Page 9 of Anarchy
Ireallymissed the people back at the library.
“I told you, Bram. I can’t rush this. Lilith didn’t create us to have all the answers. You know how this works.”
“Can’t you talk to him? It was your vision that sent me back to the Library of the Profane.”
Anod sighed.
“I have. I think he knows the people at the library aren’t bad, but we can’t trust anyone at this point. We don’t know who all is involved. I know they are your friends and tried to help. I think they will in the future. You just need to be patient.”
“Bram! I need you!” Talvath yelled from his office.
I jogged over and let myself in. Talvath was sitting at his desk behind a mountain of paper and glaring at his laptop.
“Yes?”
“Bram, I was so weak while they held me captive, I could barely keep my eyes open. Do you remember anything about what you saw when you were breaking me out?”
This was my chance. We hadn’t really talked about any of this yet. He didn’t know how much my friends had contributed to getting him out.
“There were sigils literally all over the shipping container. I killed the shifter guarding the door, but I got sick as soon as I got inside. There was a witch, two warlocks, a vampire, and a god with me. Between them, they burned the sigils off the walls, and I could continue. When we got further in, a revenant confronted us. I tried to kill it, and it threw me in the containment field with you.
“It knocked me out after that, but they told me what happened. Reyson, the god, ripped its head off and Gabriel, the warlock, knew a spell to kill it. Reyson used his magic to get rid of the containment spell, and they got us out of there. Gabriel knows a lot about magical paintings, so they took the one from the shipping container because they thought it had Dorian’s soul in it. If it had wards to weaken us, they wouldn’t have known. They’ve been trying to stop Dorian and Silvaria since they tricked Ripley into raising Reyson.”
Talvath snorted.
“They aren’t going to find Dorian’s painting like that. Back then, cameras didn’t exist. It was popular to wear a locket with a tiny portrait of a loved one painted inside it around your neck.Thatis where the real painting of Dorian Gray resides, though I would imagine he’s had time to make several decoys. Destroy that painting, and you destroy Dorian Gray. His deal seemed stupid and harmless when I made it.”
I scratched my stubble. I really needed to shave. How could I get that information to the gang at the library?
“If you let me go back, I can tell them. Then, we can work together to get Dorian.”
“No, Bram. You’ve always been like a son to me, and Earth is now compromised. I won’t send you back there knowing Dorian has the means to hurt you.”
“Then what is your plan? Everyone in Hell is in danger. The Library of the Profane has a god there who wants to help. We should use that.”
“Not just yet. We need to figure out who is behind this. I have a lot of enemies, and honestly, you’re in danger too.”
“How? You’ve always treated me well, but to everyone else, I’m just your pet.”
Talvath sighed. He looked old and tired.
“I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told you before, Bram. You’re my first Hellhound. I’ve found the practice of owning them and the way they are treated quite barbaric. I’m a part of a growing movement in Hell to change that. I’m the most vocal and most prominent member.
“I started putting out feelers and campaigning to get this changed, but the strongest voices against me claimed I didn’t know what I was talking about because I had never owned a Hellhound. They said as soon as I did, I’d change my mind. They said you were all violent, ignorant creatures that needed to be beaten into submission, or they would kill everyone in Hell.”
“So, you bought me to prove them wrong. Why haven’t you asked me to help until now?”
I would have. I would have gotten up in front of all those influential demons and acted like a performing monkey if it meant things were different for my people.
“Because I didn’t want you to think I was using you. And I knew what would happen if I did. They would be completely terrible to you. They would try everything they could to get you to shift in front of them so they could say that even Hellhounds given every advantage in life were dangerous. I couldn’t do that to you.”
I could have dealt with it if it meant changing things in Hell. We weren’t savages. I wouldn’t shift and kill some rich demon politicians because they were mean to me. I knew how to use my words like a big boy.
“We’ll talk about presenting me later. Was someone angry enough about what you were trying to do with Hellhounds to damn all of Hell by giving those sigils out?”
Talvath mopped his hand over his goatee and sighed.
“It could have been one of my own people. Some of the people in the movement are like zealots. There was a woman. We were lovers, and I thought we might eventually marry one day. You probably don’t remember her, but she was around a lot when you were a pup. Ingren was the one who suggested I buy a Hellhound to raise to prove them wrong.
