Things That Should Stay Buried - Casey L. Bond Page 0,29

growled. He disappeared, reappearing within the space of a few seconds, holding the head of a man who looked like he’d been in his late forties, judging by the thin hair strung between Aries’s fingers and the wrinkles etched into his skin – which was still ruddy despite the lack of… a body.

I clamped my fingers over my mouth, horrified. Ribbons of veins and arteries hung from the man’s neck, along with the trailing column of his cervical spine. Blood dripped onto the stone at our feet, the coppery scent filling the air.

A chorus of gasps and screams erupted. Some hurried to cover the eyes of children standing nearby. Everyone waited for an explanation.

Aries tossed the head toward the concentric column rings behind us. It rolled and thumped along until losing momentum and slapping into the base of a column, the squelching sound making my stomach turn.

His voice boomed over the assembled crowd. “Let it be known that there are laws in my sliver of earth. Murder, rape, theft, and lying is forbidden.” He ticked each sin off on his clawed hand. “If you break these laws, I will know it and you will suffer a worse fate than he.” He pointed in the direction the head had tumbled.

The crowd was quiet, but I could almost feel them trembling. Or maybe that was me.

I was about to suggest we end this weird Q & A session for the day and hold any further questions for tomorrow, but Aries quickly calmed himself. Once the head was out of sight, it soon seemed to vanish from everyone’s mind. Or at least they had the good sense to pretend it did.

Aries never apologized for beheading the man or explained which offense the man had committed. He didn’t excuse himself for bringing the head back with him, or even lobbing it into the air like he was pitching the last game at the World Series, but he did gently call forth the next person in line.

An ebony-skinned woman with beautiful graying hair swept up into a chignon shuffled forward. Her back was hunched, but she was determined to see Aries. He descended the steps so she didn’t have to climb them. She spoke to him in a language I didn’t recognize, and then cupped his cheek with her bowed hand, giving him a kind smile.

His deep tone slid up the stairs to me, pebbling my skin.

Their exchange almost made me forget about the head of the fellow he’d just tossed behind us.

Almost.

Aries smiled at the woman. He chuckled and took her hand, covering it with his other. Then he bent and placed a kiss on her cheek. His eyes caught mine as she shuffled back through the crowd, and he watched me as he ascended the steps and stood beside me.

I wanted to ask him what she’d asked him, but just then, someone stepped forward.

A balding man with white, wispy hair opened his mouth to speak. “Excuse me?” He wore a suit and postured confidently, like he thought he was important and Aries should feel that way, too. “How many Zodia have sections?”

Aries crossed his arms over his chest, already irritated by the man’s demeanor. The man did not value his head. At all. “There are twelve territories, one Zodia ruling each,” Aries answered.

“Then who is she?” the man asked, nodding to me. “Is she human or Zodia?”

“She is none of your concern,” Aries replied in a calm, cold voice.

The man stiffened. “I meant no disrespect. I just don’t understand how things work here. You say you’ll keep us safe, but you’re only one man. How can you possibly police an entire sliver of earth from north pole to south?”

Aries huffed a laugh. “I am no mere man, and as you might have noticed, there are Guardians to see that my laws are adhered to.”

“But how do we tell them apart from everyone else?” the man argued, throwing his hands up. “They look like us.”

I looked at Aries and was about to ask permission to speak, when he gestured for me to go ahead. “Consider them like unmarked police cars. They could be anywhere at any time. But if you’re wise, you won’t have to worry about them. All you have to do is behave like a respectable human being. Aries’s laws aren’t hard to abide by. It’s not that hard not to murder, rape, steal, or lie, sir.”

Aries smiled approvingly at me and I quickly looked away. My face heated, threatening to boil