Chapter 3 Chpt

"Gabby"

"You have an important day coming up tomorrow."

My hairline was just beyond my eyebrows. El Padre remembered my birthday? It must be close to the end of the planet. I refrained from speaking out of fear for what his views could be.

You will go to the crossing as you have for the past fourteen years.

I shifted my weight and concentrated on the mat that was under my feet. I didn't enjoy remembering my yearly journey to that godforsaken location. It was still unclear why he dragged me there. Every year came to an end the same way: with me on the ground and my father punishingly holding my soul in his grasp.

I want you to enter this time.

I quickly focused on him.

You expect me to voluntarily cross the street?

Every birthday was a carbon copy of the previous one. Always waiting was the same soul. At times, there were also others, but there was always just one. The need to reach out and touch someone's spirit grew with each visit. Fortunately, I had never gotten close enough to try it.

My talents might have come into contact with what I could only surmise was a Shadow demon, but our souls had never actually met. We had never gotten close enough for me to act on my cravings, but I had read that soul just as firmly as it had read mine.

Even if we had been in range, I would need to suppress those urges. It was acceptable to read someone's soul with magic, but this was usually only done at first meetings. But Others thought touching soul to soul to be incredibly intimate. To do so with a stranger was impolite, to say nothing of taboo.

As I did, using my powers, it was like shaking hands. soul-to-soul contact? That was more akin to shaking hands with someone while being completely exposed-a significant faux pas in all cultures.

Every time I used my powers to reach out and inspect, I unintentionally found myself inside the dreadful tunnel. I have previously made two attempts to avoid scanning. I utterly failed both times.

It seemed as though I couldn't help but reach out to the entity on the other end. When my powers passed over that soul, something happened, and I felt myself being pulled in its direction. Not far enough to enter the Otherland directly, but far enough to incur my father's displeasure.

Whoever it was that my powers kept reaching for, I'd never had a chance to see them. I was determined to catch sight of it tomorrow.

When I got knocked on my ass harder than normal last year and the entity slowly breathed a harsh explanation, I could feel their amusement. Even when my Daddy the Dominus was torturing me, I was able to raise one hand toward the crossing and slowly stretch my longest digit.

I knew I had accomplished something amazing when Fabian lost concentration and Gregor snorted in surprise. It remains the only time I have ever heard my uncle admit that he is capable of laughing. Father fractured the problematic finger, but I didn't feel bad about it. The traditional flipping-the-bird move.

You won't just enter. The deep voice that pierced through my daydream said, "I want you to cross over.

A sharp chill ran up my spine, keeping me motionless as a statue. For demons, crossing across was the simple part. I wasn't sure if I had the strength to return.

Reject that. Returning was probably not an option. As far as I knew, no cambion ever had. Those with a mixture of demon and human DNA either perished while entering or were harmed by the portal's magic when returning.

I finally said, "I don't understand," as my tongue was getting heavier. My instinct to either fight or flee was activated, making my entire body tense.

"You don't have to comprehend. You will cross over tomorrow.

Are you putting my abilities to the test? Or have I murdered? My internal voice yelled.

"No. You can endure it because you are resilient.

He seemed to be persuaded. I couldn't rely on it. He was not someone I would ever allow myself to trust.

"What do I do when I get over there?"

I was committed to getting across. I wasn't going to give up after this. I wouldn't let Fabian's games destroy me.

You are being sent to Dusk. We decided that you would cross at the age of 28. He needs you now because of something.

My jaw moved back and forth before opening again. That statement included far too many ideas for me to process. What exactly would the Shadow Lord want with me is the question.

Why would Dusk require my services at the age of twenty-eight? or at all?

Fabian raised a hand as if shooing a bothersome bug away. "You were a prerequisite for a favor I requested of him 20 years ago. It doesn't matter.

My skin began to prickle strangely, and then a wave of dizzying feeling swept over me. My mouth ached as my face tensed. I was a requirement of a bargain they'd struck, but why should it matter?

My heart raced. My internal temperature increased as I continued to consider his disclosure.

I had merely served as money, a cost to be incurred to obtain anything Fabian desired from his fellow Gatekeeper. My father didn't have the decency to even imply it.

"Dusk needs your skill set to complete a task. You'll finish it without complaining or making any effort to go back. A small army will block the Primus Crossing to prevent you from sneaking back through. Up until I am certain that you have performed your duties to Dusk's satisfaction, I will station more guards.

It was a bad idea to block the road leading home. He undoubtedly saw it as my issue more than his, though.

You're lending me out, then? on a mission, perhaps?" What kind of mission would have been planned twenty years ago, only the Lord knows.

"In a sense."

I broadened my stance and crossed my arms. Before I asked my next query, I received a message that I needed to prepare for impact.

What's the assignment?

As it frequently did when he was going to unleash a bomb directly on someone's head, his tongue ran across his teeth. I didn't move, wishing for my body to relax. My level of worry was getting close to Defcon 1.

Father was more adept at overcoming fear than any hound dog. The only reasons I wasn't quaking in my boots were my years of experience and awareness of what exhibiting fear would get me.

"That is up to him to reveal. You must follow his instructions exactly. AGabbya, anything.

That instruction did not sit well with me. Anything might be a lengthy and overwhelming list.

How long are you anticipating that I will remain on the other side? I grit my teeth.

"Indefinitely."

My lungs expanded with oxygen, giving me a gentle breath of air to calm my racing heartbeat.

I recited, "Indefinitely," unable to contain the challenge in my voice. I detested his capacity to reveal my frailty and to so effortlessly elicit a response. It was the worst furatus he had ever put me under.

I would gain knowledge from this. The next time, I'd be able to control my wrath while speaking. The furatus directive's magic had some irksome quirks, but I was confident that if we had this talk again, I would be able to manage my tone.

"Not that it matters, but I'll tell you our deal was for you to spend the rest of your life in his service in the Shadowlands when you finished your training. You are aware that there is typically just one way out of a demon's servitude. Given the nature of your skills, I doubt Dusk will release you voluntarily since he has never done so.

It nearly sounded complimentary.

"I don't think you'll use that doorway to return. Not unless... well, unless you stole his heart. or his skull. whichever suits you best. That's probably your best chance of escaping.

My uneven blinking represented the staggered movements of my intellect. I think I appeared to be having a seizure. I had the impression of having one.

I paused to consider his offer since I wasn't sure I had understood him right. Any immortal would truly die if their head or heart were removed.

My gosh. Fabian was sincere. If I wanted to have a chance to return to the Earth Realm, he expected me to be a willing assassin. I had no idea he was nuts. Yes, a tyrant, but this was just insane.

He was a beast, Dusk. an efficient murderer. He was a nightmare come true. Nobody bothered him. Based only on rumors, he might be the only living thing Fortis demons feared more than my father.

Only the insects around my house had I ever killed anything else. When I was younger, I practiced shooting my BB gun at wasps. Near me, spiders had no chance of surviving. Oh, and I shot an arrow at a snake I'd observed creeping toward the water, killing it.

I was sickened by it and vowed never to murder another animal. Training dummies weren't sentient individuals, but I was good at dismembering them.

Can I fight? Yes. Could I murder? I was technically capable. However, the concerned sovereign was out of the question. In addition, I received defense and subjugation training. I shouldn't kill a freaking Shadow monster by myself.

I tightened my fists. I was being forced by my father to choose between a foolish effort at escape and an eternity in the Otherland. I was certain that the only way out of a life of servitude under Dusk would result in my death rather than his.

The roughest and fiercest of the lot became boss in the Shadowlands, the area of the Otherland connected to the Primus Crossing. It wasn't a position that came with birth.

Dusk had toiled and died to get where he was. He probably had to keep killing to stay in charge. He was well-known for his lack of morality and propensity for violence. He was someone who wasn't fucked with.

With all the issues the last Shadow Lord had created, having Dusk serve as the Gatekeeper on the other side ought to have made Fabian's job easier.

So why did Father tempt me by having the man die? He didn't even seem to want me to come back. He most likely believed that I wouldn't bother to attempt. Father would get rid of me whether I was serving him or killing myself.

"AGabbya, nothing to say? You don't usually act that obediently. Perhaps there is hope for you.

I bit my cheeks on the sides. I could have talked for hours, but I didn't want to risk getting beat up if I had to go to the Otherland the next day. I would need every ounce of strength I had. He also realized it.

We kept looking at each other. We had been at odds for twenty-one years. He disliked me, I knew that. He needed to understand how I felt about him.

Fabian stepped up close and then took a small object out of his pocket. Gods, it was so tempting to get a lick in.

"Here."

He dropped a tiny metal container into the palm I had extended. It had the appearance of an oval flash drive.

"Bring this along. It's conceivable that life in the Otherland won't be particularly enjoyable. It may also be quite hazardous. If you believe you are in imminent danger and cannot leave, use this.

The question "What is it?"

"A strong sedative and cyanide combination is within. It's enough to render a Fortis demon unconscious. It ought to be sufficient to kill a halfling. If taken promptly, it will enable you to have no pain for a considerable amount of time. You've probably guessed from who it's for that the work won't be simple. It is best to always be ready because Dusk has adversaries. There is no use in suffering needlessly.

He gave off the impression that he genuinely cared.

"Hold hold to it if you happen to succeed and you survive the task. You can decide to make an effort to go back home. I suppose they'll want to make sure you've died if you're found attacking the Shadow Lord-after torturing you, of course. You can avoid such suffering at their hands by doing this.

"You're assuming I'll pursue him," I said.

"You won't be able to help yourself, I assume. Simply wait until you encounter him. He laughed, "I've been tempted to kill him for years.

My emotional defenses were pierced by his casual jest like a bullet through flesh. He spoke in a light-hearted manner as if we were chatting about a bothersome cousin.

I had already survived a lot of bad things, so I was well-prepared for many more. Nothing had made me aware of this.

He didn't give me the chance to go back. If I didn't manage to slay the Shadow Lord and wanted to return to this facility, he wasn't even offering me the chance to live.

The sorrow of understanding that my father wanted me to be gone for good would have been less unpleasant with a dagger to the heart. I had spent the last 10 years developing my warrior's talents on the assumption that even if he detested me, I was still helpful to him.

My eyelids ached. Before I did something truly dumb, I had to get away from Fabian Petrov. Before I told him he was going to injure me, I would kill myself.

Papa's tiny pillbox of death was enclosed by my fingers as I tucked it away in my pocket.

I spoke softly and asked for permission to leave, proud that my voice was hardly wavering at all.

He wasn't angry, as evidenced by the fact that his pupils dilated rather than contracted. That made me a part of the group since I had enough rage to confront half of his army. To go with the mixture of medications in my pocket, the universe has sent me another gift. I'm having a Fucking Birthday.

"Sure, that. Gregor can meet with you and go over the crucial information you need to be aware of before entering. Make sure to inquire about the armory's permitted weapons.

Allowable, huh? My tongue felt bitter as the words moved across it.

I was supposed to inquire as to which weapons I could use to take my own life, which is exactly where I was going. I didn't think I'd enjoy a life of serving the Shadows, and I thought I might be foolish enough to try to escape by fighting my way back.

He said seriously, "I urge you to get moving. There is not much time left for packing.

I curtly nodded and sprang to my feet. My face remained unmoving, and my body stayed rigid. I quickly wiped away the treacherous tear that had managed to escape as soon as I left the building. That would be the final tear ever cried for that jerk.

Unbelievable. He only needed me to take the tiny medicine in my pocket to relieve him of his burden. Why not simply make me do it right now? Oh, indeed, the honest Fabian Petrov never broke his word when he made a deal with Dusk. It was presumably bound by magic in any case, so he would feel obligated to fulfill his end of the bargain.

On my way back to the manor, I walked right by the practice dummies. I had to wait before going to find my uncle. I pulled a knife out of my belt and stabbed one in the face without pausing or thinking.

Unexpectedly, it was the doll I'd given the name Gabe.