The Demons of Rome

XIII - A Song for the Lost

Iatus cursed repeatedly as he looked at the scene of the burned city in front of him.

The city had been almost completely levelled, the once towering walls could now be stepped up onto. The buildings were gone, leaving behind nothing but piles of ash and the palace had been melted down the middle. He had seen the destruction happening but somehow the lifelessness of the aftermath was even more chilling.

Iatus scratched a circle into the dust and summoned Aelith.

Aelith appeared as a tawny owl, saw Iatus and blinked in surprise.

"Iatus? What? How? Why are you still human? What went wrong?"

Iatus briefly explained what had happened and when he mentioned Harzu the colour physically drained from Aelith's form, becoming as white as snow.

"Harzu? As in the Harzu, one of the Ancient evils?"

"Yep."

"The embodiment of dominion?"

"That's what Jupiter said."

"Dismiss me now, I'm not going up against a damned Ancient One!"

"No."

"Gods Iatus, we are going to die! Not just dismissed to the Ether, actually destroyed, he will tear out our souls and scatter them to the winds!"

"Tough, if I've got to do it, you are coming too."

"Get lost."

"Aelith, I'm doing this with or without you, could you really live with yourself if you let me go to my death, knowing you could have helped?"

"Yes," he replied immediately.

Iatus twitched in frustration then sighed and hung his head.

"Please, Aelith, we did this together, you as much to blame as I am, we need to put it right." Iatus said finally.

Aelith scoffed, "As much! It's not even close!"

"I'd say a good 30% of this is on you."

"15 at most kid."

"Fine, but even so, we can't let the world burn because of us, even you can't let yourself be responsible for 15% of the world being destroyed.

Aelith ground his beak together.

"Fine," he said eventually then flew up to Iatus' shoulder, "Me and you, off to save the world again."

Iatus sighed in relief, then set off towards the city, passing through the remnants of the gatehouse and onto city streets.

There was no sound, not even the crackling of an ember. No wind stirred the ash but somehow it found its way into Iatus' mouth anyway, clogging his throat and clawing at his eyes.

"How are we going to stop something that can do this?" Aelith asked.

"This wasn't done by him, this was done by one of his minions."

Aelith brought up a wing to scratch at his forehead.

"Why don't you fly up and see if there are any tracks leading away."

Aelith gladly spread his wings and soared up above the ash and dust.

Where are you Max? I could really use your advice right about now.

Iatus made his way through the streets and into view of the palace. It looked like an animal after a large predator had killed it, with its belly ripped open and its entrails spilling out into the street. Gold statues had melted, marble had blacked and silken finery burned to ash.