Runes of Truth (A Demon's Fall #1)(11)
“Meet you outside at seven tonight,” Trex says, and carries his brother out of the room. I walk over to the bar, paying Nix’s bill before leaving and praying Trex can get Nix in any state to help us tonight.
Nix
“I’m not going to hell to save anyone, you’re fucking kidding right?” I say, sitting up on my bed, and seeing my brother’s disappointed glare in my direction. The door bangs open, and Connor walks in, handing me a glass of water. I glance around at my apartment; the bed, the sofa, and the small kitchen are all that are in it other than one other door that leads to a bathroom. It’s empty other than the empty take away boxes and empty bottles littered around. I don’t even remember how I got back here last night.
“I’d prefer vodka,” I say, taking the drink, and holding a hand to my head as the room spins.
“Yeah well, tough shit. We need you,” Connor replies dryly, leaning against the wall.
“Why again?” I ask, and Trex groans as he narrows his eyes at me.
“Didn’t you tell him?” Connor asks.
“I just barely woke him up, and I think he only heard the bit about going into hell,” Trex says, and I lean back on my pillows and look at them both.
“The princesses have been stolen, and we need to go to hell to get them back,” Connor says, like it’s a normal thing to wake someone up and inform them of.
“I’m sorry they are gone, but who took them? How do we know they are in hell?” I ask the important questions.
“The keepers won’t tell us how they know, and they don’t have a clue who took them, apparently,” Connor replies.
“Right, so we can go and die for them, but they won’t tell us shit?” I ask, a hollow laugh following my words as Connor and Trex don’t reply. There’s a knock on the door, which breaks up the awkward silence, and Connor opens the door. A keeper is standing still outside the door, his hood covering his face, so I can’t see who it is.
“May I enter?” the keeper asks, and Connor holds the door open for him, letting him in. The unfamiliar keeper lowers his hood, looking around at my apartment with clear disgust before speaking.
“What I tell you now is a secret, and many of the keepers would have me killed for telling you,” he says, and I look him over. The keeper is old, one of the oldest I bet, with white roots and brown hair, but I don’t care. I don’t have anything to do with keepers or any of their crap since they let my sister die. Connor shuts the door before walking over, and sitting on my sofa as I get out of the bed and go to my kitchen. I open the doors, seeing the cabinet I usually store my alcohol in is empty, and I spot the empty bottles next to the sink. I turn and glare at my brother, who just grins. Asshole.
“Who are you?” I turn and ask the keeper, wanting his name before I kick him and my brother, and Connor out of my apartment.
“Keeper Grey,” he says simply.
“Well, Keeper Grey, nice to meet you, but you need to leave, and take these assholes with you while you’re at it,” I say, and he shakes his head.
“I cannot do that, you need my advice and my help.”
“I don’t need fuck from you,” I say. Connor narrows his eyes at me, sharply shaking his head.
“And don’t start with the lecture I can see you’re about to do, Trex,” I warn, not even needing to look at him to know he is about to start off on one.
“Fine. I will speak to Trex and Connor, you may listen if you wish,” Keeper Grey says, moving to sit on the sofa next to Connor.
“The princesses were not kidnapped, they just went missing. We assumed a kidnap, instead of the likelihood they walked out of here,” he says, and there’s a tense silence. I know the princesses well enough to know that that wouldn’t have happened. They are pampered here; they can do whatever they like, and one of them was about to be crowned queen. Who in their right mind would just walk away from that?
“The princesses wouldn’t have just deserted the throne, not all of them,” Trex points out.
“They did. Or they left. There was no forced entry. I am certain,” Keeper Grey informs us.
“Then why do the keepers think the princesses are in hell?” Trex asks.
“We had no choice but to search the princesses’ rooms, and in one, we found something that only an overlord demon could have. A token of an overlord’s sin. They always keep their sin close to them, and never show or tell anyone unless they are family or very close,” he explains, and I watch Trex tighten his fists in anger and sharply look away.
“The princesses are close to a demon overlord? How is that possible?” Connor exclaims in clear shock. Demon overlords are not friends, and we hunt them–not let them anywhere near our royals. Our most protected.
“I am as clueless as you. I just cannot let you go into hell without knowing all of the truth and the simple fact that they might not be there,” he says, standing up. “I wouldn’t tell the assassin about this. If she knew, she wouldn’t take you to hell and while we are powerless, we need her.”
“What do you know about the assassin? Who she is? Who her parents are?” I ask, and he looks towards me. I watch his expression carefully, seeing many emotions flash in his eyes as he decides what to say to me. I’m not the best at judging people’s reactions, but I have a feeling this assassin means something to him.