Darksiders: Age of Creation (Book 3)

Chapter 17: Charred Council

'Why am I always here?' Damiana thought angrily to herself, kicking a few rocks to the side as the ancient heads talked on and on.
"Psst, hey," the young horseman poked at her eldest sister's arm.
"No, hush..unless you're feeling ill again?" Fury hissed back, warm yellow eyes flickering over to meet Damiana's.
"No...but why am I here?" Damiana muttered, feeling her cheeks burn bright under Fury's uneasy stare.
"We spoke of it the entire time we came here...are you sure you're okay?"
Damiana let out a soft sigh and ignored Fury's question. Her eyes, in which slowly turned back to their normal Crimson state, glared up at the Council. While she tried to listen to the boring, monotone voices the Council often sported, Damiana's mind slowly drifted back to the strange maker the trio met weeks ago.
She had never been to the Tri Stone, although Strife had told her numerous of small tales of giant beings. Fury only described the place as beautiful and only had a few words after that as a description.
"And I missed it...because of this stupid thing..." She mouthed quietly to herself.
But what she remembered bothered Damiana the most. Not the woods, the serene atmosphere, no, but a calming voice. It was like the eye of storm; the few moments of tranquility before a windstorm hits; it was...
Lovely...
'Il...yea...Ilyea...' Damiana tested the odd name in soft syllables in her mind.
When she quietly muttered the name a little louder than she expected, the entire chamber went silent.
"What were you in the process of saying, Horseman?" The head to the farthest left thundered, voicing everyone's thoughts as they studied the blushing Anti Christ.
"Oh...uh..." Damiana fell silent and looked down in submission.
"Oh, for the first time you don't have anything smart to say." Strife chuckled, trying to mask his concern like the mask on his face.
Death sighed a half hearted "be quiet" and looked back over at the Council.
"There hasn't been anymore attacks on Abbadon since he was taken from the care of our sibling, so, are we to stop guarding him?" Fury interjected after a long pause.
As soon as those words slipped Fury's lips, Damiana's mind became clearer than ever before.
Abbadon+Shard= He'll most likely find all the pieces and create Genesis himself.
Abbadon-Damiana/Horsemen=...
'Hm...guess my mission is clear.' Damiana turned to leave, forgetting where she was for a split second.
"HORSEMAN!" The middle head roared, stopping mid sentence.
    Still stuck in her own thoughts, Damiana pressed on. Her armored boots made a soft, metallic scraping sound as she walked away, the only noise in the otherwise silent room.
    Only when her eldest sibling barked her name did Damiana turn around, with a little more than an attitude.
"What?" She muttered, looking over at her dumbfounded and annoyed brothers.
"Is this what you refer to as disciplined?!"
"Give her a break already." Strife grumbled, yawning in quiet boredom.
"I would've left too,"
"Do you ever shut up?" Death snapped.
"I can say the same to you, Kinslayer." Strife snickered quietly behind his mask, stressing each syllable with the most vile of venom he could muster.
"Enough with your childish banter, Rider of the Mad Horse, step forward and announce why you decided to be insolent." The head to the right bellowed, making the very ground tremble.
"I dunno," Damiana shrugged, passing her siblings to reach the front.
"Just felt like it, to be honest."
"You really are the most audacious child- that is not a tangible reason!"
"You call me all of these names, claim I don't respect you, yet what have you done for me?" Damiana rolled her eyes, feeling as if she was donning another personality.
     Smiling to herself, Damiana could almost feel Death's eyes burning into her head. Her sister muttered quiet warnings to her, calm voice almost droned out by the sounds of flickering flames.
"We gave you life, you insufferable brat. Remember our deal in the beginning?" All the heads roared in unison.
     When the fires from their gapping, still mouths burned bright in rage, Damiana's fangs glinted softly in the orange light as her lips parted in a quaint smirk.
She was enjoying this...
"Oooohhh~" Damiana sang in a mock fearful tone.
"I'm so scaaarrreeeddd, the big bad rocks are getting angry!" She laughed, knowing full well when she and Death or Fury were to be alone, punishment will soon follow.
"ALOXSUNAMOON!" Fury barked, both from fear and anger.
     Damiana stopped at the mention of her true name and blinked at Fury in confusion.
She never called Damiana that, EVER!
"She meant none of that." Fury continued, taking a step towards Damiana.
    The 5th horseman went to open her mouth, but quickly succumbed to the growing fluttering feeling in her belly.
Before long, long bouts of rapturous laughter filled the chamber, along with half hearted pleas for it to stop.
"What...?" The first head said in quiet confusion and surprise.
"Oh please, stop!" Damiana choked, barely able to speak a full sentence.
"It isn't supposed to do that to her!"
"Damiana...can't feel their punishments." War stated to Death, who was glancing down at Damiana in curiosity.
"So...they can't punish her?" Death asked himself.
"Well, seems to me only you can, 'brother'" Strife rolled his bright yellow eyes.
    Fury shook her head and gathered the laughing girl up in her arms, trying to avoid getting struck in the face by one of Damiana's hands.
"Are we done? We should really get her home." Fury mumbled, subduing Damiana for a few moments.
"Keep that...thing in your realm."
"No one must know about this, ever."
"Why, afraid people will rebel against you?" Strife laughed quietly.
"We won't hesitate in killing you, Rider, go, you are not to be relieved of your duties to Abbadon!"
Strife rolled his eyes, probably for the 50th time that evening, and turned on his heels to stalk off along with his brothers.
                  **************
     "Maybe I should go to Abbadon instead...he isn't too keen with you, brother." Fury told her twin, who sighed in annoyance and begrudgingly agreed.
"Okay, so you watch her." Fury gently placed the now calm Damiana into Strife's uneasy arms.
"I can walk, you know." Damiana growled.
"Hush you." Fury pecked Damiana's forehead and turned to walk away.
"Remember, not a scratch on her until I get back!" Fury called over her shoulder.
     Strife nodded after her and watched his sister until she was out of eye sight and earshot. When she was completely gone, Strife let his arms go limp and dropped Damiana, who made a high pitched squeal and landed hard on her shoulder.
"Ow...the fuck?!" Damiana cursed, glaring up at Strife.
"You said you can walk." Strife shrugged, summoning his mount.
"But that doesn't mean you should drop me!"
    Strife heaved himself into his saddle and looked down at Damiana with expressionless eyes. After an intense stare down between the two siblings, Strife broke off into an unusual hearty laughed and put his hand out.
"Come on, you said you wanted to find some shards? Let's go." Strife said as he pulled Damiana behind him.
"Really?!" Damiana's eyes opened wide and smiled ecstatically.
"Yeah, I know you don't want to go back home...and we have nothing else better to do, so, why not?" Strife shrugged again, casting a mischievous filled glance back at Damiana.
"Oh, uhhhh yeah!" Damiana laughed, unable to believe how easy this was.
"Well...where to next?" Strife shifted in the saddle, petting his mount's neck.
    Damiana palmed her mother's blue necklace and glanced down at it. The stone radiated a calm blue and felt a strange urge to say this one particular place.
"The Land of Lost Souls..." She muttered.