I will have to leave your mind and...
No. That is forbidden. We stay together. You direct me and we’ll go there.
That was a resounding no. He meant that, and she wasn’t going to be able to just sneak off and implement her plans if his didn’t work.
Fine, then, Afanasiv, but I’m warning you right now, you are not staying behind for any reason at all. You will not be left here like that poor beast living behind gates and being poked at by perfectly horrid demons. You will be coming home with me. So if you’re planning anything else, you remember you’re the one who gave the order that we stay together.
She was quite happy to turn his decree right back on him. Had she had her physical body, she would have smirked at him.
Gaia arrived, moving with her usual grace. Those watching from the stands were up on their feet, calling for Andros to cut off the head of the fallen demon, and they roared as the demon grabbed Lada’s ankle and tripped her, bringing her down. Everyone ran to help her. Grigor wrapped one arm around Karine and practically lifted her. Swinging the long blade of his sword back and forth in front of him, he ran toward Lada. He cut a wide path, sending several demons away bleeding, with intestines spilling out.
Andros swung his sword first before anyone could get to him. Lada didn’t make a sound. She didn’t move. She just looked up at Andros with love in her eyes and waited for the sword to take her life and free both of them. The blade separated the demon’s head from his neck. The head went rolling across the bare floor straight for Gaia. She casually stepped over it.
Now, sívamet, tell both your brothers you are here to free them. They cannot give away by any means that you are close. Gaia is giving aid no matter what it appears.
Vasilisa stared at Andros for a few moments, taking in every detail of his appearance. She had only her imagination for everything else, but he had given her quite a bit of details about his life. She built a picture of him at church in a suit, looking very fine. He liked to race cars. She found herself at the track with him often, one of her many concessions. As a rule, she would never go to something she didn’t care for, but inher fantasies, she was willing to do anything to be with her big brother. They had especially liked silly knock-knock jokes. They made up their own and relayed information to each other that way.
Knock knock, brothers dear
Sister Vasi is oh so near
Found the path, found the way
Don’t want either of you here to stay
Gaia will help, so heed her word as well as mine
We want out of this hellhole and now is time.
Andros stiffened, but to his credit, he simply reached down and helped Lada to her feet. She winced and bent slightly to relieve pressure on the extensive injuries to her body.
“Who beat you like this?” Andros demanded, ignoring Gaia, who stood with her hands on her hips very close to Lada.
Lada swayed and almost went down. Gaia caught her around the waist at the same time Andros did. Gaia leaned toward Andros and whispered into his ear. “I have to take your blood and give you mine in order to talk you through the labyrinth and get you out of here.”
“Do it,” Andros snapped curtly, bending closer.
He brought Lada right up to his side. To those in the arena, the three looked as if they were trying to keep Lada on her feet. She began to struggle wildly, her arms flailing and her body jerking from side to side.
Gaia was fast, taking the blood from Andros’ neck and then using her teeth on her wrist and offering the bright red drops to him. Without hesitation he took her blood. The struggling Lada, with her arms flopping wildly, helped to cover what was really taking place.
Grigor and Karine crowded close. The moment Gaia pulled away from Andros, she offered her wrist to Grigor, keeping her hand low, hiding it between their bodies. He also took the blood without hesitation.
Vasilisa was proud of her brothers for not questioning or hesitating when she used the old nursery rhyme they would often say back and forth to one another as children in a secret code. They were very young and thought they were so clever.
“Where’s Patsy?” Andros demanded loudly. “You always brag you can take the sword away or get my whip from me with your sword. I challenge you this night, Patsy.”
What does he think he’s doing?Vasilisa whispered to Afanasiv.
He is providing the distraction for the others to get across the arena. Your brother is very courageous.
He must go with them. If he becomes trapped, they’ll tear him apart and eat him alive. Look at those demons. They’re actually salivating.
Vasilisa didn’t want to see those terrible demons in the stands surrounding her brothers and their women. Some of the demons were drooling. Long ropes of saliva poured from the sides of their mouths and hung in white slobbery fluid. They paid no mind to the strings of slobber, yelling out encouragement to Patsy as she came striding out, horns lowered, her cloven feet stomping hard on the concrete.
Patsy ignored the fallen bodies of her fellow demons. She even stepped on some, driving down with her hooves into their gutted bellies as they lay writhing and moaning. Each time she did, a cheer went up from the crowd. Patsy raised her shield toward the crowd and pointed her sword at Andros, snarling and blowing steam from her flared nostrils.
Gaia pointed to the far side of the arena where the door led to the hidden staircase rising to the corridor and leading to the upper chambers. She wrapped her arm around Lada. Karine positioned herself on the other side of Lada, and they began to stumble across the arena floor to get out of the way of the big spectacle. Grigor walked backward, sword in hand, watching his brother, who stood confidently in the center of the arena, simply waiting while Patsy made her grand entrance.