Page 126 of Legacy of Chaos

Please answer. Please answer. Answer, dammit!

Stryke held his breath, his chest constricting more with every unanswered ring of Eidolon’s comms. Five rings in, and it hadn’t even gone to techmail.

Six. Son of a bitch.

Seven. Shit.

Eight.Shit!

Stryke deserved Eidolon’s cold shoulder. But fuck that. This was about Cyan. He’d hunt his uncle down and do this in person. He didn’t care if the guy was in his office, in surgery, or in the fucking shower. All that mattered was Cyan.

Just as he was about to disconnect, Eidolon appeared a few feet away in his office, life-sized and wearing scrubs. A surgical cap hid his dark hair, and a mask hung off his chin. He looked annoyed.

“Stryke,” Eidolon said, using his detached-doctor voice instead of his slightly less stern uncle voice. “This’d better be important.”

Apologize.

He knew he needed to do it. He just…wasn’t very good at admitting he was in the wrong. Because he wasn’t wrong often.

He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. Eidolon didn’t make it any easier, just stood there waiting, his dark gaze drilling into him.

“It’s about Cyan,” Stryke said. “How long before…?”

Most of the ice in the doctor’s eyes melted away. He knew what Stryke was asking.

“It seems to depend on the species.” Eidolon tugged down his mask. “But generally, by the end of the first trimester.”

“Do you know why? Most miscarriages are the result of fetal abnormalities, but how does that play into the destruction of Sheoul-gra?”

“I’ve run extensive tests for years and never got an answer,” Eidolon said. “So, I consulted with Azagoth.” He whipped the cap off his head, leaving his hair flat and plastered to his scalp. “He believes the reason for the miscarriages is the absence of a soul.”

Whoa. Okay, interesting.

“Apparently,” Eidolon continued, “unlike human fetuses, which aren’t given souls until shortly before birth and it’s certain the baby will be born alive, demon fetuses are ensouled by the end of the first trimester. It helps them absorb more evil and be born with ruthless survival instincts.”

So unborn demons were evil sponges?

He must have spoken out loud because Eidolon nodded. “But how much they absorb is location dependent. The more evil they’re exposed toin utero, the more evil they’ll be. It explains why some species of demons seek out the worst parts of Sheoul to spend their pregnancies. It’s also why demons born in the human realm are generally less malevolent than their Sheoul-dwelling brethren.”

Stryke loved that his uncle was a living, breathing, vault of knowledge.

“Obviously, you’ve talked to Cyan,” Eidolon said. “How is she?”

She was currently on her way to Stryke’s office. The security system was tracking her and notifying him of updates.

“She’s as confused as I am,” Stryke told his uncle. “But we do know who the father is.”

One curious eyebrow climbed up Eidolon’s forehead. “Who?”

“I am. Apparently, I’m fertile.” Not that it mattered. The baby wouldn’t be born. Without a soul, it wasn’t even a baby.

But the heaviness in his heart didn’t care about the facts and logic. Which might be the first time ever.

The familiar lure of a mystery lit Eidolon’s eyes. His dedication to science and knowledge had made Eidolon one of his idols growing up, and Stryke felt another twinge of guilt and sorrow at having let his uncle down by stealing from him.

“Have you determined how that’s possible?” Eidolon asked.

He nodded. He and Cyan had spent hours working with theories, finally coming up with an answer.

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