Chapter forty four
With hands bound in chains, Paul was led through the palace violently by a handful of uniformed guards. His limbs felt sore and weak for some reason he wasn't sure of. Nothing had touched his tongue except a spike of vinegar that had been tossed to him.
Dirt marred his entire face and his previously perfect black waistcoat and breeches had batches of burns from his fight with the King.
Now, he staggered over the threshold and into the spacious court room, his tired, grey eyes meeting the King slumped in his throne with a few harlots around him.
But, one caught his interest. Oh, not anything improper, Lord forgive.
Just that a lass draped with sky blue satin stood at His Majesty's right hand side, armed like a knight and bearing the dark aura he associated to demons. Instantly, he concluded she was the water demon Sam spoke earlier about.
Back to the King. Abraham had stern, suspicious eyes fixed on him while he gnawed on a grape he was fed.
Eyes that were very normal now but never stopped reminding him of the fiery monster he was two days ago.
But now, it seemed prayer had been his answer to every doubt, fear or question.
"Trust me, if you attempt anything daring, I'll separate your head from your body," Abraham rattled with a smirk. "Good thing Jeremy's not here."
Paul Herrman stood with hands chained at his back. At the King's words, he assumed the most confident pose he knew he had. And fearlessly, he replied. "I seem to have learned the consequences of that by now. If you would please, Your Majesty, I'd love to speak with you in private."
The djinn's lips stretched in an admiring smile. Stroking his jaw, he sent the guards away with his eyes and waved his damsels out with a hand.
After a moment and it was left with the three of them, Paul cast an expectant gaze on Razia.
As though she read his mind, she replied. "I'm the King's right hand man, his eyes, ears and advisor. I'm not leaving him here alone with you."
"Darling mine," she heard the djinn rasp from beside her and groaned inwardly. He went on anyways. "Please spare the men some moments to use their words. I promise if he tries anything, I'll listen to you and kill him."
Razia frowned at the man who returned an uncertain stare. After giving a look long enough to drain his confidence, she sighed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
She went down the few steps and unto the marble floor. After an intentional bump against the man, she swirled in her usual grace and left the courtroom.
Now the glares only doubled.
And it suddenly felt like he'd forgotten what he came to say. Lips quivering slightly, he prayed the younger man said something.
"You don't fear me, do you," his prayer was answered.
The Priest studied the djinn with what looked like awe after the question was asked. He narrowed his eyes in thought, looking inwards to search for a genuine answer. Shaking his head slowly, he said confidently. "No, I don't."
"Then I assume we'll go on just fine," came the response that surprised him.
"Why are you different," Paul asked the question that'd been bothering him. After Abraham cocked a questioning brow, he explained. "I mean, you have the strength and arrogance like every other supernatural…but, you have a different view of us mortals."
The King rolled his eyes but seemed to have finally come to full understanding of what exactly this Priest had been out to do days ago. To save God's people.
And the thought made him smile inwardly in admiration. "I won't lie, Ozii has a point about the selfishness of humans. However, he and his allies fail to notice something; they are still a few angelic souls out there and it's not even our job to cleanse the earth of sin. For no other reason, I'm willing to go against him in a war to save Mankind."
"Then I think I finally understand why you were the cause of my nightmares," Paul Herrman snickered shamefully.
Abraham did same and gnawed on a grape. "Are you sure you weren't fantasizing about me?"
He got a laugh out of the man. Certainly, this was one interaction he preferred to the fight.
"Surely, I wasn't," he replied. "I was supposed to find you. But maybe, I didn't quite understand why."
He raised his grey eyes to gaze straight into the King's…and concluded. "I wasn't supposed to kill you. I'm meant to join you."
The King stroke one hand down his hair as though considering. But all the while, a look of satisfaction settled on his face.
Maybe God wasn't as nonchalant sometimes as he thought He was.
After he sighed, Abraham rose from his throne and was with the man in less than a moment.
Paul Herrman hadn't flinched at the teleportation. Surely, he'd seen far too much to be surprised.
Abraham grabbed the chains around the man and pulled with a force almost effortless. Seconds later, they broke into several pieces and set the prisoner free.
"I'm guessing that makes eight of us now," he said afterwards and received a bow from the man.
***
The eagle soared straight into the cave, landing on her shoulders with a loud shriek.
Konami, demon of the night, cradled the faced of the bird as though searching for something. Closing her eyes afterwards, she breathed deeply.
Ozii was frowning, but patiently waiting for whatever she had to say.
The last of his allies…was in absolute control of everything that rose at the fall of dusk; the moon, shadows, darkness and nocturnals themselves.
Suddenly, she opened her eyes and gasped like the image she'd seen was world's end.
"They have a Priest on their side," she stammered carelessly after gesturing the bird away.
The thunder djinn felt his arrogance sink to his toes, replaced by an emotion he rarely ever felt; fear.
But now, he couldn't help but wonder how Abraham always did it.
Babel asked the question he'd been quite sure everyone else had been thinking about. "Firstly, he turns a water demon who's supposed to be his weakness to his greatest strength. And now, he gets a man of God on his side?"
Lucian, the demon of creation, had drained out like he'd seen an angel. The news was surely the worst they'd gotten in a long time. Instantly, he glanced at Martha. "What do you suggest we do, Martha?"
"There's nothing other than getting the King to back down," she rushed her words like they'd been burning her insides. "Because with the Priest, there is no way we're winning this."
"Silence!" Ozii roared into the void and of course got his ordeal. The next second he used to fume silently at the possibility of the mortals still walking the Earth.
No! He wouldn't let that happen, whether or not there was a Priest.
"Zuma," he turned on one heel to face the speed demon. When the latter returned the stare, he ordered. "Send him a threat now; one daring enough to set him on a tightrope! I won't watch a young djinn like that outsmart decades of solemn planning!"