Iris Harper

The Offering

It was night. Kaiyu stood on a roof, overlooking the almost silent city, and sniffed the air, trying to pick up the scent of her quarry where she had lost it the night before. She was hunting again. And she was sore.

In fact, she reflected as she rubbed her shoulder, “sore” was an understatement. It failed to describe the way her shoulders screamed bloody murder at every movement; the way her knees felt rubbery and insecure, but also managed to crackle ominously as she dared to bend them; the way her very bones seemed filled with a dull ache. Of course, the fact that many of them had been broken, sliced, and shattered multiple times over the past week could explain that.

Kaiyu still hunted the angel Ezariel every night. Now, though, she also trained for a few hours every morning. Eir was tough, uncompromising, tenacious and almost gleeful to inflict extreme amounts of punishment upon her pupil. She did not pull her punches, she did not restrain her slashes and stabs, she did not, in fact, do anything short of fight to the death. Were she a human, Kaiyu would have been dead countless times. But even alive, she knew now what dying felt like. She was intimately acquainted with the feeling of cold steel in her stomach, she was familiar with how it felt to lose a limb to the blade, she had experienced the discomfort of having her jugular sliced and her blood filling with air bubbles. The valkyrie did not spare her pupil any lesson of combat, and the punishment for not being good enough was almost, but not quite, what it would be if she failed out there: death.

When Kaiyu could fight no more, when her life was bleeding out of her and her vision started to fade, she would see Eir kneel next to her and know she would scream this time. The valkyrie would dip her fingers in the warm, sticky blood of her pupil, smile at Kaiyu’s crimson-spattered face, and sing. The song was beautiful and it never repeated itself. But the theme was always the same: life and death, heroic battles and sacrifice, and Valhalla. There was always Valhalla.

Warm light enveloped Eir as she sang, soaked her body like the blood coated Kaiyu’s fur and when the two touched, Kaiyu screamed. The pain, the agony was something she lacked words to describe. It was as if someone tried to cut away her muscles, as if she were boiled in metal, as if she were frozen to her core, but still awake to feel it. She screamed until there was no breath left in her lungs, and then she kept screaming, silently, in her head.

Eir had not warned her what would happen the first time. Only later did she deign to enlighten the demoness that there was a price to be paid for magic, that if one forced the body beyond what it was ready to accept, it would exact its revenge. And its revenge was the pain, the agony of muscles that did not want to mend, of bones that did not want to knit back together, of punctured lungs that did not want to breathe and heart that wanted its final rest. There was a price to pay for life, and Kaiyu would pay it, every day, until she managed to defeat her teacher.

If Kaiyu had had any doubts that Eir could teach her, she had lost them after the first lesson. Eir the Merciful had no motherly gentleness for her pupil, and no hesitation. She would forge her into someone who could win, or kill her herself. Kaiyu understood.

Kaiyu rolled her stiff shoulders and narrowed her eyes, looking over the sleeping expanse of the city. Of course, Eir was also making her pay the price of her apprenticeship. And that first price was, to Kaiyu, a much less comfortable matter. She wrinkled her nose in distaste, remembering their talks, and the reverie almost made her miss the movement. She hissed and sprang into motion.

The angel rose about a mile away, a mere shadow in the cityscape but for the huge, snow-white wings that called to Kaiyu like a beacon. Prey, her blood sang, and she homed on him and ran, her feet barely touching the dew-slicked roof, a blur of silent death. But the angel somehow seemed to sense the danger behind him, because he paused and looked back. His shoulders tensed, his wings flapped his surprise and he launched into motion as well. The angel leaped off the building, a shadow in tattered clothes and with huge, slightly misshapen wings which flapped once to aid his passage across the gap. Kaiyu's eyes were focused on him, following every move of her prey.

He skidded across the shingles of the next roof and lost his balance, almost toppling over the edge. His wings beat the air noisily, too noisily, as he plummeted towards the ground and struggled to regain height. Kaiyu's blood sang in the thrill of the hunt, in triumph, as she narrowed the distance between them, but her mind watched, and wondered. Why didn't he take to the skies to avoid her? His flight seemed clumsy, belaboured, and he barely managed to gain the opposite roof. Kaiyu had halved the gap between them by the time he did, and as he turned to look at his death behind him, she could see his eyes and the dark emotion in them. Not fear, she realised with some surprise. Something else, something edgier.

Kaiyu discarded the thought as her fingers slipped her around the now much more familiar pommel of the Kefara at her hip. Finally, they would meet, and this would end.

A screech to her left made her turn her head sharply and hiss. Another shadow glided over the abyss between two buildings, a figure with stinted wings and the piercing croak of a hunting raven. Valac! Kaiyu's eyes flicked to Ezariel, who had redoubled his efforts to speed away from the double threat. So close! Snarling a demonic curse, Kaiyu banked left and leaped. Her muscles bunched as she pushed for speed. Her bones and tendons, raw from Eir's attention, screamed in pain as she vaulted over obstacles and leaped over empty air, her eyes now focused on a new quarry. He would not steal her prey. This was her hunt, and her skin hung in its balance. And the Raven just may have screeched his last.

Valac was so focused on the white wings fluttering in the distance that he only noticed the real danger as Kaiyu landed all but on top of him, on the roof where she had first spotted Ezariel. The scent of the angel, of her escaping prey, so fresh, so close, assaulted her nostrils and inflamed her blood. She snarled, a vicious sound, and launched herself at the demon, four claws extended. He half twisted, half fell, trying to turn mid-stride to meet her onslaught when her nails buried in his left side, scraping past ribs and piercing his lung. With a quick move she twisted her claws in the demon and ripped his side open. He screamed then, a wheezing, piercing shriek of bird panic and Kaiyu snarled, her eyes flashing death. She swung her arm up and around, trying to grapple his neck but he blocked her and twisted away, bleeding profusely.

"What the Hell are you doing?" his voice was barely understandable, a step up from the croak of a raven. "We are a team!"

"No, we are not." Kaiyu snarled as she kicked out, a roundhouse kick at his tender ribs that Valac only barely dodged. "This is my prey. This," she blocked his swipe at her throat and grasped his hand, twisting it till he almost kneeled and then launching a vicious kick at his spine that made something crunch, "is my hunt."

As she released his arm and he started to fall forward, she grasped his head and twisted once, sharp. His spine crunched again and he was still. She let him go then and he dropped, heavy and listless, on the roof. Kaiyu looked down at Valac and prodded him with her foot, still sporting a set of razor-sharp claws. The new rivulets of blood licking down his feathers were barely noticeable against the mess of the broken body. He was not dead. It took more than a ripped-out lung and broken spine to kill a demon. But he was out. And he would stay out for a few hours, she imagined, until his nerves managed to reconnect and his brain resumed control.

As the adrenaline faded, Kaiyu felt her body begin to throb. Valac had not managed to hurt her, not seriously, but she was too raw, too stiff from the fighting sessions with Eir, her not-so-tender healing, and the speed-chase across the rooftops, and this short, brutal skirmish had cost her. She groaned and rolled her shoulders, then narrowed her eyes as something poking out of Valac's knife belt snagged her gaze.

Kaiyu bent down and pulled out a stack of sheets. The scent of the angel, even sharper and more potent, filled her nostrils. She opened the papers, and saw his writing, unmistakable in its elegant flourish. The demoness stared down at Valac then, and hissed through clenched teeth, "And those are my clues. By Lucifer, I want one good reason why not to kill you."

Unfortunately, she had one. The treaties. He was an immortal and she liked her skin too much. It was enough she was supposed to kill the angel.

The angel! She spun around, sharp yellow eyes scanned the horizon...and met a pair of amber ones, observing her. The angel, Ezariel, was standing on the ledge of a rooftop, facing her. He was about half a mile away, too far for mortal eyes to see details, but Kaiyu was no mortal. She took in the tall, lean figure dressed in the tatters of what looked like a formal suit, huge white wings folded behind his back. Short dark hair framed an elegant, pale face with high cheekbones and a straight nose. His hair whipped into his eyes as the wind tossed it around. But his eyes were what held Kaiyu's gaze, those amber pools of calm that had her momentarily mesmerised. He was looking back at his hunter, at his death, but not with the eyes of a prey. He watched her as she watched him, and she saw no fear in his eyes, no hate or panic. She saw determination, and peace, and something else...something she could not quite grasp.

Ezariel suddenly unfurled his wings, like two white flags spread taut by the wind, and the flash of brightness had Kaiyu snapping back to reality. He was her prey. She had to catch him, to kill him and end this. She took a step forward, and stumbled. Her muscles contracted violently as she moved, her bones filled with white hot agony and she almost collapsed. Kaiyu halted, a hiss rippling out of her throat. She would not give a chase now. And somehow the angel knew that, was aware that, for the moment, he was safe. She saw it in his eyes.

So she could do nothing but watch as Ezariel reached up and plucked a couple of long feathers from his wings. His brows furrowed in pain as he pulled them out, and drops of blood dappled them as he withdrew his hand, but his eyes never left hers. He ripped a length of fabric from his already ruined suit, and tied the feathers with it, then slowly bent down and placed the bundle on the roof, like an offering. And he smiled. It was unlike any smile Kaiyu had seen before. It was not sneering, or challenging, or gloating, but a slow, tender, self-assured expression that mellowed his features and transformed his tattered figure into something...else.

As Kaiyu stared, confused and frustrated, Ezariel turned his back on her, and slowly walked away.

The Deal

Kaiyu leaped and tumbled over a couch, putting the obstacle between her and the oncoming valkyrie. The woman spun and crouched, watching the demon's head poking over the couch, ears pressed flat in distress. The sword felt clumsy and unwieldy in Kaiyu's hand, but the self-proclaimed merciful Eir seemed to not have this issue. She held the piece of balanced, cold metal as if it were an extension of her arm, one that looked no less deadly or beautiful than the rest of her body. A warrior.

Eir. Where had Kaiyu heard this name before? Where could she have heard any valkyrie's name before? She remembered. Eir, Brynhildr’s Lieutenant. Eir, who led the crippled valkyries out of heaven. Eir, who had spilled blood and taken life before demons even existed. That Eir. A sinking feeling informed Kaiyu she was as good as dead.

A smirk tugged at the woman's lips, as if she could hear Kaiyu's thoughts. Zaebos had tucked himself away in the corner, and his eyes, big and startled, gave away his own surprise, and perhaps fright. He had led Kaiyu into a trap, but she could see he had not done it wittingly. He trusted this woman?

Kaiyu watched Eir as she uncoiled, still smiling, eyes glittering.

"Will your kitty not play with me, Zaebos, old man? I do not enjoy slaying without a fight, but ah...has been too long...too long..." She clucked her tongue, eyes raking Kaiyu with scorn. "Easy prey would be better than no prey, I would say."

A low hiss escaped Kaiyu's lips. The nature of the wild cat in her genes coiled, and poured fire into her bones. She was a demon and a cat. She was not prey and was tired of being at the mercy of those that deemed themselves powerful. Claws pushed out of the fingers of her left hand and her feet, she bunched up her muscles, ready for a spring. She growled then, a growl of challenge, and frustration, of yellow eyes flaring in the underbrush and the wild blood of half her ancestry.

Eir laughed, delighted, "Ah, that is much better!"

And she sprang again. Within a moment she was over the couch and on Kaiyu, her sword flashing in a downward arc meant to halve her opponent. But the demoness rolled away and the blade cut only air. Kaiyu came up in a crouch and just in time to duck under a slash at her head. As Eir spun and tried to kick Kaiyu's midriff, the demoness grabbed the foot and guided it past on its own inertia, hoping to destabilise the valkyrie. But she just laughed and spun as if dancing, to land firmly on her feet and stab at Kaiyu again.

The demoness was clearly outmatched in experience and strength, she had no illusions. But she still had one slight edge-speed. As Eir slashed and stabbed, powerfully and fast, Kaiyu focused on not being where the blows were meant to land, or, when that failed, meeting Eir’s sword them with her unstable, but very much steel, blade. The room rang with the clash of blades and Eir's laughter as she slowly pushed Kaiyu back, step by step.

Cuts bloomed all over the demoness's body, soaking her fur in bright red blood before sealing, her regeneration boosted by adrenaline and determination. Eir's skin remained unblemished, and she fought with discomforting ease and without breaking a sweat. Now that Kaiyu was well engaged into the fight, the valkyrie fought with less intensity and more grace, like a fencer. Her free hand was tucked behind her back, and she used the short sword with finesse and speed, as if it were a rapier. There was something odd in the way her body was perfectly poised and controlled, her balance exquisite, yet she kept laughing, and the gleam in her eyes sent chills down Kaiyu's spine.

She had no time to realise when the valkyrie stopped playing. One second she was dodging and blocking the laughing warrior woman, then suddenly her blade flew across the room and shattered with a resounding crash against a wall. Next thing she knew, Kaiyu was on the floor with Eir's face a breath away from hers, and a sharp blade on her neck.

"Ready to die, kitty?"

"Only... if I take you with me."

Eir blinked and Kaiyu flexed her claws, pressed against the valkyrie's stomach. Warm blood welled over her nails as they broke the skin. Eir raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed and stood up. The demoness looked up at her proffered hand with suspicion, then took it. The valkyrie made no comment on the fact Kaiyu’s claws were still out and shredding her skin as she pulled the demoness up, then stepped back.

"I like your spirit. You are untrained and fight like something caught from the jungle. The way you handle the sword makes me cringe. But you have speed, desire to live and you learn quickly. You managed to draw blood. That is more than I expected. I can work with that." She turned to look at Zaebos, who was pressed against one wall and looked ashen-faced twice over. "Your kitty might just make it, old man."

Eir seemed to notice Zaebos's state then, because she tilted her head and appraised him for a few long moments, before walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder. A softer, almost motherly smile gentled her features.

"Come now, Zaebos. You knew I would test her. I grant you, I did not tell you how seriously, but...I needed to be sure." She patted his shoulder "Come now. Let's sit on the couch."

The valkyrie tucked her hand under the old demon's arm and guided him towards the couch. Kaiyu followed a few paces behind, her body outwardly relaxed, but her claws were still out and her eyes trained on Eir, ready to spring at any sharp movement.

"You can relax, kitty." Eir helped Zaebos sit down and slipped in the couch next to him, patting his knee amiably. "I am done testing you. You passed."

"I would much rather you don't call me that. And does this mean you will train me?"

Eir turned an appraising look up at Kaiyu, then nodded. "I will stop calling you that when you win it. And yes. I will train you. However, it will not be for free."

Kaiyu felt oddly comforted by that. In her world, nothing, not even death, came for free. The greed made this woman more familiar than anything else she had done till this moment.

The demoness raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, watching Eir with expectation. The valkyrie smiled slightly.

"Why...you will be my best friend, kitty."

Kaiyu realised her mouth hung open, closed it with a decisive click of teeth and hissed, "What?"

Eir chuckled "Surprised? Well, kitty, you would have not been my first pick either, I assure you, but I am nothing if not practical. And I have been here for a long time. A very long time. And I am not allowed many visitors, as you can imagine..." Her gaze darkened as she continued. "Oh, no... not many at all. In fact... How long was it Zaebos? Several decades after I was closed off here before you were allowed to actually check on me? My voice, when I found it, sounded like broken glass..." As suddenly as the dark mood hit her, it left and she smiled at the demoness brightly. "Old Zaebos does visit me regularly now, the sweetheart. But he does not get out much. Well-meaning as he is, he can be very boring company." She squeezed the old demon's knee, and he gave her a weak smile. "Also, I need to spar. I have not sparred with anything but a wooden dummy for so long, I am rusty! So...you, kitty, are my new best friend. Also, my eyes and ears. And my new training dummy."

"Great..." Kaiyu muttered.

"That," Eir continued, "will be the first part of the price." Her smile changed then, got edged and calculating.

Kaiyu's hackles rose. "And the second part?"

"You will know when it is time." Eir's eyes sparkled.

The Teacher

A week more of fruitless pursuit. Kaiyu was a patient tracker, a deadly and tenacious hunter, but she was getting frustrated. The angel was leading her on a merry chase, and Valac was stuck to her like tar and about as helpful. He confused the scents, tried to get ahead of her so she was forced to backtrack and go in circles to try to elude him, and he had tried to jump her three more times in the past week. Two times were short, brutal and bloody; the third she pushed him off a roof and watched him flip, spread his wings and glide away, screeching in triumph. He aimed for her to fail, or, barring that, he aimed for her to be forced to cooperate. Either way, Ezariel would be delivered in Eve’s hands, and Kaiyu's survival was less than guaranteed. Kaiyu's fingers itched and strayed towards the Kefara at her hip every time she picked up Valac's scent, but no. She could not kill another demon with this blade. That would be an even surer way of signing her own death sentence.

Besides, when it came down to it, she was much better with her claws than with the blade. Sure, it would end a life with one good thrust while to finish off an immortal with her claws she would need to dismember him to small pieces. But unless the target was immobile, and preferably unconscious, she could not trust herself to hit the mark at all with the unwieldy piece of metal and magic. And pulling out the blade only to somehow have it hinder her, or worse, to lose it to Valac, would definitely not improve her life expectancy.

Kaiyu stashed the blade in her hiding place in the deserted part of the Catacombs, and sighed. This task was proving trickier than she had anticipated, and Caim was losing patience. She had seen his Shades stalking her in the catacombs, cold and watchful, not yet bearing a summons, but she knew that would come soon, too. And if she had nothing better to report than a few fast-fading bruises, tired feet and empty hands, she would be in trouble.

She could, of course, report Eve's involvement to Caim, but that would be a whole new can of worms, and one that did not promise survival either. Eve did not treat lightly those who stymied her plans, and Kaiyu supposed the only reason she lived was that, for some reason, the succubus seemed to put enough worth on recruiting her to be willing to delay. Caim, on the other hand, could well choose to throw away the evidence of his opposition to his demonic mother, if he was reasonably sure she was not yet aware of his involvement. And the evidence, it so happened, consisted of a mid-ranking huntress and a blade. Or, he might decide to oppose Eve, throwing Kaiyu squarely in the jaws of an enemy who would crush her without even taking notice, and cause a war in Hell. Alternatively, Kaiyu could choose to ally with Eve, who would use her to play her hand and then likely discard her, because any evidence of her involvement with the fate of this so-prized angel would invoke dire consequences. And even Eve had one person in Hell she feared.

All in all, there seemed to be a lot of creative choices of death in Kaiyu's path. And all this, for an angel. It made no sense. Something crucial was missing in the picture.

A shadow shifted. Kaiyu moved with fluid grace, her body running ahead of her thoughts. Her claws slid out of her fingertips as she ducked to avoid a blow that did not come, her legs tensing in the crouch. She launched herself at the shadow that seemed to make a sound, but a second later it was slammed by one hundred forty pounds of fury, tension and claws. Her claws dug into a neck, her eyes flared, her free arm pulled back and struck out, aiming to gut the stomach of her opponent and pull his innards out, a first step of dismembering an immortal in ideal circumstances. Her nails pierced the skin of his stomach before her mind caught up with her frustration.

Zaebos gurgled at her. She stared, eyes cold and narrowed to slits. Blood seeped from his wounds, trickling over her fingers. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but her hand crushed his windpipe in a vice grip of steel and bladed claws, and only a strangled croak came out. His crocodile head, equipped with big sharp teeth, was crushed between the wall and his human one. The jaw had opened grotesquely under the pressure of her push, and was oozing saliva. He looked pathetic.

Kaiyu released him, stepped back and closed her eyes. A heavy thump told her he had collapsed on the floor. He wheezed, trying to regain his breath. His lungs whistled, like dying bagpipes.

Zaebos was an old demon, and he had spent centuries in the Pits. What she had seen of them in her visit was not the real deal and she knew it. The top three levels were for the small-time transgressors, those who spent no more than a few decades in custody for some minor crime. They were clean and easy, almost an ordinary prison. It was the lower levels that were the reason the Pits deserved their name. And as a caretaker of the Pits he was also subject to one of their vile punishments. If Zaebos were a normal man, he would have died within a year from the noxious fumes.  For centuries now, his regeneration had been fighting a vicious battle with lung cancer and blood poisoning, and winning by a hair. His regenerative powers barely managed to keep him alive. If she had gutted him, he would have died.

She opened her eyes, and met his careful red stare. They said nothing. There was nothing to say.

Zaebos pushed himself off the floor with a painstaking creak of joints, and rubbed at his throat, wiping the blood oozing from five long slashes, four on one side of his neck, shallow, and one on the other, deeper. With his taxed body they would take forever to close. Kaiyu watched, making no move to aid him.

The old demon took a deep breath and spoke. "I was waiting for you. There is someone I would like you to meet."

Kaiyu nodded. Zaebos turned and walked slowly, with a rather pronounced limp, in the direction of the inner Catacombs. Kaiyu followed, a quiet shadow in his noisy, rasping wake. They walked in silence for a few minutes, following the most direct path to the Pits. Two brutes still stood guard there, although whether they were the same two, Kaiyu could not say for sure. They made no move to intercept the pair as Zaebos unlocked the massive door and stepped inside, Kaiyu in tow. He closed the door behind them and turned sharply left, to a cell door that looked no different from all the others. Instead of a cell, however, it revealed a broad but rough staircase winding down. A row of glow-orbs floated around the walls of the entryway, mingling their ghostly light into a queer dance of shadows and flickers. Zaebos reached towards one and it glided to his hand, as if attached by an invisible thread. Kaiyu did the same and they started their descent.

The stairs went down deep. At every level there was a small platform and a heavy door, but there was not even a barred window to offer a glimpse at what was beyond. Kaiyu did not need her eyes to guess when they passed into the Pits proper, however. The air gained a sharp, acrid smell and her tongue tried to automatically recoil from the taste that assaulted her, even through her nostrils. It was sharp, sour and bitter at the same time, and with an aftertaste of sweet decay and almonds. She held her breath without deciding to. One taste had been enough for her lungs to recognise the danger. They passed ten platforms before the acrid tang of the air dissipated and Kaiyu began to breathe again. They were below even the Pits now, and kept descending. She said nothing and asked nothing, but within herself, she was coiled like a spring, ready to fight. Whoever was in these levels, they could be no good news.

At last, Zaebos stopped before a door. It was no different from any other, not remarkable in any way except the fact it was seven levels below the deepest pit. Kaiyu stood behind him and waited as he fiddled with his massive bunch of keys, outwardly relaxed but inwardly tensed like a bowstring. Her knees bent a bit as the door swung open, ready to launch her into a leap of attack at the first sign of trouble. The small room wafted a puff of dust at her. Kaiyu unclenched, looked around, and stepped inside after Zaebos.

There was a small rough table in the room, a long, leather-wrapped object on the table, a second door, and nothing else. Zaebos stepped toward the small table, picked up the bundle and tossed it to her. Without a comment Kaiyu caught it and unwrapped it, revealing a blade of a basic design, a short sword not so dissimilar from the Kefara blade she had stashed above, except that it was pure and simple steel. Kaiyu weighed it, her muscles informing her of its perfect balance, and then looked at the old demon, eyes hard.

"I do not need a blade. I have barely any skill in using one," she finally said, when the silence between them had stretched to the point of snapping.

The old demon exhaled, as if in relief. His gaze then steeled, and he shook his head. "You and I both know that. We also both know you have been given a Kefara blade. Don't give me an indignant expression now, or try to deny. I have lived too long to believe you would be sent to hunt and kill an immortal with no weapon but your claws."

Kaiyu considered his words for a few moments, then nodded.

"Good. Well, the type of blade was a wild guess, but it had to be small enough to not impair your mobility too much and also not be too flashy. That took halberd, spear and all kinds of big swords out of the question, and besides, you are a cat. You rely on speed, not brute strength. And there are few enough of those types of weapons that one gone missing would be noticed. But there is a rather larger storage of Kefara short swords kept in the Armoury. So, my guess was a short sword."

He looked at her for confirmation, and she nodded. Zaebos sighed. "Well... you are also no good with it, we both know that too. And in the shit you are, you will need every ounce of help you can get. So you need to learn to use the blade."

Kaiyu's brows furrowed. "Are you planning to teach me?"

Zaebos laughed, a short, bitter laugh. "Once I could have, but you are a millennium too late for the time I pranced about with blades or claws. No. But I have found someone who might."

"Might?"

"Might."

Kaiyu considered and then nodded a third time. There would be a challenge and she would be tested, that much was clear. It also was obvious it could be a trap, or very dangerous even if it was not an outward trap, but in truth, she had no choice. If she had any chance of survival, it was in the edge this deadly blade gave her. She had to learn, and Zaebos was dangling the bait of a teacher. A cat could never resist a shiny bait.

"Very well."

Zaebos stepped towards the second door, picked out a large black key from his chain, and slid it in the lock. The key turned softly and the door swung open almost of its own accord, on well-oiled hinges. Kaiyu tensed and stepped inside after the figure of Zaebos, who promptly pushed the door to shut, and stepped aside. Kaiyu took in the view.

It was a room, almost the size of a small ballroom and even more luxurious. Kaiyu took in a huge library covering the whole right wall, with reading tables and chairs in front; a mantelpiece with merrily burning fire and couches arranged in a comfortable circle around a low coffee table of dark wood in the far right corner; a huge bed draped in silk and with satin sheets towered at the wall directly opposite the door, and to its left there was an area draped off in gauzy curtains, through which she glimpsed colourful cushions. The whole floor was covered in heavy carpets which looked so thick as to have feet get lost in them. If this were a prison, Kaiyu thought in the split second it took her to absorb the scene, it was a gilded one. And so was its prisoner.

A woman stood directly in front of her, in a wide space free of carpet and furniture. She was tall, and breathtakingly beautiful. Sapphire blue eyes looked out of a pale face the colour of fresh milk, with a few dainty freckles around a straight nose and over high cheekbones. Her lips were full, pale pink and curved in a slight smile that made Kaiyu's hackles rise. Two long braids of honey blonde hair hung down to her thighs, like a gilt frame around an exquisite painting of some goddess of beauty and war. Her body was firm, tightly muscled and completely naked, and it glowed in the dimness, as if a pale gold light was emanating from within her. The only things to mar her absolute beauty were the two angry red stumps that bulged on her shoulders. In her hands, she held a sword.

"Good morrow to you," she said in a soft, lilting voice laced with command. "My name is Eir the Merciful."

Then she sprang.

The Pits

It took Kaiyu some considerable time to make her way from the outskirts of the Catacombs to the halls proper. She had came to the tunnels through one of the fringe entrances, a passage half-collapsed in neglect and stinking of brackish water, sewage and mold. There were many reasons why demons avoided those parts of the catacombs, beyond the simple fact they had long fallen into disuse and disrepair. It was eye-stingingly unpleasant to make one's way through those remote locations, overrun by the detritus and muck of the city, especially if one had the superior senses of the immortals. Kaiyu could almost taste the dirt and the rat droppings dissolving in the water, the green fluorescent mold on the walls, and the half-rotted corpses of rats, and cats, and mushrooms alike. It was horrible. It was perfect.

She found a dry niche in one of the side corridors, high up and likely to have been designed with the idea of holding glow-orbs. It would do. She wrapped the sword and crumpled letter in a length of canvas that some car owner would miss in the morning, and stuck them into the hole. The canvas was grey and dusty, spotted with wear and the whims of the weather and countless pigeons. Taking a few steps back, even Kaiyu's eyes slid over the spot where her secrets were stashed. But it was the distasteful nature of those remote locations that made them an ideal hiding spot above and beyond her skills in camouflage. No one who had no great reason would ever venture here. She counted the paces to the mouth of the side corridor, looked around for any trails she might have left, and, satisfied, walked away.

She walked slowly, her broken toe and severed tendon shooting tendrils of pain up her leg with each movement. Still, the pain was a relief, in a peculiar fashion. Demons were not spared the itching associated with flesh knitting itself back together. Instead, they got all the itching of weeks in the space of hours.

As she made her way to the more respectable parts of the catacombs, Kaiyu thought on her encounter with Valac, on the contents of the angel's letter and on the dangerous contest of power to which she had become a hostage. Her feet carried her, limping, towards the Pits, almost before she had fully decided that she needed Zaebos's experience and advice to begin to disentangle the mystery of this situation. She did not trust the old demon, of course, but she trusted him more than any other creature in Hell. She trusted him not to get overly involved in this game of power that looked nothing if not deadly. He had not lived as long as he had by being stupid. And stupidity could get them both killed.

Kaiyu snapped out of her reverie as the two Wardens posted at the entrance of the Pits moved to block her path. She looked up, meeting their stoic and dull gazes. Her claws pushed out of her tensed fingertips and a growl built up in the back of her throat. She had had quite enough of demons thwarting her tonight, and these two grunts didn't have the rank, or the right, to stop her. They could, however, just provoke her into doing something she would later regret. Oh sure, brute force was on their side, but even wounded she was much faster and more agile. She would not kill them-of course not-but a lesson in respect and rank.... Kaiyu shook her head, trying to push away the thought.

"Oh, step away, you hulking fools, step away! Let her pass. Don't you see she is about in the mood to rip out your throats? Step away, I said!" The voice was wheezy and impatient.

The two guards remained in place for a few more seconds, then reluctantly stepped aside. Kaiyu gave them a long, cold stare, feeling peculiarly disappointed at the easy resolution, then stepped past them and into the Pits.

Few demons ever came into the Pits willingly, Zaebos probably being the only exception. Decades ago there had been regular inspections, but the old demon had been running the place for so long no one bothered anymore. The name itself was a bit of a misnomer. There were no pits in the Pits, no bubbling cauldrons of tar and demons with tridents nudging their fellows towards redemption: In fact, it was a rather orderly and clean prison. The floors were swept clean, the doors looked to be in good repair and incredibly massive, as they had to be, since the occupants of those cells were not mere mortals.

Kaiyu’s sharp hearing picked up shallow, quick breathing from behind one door, clink of chains from another, and some wet, sucking sound from behind a third.

"Seven Hells, girl, you smell like you waded through the sewers. And look like you fought the world's biggest rat. What in the name of the Betrayer happened to you?"

"It was the world's biggest Raven, in fact..." Kaiyu's voice was matter-of-fact, her eyes focusing back on the old demon. His crocodile head snapped its jaws in surprise, and the human one tilted and studied her. He turned then, and wobbled quickly down the corridor "Come. I have a bucket of clean water in my office. Was for the floors, but you need it more."

Kaiyu followed him, still limping, nose wrinkling at the mere idea of water. It was true she smelled seven kinds of foul, the stink of the sewers clinging to her flesh like a shroud, but taking a bath tonight? She hissed involuntarily.

The heavy door of black wood at the end of the corridor was slightly ajar and Zaebos pushed it open with one impatient move and stepped in. The open doorway revealed a messy office with piles of teetering paper shoved against walls and under desks to open up enough space for one brimming bucket of water in the centre of the room. A mop was lying next to it, as if carelessly dropped, and some water had spilled out of the bucket and formed a clear puddle on the floor. Zaebos clearly had been heading to mop the floors when Kaiyu's arrival interrupted him. He picked up the mop and started sweeping at the puddle with furious efficiency.

"The niche back there. You can take the bucket and clean yourself up. Seriously, girl...you reek."

Kaiyu moved in and picked up the bucket. As she lifted it her wounded side and shattered toe gave a sharp painful protest, and she staggered a bit, sloshing water over the floor and her feet. Her hackles rose and she hissed. Zaebos rested on his mop a moment, studying her, and chuckled.

"The cat is strong tonight. Someone has really pissed you off, eh, kitten? Well, go settle your temper and wash...and then you can tell me all about it."

Kaiyu shot him a murderous look, then steadied the bucket in her hand and moved towards the side niche that Zaebos had indicated. There was not much of a division between the room and what seemed to be the shower, just a bump in the floor to contain the water and a drain in the middle. The small room itself had absolutely nothing to distinguish it, apart from a stand with a bar of rough soap on it. Demons kept to the basic precepts of hygiene, but no more so than necessary.

It took Kaiyu fifteen minutes to stop hissing at every touch of water. When she could finally tolerate the offensive liquid, she washed herself up quickly, scrubbing vigorously with the bar of soap and finally sloshing the rest of the bucket over her head. That caused a snarl to escape her lips, and she shook herself, sending water-droplets flying towards the walls, and even some outside to the main office, to the accompaniment of angry muttering and vigorous mopping from Zaebos. Kaiyu sighed and left the bucket on the floor, noting how bending no longer caused her as much pain as it did a mere hour ago. The crack in her ribs seemed close to mended, which meant it was almost dawn.

As she walked out of the bath niche, Zaebos looked up at her a bit sourly. "You could have saved this last downpour, couldn't you? Oh, never mind."

He rested the mop against one of the few spaces along the wall not barred by stacks of paper, then sat in the only chair available in the room, and gave her a long, hard stare. "So. You had a little skirmish with Valac, am I understanding that correctly?"

Kaiyu crouched carefully down, trying to not jar her hurting foot, one hand resting on the floor for balance. She shivered, not out of cold, but due to the unpleasant sensation of her soaked fur touching her skin, her damp hair dripping down her back, and droplets running down all over her body. The cat was strong tonight. It always was, when she felt in danger. She remained silent, watching the old demon, weighing her options. Zaebos returned her steady gaze, red eyes meeting yellow ones, unflinching and unperturbed. Finally he sighed and threw up his hands, claws dulled with age and mopping.

"Look, kitten, you came here to talk to me, right? Now, I do not think it is for my magnificent wit and the comfort of the Pits. We both know you are here for advice. And if I am guessing correctly, and it ain't a hard guess, your coming to me as well as the skirmish with the bird has something to do with your task. And if it is so, your game has gotten much more complicated, or else birdie has gotten awfully out of his depths, and is about to get a new permanent address in one of my vacant cells. So which is it? Am I to clean up another cell, and prepare chains?" He paused for a second, then tilted his head "Or is she playing too?"

Kaiyu narrowed her eyes, studying the older demon carefully. "What makes you think it is her?"

Zaebos smirked "It is, isn't it? Oh, Valac has ever been her creature; she picked him while he was a fledgling. He had this penchant for recklessness and cruelty that is so like her. I dare say that without her protection he would not have made it to the Dedication, and even if he had, would have landed himself in the hands of old Zaebos soon enough. But she has her sway, and she has her pets. He is a foremost one."

Kaiyu nodded. That explained a lot of things, not the least of it the squashed rumours, and his overconfidence. And, of course, she held other sway on her minions as well, Kaiyu was sure of it. As if reading her mind, Zaebos continued.

"She has them totally under control, those she has chosen, have no doubt. Oh, I dare say no one can seduce the mind like a succubus, and she is the first of them for a reason. It is not only her protection they crave, but her approval too. Mayhap more." he smiled "After all...she managed to seduce the first of the Children into betrayal and the fall from Heaven."

Kaiyu frowned. "She wants me too..."

Zaebos raised an eyebrow, studying Kaiyu's features for a while, then said. "And have you come to ask me whether you should go to her side in this bid for influence? Or is there somewhat more to your visit?"

Whatever the reasoning of Lucifer's fall, he had fallen, and when he had found himself at the bottom, he had created an army that could serve him there. Discipline and obedience to the authority of their superiors was trained into every single demon, painfully and strictly, but it was something else entirely where nature was concerned. They carried the aspects of their animal ancestors, primal nature than no training could break. Kaiyu's veins had the blood of wild cat mixed in them. For good or evil, cats were solitary animals, not given to cooperation or subordination.

And both nature and surroundings made sure of another lack in demonic nature. The lack of trust. They were a backstabbing lot of survivors, all of them, for it took cunning and ruthlessness to climb the ranks of demonic power, or even just to survive. And Zaebos had survived for far too long. He was not a fool, and he was not beyond using others as means to an end, Kaiyu was sure. She did not trust him, with every second of eighty years of hellish intrigue and backstabbing, she did not trust him. Yet, she knew when it was time for nature and training to bend. Kaiyu started talking.

Zaebos listened in silence, mercifully not interrupting with questions or comments. The expression of his human face was calm and unreadable, but his crocodile head ground its jaws at times, and a low hiss escaped its teeth. Kaiyu omitted some details, like the content of the second letter, leaving Zaebos to believe the angel had merely led her to a bunch of his bloody feathers, just as she had done with Valac. She also did not mention the Kefara blade or the precise nature of her task, and Zaebos did not ask. Meeting the eyes of the old demon, however, she had the distinct impression he did not need to ask.

Finally, as she finished her retelling and silence fell between them, Zaebos shifted in his chair, and his crocodile head snapped its jaws and growled.

"So, to summarise, you are in the centre of a veritable shitstorm, and with no good way out?"

Kaiyu's lips twitched in the ghost of a smirk. Zaebos did not mince words. People, on several occasions. But never words. She nodded.

"Do you care who gets their claws on your feathery friend?"

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Why would I?"

Zaebos shrugged, a feat that looked very peculiar with two necks, and two heads bobbing with the motion.

"I don't know." He gave her a shrewd look

"No," Kaiyu said

"Very well then. Only thing to consider when choosing a side is your own continued wellbeing and survival." He paused, tapping a gnarled, clawed finger on his lips, then sighed. "And I cannot give you a simple answer. If you would ask me who would win this contest of strength and influence, I would say she would. She is older, more influential, and frankly, smarter. But... she is also wholly without scruples. If to get what she wants she has to throw away Valac or you in the bargain, I wouldn't give a rat's flea for your survival chances. And if she thinks covering her trail is needful, she will gut you herself. You would not be the first."

Kaiyu blinked, genuine shock briefly written on her features. "The prohibition..."

Zaebos flashed her a mirthless grin. "The prohibition, yes. Well, nothing was ever proven, you know. And no one ever investigated, actually. Demons die. You know very well that few hunters live beyond three-hundred. Who, you think, would notice one more missing?"

Kaiyu sat very still, very silent, for a while. Zaebos watched her, and a look of genuine compassion, so unfitting on his harsh features, graced them nevertheless. "I am sorry, girl. I know you believed the laws to be absolute. We all did, once. But then you realise they are only as absolute as you are without influence. Such as Eve, or Caim...they will not be touched, no matter what. Unless they kill an angel."

Kaiyu focused her gaze on him, slow and thoughtful. "And if they do?"

Zaebos's eyebrows rose. "War."

Read next chapter at Chapter X: The Teacher