Chapter 04 | A New Place

At six, Matthias left the office and turned toward the station.

Then he saw Belial waving from a parked car.

He stopped at the bottom of the steps.

A slate-gray Škoda Octavia waited by the curb. Behind the wheel, Astreal met his eyes and nodded.

Belial waved harder.

Yes. I've seen you.

He crossed toward them before anyone from the office could ask questions.

Astreal stepped out and opened the passenger door.

"Please enter."

"You came to pick me up?"

"We didn't want to wait," Belial said from the backseat.

He glanced over the car.

"Did you buy this today?"

"It's yours, Master."

His hand paused on the door.

"The house wasn't enough?"

"You need transport," Astreal said. "I selected something practical for the city."

"I wanted the Superb," Belial added. "The higher trim."

"Unnecessary."

"The rear passengers would have appreciated the heated seats."

Astreal looked at her.

Belial smiled back.

Matthias got in before the argument could develop.

The seat was comfortable, the dashboard spotless. He set his briefcase at his feet and fastened his seat belt.

"Why a Škoda?"

Belial leaned forward, her golden hair slipping over one shoulder.

"We spent centuries in Bohemia, across several identities. We grew fond of the cities and the countryside."

Her smile softened.

"Choosing something from there felt natural."

Matthias glanced at the badge on the steering wheel.

He had chosen his last kettle because it was on sale. Fond memories of several centuries seemed as good a reason as any.

"Where are we going?"

Astreal started the engine.

"Home."

She eased into traffic without making him brace against the seat.

"The move is complete," she said.

Matthias turned from the window.

"I thought we were moving tomorrow."

"The arrangements finished ahead of schedule. Everything is in place."

"My desk?"

"Untouched, as requested. You can sort those things yourself."

He settled back.

"Good. Thank you."

His desk would probably look absurd in a house like the one in the photograph. He still wanted to arrange it himself.

The speed of all this was easier to accept if there were a few things he could put where he wanted them.

"I supervised," Belial said. "And made a few suggestions."

"Fourteen," Astreal said. "I implemented three."

"The important three."

"All fourteen were important when you proposed them."

Matthias looked out at the traffic and hid a smile.

At the next turn, Astreal checked her mirrors, signaled, and changed lanes so smoothly that Belial barely shifted in her seat.

"Do you ever drive?" he asked her.

Belial hesitated.

"I get a little excited."

He turned to look at her.

"How excited?"

"Sometimes a route looks possible, and I become curious."

"She once drove a carriage over a hill," Astreal said. "There was no road."

"The horses were fine."

"The carriage was not."

Matthias stared at Belial.

She folded her hands in her lap.

"Astreal drives. It's better for everyone."

"I see."

He checked his seat belt anyway.

The house rose behind a low stone wall, three stories of pale concrete, dark wood, and broad windows. Small lights marked the garden path.

Astreal drove through the gate and parked in the paved front yard.

When the engine stopped, Matthias stayed in his seat.

He had looked at the photograph over breakfast. Seeing the building above him was different.

"It really does look like the photo."

"I took a precise photo," Astreal said.

Belial was already outside, waiting by his door.

He stepped out and looked up. There were more windows than he knew what to do with.

"And this was the modest choice?"

"A compromise," Belial said.

"She has mentioned that several times," Astreal added.

Belial led him toward the front door. She kept glancing at him, then at the house, and he realized she was nervous.

That made him nervous too.

Astreal unlocked the door.

"After you, Master."

He stepped into a high-ceilinged living room furnished in warm wood and soft colors. Beyond it stood a dining table and a kitchen large enough for Belial to move without squeezing past an open cupboard.

His belongings were already there.

He recognized them among the unfamiliar furniture and felt his shoulders loosen.

Then he smelled dinner.

Covered dishes waited on the table, with three places set.

"I made it before we left," Belial said. "It should still be warm."

Matthias looked back.

The twins stood near the entrance, watching him. Belial held her hands together, while Astreal's gaze searched his face.

"Is anything wrong?" Belial asked.

He shook his head.

This morning, they had told him they wanted him to come back to a home.

He hadn't known what to do with that. Now his things were here, dinner was waiting, and they were worried they hadn't done enough.

He'd spent the journey wondering how to accept a house. Looking at their faces, he wondered whether he'd thanked them without once letting them see that he was glad.

That, at least, he could do something about.

His throat tightened.

He stepped toward them and opened his arms.

Belial moved first. He drew her close, then reached for Astreal, who let him pull her against his other shoulder.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Belial released a shaky breath and leaned into him. Astreal stood still before resting a hand against his back.

"Thank you," he said. "Both of you. For all of this."

Belial's fingers closed lightly around his jacket.

"I wanted you to be happy here."

"I am."

The answer surprised him with how easily it came.

Astreal's hand settled more firmly against his back.

"Your happiness is ours as well," she said.

He held them a little longer.

When they drew apart, Belial brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her smile was bright enough to make him look down, suddenly embarrassed by his own boldness.

"Dinner?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Dinner."

Halfway through the meal, Matthias realized he had stopped looking around the room every few seconds.

He was reaching for another helping when Astreal said, "I have reinforced the security system."

His chopsticks paused.

"How much?"

"Perimeter sensors, internal motion mapping, and a secondary network independent of the primary grid."

"Excessively," Belial said.

"Sufficiently."

Matthias looked toward the garden. A small camera watched the path near the wall.

"That one too?"

"It covers a gap in the perimeter," Astreal said.

"One point seven metres of lawn," Belial added.

"One point seven relevant metres."

Belial turned to him, clearly expecting a verdict.

He remembered what they had said about hiding from the heroes. Astreal had surveyed four blocks before he even knew her name.

He took another bite of rice.

"Leave the camera."

Astreal nodded once.

Belial sighed and passed him a dish.

"There is also a basement," Astreal continued. "We left it empty until you decide how to use it."

"A training room, perhaps," Belial said. "Or storage."

Matthias lowered his bowl.

Training. For some abilities he still barely understood, and enemies whose descendants might know more about him than he did.

"Can we leave it empty for now?"

"Of course," Astreal said.

No argument. No reminder of what he had once been.

He'd braced for disappointment, perhaps a patient explanation of why a demon lord needed to train.

They had simply listened.

It made the unfamiliar room easier to sit in. He could ask for something here, even something as small as leaving a room empty.

Belial returned to her dinner, and he let himself relax.

Beyond the windows, the gray car stood beneath the garden lights. Tomorrow, he would have to learn where everything was, sort his desk, and work out what living here meant.

Tonight, he had a warm meal and two people who were pleased to see him eat it.

"More?" Belial asked, noticing his empty bowl.

He handed it to her.

"Please."

Her smile answered his.