Apocalypse's Horsemen (Devil's Assistant Series - Book 3)

Apocalypse's Horsemen [20]

Chapter 20

I lifted my gaze and sucked in a breath. The dread I felt in that moment was almost too much to bear.

My heart crashed hard against my ribs as I stared at the person standing several feet from me. I recognised the face, the face that had smiled at me and my son so kindly the last time we had looked upon it. Bile tried to force its way up my throat as I stared at the face I knew and yet felt like it belonged to a stranger. When dealing with beings that could change who they were at a moment’s notice, I couldn’t allow hope to enter in to my mind.

No. It couldn’t be real. It would be too simple for a horseman to trick me. Too simple to give in and let myself believe that this was who he appeared to be. But it was never that simple. That was one thing I had learnt from my time with Lucius.

My sword was otherwise occupied so on instinct I imagined and created a smaller more deadly looking blade. There were ridges along one side. The sword would glide through the skin and flesh like a hot knife through butter and yet on the way out it would cause maximum damage. The time for playing was over and it was finally sinking into my thick skull that this was war - a time where I had to kill or be killed. I just hoped, as I stared at the familiar face, that my conscience could survive the lives I would have to take to win this battle.

“Savannah?”

The voice washed over me and still I refused to believe my eyes.

“Who are you? Tell me the truth.”

The huge mountain of man shifted from one foot to the other while he kept his wary eyes trained upon me and my hands which were wrapped tightly around the hilt of the sword. And then I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

Lucius emerged from the lift behind the figure, his glowing sword firmly in his grasp. He appeared no different to the last time that I had seen him. There were only a few extra smudges of dirt to his face and hands. There was a frown on his face as he moved past Hades’ hulking form and came to stand before me.

His eyes swept the length and breadth of my form before he turned his head back to the Greek God standing no more than a few feet from him. It still felt surreal that not only did the devil exist but so did other Gods, Goddess and legends – at least in some form.

“What’s the hold up? We need to get out of here.” Lucius nudged the giant man in the side when neither of us made to move.

My instincts had me reacting to the intruders like I was in a standoff. I followed Hades’ every move feeling as twitchy and anxious as a rabbit caught in the sights of a predator. Just one wrong move and I knew that I would be fleeing for the hills or plunging the blade deep into his chest. Inside of me my nerves had wound so tight that I felt like the smallest push would make me snap.

With a shrug of his shoulders at his friend’s lack of response, Lucius turned back to me and stretched a hand out towards me. My hands trembled around my blade as I let my eyes drift to the outstretched limb.

“Come on Savannah, I’ve managed to rig this place to blow. If we can’t kill the horseman we can at least destroy their hideout.” He smiled grimly at me, his beautiful blue eyes so weary.

I met his gaze and found myself unwilling to leave the solace they brought. With just that one glance I knew that he was really Lucius. He was my Lucius. He was not a horseman in disguise.  There was no definite reason for my certainty. It was just something I felt in my soul.

“Lucius?”

A knot unfurled in my stomach as I slowly allowed myself to accept that this was him.