Armageddon Bound

The Precipice

Back at my house, I screeched to a stop in the driveway. I hopped out of the appropriated Impala and raced to the passenger side to collect Veronica. Even in the short drive, she had paled a good deal. She was slumped down in the seat, lethargic. The blood loss had taken its toll, the seat beneath soaked in dark fluid. I pulled her out of the car and rushed to the front door. I fumbled in my pocket for my keys and after a heart-pounding moment where I’d believed them lost, I fished them out. I got the door open, calling out the password that would shut down the defensive wards in an emergency, and ran inside toward the bedroom. Unceremoniously, I dropped her on the bed and tore into the hidden stash of Lucifer’s blood. I yanked a vial free of the pack, and popped it open, leaving the rest on the floor. I knelt beside Veronica and fed her a couple drops of the blood, urging her to swallow. When she did, albeit weekly, I leaned back against the headboard loosing a sigh, having done all I could. From then on, it was all in the hands of my uncle. Well, it was all up to his blood, at least.

As I watched over Veronica, her eyes fluttering behind their closed lids, I tried to catch my breath. The rush I’d felt earlier was wearing off fast, exhaustion welling up to take its place. Like a thick, gray cloud of smog, I felt it coming on, choking my senses. I sealed the vial and stuffed it out of sight between the pillow and mattress as I fought to keep my eyes open. The frantic voice ringing about inside my head helped.

“Are you there, Frank?”

Good old Rachelle. “I’m here.” I kept my voice low.

“What happened? Were you attacked?”

I nodded, then remembered she couldn’t see me.

“Yeah, we were. It seems Asmoday got the bulk rate on those Dread Fiends of his. We had four of them pop up. I managed to take out three, but one got away.” I glanced over at Veronica. She twitched gently, squirming on the bed with her eyes closed, her face flush with color. I could see her wounds knitting themselves together, the skin bubbling and inching closed. I felt the weight of my conscience lifting itself from my shoulders. I really didn’t want to be responsible for her death, my earlier testosterone-fueled anger a distant memory. I still cared too damn much.

“I’m glad you’re all right, but I’m afraid there’s more.”

Not surprised, I shook my head. “What now?”

“The Dread Fiends were nothing more than a distraction.”

“From what?” My heart started to pound. If the fiends weren’t the worst of it, I was hesitant to know Page 191 what was.

“While we were busy with Asmoday’s pets, he was performing yet another ritual to draw power from the Demonarch.”

I thought about that for a second, the words chilling, but yet they felt empty. There was something missing in the equation. “Well, we’re all still here. The world isn’t a flaming ball of smoking ash, so what happened?”

“I’m not exactly sure. With my focus drawn to the fiends, I failed to notice the dead zone that cropped up until the ritual was already complete.” Her voice drifted off, coming back strong. “There was something different about it this time though, Frank. The footprint seems much smaller than it did at the last two locations, the scarring less drastic. I don’t sense the same kind of damage to the dimensional wall, although there is some. It just doesn’t seem like the same level of event.”

“Another trap?”

“No. Katon has already surveyed the area. He found discarded ritual trappings there, yet nothing else.”

“Maybe this has something to do with when the ritual was performed.” I took a second to get my thoughts in order. My head was still pretty scrambled.

“We’d estimated Asmoday had been tapping the Demonarch’s energy every two days and it’s only been about one since the last time. Could that have anything to do with it?”

There was silence on the connection as Rachelle contemplated the possibility. They really needed to pipe in some music during the pauses. She chimed back up, sounding almost hopeful.

“That may well be it. The previous power outputs had been on such a grand scale that it’s possible Asmoday has been burning himself out each time he performs the ritual. It is quite tasking. That could explain the apparent reduction of this attempt.”“It would also explain why Asmoday needs Gabriel’s help, though it does nothing to explain why Gabriel needs his.” I felt the bed shift as Veronica sat up, her blue eyes staring at me from above a wide, grateful smile. I grinned back, waggling a finger to request patience. She gave me a pouty-faced look, but nodded. I continued, lowering my voice again and stepping away from the bed. “If he’s blowing all his power, we need to find him soon so we can take advantage of it. His greed is the only thing that’s keeping us in the game.”

“I agree. I’ll convey what we’ve deduced to Rahim. Once we’ve figured out the course to take, I’ll contact you.”

“I’ve my own lead to follow up on, so I’ll let you know if it pans out. Talk to you soon.”

Rachelle said her farewells, breaking the connection. Once more, it was just me and the multitude of my own questionably sane inner voices bouncing around inside my head. Trust me. They’re more than enough to keep me busy.

“Anything exciting?” Veronica asked, her voice still a little raspy.

Once again, I didn’t really want to give much away. Our history aside, you just can’t trust a succubus.

“Just work stuff, that’s all.” I looked her over, her shredded clothing leaving little to the imagination.

“Besides, the only exciting thing in my life these days is you.”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “Sure, buddy, whatever you say.” She got up from the bed and sauntered over to me. “I do want to thank you for saving my life though. Those fiends had me. Another minute and I’d have been dead.” She shivered, no doubt remembering them hovering over her, their claws tearing into her flesh.

I wrapped my arms around her arched back and pulled her close. “If you hadn’t dragged them away, neither of us would be here. You’re the hero on this one. I was just following your lead.”

She drew in closer, pressing her body against mine in a ferocious hug. “Sounds like we both deserve a reward.” She looked up at me and winked, her face all kinds of sultry.

I felt the seam of my torn jeans go tight as my mind ran amok with all the possibilities her statement conjured. She purred, rubbing against me, her hips gently swaying from side to side. I shuddered and pressed back against her, hard. She moaned low in her throat as she slid her warm hands beneath my shirt, her fingertips sliding under my waistband. Pulling me along, she backed up toward the bed unbuckling my belt as we went. At the bed, she yanked my belt from the loops and tossed it to the side, dropping down onto the mattress. In a feat of manual dexterity unheard of this side of Hell, she popped the button to my jeans and slid the zipper down in a fluid motion with one hand while she pulled me on top of her. I felt my gun slip from my waistband and heard it hit the floor. It didn’t matter. I had a backup weapon, which was ready to go off.

Frenetic, she buried her mouth in my neck, snarling as she nipped and kissed her way across my throat, leaving behind a moist trail that pricked at my skin. I couldn’t help but groan as her warm hand slid deeper into my pants, latching onto me, her grip tight and accommodating. I could feel the beat of my heart against her palm. Taking charge, she used her free hand to slide my pants down to my thighs before rolling me over onto my back. After giving me a grin, which would make a Cheshire cat jealous, she worked her way downward, strafing my chest and stomach with fluttering kisses. Her knees dropped to the floor as her hand continued its dastardly deed. I heard the clink of the vials as she bumped them, tugging my pants to my ankles with her free hand. I lifted my head to watch her ministrations, voyeur that I am. She had small hands. I was feeling pretty good about myself. Though I knew I should be doing something more productive like finding Glorius and saving the world, I couldn’t help myself. I was under her spell like I’d been so many times before. Unable, and more to the point, unwilling, to rein my libido in, I gave in to the yearning that made granite of my groin. I pushed all thoughts of Armageddon aside and let the pleasure wash over me.

My hands entangled themselves in Veronica’s silky hair, wordlessly cheering her on. I arched into her, testing her willingness. Finding no boundary, I was consumed by the storm of our passion. Through the haze of it all, my only coherent thought was, for a woman trained in the arts of Hell, she sure knew an awful lot about Heaven.

Coitus Interruptus

I lay back as Veronica went about pleasuring me, plying her trade. She was a pro. I’d forgotten how satisfying her touch could be. I hadn’t realized how much I missed her affection, if what she was doing could be given such a sentimental term. She put all the other women I’d slept with to shame. Not interested in opening old wounds, I told the voices in my head to shut the hell up about my feelings and encouraged Veronica to continue, my words coming out in grunts and groans. She obliged me by taking me to new heights, drawing me close, then pulling back, holding me on the edge. The bed shook beneath us as I clutched the sheets tight in my sweaty hands. I opened my eyes as her tongue flitted across sensitive areas and watched as the light fixture on the ceiling swung back and forth. Damn she was good.

I felt the rumble of thunder rattle the house as I neared the apex. It was then Veronica pulled away, sitting up on the bed, her eyes narrow.

“Did you feel that?”

I growled as I grabbed her arm, tugging her back down toward my crotch. She resisted. “Of course I felt it, now don’t stop. I was almost there.” Thinking she needed a bit of romance to regain her motivation, I added, “You’re pretty.”

She pushed my frantic, clutching hands away.

“Not that, idiot. The house is shaking.”

Frustrated, I only half heard what she said.

“What are you talking about?” She didn’t need to answer.

I felt the pressure in the room drop suddenly as a sound like a 747 firing its engines roared up right outside my window, vibrating the entire house. My lungs tightened in my chest as I felt a surge of supernatural energy coalesce somewhere nearby. There was a hell of a lot of it. Pants around my ankles, I dove for the floor dragging Veronica with me.

With an explosion of sound, the roof of my house was blown away, frenzied winds whipping above us. Shards of wood and tile flew past, caught up in the fury of the blast. The front walls followed a second later, furniture and household goods were swept along like an Alabama trailer park during twister season. I felt a wave of energy prickle my skin and pulled Veronica tighter against me in anticipation. We were going for a ride.

A gust of wind blew through the house, aimed lower this time, catching up everything in its wake. The bed tumbled over and the mattress landed over top of us with a thump as the magical tornado whirled through the room. Slid across the floor, we were slammed hard into the bedroom wall. The plasterboard shattered and gave way as we struck. The support studs creaked and cracked against my back, but they held. I cried out in pain as I was wedged against the boards, but nothing could be heard above the wail of the winds. I felt a series of heavy impacts against the mattress that lay over us as more of the house rained down. I was suddenly glad of the extra money I’d spent on the quality bed as its padded bulk shielded us from further harm. With it blocking the majority of the wind’s force, and the detritus that came with it, I rolled over and placed Veronica behind me. Her eyes were wide, frantic, looking for a way out. I couldn’t blame her. I wasn’t exactly feeling all that brave myself, but I knew this wasn’t some natural disaster. Someone was trying to kill us. Worse yet, they’d interrupted us during sex. I felt my face heat up as I thought about how close I had been to getting off. I ground my teeth together as I looked down at my limp dick, the moment ruined. Someone was gonna die for this. I pulled my pants up as the wind calmed outside our makeshift fort, the ear-splitting whistle dropping to a quiet whine, then to nothing. With the storm settling, I knew it was only a matter of moments until whoever blew the roof off would come looking to finish the job. Not wasting anymore time, I leaned past Veronica and kicked the remaining plasterboard away, opening a hole big enough for her to crawl through. The bathroom Page 199 beyond was still mostly intact.

I whispered to her, “Go through there and stay low.” I pointed to the hole. “I’m gonna draw our attacker away. Once I do, you get up and run in the opposite direction. Get down the street where it’s safe and I’ll find you when it’s over. Got it?”

Veronica nodded. Her face was a knot of sharp lines and I could tell by the way she was shaking, she was scared. That sure didn’t make me feel any better. Veronica was a tough woman and it took an awful lot to rattle her cage. The fact that she was afraid caused my own fear to well up and worm its way through my confidence. The voices gibbered inside my head, pleading for me to follow Veronica, to hide. I shouted them down as best I could. I didn’t have time to be scared.

She leaned in and kissed me. “Be safe.” With a last apologetic look, she squirmed through the hole and crawled out of sight.

I didn’t waste any time. I slipped from behind the mattress, working my way over to my stash. I was gonna need a pick-me-up. My heart skipped a beat when I saw what was left of it. There, amidst the wreckage of my deflated Jenna doll was a dark, drying puddle. The wind had pushed everything against the back wall, the vials of Lucifer’s blood along with it. Made of glass, the heavy furniture and debris had shattered the tubes, freeing the blood to become inert. I nearly cried.

Frantic, I dug through the mess, but there were no survivors. All of the vials my uncle had given me were destroyed, splattered across the floor and quickly turning to dust. The last trace of Lucifer’s existence had been wiped away. I felt my face burning as I thought about what that meant. There would be no more quick heals for me, no magical advantage. Worse, I had lost my only connection to my heritage, all long dead or gone. Now, Lucifer truly was nothing more than a memory.

Furious, I pulled myself together and stormed out of the ruin of my house. I wanted to know who’d taken my uncle from me. I wanted revenge. Once past the rubble, I came face to face with the destroyer of my house and irreplaceable inheritance. It was Henry McConnell.

My confidence took a dump.

“Howdy.” He waved at me. “Seems you’ve ticked the boss off something fierce.” A cloud of billowing smoke surrounded the area around my house and the street, cutting the view off from the other side.

“Well, ain’t that an unfortunate pile of steaming bull puckey, cowboy.” The rebel in me kicked into high gear, my anxiety spurring it on. “You can tell your boss he just interrupted the best blow job I’ve ever had and I’m not in the mood to give a damn about his feelings.”

I kept my head enough to start circling away from the house. I turned him so the wreckage was out of his field Page 201 of vision to give Veronica a chance to escape unnoticed. He kept pace with me, but he stayed about ten feet away. His eyes remained locked on mine. McConnell chuckled. Even his laugh had an accent. “Sorry to have bothered you, but you know how it is. When the boss man says jump, I ask how high. When he says kill the devil mutt, I ask how dead.”

“Maybe I’m remembering it all wrong, but didn’t we just do this not too long ago? If I recall correctly, it ended with you running off with your tail between your legs. What makes you think it’ll end any differently this time?” Apparently my mouth felt the need to write a check it couldn’t afford to cash. I’m not even sure Donald Trump could afford the bill I was racking up. He shook his head, an amused smile on his lips.

“The last time, I wasn’t expecting you to show up. I was just there to pick up the chains the boys left behind. And besides, I was burnt out from helping the boss light up that angel he’s got all trussed up. This time, I’ve got all my horses saddled up and raring to go.” A tiny spout of fire sprung up from his palm and danced across his fingers as nimbly as a ballerina. He winked at me, the firelight glistening in his blue eyes. I’d realized during our first run-in McConnell wasn’t operating on a full tank, but I’d noticed too late to take advantage of it. I was regretting that failure now. If what he said was true, and he was fully charged, I didn’t stand a chance.

“We can’t discuss this?” I changed gears.

“Tain’t nothin’ to discuss. I got a job to do and I figure I better get on with it. It was nice meeting you, hear?”

I didn’t waste a second. If that cowpoke wanted to put me down, he was gonna have to work for it. I dove forward, closing the distance between us, lashing out with a right. My heart jumped as I felt the satisfying thud of my fist collide with his mouth. He grunted and rolled away, redirecting most of the impact and stumbling back to give himself room. He wasn’t getting off that easy. I stayed on him. I threw a low kick, which nearly buckled his leg, and followed it with a left hook. It caught him alongside the head, just above the ear, and I saw his eyes flutter. His legs gave way a second later and he dropped onto his butt. Thinking I had him and feeling rather optimistic, I moved to put a knee in his face.

His magic struck first.

With but a flick of his hand, he sent out a wave of concussive force. It slammed into me like a wrecking ball. I flew back before I’d even realized what’d happened. The pain hit me while I was still in the air. It felt like I’d been raped by a jackhammer, all romance aside.

Instinctively, I curled up just before I struck the ground, but it didn’t help much. I crashed hard and rolled, more accurately defined as flopping, and bounced along the asphalt. I was in a white haze of agony when I finally came to a stop. My eyes wouldn’t focus, my lungs burned with each shallow breath, and my body ached like it had been run through a hydraulic press. I lifted my head, fighting down nausea as I looked for McConnell. He was strolling forward, his eyes burning holes in me. My optimism crawled away to hide someplace I’d rather not talk about. I seriously thought about following it.

“I was gonna make it easy for you, boy, and kill you quickly.” He closed, cracking the knuckles of his fingers as his hands clenched into fists. “Not anymore. You want to slug it out? I’m more than willing to oblige you.” He gestured for me to get up.

I debated staying where I was. Without my guns, or my uncle’s blood, I wasn’t anywhere close to winning this confrontation. This was David versus Goliath, but only if David were a blind quadriplegic with asthma. I didn’t even think I had that much of a chance. Despite all that though, it just wasn’t in me to quit. I pulled myself to my feet with a groan, and met McConnell’s eyes.

His face softened a bit, the hint of a smile creeping onto his bloody lips. “Glad to see you’ve got a pair on you.” He settled into a defensive posture. It appeared he knew a thing or two about boxing. Just my luck, the old boy could fight.

“All balls, no brains, or so they tell me.”

He chuckled, apparently having realized that already, and moved forward.

The talking over, we began to circle one another. Not expecting him to fight fair, I thought it best to get off first to see what I could make happen. I darted in with a jab and a quick, straight right. The jab clipped him and he adjusted, sweeping my right to the side. He countered easily, his hand speed much faster than I would have believed him capable of, and punched me in the liver. A flash of gray sparked off when he hit and my side exploded with pain, tendrils of it snaking down my leg and across my crotch.

I stumbled, barely getting my arms up in time to block the follow up. His fist crashed into my forearms, once more throwing up a flash of gray light. It was like he’d hit me with a sledgehammer. The bones in my arm throbbed, my shoulders stiffening up as I backed away. He grinned, stalking me down. My prediction as to the fairness of the fight played out and I knew I wasn’t gonna be walking away in one piece. I cast a quick glance toward the house and hoped Veronica had run like I’d told her. It would tear me up to think what might happen to her once McConnell was finished with me. I shook my head to clear away the images that popped up. I didn’t want to picture the possibilities. Driven to a rage by my way too active imagination, I lashed out. I threw a feint with my left, following it up with a kick to his ribs. My shin struck home with a thump, knocking the wind from McConnell. He gasped hard, doubling over, but he managed to catch my leg. With it leveraged against his side, he twisted hard and I heard a snap, his magically-enhanced strength making it easy. I screeched as stabbing pains shot through my calf, the bones of my lower leg broken. McConnell lifted it up over his shoulder and dumped me on my back. I hit the asphalt with a thud, reaching down to cradle my right leg as he hovered over me.

“Any last words,” he huffed, his breath still a little short.

I moaned against the hard surface of the street, rolling my head to look up at him. “Yeah.” I did my best to smile through the pain. “You might want to watch your back.”

He burst out laughing. “You think I’m gonna fall for tha-” A flash of red behind him cut him off. He spun around, but was too late. Rahim let loose a burst of searing energy that smashed into him, blowing him a hundred feet into the air. I heard him land a few seconds later, crashing down through the roof of an aluminum storage shed in the yard next door.

“Are you all right?” Rahim asked with surprising gentleness in his voice. His upper lip peeled back into a disgusted sneer when he saw my leg, the bones protruding from the skin. He looked a little pale. I shook my head. There wasn’t time to do Page 206 anything else.

There was a squeal of aluminum being torn apart, then a flash of gray blasted through the neighbor’s rock wall and streaked over my head, tearing into Rahim. He cried out as the force of the blow drove him back. Knocked off his feet, he slid along the asphalt, shredding flesh in crimson layers as he went. He tumbled to a halt and got to his feet, wobbling as McConnell stepped over the wreckage of the wall and stormed toward him. Rahim seemed dazed.

I shouted a warning as The Gray walked past me, unable to do anything to stop him. Rahim looked up just as McConnell let fly another burst of energy. The old wizard threw up a shield and reflected the blast, grimacing as he did. I could see his arms shaking from where I lay. No doubt McConnell could as well. He pressed forward.

Tenacious, he fired blast after magical blast, alternating hands and angles in an attempt to take Rahim out. Rahim was just as intent upon not being struck. He conjured shield upon shield, turning away each of The Gray’s attacks, many at the very last second. Though he held his ground, I could see he was tiring. Sweat trickled down his face and he was breathing in deep, sucking gasps. It wouldn’t be long until he missed a block. Things would be over for us both when that happened.

With no magic of my own to aid in the fight,

I thought about what I could do to help. Injured as I was, it wasn’t much. I glanced back at the remains of my house and had an idea. Tearing the sleeve from my shirt, I wrapped it tight around my broken leg. I clenched my teeth to hold back my screams, doing what I could to work through the pain. The wound, like any caused by a supernatural being, wouldn’t heal on its own so I couldn’t expect it to get better. The best I could hope for was it didn’t get worse. I tightened the tourniquet to keep the bones from shifting too much, rolling over onto my stomach.

As the battle raged behind me, I dragged myself toward the house. Each agonizing inch was like dousing my leg in gasoline and setting a match to it. The punctures, where the bone had torn through the skin, burned with searing intensity as it scraped across the unforgiving asphalt. Dirt and grease were being ground in, guaranteeing infection, if I lived long enough to worry about it. The bones twisted and turned inside the leg, grinding against one another with every shift of position. Tears streamed from my eyes and I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from calling attention to myself. An agonizing eternity later, the sounds of the magical duel muffled by the wreckage, I crawled into the house. Fortunately, given my current condition, the majority of the front rooms no longer existed. There was nothing but smooth tiled floors and open space. Compared to the street and the sandpaper surface of the sidewalk I’d had to cross to get here, this was like Heaven. Too bad I’d have to crawl out once I found what I was looking for. I stowed the negativity and continued on, hauling myself to the bedroom. Once inside, I headed for the back wall. Thanks to the wind assault of McConnell’s, if I was going to find anything, it’d be there. Halfway across the room, where the debris began, I found it harder to navigate. Wooden splinters dug into my legs, their sharpened points piercing through my jeans and finding a home in the soft flesh. Glass shards snapped and cut deep as I crawled over them to reach the back of the room. Though there’d been a decent amount of blood oozing out of me when I’d arrived in the bedroom, there was now a lake pooling beneath me, a tributary running behind. I was beginning to feel the effect of the blood loss. My vision had begun to tunnel, the edges hazy and indistinct. My thoughts had become sluggish, chaotic; more so than usual.

Realizing how little time I had before I succumbed to my wounds, I dug through the debris with abandon. I ran my hands recklessly through the pieces of broken furniture and the shredded pieces of my house, searching for my gun. I was coming up empty.

I heard Rahim cry out from the street and redoubled my effort, only slightly reassured by the continued sounds of magical warfare. There wasn’t much time left for either of us. I crept closer to the Page 209 discarded mattress, digging through the wreckage. I had just about given up all hope, my thoughts wavering in my head, when my hand lighted on something cold and metallic. I sighed as I ran my numb hand over its surface, identifying it. I groaned. What little energy I had spiraled to nothing.

It wasn’t my pistol.

I collapsed in defeat, the vestiges of my resistance crumbling beneath the weight of my despair. My vision narrowed further as unconsciousness came to call, whispering soothing lullabies. My eyelids, far too heavy to resist the pull of gravity, drifted closed. I felt the darkness rising up to meet me. The end had come.

A whoosh of air startled me back to consciousness. I lifted my weary head and forced my heavy eyes open. There in front of me, laying flat upon the mattress was Rahim. He didn’t look so good. The places where his clothes had been burnt away by The Gray’s magical blasts, scorched and bubbled skin shone through. Patches of deep red and even blacker burns stood out against his natural dark hue. He lifted his head and met my gaze. I saw something in his eyes I’d never thought I’d see there.

Fear.

There was also disappointment in equal amount. I think he cared more about being beaten by McConnell than he did about dying.

Before I could say anything, I felt a gust of wind whip by as a pair of snakeskin cowboy boots dropped to the ground a few feet in front of me. McConnell turned and grinned as I peered up at him through fluttering eyes. Though his face looked a little worse for wear, puffy eyes, bruised, swollen cheeks, he didn’t look anywhere near as bad as Rahim did. That was a sobering realization.

“There you are. I’d wondered where you’d gotten off to. Figured you crawled off to die. Glad to see I was wrong,” he told me. “Give me a second to take care of your buddy here, then you and I can get back to business.” He chuckled and stepped to Rahim, energy building at his hands. Gray sparks fluttered to life. “Don’t worry, old boy, I’m not going to kill you. Not yet at least. The master could use a strong conduit like you. It’d sure save me a hell of a lot of grief.”

Though I knew there was nothing I could do, I couldn’t just lay there without trying. I moved to get up, sliding my elbows underneath me for support. That’s when I felt the cold steel of something clutched in the death grip of my left hand. I wracked my brain to figure out what it was while I quietly tugged it toward me through the debris. The increasing hum of McConnell’s magic covered the sound. He was charging up the batteries to be sure he could put Rahim out. I could feel the power washing over me. He was loaded for bear. Time was running out.

Unable to think clearly, I pulled the thing from beneath the wreckage and stared hard at the interlocking links. A second passed, and another, as I implored my brain to engage. Just as The Gray raised his hands to smite Rahim, it suddenly did. I held a pair of the magical manacles in my hand; the same chains that Asmoday had used to bind an angel. With nothing to lose, Rahim and I already dead in my mind, I mustered up the final remnants of my strength and pulled myself into a crouch. I hissed as I drew my broken leg up underneath me, but it held, barely. McConnell heard me and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes sprung wide as he saw what I held. He whirled around extending his arm toward me at the same time I leapt forward. The timing was perfect. The cuff hit his wrist and clacked shut as I tumbled to the ground clutching the other end. The dancing gray flames, which swirled at his palm, blinked twice, then died, dispersing without so much fanfare as a fart in an empty room. McConnell screamed, his voice shrill and crackling, as his free hand clawed at the manacle, trying to remove it. With the opportunity presenting itself, I sat up and snapped the remaining cuff over his free wrist. It clicked closed with a solemn snap.

The look on his bearded face, the quivering lower lip, his twitching eyelid, was priceless. He looked like I’d just sexed up his horse. That alone was worth the beating he’d given me. When I look back on my life, the twisted, agitated look on his face was an image I’d always remember. I might even masturbate to it on occasion considering the amount of pleasure it brought me at that moment. It was that good.

“That’s gotta suck.”

I fell back with a smile, too exhausted to hold myself up any longer. His eyes swiveled to me. They were like two simmering coals, flickering red. I didn’t know what to expect when I’d slapped the cuffs on him, but I had thought it might physically restrain him as well as neutralize his magic.

Seems I was wrong.

He growled low in his throat and drove the point of his boot hard into my stomach. I gasped as the blow knocked me back into the wall, my lungs aching. With no mercy, he pulled his leg back and soccer kicked me in the face. My head snapped back, spider-webbing the plaster of the wall behind me as my mouth filled with the tangy taste of blood. My skull rang like an old brass bell and my jaw throbbed, but I noticed something as it did. Earlier when he’d been beating me, each blow was crippling, bone-jarring. It was like being hit by a speeding truck, but now, his blows seemed like love taps in comparison.

I smiled big and wide, no doubt a crimson mess, as I realized what it was. With the manacles shutting down his magic, he wasn’t this almighty powerful wizard, he was human. Everything he did to me would heal. He couldn’t kill me anymore. I started to laugh, a sick, maniacal laugh that would have made any witch proud.

It just enraged McConnell. With no clue as to why I was laughing, he worked himself into a frenzy. Frothing at the mouth and screaming obscenities, he rained down punches, the chain of the manacles long enough it didn’t limit his motion too much. Blow after blow bounced off my face and skull, streamers of blood trailing in the passage of his hands. After each, I would laugh a little harder, doing my best to smile up at him. This just infuriated him further. Like a whirlwind, he swung his arms and battered me. He showed no signs of stopping until I heard a crack and he reeled back with a shout, clutching at his right hand. Through the blur of blood and swelling, I saw he’d broken it. That made it all so much more amusing. I laughed a little harder.

McConnell snapped and started stomping me, his cowboy boot slamming into my side and bouncing away only to return a second later, as if it were a trampoline. Though I knew none of it was permanent, I started to reconsider my provocation as I felt a couple of my ribs snap inside my chest. I sucked in slow, shallow breaths as he thumped out a double bass rhythm on my side so well any metal band would be glad to have him as their drummer. It hurt so bad I couldn’t see any more, my eyes washed out with white. Barely conscious to begin with, I felt the dark creeping back to claim me once more. I wasn’t dying, but it sure was starting to feel like it.

Rahim spared me that fortunate release. Coming up behind McConnell, who was far too worked up to notice, Rahim laid a 2x4 across the back of The Gray’s skull. His eyes went wide with surprise before rolling back into his head. He collapsed in a heap, his slack face laying just a few inches from mine.

“You killed Santa Claus,” I muttered as Rahim pulled me up, setting my back against the wall. I tried not to whine too much.

“He’ll wish he was dead before I’m through with him.” Rahim kicked McConnell, more out of spite than for any practical reason, causing him to roll a few feet away from us. He glared down at the man, doing his best to control his raging temper. I could tell he wanted to kill him, but he had something else in mind. I was too tired to care, either way.

I watched the wizard lay on his back like a dead fish with a twinge of satisfaction running through me. I couldn’t feel any pity for the guy after all he’d done. Shit! What he’d done.

Veronica.

“Veronica was here when McConnell attacked. I don’t know if she made it out,” I blurted out, my voice cracking on the last.

Rahim looked at me like he’d hoped I was joking, having seen the catastrophe of my marriage. When he saw the worry etched across my battered and bruised face, he shook his head, dropped the 2x4 in my lap and started toward the back of the house.

“I’ll check for her.”

Rahim knew I was playing with fire by letting her back into my life, under my skin. But despite being an all-powerful wizard, he was also a man. He understood. We’re weak when it comes to women. It’s our nature. He pointed back at The Gray. “Keep an eye on him. If he moves, thump him. Just don’t kill him.” With a frustrated shake of his head, he disappeared into the wreckage of my house.

I stared after him until he was gone, then turned back to McConnell. He was out cold. His breath made the whiskers of his beard sway back and forth like a coral bed under the ocean. Mesmerized by the motion, I sat there waiting. It wasn’t long. With little left of my house, the remnants blown into a pile in the backyard, Rahim didn’t have much to search through. He stomped back into the room, his face humorless.

“She must have gotten away.” He ignored my grateful sigh. He looked pensive, as if something weighed on him. It only took a second for him to let it out. He was never the kind of guy who kept his mouth shut. “The residuals in the portal room, which survived by the way, show someone gated out within the last few minutes. I presume that would be Veronica.” He held something up, holding it out for me to see. “I did find this in the room though.”

I looked up at his hand and saw the glass vial he held. My heart skipped a beat as he handed it to me, my head whirling in circles. I snatched the tube, cradling it in my hands as I examined it. All that was left inside the sealed vial were about two, tiny drops. I knew, without a doubt, what had happened to the rest. Veronica.

Benedict’s Song

The very last of my uncle’s blood having run its course through my veins, I stood in front of McConnell as his eyes fluttered open. Tied to a chair in a small interrogation room at DRAC headquarters, the magical bindings of the manacles still in place, he looked up at me in confusion.

“Where-”

“The where isn’t as important as the why.”

He strained against the restraints as his memory flooded back. His eyes met mine looking me over, disappointment welling up in them. Seeing me in one piece was the last thing he expected. It was certainly the last thing he wanted. He tested his bonds again, but they held. Katon, who stood out of sight behind him, tied them well.

“What do you want?”

“I think you have a pretty good idea of what I want.” I leaned in, grinning.

Then I punched him.

The short right caught him on the cheek, knocking his head to the side before he whipped it back to glare at me. “What the hell was that for?”

“That was for not letting me get off before you blew my house down, you big bad wolf you.” I raised my fist again and he leaned back in the seat as far as his bonds would allow him. “This little piggy is pissed.” I huffed and I puffed.

Katon stepped forward, laying a dark hand on McConnell’s shoulder. The wizard flinched.

“I’ll take it from here, Frank.” His eyes gestured toward the door. “Your interrogation skills are quite impressive, but they lack the subtle dread that produces results.” He stepped around the chair and smiled down at The Gray, the sharpened points of his eyeteeth glistening.

Katon was right. I saw McConnell shiver, his eyes moistening against his will.

“Take the pigs to market. I’ll find the answers we need here.”

I nodded and went wee wee wee, all the way home. Well, more like out into the hall. Outside, Rahim stood watching the action through a large two-way mirror. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face pensive and dark with bruises. He looked tired. I imagined he was still worn out from his battle with The Gray. It’d been a rough few days for all of us.

“You think he’ll give up Asmoday’s location?”

“I’m sure he will,” Rahim replied. “Betrayal is in his nature.”

I sighed. He wasn’t the only one apparently.

“That’s good because my lead ripped me off and slipped Page 219 away during the chaos.” I didn’t bother to mention her name. He knew.

Rahim gave me an understanding look. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I just wished the timing had been better. You just can’t find the equal of succubus love and with so few of them around, you can’t replace them. I was gonna miss the lying, stealing, cheating, murderous bitch. Katon came out of the interrogation room and snapped me out of my self-pitying reverie.

“We have the location.” He walked up to us, licking a trickle of blood off of his index finger.

“Already?” Even knowing how effective Katon was, I was surprised at how fast he’d broken McConnell. I’d apparently given the wizard too much credit for being a tough guy.

“The nursery rhymes softened him up, no doubt.” He winked at me while he passed a handdrawn map to Rahim. “This is the site of the next power transfer. Asmoday and Glorius are currently there, according to McConnell. He also said Asmoday intends this to be the final ritual. It would appear even angels have an upper limit of power that they can absorb, and Glorius is nearing his. To go beyond that line would kill him with no one being the recipient of his magical energies.”

“Is that the reason why the last ritual was so subdued in comparison to the rest?” Rahim asked. Katon nodded. “In part, but it was mostly due to Asmoday’s concerns we might be closing in on him. He rushed the transfer to take advantage of the distraction provided by his fiends. He also performed it alone, as McConnell had other obligations.” He motioned toward me. “I think we’ve spooked him a bit.”

“Now is the time to go after him while he’s still weak,” I urged.

“We too are weakened and there is yet the matter of Gabriel,” Rahim argued, “but I think you’re right. Now is the time.”

“Don’t worry about Gabriel. I’ve a surprise for him.” I smirked like I had it all under control, despite still needing to find a way to meet the terms of Forcalor’s agreement. I figured knocking down Asmoday’s door would be as good a start as any.

“We’ll need as much assistance as we can muster, especially now that Asmoday’s fiends have wounded or killed most of our heavy hitters.” Katon turned to me.

“Can you reach Scarlett? We could use her.”

No doubt we could. No doubt at all. The temperature in the room rose ten degrees as I agreed with Katon’s words, if not his intended sentiment. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Katon looked at me with exasperated eyes and shook his head. I imagined he knew what I was thinking. I’m an open book most times. Well, more like an open porno mag, but you get my point. Once you’ve seen the cover, you know what’s going on inside.

“Then we’d best prepare. It won’t be long before Asmoday misses McConnell and realizes he’s failed in his mission to kill Frank. Our window of opportunity is no doubt closing fast.”

I nodded to Rahim. At long last we had some real direction. I ran off to call Scarlett and find some replacement guns.

It was time for war.

Best Laid Plans

Rahim, Katon, and I crouched in the shadows near the location McConnell had drawn on the map. The cowboy lay on the ground behind us, gagged and bound and looking forlorn. I’m not sure what Rahim’s plans for him were, but I didn’t imagine they were nice. Myself, I was thinking human shield. In silence, we surveyed the weather-battered barn situated on a small farm a few miles out of town. Out of the way and unassuming, it was the perfect place for an ambush.

At least it wasn’t a warehouse.

I couldn’t feel the overwhelming residue of magic as I had at the other locations, but I could feel something. More correctly, it was a lack of something. My senses drifted out, encountering nothing. It was a subtle nothingness, like reaching into the void of space. I looked to Rahim to confirm what I felt. He nodded and whispered, “Dampeners.”

I gave the thumbs up sign to McConnell. It seemed he’d given us the right information. He glared back, less than pleased to have been dragged along. I’m sure he thought we’d leave him at DRAC, locked away safe and sound, far from the demon master he betrayed. That’d be getting off too easy.

I smiled and returned my attention to the barn. Though the main doors at the front were closed, a small entrance to the side sat open. A gentle, flickering light shone somewhere inside, creating dancing shadows just outside. I didn’t see any security devices, but we stayed out of sight just in case.

I mouthed the word “trap?” as I glanced at Katon.

“Probably, but who knows?” He shrugged, not bothering to lower his voice. “It doesn’t really matter. He’ll know we’re here once we enter the barn so it’s not like we can sneak up on him. The dampeners keep him from sensing us the same way they do us from him, but inside past the barrier we’ll light up like flares. The only thing we can hope for is that he’s not prepared for us to show up.”

“Why are we sitting out here?” I gestured to the barn and the field surrounding it. “There’s no one out here waiting for us. If he’s set something up, it’s inside where we’re going anyway.”

Katon answered, “I was hoping your cousin would make an appearance before we went in. The extra angel power would be nice.”

I agreed. I’d tried to get a hold of Scarlett before we left DRAC, but she wasn’t answering. I’d even sicced the telepaths on her, but for whatever reason, she couldn’t be reached. I wasn’t worried so much as I was irritated. Scarlett had her own agenda and it rarely conformed to my own. It wasn’t the first time I’d been left in a lurch because she couldn’t be bothered. I just hoped it wouldn’t be the last.

I shrugged. There was nothing more I could do.

“If she was gonna show, she’d have done it by now. I think we’re wasting our time waiting on her.”

Rahim nodded. “You’re most likely right. Let’s go.” He stood and pulled McConnell to his feet. He dragged the other wizard along as he headed toward the open door.

Katon took the lead and motioned for me to take it up the rear. I debated being offended. I didn’t swing that way even for a sweet-talker as smooth as him. It took me a second to realize I’d misunderstood his hand signals. With a flustered smile on my face and my cheeks burning, I dropped behind Rahim and followed the group through the door.

Inside was a short hallway, which led to the main barn, the walls covered in framed photographs of what must have been the farm’s prize winning cattle. I had a sudden craving for a T-bone. Rahim nudged my shoulder and motioned for me to follow Katon through the inner door. I wiped the drool from my mouth and did as I was asked. I had a feeling I was gonna regret itWhen didn’t I?

As we walked into the barn, all the lights in the room flashed to life, the sudden glare blinding. At least it would have been to a human. Katon and I blinked a few times and our eyes adjusted. It’s good to be a devil sometimes. Apparently it’s not so bad being a vampire either.

Rahim lingered in the hall for a few seconds, his eyes adjusting slower, before following us in. Katon and I surveyed the room, looking for the trap we expected to be sprung. Turns out, we didn’t need to. In the center of the room, surrounded by a handful of Dread Fiends and the three surviving angels from my earlier encounter, Asmoday stood waiting for us. A broad, white smile appeared above the blackness of his thick beard. Glorius was nowhere to be seen and there were no signs of any ritual preparations.

“Do come in,” he called us forward. So much for the element of surprise. He’d known we were coming. Since it wouldn’t change anything in a tactical sense, as we were already inside the killing field of the barn, we obliged him. We did keep back a few extra yards, just to give us breathing room when the shit hit the fan. No point in getting too cozy with a guy who intended to kill us.

“You’re turning out to be quite resourceful, Triggaltheron.”

And again with that damn name. I shook my head and looked to Katon and Rahim. They were busy taking the lay of the land, so to speak, and preparing themselves for the confrontation to come. That left me to deal with the ass hole. I encouraged Asmoday to continue, giving them time to plot.

“I have my moments.”

“That you do. First, you survived my angel companions here.” He gestured to the three who stood glaring at me with murder in their eyes. “Oh, and let me introduce you since it appears I was remiss the last time. Silly me.” He pointed to each in turn. “Malis, Rafal, and Urtel. You of course knew Israfil, their companion, the one you killed. Quite impressive, I must admit.” The angels didn’t look impressed. They just looked pissed. “After that, you managed to defeat my Dread Fiends. And to top it all off, you captured my wizard whom I knew couldn’t be trusted to carry out his duties alone.” He glared at McConnell with fury in his eyes. The Gray stared at the ground, unwilling to meet his master’s gaze. There was nothing happy about this particular reunion. “It seems I’ve underestimated you, Triggaltheron.”

“Don’t worry about it. It happens all the time.”

I waved off the underhanded compliment. “It’s the combination of charming good looks and my midseventy IQ that throws people off. It’s hard to cope with a complete package like this.” I ran my hands down the length of my body seductively slow, posing while I winked at Asmoday. Gay men everywhere cringed, I imagine.

Asmoday shook his head, not amused. “You should have taken me up on my offer. It was your only chance to escape the coming Armageddon alive.”

“I’m not sure what you find so exciting about ruling over a smoldering ruin, but to be honest, I’m not interested in surviving Armageddon. Especially if all that’s gonna be left is you and your flunkies. I’d rather be dead.”

“Rest assured, you’ll get your wish.” His dark eyes met mine. Fire danced within them. His servants, apparently feeling the tension ramping up, crept forward a few steps. “You are a disgrace to your uncle’s memory. Fortune smiled upon us when you refused the mantle. It would have been a dark day in Hell had you inherited Lucifer’s throne.”

I could feel the building current of Rahim’s power as he readied his defenses. Katon tensed beside him, his hand creeping toward his blade. Me? I did what I do best. I provoked. “I might not have inherited Hell, but I did inherit Lucifer’s trust. He sure didn’t offer you the job of Anti-Christ, did he?”

I could see the anger creasing his face, but surprisingly he remained in control.

“Why would I want to be the Anti-Christ, when I could be God?” A triumphant grin lit up his face. “I will raze the whole of creation and remake it in my image. It’s too bad you won’t be around to witness the glory of my new genesis.”

“You still need to contend with us,” Rahim told him, stepping forward. “We know your powers have been exhausted by the rituals, and since your accomplice, Gabriel, isn’t here to defend you, you might want to put away your delusions of grandeur.”

Asmoday reared his head back and laughed. A chill ran down my spine at hearing it.

“It’s no wonder Baalth holds your organization in such high regard, you have proven to be worthy adversaries. He gives you too much respect, though.”

Asmoday signaled to someone out of sight behind him. Through a door, hidden in the shadows at the rear of the barn, a Dread Fiend ambled out. A long, thick chain, clutched in its claw, ran behind it into the darkness. With an impatient hiss, the creature yanked the leash hard and a figure stumbled into the light. My heart rate spiked.

It was Scarlett.

Bound by the same type of manacles, which held McConnell’s power in check, the fiend tugged her along easily. In addition to the magical cuffs, her arms were pinned to her body with thick chains that ensured no movement of her upper body. To add insult to injury, the scabbard at her hip was empty. To top it all off, she was gagged. Her eyes burned like fiery stars above the gag, locking onto mine as she was led toward us. Under normal circumstances, seeing Scarlett tied up like that would have produced an erection so hard I would have passed out due to the lack of blood to my brain. Today, it just made me angry. If anyone was Page 229 gonna introduce my cousin to bondage, it was gonna be me, damn it. I growled and started forward.

“Let her go.”

Asmoday’s bully squad moved to intercept me, forming a wall between us as Scarlett was delivered to his side. The fiend handed her over, then withdrew a narrow, rune-covered blade, passing it along as well. Asmoday wrapped an arm around Scarlett’s chest, pulling her into him. He slid the blade under her chin, pressing it hard against her throat.

“I’d say her death would provide me with more than enough power to defend myself, don’t you agree, wizard?”

Rahim glowered, his fists clenched into tight balls of fury. But despite his anger, I saw him back down, his shoulders slumping, his hands trembling but opening. I could tell by the look on his face he wasn’t happy about it, but he must have felt it best, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.

More than anything, Rahim was a man of conviction. He had vowed to save the world and he intended to keep his promise. It didn’t matter to him whether Scarlett lived or died, or any of us really, all that mattered was the cause. He would kill Scarlett himself if it advanced DRAC’s agenda. That was the depth of his conviction. His tentativeness meant he understood her death would tip the balance against us. He wasn’t willing to risk that when he thought there was still some chance, however slim, we could pull off the win.

“While her death might provide you with enough energy to fend us off, it would also weaken you at the worst possible moment,” Rahim countered. He might not have wanted to start a fight, but he wasn’t cowed. Asmoday’s eyes narrowed, the blade staying put. He said nothing, but his eyes implored Rahim to go on.

“Do you truly believe your lackeys can hold us off long enough to complete the transfer? Ten seconds is an eternity to place your life in the hands of renegade angels and thick-skulled Dread Fiends.” Rahim exuded confidence, taking a half step forward, seizing on Asmoday’s hesitation. “Are you willing to wager your life just to find out how resourceful we truly are?”

Asmoday raised his upper lip into a snarl. Rahim had gotten into his head, but the demon hadn’t come this far to fail. “What do you propose?”

“A trade.” Rahim pointed at McConnell. “The wizard for the angel and you walk away.” I wasn’t sure what angle Rahim was playing, but I figured he knew what he was doing so I kept my mouth shut. McConnell, however, didn’t seem to care what Rahim was doing, he just knew it wasn’t gonna end well for him. His eyes sprung wide as he spewed muffled complaints into the gag, thrashing against the restraints. Asmoday looked him over with cold eyes, as if weighing his value.

Rahim continued his pitch. “Though it’s true Scarlett’s strength is considerable and her death would provide you with the means to fight us off for a short while, that course of action comes at great risk. Fail and you and all your grand plans end here in an inauspicious grave.” He gestured to the ramshackle barn. “What I offer is a way for you to avoid that risk as well as provide you with the opportunity to address the failure of your would-be assassin.”

While Asmoday didn’t appear to understand Rahim’s motivations any more than the rest of us did, he had to know the wizard had some kind of trick up his sleeve. He didn’t seem to care though. He must have had one hell of a hand himself.

“I believe I’ll accept your offer, wizard. We exchange the angel for my incompetent servant, followed by my departure and nothing more.” He didn’t bother to wait for Rahim’s acknowledgment. He motioned to his minions. He passed Scarlett over to one of them and it led her past the line. The creature stopped a few feet from us, still holding the leash. Another of Asmoday’s fiends stepped forward and grabbed a hold of McConnell, watching us the whole time. The Gray’s eyes screamed to us as he was dragged back to his master. He found no sympathy. Once he’d crossed the line of Asmoday’s minions, the fiend which held Scarlett released the chain and backed away, its arms raised to show it posed no threat. I jumped and pulled her behind us, fumbling at her binds. It was all too easy.

Asmoday latched onto McConnell, smiling all the while. “Thank you. I needed the wizard far more than I did your angel, at this point.” His grin grew even wider. “Now, as per our arrangement, I shall depart. But let me leave you with this…”

I knew it. Never trust a demon.

“The end is but a dawn away. I go now to prepare Glorius for his final moment.” He backed away slowly, pulling the reluctant McConnell along. “His sacrifice shall usher in a new age where the followers of light shall be scoured from existence, the firmament lashed to scarlet shreds. From my sanctum of peace, I will watch as humanity breathes its last and the heavens are burned to blackened ash.” He pointed at us as he reached the shadows. “Do what you must to prepare for you have precious few moments left. Farewell.”

Darkness welled up beneath them, blurring the forms of Asmoday and McConnell. They were washed away by an obsidian wave, a column of blackness that streaked upward to disappear from sight. The angels and fiends left behind, smiled in malevolent unison and advanced. I redoubled my effort to free Scarlett as they spread out to encircle us. Katon and Rahim moved to defend while I fidgeted with the chains.

Though I’d thought of Scarlett tied up more times than I should probably admit, I never pictured a scene quite like this. I cast a quick glance at the approaching minions as my adrenaline-charged hands shook and fumbled with her binds, working way too slow. I sighed and tried to focus.

In even the most wild of my fantasies, I’d never imagined a gang-bang this perverse.

A Tragic Hour

Like fireworks on the fourth of July, sparks of magical energy flashed all around me while I struggled to free Scarlett. I flinched as an explosion erupted right behind me, blocked by Rahim who’d thrown up a hastily crafted shield at the very last possible moment. The heat of the blast filtered through and raised goose bumps along my skin, singeing the hairs on my neck. Determined, now more than ever, to get Scarlett loose and join the fray, I blocked out everything else and focused on the manacles. I traced the silver symbols on the cuffs, hoping my memory worked and I could keep my hands steady enough to get the right order. I got lucky.

As the symbols lighted up in my finger’s wake, a shimmering red glow tracing their outlines, I heard a metallic clank and the cuffs popped open. Scarlett’s power flooded back to her, the mystical restraints no longer neutralizing it. Her eyes shined with renewed energy. She howled, though it came out sounding like a strangled cat through the gag, and flexed against the rest of the chains. The links snapped as though they were made of glass. Metal shrapnel hurtled in all directions as the bulk of the chains dropped to the floor at her feet. She tore the gag away and gave me a grateful smile, wicked intentions swirling in her fierce eyes. Her manner feral, she spun and zeroed in on the closest of the angels, her former brethren. “Traitorous whores!”

Before the words had even cleared her mouth, Scarlett launched herself at Rafal, the closest to her. With her sword missing, presumably still in the hands of Asmoday, she led with her fists. To the accompaniment of thunder, Scarlett crashed into her foe. A flash of blinding light exploded when they collided, the two locked in a streaking comet of whirling limbs. The impact carried them across the room and through the wall of the barn where a cloud of dust and wooden splinters obscured their passage.

Certain Scarlett could take care of herself, I turned back to survey the battle field. Rahim, though weakened by his earlier fight with McConnell, seemed to be holding his own. Like a mythical Gandalf, he had fashioned a sword and shield out of pure energy and stood fast on the front line. Each sweep of his mystical sword carved a deep swath through the ranks of Asmoday’s minions. Though it seemed to do little damage, the angels defending against it with their own magic, it seemed to keep them at bay. It had claimed at least one victim, however. A fiend lay face down on the dusty floor, its stomach gaping wide like the mouth of a carnival fun ride. Its moist intestines bubbled out from underneath it, a never-ending serpent of black and deep red. Wafts of steam and putrid scents drifted from the wound, a gentle serenade of hissing accompanying it. Katon, skulking behind the wizard, darted out between Rahim’s strokes and struck at the minions with his crimson blade. I watched as his enchanted weapon split the ribs of a Dread Fiend, its point piercing the creature’s heart. Its eyes rolled back in its head as the vampire pulled his sword free. It shuddered and dropped cold the instant the blade was removed, Katon dancing back to the safety of Rahim’s defenses. Wanting a piece of the action myself, I drew my guns and aimed them at the angels. I figured a couple more souls would look good on my spiritual resume. But before I could fire, I saw a flash of movement at the edge of my vision. My head did the math. Malis and Urtel stood before Rahim and Katon, three fiends with them. A fourth fiend lay dead and Rafal was having his head pounded in by Scarlett outside. That left a fiend unaccounted for.

That was, until right then. I really need to pay more attention.

I growled as I spun, leveling my pistols. The fiend was faster, a trend I was getting real tired of, let me tell you. Its claws sunk into the meat of my side and a split second later, its shoulder rammed into my chest. The wind knocked from me, I sucked in a gasping breath as I was lifted into the air and slammed onto my back.

My left hand struck the ground hard and the pistol in it popped loose, to bounce out of reach. I clutched tighter to the other one as the fiend dropped down on my chest, its taloned hand clutching at my arm to keep me from putting my gun to use.

It leaned in toward me with its snarling mouth just inches from my face, its yellowish quills quivering even closer. I managed to slide my free arm in between us, pressing against its neck to keep it away some. It was too little space to give me much comfort and it was too strong for me to hold it for long. It tore at my defending arm, ripping open bubbling wounds that oozed black blood. I could feel my arm weakening beneath the assault. It wouldn’t be long before it failed me altogether.

Its rancid breath curled my nose hairs as it snorted and huffed, trying to bite my face off. Droplets of rank spittle rained down over me. I did my best to not think about what kind of cooties I could catch from it. While the least of my worries at that particular moment, I couldn’t help but think about it while gnashing rows of rotten teeth clacked together above me in a rhythmic tattoo, like lines of dark soldiers marching off to war. With every passing second, ravaging and horribly stinky death inched closer.

I struggled beneath the fiend, casting a quick glance to see if my companions had seen my predicament. My heart dropped when I saw they also were close to being overrun. There’d be no help from them.

Desperate, I thrashed from side to side, trying my hardest to delay the seemingly inevitable. The fiend held tight, its claws digging deeper into my arm, the other shredding what remained of my left. Its foul stench struck me like a fist as its gaping mouth pressed closer to my eyes, its bony quills jabbing into my cheeks and forehead. Looking up into the maw of the fiend, its rows of shark-like teeth and dripping putrescence, I knew that wasn’t how I wanted to go out. Give me a good old-fashioned heart attack any day.

Frantic, I bucked my hips up and just managed to get my legs beneath it before it settled its weight back down. Not wasting a second, considering how few I had left, I spread my legs and set my feet on the inside of the fiend’s hips. I mustered all my strength and kicked my legs out, pushing as best I could with my wounded arm. Caught off guard, the fiend’s lower body was lifted into the air and shoved back about a foot as I yanked my right arm in the opposite direction. It caught its balance and dropped its weight back onto me but not before its restraining hand had slipped free of my arm. Its oval eyes went wide when it realized what I’d done. I could see the reflection of the gun barrel in them as I brought it to bear. I squeezed my eyes shut and hunkered down as I tapped the trigger repeatedly, the gun hovering just above my nose. I could feel the heat from its report, the smoking hot casings raining down over me. The. 45’s vicious bark was like music to my deafened ears. The fiend’s screeches like a symphony of base satisfaction.

The seven silver deaths struck in rapid succession, each leaving behind a little less of the fiend’s ugly face than the last, all wreaking destruction in their wake. Its warm and gooey blood rained down on me, tiny droplets of gross. I could taste the fetid sickness in my mouth and smell its putrid scent in my nose. It was real hard not to vomit.

The screams ended and I felt a moist splash on my chest as the fiend collapsed, the remnants of its head like a shattered pumpkin oozing down my ribs. I shuddered and kicked the thing off of me, wiping at my face to clear my eyes before I opened them. I didn’t want any of that vile nastiness in them. I managed to get most of the goop off, but there was nothing I could do about the reeking funk that lingered like an unwelcome house guest.

Knowing I had more important things to worry about, I fumbled at my ammo belt with my one good hand, my left arm hanging lifeless at my side, and looked to see where we stood in the battle. I should have kept my eyes closed.

Separated from Katon, Rahim was caught between the two angels, both doing their damndest to kill him in close quarters. It was enough apparently. As Rahim spun to deflect the first angel’s blow, Urtel slipped behind him and drove his glowing fist into the wizard’s back just above the hips. Twenty yards away, I heard the crack of Rahim’s spine snapping. My stomach reeled as the wizard cried out and crumpled to the ground in a broken heap.

Rage tunneled my vision as I wriggled the cartridge into the gun with my one good hand and slammed it home against my leg. I chambered the first round with my teeth and ran off after the angels, my. 45 leading the way. Distracted by their victory, the two batting Rahim back and forth between them like kittens, adding insult to injury, they didn’t see me coming. Big mistake.

I stepped up behind Urtel and rammed my gun hard into his back. “An eye for an eye,” I shouted as I squeezed the trigger.

The report was even more satisfying than when I’d shot the fiend. The first bullet ripped into Urtel and shattered his spine in much the same way he had Rahim’s, a fountain of golden blood springing up in its wake. The second and third rounds finished the job. He died in silence.

I felt cheated he’d died so quickly. I wanted the bastard to suffer.

Malis would have to suffer for him.

I shouldered the still-standing corpse out of my way and turned my gun on the remaining angel. There was fear in his eyes.

He had good reason to be afraid.

There are horrors so vile, so blasphemous, lurking in the depths of Hell that even Clive Barker would be hard pressed to imagine. What I intended to do to Malis made those horrors pale in comparison. But even with the best laid plans, reality has a way of intruding. Once again, in the heat of combat, I’d forgotten about the soul transfer. My hand shook as I raised my pistol, a flood of warmth dancing across my nerves. I moaned as the blood in my veins ignited, my eyes fluttering closed in response to the orgasmic rush. I heard a shuffle of feet moving toward me and sighed, knowing my involuntary hesitation had cost me my shot at retribution. Still in the throes of the transfer, I waited to get hit.

I wasn’t disappointed.

I felt the tell-tale wave of heat an instant before the blast struck. Like a tennis ball smacked by a racket, I was flung backward, my arms and legs trailing out in front of me. My eyes opened to see wisps of black smoke curling away from me as I flew through the air, the room whipping by. The only comfort I had was it didn’t hurt. The essence of Urtel’s soul was still in flux inside my system. That was a good thing because I didn’t feel the barn wall as I smashed through it or the hard ground that rushed up to meet me at the end of my flight. After the impact, I rolled end over end until I came to a stop in the knee-high grass outside, broken pieces of the red wooden wall scattered all around me. A trail of flattened greenery and scarred earth marked my passage from landing point to final destination. Once the majority of the transfer had subsided, I got to my feet, my body tingling. I was relieved to see my left arm had regained its motion, its strength returned. I was even more thrilled to find I still had my gun. I’d gotten off lucky. That wasn’t true for all of us. Reminded of Rahim and what I’d been doing before being sent on a ride, I gritted my teeth. With vengeance on my mind, I stalked back to the barn. As I neared it, I heard a scrabbling of claws on wood and looked up to see a Dread Fiend crouched in the hole where I’d smashed through the wall. He howled a gravelly challenge to me as I approached. I answered his bark with a bite, four of them, to be precise. Without hesitation I emptied what remained in the clip into the fiend’s snarling mouth.

Its challenge died on its hairy lips as the bullets blasted huge holes in the back of its head. A death rattle gurgled deep in its throat and it tumbled from its perch, falling face first into a heap at the base of the barn wall. I smiled wide as it hit. There was something satisfying about the way it laid there, its tongue lolling out of its open mouth, its ass up in the air. It was as if the lack of decency it showed in life was reflected in its death. I felt it fitting.

I pushed aside my armchair psychology and returned to the barn. I dug out another cartridge and cursed as I realized I only had one more left. I slammed it in, hoping I wouldn’t need more than that. With a snarl, I leapt through the same hole I’d exited just moments before, wondering what awaited me on the other side. I landed in a crouch, scanning the scene. I arrived just in time to see Scarlett and Katon dispatch the last of the fiends. Scarlett rode one into the ground, her tiny fists a blur of motion outlined by streams of yellowish blood and bile. The creature crumbled beneath her onslaught.

Katon danced inside of the other’s reach and drove his blade deep into its lungs, his arm wrapped tight around the fiend’s neck. I could see the fury in his eyes, his face etched with deep lines of murderous rage as he twisted the blade.

Malis lay in moist pieces across the floor like a fleshy puzzle. Not all the king’s horses or all the king’s men would be putting this Humpty Dumpty back together again. His head, separated from the rest had rolled into a corner where its eyeless sockets stared up at the ceiling. His arms and legs were scattered about, ripped viciously apart at each individual joint. His bloody, battered torso sat in the center of the room, its ribs caved in.

I wasn’t sure which of the two had done it, but

I was buying them both a beer once all this was over. They’d earned it.

I took stock of all the bodies, making sure all of Asmoday’s minions were accounted for, holstered my gun, and raced to Rahim’s side. Katon and Scarlett got there less than a second later.

To my surprise, he was still alive.

He looked up at us as we gathered around him, his eyes reflecting the pain I knew he’d never voice. At seeing him, Katon knelt down and buried his face into the old wizard’s chest. Weakly, Rahim draped his arm over Katon’s head and pulled him in tighter. He squeezed his eyes shut as a single tear slipped from the corner and ran down his cheek. A quiet sob slipped from Scarlett as she turned away from the pair, hiding her face. For all the rage and violence that festered inside her, she would forever be an agent of the Lord. Her heart would forever be vulnerable to tragedy.

Unable to help, I simply let them be. They stayed there for several minutes, neither speaking nor breaking the embrace. Unwilling to interrupt, I stood and started to back away when I noticed Rahim looking at me.

“How bad?” I asked, knowing full well I wasn’t going to like the answer. He, no doubt, hated to admit it even more.

“My spine is shattered,” he said as he took a deep, laborious breath. His face winced with the effort.

Katon pulled away to make it easier, settling in beside him. “I can’t feel anything below my chest. It’s all dead.”

My heart sank. In my mind, that was worse than death. “We need to get you back to DRAC.” I knew it was the right thing to do, but I wasn’t even sure that’d help.

While the members of DRAC had performed many miracles since their inception, healing on the scale Rahim required wasn’t one of them. Forget all the stories you’ve heard about preachers or wizards healing the crippled and bringing the dead back to life, same as they were before. They aren’t true. Outside of God and the Devil, no one has the level of power or control necessary to truly resurrect the dead or make a crippled man walk again. Magic doesn’t work that way. For all its vaunted reputation, it’s rarely useful for anything more than destruction. While somewhat flexible, conforming to the imagination of its specific wielder, its true nature is brute force. The hammer never cures the anvil.

The soul transfer, the closest thing to a miracle in today’s Godless world, would also be useless to him. As a human, Rahim had no ability to partake of a supernatural being’s soul. While his suffering could be eased by judicious magical rituals and modern medicine, Rahim’s future was in the hands of fate and the surgeons in the employ of DRAC.

He knew this better than any of us.

“There is still much to do, my friends, but I’m afraid I can do little to help.” Rahim patted Katon on the leg to motivate him, his moist eyes never leaving mine.

“Take me home.”

Page 247

History Lessons

Back at DRAC, Katon having escorted the doctors who wheeled Rahim into surgery, Scarlett and I were left alone in the small waiting room. Unable to remain still, she paced the room from one end to the other, her leather pants squeaking faintly with every step. So rattled by how fast we’d fallen apart, I sat with my head in my hands and stared at the carpet. I couldn’t even bring myself to think something sexual about the sound Scarlett was making. That alone was a sure sign of Armageddon coming to pass.

With Abraham held captive by Baalth and Rahim broken, perhaps never to walk again, all that was left of the Council was Rachelle. As powerful and as good a person as she was, she would be little help from this point on. Even if she did sense the next ritual, it would be too late to stop it.

Asmoday had done well for himself. In just a few short days, he’d decimated DRAC, clearing the way for the end of the world. Not bad for an underachiever who had been kicked out of Heaven for being the errand boy who delivered the apple to Eve.

Speaking of misguided angels, I glanced up at Scarlett. “Mind if I ask you a question?”

She stopped her pacing and looked at me with baleful eyes, nodding.

“How did Asmoday manage to kidnap you?”

Her face twisted weirdly, as if unsure of what expression to make. “He didn’t.” She took a deep breath, letting it out slow. “Gabriel did.”

I leaned back in the chair, whistling. Scarlett had been drug through the wringer ever since the war broke out and she was forced to take sides. It’d been hard on her having to turn her back on her friends, people she’d known since she came into existence, who had chosen to follow the path of Gabriel. Family one moment, enemies a heartbeat later, she never quite grasped the concept of angels not being the good guys. Her heart belonged to the Angelic Choir of old and she just couldn’t understand why it wasn’t that way with all of the angels.

Gabriel’s betrayal had to have been almost as painful to her as God’s disappearance had been. Everything she was, her whole world view, was tied up in the premise that God was on high and he would lead, she would follow. She’d only recently begun to accept the fact things were different these days and they probably would never go back to being the way she remembered. Now, with Gabriel kidnapping her, all that pain had to have come rushing back, the fresh scars torn open and left to bleed.

I felt for her deep down, though I had to admit I Page 249 was glad I was on the other side of all that. Demons and betrayal went hand in hand, it went without saying. It was never a matter of if. It was always a matter of when. It’s so much easier to deal with that kind of crap when you know to expect it. She hadn’t been raised in that environment like I had. This was all new to her. Though I knew it was eating her up inside, on the surface, she seemed to handle it well enough.

“He’s gone insane, you know?”

I’d kinda thought that already. I just nodded, letting her go on.

“Though he didn’t say it directly, I think he believes God will come back if he wipes out the world. He blames the humans for so exhausting God’s patience He was driven to abandon us.” A saw a shiver run through her. “He’s not going to stop until we’re all gone, Frank.”

Hours earlier I might have argued with her, enough of my confidence still alive to make a case for hope. I’d have told her we had a chance of stopping Gabriel and Asmoday and we could still win out. But now, I couldn’t even lie to her, let alone to myself. I sank down in my seat, worn out both mentally and physically. Scarlett saw my resignation and went back to pacing.

It seemed to me as though there was little else to do but sit back and wait for the big bang. It came two seconds later.

Katon burst into the waiting room, kicking the door off its hinges. It flew across the room and landed in a broken heap of splintered wood against the furthest wall. Furious, his fangs glistening under the fluorescent lighting, he screamed epithets that made even me blush. Had I been brave enough to take my eyes off him and spare Scarlett a glance, I’m sure the color of her face would have matched her name. Rather than do anything to draw his attention to me, I sat back and watched as he gave a row of metal chairs the worst beating of their inanimate lives, thrashing them into tiny pieces and stomping them into the carpeted floor. Even Scarlett took a few steps back, not wanting to get caught up in his tantrum. It was a sight to behold, let me tell you. Once the chairs succumbed to his rage, he whirled to face me. My heart stopped mid beat. I didn’t want to end up like them. I started to sweat.

“I’m going to rip Asmoday’s entrails out through his throat and feast on his treacherous heart.” He stepped in front of me and leaned in to be sure I heard him, his face a wrinkled mess of ferocity. I sat still, like a cornered rabbit, afraid to move for fear he’d take his anger out on me. “I’m going to tear his testicles off and use his seed to write his epitaph. I’ll use his dick as my pen.”

I sensed an opening to remind him I was on his side. “Uh…I’m with you, brother,” I muttered, nodding Page 251 like a bobblehead doll.

My heart started up again when he spun around and put his foot through the wall several feet away. I was more than glad it wasn’t my head. Not satisfied with that small destruction, he began tearing madly at the plasterboard. Clouds of white dust filled the room, settling thick around us. After a few minutes of frenzied tearing, his shoulders slumped and he leaned against what was left of the ravaged wall for support.

“That was our last chance and we blew it.” He turned around and dropped to a seat on the floor, his sad eyes looking up at me. Seems Scarlett and I weren’t the only ones feeling doubt. “Armageddon is coming and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

Though unable to cry, Katon’s eyes had no problem expressing his overwhelming sadness. It was heart-rending. Scarlett went to his side and knelt down to comfort him. She was braver than me. His head drooped as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

“We have failed,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he said it.

My mind, spurred to life by the adrenaline Katon had stirred up, started clearing the fog of gloom that had stifled its function. I thought back to our encounter with Asmoday as he left to prepare Glorius. Something he’d said rang a bell, but I’d been too distracted, too afraid to recognize it for what it was. It was right there, lurking at the hazy edge of the shadows in my head, but I couldn’t remember.

Grumbling to myself, I leaned forward, looking at the embracing pair as I tried to kick-start my brain. My eyes, as they did every opportunity they got, wandered to Scarlett’s boobs. Katon’s head was nestled between them, safe and secure in the sanctuary of her ample bosom. I watched as her chest rose and fell in steady rhythm, his head drifting along with it, eyes closed. Though I knew he was suffering, Rahim terribly injured, the world about to end, his face had settled into a calm mask. However unlikely it was, he seemed at peace.

A light bulb exploded in my head as I thought that last part. At that moment, I realized something I’d always suspected.

Boobs were the answer for everything.

“There may still be a chance,” I whispered, unable to believe even myself we might still be in the fight.

Katon lifted his head to stare up at me. His eyes were narrow and unfocused as though he’d only halfheard what I said. “What was that?”

I took a second to nail down my train of thought before answering, “I think I know where they are.”

Both of them sat up straight, twin towers of rigid surprise. “Where?” They asked the question in unison. I stood up, dredging through the drift of words Page 253 to find the right ones. “Back when Lucifer was still around, he and I spent a lot of time together in the Ninth Plane going over things. Intending me to take up the mantle of the Anti-Christ, he had confided in me.”

Katon and Scarlett hung on every word.

“After the Fall, when things had settled somewhat, God felt remorse for how he’d handled the situation. He couldn’t take it back though because it would make Him look fallible, so He let the war between Heaven and Hell continue, doing nothing to end it.”

“Where is all this going?” Katon asked.

“I’m getting there.” I waved off any further questions. “Thinking it unfair that He was omnipotent and Lucifer wasn’t, the odds forever skewed in His favor, God gifted a sanctuary to my uncle. Within its walls no one, not even God himself, could see or hear what went on.”

Scarlett gasped, probably finding it hard to believe any such place could exist, let alone that God would provide it for the Devil.

Katon, more logical than my cousin, simply wanted facts. “What makes you think Asmoday is there?”

“Something he said before he ran off. He mentioned he’d be waiting in his sanctum of peace. I didn’t catch it then, but once I had a chance to think, and the proper motivation to get my blood flowing, it all clicked. Thanks, Scarlett.”

Oblivious to why I was thanking her, she just looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

“So this sanctum of peace is your uncle’s hideaway?”

“Yes, I believe so. Inscribed upon the wall just inside the sanctuary was a poem God had written. He’d had a thing for engraving, like the Ten Commandments thing and all that, so He’d weaved the spell into the poem and carved it into the wall himself. Lucifer showed it to me the first time I was there. It read: A boon to thee once Morning Star; Where I and eye cast no sight to mar; A sanctum of peace, carved between; Hell and Earth, thy heart unseen.”

Katon repeated the poem in a whisper, seeming to agree with my logic, however fanciful it all seemed.

“How many other people know of this room?”

“Not many. Baalth, Asmoday of course, Duke Forcalor, and maybe another one or two of Lucifer’s top lieutenants from the old days. My uncle kept it to himself save for his closest allies…and me.”

Katon rubbed his jaw. “What makes you think Asmoday would go there now? It’s not much of a hideout if you know about it. He’d have to presume you’d find him there. It doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s just it. Asmoday thinks I don’t know about it. Lucifer understood I wasn’t a popular choice for Anti-Christ amongst most of the lieutenants. As such, he was very careful to keep what he shared with me, between us.”

“Wouldn’t Baalth realize he’d gone there, making it less attractive to Asmoday?” Scarlett interjected.

“It’s possible, but I doubt it. You didn’t know Uncle like I did. He was a very private man. No one, and I mean no one, entered his chambers without an invitation. You didn’t even cast a glance in their direction without permission. It was second nature in Hell to go out of your way to avoid his quarters. When he left, the lieutenants sealed his chambers out of respect.”

“So you expect us to believe they just walked away from an asset as valuable as this sanctuary, leaving it to rot unused?” Scarlett put her hands on her hips and shook her head. Her earlier excitement had been replaced by doubt.

“That’s the point you’re not getting, its usefulness is limited now. With God gone, it’s mostly just another room. While it still defends against magical eavesdropping, that isn’t a big deal at the level we’re dealing with. All of the lieutenants can shield themselves from even the most talented of psychics with little more than a wave of a hand. To go to the room for such a simple task would be a waste. It’s out of the way and inconvenient.”

“Why would Asmoday go there?”

“Two reasons. The first is because he believes we don’t know it exists. Given that premise, it seriously Page 256 lowers our odds of finding him. Thus, it makes perfect sense for him to go there.” I looked at Scarlett to see if she was following me still. She was, so I continued.

“The second reason is the place is a veritable fortress against magic, even more so now it’s been sealed off. So when all Hell breaks loose, he’s in the safest place to watch it all come down.”

“If this sanctum is so well defended, why didn’t he just perform the rituals there?” Katon, while wanting nothing more than another opportunity to go after Asmoday, was ever the pragmatist. “And saying they’re there now, how do we get inside?”I smiled, having anticipated his questions. “Defensive-minded, Lucifer crafted a magical security system in case his lieutenants ever banded together to overthrow him. This system limits the amount of energy directed into the room from the outside. Though he never could shut the room down entirely, he managed to cap the inflow drastically. As such, Asmoday wouldn’t have been able to draw the power needed to charge Glorius. That forced him to do it elsewhere.

“As for how we get there, I have the key.” I tapped my temple.

Scarlett sighed deeply. “If we have to rely on what’s inside your head that doesn’t relate to porn, we’re screwed.”

I sneered at her. “Fortunately, as far as my mind goes, we only need the coordinates buried inside it.

Beyond that, all that’s left is to gate to Hell and mete out some much deserved retribution. That would seem right down your alley, oh destroyer of railyards.”

Scarlett grinned, slamming her fist into her palm. She was ready to go. She wanted her sword back and she no doubt wanted to take a couple of heads home with her as well. A nice angel and demon trophy set for the mantle. I was right there with her. Katon, however, his dark eyes glistening with restrained excitement, only shook his head. “While I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment, I find us a bit lacking in the follow-through department.” He pointed to me, then Scarlett, then to himself. “We three lack the raw power necessary to take on Asmoday and his pet archangel, not even taking into account what minions he might have with him. So even if you’re right about all this and they are there, we’re woefully outmatched.”

Ever the realist, Katon reminded us of what we were looking at.

In my excitement, I had forgotten that disappointing fact. With Rahim down and the rest of DRAC scattered or killed by Asmodays’ fiends, we were on our own. “I’ve an equalizer against Gabriel, but the circumstances have to be right. He has to come after me or I lose the ace up my sleeve.” I shrugged, picturing how things might work out inside my head. All of the endings were grim. “I don’t see we have much of a choice but to do it anyway. What do we have to lose?”

“The whole of creation,” Scarlett answered in a quiet voice.

“Seems to me that’s already lost,” Katon countered. “If we sit here and do nothing, the world ends. If we try to do something about it and fail, at least we die with our boots on.” An Iron Maiden song sprang to mind. “I’m not done fighting. Are you with me?”

Scarlett took a deep breath and let it out slow.

“I’m in.” Both she and Katon turned to look at me.

“I had plans to watch the CSI marathon on Spike but I guess I can put that off. It’s not like they don’t show the damn program often enough. I’m in too.” A cold chill settled over me as I resigned myself to what would probably be the last fight I’d ever get into. I was gonna miss life. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Given we don’t have a wide range of options, I say we keep it simple. We go after Glorius,” Katon answered without hesitation.

I thought about it for a second. While no doubt simple on the surface, the plan held a few twists I don’t think he realized-or if he did, he was keeping it to himself. You see, were Katon the one to kill Glorius, everything would be good. However, were Scarlett or I the one to reach the angel, there would be another issue to consider. The soul transfer. Due to our nature, the killing blow would transfer all of Glorius’s power to whichever of us did the deed. While I certainly wouldn’t argue the sudden Page 259 status increase if it were to work out that way, I wasn’t sure either of us could handle so much raw power all at once. We could be committing suicide and wouldn’t even know it until it was too late. I sighed, unable to think of a way around it, nodding at Katon to let him know I agreed.

Nothing like a good game of Russian Roulette to take your mind off your troubles.

“In theory, it resolves your issue with Gabriel and gives us the best shot at having some small measure of success. If Glorius is gone, Armageddon is off the table, for a little while at least.” He turned to face Scarlett.

“Are you going to have a problem with this?”

She met his gaze, but I could see her eyes were moist. “I’ll do what needs to be done.” She was a trooper.

“I guess that’s it.” He looked to me. “Gather what you need and meet me at the receiving room in twenty minutes.” Without another word, he left to prepare. My eyes met Scarlett’s. “You ready for this?”

She shrugged. “As ready as I can be.” I shared her sentiment.

I waved her to the door and let her go first. I figured if we were on our way to die, I was gonna get one last good look at her leather-clad ass before I went. It’d be the closest thing to Heaven I would see before Hell came to call.

Into the Mouth of Hell

We arrived in Hell, just inside the cavern of Lucifer’s private chambers. Alone in the room, we let loose a collective sigh of relief as our entrance went unnoticed.

Little room for error, I surveyed the scene. With a mixture of trepidation and relief, I noticed the carved archway behind us, which led out into the common area of the Ninth Plane, was open. The massive slabs of stone, which had been used to seal the chambers, were missing, flickering light filtering in from the outside, illuminating the chamber in soft yellows. I gave the thumbs up sign, letting Katon and Scarlett know we were in the right place. Asmoday had to be here. My guns drawn, I led the way.

I felt the tug of emotion as I crept through my uncle’s quarters. Every piece of furniture, every book, even every painting reminded me of the times I’d spent here, listening to Lucifer tell me the way of the world. In my head, I could still hear his deep voice echoing through the rooms as he explained the intricacies of Hell. In his best Pinhead impersonation-he loved the Hellraiser movies-he would tell me of his days in Heaven and of the Fall. He was my own private rock star. I loved spending time with him here.

Now with him gone, the place felt hollow, like a grave that’d been dug up and left open, the corpse long gone. I felt like a thief, sneaking through my uncle’s chambers. For the first time in my life, I felt unwanted there. That was hard to cope with.

But with no time to think about the past, its maddening touch both depressive and bleak, I sped my pace and hurried toward the sanctum. As we traveled the long, circuitous route, I glanced back now and again to ensure Scarlett and Katon were still behind me, that they hadn’t lost their nerve and dropped off. Resolute, they were always there. Strengthened by their commitment, my own wavering with every step, I continued on.

At last we came to the sanctum God had gifted my uncle. The cavernous entryway was like the mouth of a mythical dragon gaping wide, waiting to swallow us whole. Its upper lip disappeared into the shadows that hovered near the roof. Jagged rocks ran the length of it, each a sharpened tooth, circling down to a point that sunk into the floor. Only a narrow corridor running down the center was clear of the teeth, the flooring stained a deep crimson giving the impression of a lolling tongue. The almost imperceptible scuffling of my companion’s feet, which had shadowed me the entire way, ceased suddenly as they looked up in awe at the doorway. I laughed inside. I’d done the exact same thing the first time I saw it.

Page 262

Taking advantage of the pause, I focused my attention beyond the entryway. From within, a rhythmic thump could be heard, a deep droning beat that was focused by the door and reverberated out toward us. Guttural moans drifted along on the undercurrent of the sound. I could hear the misery and torment in their raw cries, their groans a dirge. I had an idea as to who one of the voices belonged to-Glorius-but I was hard pressed to imagine who the other might be. I figured I’d find out when we got inside.

Seeing no point in delaying the inevitable any further, giving my doubts time to fester and sound the retreat, I crept forward, waving Scarlett and Katon along. At the back end of the tongue, I was glad to see Asmoday had set no guards. I thanked my uncle for having the foresight to keep his lieutenants in the dark as I inched closer.

I reached the edge of the door and peered inside, only a tiny piece of the room visible from where I stood. I was shocked by what I saw.

Embedded halfway into the stone wall was The Gray, Henry McConnell. Upright, spread-eagle, and naked at approximately ten feet from the floor, the entire back half of his body was missing as though he had melted into the rock. His face was contorted in agony, mouth and eyes frozen wide with horror. His bruised face, beard, and body were caked in dried blood, which broke off and fluttered down in dark flakes as he squirmed. Wisps of light drifted up from his eyes, nose, and mouth, to fade away within the obsidian cloud that rumbled just above his head, vibrating the walls. His was the other voice I’d heard as we approached. I took a closer look, immediately regretting my morbid curiosity. Sickened, I turned away, trying to expunge the image from my mind. The drifting lights came not only from his face, but from every visible orifice of his body. Tendrils of illumination also leaked from his ears, his nose, and even oozed from the tip of his dick as though he were orgasming a sunbeam in slow motion. Even worse, it was obvious the light had substance, his flesh shifting and stretching painfully to accommodate its passage.

As much as it would upset me to see anyone suffer such horrific torture, I couldn’t find in it in me to feel sorry for McConnell. He’d known this was coming and if he’d had his way, it would be Rahim buried in the wall, in his place. Sad as it was to admit, that thought made it just a little easier to stomach what I’d seen. I still didn’t like it, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

Scarlett, anxious to get on with it, went to look around me. I stepped in her way.

“You don’t want to see it. Trust me,” I whispered. The look in my eyes must have been convincing. She stared at me for a second, backing down without argument. Katon didn’t even bother to try.

After I steeled myself, I moved even closer to the edge of the door so I could see further into the room. I purposely avoided looking at McConnell, my eyes half closed as they swung past, ignoring the nearby shelves with my uncle’s belongings piled atop them. Once all that had moved to my peripheral vision, McConnell out of sight, I peeked once more.

What I saw was even worse.

Stretched out inside a silvered pentagram etched onto the floor was a man who I could only presume to be Glorius. Like McConnell, he was also naked. His muscular arms and legs were bound to the rock floor with the magic-nullifying manacles, the cuffs glowing bright white like they’d just been removed from a blacksmith’s forge. I could see tiny drops of something leaking out from inside the cuffs, dripping slowly to the floor. A small puddle of the waxy substance coalesced on the rock beneath him. I remembered the other sites and a shudder ran down my spine as I realized it was his flesh that was being melted away from his wrists. Unable to bear the sight, I examined the rest of his body. I immediately wished I hadn’t. One of these days I’ll learn to keep my curiosity in check.

Pustulant boils sprung up all along his skin, each easily the size of a quarter. They rippled like a churning storm-driven ocean, bubbling up with vile, blackened pus that seeped from their bursting heads. For each which spewed its repugnant load, tiny volcanoes of sickness and rot, another rose up to take its place in an endless parade of gurgling putrescence. Unable to stomach any more, I looked to his face. Though hard to see beneath the wild mass of his blond hair, I spied the misery carved there in deep lines. Yellowish-gold tears streamed from his narrow eyes. They trailed down his cheeks in waves, staining his flesh in bright streaks. His face was scrunched as he fought against what must have been excruciating pain. His teeth were bared, snapping together in a frenzied staccato. Though he seemed to be screaming, little sound came from his throat. I had no doubt he’d screeched it raw, the vocal chords so damaged they could only produce a senseless groan. His head thrashed about, swaying from side to side without rhythm, squirming to be free. The muscles beneath his boiling flesh rippled with strength as he fought against his binds. I didn’t care what Gabriel had claimed, one look at Glorius’s tortured face made it clear to me he wasn’t accepting his fate peacefully. He was fighting his bondage with all of his might. There was no way Glorius was a willing accomplice in Asmoday’s plans, he was a victim.

I sighed. That was a twist I hadn’t foreseen coming into this.

As if to reinforce my presumption, I heard Gabriel’s voice call out to the angel.

“Be still, Glorius. Put aside your anger and accept your fate. Your struggling changes nothing. The end is at hand. Let us finish the ritual without distraction so you may find your peace.”

A shimmering white light settled over Glorius, the manacle cuffs flaring up. The angel’s head snapped back and slammed into the stone floor with a dull crack and lay there as though being held by some unseen force. His squirming arms and legs struggled against the light, yet they too succumbed, sinking to the floor to twitch helplessly. Though pressed down, Glorius still fought. Every muscle in his body surged as he strained against the restraining magic. For several seconds it looked as though he might win out, his limbs lifting away from the floor, battling the pressure to stay down. Then, I heard a muffled snap and saw his arm bend back at an awkward angle. Mouthing a scream, his resistance crumbled. His body slammed once more to the floor and he lay shivering, writhing. Behind me, Scarlett gasped. Having snuck up alongside me while I was distracted, she had seen Glorius’s arm break. Her agonized voice carried out into the room.

Any chance we had of catching Asmoday and Gabriel off guard died on the vine. All eyes in the room turned to us.

Gabriel sneered, rage burning in his cheeks. “I should have known you’d fail me, Asmoday.” His hands Page 267 glowed with shimmering white light, yet he didn’t move to attack. He did, however, throw up a spell. The air around Glorius twisted and warped, vomiting color like a demented kaleidoscope. The space between him and us was instantly distorted, so much so I could make little out of the entire back half of the room. My stomach tightened into hard knots as I recognized what he’d cast, its magic altering the very nature of the affected part of the room. So much for my guns.

I’d hoped to take Glorius out from a distance, avoiding a close brawl with his captors, but Gabriel had ruined that idea with his spell. Anything that struck the whirling shield, which was smaller than a man and faster than a turtle, would be reflected away uselessly by the colorful maelstrom. With that, Gabriel had effectively cut our options in half. If we were gonna kill Glorius, we’d have to do it up close and personal, and that was really gonna suck. The last thing I wanted to do was murder the guy while he watched it happen. It was a good thing I’m part devil, because this was the kind of shit that gets you sent to Hell. Asmoday just stood there oblivious to what his partner was doing, his eyes wide with surprise. He stared at us, saying nothing as I imagine he tried to figure out how we knew where to find him. I saw sudden realization dawn on his face. Appearing crestfallen, I watched as he struggled with the fact Lucifer had betrayed him, favoring me over his own lieutenant. The look on his face warmed my heart, but I didn’t get the chance to enjoy it. Scarlett, enraged, shoved me out the way and leapt at Gabriel, her arms outstretched, hands balled into fists. Stumbled, I couldn’t stop her.

She streaked through the air like a missile, ramming her fists into Gabriel’s face. Judging by the offended look on it, he seemed more galled she’d actually gone and done it than he was hurt by it. The two tumbled into a ball of wailing limbs, rolling about on the ground in a flurry of sparkling energy. Thunderous booms echoed throughout the room as they battled. Katon stepped out from behind me, his crimson sword held tight in his hand. “Like we planned, Trigg. Nothing changes, do you hear me?” His voice was like steel, tempered only by his professionalism.

“Yeah,” I muttered, as I tore my eyes from Scarlett’s suicide mission. Angry she’d screwed up our plan, there was nothing we could do but go on and hope for the best. She didn’t stand a chance at beating Gabriel so we needed to get on it fast before we had the archangel up our asses.

Katon understood the same. In a blur of movement, he launched himself toward Glorius, weaving back and forth to avoid being struck by Asmoday’s magic. I took off after him, tracing my own winding path toward the bound angel, making sure Page 269 there was plenty of room between us so the demon couldn’t target us both.

Asmoday, his disappointment having turned to rage, was raring to fight. Firelight leapt to life at his fingertips. Clearly not interested in trying to snipe Katon, his lateral movement random and unpredictable, Asmoday settled for an area effect. He tossed two flaming balls of fury into the air, which took off of their own volition. They streaked above the running assassin and as they neared, rather than try to strike him directly, they exploded in the air above him. Fire rained down like a volcanic storm. Katon did his best to avoid the burning fall, but there was too much of it.

One projectile struck him in the thigh, the sizzle of his flesh drowned out by his growling complaint. He stumbled, the burning flesh of his leg slowing him just long enough to be caught up in the storm. A second seared down the length of his back, melting through his leather jacket and leaving a trail of blackened, scorched skin behind. I could smell charred meat thick in the air. His rhythm interrupted, he could do little but endure. A third and fourth ball of flame tore into him, one setting his chest on fire, the second burning his arm as he frantically tried to put the first fire out. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to continue on without going to his aid. It took all of my willpower to not stop, but I knew we’d only get one chance at taking Page 270 out Glorius and I was gonna have a hard enough time pulling that off without getting caught up in heroics. So, leaving Katon to take care of himself, I cast a glance at Scarlett as I continued to run. I was amazed she was still holding her own against Gabriel. Flashes of light sparked all around them as they slugged it out. Gabriel, his hands still glowing, seemed out of sorts. He looked tired, distracted perhaps. Whatever it was, I hoped it lasted.

Turns out, it didn’t really matter.

Asmoday, confident he had Katon delayed, turned his fury on me. Distracted as I was by Scarlett’s success, I’d failed to notice the demon charging at me. I heard him an instant before he reached my back. With a hiss, I spun about to fire, but Asmoday was already on top of me.

He threw a right hook that would make Mike Tyson proud. Reinforced with magical energy, his fist slammed into my face like a high speed train wreck. Brilliant lights flashed in front of my eyes as my head snapped almost horizontal to my neck. Through the cluttered haze of my head, I heard several pops as I stumbled back and fell to the ground. The pain yet to penetrate the fog of impact, I didn’t want to think about what kind of damage had been done. Not that thinking in general was all that easy at the moment anyway. I tried to open my eyes and see where Asmoday was only to realize he was standing right in front of me.

Though it was hard to see him, his image wavering back and forth like a bad acid trip, I could see the murder in his eyes. I moaned as I noticed his hand extended toward me, his palm glowing with flame. Not a big fan of being charbroiled, I curled into a ball just as he released it. Like a flame thrower, his magic tore into me. I screamed, but my breath was sucked from my lungs by the heat while the fire lapped at my flesh. All of my nerve endings picked up the pain signal at once and roared to life in a cacophony of searing agony. My face covered, I felt my scalp boiling up, blisters springing to life beneath the torrent of flame. The backs of my hands were the same.

Frantic, I fumbled with my gun belt with one hand, hurling it away before the shells could go off. Once it was clear, I threw myself at the ground, ignoring the violent collision as I rolled to put the fires out. My lungs tightened, the blast burning up all the oxygen in the surrounding air. Unable to see, I flopped against the hard stone, rolling back and forth. I could feel the heat melting my clothes, adding their scent to the bitter conflagration of burned flesh. After what seemed an eternity, the heat backed off, though I wasn’t sure if it was due to the fire going out or if my nerves had just been seared insensate.

I pulled my arms away from my face, daring to hope, and drew in a deep, pained breath. I could breathe again, however much it hurt. The fires were gone and I was still alive. For what that was worth. I opened my eyes, dried out from the blast, and blinked to focus. Once I could see again, the tear ducts reluctant to engage, I looked to see how bad off I was. Nearly naked, my clothes having been burnt away, the skin beneath was black as coal. Much of it was the same consistency. The only parts of me that didn’t look like a charcoal briquette were my face and my backside where the flame hadn’t managed to reach. Overall, it could have been much worse. Given the level of power Asmoday wielded, I’d gotten lucky. Under any other circumstances, he’d have killed me outright. I guess our theory as to his having spent most of his energy performing the rituals was a good one. Though it gave me little comfort, it did conjure up some small inkling of hope we might survive long enough to pull off our plan.

As a living representation of fire safety, I pulled my crispy ass to my feet while looking for Katon. The assassin, having overcome his own encounter with Asmoday’s flames, was in the midst of engaging the demon. Though slowed by the damage he’d taken, he was still quite nimble. He dodged and weaved in close to Asmoday, taking him on up close.

Across Asmoday’s flank were several long wounds, evidence Katon had been having some success in his assault. However, Katon looked far worse for wear. His face was blooded and marred with scorch marks. He ducked and stepped inside over and over, catching glancing blows as he did, yet landing no strikes of his own. He was tiring and his accuracy was suffering for it.

Hoping to help, I looked for my guns. They lay on the floor a short distance away, the outside of the holsters singed black. Agony accompanied every step as I raced to retrieve them. Though warm to the touch, they’d sustained no damage. I almost cried. I would have if my eyes hadn’t been seared dry. At least something had worked out in the cluster fuck of our assault.

I settled my pistols in my scorched hands and leveled them to fire, squeezing tight to keep them steady. In the time it took me to focus my eyes to aim, Asmoday had gained the advantage.

With a vicious backhanded sweep, the demon struck Katon across the side of his face. Oblivious to me, he stumbled into my line of fire holding his head and blocking my shot. I went to shout, but that’s when I realized what one of the snapping sounds I’d heard earlier was. It had been my jaw.

Sharp spikes of pain shot up my cheeks and down through my teeth as I tried to open my mouth. My eyes shrugged off the fire damage and sprung to life, moistening and blurring my vision. Before I could clear them and shake the pain off, Asmoday got in a lucky shot.

Katon slipped left when he should have slipped right. Asmoday launched a hook and the assassin moved directly into it. I saw his head snap back as blood sprayed into the air from his shattered nose. While Katon would normally take a blow like that in stride, backed by magic, there was no way to describe the punch as normal. His legs wobbled and buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor, a look of shock on his face. Asmoday wasted no time. Like he had with me, he raised his hand, firelights springing to life. He was gonna cook Katon. I couldn’t let that happen.

The assassin out of my way, I raised my gun and pulled the trigger. Asmoday’s blast went off at the same time.

Before I could act, Katon was engulfed in licking flames. My shot, way off its mark, struck the demon in the meat of his shoulder, miles from being a fightending blow. He growled and ducked for cover as he felt the sting of the demon-slaying bullet, leaving Katon behind to burn.

I popped off a few more shots to keep Asmoday at bay as I tried to orient on the obscuring spell and was surprised when I actually saw Glorius instead. Through the rapidly shifting web of Gabriel’s spell, a handful of holes the size of fifty cent pieces had begun to appear. The colors had faded, many settling into a dull gray while the distorting effects had lessened. Page 275

Through the swirling holes, I saw Glorius straining once more against his restraints, his functional limbs tugging against the manacles. He was determined to break loose and seemed to be gaining ground. I cast a glance at Gabriel and saw his hands had also lost a measure of the glow that had been a constant since we’d arrived. Though in trade, he seemed less weary. He also seemed to be winning his fight with Scarlett.

My brain clicked into high gear.

The reason Scarlett had been doing so well was because Gabriel had been expending all his energy restraining the supercharged Glorius. Now that he’d let his hold slip somewhat, the angel was fighting free. His strength was more than the manacles alone could contain, and Gabriel was gaining the upper hand over Scarlett. I looked back toward Glorius, firing a few more shots to keep Asmoday away, and made up my mind. If ever there was time to try for the angel, this was it. Though it hurt me to once more to turn my back on a companion, a fellow soldier in the war against Armageddon, sacrifices must be made. I didn’t like the choice I was faced with, but considering the consequences if I failed, we were all dead anyway. It wasn’t hard to make up my mind. I’d worry about the morality of it later.

Unable to get a clear shot at Glorius, the remnants of the spell moving randomly and at a sufficient speed to Page 276 muddle my aim, I fired another shot at Asmoday, who’d begun to creep closer, and bolted toward the angel. At a full sprint, I felt like I was moving in slow motion. I could hear Asmoday bellowing behind me, anxiety and frustration thick in his voice. That only spurred me on. I took the last few steps in a single bound, readying myself for the disorientation that would strike me as I passed through the barrier.

But just before I reached the edge of the spell, its colors suddenly dropped away, the obscuring magic dissipating only to be replaced by a shimmering shield wall. Unable to stop my momentum, I slammed hard into the shield, face first. White flashes of pain reverberated through my jaw as I bounced back, barely managing to retain my balance. My brain rattled inside my head as stars danced in front of my eyes. I cried out in frustration and anger and no small amount of agony. As my pain receptors eased off the pedal a bit, I looked through the translucent wall and saw the blurred image of Glorius, once more fully restrained by the glow. My heart dropped in my chest. I’d failed.

Defeated, I turned around slowly and saw Gabriel bearing down on me, waving Asmoday off. Past him, Scarlett lay in a bloodstained, battered heap. She wasn’t moving. I glanced around the room for Katon. He was nowhere to be seen. I looked back to Gabriel.

“Valiant effort, Triggaltheron. I applaud you.”

Gabriel stalked toward me, stopping about twenty feet away. Wary, his left hand shimmered with a small shield, crafted by magic.

“You can take your praise and shove it.” I spoke through clenched teeth. I wasn’t feeling up to being witty and my jaw hurt.

“Come now. It’s over. Put away the guns and act civilized and I’ll let you live to see the start of Armageddon.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slow, calming my nerves. “Front row seats to the end of the world, how generous of you.”

“I thought so.” He shrugged, looking magnanimous. “What say you, Triggaltheron? Will you put away the hostility to see the most majestic sight to ever grace your mongrel eyes, or will you die like your companions, unheralded and alone?”

It really didn’t matter how I answered, the end result would be the same. I’d die and so would the world. My decision here would only alter the order of those two certainties by a matter of minutes. Did it really matter which happened first? I felt the weight of failure settle heavy on my shoulders. I pictured Abraham, held at gunpoint by Baalth, looking up at the darkening sky as Armageddon rolled in. I could imagine the disappointment in his eyes. It was heart-breaking. I thought of Rahim, lying in his bed, the use of his legs given up in the hopes of staving off the end. He would earn nothing for it but cold, unrelenting death. I’d failed them all. Scarlett had believed in me. She’d followed me to the depths of Hell and she’d died there, far from the bright lights of Heaven where she belonged. The saddest part was she wouldn’t even know her sacrifice had been in vain. Katon had done the same. Burned to ash while giving me a chance to save the world, he too died for nothing. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I didn’t bother to hold them back. If ever there was a time to cry now had to be it. Cold hard reality shivered down my spine as I clenched my guns tight. Ready for it all to be over, I looked up at Gabriel.

If this was the end, I was going out in a blaze of glory.

As our eyes met, I caught a glimpse of a shadowy form at the edge of my peripheral vision, just beyond Asmoday. I did my best to hide my reaction lest it show on my face. “Is it too late to join the winning team?” I asked, looking to keep the archangel’s focus on me. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, sensing something afoot in my sudden change of attitude. A cry from Asmoday drew his attention before he could form a reply. He spun carefully, keeping his shield between us, his attention split.

From behind the demon, a scorched and beaten Katon leapt at Asmoday. Exhausted and near death, his attack carried little threat behind it. His trembling thrust just grazed Asmoday’s side as the demon sidestepped, leaving behind a shallow cut along his ribs. Asmoday’s response was far more damaging. He grabbed Katon’s wrist and bent it back, bones snapping as the assassin’s sword tumbled away. The last of his strength fell away as well, his defeat accompanied by a soundtrack of silence. He had nothing left to give. Katon hung limp in Asmoday’s grip as the demon raised his free hand, magical energy building around his fist as he readied to end the assassin’s life. Though ready to race to my death just moments before, now thanks to Katon, I saw a chance to inflict at least one casualty on the enemy before I went. I jumped to the side, angling so Gabriel couldn’t block my shots, and fired my pistols as quick as my barbecued fingers could hit the triggers. Gabriel snarled and Asmoday shrieked as they heard the guns go off. Asmoday, like a skittish rabbit looking for a hole, released Katon and dove for cover. I didn’t get to see whether my shots hit or not. The instant I fired, Gabriel’s shield slammed into me, exploding as it did. The concussive force blew me back into the wall. Shards of stone flew in all directions as the rock wall cracked and shattered against my back. I felt nothing as my head collided with the wall, a cold blackness threatening to overtake me. I slid to the ground in a rubbery pile, a heap of broken bones. Numb, I felt ready to pass out but a quiet voice nagged in my ear for me to remain conscious.

I told it to fuck off, but the damn thing wouldn’t be quiet.

After what seemed like an eternity, me and the voice going round and round, I gave in and opened my eyes. At my feet, a tiny blue gem glistened. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw it, needle sharp pains lancing through my jaw as I did. I didn’t care. Gabriel came to stand in front of me, his face taught with suspicion, ready to kill. He glared down at me as Asmoday limped toward Glorius, my shots having apparently only struck him in the leg. Though his pain was evident, he had a smug look on his face as he passed knowing I’d failed to stop him. It just made me laugh harder.

“You’re a strange one, Triggaltheron. Moments from death and yet you laugh in its face. You have courage, I’ll give you that.”

I grinned as wide as my broken jaw would allow.

“That’s me, all balls no brains.” I winked at Gabriel.

“Have you met my friend?”

He leaned back wary, his eyes casting about. Seeing no one and probably thinking I was more nuts than he’d surmised, he asked, “What friend?”

I gestured with my eyes for him to come closer, my arms too weak to direct him. “My little blue friend on the floor there.”

His gaze followed mine, spying the gem for the Page 281 first time. He stared at it for a moment, recognition gleaming in his eyes.

“I think I’ll call him Duke Forcalor. Sound good to you?”

Gabriel stumbled back, his mouth gaping as the gem sparked to life like a magnesium flare, casting off rays of light that illuminated the dark cavern.

“Asmoday!” Gabriel shouted for his ally, his panicked voice echoing through the room. Asmoday turned just in time to see the explosion of light that burst from the gem, obliterating all the color in the room in a whitewash of energy. He fell to his knees, his hands covering his eyes. A moment later, the light faded, returning the room to its natural, dim shades. Wisps of black smoke wafted about, and in their midst, Duke Forcalor stood. The duke, no longer the epitome of comfort he’d been when I’d last seen him, was dressed in full battle regalia. He wore reddened plate armor covered in twisted, sharpened spikes. In a scabbard at his side, a dark sword hung, its pommel embedded with blood red stones that seemed to pulse. His long white hair hung loose, blowing gently back, though I could feel no wind. A satisfied grin held fast on his face as he pointed a metal gauntleted finger at Gabriel.

“Unprovoked, you have struck a blow against my servant. To do so is an act of war. I demand satisfaction.”

Gabriel trembled, the glow of his hands becoming dimmer. He said nothing, but his eyes went to Asmoday. They looked almost pleading. Asmoday hauled himself to his feet, but he looked no more courageous than Gabriel. He stayed where he stood, leaving Gabriel to face his fate alone. The glow around Gabriel’s hands extinguished as he turned away from his cowardly ally and met Forcalor’s gaze. He drew up his chin and straightened his shoulders. “If this is how it must be. So be it, traitor.”

I had to give him credit. Weakened by his efforts to control the supercharged Glorius for nearly a week, he had to have known he couldn’t win, yet he still stood his ground. There was a lot of brass still left in his sack. The lines drawn, he got to it. He leapt at the duke. Forcalor met him halfway. They clashed together like two wrecking balls colliding in midair. A resounding boom accompanied their battle, flashes of light and dark exploded intermittently. The chamber rumbled as the two went at it, paintings falling to the floor, Lucifer’s books and personal items falling from their perches. Gusts of wind were whipped up in their wake, their lashing tongues battering everything and everyone in the room.

I looked to Asmoday and saw he’d gathered his courage at last, using Gabriel’s fight as cover. Headed toward Glorius, he fought the gale-force winds that slowed his progress while the angel continued his struggle against the neutralizing manacles. From where I sat, he wouldn’t be free in time to escape Asmoday. That was a shame.

I sighed, though difficult to draw breath through the windstorm, and looked back to the battle content to watch at least one of the bastards die for what they’d done. Covered in yellowish-gold blood, Gabriel was being manhandled, his expended state no match for the duke who’d come to the fight fresh and prepared. It was clear Gabriel had little time left. That didn’t stop him from going all out. He held nothing back as he let loose blast after blast, only to have Forcalor bat each aside and return a dozen of his own, which crashed through the archangel’s defenses.

At last, Gabriel fell beneath the onslaught. As he crumpled to the floor, the hurricane winds died off and the room descended into silence. Much to Asmoday’s obvious relief, the duke ignored him and strode to Gabriel’s side. He lifted the limp archangel, cradling him in his arms, then turned to face me.

“Our deal is done, young Trigg. Make the best of it.” Without waiting for a reply, a shimmering shadow engulfed him. When it faded, both the duke and Gabriel were gone.

With nothing left to do but watch Asmoday bring about the start of Armageddon, I rolled my head his direction. He’d just reached Glorius, still casting furtive glances over his shoulder, the wind no longer Page 284 impeding his progress. The angel growled and hissed at him, the chains still just enough to hold him in place. Asmoday smiled wide in satisfaction of that fact as he turned back to smirk at me, confidence etched on his face.

“Your hand was well played, Triggaltheron, but as you can see, it wasn’t enough. You should have joined me. It would have saved you all this needless grief.” He gestured about the room, to Katon and Scarlett. “You could have been a king in the new world, but you chose to fight the inevitable. So now, there’s nothing left but for you to sit back and watch as it all comes to an end.”

Asmoday clenched his hands together as what power he had left gathered about them, his fists glowing with white hot light. His eyes sparkled with energy and malevolence.

Exhausted in body and spirit, I did as he suggested and leaned back as comfortably as I could. If the world was gonna end, at least I had a backstage pass. What more could I ask for?