Nezzar

Part Two: A Mouth Full of Ash

"Where are you!" Marduk thundered as he shot into the night sky. Dashing about, he looked here and there. Rushed to and fro. Appearing and disappearing. Searching every inch of his principality.

Algodon. Just thinking about it alone caused his head to be engulfed in a burst of fire.

Marduk had felt it. That instant Nebuchadnezzar discarded his belief in him. His imp had returned moments after, charred and shrunken, barely clinging to its existence.

And that boy, the one called Daniel. How had Marduk missed it? Was this part of Algodon's scheme? He had watched Daniel's house, staring unblinkingly. Though the dome of protection remained, there had been no sign of Algodon's presence or any appearance that would have alerted Marduk to the events that later unfolded. How had the boy moved from his home to the palace without being detected? And it was worse because he was now more infused with whatever blasted gift the heavens had given him.

"Show yourself!" Marduk roared, flaming hair twisting about and red-hot staff vibrating in his grip. "You coward. Is it your nature to hide in the shadows? You cur. Dog of the heavens. You think you are better than us? Puppets—the lots of you. You dare look down on us when you have no will of your own. Curse you. I dare you to show your face. I dare you!" Marduk's head throbbed with blinding rage, and wild violence tore at his senses. As his raging emotions grew and grew, his entire form was consumed with flames. The flesh of his disguise burned away, leaving green leathery scales in its wake.

"I will dislodge you. Do you hear me?" Marduk spat, bearing razor teeth and bulbous black eyes. "You will be out of the field so long, the very memory of humanity will be wiped out before you return."

Marduk raged at the midnight sky. So full of fury, he was bursting with it. It spilt from him like magma, falling to the earth below in thick amber globs.

What was he to do now? Marduk gripped a fistful of his flaming hair, curved talons digging into his scalp. Losing the king's belief and reverence would prove to be a great disadvantage as time passed. Marduk may not feel it now, but he knew that as the day passed, the king would grow even more hardened and his plans would be derailed. Why had he never seriously considered this possibility and thought up countermeasures? He had been so confident, so focused on his goal that he had been blindsided. Algodon, it had to be that—

"Marduk."

Marduk's flaming hair whipped against his face as he jerked around. Blinking twice, the red of his vision cleared away and revealed a familiar figure.

Insanity. He floated a distance away, lean chest bare, white shendyt wrapped around his waist and golden hair hanging over both shoulders.

"Usually, we enjoy watching rage eat away rational reasoning, but we could not bear the sight of you yelling at no one." Insanity cocked his head, eyes pitying and brow furrowed. "What is that line you love to say? I am not mad?" He chortled and began a lazy stroll in Marduk's direction. "You did seem quite mad moments ago."

Marduk snarled. "What do you want?"

"We also felt the shift in the king's mental leaning. In fact, we were the ones who saved your imp from burning to nothing."

The pounding urge to lash out at Insanity pressed in on Marduk. Urging. Pleading. Asking that he use this vengeful energy he had unleashed—this overflowing fury screaming for Algodon—on Insanity. Marduk shut his eyes instead.

"Did you come to ask for my thanks?" Marduk pushed the question through his teeth, unable to unclench his jaw just yet. "You wish that I kiss your feet in appreciation?"

Insanity paused mid-step and shrugged. "Though that is not what we seek at the moment, we would still enjoy the gesture. But it seems you're incapable of clear reasoning at the moment."