Chapter 8: Secrets and Lies
Delilah bought herself an apple- simple, boring, yet still her favourite- then pulled up her hood and slunk over to the outskirts of the market. She ate her snack absentmindedly, her thoughts still lost in the past.
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She arrived at Akuuz's place of residence in just over an hour. Normally she wasn't late, but her visit with her mother had taken longer than she had planned. She knocked on the door, and was greeted by a rather shaggy looking Akuuz.
"Come in Delilah" he offered while stepping aside to let her through the massive doorway. She slipped inside, and he instantly shut the door behind her. He was not himself. His usually tidy clothes were a mess, and he looked almost fidgety. Something was clearly amiss.
"What's wrong Akuuz? You're being very strange." Delilah accused as she hopped up onto his sofa. The thing was massive, extra sturdy, and her feet were nowhere near the floor when she shuffled back to sit fully in the seat. She'd often wondered if this was standard in grunt homes, or if Akuuz had had the thing specially made. She never asked though, feeling it might be rude.
"I found some information that I think you should hear, but I couldn't have just anyone listening in." Akuuz sat at the other end of the sofa, and it was testimony to its strength that it didn't even creak under his huge mass.
"Well why didn't you just say so? How exciting." Delilah grinned. She was a sponge for all information, and if Akuuz didn't want anyone else knowing it must be really important. She sat up straight and looked directly at Akuuz, not an easy feat when he was so much taller than her even when sitting.
"It's not that kind of information. You're not going to like it, but I've checked it out and it's definitely legit. I think you've got a right to know." Akuuz sighed, though he maintained eye contact with Delilah. He was not afraid of her, despite the fact that he knew she could easily best him in battle. They were close, and Delilah wasn't one to take out her emotions on the wrong target. If she flew into a rage, it would not be him that suffered.
"Well what is it?" She asked, eyes narrowing. She did not like where this was going. She hated bad news, but more importantly she hated when people beat around the bush when delivering it. Akuuz knew better, so he simply got on with it.
"I found out why Father made that deal with your mother." He revealed, and when Delilah didn't make any signs of butting in he continued to explain. "I recently had to work with an old grunt of his, and I just casually asked him why he left for his other employer. He told me that he didn't like the way Father got his recruits. Of course I asked him what he was talking about, and that was when he told me."
Delilah sat and listened, her outward appearance interested but calm, while inside she could feel a rage starting to brew. The feeling that she wasn't going to like this was ever growing. Akuuz continued.
"We've always known that he likes the younger human souls, because they make sure good warriors in our world. That's why it was so confusing that he wanted your mother. Well, it turns out that he never wanted her in the first place. He wanted you." Here Akuuz stopped to give Delilah a moment to digest the news.
Delilah was silent and she processed this new information. If she thought about it logically, it made perfect sense. In her one hundred and twenty some years down here, she'd never once met a recruit of her Father's that looked older than thirteen. She was silent as she thought about it, and the rage started to abate as logic won out. Of course he had wanted her, she couldn't believe she hadn't seen it before.
"Well that makes perfect sense, why would I not like that? It's surprising, sure, but not hell-shattering." Her response only seemed to make Akuuz sadder, and she motioned for him to finish his tale.
"The thing is, it turns out he doesn't just make the deals. He studies his targets, the same way we all do, learning about them and finding the best way to get them to make the deal. He knew your mother would make the deal without hesitation, but that wasn't enough." Akuuz looked genuinely sad when he finally got around to telling Delilah what he had brought her here for. "The grunt I spoke to, he told me everything. Father caused the accident. He sent Gornad out there to kill the truck driver at exactly the right moment so that your parents' car would be hit. He killed you."
It did not take Delilah long to process this information at all. Her little face became red with rage, and she balled up her fists as though she was about to strike. She didn't. She had gained control over her temper, and she slowly and carefully brought the boiling rage back down to a simmer. In her head she was screaming. How dare he do that to her? How dare he spend over a century lying to her face? He called himself her Father, claimed to love her, and all the while he had been her murderer? She breathed slowly and deeply, and looked up at Akuuz with a slightly paler face.
"Thank you, Akuuz. I know I can always count on you." She said calmly. Akuuz gave her a small smile, though he could see the fire burning within her eyes.
"Always little one. Anything you need." He assured, and this brought a slight chuckle out of Delilah. She had always hated him calling her that, but it had become a sort of pet name, and she'd grown to like it. Calmed for now, Delilah jumped to her feet and headed for the door.
"I'll hold you to that, Akuuz." She assured as she opened the door. He nodded his head to show that he believed her, then she was gone.
She let that fire burn within her all the way back to her own chambers. The fury sustained her as she walked passed other demons going about their business. Her Father had lied to her. He was as bad as her mother. He would pay.
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Delilah finished her apple and pulled herself from her memories. She tossed the core into the air and muttered an enchantment to turn it to dust, then walked through the cloud back toward the market stalls. She would entertain herself with some good old fashioned demon watching.
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