Trey’s laughter filtered through the doorway just as she slammed it shut. Jai’s voice rumbled through the wal, sounding lost. “What just happened?” Despite herself, his muffled question made her smile as she walked away.
12 - Chasing Dreams that are not My Own
Like al Jinn, Red was temperate. He did not feel the cold nor the heat.
However, it did not stop him from taking pleasure in the things that created them. The sun was this bal of warmth, the being in the sky that chased shadows from the face and glittered sunlight in the eyes. For centuries Red had watched humans raise their faces to the sky, eyes closed, as they basked in the peace only the warmth of the sun could bring.
But the sun could burn. It could blister the skin. It could dry out a river. Cause thirst. Famine. Death.
As for the moon, Red had always thought of it as this cold, hardened object that chased the sun, desperately trying to catch it, to understand what made it so different. To understand what made everything so different. And never, ever reaching the knowing.
But the moon was also light. Pure, white light. A beacon for the stars in the darkest of skies. A being of hope, of awe, and despite its thirst for knowledge, a being of patience.
When he was young and his mother was stil alive, Red had always thought of Lilif as the sun and Asmodeus as the moon. Now, as he stood before what was
essentialy his uncle (although he’d never thought of Asmodeus in those terms), Red wondered with an anxiousness that surprised and panicked him, why Ari had suddenly become the earth in their analogy. What was she to the twins that she would be dreaming of Lilif’s memories, and Asmodeus would be so intrigued by her?
Why were they al orbiting one another?
“Are you just going to stare at me al day, or are you here for a reason?” Asmodeus asked silkily, his eyes narrowed with affected boredom, his lips quirked in a sly smile. He sat in an armchair by the huge fireplace in his sitting room in Azazil’s palace, the flames flickering shadows across his body, reminding Red of the human’s modern depictions of the Devil.
“My father may think he has you at heel, but I’m not so convinced. You broke his protocol by coming to Ari in her room. What wil stop you from doing it again?”
“Why are you so protective of that little beauty? Seems to me you’re taking Azazil’s orders a little too much to heart.”
“Why are you so interested in her?” Red countered, taking a step towards Asmodeus, deliberately vibrating magic energy so the Marid would know he wasn’t
playing games.
Asmodeus smirked in response, not even moving. “She’s a pawn everyone wants. Sometimes I like to take things other people want because it amuses me.”
Something tightened in Red’s chest at the thought of Ari in the Lieutenant’s hands.
Over my dead body, the thought flashed through his mind and he stiled in surprise. Blinking the thought away, Red glared at Asmodeus. “Surely you wouldn’t betray Azazil.”
“Of course not,” Asmodeus snapped, no longer so uncaring or indolent. He sneered at Red. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun with her. She realy is rather delicious you know.”
Trying his hardest to ignore him, Red sighed. “I saw something between you that was more than misplaced lust… She affected you. Why?”
Slowly, Asmodeus sat up in his chair, carefuly lowering one foot after the other to the ground before rising just as slowly to his massive height. With a blank expression, he sauntered casualy towards Red until he was standing inches before him. He cocked his head to the side, his dark gaze bored and yet somehow
searching. Red didn’t even flinch. He didn’t intimidate that easily, even if the Marid did have a thousand or so centuries on him.
“Why are you so interested in what my interest in Ari is, hmm? Does Azazil know you’re here, interrogating his most loyal servant?”
“I think you’re up to something. I think there is a connection between you and Ari I am missing. And I think that connection puts her in danger. Last I checked, my father wanted me to keep her alive. By any means. Including interrogating his most loyal servant who seems to have an unhealthy interest in her.”
Asmodeus grinned wickedly at that. “There you have it, Red. I have an unhealthy interest in her… I haven’t seen such unusual beauty in a while and I was thinking when Azazil’s done with her – that is if she’s stil alive – I would add her to my harem. She’d be my favorite. I can tel.”
Unbridled anger ripped through Red but centuries of soldiering and spying had trained him to let that anger tear his insides apart, rather than ever let it show. Instead he feigned a smirk and a nod that suggested he thought Asmodeus was funny. “Then I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Asmodeus.”
“Not at al. Your visit has been most enlightening.”
Trying not to flinch at Asmodeus’ suggestion that he’d given too much of himself away, Red dipped him another nod and stepped into the Peripatos. Almost immediately he found himself at his destination—the State of Nusrah, the land in Mount Qaf where his brother The Shadow King reigned over whenever he wasn’t playing servant to White. Despite his name, shadows were found and burned out in Shadow’s smal palace, with its high cathedral-like windows and heavy chandeliers dripping from every ceiling. Shadow was dining in the grand room with what was more than likely his wealthy neighbors… probably merchants and land owners. They al gaped at Red before bowing their heads in deference to him. Shadow curled his lip in annoyance at the sight of him, but stood up from the table. Everyone around it immediately stood too and Shadow flicked an unadorned hand at them to be seated.
Striding towards him, Shadow’s long black hair blew back behind him, revealing the large jet stones he wore in his ears. It was the only jewelry he ever wore—they were given to him by Lilif. The blood red silk of his robes shimmered in the light as he approached, the only splash of color in the entire room.
“What do you want, brother?” he asked quietly, his dark eyes narrowing in dislike. “You’re interrupting our meal.”