Page 15 of Suspicions on the Stage
“I’m going in, dickbag!” I yell at the storm dragon before I let the gargoyle and the gorgon take over. It would be foolish to think that I can do the same thing as I did with the firedrake, but fuck if I’m not going to figure out what will work once I get in close enough. Kaspar’s roar of annoyance is followed by a thick stream of electricity that hits the stinky creature right in the face.
At least he gave me some cover—even if it almost hit me in the ass.
The mountain orc isn’t any less smelly as I dart in and land on its shoulder. It might be the grossest fucking thing I’ve ever stood on, but luckily, it also might be the stupidest. He hasn’t even noticed my landing, which tells me that his hide is thicker than it looks from above. Balancing carefully, I walk along the giant asshole’s shoulder to his ear and almost vomit on the spot. It’s not a pretty view and his personal hygiene leaves a lot to be desired. You could make about a hundred disgusting candles with that mess and not run out of wax.
“Let’s see if we can help the assface slow him down until that demon rich kid does his thing,” I mutter to Des. She hisses by my head, then the others join in, letting me know that we’re ready. “Sorry that this is going to taste goddamn awful, ladies. I don’t think this thing has bathed since the Reagan administration.”
Des rears back, waiting until I get within striking distance of the orc’s ear and every one of my snakes lands bites all over the dirty, malodorous ear. I was right about the taste, it seems, because I’ve never heard nor seen snakes sputter before, but mine are making noises like they’re gagging. I whisper my thanks to them as I let my skin harden so I can use the gargoyle’s claws to dig into the orc’s shoulder as he flails a bit.
Gorgon venom makes sarin seem lightweight and it works very quickly.
But I have no idea if I injected enough for a creature of this size from Faerie. Their beings aren’t as reliably affected by poison—hell, no one’s tried with one of these fuckers. So I use the claws on my hands to tear into the damn thing’s neck and ear, tossing pieces of flesh over my shoulder as I continue to injure it asmuch as possible. The stone of my gargoyle form grounds me when Kaspar sends more jolts at the orc, pushing it away from the crowded marketplace so it can’t stomp on all the terrified Fae running around in panic.
“Not too much farther and we can start the actual attacks,” I growl under my breath as the orc stumbles towards the open area at the east end of the encampment. He’s moving to the right spot to take him down and I’m hoping that’s when the damn Prince of Hell is going to unleash. He’s only taunting the thing now, and I have to believe he’s got more up his sleeve than impressive aerial maneuvers.
Darting forward, I use my fangs to rip the earlobe off of the fucker, grinning as he roars in pain. I’m not the biggest dog in this fight, but that doesn’t make me useless. Spitting the foul taste out with a disgusted expression, I realize why Des and the girls were so freaked out. Orcs are not cleanly, nor are they in any way something I’d want to romance. I wonder if the damn thing is angry because he’s pent up. The lady orcs can’t be attracted to this nasty asshole, right?
Suddenly, the surrounding hills get closer than before and that’s when I feel it. A surge of immense power that makes the air around me get tighter and spots appear in front of my eyes.
Fuck, the goddamn Prince is starting his shit without warning anyone—that has to be it.
I let go of the hunks I’ve been ripping out, throwing them as I dip down to squat so I can take off and push out into the sky to get away. A darkness is spreading around the orc that’s taking my breath from my lungs, and I leap into the air, pinning my wings to catch the currents and send me hurtling away from whatever is going on up here at a rapid clip. Coughing as I fly away, I lookup to see the already enormous black dragon getting bigger and the haze spewing from his maw encapsulating the creature like a second skin.
The temperature drops immediately, making me shiver as I maneuver my way to the ground and shift to my less heavy half-shifted form. Once I get steady, I run like the hounds of his realm are after me—and by the look of the shit going down behind me, they might be. Kaspar banks away from the Prince and his prey, heading my way only to dip down and grab my shoulders. I’m about to protest, but he picks up speed, flying us toward the marketplace and out of range for the magic sucking the life out of the entire area where the dragon demon is fighting the Fae creature.
I think Prince Jasper is a fear demon; that would explain the terror quivering through my body like a live wire of emotion.
“What—what the hell?” I gasp, but the dickhead doesn’t answer. He doesn’t in this form, but I still want to know what we’re dealing with. Liam made a preamble deal with that son of a bitch and I’d like to find out what devil we invited into our lives.
When we reach the end of the marketplace, Kaspar sets me down on the ground—none too gently—and then lands himself, making the ground shake. He shifts seamlessly with the grace of supes older than this country, and his clothes appear immediately. I’m not sure how he does that, though I know that he might have a trinket like mine that makes that possible. I squint at the shitty guard who hates me and put my hands on my hips.
“Are you going to answer me?”
He huffs in annoyance, running his hand through his hair. I notice blood running over his cheek, walking over to wipe it away. My hands aren’t exactly clean, but I get the rivulet before it drops onto his shirt. His eyes narrow, but he grunts what might be a ‘thank you’. I roll my eyes and he grabs my hand, holding my wrist as he growls, “The Prince is a fear demon. He comes from a family of demons with occasional hybrids, but no one knows what kind of dragon he is. It’s not shared and I’m not sure there are any like him on the surface.”
That explains a lot, actually.
“So we don’t know what he can or can’t do?”
Kaspar snorts, shaking his head. “We don’t know what any of his people can or can’t do. That royal group—caliphate, as they call it—is like the little family you’re trying to build, but more. It’s a family, a generation of royal court heirs, and a squadron of fighters. They will be forced to compete in the games they mentioned and if they win, it’s likely another war for the throne of Hell will happen.”
I frown at him. “If it stayed below before, why is that a problem?”
“Because whoever put the plans in place to start this has to have been working on it for centuries. And with the uptick in Hand activity, along with the other things the Guardians shared… Does it not seem very convenient that it’s all happening at once, in multiple realms?”
I suck in a breath and let it out slowly as I think. “You believe this is a coordinated effort. Someone or someones very powerful and skilled are sowing seeds of dissent everywhere to cause a meltdown across the realms. That’s…. very devious and extremely difficult to manage.”
“Not if they run it like human terror cells. All they need are specific idiots who are angry to run their own little cells. Once their work is done, they’ll eat each other alive and the true architect will make them disappear—taking their minions under their wing like a fucking supernatural Moriarty.”
Pushing my fingers into my hair, I scrunch them against my skull as I consider how incredibly complex an operation like that would have to be. “According to you guys, they’d need people in all ten realms—even the humans.”
“Yes. We only know of two—Faerie and Hell—at the moment. But if this has been in the works for as long as I assume, the Sisters cannot be unaware. They have to be making their own moves to mitigate something so disastrous. After all, it’s a coup to end all coups—a takeover of every reality from within.”
I look down the alley, noting the big demon, Slade, Ignatius, and Lucas sifting through the rubble of what Liam identified as the Autumn area. “Jackson said he has a friend who saw problems in Faerie. And Channing said her sister’s Guardian group is putting out fires everywhere, even with humans.”
“I should have put that together much earlier,” Kaspar says, his voice tinged with frustration. “I’ve been far too distracted by you and your shenanigans.”
Tilting my head back to look up until I can control my anger at his statement, I sigh again. Once I’m good, I stare at him with a thinly masked fury. “That is your fault, Kaspar. I have tried to let your shit go. Liam has asked and ordered you to back off. Everyone has put up with your nonsense, despite how much it affects the harmony in our group. You’re the only one to blame for your distraction, dragon. Your kind is so damn stubborn, they might as well be descended from fucking donkeys!”
