Suddenly, the darkness lifts and I’ve been washed up on to the center of some kind of platform. Kairo has built the Lake with a sublevel that emptiness out into the center of his castle.
Emmy stands wet and shivering a few feet away. I rush over to her, she latches on to me tightly.
“You know what? That really warms my heart. Well, if I had one,” someone says.
I turn and find Kairo a few yards away from me. He isn’t what I was expecting. There are no hideous markings on him. He isn’t horribly disfigured and doesn’t have eyes that swirl with dark abyss. If anything, most people would consider him attractive.
Kairo is about 6’2. He has mid-length hair, cut into spiky layers. He wears black knee-high leather boots and a button-down red velvet jacket that reaches the floor. He has on dark makeup that accentuate his eyes and red lips. He looks more like a Goth rocker than the son of evil.
I run up to strike him only to be violently thrown to the floor by a force field. That’s when I notice Kairo holding a cane-shaped “liquid” that stands a few inches off the ground.
“That cane is called a Loop. A Loop is a master key. It controls everything on this side of the force field. Kairo can come in but we can’t go out,” I inform Emmy in a whisper.
“We have to get the Loop away from him.”
“It won’t matter. It will only work in Kairo’s hand. It won’t recognize anyone else’s,” I reply.
Emmy and I exchange worried looks as Kairo enjoys the sight of his new prisoners trying to figure a way out.
“You need to let us out Kairo,” I order him.
“I’m hurt that you would take that kind of attitude with me. After all, I saved you and the human. Didn’t I?” he asks.
“I’m sure you did it because you’re a great guy,” I retort.
His laugh echoes in the vast castle.
“First, I would like to welcome you to my home. It seems to me that you have gone to a lot of trouble to see me. I didn’t want you two to come all this way only to be chewed up by the Vsk. No, that’s for everyday beings. Not for my favorite pair of lovers.”
Emmy and I are taken aback that he knows who we are.
“Oh yes, I have broken some Splashes. This Angel/human love affair is making news everywhere. It seems you two have been a real pain to Lucy.”
“You need to let her go, Kairo,” I order him.
“Would you like to know more about the Castle Relinque?”
“Let us out!” Emmy shouts.
“If you look around you’ll find some of my most valuable treasures. I think killing with powers or a mixture is too easy. I like the human way: Contact with the body,” he says pleasantly.
Emmy and I survey the vast room and discover it’s a murder’s museum. There’s a lengthy display of knives, swords, and torture devices mounted on the wall.
Emmy signals for me to look at the throne Kairo sits on. It’s a collection of bones that have been bound together to form the morbid center piece of Kairo’s lair. He notices Emmy staring at it.
“Do you like my throne? I had a devil of a time putting it together. Alas, I had a lot of help from humans and Angels alike,” he says smugly.
As he talks, I notice a thick silver necklace with a pendant around his neck. It has the same pattern as that in the book of fairytales. I signal to Emmy and she agrees; Kairo is wearing the Amulet we came for.
“You want to fight me, fine. But Emmy has noting to do with this,” I protest.
“Actually, she is really the only thing that concerns me. See, it’s been a long time since I played with a human.”
“Don’t you touch her!” I shout, placing Emmy protectively behind me.
“She came to my house and now I get to play with her.”
“You touch her and I swear to Omnis, I will kill you,” I vow.
“Even if you could, my death would be met by yours. The Council would have to make it up to Lucy if her son was killed by an Angel. You know that.”
“I don’t care.”
“Yes, I sense something very “hero–like” about you. I hate that,” he says.
“Kairo, she’s human; there’s no sport in killing her.”
“Killing her? What do you take me for? I don’t just kill like a common everyday Demon. My dear friend, I am an artist.”
“That means you find ways to make people suffer,” Emmy accuses.
“That means if killing people was an actual product, Akons, Demons, Runners would all be PCs. I, dear girl, am a Mac. I kill with Power. Precision. Style.”
I turn to Emmy and assure her that I will find a way to get her out. She nods but I can see panic behind her eyes.
“What is it that you came for?” Kairo asks.