Deimos started to laugh, then cursed. "Only you would remember that."
"I'm sure Phobos hasn't forgotten it, either."
"Perhaps."
Delphine knelt beside him.The pain he had to be in... Unlike Jericho, she'd never seen him like this. "What is going on, Deimos? Why has Noir come at us like this after all of this time? I know he wants the Skoti, but why hasn't he attacked before this?"
He let out a long, tired sigh before he answered. "In short, it's because the Malachai is back. The moment the elder Malachai turned on Noir and ran, his powers began to weaken significantly."
She frowned. "I don't understand."
"You know how our powers weaken when we have no one worshiping us?"
That was the theory. However, she'd always wondered about it. "Yes, but the Oneroi powers never really have. Not like the other gods'."
"That's because Acheron started using the Dream-Hunters to help his Dark-Hunters cope and heal through the dream state. With their numbers and by needing you guys to help them heal, the Dark-Hunters helped the Oneroi to maintain the strength of their powers."
"Oh..." So that was why their powers had never really diminished. She was suddenly more grateful to Acheron than she'd been before.
"Well, a lot of Noir's power," Deimos continued, "is contingent on the Malachai and his loyalty. Azura was able to maintain some of her power because she feeds on Jaden, who in turn feeds from the demons and their need of him. But once Nick's father ran out, Noir began to weaken immediately. When Nick's powers were restored, it brought Noir out of a nearly comatose state. The more the Malachai uses his power, the stronger Noir becomes. It's why he needs the Malachai so badly, and it's why he keeps attacking us. He's hoping to draw the Malachai to him."
That made sense, and it explained where Noir had been all these centuries past. But there was one more dark power that had yet to rear its ugly head. "What about his sister, Braith?"
"Noir and Azura are looking for her. So far, they have no idea what happened to her."
Jericho answered for him. "Can they surf dreams and find Nick?"
Deimos nodded. "Plus the more gods who swear service to Noir, the more powerful he becomes off them. We're powerful when the humans believe in us, but when it's a god, it makes us twice as strong." He looked at Jericho. "You can drive him back and he knows it."
That was true except for the one fatal flaw caused by Zeus that made Jericho just a little too easy to kill. "What is Noir's weakness?"
"Jaden."
Jericho scowled at the unexpected answer. "What do you mean?"
Deimos winced as if pain cut through him before he answered. "If we free Jaden, we can put both Noir and Azura down. He has the power, but right now he's enslaved to them and forbidden to do them harm."
And freeing him would be next to impossible. By now Noir would have clamped down on his prized pet.
Jericho looked at Delphine before he spoke again. "So the easiest thing to do to keep Noir from gaining more power is to kill the Malachai."
Deimos snorted. "You would think. But there's a major problem there. His life is tied to Acheron's. You kill him and Acheron drops right after him."
Delphine let out a frustrated breath. "If Acheron dies, the Destroyer is released and the world ends."
Deimos nodded.
Jericho cursed. "Who thought that was a good idea?"
"Ash, when he didn't know Nick was the Malachai."
Flippin' figured. Jericho would condemn him for his stupidity had he not done dumber things himself. Starting with having saved the woman next to him.
Well, maybe that wasn't so dumb after all. . .
"So what are we going to do?" Delphine asked.
"Right now the most pressing thing is to either kill or reclaim the Dolophoni, Oneroi and Skoti working with Noir. So long as a single one serves him, we're screwed."
Yeah, the last thing they needed was to be that vulnerable while they slept. No one needed a Freddy Krueger reenactment.
Jericho crossed his arms over his chest. "How many do they have on their side?"
"About a hundred."
Delphine glanced up. "But we have more. We can fight and bring them home."
"Or kill them," Jericho added. Personally, he preferred the latter. If they hadn't come over willingly, in his mind they couldn't be trusted. Better to take them out than take them in and be sorry.
Delphine gave him an irritated glare. "We need to launch another attack on them."
"You'll need a leader," Zarek said as he joined them. "One massive, concentrated attack from the hall of mirrors to catch them while they're in the dream realm, and another for those who are awake."
Jericho nodded. "It'll be bloody, but Zarek's right. We have to sober the Skoti and heal the others so that we can finish this."