Evenstar by Darcy Town Page B

they will be spotted.”   He looked at Gabriel.   “I want more of those pendants.   Regardless of their supposed counter measures, they were effective.”
    ***
    Dahlia rode on Andy’s shoulders as they hiked through rugged terrain.   The sun hung in the sky directly overhead and would have beat down if not for the billowing clouds that painted the sky white.   They ran into no one and heard no noise of human origin.   They had spent the last few hours going over the more colorful bits of his history.  
    Dahlia tried to digest all that she’d heard.   “So she’s Ishtar?”
    “Yeah.”
    She mulled that over.   “But Belial doesn’t have anything to do with sex.   Isn’t Ishtar a sex goddess?”
    Andy shrugged.   “We took some liberties on the descriptions.   Everyone likes sex, so it made sense at the time.”
    “Who wrote the stories down, you ?”
    “I wrote a few, others we had commissioned.   Paimon wrote some, but his tend to be really fucked.   He likes leaving weird things for humans to find, it’s sort of his personal game against the human race.”  
    “Patience did always laugh during our ancient history unit, but so did Faith actually.”   Dahlia stared at the unending forest around them.   “Andy, how do you know where we’re going?”
    “Good memory.”
    Helion dive-bombed them.   Whitney laughed and threw pinecones at the pair on the ground.   “Got you!”
    Dahlia covered her head.   “Stop it already!   Seriously, how many times can that be fun?”  
    Helion and Whitney laughed and soared up into the sky.  
    Dahlia smiled.   “Glad they’re having a good time.”
    Andy shaded his eyes as the sun broke through the clouds.   “He needs it.”
    Dahlia watched Whitney.   “She accepted him real fast.”
    “How could you not, he’s completely harmless.   Besides, she’s partially Lilliam, it feels good to be around us.”
    Dahlia looked into the sky.   “Huh.”
    Helion flew in corkscrews.   Whitney shouted something down at them, but they were too high up for Dahlia and Andy to hear.  
    Dahlia’s stomach grumbled.   She rubbed her belly.   “I should have eaten more last night.”
    Andy looked up at her.   “I’ll find you something it eat.   Sorry, I forgot.”   He lifted her off his shoulders and set her down.  
    Helion and Whitney noticed and they dropped to the ground.   Helion looked around.   “What is wrong?”
    “Nothing.”   Andy smiled.   “They’re yours to guard.   I’m getting food.”   He turned east and ran, becoming a blur.  
    Helion smiled and hopped from foot to foot.   “Want to fly, Dahlia?”
    Dahlia grinned.   “Only if your lover says yes.”
    Whitney blushed.   “Who says that’s what we are?”
    Dahlia laughed.   “I was running through last night’s events and I distinctly remember coming downstairs to find Helion in just his boxers and you in his shirt and pants, which you’re still wearing.   I think I can guess what you were doing.”
    Helion went red too.   “It’s not our fault.   You and Lucifer were doing the same.”
    Dahlia looked at him.   “So?”
    Helion wrapped his wings around his chest.   “Things happen when you two are intimate.   We weren’t given fair warning.”
    Dahlia laughed.   “We have to send out a warning prior to fooling around?”    
    Helion nodded, dead serious.   “Yes.”  
    Dahlia frowned.   “Why?”
    “When you two get close things change.   You influence the environment around you.”
    “Like what.”
    Helion’s brow wrinkled as he thought of examples.   “How do you think life was created?”
    Dahlia looked at the grass under her feet.   “Evolution?”
    Andy jumped into the clearing.   “Lunch!”   He handed Whitney and Dahlia two plates of pancakes, silverware, and a mug of coffee each.   He looked at everyone’s expression.   “What?”
    Dahlia sat down and set her plate on a stump.   “Helion just implied that I