Blood of the Devil

Chapter 15 - Prophetic vs Pathetic

When Zach walked around the corner, saying, “Is anyone hungry? I’m thinking we should order pizza…” everyone was still staring at either Letha or Mickey.

Seeing his family all gathered in the same room and not arguing, Zach immediately spotted and blamed Letha, “Great, you’re here.”

Azrael still had enough wits about him to scold his foster-son, “Zachary.”

Clambering to his feet, Urnest pushed his glasses further up his nose, “I could eat.”

“No, no, no,” Gabe muttered, catching his arm as he passed and dragging him back to the couch. He sat down beside him, wedged between him and Hadrian, “You can’t just go spitting prophetic poems out and then expect to walk away scot-free!”

That got Letha’s attention, “prophetic? As in future telling?”

Gabe grumbled again, rising, “Right now, no, no, no! You are sitting down and explaining some of this. And then we’ll fill in the blanks.”

“Who put you in charge?” she muttered, sinking into the armchair as he gave her a light push. Cassie leapt to her feet, scowling at her brother and striding across the room to be as far away from the other girl as possible.

He wrapped his hand around Mickey’s arm too, looking around.

“Kid,” he said to Hadrian, “Would you mind sitting over by your sister.”

Hadrian shook his head, and stood, giving Gabe a place to shove Mickey. As he sat by his sister’s feet, the man had already directed Azrael to the final place on the couch. He disappeared for a moment, giving Mickey enough time to fasten his still shocked eyes on Letha, but returned quickly with two chairs. Gabe collapsed on one, patting the other for his sister, and then turned to Letha.

“You were saying?”

“I wasn’t,” Letha growled, crossing her arms, and staring at the man, one brow raised.

“My gosh,” Zach muttered, “You’re even annoying out of school!”

“Have you taken a look in the mirror recently?” she snapped back.

Gabe, with a guttural sound, glared at both of them, “Zach; get a chair, a pizza, whatever, just shut up! Letha; don’t you dare shut up. Speak!” he commanded.

“About what?” Letha asked as Zach trudged from the room.

Shaking his fist at her, Gabe directed his attention to Hadrian, “Kid?”

“I don’t know much,” he mumbled, “My mum used to tell us stories about their past, but she died when I was still little.”

“And you don’t know anything else?”

Letha shot Gabe a look of pure anger, “Leave him alone. You want the history, I’ll tell you the history.” She folded her legs up onto the seat, “Once, long ago, seven brothers were cast from heaven. They were all that was despicable to God; pride, greed, sloth, vanity, lust, gluttony … and wrath. Feeling akin to them, the devil sheltered, clothed and fed them, giving them immortal life with a bargain; man would perish and burn in hell-fires, or the brothers would. He put them on earth and they carried out their tasks ably.

“They were there when Cain killed Abel and they were there in Sodom,” Letha ground her teeth, “the Devil sheltered them when God flooded the earth. He left only Noah, his family and their pets, two of each kind, but the Devil replaced the seven sins. The dove landed in the tree, and when Noah took his eye from it, Gluttony swallowed it whole. Moments later, it emerged from his ribcage, black as night with a soul to match, and crows were born, forever destined to feed off the flesh of the dead.”