Blood and Apples: An Annora Park Novel: Book One

Chapter Thirty-Four: Lessons To Kill

"I will kill him," Branuel Or De A'lanuel rages. And his rage is a fearsome thing to behold. "I will tear him limb from limb! Then I shall flay him alive. NO! Perhaps I'll flay him alive first. I'll skin him too. And wear his skin so all can see what happens to those who harm my beautiful Queen."
That was kinda sweet, in a total sicko kinda way. I swallow and clear my throat. "Uhmmm...no you won't."
"I won't?"Branuel is furious but I continue.
"You won't because I will. Well, probably not the wearing his skin part. But the rest, yeah. I'm so on that." I mutter.
   "I want a piece of him too...no, more than a few pieces," Walker says.
   "Again..." I snap, "I get first crack at him! He came AT ME!" I rage, "Do you understand, can you possibly understand how it feels to be violated in that way? No, there is no way you can, because it didn't happen to you! So no, you don't get to take this away from me, do you understand.  This kill is mine. IT IS MINE!" I finish on a scream, with tears rolling down my face.  I hug myself and try to reign myself in, but I'm having trouble doing so.  "Oh God.  Oh God.  Oh God," I mutter.  I felt like I was coming undone.  It was worse than if he had stripped me bare.  I was laid wide open and bleeding from millions of unseen wounds.  I felt raw and red and pulverized.
   "You are going to be all right my beloved," Chamuel comes to me and wraps my stiff body in his arms.  At first I remain stiff in his arms, and then I relax a little.  And lay my head against his chest.  I can hear his heartbeat and it's comforting.
   "It was so...soooooo awful, Chamuel.  He...touched me..."
   "WHAT?!" Branuel Or De A'lanuel is at my side immediately.  He tries to take me from Chamuel, but Chamuel isn't having any of it.  And holds on.  "You said nothing of such things," Branuel rages.  His face is suffused with furious color.
   "Because...Because...he didn't touch me like that...well he did, but he didn't," God why had I said anything.  I should have just kept my trap shut and said nothing.
   "No, no we need to know all, my darling.  Tell me, tell us, please.  What do you mean." Chamuel whispers to me.
   "He grabbed me by my arms and I couldn't move my legs, Chamuel.  He held me down and...and...when he was talking he was pressing himself against me and he...he..." I blush, horrified, "...he was aroused, okay.  There, are you happy! I fucking said it.  He was goddamn aroused and it was awful! I wanted to throw up when I felt him like that against me."
"Oh my amour," Chamuel hugs me tighter.
"He is DEAD!" Branuel Or De A'lanuel says again. And I've never seen such a look on his face. He's absolutely furious. His face it set so coldly I KNOW just how angry he is.
"I will—"
"—Again!" I scream, "YOU WILL NOT!" I narrow my eyes. "He's mine. Do you understand? He's mine!? My captain expects me to close this case, and I need this. I need to do this! He violated me, ME!" I feel the tears and refuse to wipe them away. They're mine too. "I will do this. If you want what's left of him, then he's all yours. Maybe I'll let you get a shot in before, too. But the kill, the kill is mine, boys. And I won't hear anything else about it."
   "It will leave a scar on your soul, amour," Chamuel murmurs.  "If you do this...you will not be the same."
   "I've killed before, Chamuel."
   "In defense, yes.  You've never set in motion a kill.  You've never put together a plan to kill a person and asked to specifically do it yourself.  This is different."
   "You're damn fucking right it's different!!" I scream at him, having pushed off his chest.  I'm furious now. "You damned right it's different!" I'm beating at his chest now, needing to let out the fury and rage that is coursing throughout my body. "I've never been helpless like that before...never without my consent! And I've never been...violated in such a way. And I never will again, NEVER. Not if I have to seal a bargain with the devil himself," I yell, "I'll never allow myself to be put in a situation like that again."
"Oooohhh if it's a bargain with the devil you wish then I can make that happen, my lovely girl," Walker says rubbing his hands together. "Mother might actually be able to make it happen even quicker, I'll ask her."
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Chamuel says calmly. "My amour is overwrought and knows naught what she is saying. She will not be making a bargain with the Lord of Below. Do you understand, Romanoff."
"But she said—"
"—She has said many things, things that when she is thinking rationally she may regret. You will not trick her into a devils bargain. You will not take advantage of her. HE will not look favorably upon such an act, neither will The Graces. And whether you care or not, they care about you, and they DO watch."
"Oh fine, fine, you take away all my fun as well, Birdie boy. But you're probably right. She's not in the right state of mind to be making devil's bargains."
"And SHE IS RIGHT HERE!" I yell. "Why do you guys do that shit. Talk about me like I'm not right in the fucking room. I hate it."
"You're right, I apologize, my amour." Chamuel says quietly.
"Me too," Is all Walker says, but he's still grinning and rubbing his hands together as if he's thinking about the bargain I had said I would make. And Chamuel was right to stop him. I probably wouldn't want to make a devil's bargain. Bargains such as those NEVER turned out well.
   "What I'd like to know if HOW, G'harna Yull Brennan was able to cast a Web Dream in the first place," Terrenel says, and it's the first time he's spoken since I'd begun speaking.
Actually that is a really good question.  I look over at Branuel who looks rather abashed and I say, "Branuel? Branuel is there something that you're not telling us? Why do I have the feeling you're keeping something from us?"
   "No my beautiful Queen, it's just...no...really, it's nothing."
   "It doesn't sound like nothing."
   "It...its not important."
   "Why don't you let me be the judge of that," I say.  I'm really not liking the look I see in his eyes.  It's making me really suspicious.
   Branuel sighs and sighs down on the long couch.  He brushes a hand through his magnificent hair and takes a deep breath.  "I fear that what I tell you will tear down what little trust we've begun to build."
Well shit!
   "Again, why don't you let me be the judge of what I can and cannot handle."
   "My nephew does not...at least he did not have much power."
   "I remember, he couldn't draw from fairy."
   "Correct.  Soooo he found another way to sustain his mortal coil.  He found another way to harvest his power.  And now I fear he has found a way to cast Web Dreams.  I didn't think of it until now, and put the two and two together...it didn't even think of it when you mentioned that the brains were gone.  I thought they merely keepsakes for his collection.  That he was gaining a taste for the killing."
   "Oh he's definitely acquired a taste for killing," I mutter, my brain working fast and furiously.  It hits me then and then I feel sick all over again.  "The brains are harvested to use for his Web Dreams."
   Branuel nods.  "That is what I believe, yes."
   "I didn't know you could do that..." I say quietly, suddenly feeling even colder than before.
   "You shouldn't be able to.  Web Dreaming is a Goddess gift.  But everything that G'harna does subverts the Goddesses true plans.  Somehow I believe he has found a way to recreate Web Dreaming by harvesting these brains of your human sheep...I mean, these humans of yours."
And if things hadn't been fucked before.  This was definitely the definition of fucked—and without any of the fun.