Page 78 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

Ohngel threw a possessive arm around Indigo. “There is more.”

The OneCreator cocked his head to the side. “There certainly is, like this human still in OneWorld. Shouldn’t she be on Earth by now?”

Dom answered. “I’ve told you how I rescued her. Now—wait for it—Madeline’s showing signs of being a Scourge.”

“Who’s Madeline?”

The human raised her hand. “I am.”

He angled forward, Harmony’s nails digging into his shoulder, cautioning him to tamp down his power. “You don’t say.” He stroked his chin, studying the human. The glow in his eyes changed from anger at Dom’s mouthing off to a bright light. “Come here, child.” He beckoned Madeline to approach.

When she did, he took her face between his hands and smiled. “I should have known this.”

“No shit,” said Dom, Madeline returning to his side. “But you wanted me to handle it.”

“Isn’t that your job? Handling shit?” He pressed his fingers to his temples. Another headache throbbed, accompanied by a small rumbling ground movement no one else noticed.

“That’s not all. Four Scourges attacked me in the air. Strange, huh?” Remi filled in the blanks of the encounter. “Larry, Moe, Curly, and Runt ordered me to vacate their skies.”

Almost everyone puzzled their brows while Indigo chuckled. Madeline explained, “It’s a reference to the Three Stooges, old Earth slapstick comedians. Runt was not one of them. I assume he made him up.”

Dom added, “Farce and a small back-up crew challenged Madeline and me on the way to the gateway. They’d been paid to snatch her. Are you losing control of the Scourges?”

Things were falling apart. His control was slipping. It was impossible. Yet, it was true.

“No,” he thundered, his loud voice bouncing off the walls.

****

Dom scrunched his brows, waiting for insight from the OC. The guy played word games like a master circus ringleader, though. Was he dancing around the truth this time?

When there had been five Siblings, they’d had a division of labor. The sisters, being elemental, gave light, water, flora, and fauna to the worlds. The OC concentrated on creating life. Hence, the Immortals. Chaos had focused on controlling them. Now all jobs were in the OC’s hands. A big burden.

The OC snapped to the edge of his chair, one brow arched in warning at his assassin.

Dom took a deep breath. “Did you make Madeline a Scourge?”

The OC relaxed again, his legs stretched before him. He patted Harmony’s hand. “You may return to your job, dear.” When she strolled out the door, he swung his attention back to Dom. “No. I do not create Scourges.”

“Can you change her back?”

He squeezed his lids down tight after studying Maddy for a few moments. When his eyes opened, he said, “No. Apparently not.”

“Tell us as if we’ve never heard the story. How does an Immortal become a Scourge, and how do they un-become a Scourge?” said Dom.

Surprisingly, the OC answered. “The malady infects them, alters their DNA, changes their physical features, and creates unnatural urges. The change is different for each. Some decline slowly. Some faster. If the Scourge is too far along, I order an extinction. If I deem them capable of rehabilitation, I order them sent here. Some use their time in Angor to reform, their molecular structure again changing, allowing them to return to Vast, once more an Immortal.”

Continuing to assess Madeline, the OC angled his chin to the side. “Have you talked to Michael yet?”

“Been kinda busy ourselves. Apparently, he is, too. But we will. Tell us, if you can’t create Scourges, can anyone?” pushed Dom.

The OC stroked his jaw. “Try Gabriel. He created Earthers. I’ve always wondered if he has a backdoor to their DNA. Maybe he got his rocks off by making this human a Scourge. If so, it’s likely he can reverse the process.”

Dom nodded. He hadn’t thought of the Immortal prick Gabriel, who createdHomo sapiensafter he’d won a bet in one of the OC’s famous gambling games. Still, the OC should know. Had Dom given him too much credit for his power in OneWorld? Had he made all this to lose control of it?

“Did you extinct Ike?” asked Dom.

“No.” The OC rubbed circles around his temples with his fingertips.

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