by Michael Todd
Lucifer narrowed his eyes and grinned. “And then the real fun begins.”
Katie and Pandora stepped carefully through the doorway into a short corridor leading to a tall archway sculpted like the leaders of the angels. Katie wanted to make a joke, but at that point, she was too scared to take her focus off of what they would find within that temple. They walked beneath the archway into a simple, ancient church. There was a domed ceiling like in the rest of the building, only this one gilded. It cast a yellow glow over the entire white marble room.
Katie gasped. “This is absolutely beautiful. So, is heaven covered in a thick layer of gold?”
Pandora smirked but kept her eyes ahead. “No, you live in your own little world in Heaven. You have your own space to create whatever you wish to create forever.”
Katie pursed her lips. “That sounds pretty sweet.”
Pandora chuckled. “Don’t go getting too attached. You aren’t done on Earth yet.”
Suddenly Pandora stopped and threw her arm out, stopping Katie too. Katie squinted at Pandora and followed her gaze to the center of the room. On an altar covered in light was a giant, beautifully carved sword. Pandora was engrossed by the sight. “That’s it. There it is.”
She lowered her arm and together, they slowly walked toward the altar. They approached the sword and stood in front of it. The blade looked as if it could cut through steel without resistance. The handle of the sword was gold, and gold flames were inlaid down the blade. Katie shook her head in awe. “I’m kind of jealous that my sword doesn’t have any cool flame shit on it. Seriously, that is the coolest fucking thing I have ever seen.”
Pandora breathed in through her nose, letting her shoulders rise and fall. “The Sword of the Morning Star.”
Pandora stepped closer, hearing that shrill voice in her head again. She was right there. What else could it possibly want from her? A surge moved through her chest, a call even stronger than before. The sword had a spirit of life in it that offered Pandora eternal greatness, the gift of unimaginable power. Power had always been her weakness, and she could feel herself being drawn into it.
Without warning, she grabbed the hilt of the sword. She knew Katie was yelling at her, but she could only hear a light whisper of her words. The world around her went fuzzy, as if it were fading from her view. Voices got louder, and in front of her, the faces of people inside a castle appeared.
Pandora stood with wide eyes, looking around at the golden throne up on the dais. The doors on the other end swung wide and in came eight strong men carrying another golden throne on their strong shoulders. Atop that throne Pandora sat in her angel armor, her wings spread wide. In one hand she held the Sword of the Morning Star, and in the other her own angelic weapon. She was leading an army, and it was not in hell or heaven. She was conquering Earth.
Pandora gasped, letting go of the hilt of the sword so that it fell back onto the altar. She put her hand to her chest and backed quickly away, shaking her head. She tried to catch her breath but found herself gasping for air. Katie rushed to her side and put her hand on her arm, rubbing her back. “Pandora, are you okay?”
Pandora put her arm out, a sad but disgusted look on her face. “It is an angel’s weapon, yes. But it still has Lucifer’s stink all over it. That sword could never be wielded for good. It is tainted, like everything Lucifer has touched in his time.”
Katie patted her on the back. “Except you, of course.”
Pandora looked at Katie, her eyebrows scrunched in sadness. “Probably even me. I am not immune to the dangers he poses and never was, even as his wife and the Queen of the Damned.”
Katie nodded and walked back over to look at the sword closer. It shimmered again, the light moving up and down the blade. She turned back to Pandora. “I think maybe I should take it then. I am part human and part angel. I am not connected to Lucifer in any fashion. I should be able to fight off the beguilement this sword produces. I should be able to carry the burden and keep my mind. It may be Lucifer’s sword, but it is still very powerful.”
Pandora sighed and shook her head. “You are right. It is very powerful, probably the second deadliest and most powerful relic in the entire world and all the dimensions in between. As much as I am drawn to take it, drawn to the idea of using its power to bring good and victory to Earth, I know better. The idealistic thought of using Lucifer’s tool for anything other than deception is a fool’s errand. That is exactly why you should not take it.”
Katie put her hands to her side, still staring at its beauty. “You are sure?”
Pandora walked up, putting her hand on Katie’s shoulder and breaking the spell between her and the blade. “I have never been surer about anything in this life or the many before. Even its message to me is a falsehood. It was probably created by Lucifer to convince whoever comes here to take it, and that is exactly why it should stay hidden here, deep in Baylahn’s belly. There will be no angels able to find it, and none accidentally coming upon it.”
She pulled Katie back a few steps. “There will be no danger to man or angel if it stays here where it is supposed to be. Where it will be forgotten.”
23
Lucifer stared at Mania for several moments, the expression on his face fading to a frown. He clenched his fist and roared. “She was so close to the sword. I could feel her holding it in her slimy little hands.”
Mania didn’t know what to do. “What happened?”
Lucifer turned and swung his arm through the air, hitting a servant and launching it. “She is leaving. She is leaving without the sword. The bitch broke through the enchantment I put on it. She broke through me leading her straight to it. My tempting did nothing but show her the truth, a truth that once she would have been more than happy to grab and never let go. Now it does nothing.”
Mania put her hand on Lucifer’s arm. He roared, grabbing his sword and slicing it around. The blade hit the flesh on her other arm and tore through it, leaving an identical gash on the opposite side. Mania gasped and fell to her knees, grabbing her arm as the blood rushed out and ran down to her fingers.
Lucifer threw the sword to the side and pointed down at her. “Let that be a reminder of your failure. Let that be a reminder of how you almost completed a war for your king.”
Mania sniffled and climbed to her feet, bowing her head. “Thank you, Dark Lord, for that reminder.”
Lucifer’s face lightened, and he leaned forward, kissing her on the top of the head. “You may go.”
Katie and Pandora slowly backed away from the altar, both still entranced by the sword. When they reached the archway, they stepped through, the shadow clutching them immediately releasing its hold. Katie’s shoulders fell, and Pandora let out a deep breath.
Katie glared at Pandora. “We need to work on our communication.”
Pandora nodded. “I guess we do, yes. I’m sorry, Katie.”
Katie nodded and the girls walked out of the doorway and stopped, staring down at the great frost giant. He grunted but said nothing, his blue skin now a faded gray. He was weak and barely hanging on, even with all his strength.
Pandora looked back, taking one last look at the altar. The temptation was still strong, but she shook it away. “No. I won’t do it.”
Katie turned to her. “You won’t because you do what is right, even when it goes against your wishes.”
Pandora smirked. “Help me close the doors.”
They grabbed the handholds again and grunted as they slammed the doors shut. The seals on the outside glowed brilliantly, and the crack down the middle of the door disappeared. Pandora nodded. “Now it will be protected for eternity, unless of course some random angel gets swallowed by Baylahn. Which is really unlikely.”
Katie lifted both eyebrows. “Never say never.”
They both looked down at the piles of ash and bone at their feet. Pandora grimaced and backed up, dusting off her suit leg. “Aww, man. I got Wilson all over me. That is one man I do not want on my pant leg.”
Pandora looked at Juntto, who was rolling his shoulders, trying to stay conscious. “Right now, it looks like we need to get a move on or old Frosty over there is going to kick the bucket. Do you know what that little fireball Angie would do to us if we came back with a dead giant?”
Katie cringed. “Cut off our wings and feed them to us with bacon?”
Pandora scoffed. “Yeah, after she shoved her Xbox controller up both our asses and played a game of Doom through our mouths.”
Katie grimaced. “You really need to tone down that freaking imagination. I know it was once your job to torture people in hell, but that shit is going to get us burned at a stake if a human overhears it.”
Pandora wrinkled her nose. “Oh, yeah. I forgot your kind like to burn witches at the stake. Well, kind of. You also like to act like maniacs over nothing.”
Katie opened her mouth to disagree but stopped and shrugged. She looked back down at Wilson and Red and put her hands on her waist. “It looks like the Atlanteans and the general are both going to be disappointed unless they want us to bring back a skull or something.”
Pandora pursed her lips and tapped her finger on her chin. “As enticing as it would be to put Wilson’s skull on the mantle, I think we should let this one be. I mean, at least he’s gone, and I mean gone for good this time. There is no coming back from that one, not unless you humans have mastered that ashes to body thing instead of ashes to ashes.”
Katie shook her head. “Nope. If so, you would see a lot more zombie surges on Earth. And I’m glad we aren’t seeing those.”
Pandora scoffed. “Yeah, because you cut the head off of Santa Claus. The beloved childhood favorite will never fly his sleigh again.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “I will never live that down, will I?”
Pandora shook her head. “Nope. And as far as the general is concerned, it’s not like he won’t believe you. He’s immune to the shock value of our stories these days.”
Katie laughed. “That, and we work with the general, not for him. Hopefully, the Atlanteans have a bit of faith in us too, because I really don’t want to face that council’s judgment again. They are fucking merciless.”
Katie and Pandora walked forward, spreading their wings. Pandora looked at Katie. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Katie nodded. “Gladly.”
They grabbed Juntto under the arms and took off.
Baal dropped his stuff on the side table in his house and shuffled into the study. Beelzebub followed him in, both of them plopping down in the chairs by the Fire of Souls. The servants moved quickly, pouring whiskey into glasses and taking one to each of the demons.
Beelzebub sipped from his glass and shook his head. “This whole operation got completely and totally fucked up.”
Baal growled. “You’re telling me. That shit is inexcusable. Seriously, how am I supposed to let this go? How am I supposed to just walk away and be like, ‘Oh well, time goes on?’ Demons have been obliterated by Lucifer for much less, like breathing.”
Beelzebub sighed. “I’m telling you, let it go.”
Baal sat up and slammed his drink down, breaking the small side table. “Fuck, no, I won’t let this shit go. Are you fucking kidding me? Mania just left! She threw her hands up over a fucking cut on the arm and she quit. Who does that? Who says they are a warrior but walks out when they have the advantage on the enemy?”
Beelzebub shrugged. “It’s good to be on top, that’s all I can say—not that I would know. I’ve never been on top.”
Baal shook his head and stood up, walking over to the mantle and sinking his claws into the wood. “It’s fucking unacceptable, is what it is. It’s disrespectful to all demons who fight the good fight for hell and for Lucifer.”
Beelzebub sat forward. “Do I need to remind you exactly who Mania is? She is Lucifer’s side piece, and the most important one. You know that throughout history, the women attached to Lucifer have been given preferential treatment. They are given seats at the head of the table, the ability to do whatever they like whenever they like, and they are involved in all the decision-making. There have been thousands of them. Whenever he is bored with one, he moves on to the next.”
Baal scoffed, looking over his shoulder. “Except Lilith. She straight walked the fuck out on his ass. It was the first time in history I have seen the Dark Lord completely beside himself. I have to admit, there was something kind of rewarding about that. It was really nice to see.”
Beelzebub shook his head, guzzling his whiskey. “All I know is if you want to get anywhere with this whole thing, you need to grow a pair of balls.”
Baal growled. “Are you fucking kidding me? I have been there through T’Chezz and Moloch. You think I don’t have fucking balls? I just play it smart. I don’t go running into danger where I can get my fucking head cut off.”
Beelzebub smirked; he was getting to him. “You wouldn’t last ten minutes on Earth during one of these battles. Not ten fucking minutes.”
Baal whirled, fuming. Beelzebub had the nerve to sit in his house, drink his whiskey, and enjoy his servants while questioning his manhood. “You think you are so smart. Well, I think you have been sniffing the fumes inside that cave for far too long, old man. You have been licking the walls or something. I’ll go fuck up a base right now. Right this second.”
Beelzebub lifted his eyebrows. “Oh, yeah?”
Baal stomped over to his chair. “Fuck yes, I will. I will march right up to the gates and smash one of those worthless piles of shit into a million fucking pieces. They don’t deserve to live anyway. Besides, Katie and Pandora are inside of Baylahn chasing down Wilson. They can’t portal out of there, and there isn’t any way they would even know the base was being attacked. There’s not a signal in there for miles.”
Beelzebub put out his hand calmly. “So you would be in the clear. Just march up there and show them exactly who is boss. Hell, you could attack the Las Vegas one and get rid of the issue once and for all. If you’re going to go, why not go all the fucking way, right?”
Baal was so pumped up he couldn’t even see that Beelzebub was baiting him. “Fuck, yeah. I’ll lead my own EMPFOL assault on the base. They won’t be expecting it. They’re probably still getting reset after the last attack.”
Beelzebub sat forward, letting the servant refill his glass. “Hell, yeah. They might not have the power back on yet. They won’t even be able to see that you opened a fucking portal outside their front door. They will assume, like they always do, that we won’t be back for months.”
Baal nodded, clapping his hands. “So, first I need to go wrestle up one of the EMP bastards and make sure he knows exactly what to do. Then I have to portal us over to the base, and I’ll take some more demons with me to do the crushing while I go for the armory. I’m fucking strong. I’ll smash my fists right through that bitch.”
Beelzebub chuckled into his whiskey and cleared his throat, putting on a straight face. “Oh yeah, dude. Why haven’t we done that already? All this playing around, and we could have demolished their entire ability to hurt us with those special bullets.”
Baal slammed his hand in his palm and waved his arm wide through the air, opening a portal. “I’ll see you when I’m fucking victorious, bitch.”
Beelzebub put up both thumbs and smiled at him as he disappeared into the portal. When it shut, Beelzebub sat back in the chair and began to laugh. He glanced at the demon servant and shook his head. “He’s fucked.”
Pandora and Katie struggled through the last couple hundred feet of the trip. Juntto was heavy, and the more he succumbed to the poison surging through his body, the more he became dead weight in their hands. They were strong as angels, but not being able to pull any more energy was tough.
Pandora nodded ahead. “The gates to Atlantis. It looks like they are opening them for us.”
Katie grunted. “Good, because I don’t want to
accidentally drop Juntto on his head from way up here.”
They flapped as hard as they could through the gate, and slowly lowered themselves and Juntto to the ground. They were back in the ruins of Atlantis, and neither of them was thrilled about it. Pandora snorted as she folded her wings. “Great, the land of the cousin-fuckers.”
“Welcome back.” Ormund’s voice echoed loudly from behind them.
Pandora lifted her shoulders and winced, slowly turning around. She laughed nervously and gave Ormund a quick wave. “Thanks. I see you’ve brought the entirety of the Atlantean Army with you.”
Ormund smirked and looked behind him. “We tend to travel with backup when our safety is at stake. We sensed the explosion on the river bend and figured that one of you would eventually be back. And here you are.”
Katie put her arms out. “Here we are. Sorry it took so long. We had a few hang-ups along the way, like horny monkeys and crazy shadow people.”
Ormund smiled, not the least bit surprised. “Yes, the tests are a bit rigorous. I am personally proud of that fact.”
Pandora narrowed her eyes. “You helped build those tests?”
Ormund nodded, waving his hand over his face and revealing himself to be much older than he appeared. He waved his younger face back and looked at the two of them. “I told you, we have done many things to survive through the ages. Some of us were endowed with powers far greater than you can imagine.”
Pandora blinked a few times. “You do realize we are angels, right? Powers that are really cool.”
Katie shook her head at Pandora. “Thank you, Ormund, for trusting us on that journey.”
Ormund looked behind Pandora and Katie. “Well, I would say you are welcome, but I have yet to see that you actually succeeded in your conquest. Why is Wilson not here in chains? That was our agreement from the start.”
Katie grimaced. “Yeah, about that. Apparently, humans can’t touch the doors, and well… Wilson touched them.”
