Gideon Read online

  The clockmaker held up a card attached with a ring to the rest of the deck. On the slick surface was the unmistakable picture of Ashley. The photograph did not cut off the size, nor the detail of her enormous breasts, since it was taken when she was standing in front of the photographer naked. “This is your little bot,” Manfred said admiringly.

  He felt the stiffening of his Guardian’s spine and her quick little inhale as she examined Ashley’s picture.

  “Can I see that?” asked Francis.

  Gideon turned the card over, but the flip side had a picture of her entire backside as well, the perfect heart-shaped ass and long, flawless legs. Her green eyes shown in profile glowed in the light of the picture flash, making her appear like the mechanical object she surely was.

  Why didn’t I sense she was a bot, then?

  Francis whistled until receiving Gideon’s death stare. The card was returned to the clockmaker, who stashed them back in the drawer without comment.

  “Just so you know how it works, she’ll go back for a recharge and be sent on another mission with her memory wiped. If you run across her again, she’ll not remember you in any way, Gideon. Don’t take offense at this.”

  “I don’t fuckin’ care if I never see her again. That’s not what I’m here for. My Guardian seems to overestimate the bot’s importance to me. I merely wanted to know if I’d picked up anything that—”

  “Could be transmitted to your love angel,” Manfred finished.

  Gideon was about to have another outburst but reeled himself in. “And she’s not my love angel. She’s the only person in this universe I care for or want to spend the rest of my time with. That’s never going to change. My interest is only in keeping her safe. Surviving whatever I have to survive to get rid of the red bitch queen and her minions, and finding out how the hell I can hire that army you talked about for our protection.” He looked up at Francis. “I include you in that, too, my loyal friend.”

  “Persephone could return home,” his friend offered.

  She squeezed Gideon’s hand. “Is this possible?” she asked.

  “I’m going to have to double check on that. Not as good with the Guardian biologics as I am with the creatures I’ve developed. But I’ll inquire on your behalf, my dear.” Manfred smiled and once again showed his stained teeth.

  Gideon allowed his emotions at possibly losing his Guardian to flow through him until they dissipated somewhat. “In the meantime, I’ve got to keep her safe,” he barked. “You mentioned an army. Would this army be able to battle the Red Queen?”

  “Oh yes, quite effectively,” answered the clockmaker. “And they’d be completely loyal to you.”

  “So how do I find these men?”

  “Warriors come in all sexes, colors, and sizes, my Gideon.”

  “Sorry, what I meant was, how do I find them? Is there a way I can hire them through you without going into the Underworld?”

  “Well, I build them for you, son.”

  “And, do I—”

  “I’ll try to make it so you don’t have to travel far. But I can’t guarantee it. My lab down there is huge, compared to here. Creating an order that size would certainly raise eyebrows.”

  “But they come here and do battle here, right?” he asked.

  “Yes. That would be best. We’d have less interference. Besides, this army hopefully would be temporary, unless you have other enemies. Do you?”

  Gideon faced his Guardian, who was looking to him for his next answer.

  “Well, there’s the Supreme Being issue.”

  “And I can’t help you there, Gideon. You’re on your own with him. I stay away from those fights. But perhaps he’ll let you off easy. He can’t reach you in the Underworld. It’s the only place he can’t go. So, if it comes to that, I’m afraid that would be your second choice.”

  “And Persephone?” he dared to ask.

  “A tricky question. I honestly don’t know. As I said before, she’d be prized among all the Guardians they try to capture.”

  “So, I’m still Guardian?” she asked.

  “Yes and no. You have some protection in place I suspect.”

  “I was promised this,” she answered.

  “You have some of your angel powers, correct?”

  “Yes, I can fly. I can heal. I still have dust—”

  “For use so you can help Gideon. You forget, the Man himself tasked you. But if your charge cannot be saved, I’m not sure what that would mean for you.”

  She bent her head, suddenly interested in their entwined fingers again, but Gideon knew she was about to burst into tears and could feel the ache in her heart.

  “I wish I could be more hopeful, sweet angel. I’m telling you what I know, and that’s all I can do. There are so many moving parts. This is a complicated game of risk and strategy, and we have to execute it flawlessly for an outcome anything close to what you could live with. You must, at all costs, Gideon, save her from the Underworld. That I can assure you would not be good for any of you.”

  “And the red bitch?” asked Francis.

  “You want her as a pet? I can make that happen.”

  “Hell no! I think she should be burned at the stake for what she’s done to him.”

  “Probably safest. But all her slaves and family have to be eliminated, or—”

  “Or what?” Gideon asked.

  “Eliminated. I was considering another possibility, but I’ve ruled it out. No need to consider this. We’ll work for total annihilation of her entire clan and all her ‘pets.’ Fair enough?”

  “Can’t be too soon for my taste,” he whispered. “How will we get them? They’re like a pack of nomads, feeding and causing a swath of destruction all over.”

  “Has she traveled to the Underworld, or do you know?”

  “I think she’d like to. Heard her talking about it before.”

  “Then we’ll leave a trap, and use that as bait.”

  “Perfect!” Francis clapped his hands together. “I propose a toast to this most awesome plan.” He raised his tumbler, and the four of them toasted.

  “To the clash of the century, then!” the clockmaker crowed.

  They clinked their glasses and drank. The cool elixir sailed down Gideon’s throat, and he began to hear music that naturally seemed to spring from the pheromones he could taste, feel, and scent coming from his lovely Guardian. It was a cherub choir, something he’d never liked before, but he suddenly felt it was fitting as a sendoff and perhaps a blessing from old SB himself.

  But of course, he couldn’t be entirely sure.

  Chapter 16

  Outside the clockmaker’s shop, Francis took Gideon aside. Persephone was again distracted by the working dolls in the store window and was out of earshot.

  “Gideon, if there is any chance she can return home, you need to let that happen, old friend. I knew some of the stuff the clockmaker told us, but I’m also sure there’s a shitpile of information he hasn’t revealed. Probably due to time constraints.”

  “I know it. He practically threw us out of the shop,” Gideon answered. “Francis, if I thought she could do that safely, I’d be the first one to suggest it. Though I admit it would break my heart.”

  “Well, for the safety of your Guardian. I know you’d do it if you had to.”

  “Yes, in a heartbeat. But this army thing is the best idea I’ve heard so far.”

  “Agreed. There’s one other thing I’m confused about, Gideon.”

  “What?”

  “He hasn’t contacted me, either. And I’m kind of afraid to request a meeting, if you know what I mean.”

  “Didn’t think about that. With all we’ve done, I guess I just expected your wings to be dark too, but you’re right, you’re still a Guardian.”

  “You think I should just sink back into my normal life in San Francisco until you have need of me? I mean, what can we do until we get more protection?”

  “Maybe that would be best. Keep your eyes and ears open,
though. Let us know if you run across anything.”

  “Will do. You guys will be safe by yourselves you think?”

  “If we experience anything funny, I’ll get her to message you.”

  “Whatever connection you and I had is now broken, Gideon. Not really sure we had any to begin with, but then, we hardly tried. Wish I had more time with your Guardian. I think she could teach me a bunch of things.”

  Gideon growled. “Watch it.”

  “Not to worry, my friend,” he said as he placed his palm on Gideon’s shoulder. The gentle tap tap tap must have released some feather dust because his friend had to bring out the man-sized nose rag. Once again, he nearly catapulted head first into the sidewalk with a fit of sneezing, which drew Persephone’s attention.

  “Maybe if you flew home, you’d begin to build up resistance to it, Francis,” Persephone said helpfully.

  “Not taking a chance at that. Can’t you see me getting impaled on a church steeple or large electrical tower? It might not kill me, but gawd that would be painful as hell.”

  “And scary,” added Gideon.

  “Well, I’ll leave you two to make your plans.” Francis turned to walk off, adjusting his feathers that had once again become dislodged and had started to creep up from his collar. He sneezed again, and this time kept his mankerchief out.

  “Francis, you want us to give you a lift?” she asked him.

  “I’m afraid I’d attract too much attention, and I don’t want to endanger you. I ride the bus, the trains. I like walking amongst the human population I’m supposed to service. I think I need a little normal human interaction today.” At Gideon’s wink, he added, “Not that kind, you dirty dark angel.”

  They watched him amble down the drying sidewalk. Large billowy clouds populated an otherwise bright blue sky. They were tinged with grey. A growling rumble erupted on high. Francis darted a quick look above his head, but then picked up his pace and soon disappeared into the early afternoon. The last thing Gideon noticed was that he was now walking with a bit of a limp. He’d ask him about that next time he saw him.

  “Shall we go?” He reached for and held her hands in his, facing her.

  “Love to.”

  “Ladies first,” he said as he bowed.

  His beautiful Guardian altered her dress, stomped her pink cowboy boots one time, and then lit off for the bright sky, aiming right into a cloud.

  Gideon raced to catch up with her and at first he couldn’t find her, but finally, through the white mist of one of the larger clouds, he saw elements of rose and peach and at last the soles of her cowboy boots. Her huge wingspan had filled out with more feathers. Some of the rose color had darkened, but the grey remained pale enough to absorb the bright sunlight. He soared above her, showing her his commanding arch and the powerful shiny black plumage she admired. He heard her giggle as they flew over the vineyard across the roadway from their inn.

  A small clump of large oak trees had lost their leaves and defiantly stood on several rocky ridgelines above the vineyards, overlooking the whole Valley of the Moon. From above, it appeared several large pieces of black building insulation had become entangled in the branches from the recent storm. Persephone had picked up speed, cresting over the ridge, and then swooped down, heading for a landing at the parking lot of the Waterwheel Inn just ahead of them both.

  Too late to catch up with her, he noticed the sheets of construction debris formed a distinct pattern, rose up, cleared the trees, and traveled in formation like the head of a spear. He sped up, eyes squinting to focus on the shapes when he heard a loud screech, answered by two or three other voice patterns. Distinct shapes formed a circle around his Guardian—who seemed to have trouble evading them with her new wings—faltered, and then began to lose elevation.

  But she would not land. As soon as she stopped her forward momentum, the dark beings closed the circle and caught her in the center. Her scream pierced his heart, but soon was drowned out by the cawing and crowing of the beings who had captured her. Their wings were spindly and pointed, appearing more like large leathery bats with a red glow on their underbellies, each with a distinct marking.

  Gideon screamed, calling out to her, but there was no chance he could get there in time as the bulk of the group began carrying her away at record speed. Two of the creatures fell back and now faced him head on, their horned heads down, dripping some kind of dark liquid that was setting the earth on fire wherever it landed below.

  He adjusted his speed, backtracked a bit, still keeping the now dwindling shape of Persephone and her captors at the edge of his vision. He corkscrewed downward in an evasive maneuver so the liquid wouldn’t light on him. He knew they could chase and overcome him. His only chance was to attempt to land where perhaps he’d have a more level playing field and could use some of his vampiric tracing capabilities.

  A blast of fire came from one of the creature’s elongated snout. His head was pebbly with black warts and the shape of it was more like that of a reptile with glowing red eyes. Gideon just had enough strength to change his direction and force a landing at one of the koi ponds beneath the slowly turning waterwheel. His instinct had been correct. The creatures didn’t follow him there.

  He heard their call back and forth, perhaps giving notice to the forward guard that they’d eliminated whatever threat he’d been to their successful mission. As the calling faded, he caught a glimpse of the two flecks of pure evil growing smaller until they disappeared altogether.

  He stood in the pool of water, the wheel groaning on its monotonous journey around and around, dumping gallons of water in the pond and over the top of him. At his feet, he saw the large koi that had curiously come to investigate his legs, still covered by the jeans and shoes she’d created for him. As the cool water covered him, he adjusted and enclosed his feathers back into their wing sacs. But just before finishing, he heard a small hiss.

  Either it was the effect of water on something that had perhaps been burning in his plumage, or it was the water, cooling down his chest housing his heart now boiling out of control.

  He realized for the first time he was no match for the events that would unfold in the next few hours or days. Perhaps he would spend all eternity searching for his lost Guardian, the love of his life, the keeper of his soul, the only reason he had for living.

  If it took all the time in the universe, he vowed he’d get even. He’d find her. He’d gladly pay any price to do so.

  Chapter 17

  Persephone awoke to the feel of a claw running up the inside of her thigh. Completely naked, she kept her eyes closed until all her senses and powers returned. The bitter taste in her mouth told her she’d been drugged. She tried to cloak herself in a blanket or wrap of some kind but found she was unable to.

  The claw continued on its deadly course, dangerously close to her sex. She tried to elevate, sprouting wings that jammed into something soft under her back, but she couldn’t move. She was lying on a bed and her hands and feet were tied spread-eagle.

  Snickers and grunts emanated from the corners of the room. Laughter erupted as she struggled against her bonds and tried to disappear, but a silver chain around her neck burned her flesh until she stopped. At last, she encased her wings and opened her eyes to her tormentors.

  There were four of them, all drooling, with yellowed teeth and lips pulled back into a permanent grimace. Similar in size to the brothers, their faces did not appear human in any way. Their flesh was black and leathery, shiny, and the familiar scent of rotting corpses filled her senses, making her stomach heave.

  They laughed at her as she turned her head to the side and retched up nothing. Only a few times as a Guardian she done that, some kind of ancient reflex of her life as a human. She was filled with anger and disgust.

  There was no hope, but likewise, she felt no despair. As far as she could recall, Gideon had escaped the creatures. She was fairly certain that if they’d caught him, his burned carcass would be lying in the room at her feet.r />
  The one closest to the bed had long, sandy dreadlocks tied with purple electrical cord. His lips were bright red, stained with blood, and she recognized him as being the one who had feasted on her neck while they flew from the inn. He was bent over her, smiling, blood dripping down the sides of his chin. As his lips pulled back, she was disgusted with his yellowed fangs and horrible breath like the red vampire brothers. He was crouching, one hand barely touched her thigh, and the other was wrapped around his enormous cock as he jacked himself up and down. His sperm sac hung nearly to his knees. It appeared all the energy of this being was concentrated on two lusts: for blood and for sex. Persephone knew she could only endure one of those.

  “Pretty. She’s very pink and pretty,” the creature said as he touched the lips of her sex, which made his cock spurt a creamy light brown substance that smelled like camphor. “I can’t decide whether to fuck it or eat it first…”

  Persephone retched again and began to shiver.

  A massive metal door opened with a screech, and the creature backed up immediately, retreating to the shadows in the corner, his hand still working his rod. He stood next to another creature who had stopped in the middle of eating one of Persephone’s pink cowboy boots.

  The newcomer who looked her over appeared almost human, well-dressed in black leather, with a cape made from the pelt of an animal. His jet-black hair contrasted with his pink skin where white powder had been applied unevenly. He was wearing eye makeup and blush too. Was that lipstick or was it blood?

  “Welcome to my world, my dear.” He smiled, showing teeth also stained red.

  She didn’t answer him, but watched him examine her bindings, kneel at her side, and adjust the silver necklace she wore. The pendant on the chain, which he touched reverently, lay between the two mounds of her breasts. Her nipples were taut, her arms and legs felt the chill of the room and broke out in goose bumps. Or was it the way his cold fingers pressed the pendant to the flesh of her chest and then moved over to squeeze first one breast, and then the other?