By Libra's Scales

Failure

Solomon was too late. Xodiac had managed to vanish along with the other stolen children. Including his daughter.

He should have known better than to alert the Council about her anomaly. Sure, her ability to tap into god mana was dangerous, but he could have waited. He should have taught her how to control it so it never consumed her. Instead he took her to get tested. And some freak on the council had stolen her.

He arrived home and entered the house as quietly as he could. THough he was a larger man, he tried to tiptoe across the living room and upstairs. A lamp flickered on in the living room.

His wife, Tabitha Modeus, was seated in her favorite recliner. Her hair was up in a bonnet. Tear stains lined her cheeks. She was wearing the same baggy shirt and pants she wore yesterday.

In her arms was their son, Damien. He was still a small boy, though his mage craft was pretty good for his age. It was rare for a three year old to be able to call to the mana.

"Well?" Tabitha croaked. Her eyes searched for their daughter, expecting the young girl to be following behind her father.

Solomon turned his head away, grimacing. Fighting the tears in his eyes, he set his bag down and entered the kitchen from a glass.

Her footsteps followed. "Hello?" she called. "Solly? Is our daughter okay?"

"I don't know."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"What happened? Did you find her?"

As he poured himself some gin, he admitted he didn't. He told her that Xodiac had somehow transported his cult elsewhere.

Before he could raise the glass to his lips, she smacked it out of his hand. It shattered on the floor, spilling the contents.

"Tab, please-" as he tried to console her, she slapped him. The sound echoed through the house.

His cheeks throbbed. He accidentally let a few tears spill from his eyes.

"You did this!" she blamed him. "You got her taken from us!" Her hands made fists at her chest. "From me!"

That hurt. She was his daughter too.

But he knew what she meant.

"I'm sorry."

"You bet you are! You are one sorry ass-!"

A voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. It was Damien. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, the boy asked if his sister was home yet.

Pain pierced Solomon's heart. Tabitha burst into tears. She leaned against the wall behind her, sliding down it as she covered her face.

Damien approached his mom cautiously before wrapping his little arms around her. "It's okay, momma."

Solomon winced. It was not okay. Nothing about this was okay. Or right. Or fucking fair.

"Go to your room, Dames." Solomon commanded his son. The boy looked from his father to his mother. "Go!" Solomon bellowed. Damien jumped before scurrying out of the kitchen. His tiny footsteps thumped up the stairs and into his room.

Tabitha let loose, her sobs turning into wails of agony. Solomon tried to comfort her, but she kicked him away.

"Get away from me!" she screeched. When he tried again, she kicked him harder. "Get the fuck outta my sight, Solomon! You fucking stink of booze."

This time he did.

He had to listen to his wife cry alone on the kitchen floor. When he reached the top of the stairs, he saw his son's eye peeking at him through the crack in his ajar doorway. As soon as Damien saw his father, he turned to hide.

Solomon entered the room. In his arms, he scooped his son up, and lay in his bed with him. He wasn't sure if he fell asleep first, or if Damien had. What he did know is that he was never drinking again. Never.