27. Cassius

It felt like hours had passed since Kushiel had disappeared from sight, but it had probably only been a half hour at most. Cass had been trekking through the woods, and he could tell he was getting closer with each step. He was busy looking down and trying not to stumble on branches and undergrowth, and when he saw someone's feet suddenly in front of him, he couldn't help giving a yelp of surprise.

He looked up, and then he just kept on walking straight through Aunt Ro.

"I don't have time for ghostly issues right now, Aunt," he mumbled, continuing to make his way through the woods.

He could see her floating along next to him, and as he almost tripped on another branch underfoot, he had a moment to wish he had the ability to transport himself or float along above the ground.

"Hmph. Don't have time for ghostly issues. You know, I never get any appreciation. Why do you think you've been bothered by so few ghosts since Kushiel showed up? Hmm? Because I was the one who kept them at bay while you dealt with all this," Aunt Ro huffed. "And I went and found Kushiel, because apparently I can find him almost as easily as I can find you, and I show up to give you information so you don't walk in blind. But do I get a thank you? Of course not," she muttered.

Shit. It had been amazingly quiet on the ghost front, and he hadn't thought to question why. And if his aunt had seen Kushiel and had information…

Cass stopped and looked at her, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Aunt Ro. I appreciate all you've done, but my soulmate is gone, and I'm fighting off panic. If you can fill me in, I'd appreciate it, but I can't stop. I have to get to him."

With that, he turned and continued walking.

"He's alright," Aunt Ro reassured him. "Perfectly fine, and he found Mammon and the missing lost souls who are ghosts. They're in pretty bad shape, and I can't imagine how he'll help them all without draining himself dry."

"What is Mammon doing?" Cass asked.

"Oh, he's monologuing," Aunt Ro answered.

Cass looked over at her questioningly.

"You know, going over his evil plot and how great he is, insert evil laughter here, blah blah blah," Aunt Ro said.

Cass just shook his head. "He isn't upset with Kushiel being there? There's no fighting?" he questioned.

"Oh, well, did I forget to mention that Kushiel might be a little bit trapped inside a ward with all the ghosts?" she muttered.

"Fuck. Yes, Aunt Ro, you did neglect to mention that. Tell me everything," Cass demanded.

So Aunt Ro did, and although she seemed to be able to explain why Mammon had done what he did (greed and jealousy of those more powerful, just as Lucifer had said), she still didn't know how he was keeping Kushiel and the ghosts trapped. Her description of the area made Cass sure that the natural surroundings were being used in the ward, but that didn't answer how to break the ward.

Nor did it answer how to help the ghosts.

But Cass had a magic spear, and he could only hope that would solve things. With that thought, he could hear Mammon's voice as he got closer, and Aunt Ro was right—he was indeed monologuing.

Cass didn't think subtlety mattered, so when he made it to the clearing, he stepped forward out of the treeline.

Thank heaven, his angel looked just fine. The ghosts in the clearing, however, were another story. There were hundreds of them, and they were torn, fragmented messes, but Cass couldn't feel them. He was thankful that the ward hadn't somehow interrupted his ability to sense Kushiel as well, but he supposed a soulmate bond trumped any ward.

He noticed that Kushiel was staring across the clearing, and Cass looked at Mammon, who, as Aunt Ro had explained, did not look… healthy. He looked old and worn, and obviously whatever he had been doing had taken something out of him.

What surprised Cass, though, was the hellhound standing behind Mammon. It was the same one Cass had called earlier, and obviously he had hunted out the evil. Cass just had no idea what he was planning on doing, and he didn't like the unknown.

"Oh, what do we have here!" Mammon cried out. "A wee little human interrupting our lovely chat!"

"He's my soulmate," Kushiel stated, and pleasure and joy flooded Cass at those words. Maybe Kushiel was finally beginning to understand his worth and accept that he did deserve a soulmate. It felt amazing to be claimed so openly.

Kushiel looked over at him and smiled, probably sensing Cass's joy.

"Another abomination," Mammon mumbled. "Whoever heard of demons and humans bonding? When I'm in charge you can rest assured that such things will no longer take place."

Cass merely sputtered at him. Did the demon think soulmates didn't want to be mated?

"I told you. Total villain. Delusional, too," Aunt Ro whispered from next to him.

Kushiel turned his back on Mammon then, looking at Cass. "I'm stuck here, but perhaps if I give some of my light to the ghosts?—"

"Absolutely not," Cass whispered. "I have a plan to take care of Mammon. We just need to figure out how to get you out of there."

"Isn't this an interesting gathering," the hellhound called out.

Mammon turned around then, looking shocked and then pleased. "Ah! A hellhound! I haven't seen one of your kind in… Well, it's been centuries at least. You deal with sending evil to hell, so perhaps you can speed along this whole ghost dematerialization process so these souls can be transported to hell. At the very least, you can help with the warding. I seem to recall that your kind can do that sort of thing, and this is sapping my strength quite a bit," Mammon complained.

The hellhound, whose name Cass still didn't even know, tilted his head while staring at Mammon. The look in his eyes gave Cass chills, even though it was focused on Mammon. The demon didn't seem to notice, though, turning his back on the hellhound like he just expected his orders to be followed.

The hellhound stepped over to one of the sick trees, placing his hands on it. Cass thought he saw fire in the hellhound's eyes, and he seriously hoped they weren't about to be caught in the middle of a forest fire. He thought about trying to step into the clearing with Kushiel, but Mammon was outside the clearing, and he had the spear, and if they were both trapped, that wouldn't do them much good.

The hellhound's eyes closed, his hands were encased in a blue flame, yet the tree didn't catch fire. There was a rumbling sound, like thunder in the distance, and the hellhound lifted his hands and stared at Mammon. He looked murderous.

Kushiel must have sensed it too, because he backed up toward the edge of the clearing… and kept right on backing up until he bumped into Cassius. He turned around, and Cass grabbed him in a hug, so glad to have his angel back in his arms.

"I'm ok," Kushiel reassured him.

"Well isn't that sweet," Mammon muttered snidely.

Cassius and Kushiel broke apart as Mammon walked forward into the clearing. He then shot an accusatory glance at the hellhound.

"You broke the ward. Do you know how much it took to put that up?" he complained. "Well, I guess you needed to in order to send the souls along to hell. I can't see the ghosts, but I'm assuming hellhounds can. Or perhaps that's why the human is here? Human, can you see the ghosts?" he asked Cass.

Cass stared at him, utterly bewildered. The idiot thought they were going to help him? Cass looked over at Kushiel disbelievingly, and Kushiel just gave him a shrug.

The hellhound spoke. "We are of the mortal realm, and yes, we can see ghosts. Our kind is also no longer under the purview of your kind. I do not take commands from you, demon."

Mammon turned around and sputtered. "Absurd! Yet another thing I will fix when I am in charge! But really, that doesn't matter, does it, because your job is to send those to hell that belong there. These ghosts belong there," Mammon argued.

"They don't!" Kushiel argued. "They are redeemable! They have light in them still! It is not for you to decide that souls cannot be redeemed!"

Kushiel walked into the mass of ghosts then, and they began to swirl around him. He opened his arms wide, and Cassius could feel him giving his light to them. It was too much, too fast.

"No, Kushiel!" Cass cried out, running toward his angel.

He reached Kushiel and pulled him back. The light ebbed, giving Cass a moment.

"You can't give them all your light, Kushiel," Cass pleaded. "It will drain you."

"I cannot let them all be sent back to hell. I cannot let Mammon take them," Kushiel argued.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this touching moment," the hellhound commented drily, "perhaps it is time to use what you have, human."

With that reminder, Cassius let go of Kushiel and walked forward to Mammon. The demon barely paid him any attention, looking at Kushiel instead, obviously trying to puzzle out what the angel was doing since he couldn't see ghosts.

When he was within striking distance, he drew the spear from behind his back. Mammon looked at him then, but he didn't hesitate. With one swift thrust, he pushed it through the center of Mammon's chest.

There was a bright explosion of light, the spear glowed white, and Mammon stumbled. He looked down in confusion at the spear glowing in his chest, then he used one hand to pull it out. He dropped it to the ground and stared at it, then he placed his hands on his chest, as if feeling for a wound.

There was none, and Mammon cackled in glee.