“If you’re going to be an ass, Leech, she can have you. Don’t try to come back to me afterwards though.”
Leech grinned.
“I was just kidding. I’m just not used to seeing you be this mature.”
“She’s family. I never really had much of one growing up so if I can have a sister for the price of an occasional mistake, I’ll take it. I have a much higher tolerance when it comes to mistakes from my boyfriend. He screws up all the time.”
“Yeah he does. You’ll never get rid of him though.”
“What makes you think that?”
“He’s a leech. Once he’s got you, he doesn’t let go.”
Lilith giggled and finished brushing Keshi’s mane.
CHAPTER 24
“I figured it out.”
Shadow looked at Azazel like he was insane.
“Where the fuck did you come from? You disappeared as soon as the harpies and dogs attacked. Were you following us?”
“I couldn’t follow you into the presence of Queen Persephone. The sirens wouldn’t take me. Something about me wanting to bang one of them a long time ago. I figured you would eventually make it down here to the ninth circle. It took you guys long enough. What did the witch queen want from you?”
“That’s none of your business and, as far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over. We don’t need your help and I don’t want you around.”
“But… I figured it out.”
Shadow pushed past Azazel but Muan turned from a white wolf back into his demon form.
“What did you figure out?”
“Holy fuck little guy! When did you learn to shape shift?”
“Sounds like Shadow’s right. You’re useless. You can’t even answer a direct goddamn question.”
Muan started walking away. Azazel disappeared in a puff of red smoke and appeared in front of Shadow and Leech. Shadow allowed a smile to creep across his face.
“Well that answers one question. Now I know how you got away from the tormentors of the seventh circle.”
“Yes, I can transport myself almost anywhere. It’s roughly the same power that the major demons use.”
“Almost anywhere?”
“I can’t teleport into the highest of heavens or the lowest of hells. I had to walk here from the exit of the eighth circle. You really seem interested in teleportation for someone who was eager to walk away a few moments ago.”
“I’m interested in power. I’ll bite though. What did you figure out?”
Azazel ran his hand over the two curved horns protruding from his head.
“The scythe problem we were discussing. I can definitely fuse them together and I know how to make one of them disappear so it looks like a single scythe.”
“How do we do that?”
“Once fused, we coat one of the scythes in your blood. You have the power to disappear. I can incorporate that power into your weapon.”
“And where do you plan to fuse the weapons together? This isn’t exactly an ideal location for a master blacksmith to work.”
Azazel placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder and his other hand on Muan’s. They disappeared in red smoke and reappeared in a forge. Muan blinked several times.
“Where are we?”
“I’ve taken you to my workshop, little demon. Shadow, I’ll need you to place the scythes on the table and I’ll get started.”
Shadow removed the scythes from his belt and placed them on the table. Azazel grabbed one of Shadow’s arms and pierced it with a glowing dagger. Muan reacted immediately and shot a dart at Azazel’s face. Azazel blinked and the dart disappeared. A split second later, the dart reappeared submerged in the floor. Azazel turned Shadow’s arm and let his blood drip into a vial.
“Don’t bother threatening me, Shadow. I told you I needed your blood for this to work.”
“It’s fine. Quick question though.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know how to do anything without being an asshole?”
Azazel chuckled.
“No. No I don’t.”
Azazel snapped his fingers and a young, demon-like creature appeared in the room. It had horns and sharp teeth, but Shadow recognized it as a nephilim, its glowing white eyes betraying its powers.
“Scapegoat, show my guests into the waiting room. Before Shadow protests, might I remind you that I could have simply taken these scythes from you if I wanted them for myself. This is literally the nicest I know how to play with others, so don’t push me.”
“Just hurry the fuck up. I need to become a major demon and make my way back to where the other major demons are battling so I can end all of this.”
The nephilim Scapegoat escorted Shadow and Muan into the next room.
“Can I get either of you anything? Some beverages perhaps?”
“I’ll take a beverage. Muan?”
“I’ll take one too.”
Scapegoat bowed and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with two mugs filled to the brim with a dark liquid.
“I opened a bottle of 1982 serial killer. It’s not every day that we have a legendary warrior visit Azazel’s workshop.”
Muan waved off the compliment as if it was meant for him.
“It’s alright, Scapegoat. I’m just a demon. You don’t have to think of me as a legend.”
“I was referring to Lord Shadow, little creature.”
Muan frowned and sipped his drink. Shadow chuckled.
“Is there anything else I can get for you, Lord Shadow?”
“No. I’m good. Just one question. Why are you here serving Azazel?”
“You’ve probably surmised that I’m a nephilim. I’m not a powerful nephilim like you or Master Azazel, but being an angel / demon hybrid makes it difficult to fit in with either side. I was first rejected by the demons of Hell and the angels of Heaven wouldn’t even let me enter their realm. I ultimately ended up a wanderer on Earth, stealing souls from both the angels and demons when I could. I couldn’t overpower middle demons or middle angels, but I could steal the kills of minor demons and minor angels easily enough. One day, I tried to steal a human soul from Master Azazel. When he discovered it, I thought he would kill me. In the moment before he struck me down with his blade, my eyes glowed white and he realized that I was of the same species that he was. Instead of killing me, he took me on as his apprentice. I’m not a master blacksmith or a sorcerer or anything that he is, but I’m learning. Until I become powerful, I’m grateful to be serving here.”
Muan looked like Scapegoat’s story bothered him.
“So you do whatever the more powerful nephilim say? You don’t question it ever?”
“I have grown more powerful under Master Azazel’s tutelage. I have much more to learn from him. Who else in the heavens or hells could join two major demon weapons together and conceal it from the Dragon?”
“So he’s always right? You never disagree with him?”
“Why should I? I like the path that I’ve chosen.”
Shadow could see that Muan’s temper was starting to flare. He asked Scapegoat to leave the room and the nephilim did, bowing at Shadow before he left.
“What’s bothering you, Muan?”
“That guy doesn’t think for himself. It’s annoying.”
“You were exactly like him when I first found you. You bowed and answered powerful demons with excessive respect. You fought anyone who disturbed your world view of the way things should be. You didn’t think for yourself.”
“Oh right. Shadow the damned philosopher who thinks he knows everything. I’m nothing like that guy.”
“That’s right. You’re nothing like him now. Leech, a demon born without nobility, kicked your ass. You turned around and helped him attack other demons. Once I gained power, I gave you the freedom to recruit demons and go out into the world yourself. You learned that things didn’t follow the order or structure that you had always assumed was in place. You became confident and strong. Other demons lear
ned to respect you because you finally respected yourself. If you hadn’t diverted from the path you were on, you would still be a messenger and a demon-in-training.”
Muan opened his mouth to respond but closed it again. He thought on Shadow’s words for a few more minutes before he finally said what he wanted to.
“I guess you’re right. That’s what bothers me about Scapegoat. He has all kinds of untapped potential and he’s going to acquire his powers very slowly because he relies on Azazel. He relies solely on Azazel. He won’t rely on his own abilities or ask for more freedom. It’s not disrespectful to want to be more. He can still call Azazel his master and serve him, it just bothers me that he’s…”
Muan left his sentence unfinished, but Shadow understood what he was getting at.
“That’s not you anymore, Muan. If it was, you simply would have bowed in front of my grandmother and stayed silent. You didn’t. You opened your goddamn mouth in front of the Queen of Hell… and it paid off. You left with a power that few in Hell have ever acquired. Don’t doubt yourself because I’m going to need you to rebuild the army we lost.”
“Why? Why did you help me, Shadow?”
“You’re loyalty is unquestionable. Beyond that, I saw untapped potential in both you and Gangrene. Before the two of you, I saw it in Leech and Lilith. If I’m going to assault the heavens, the hells, or anywhere in between, I need demons around me that are loyal and powerful. The only difference between me and other demons currently in power is that I have a wider gaze when I look for potential. Now cut Scapegoat some slack. Not everyone gets handed the opportunity I gave you. What he has here is better than being a hungry thief on Earth.”
“Well I know one thing for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“The next army I recruit needs to be at least three times as strong as the one we just lost. I won’t be defeated by Lucian’s legions ever again.”
“Let’s hope not. I would hate to demote you back to be my messenger monkey.”
Muan grinned. Several hours later, Scapegoat entered the room and bowed.
“Master Azazel would like to speak with you. The weapon is ready.”
CHAPTER 25
Murmur pulled the knife from his belt and handed it to Aim.
“Cut Jess free and run. I’ll hold her off.”
Astaroth erupted in a fit of laughter.
“Dial the drama back a few notches, big guy. I’m just here to talk. The only reason I subdued your pretty friend here is because she tried to attack me. Quite a feisty girl, aren’t you?”
Aim looked at Murmur again as if to confirm his orders. He nodded in Jess’s direction indicating that he still wanted her cut loose. Murmur pulled the mallets from his back, swung them around in the air a few times, and pointed one at Astaroth.
“If you want to talk, then talk. I doubt you’ll hold it against me if I prepare to leave with my companions. I trust you about as much as I trust Nightmare.”
“You know, I should be angry with you slugger. You just downed a minor demon descended from very noble stock. Reno got offers not too long after the trials. You never did.”
“I guess that shows you there’s a flaw in the trials because he’s pretty fucking dead out there. I punted his head into the woods.”
“I’m not too mad about that. We do have a problem though. You were trying to steal from me.”
Murmur turned to Aim and Jess. Jess had been cut loose and she had retrieved her staff from the floor. Aim had pulled his crossbow from his back and paired it with a pistol, aiming both weapons at Astaroth’s head.
“Get the souls and get out of here. I can probably hold her off for about a minute or so.”
“So brave. It’s a shame that you’re so ready to die. I’ll say it again; I’m just here to talk.”
“Then speak, Snake Queen. I’m listening.”
“I’m willing to give you these souls to return to Tannin, but I want something in return.”
“I’m not going back to Lucian’s army. I’m not jumping ship to yours either. Bringing back those souls earns me a minor demon spot in Tannin’s army and I’ll either go there or swiftly to my death.”
“You young demons have no fucking manners. Stop assuming you know what I’m proposing and let me finish.”
Murmur attached his mallets to his back and crossed his arms. He raised both eyebrows, silently asking the major demon to continue.
“Leviathan will die shortly. This is beyond your control. We only wanted Cain and Baal, but Leviathan chose to side with them instead of us. The wound he currently suffers from isn’t life threatening, but his army doesn’t know that. They’ll blame that wound as the cause of his death when, in reality, I snuck into his tent last night and poisoned him.”
Murmur had an overwhelming urge to attack Astaroth, but he knew Aim and Jess wouldn’t flee like he had asked them to. He remained silent.
“The only possible successors to Leviathan are Tannin or Belial. I don’t really care which one it is, I simply ask that you gift them these souls as a peace offering from me. If the department of jealousy fights on our side, we can bring down Baal quickly and Cain’s army is scattered and weak following Cain’s death. We can bring this war to a swift close. Will you deliver my message and my gift?”
“I will. If you require that I persuade them to join you, however, the deal is off. I’m fine with delivering a message in exchange for the souls I need to gain a minor demon spot, but I won’t convince Tannin to fight against Shadow. Shadow is… almost like a friend.”
“There are a lot of assumptions in your world view. You believe that Tannin will defeat Belial for Leviathan’s throne? If I were a betting girl, I would put my money on Belial. He’s a frightening sorcerer. Also, no one has heard from Shadow in a long time. He’s likely dead. Why do you believe he’s still alive and that he can unite Cain’s armies?”
“My answer is simple. I know Shadow and Tannin better than you do. They will become major demons. If Tannin asks it of me, I will kill Belial myself.”
Astaroth chuckled at Murmur’s blind faith.
“Such confidence in their abilities and in yours. Amusing. Are you sure I can’t recruit you to join my army?”
“Positive.”
“Well your terms are accepted. Simply deliver my message, with my gift, and your minor demon position in the department of jealousy is secured.”
“And you need to apologize to Jess for attacking her with a magic, green snake.”
Astaroth raised an eyebrow at Murmur like he was insane. He shrugged in response.
“It was worth a shot. I’ve never seen a major demon apologize before.”
“You’ve probably never seen a major demon kill three demons-in-training with a single well-aimed strike, so don’t fuck around with me… unless that’s something you’d like to see.”
“Not really. We’ll be leaving now.”
Murmur looked over to Jess and Aim and nodded towards the door. They each grabbed a handle on the side of the massive chest of souls and followed Murmur out of the building.
The return trip to Hell was mostly uneventful. Jess and Murmur had to endure Aim’s endless babbling about how skilled he was at shooting and he almost tried to recount the entire battle to them but Jess reminded her brother that they were both there and at no time did they see him shoot a demon’s nose off or pierce a demon cleanly through both ears. When they found Tannin’s army, Murmur sent a messenger ahead to announce their return to Tannin. Tannin left his tent grinning widely at the arrival of the three demons-in-training.
“Success, Murmur?”
“We succeeded, Lord Tannin, but our success came with a price. I need to speak with you in private about how we pulled this off.”
“Fine, but before we get into any of that…”
Tannin snapped his fingers at two small demons and pointed at the chest of souls. They retrieved it from Aim and Jess. Tannin looked at them with a serious expression.
“
Ration this out. That does not mean eat however much you want and then ration it out. It means ration the entire damn thing out. We need this to last. If I find that either of you took more than anyone else got, I will cut each of you into three pieces and feed you to Cerberus.”
“Yes, Lord Tannin. Understood.”
The two small demons ran off with the chest of souls, looking somewhat shaken at Tannin’s threat.
“Murmur, follow me into my tent. I’ll hear your report now.”
Murmur started towards Tannin’s tent with Jess and Aim following. Tannin raised an arm into the air without turning around to look at them.
“Just Murmur.”
Murmur turned to his two companions.
“It’s alright guys. I’ll give both of you the credit you deserve.”
Jess looked at the ground.
“I knew this deal was too good to be true. Lord Tannin never really thought much of either of us.”
“He will after I’m done with my report. Self-interest, remember? I’m more powerful when the two of you fight with me. That means I have a vested interest in keeping you around. Don’t worry.”
Murmur followed Tannin into his tent while Jess sat in the sand and practiced spells on a passing beetle and Aim entertained himself by spinning his rifle with both hands.
When they were inside his tent, Tannin removed his helmet and placed it on a table. His entire armor was coated in streams of demon blood.
“How’s the war going?”
“A lot better now that you arrived with those souls. I would have been happy if just you had returned with that treasure chest but you were able to keep those idiots alive too. Very impressive, Murmur.”
Murmur briefly considered taking all of the credit, but what he had told Jess and Aim before was true. He was more powerful when they fought by his side.
“They’ve been training and I think both of them have potential. I wasn’t the only one who killed demons to secure that reward. They’re both worthy of becoming minor demons.”
“Murmur, I lost thousands of demons today. I honestly don’t care all that much if they’re skilled or not. I’ll promote the three of you to minor demons immediately and you can distribute these to your team.”
Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) Page 12
