wings and bird heads.
"Whatcha want now?" he demanded.
"Ah, come on, Heru, that's the greeting I get?" Cole leaned against a glass counter filled with decals of crosses, wooden and metal pipes, and stacks of different colored incense cones.
"Unless you need a tat, that's the greeting ya get." Heru's gold tooth gleamed under the smoky haze infiltrating the room.
Cole held up his hand. "Seen this before?"
The man squinted his bright eyes, crow’s feet creasing his dark skin at the corners. "Et mortali spiram."
Cole smiled. "That's why I come here."
"No." Heru dragged a wooden stool over and sat down, motioning for Cole to give him his hand again. "Ya come here because I don't kick ya out." He eyed him. "Like I should."
"We have too much in common for you to do that." Cole held his hand out, palm up. "Can you tell me anything about it?"
The man ran a callused fingertip over the faded design Cole had drawn on his palm the day before of the serpent wrapping the egg. "Nothing ya don't already know, I don't doubt." He closed Cole's hand and sat back. "Where'd ya find it?"
"Two different abandoned churches, burned into the altar at both. One in Utah and one here in Colorado."
"Are ya sure ya want to go down this road? Ya might not like what ya find."
Cole didn't answer.
The man sighed. "Last I saw that symbol was three years ago. I'm sure I don't need to tell ya where." His blue eyes narrowed. "Last time I saw it before that?" He shrugged. "A couple centuries ago probably, and nowhere near Utah or Colorado, if ya get my meaning."
"Do you have any idea who the Patriarchae is?"
"Every few decades, one of the Daemoneum Hives adopts the name. Always in relation to the Araneum. Not the first time. Won't be the last. I believe they think it’s clever.” He shook his head.
“And the burned altars?” Cole shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
"Thanks."
"Only for you, you remember that. I don’t wanna see yar friends hanging 'round my place." Heru pushed to stand. “So, ya ready for that tat? I can give ya a real one. One like mine." He gestured to his neck, covered in various blue wings.
Cole grinned. ”Nah, I'm good."
"Well, when yar ready, ya let me know. I'll even give ya a discount."
"A discount?" Cole walked toward the entrance. "I should be free."
"No such thing as free. Hey, Cole..."
He glanced back.
"Watch yar back on this."
“Semper.” Always.
“Cole…”
He glanced back.
“I mean it.”
***
Sunday evening consisted of Kade ignoring all the unpacked U-Haul boxes, trying to decide what to wear for the first day of school, and sitting on her bed, staring out the window at the frozen wasteland. The forest was nothing more than barren trees capped with snow. Besides the black bird perched on a limb in the distance, everything was lifeless, dull, and gray. It was like moving to the Arctic.
The day they drove from Utah to Colorado, she'd finished her last romance novel and ended up buying up a guide for bird watching at a gas station. She'd spotted some kind of turkey on the drive, as well as the state bird of Colorado, which she learned was a lark bunting. A few egrets roamed the side of the road, and she'd seen an eagle at one point, but she’d never before seen the bird sitting outside her window.
Reaching for the book on her nightstand, Kadence scanned the index for “black bird” and turned to the correct page. Crow. Raven. She glanced out the window again, squinting to see it clearly. Definitely not a crow or a raven. She'd seen plenty of them in the other places she'd lived. The bird was much larger and its feathers weren't solid black. They had a bluish sheen.
Its chest was gold, or maybe it was tan. Giving up on the index, Kade scanned the glossy photographs. She really needed a better hobby. She'd always been fascinated with birds, but who buys bird watching guides? Pathetic. Her fingers trailed the pictures, before one stood out from the
"Whatcha want now?" he demanded.
"Ah, come on, Heru, that's the greeting I get?" Cole leaned against a glass counter filled with decals of crosses, wooden and metal pipes, and stacks of different colored incense cones.
"Unless you need a tat, that's the greeting ya get." Heru's gold tooth gleamed under the smoky haze infiltrating the room.
Cole held up his hand. "Seen this before?"
The man squinted his bright eyes, crow’s feet creasing his dark skin at the corners. "Et mortali spiram."
Cole smiled. "That's why I come here."
"No." Heru dragged a wooden stool over and sat down, motioning for Cole to give him his hand again. "Ya come here because I don't kick ya out." He eyed him. "Like I should."
"We have too much in common for you to do that." Cole held his hand out, palm up. "Can you tell me anything about it?"
The man ran a callused fingertip over the faded design Cole had drawn on his palm the day before of the serpent wrapping the egg. "Nothing ya don't already know, I don't doubt." He closed Cole's hand and sat back. "Where'd ya find it?"
"Two different abandoned churches, burned into the altar at both. One in Utah and one here in Colorado."
"Are ya sure ya want to go down this road? Ya might not like what ya find."
Cole didn't answer.
The man sighed. "Last I saw that symbol was three years ago. I'm sure I don't need to tell ya where." His blue eyes narrowed. "Last time I saw it before that?" He shrugged. "A couple centuries ago probably, and nowhere near Utah or Colorado, if ya get my meaning."
"Do you have any idea who the Patriarchae is?"
"Every few decades, one of the Daemoneum Hives adopts the name. Always in relation to the Araneum. Not the first time. Won't be the last. I believe they think it’s clever.” He shook his head.
“And the burned altars?” Cole shoved his hands into his pockets.
“I think you know the answer to that.”
"Thanks."
"Only for you, you remember that. I don’t wanna see yar friends hanging 'round my place." Heru pushed to stand. “So, ya ready for that tat? I can give ya a real one. One like mine." He gestured to his neck, covered in various blue wings.
Cole grinned. ”Nah, I'm good."
"Well, when yar ready, ya let me know. I'll even give ya a discount."
"A discount?" Cole walked toward the entrance. "I should be free."
"No such thing as free. Hey, Cole..."
He glanced back.
"Watch yar back on this."
“Semper.” Always.
“Cole…”
He glanced back.
“I mean it.”
***
Sunday evening consisted of Kade ignoring all the unpacked U-Haul boxes, trying to decide what to wear for the first day of school, and sitting on her bed, staring out the window at the frozen wasteland. The forest was nothing more than barren trees capped with snow. Besides the black bird perched on a limb in the distance, everything was lifeless, dull, and gray. It was like moving to the Arctic.
The day they drove from Utah to Colorado, she'd finished her last romance novel and ended up buying up a guide for bird watching at a gas station. She'd spotted some kind of turkey on the drive, as well as the state bird of Colorado, which she learned was a lark bunting. A few egrets roamed the side of the road, and she'd seen an eagle at one point, but she’d never before seen the bird sitting outside her window.
Reaching for the book on her nightstand, Kadence scanned the index for “black bird” and turned to the correct page. Crow. Raven. She glanced out the window again, squinting to see it clearly. Definitely not a crow or a raven. She'd seen plenty of them in the other places she'd lived. The bird was much larger and its feathers weren't solid black. They had a bluish sheen.
Its chest was gold, or maybe it was tan. Giving up on the index, Kade scanned the glossy photographs. She really needed a better hobby. She'd always been fascinated with birds, but who buys bird watching guides? Pathetic. Her fingers trailed the pictures, before one stood out from the
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