Echoes of the Past

Chapter Fourteen

The heat hit me the second I popped into Iran, washing over me with a dry and gritty wind. It didn’t do much for how I felt, the oppressive air only making me lightheaded. The storms that covered the majority of the Earth had spared the desert, apparently not feeling the need to bring the rain here.

I looked out across the battlefield and was a little surprised to see there was no hint of the war that had been waged beneath the gates of Eden. The sand had been smoothed and cleared of blood and bodies, not a single char mark unaccounted for. If I hadn’t been there during the fight, I wouldn’t believe it ever happened. Outside of the supernatural world, there’d be no stories of this battle. While humanity knows something went on, they’ll never be able to trace it back here.

I blinked against the bright sun, its brilliant orb a stranger since the battle for Heaven ended. My eyes shielded against its light, I stared up at the sky and hoped my presence would be sensed by those on high and they’d send someone down to meet me. I hadn’t wanted to bother Scarlett again, seeing how I wasn’t sure if anyone knew about Azrael yet. I certainly didn’t need my cousin trying to take my head off.

There for maybe a minute or two, I hoped the vial of blood in my pocket would help to draw someone out. I just hoped they wouldn’t come out guns a blazing. As I watched the clouds for any sign of the gates being opened, a sharp voice startled me.

“Why are you here, demon?”

I tore my eyes from the sky to see Uriel standing before me. Not even remotely cherubic as the world has been led to believe, he was tall and broad, and I was forced to look up at him. Dressed in flowing white robes, cut more in the Grecian style, his flaming sword hung at his belt. The blade looked as though it was forged of lava. Uriel’s blond hair was long, braided down his back without a single strand out of place. He stared at me with brilliant gold eyes set in a pale face, which showed none of the stress of his position.

After a quick cough to clear my throat, I started to explain. “I was hoping I could speak with Metatron.” I felt like a kid asking for more cookies.

Uriel sneered, drawing a step closer. He sniffed at me. “Metatron has no time for you, spawn of Lucifer.” His stare was unsettling.

Put off by Uriel’s attitude, figuring I’d be greeted with a little more respect since I’d saved Heaven, he was starting to piss me off. “I’ve a message of great importance to deliver.”

“Give it to me, and I’ll ensure it is seen by the appropriate eyes.”

“That won’t work.”

“Then we have nothing further to discuss.” Uriel waved me away. “Begone, whelp.”

“Are you fu-“

“Young Trigg, hold your tongue, please.” Duke Forcalor strode up alongside Uriel and set a hand on the angel’s shoulder. “I will deal with him.”

Uriel nodded, gave the barest of grins, which looked like a wolf swallowing a baby sheep, and disappeared.

I turned to the duke. “Man, you’d think I’ve earned a little more respect than that around here,” I couldn’t help but say what was on my mind, but my old mentor’s daunting presence kept me from punctuating every other word with fuck.

“You have, but you cannot expect Uriel to be pleased that you dumped Lucifer’s blood into the heart of Eden. Your uncle was cast out of Heaven, in large part, for what he dared do to the Tree of Life. Uriel has not forgiven him that. He is not pleased to be reminded of the incident so boldly.”

It was that or Heaven and Earth died, but I didn’t say that out loud. I might have pissed in Uriel’s Cheerios, but he should be grateful he still had Cheerios to be pissed in. I just shook my head. “Fair enough. I didn’t come here to argue.”

“Then if I may ask, why did you?”

I showed him the book. “I need your help. Any idea what language this is?”

Forcalor examined the tome without touching it. “I’ve seen writing similar to this, yet not quite, though I’m not capable of deciphering it. Where did you come across it?”

I wasn’t sure how much to tell my old mentor, but it felt natural for it to be the truth. “It was delivered to me along with a warning…from Lucifer.”

His eyes widened. “You spoke to Lucifer?”

“Not directly, no. He sent an emissary with the book, but he told me nothing about it.”

Forcalor’s face lost all expression as he hid his feelings away, a trait that had always annoyed me when I was his student. I never knew when I was screwing up until he put his foot in my ass.

“And the warning?”

“You’re not gonna like it,” I told him, breaking into a forced smile. He hated me being evasive, but it always made me happy. “It seems Lucifer and God have joined forces to fight a war against the other dimensions God created before ours.”

The duke’s passive mask cracked. “Other dimensions?”

I nodded. “There’s quite a few of them, from my understanding. Lucifer believes these beings might slip past and invade the Earth. He fears if they do, the war as a whole may be lost.”

“So, he would have us prepare for their coming?”

“They may already be here…a couple of them, at least.”

Forcalor began to pace. “This is not good news.”

I seriously needed to start selling Captain Obvious costumes. I’d make a fortune.

“I’m not completely sure they’re connected, but it seems a being who crashed into our dimension nearly a thousand years ago might well be a part of all this.”

His eyes lit up. “The alien creature Lucifer slew?”

“I don’t think he killed him. For whatever reason, Lucifer trapped him inside a containment case warded in this language.” I waved the book about. “The case is now empty, escaped from, and I’ve been attacked by a strange alien-demon claiming he serves another named Gorath. Add the fact that Lucifer’s messenger had tattoos similar to those on the book, and the pieces start to come together. Gorath was most likely the alien inside. The tome has to have something to do with it all, but no one can read the damn thing.”

“That fool, Lucifer.” Forcalor growled and stopped his pacing. “Even gone, his machinations bring us to the brink.”

I stepped back. Never in all my years had I seen the duke openly curse my uncle. He’d always been honest, sharing his thoughts and feelings without restraint, but he’d always shown respect. Distance makes the tongue grow bolder, it would seem.

He drew in a deep breath and let it loose loudly. “Thank you for the warning, Frank. I will pass it on and see prepare the Kingdom should this war come to our shores. Though I cannot offer you an immediate solution to the alien beings, I will speak to Metatron to see what we might do in recognition of your efforts to save Heaven.” A slim smile graced his lips.

That was the best I could hope for. I wasn’t getting anywhere. Nodding, I thanked the duke and started to walk off, but a sudden thought hit me. Forcalor might know nothing about the book or the alien gunning for me, but there was something he might know about. I caught him before he left.

“Hey, can I ask you about something else?”

He turned back to me. “Certainly.”

Pissed as he was at Lucifer, I thought I might get some answers. “While I was searching my uncle’s chambers for information about the book, I stumbled across a bunch of old letters.”

Forcalor’s face slipped once more into neutral. He might not know what I was about to ask, but he knew damn well it wouldn’t be good. He motioned for me to continue, anyway.

“The letters were to Lucifer…from my mother. They were love letters,” I spit out the last part.

The duke sighed. “Damn your uncle twice for leaving behind such trash.” I started to say something, but Forcalor waved me to silence. “The letters, Frank, I speak only of the letters. After Lucifer took your mother and you away from Arol, he found an attraction to her he had not expected. Though he was married to Lilith, for what that was worth, Lucifer pursued a relationship with Charlotte. With her, he found an escape from the rigors of Hell, as had your father. She was a lovely woman; one of God’s finest, if I might be so bold.”

It sounded weird to hear such praise, but I had to finish my questions before I lost my will. “Did they have a child together?”

Forcalor shook his head, and my stomach churned. “No. Lucifer was careful not to impregnate your mother for fear of what might come of the child. He was happy to dote upon you as though you were his own, but that was enough for him.” A smile creased his lips. “But as much as he cared for you, it was your savage willingness to kill your father that endeared you to Lucifer more than any other thing.

“Lucifer had always believed he and Arol would come to terms one day and end their conflict. The murder of your mother brought all pretense of peace to an end. It drove Lucifer into a fury, the likes of which I have seen only once before; when God barred him from Heaven. Lucifer was but moments from departing to kill Arol when you demanded the right to do so. He felt it only fair that Arol die by your hands, so he empowered Baalth to make it so, and you know the rest from there.”

I did, and just thinking about it made me ill. My head pounded, and the cold sweat returned. I wasn’t learning anything, but I knew there was more to it, could feel it inside. Once more I thanked my old mentor and said farewell, asking him if he could return me to Hell before he left. It would be a long walk to find a suitable portal if he didn’t, and I wasn’t feeling up to it.

He agreed and sent me on my way. I’d made the trip for almost nothing. I was going home empty handed with no assurances of help against Gorath, nothing new to help with the translation of the book, or any news about my family.

Today was turning out to be one big circle jerk with me in the middle.