A Death of Music Read online

  Penelope noticed that Indigo had not followed them inside. It was just the four of them.

  “Where’s Sassafras?” Willow asked.

  “I thought Indigo said she was ready to see us,” Felicity added.

  Dynah walked over to the cat as if to scratch its back. It was solid white except for charcoal-colored ears, and quite petite, barely bigger than a kitten. As she stretched out her hand to touch it, the cat jumped off the table. There was a popping sound, and Penelope watched in horror as the cat began to morph and stretch out. A moment later, a woman stood before them.

  Pale skin, gray hair, green eyes. Her hair cascaded over one shoulder, and she wore slim-fitting black pants and a beaded green tunic. Her hands were well-calloused, as if she spent a lot of time riding, or holding a gun. She had an edge about her, and it was sharp enough to cut yourself on.

  “The Riders of the Apocalypse,” Sassafras said. “Indigo tells me you have quite an interesting tale.”

  When he’d had time to tell her this since he’d spent the night with Willow, Penelope wasn’t sure. Perhaps they shared a connection through their thoughts. Or maybe he’d just snuck out at some point during the night.

  Sassafras sat down in one of the chairs and gestured for the Riders to do the same. When they had all taken their seats, she eyed them, one at a time, as if inspecting not only their physicality but their souls as well. There was something of the cat she had been in her eyes. Clever. Mischievous. Ready to release its claws. Her gaze felt ice cold on Penelope’s skin.

  “So,” she said, apparently finished with her appraisal. “You’re defying Heaven and working for the Fallen. How terribly delightful.”

  Penelope shifted in her seat. “I wouldn’t say we’re working for the Fallen. With one, I suppose. At the moment.”

  “Quite the rebels, aren’t you?” Sassafras smiled, showing her teeth. “The angels miscalculated substantially, I’d say.”

  “They should have known better than to use humans,” Willow said. “I still don’t understand why they chose us to begin with.”

  “Indeed.” Sassafras swept her gaze over them again. “I suppose they thought you would be weak-willed and jump at the power given to you.” She shrugged. “To be fair, it’s what most humans would do.”

  “Beziel told us we had a choice. So, we made a decision,” Felicity said.

  “Beziel. What a troublemaker.” Sassafras rolled her eyes. “Though, in this one case, perhaps I owe him my thanks. Provided he isn’t up to his own mischief.”

  “What do you mean?” Penelope asked.

  “The Fallen have no particular allegiances and aren’t exactly known for their altruism. I find it interesting that suddenly Beziel wants to save humanity.” Sassafras paused for a moment. “I think a history lesson is in order. You four have stumbled into this and have not the slightest idea what you’re doing. Like children running with knives in the dark.”

  Penelope felt Willow bristle next to her, and the other two wore frowns that matched her own.

  “Where to begin…” Sassafras mused, tapping her index finger on her chin. “I suppose the beginning will do.”

  Outside the tent, Penelope heard the wind sweeping down from the mountains as if trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. The smell of meat roasting over a fire tickled her nose.

  “You are not the first Riders, and this is not the first Apocalypse,” Sassafras began.

  “Yes, Indigo mentioned that,” Willow said.

  “Of course he did,” the demoness said with a wave of her hand. “Did he detail for you the times before, the Riders before, and most importantly, where the Riders come from?”

  When met with silence, Sassafras smiled. Penelope could tell she was a show woman. Ready to suck her audience into her tale.

  “Heaven and the others have tried this before, but never quite gotten it off the ground. You’ve probably heard tell of the disasters they caused—the Black Plague, the flooding of the Yellow River in China in the 1800s? Oh!” She placed a hand to her forehead. “And we can’t forget the sinking of Atlantis, of course.”

  “Atlantis?” Felicity murmured.

  “So, this is all about claiming souls?” Dynah asked.

  “Souls. Power. Domination.” Sassafras shrugged. “Take your pick. It’s all the same in the end. Souls are the currency of the realm. Never expire.”

  “And who all fights for the souls?” Penelope asked. “You said Heaven and others. Who are the others?”

  “Angels. Demons. Gods and goddesses of all the ancient religions. Christianity doesn’t own the Apocalypse, you know. They wish.” Sassafras snorted.

  Penelope’s heart stilled. She remembered what Atsa had said about bringers of the Apocalypse outside of white man’s lore. But it hadn’t really sunk in at the time. She felt so far out of her depth she couldn’t even see the shore anymore.

  “And each of those attempted Apocalypses before,” said Willow, “Each had a different set of Riders?”

  Sassafras nodded. “Yes. And this is vital for you to know. Your origin story, so to speak. Although, you four are hybrids, first of your kind. Tell me, what did it feel like, gaining your powers?” Her eyes gleamed as she looked at each of them.

  “Well.” Penelope darted her gaze to the others. “I felt strong. Invincible, even. But I…it was like the part that was me, my human memories and thoughts and feelings, were pushed into a dark corner of my mind.”

  Dynah sat perched at the edge of her chair, hands gripping her knees tightly. “I knew things that I had never known before.”

  “The history of all humankind, and how the universe worked,” Felicity added.

  Willow, for once, was silent.

  “But you seem to have come back to yourselves,” Sassafras said. “How did you do it?”

  “We didn’t,” Penelope said. “It was Spider Woman. She showed us our worst memories. Reminded us.”

  “I feel better now,” Felicity said. “Balanced between my humanity and my power.”

  “Fascinating,” Sassafras said. She sat back in her chair, appearing deep in thought for several long moments. Then she leaned forward again. “This all makes sense based on the lore. The way the Riders are created and unmade again.”

  She paused, and Penelope could tell she was drawing it out, hoping for them to ask her.

  Willow, always lacking in patience, broke first. “And? How are we made?”

  Sassafras’s eyes went hazy as if she saw something they did not. “I have not laid eyes on it myself, but it is said to reside in Heaven. A pool of blue flame surrounded by a forest of trees with pure white trunks and midnight black leaves. Dust from the birthing of the universe was sprinkled into the pool, and the feather of an angel, and a drop of crystallized time. Each set of Riders gains the consciousness of the Riders that came before. The power of the Riders that came before.”

  Silence fell across the room for a moment, other than the sound of the fire crackling in the hearth.

  “That explains a lot,” Dynah finally said.

  “And does that mean we’re more powerful than any of the previous Riders? If we have all the collective power and knowledge of those who came before?” Willow asked.

  “Indeed,” Sassafras said. “Until you are unmade. It’s your rebellious streak that’s going to do you in. Heaven won’t stand for it.”

  “That’s why we’re here, though,” Felicity said. “Because you know where to find the remaining three seals. And if we can find them and hide them before Heaven discovers us…”

  “Well, that’s the rub,” Sassafras said. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news after you came all this way. But unfortunately, ladies, I only know where two of the three seals reside.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Felicity

  Silence fell. “You don’t know where all of the seals are?” Felicity finally asked. Her voice echoed around the room.

  “Correct,” Sassafras said. “But, if it makes you feel any better, even i
f you do stop the seventh seal from being broken and end the Apocalypse, Heaven is still going to hunt you down. They’re not the most forgiving, ironically enough.”

  “That doesn’t make us feel any better at all!” Dynah snapped.

  “Just the truth.” Sassafras shrugged. “Would you rather I lie? Demons are quite good at that.”

  “Heaven can come for us if they wish,” Willow said, standing and beginning to pace behind the row of chairs. “They’re mistaken if they think we’re going to go quietly.”

  Penelope raised her hands in a gesture of placation. “Just tell us where the two seals are. We’ll figure out the last one later.”

  “Are you sure this is the path you want to go down?” Sassafras asked, raising her brows. “You could just do what they made you to do, and then you might survive this whole ordeal.”

  Felicity could sense the thoughts of the others, could feel the emotions washing through them all. It was such a strong and natural connection, like her own breath and blood and heartbeat, that she couldn’t imagine it ever being undone. Unmade.

  “There is no going back for us,” she said, speaking for them all. “We’ve lived our lives thus far trapped by others. We won’t be trapped now by Heaven, or anyone else. We do this on our terms, or we go down fighting.”

  Next to her, Dynah reached out and wound her fingers through Felicity’s. Flashes of the night before rose in Felicity’s mind: expanses of Dynah’s moon pale skin, her hair like a river of flame, her confident posture as she lay in the furs.

  “Martyrs, then. Well, don’t say I didn’t offer you a chance.” Sassafras sighed. “I’m not telling you all of this out of the goodness of my demon heart, by the way. Those of us who live here on Earth rather like the souls staying right where they are. Easily accessible.”

  She smiled like a shark and Felicity shivered.

  “So, if you can stop the Apocalypse, that benefits us. Otherwise, we have no interest in getting into a battle with the angels or the rest of them.”

  “You keep referring to these others. Who exactly are you talking about?” Penelope asked.

  “Just as your Navajo kin do not worship the angels of Christianity, neither do many people around the world. There are thousands of other religions and belief systems. And they fight for souls, too. Some are fading, as humanity advances and evolves. The further people get from the dark caves at the dawn of time, the further they move from the magical and mystical. From believing.

  “An agreement was struck eons ago. The Riders would be created in Heaven, as part of the Christian myth, but the Apocalypse and the reaping of souls would not belong to Heaven alone. After all, if the Apocalypse truly spreads across the earth, it will move through many lands that do not follow the ways of Christ. So, the religions of the world bargained and negotiated and decided on a fair split amongst themselves. It was decided that the four seals that released the Riders would stay in the hands of the angels, but the remaining three would rotate amongst the other powers that be.”

  Sassafras paused, her gaze sweeping over them.

  “That’s why I don’t know where the seventh seal is. They move them frequently. And let me tell you, it’s not easy getting that kind of information, but I have an excellent network of spies. The fact that I have two out of three is rather impressive.”

  Another pause, and Felicity could tell she expected praise. “We’re glad we came to you, then, Sassafras. Your reputation does not disappoint.”

  Sassafras smiled. “Why, thank you.”

  “So, who currently has the fifth and sixth seals?” Penelope asked.

  “The fifth seal resides with the goddess Sekhmet in Egypt. And the sixth seal is possessed by the Norse gods and goddesses, the ones who bring about Ragnarök.”

  “Ragnarök?” Dynah asked with a furrowed brow.

  “Just their word for Apocalypse.”

  “And how do we find these beings?” Willow asked.

  “That same magic bauble that brought you here—I can give you two more. They will take you to where Sekhmet and the Norse deities dwell, not to the seals themselves. So, you’ll have to find them once you get there. As Riders, however, once you get within close proximity of a seal, you will sense it.”

  Sassafras stood and went to the fireplace. A wooden box sat on the mantle. Runic carvings covered it, and while Felicity could not read them, gazing upon the box made her shiver. Sassafras lifted the lid and reached within the box. A moment later she straightened and returned to them. She stopped before Felicity and Dynah and opened her hand. On her palm sat two orbs, one solid black with golden sparks swirling beneath the surface, the other green and gray, moving like clouds.

  “The black one leads to Sekhmet. The green one leads to the Norsemen.”

  Felicity took the green one, and Dynah the black. “But how will we travel fast enough?” Felicity asked. “Cross oceans? Time is of the essence.”

  Sassafras looked down at her, one brow raised, and then she began to laugh. “Do you not have mounts?”

  “I don’t think they wish to swim the ocean, if that’s what you mean,” Willow said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I think you will find your beasts are more than capable of taking you anywhere you need to go. Have a little faith.” Sassafras snorted.

  “Faith? That’s interesting advice coming from a demon,” Penelope said.

  “Before today I would not have thought it possible for four mere human women to outsmart Heaven. But here we are,” Sassafras said. “Appearances can be deceiving, and judgements are often misplaced.”

  Penelope nodded her head in acquiescence.

  “By the by, say you find these seals before they’re broken, where are you going to put them?” Sassafras asked.

  “Beziel wants us to give them to him for the Fallen to watch over,” Felicity said.

  “But Spider Woman also wants them,” Dynah added.

  “The seals are debatably the most powerful magical artifacts on earth,” Sassafras said. “So pretty much everyone will want them. Trust none of them.”

  “What exactly are we supposed to do with them, then?” Willow asked.

  “Can’t help you there,” Sassafras said. “I don’t want to get involved any further than I already am. We demons here in my troupe have everything we need: freedom and a steady diet of souls. I’m not interested in getting caught in the middle of your drama.”

  Dynah and Felicity exchanged a glance. “We’re grateful for what help you’ve given us,” Felicity said.

  “You should be.”

  Sassafras walked to the door, and the message was clear: their warm welcome had expired. As the Riders got up from their chairs and filed out past her, she sighed.

  “You know, I hope you make it,” she said. “Those angels are smug little beasts and I’d love to see the looks on their faces when they realize that the humans they chose, who they thought would be their good little puppets, turn the tables on them.”

  She swept her icy gaze over them all one more time.

  “But most likely you’ll just die instead.” She shook her head. “Remember, Riders: don’t trust anyone, especially not Beziel. And ride fast when Heaven starts to hunt you.”

  With that, the demon Sassafras shut the door in their faces with a resounding boom.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Dynah

  “How comforting,” Dynah said wryly.

  “Let’s go get the horses,” Willow said, striding off.

  They headed to the tent where they had left them the night before. Within a few minutes, they were outside and mounted up.

  “You going to say goodbye to Indigo?” Penelope asked Willow.

  Willow shrugged. “It wasn’t like that. Let’s go.”

  And they left the caravan of wild west demons and rode back the way they had come in. A mile out, Dynah’s bone army awaited them. She realized that they could not follow her to their new destination.

  “I free you from my command,”
Dynah called to them. “Until I summon you again.”

  The army scattered and headed back south, except for the dragon, who sprung into the sky and took to the clouds.

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” Willow asked her.

  “I can’t very well cross oceans with an entourage,” Dynah said. “Don’t worry, they will come when I call. The dead are everywhere.”

  “Fifth seal first,” Felicity said, nodding at Dynah. “Which direction does your orb lead us?”

  Dynah lifted it, watching as the golden sparks swirled like desert sand across the dark surface. She felt the pulse of its magic like her own heartbeat. And also, a directional tug.

  “East,” she said. “Let’s ride.”

  The horses picked up a gallop, and Dynah thought back to what Sassafras had said. In the beginning, they had been limited by Atsa and his mortal pace. On the way to the demons, they had definitely moved beyond the limits of normal physicality. Could they go even faster, even further? Cross oceans?

  As if Moon could sense her thoughts, he pushed for speed, eating up the earth beneath his hooves. He moved like a freight train, like lightning over the desert. The mountains blurred by with no shape or distinction. They were moving so fast Dynah felt as if she were coming apart, piece by piece.

  Trust your mounts.

  The words echoed in Dynah’s head, and she surrendered. To Moon, to her magic. She was a Rider, after all. She was made for this.

  And then they were flying.

  They became the wind instead of cutting through it. They became the sky. Moon still galloped, each hoof touching down, but instead of ground beneath their feet it was clouds. Dynah looked down, her heart climbing into her mouth, pulsing on her tongue. The land spread below them, and she could see it now, as she hadn’t been able to when they were galloping on its surface. It looked perfectly still, perfectly quiet. As if it were a model of the Earth rather than the Earth itself.

  Gray stretches of mountains. Green sweeps of forest. Brown or tan spots far to the south closer to her home. Turquoise lakes and rivers draped across it all like jewelry. Sometimes the clouds surrounded them and her world became silver.