Freya sat there wondering—and not for the first time—how the hell her life had turned out to be this messy.
"You must be joking," her partner said, his face wearing the exact expression of disgust that she felt. "This is who she wants us to bring along?"
Freya stood up, sparing a thought for her younger self who would've been terrified this close off the ledge. "She is our mistress and should be spoken of with the reverence that she does. That should not change just because she is not here, Theodore."
She knew that he wanted to harm her for that, to inflict violence upon her for daring to call him out in such a manner. Freya reckoned that that was all he could think about right now. I bet that he is wondering how to harm me without getting in trouble, she thought, and the idea brought about goosebumps, how to bury my body without it being discovered, how to get rid of me to rise in favour with our mistress…
Freya dared a glance behind her to see his dark eyes glaring at her, and the sight took her breath away and sent a jolt of excitement down her spine. Yes, all he can think about is killing me. I'm all that he can think about, oh he—
"You're right," he said, sighing as he looked away. Freya felt as if she had been doused in a bucket of ice-cold water. "I can only hope that were she here, the mistress would forgive me."
"Of course I would," a sultry voice said, and Freya reinforced her shroud in case her fright caused her to fall off the side of the building they stood upon.
She hopped off the ledge and took to one knee, a second faster than Theo had done. Freya's heartbeat began to quicken at the same time that her breath began to slow as she heard high boots clack their way towards them.
Freya focused on the strong and long legs of their mistress, exposed to the cold winter air, between an expensive pair of boots and a black dress that Freya would have killed for.
"Up," Onwa said, and as if strings controlled her body, she was back on her feet a second after Theo. She walked between the two, and her perfume made Freya's jaw clench as her mistress placed a foot on top of a ledge to look at the shit show going on below them. "How long has he been like this?"
Freya took a moment to compose herself before answering, "We got here five minutes ago, and he has been wailing and bitching like this the entire time."
Onwa looked back at them, one of her sharp eyebrows rising. "What was it that set him off like this?"
Theo shrugged his broad shoulders, his lean arms folded over his sculptured chest. "She stepped out on him and he couldn't handle it."
"Allegedly," Freya said, obviously annoyed. "For all we know, a man said hi and she said hi back."
The wailing was growing ever louder and Theo's annoyance was at a dangerous level. "This man is useless, mistress. Let's kill him and find someone else."
Onwa sighed and shook her head. "Cannot do, Theo. This man is an old friend."
Freya snorted. "Yeah? Are we getting sentimental, mistress?"
She unleashed a laugh that made Freya strain to hide a shiver. "What can I say, my dear? The man is from a time in my life where I could afford to be sentimental."
She did not wait for a response, and instead took a step off the ledge. Her landing sounded like a cat had plumped itself down on a pillow.
It was still loud enough to spook their target. The man turned, screamed, "Spark of life!" and hurled a ball of fire, which Onwa stopped with a held-out hand and a disappointed sigh. "Simon, this is shameful, even for you."
The man looked as if he had just seen a ghost, which was funny considering that he was paler than the moon. His tired green eyes occupied his face like saucers as he stumbled his way toward her, his hands and arms still covered in blood. "Onwa… oh Onwa!"
Theo appeared between the two of them to stop the man from sullying her with the sign of his crimes. "Do not touch her, you—"
"Theo," Onwa said calmly, placing a hand on his shoulder. Freya growled like a dog as she jumped off the building to join them in the alleyway of Schleierheim. The city was as beautiful as any of the many magical cities that she had been in. Its cathedral-like construction style in the city centre was surrounded by more modern architecture around it. The Germans were efficient, she could give them that much, for the city was shaped in a ring with quadrants spanning out the centre, with the east, west, south and north designated for specific areas. They were currently in the eastern district, where nightlife served as the core reason for the area's existence. All around them, loud techno music had done its part in covering for Simon's pussy-aching.
Simon looked up at the tall Theo, who looked like a supermodel looking down on a homeless person who had dared to ask for spare change. If Theo was not such an idiot, she would have maybe made a lover out of him and it was a testament to his good looks that she spent a night with him at all. He was built like a Greek sculpture had made him, lean and defined with black hair expertly cut into a taper, and full lips that made him look pouty whenever he tried to brood—which was all the time.
His dark eyes were filled with the sort of intensity that made her yearn to be the centre of his attention—good or bad she did not care—but all that was to say that his looks were carrying him heavily. He was cunning—in the way that a baboon taught to work the railway, as a signalman would be considered cunning—but he lacked any self-control. Even if Freya was not more beautiful than he was, with hair of spun gold that would have put her namesake to shame, then at the very least she could find comfort in being far smarter than he was. Her eyes were a vibrant blue that put his own to shame, and her skin fair with cheeks of rose.
Theo's brooding expression caved at the look that Onwa gave him, and so he took a step back.
"Another one of your new mutts?" Simon asked, and Freya was certain that Onwa was the only thing saving him from a beating at the hands of Theo there and then.
"Beautiful, is he not?" she said, calming him with a hand placed on his chest. "He is a little rough around the edges, but I like that in him."
Freya rolled her eyes as Theo purred before stepping forward to receive a hand to the top of her head. "This one is my responsible one. Together, they are my chaos and order."
Simon looked at the both of them with bloodshot eyes, a look of nonchalance for Theo, but lingered on her in a way that pleased her and revolted her in equal measure. If a dog like this didn't like what he saw, Freya thought, then something would have gone terribly wrong...
"Who is this one?" Onwa asked, looking toward the body on the ground with a head caved in.
"What?" Simon seemed confused until he looked back and saw what Onwa was talking about. "Oh! Oh yeah. That is… Elizabeth? Yes! Elizabeth!"
Onwa's curved eyebrow raised. She is a lot more patient than I am, Freya thought, finding the man to be grating already.
"And what happened to Elizabeth?"
Simon looked at his bloody hands before he hid them behind his back and shrugged. "I have no idea, Onwa, genuinely!"
"Really?" Theo snorted. "You had no part in this?"
Simon's face contorted into one of anger, and Freya thought that Theo was in for a fight, but within a blink of an eye, Simon was on the ground with Onwa's boot on his chest.
"Simon," she said calmly, pressing down hard enough to make him wince. "You will tell me what happened to Elizabeth, or you will end up like her."
She lifted her boot and Simon coughed and rolled onto his side before sighing. "Okay, okay, you got me… I did it."
Onwa's glare silenced their laughter. "Yes, Simon, I know. I am ask you—why?"
"Because!" Simon snapped. "She said that she loved me! That I was the man that she wanted to marry. This woman, this bi—"
Simon screamed as he was lifted into the air, Onwa's arm was buried in his stomach all the way to her elbow. "Careful now. Whatever she did, she is dead now. Let us not speak ill of the dead, yes?"
She allowed him to fall back down onto the ground and she snapped her fingers for Theo to remove his shirt and hand it over to her. Freya rolled her eyes at him flexing his muscles, hoping to get a crumble of attention from their mistress. Freya's annoyance turned into spiteful glee when Onwa took the shirt and wiped her arm without once ever looking his way. He looks like a beat dog, she thought, almost making herself laugh out loud.
"Heal yourself, Simon." she demanded, and he did so, with seemingly little effort. It was the first indication of why her mistress even cared about this bum.
"Once more, Simon," Onwa said. "And I mean once in the literal sense. Explain."
He sighed again and rolled onto his back, staring up into the night sky. "She… I loved her, Onwa, I loved her with all my heart. And…"
"She did not love you," Theo said, and Simon whimpered. "Why though? I treated her well. I took her out, I got her whatever she wanted, I paid for her apartment and groceries and…"
Freya groaned. "Mistress, please! This man cannot be of any use! If we need a nice guy, I can find someone on reddit within the next three minutes."
Onwa laughed. "I would consider it, but I hate technology. Besides, not many of those fools on reddit have an animus."
Freya snorted. "This thing has an animus."
"Hey," Simon said. "I am no thing… what is your name?"
Theo held him up by his neck and growled. "Stick to Elizabeth over there, buddy."
Simon sighed and removed Theo's hand around his neck before dusting himself off. "Your cubs used to be kinder, Onwa. I just lost the love of my life and here they are, being cruel to me."
"The number of murders as of late have been getting out of hand," Onwa said. "Octavian and his council will eventually have to crack down on this."
Freya rolled her eyes. "Yeah, after arguing among themselves for three weeks."
Onwa grinned. "Three weeks? Bureaucrat's dream, huh?" She turned back to Simon, the grin replaced by a stern expression, and Freya had never seen a more austere beauty. "But I am serious when I say this, we need to keep the house clean."
Theo nodded his head, as if his dumb head could comprehend anything political. Simon sighed again, and each sigh made him look older and older. "I once saw Nerva. He doesn't look like much; in fact, you'd think he was someone's very athletic dad. But when he walked past me," he said before whistling. "Onwa, I couldn't fucking breathe. If he starts getting on your ass, even you'd be in for a long day.
Her mistress shrugged, her strong arms folded over chest. "We are working on methods to ensure that he will be dealt with—"
"What about his brother?" Simon asked. "The big one? Cause I remember that one being a fucking ani—"
"The delicious brother will be dealt with." Onwa smirked. "We are working on changing the way of things, Simon. But that won't happen if we play our hand before we are ready."
Simon nodded his head. "Okay. Well, you know that I will come if you call, Onwa. What do you need from me?"
Onwa smiled and walked toward her friend, and Freya hated it. Hated how much her attention was pulled away from anything else. Of how her mind could think of nothing else but Onwa when she was present. Freya could close her eyes and tell you everything about Onwa, from the build of her body to the sound of her voice. Freya's second most whispered prayer was that Onwa was brutally murdered. Killed. Annihilated to smithereens. Freya's first most whispered prayer, however, was for Lady Onwa to live a long, and happy life, keeping her by her side to gift her with a herald's presence. Her third most whispered prayer is that should wish two ever come true, that she would be elevated to the level of a herald and take her place. I would make a great fucking herald, she thought, maybe even a better one than you, Mistress...
"I need recruits," A thousand ships would have set sail for their mistress to get a second or two looking upon the smile that was on Onwa's face. "I need believers. I need more worshippers for the goddess who gives life meaning."
Simon raised a non-existent eyebrow and snorted. "Onwa my love, that goes against Duke Nerva's edict."
Onwa shimmied her shoulders a little and said, "Live a little, Simon baby. Rules were made to be broken."
Simon's curiosity turned into a maniacal smile. "You guys are serious about this, huh? Your secret weapon must be all that after all."
Her grin matched his. "Our Goddess needs her best preacher, Pastor Simon. And I'll give you these two to help you."
Freya's eyebrows raised and Simon's smile—somehow—grew even more maniacal. "Yes, herald. Her will will be done."