by LJ Swallow
“Get the hell off me,” I shout.
Ewan yells and his footsteps thud toward us. He curls a hand around my waist and tries to dislocate Seth’s fingers from my hair. “I won’t let go. You’ll rip Vee’s hair out if you pull at her,” snarls Seth. “Such pretty hair, too.”
“Let go,” he snarls.
“Fuck off.” Seth scowls and, with another flick of his fingers, he sends Ewan hurtling backwards.
“You arsehole!” I dig my nails into Seth’s fingers and he swears at me, dropping his grip. Staring at the bloody marks on the back of his hand, he pouts before turning blackened eyes toward mine.
“Move away from him, Vee,” calls Joss.
“He’s sensible staying where he is.” Seth cranes his head. “Or are you the coward, Joss? You always seemed a bit pathetic to me with your ‘oh, no, they’re going to take me back to Hell’ whining.”
“Joss, don’t,” I warn as he surges toward us. Seth’s words have the effect he wanted and he snickers as he clicks his fingers. The ground cracks, a narrow chasm opening close to Joss’s feet. Dirt falls into the hole as Joss half-slips. He backs up.
“Let her go!”
I gasp as Seth closes one hand around my neck, but his smile fades as his attempt to lift me fails.
"Interesting. How strong are you, Verity?"
“Try me,” I hiss.
Xander and Joss stand behind the gap he created, unable to cross. Seth nods at them. "Your protectors are a bit shit, aren't they?"
"They don't protect me."
"Not against me." He steps to one side. "You distract them too much."
I swallow and face off the man before me. The guy with dark eyes holding a mesmerising void. A god hell bent on killing everything round him. The pressure in my head pushes against my eyes and I look down. No glow around my hands. How is this enough power? I hardly feel any different to a normal fight.
"Let’s do this," I hiss. “You’ll lose.”
"Seriously? I'm not dumb enough to think this ends with a skirmish in the desert. Hundreds of years for everything to end here? I don't think so."
The portal gapes open, the bright colours behind now a blinding light contrasting with the darkness from the last. Standing, blinking in front of the portal stand two hulking creatures—and by hulking, I mean three times the size of Ewan. I instantly sense they’re demons, even though they could be anything. Crude features with flattened noses. Pale green lips thin in an ashen face. They squint in the sun before looking down at us.
Seth clicks his fingers and the earth shakes below my feet again. Shit, is he opening more of the ground? Instead, the chasm snaps closed, knocking Xander and Joss from their feet.
The two demons at the front aren't what worries me. It's the army behind.
"Holy fuck," mutters Xander. "Now what?"
"Yes, now what?" calls Seth.
16
VEE
I run forward and attempt to reach the portal. One of the creatures charges in my direction, yellow teeth bared. I hold my arms forward, ready to stop the demon assailing me, and a dark bolt erupts from my palms. A sound cracks like lightning and, when the bolt hits, the creature stumbles backward with a howl. A black hole grows across his chest. No blood. No wound, just a view into empty darkness. He knocks into the others before slumping into the dirt.
“Whoa. Verity. Are you using my power now? Where’s your shiny light?” Seth’s tone fills with a mix of curiosity and glee. “What are you?”
I ignore him. "Guys, if I shut this I need help clearing the entrance."
Xander rushes forward and slams one in the chest, his strength sending it flying across the ground as far as Seth did Heath. The second one roars and is immediately hit square in the chest by Heath's death bolt. I close my eyes, refocusing on what I did last time, reaching out to grab the torn fabric in space.
The energy buzzes through, my hands sticking to the portal as if I can't let go until it closes. An energy flows through, filling me with the same intense sensation as before. Something smacks me hard in the chest and I come face to face with a green-eyed creature, a smaller version of the demons leading the army. From the corner of my eye, I spot several sprinting from the entrance and into the desert. I'm unable to speak or move, my body charged and connected to the portal.
I hold the portal closed but it won’t stay, as if a spring attempt to hold the doorway open.
Behind, I hear yells from the guys, the crackling sound of magic and bodies thumping to the floor. Demons flood past me, different shapes and sizes, and amongst the cacophony, Seth laughs.
I grit my teeth, pulling as hard as I can and behind, in the distance, I spot a man, walking slowly and purposely to the portal. The creatures in front of him part like waves and he strides to the gap I've almost closed.
My body shakes and I pull tighter, the energy flowing from my fingers to the portal. Suddenly the energy switches focus and attempts to flow the opposite way. The man grins as his hands touch the other side, palms against mine over the strange barrier.
Again, I sense demon, but he’s not the same as the others. He’s average human height and his features remind me of a fae. Not because he shares fae characteristics but because, like them, there’s something not a hundred percent normal in his look. Perhaps the unusual blue green eyes and how large they seem in his face. Or the hands with fingers longer and thinner than any I’ve seen on a man.
But also, the scent of death surrounding him oozing through the splitting barrier.
My head spins, nausea rising, and I force every ounce of energy I have into preventing him reopening the portal. The fight behind continues and Seth stands close by, shielding his hand with his face. The moment I deal with this, I’m going to tear that smug look from his face.
The world beneath my feet trembles, but I can't tell if this is me or the ground. I glance over my shoulder and my heart dives into my mouth. The large creatures bear down on Xander and Heath, who struggle to push them away. Joss and Ewan fare better, with bodies at their feet, but more charge at them.
They're losing.
I pant as my arms tremble with overextension, muscles weakening against my opponent behind.
I close my eyes and bow my head, summoning the light I haven't used for a while. Please push away the dark. The white bursts from me and across the space in front, obscuring the man's face. I pull harder and harder but nothing moves, as if I can only use one power and not the other.
Something touches my shoulder and drags me backwards. My hands lose contact with the portal. I yell and lash out, twisting my body to move away from Seth. I trip over stone and fall heavily.
"It's too late to stop them now."
Not Seth. A tall, slender woman stares down at me for a moment before turning on her heel and approaching the hulking figure pinning Heath down. She yanks back his head, lifts a dagger, and slices. The demon slumps forward onto Heath, who struggles to push the body away.
Xander's prone beneath the other creature, the sight sickening me as I've never seen him fail before. A man whose height matches Xander’s, who I’ve never seen, holds his hand out. He gestures upwards and the creature levitates above Xander's body before he drops his arm and the demon crashes to the ground.
Both bodies become skeletons in seconds.
A sound whooshes behind me, like air escaping from a balloon, and the portal stretches thinner and thinner. The portal dwelling guys steps through and, as the new man rushes at him, he clicks his fingers, nods at Seth, and disappears.
Still on the ground, I stare at the closing portal.
The man and woman turn to Seth and stride over. He straightens and scowls at them, holding his ground. "Fucking angels."
I shield my eyes from the sun.
Angels? To me, they look like a couple in their thirties in smart casual clothing—trousers and shoes unsuitable for a hike through the desert but not business attire. She’s blonde and he’s dark-haired. Mesmerising, but not because if the
ir looks. Because they’re angels.
"You won't succeed," says the woman in a low, harsh voice. "Even if you open them all, you'll fail."
"Uh huh. Know something I don't?" he gestures at me. "Is she your weapon? I should've guessed. Mysterious books, vague prophecies. You guys love that shit."
The woman crosses her arms and her next words shock and piss me off. "Two days’ time. We’ll let you know where and when. We need this issue sorting and quickly. Let's see what happens."
A large smile creeps across Seth's face and his eyes crinkle at the corners. "Finally! Do you know how much it sucks being kept in the dark about all this? Mind you, I never thought an angel would help me out. I might just forgive you for closing that portal."
I suck in ragged breaths, watching the scene through the dancing darkness in front of my eyes. I hear groans from the guys nearby and I want to vomit. Not because this happened, but because they lost. The Four Horsemen were weakened. This is too much for them. And that terrifies me.
"Not now?" Seth asks.
"No. This isn’t the right place. Nothing will end." The man straightens his coat sleeves and turns to address the woman. "What do we do about the leader?"
She shakes her head. "Hopefully he steers clear of all this until we're done. We’ll find him then.”
"Oh? Was the weird guy important?" Seth claps his hands together. "I love the mystery!” He points at the closed portal and asks, “Have you been in there, Feathers? Is this realm important?”
They don’t reply.
“Anyway, on to the next. If you want this over, I’d better finish up my plans.” Seth steps backwards to where the portal stood. “I’ll wait for further instructions.” He mock salutes them. “Or you can wait until I’m ready.”
The world around Seth takes on the familiar black void. I wait for him to vanish, but he pauses. "One thing before I go. Don't trust the angels, Horsemen."
The black engulfs Seth.
17
VEE
"Who are you?" Joss's weakened voice comes from beside me.
"Erzla." The main points to himself and then at the woman. "Leoc."
"Angels?" he whispers.
Xander brushes dirt from his jeans and stands. He's not as cut up as Heath and the others, but he's pale and struggling for breath.
"Yes," Leoc replies,
And with those words, the world morphs again. Like Joss, I believed angels were true. That Seth's taunting from his hiding spot in a tree and his story God placed creatures on Chaos’s world, were true.
Now I know it’s true.
How will Joss cope? He remains on the ground, arms behind him as he props himself up. Demon blood streaks his pale face as he looks back at the angel, who returns his steady gaze.
Ewan approaches and helps me to my feet as I blink back at the two people in front of me.
"Angels." Xander's flat voice has lost his denial, but he can't hide his sarcasm in the next words. "Where have you been all my life?"
"Watching you fuck up," snaps Erzla.
The woman approaches and places hand on his arm. "Stay calm."
He looks down at where Leoc touches him and sucks his lips together.
"What Erzla means to say is we don't normally need to interfere, but knew this day was coming." She smiles at me, and instead of the serenity I expected, dread shivers through me.
"The day?" asks Heath. "You mean two days’ time?"
She nods, but Ewan interjects. "Why are you here? Can you kill Seth? You just had your chance."
"No, we can’t kill him," Leoc replies. The sudden hope from their appearance drops like lead into my sick stomach. "We can help you, though. The fight will be hard, but I'm sure we can win."
I stumble backwards and Ewan steadies me. The pent-up fear and emotion rushes out with relief. There's a chance. We have help. "Is that true?" I whisper.
"We can help ensure you defeat Chaos, yes. Look how he ran when he saw us together," sneers Erzla.
"Are you sure?" asks Xander. "Because nobody mentioned angels in the book.”
Leoc tucks away the weapon in her hand. "Because nobody translated the text correctly yet."
Heath makes a soft sound in his throat and watches, arms crossed. Leoc glances at him. "Do you have the book, Heath?"
"Forget the book. A shitload of demons—or whatever the fuck they are—walked through the portals." Ewan waves a hand into the distance. "Ones that can apparently teleport, which makes catching them fucking difficult."
"Most can’t teleport. We'll find them and deal with the issue. They won't go far," says Leoc
"And Seth?" I ask. "Can you find him?"
"No." Erzla growls the word. "We can't detect him unless he wants finding, just like you can’t."
The angels keep throwing me curious glances and Seth's words echo. Can we trust them?
“Why are you here now?" asks Ewan. "Why didn’t you step in and help before?"
"Well, we have our own duties without performing yours,” says Erzla. “But, currently you suck at performing your duties alone, and need our help.”
Duties?
“Oh really?” asks Xander, face sour. “And how will you do that? You can’t kill Seth, only Vee can, so that makes you weak.”
Erzla’s eyes harden. “And here is the problem we will face, Leoc. The Horsemen need to follow our instructions or the future takes a bad direction."
“Everything will work out. We'll deal with the demons, you clean yourselves up.” Leoc gestures after the retreating figures still alive. “We don’t have time to talk right now.”
Erzla nods. “We'll call you once we’ve sorted the escapees."
“Call us?” asks Xander. “You use mobile phones?”
Leoc arches a perfectly plucked brow. “Yes. Why wouldn’t we?”
I wait for a retort, questions, more demands, but the fight is beaten from the four. I’m exhausted and can’t keep up. What the hell is happening here?
As the angels turn to walk away, toward the desert edge the demons headed, I look from guy to guy. Do we call after or chase the angels? Joss steps forward as if about to, but Heath holds out a hand to restrain him.
The figures vanish.
“Do you believe them?” Ewan asks us.
“I believe they’re angels, yes,” says Joss flatly. “They feel familiar. Don’t they to you?”
Ewan stares after the retreating figures. “If Seth said they were, and he ran from them, I’m tempted to believe.”
“But not trust.” Xander’s voice comes gruffly as he fishes car keys from his pocket.
“Why?” asks Joss. “They said they could help.”
“Oh, yeah? So why didn’t they help stop the other portals opening? Or maybe find time to tell us who Seth was? A bit bloody convenient they rock up now.”
“Maybe they’ll tell us everything once they find us again?” suggests Joss. “They have a bigger job if they’re taking down everything that just walked through there.” He points at the space the portal once stood.
I look to a silent Heath, who rubs his temples and mutters something about the merry-go-round.
18
HEATH
I'm with my brother on this one. There's something suspicious about the sudden arrival of angels. They swoop in to save the day against Seth and then disappear? Until we have proper answers, I won’t trust them.
Joss and Vee sense they’re different to demons, and are convinced they're legit, but look at what's happened recently. We don’t trust. Not easily.
And, let’s face it, angels weren't on the Four Horsemen's side in the Biblical stories.
Back at the house, we sit outside and eat, phones on the table beside us in case of contact from vengeful gods or avenging angels. I sink back and bite into my chicken sandwich as I stare across the house's grounds and to the distant horizon. Vee picks at a salad with delicate fingers, and Joss remains by her side with a hand on her knee.
My need to stay close to Vee hasn't w
aned, as if I let her out of sight she might disappear. The more we're together like this, the easier it is to believe we'll win. Now, we’re the ordinary, everyday us. The humans who refuel with lunch, and chat, who laugh and touch. Hell, sometimes we even have fun.
Then situations like today happen.
And we have angels threatening to appear on our doorstep.
I wash down my sandwich with a Coke and sink back in my seat. "Seth's reaction was interesting."
"Which part?" asks Xander. "Telling us not to trust angels or his rapid disappearance?"
"Both."
"You know the angels will want to see the book when they come. We need to decide if we'll show them," says Joss. "I'm not arguing in front of angels."
"They must know what's in the text already." Xander takes a large bite from his sandwich.
"I want the angels to explain the 'two days'." Vee's voice wavers and Joss grips her hand. "And now we have a deadline, we need to decide what to do."
"And find out how the angels can help."
I poke at the crumbs on my plate and wince as my shoulder twinges. What would've happened if the angels hadn't arrived this morning? The demons’ strength and numbers overwhelmed us, and we know that Horsemen can die. Would I have died too? What would that mean? I rub the thought away as I rub my eyes. No. We will all be there at Chaos's end.
I watch Xander, who barely eats, something that worries me because hell the guy eats. A lot. I dissuaded him from cracking open a beer when we arrived home, arguing we needed to stay alert. Stupid really, because we rarely get drunk, however much we drink.
I know why.
He wants to take the edge off.
We haven't received an apology for his behaviour the other day, but that's not unusual either. To be honest, a smashed-up room is nothing in the current situation and future possibilities.
"Well, we'll have something new to tell Ripley next time we see him," says Joss with a chuckle. "Whatever walked through the portal is stronger than him, I'm sure."
