed outside your house and from now on, they will escort Nonnie to wherever she needs to go. No exceptions.” Blair’s voice was serious. Rare. When it comes to Nonnie, he loves her just as much as he loves his mother. He didn’t care if I wanted to be stupid with my life, he was making sure Nonnie didn’t pay for it.

“Fine, Blair. I just don’t want to uproot her away from home because of this fucking war,” I raised my voice in frustration. Blair was making me out to be selfish. The prick and apparently Ananias agreed with him because not once had he looked me in the eye or spoken to me the whole visit until he asked me to come back. The answer I gave him wasn’t the one he wanted and made his return to the Cold Ass-Hat troll he walked in as. He was denied therefore he was basically now waiting to leave. Standing up from the table, I tell them, “Now that you have what you semi-want, you can take your leave. I do not want you here when I have to break this news to my mother. "

Blair nods and follows suit. Ananias is right behind him. At the door, Blair says “Drink, be Merry, have honor, and live to fight another day, brother.” The guilds’ oath even King Alex swears by it. I nod in response and the door shut behind them. Honestly, they were no bother but I needed to track don’t my mother. With Lucifer visiting the Fae realm, I don’t want to take any chance and I definitely didn’t want them two up my ass while I’m tracking. After gathering some weapons, I head out to Spring Court. If I am lucky Mom will be walking back and we’ll meet in the middle.

Before I could even make it to the trail leading to Spring Court, Lucifer stood before me cloaked in rave feathers. “Texton, long time, how have you been,” he purred as a Cheshire cat grin spread across his face.

Thank goodness, his mother was away. “What do you want Lucifer,” I asked to stall a while so I could figure out a solution to escape him.

His face changed to hurt. “What? Are you not happy to see me? I had a gift for you and everything,” he growled and stalked over to the treeline to pick up what looked like a bag on the ground. No, not a bag. My mother.

“No,” I shouted out at him as he dragged her broken and bruised body toward me.

Lucifer pulls Nonnie up by her dark hair, and says, “Yes, Texton. That is right. I have been hunting for you and what do you know? I became best friends with your mom and waited for a day like today to take what you love most and use it for your services. She is mine unless you swear a bond bargain with me. Then I’ll set her free. Promise.”

I had no choice. In anguish and snarls, I asked again, " What do you want?”

Lucifer’s smile returns. He replies, " I want you to swear loyalty to me and spy on the guilds. I’ll seal the deal with a tattoo on your left hand, that is a direct link to me. Everything you hear, I’ll hear. Deal?”

There is no other way, without him figuring out I’m plotting. I give and agree, “Deal.” I hold out my hand so he can place the tattoo. Once in place, he set my mother free but did nothing for the wounds he caused. “Great. Working with you Texton. Tell Blair, her Grandfather gives his love,” he said in a nasty tone then disappeared and left a thick black smoke in his place.

Blair came out of the treeline. Shocked, I stumble back. He held a finger to his lips. Ananias came in and scooped up Nonnie and took her into the house to give her healing potions. Blair directed me to stay silent using American sign language. Ares taught it to everyone because it was a good way to communicate when we couldn’t talk out loud, plus Ares had been born deaf and mute that lifetime.

Blair signs, " Heard the whole thing. You okay?”

I just nod my head yes. I’m still in shock from what just happened.

Blair signs, “We can build you a place within Overgrown Castle for you and your mother but you’ll have to be excluded from any meetings and never go anywhere near the castle. We don’t know what that bond tattoo is that Lucifer has placed on you and we have to play it safe. Well, figure this out and keep you two safe. Please, come back with us. Do you trust me?” He held his hand out to lead me to my home. I take his hand and let him lead me.

Lost. Today, I began this morning by stating what I am owed from my honor. Now, I end the day sacrificing my honor for what I love.