Kayla watched as Savon came in the room. The three hell hounds with him. He looked calm, ready to take on the world and his confidence was reassuring. Now she didn't like the deal that he was making. They would both still be stuck here, and she wasn't going to be giving Astor what he wanted.
She watched as Astor spoke to him in that language that she didn't know. Astor sliced into his wrist with a blade. He handed Savon the blade. Savon didn't take his eyes off of Astor. Just watched him and jabbed the blade into his palm. Astor held his wrist over it and blood fell into the pooling blood in Savon's cupped hand.
Savon spoke, nothing she could understand. Astor looked a little disarmed for a moment, but stepped back and lowered his wrist.
"The deal is done."
"Didn't think I knew the right words. Did you?"
"No I didn't. There are a lot of things that you shouldn't know. Shouldn't be able to do, but you do." He looked at Savon. "Why is that?" Savon gave a shrug. Astor turned his head and looked at Kayla and Jill.
"Take her from here, she isn't required anymore. See to what she needs." Jill just gave a bit of a nod. She did met Savon's gaze for a moment looking at him.
Jill couldn't believe how much he'd changed. Not that she thought he would stay a child, but she barely recognized him from the child that he had been. There was a hardness to him. A clear cut off from the world and his whole demeanor told everyone to leave him alone or pay for it.
His gaze was a bright green, but changed slightly when he looked at Kayla. Becoming a bit deeper. He felt for her, and Jill didn't realize until that moment that she had been holding her breath on that. It was a relief to see. To know that he wasn't completely Astor. That he cared about the woman she was taking from the room.
"We don't have much time." Jill said once they were out of earshot to her. She looked at the hell hound that followed them out and into the hall. No other demon was there. A moment later the other two hell hounds came out into the hall but sat at the door looking after them.
"For what?" She said.
"The ritual that he is going to do. Its going to cause a lot of deaths and Astor has made adjustments so that it won't really kill Savon. Just drain him near the point of death. He wants to use him again for this. He wants to use him to control the humans, and more at once."
"Savon can't do that." Kayla said to her. Jill gave her a look.
"I feel the power in him Kayla, don't tell me that he can't." Kayla gave a sigh.
"Where are we going?" Kayla asked noting that they weren't going to the room that they had before.
"I'm taking you some place that you will be able to get out." Jill said. "But you have to wait for him to do the ritual."
"But why?" Kayla asked and Kiore was looking at Jill oddly.
"Because I don't want to see you end up like me. Even if Savon is different. Astor will keep using you against him. You are Savon's weakness and without you here he can kill him freely. If he brings other acolytes up he can't be distracted."
"He's going to be weak, vulnerable to them."
"I will go back to him, and Astor will keep him alive because he needs him. Will feed from him to gain more strength himself." Kiore said and Jill looked at him.
"Didn't know it talked." Though she didn't seem all that shocked or worried. They came around a corner and this hall should have been deserted. There shouldn't have been anyone down here. It was a service entrance area that was kept locked and secured.
Jill stopped in her tracks, and Kayla looked at the five people standing there. "Todd?" Kayla said and the group before her relaxed. She moved forward and hugged him.
"What the hell are you all doing here?" He asked, clearly not expecting her to be in this hall.
"Is she possessed. Can't trust her." Jack said looking at her.
"No I'm not, and neither is she." Kayla pointed over her shoulder. "He wouldn't be following us otherwise." They looked at Kiore.
"Oh, Savon is with Astor then?"
"Yes." She said.
"Who are you?" Neil asked looking at Jill, no trust there.
"Help." She said.
"Are others coming?" He asked.
"No," Kayla said. "Jill was showing me the way out. Astor wasn't going to let me go. He thinks that she is taking me back."
"Alright, well we have very little time so I'll fill you in." Kayla noticed Drake for the first time, she was shocked that he was here.
"Drake?"
"Just because I'm older doesn't mean I can't fight." Kayla smiled. Drake told her what was going on. That there were others waiting as well. Savon wasn't going to be doing the ritual like he was supposed to. That he was changing it somewhat. They were lucky and clearly once again Astor under estimated them and their ability.
"You have weapons?" Kayla asked. "I don't have anything." She said excitedly. They handed her some weapons and she smiled.
"This feels much better."
"Alright," Drake started. "Now we wait." He said, they also gave Jill a couple of weapons." They had moved into a room of Jill's choosing. She didn't think anyone was going to come and check. Astor would have told everyone to stay at their stations. Ready for Savon to do the ritual.
"I don't know how to fight. I was sixteen when I was brought here." She said to Kayla. Kayla looked at the gun that she had.
"Safety off," She said showing her. "Aim and fire. Not to hard, just try not to hit anyone else. You gave Savon some of his talent. I have faith you are a natural fighter." Kayla told her.
"Who are you again?" Drake asked where they were leaning.
"Jillian. You are the fabled Drake that took Savon from Astor. I thank you." She said.
"He more or less came with us. I doubt that even at age eleven I could have made him do something he didn't want to."
"No he has always been strong willed. Always denying Astor, and even now he manages it. I envy his conviction." She said wistfully.
"You seem to know him, how is that?" Drake asked and glanced at Kayla who found a spot on the wall rather interesting. She knew that Savon would tell Drake, but the others? None of them knew the truth."
"I'm his mother." She said and several heads snapped around to look at her. Neil gave a bit of a laugh.
"You can't be more than your late twenties, he's at least thirty three."
"I'm nearly fifty eight." She said.
"You look damn good for your age." Todd commented and this got a smile from Jill.
"Thank you." She said.
"Wait, wait, if you're his mother.... Are you human?"
"Yes." she said answering Neil's question.
"Oh... oh holy shit no way!" Todd said in an overly loud whisper. "No fucking way, he's not... no wonder..." Todd seemed lost for words. Both Kayla and Drake were watching the group as was Jill.
"What, what's wrong?" Jack asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Tina said from where she was. "Who do you think his actual father is?"
"How would I know that? Why would I care?" Jack asked clearly not getting it. Confirming to several of them that the belief he was raised up from hell. Possessed was the main thought, not born.
"Astor." Neil supplied. "Talk about an obvious oversight."
"No wonder he freaked out whenever compared to him. Or even suggested that he would work alongside him. Born of flesh and blood like us." Todd commented. "Bad wrap, and he keeps you alive?" He asked Jill.
"If he kills Savon or Savon dies he wants to be able to have another child that will survive. Acolytes are only allowed one child. Savon is his until he dies, and then he will have another to do what he needs."
"Looks like he wasn't lying about killing him being a stupid idea." Ian mumbled.
"You two knew?" Todd asked.
"He said he was half acolyte. Who else would his father be?" Kayla rolled her eyes.
"Well we thought it was like a ritual that made him like he was." Ian said.
"Yes I knew." Drake said. "Not that it matters, it doesn't change what we are doing. I still trust him completely."
"So do I." Kayla said. Kiore was just watching them.
"Not like we have much choice now." Neil added.
"He took the chance that he might die coming here. Acolyte's don't do that, they only play a game that they know they will win. Even though there aren't many that they have a chance to lose at." Kiore said. "If he was acolyte he would have used and killed all of you shortly after meeting you. You are alive and I have seen the way that you talk to him. Do you think that Astor would allow such things to slide?"
"Its right you know." Tina said.
"His name is Kiore." Kayla said, Kiore just gave her a head bob in acknowledgement. Only so she could hear he spoke.
"You are a well-chosen mate for him. I extend my protection to you even when he doesn't deem it necessary."
"Thank you." Kayla said to him.
"Shhhh!" Jill said moving to stand from where she was leaning. "Listen, do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Jack asked, and they all went quiet. It was an eerie silence, like the world had stopped living, stopped moving. The wind didn't even sound.
"He's doing it." Todd moved quick to a window and looked out.
"No one step a foot outside." He ordered as there were balcony doors. Others moved to see what was going on. Outside the world was still foggy, but they could see forms walking the streets. However as they watched they started to fall where they stood. As if death had swooped down the street and stolen the life from their bodies.
One moment they were moving and the next they collapsed like marionettes whose strings had been cut. There was no sound from out there. More and more fell to the ground, not moving as the life was pulled right out of them. The white fog began to swirl in silent agitation as the power built.