“Ham!” the intruder suddenly called out. “The library’s clear!”
“Goddammit!” came another voice. So there were at least two.
Lucifer peered around and saw another guy come into the room. He was larger than his partner, but also wearing the same style of clothes—leather jacket, jeans, and a balaclava.
“You’re not supposed to use my name, Shem, you idiot!” said Ham.
“And you know you’re not supposed to use the Lord’s name in vain!” said the smaller one, who was obviously Shem. “Plus you just used my name!”
“That’s because you used my name first! So if my cover’s blown, so’s yours! That’s what’s fair.”
Lucifer sighed as he listened to them bicker. Great, I’m about to be killed by Heckle and Jeckle.
“Look, we’ve got a job to do. You know how important this is,” said Shem. “If we do this right, Father will know we’ve got what it takes and let us back into the guild.”
“I know that! Why do you keep explaining things to me over and over again? Just because I’m the big one doesn’t make me the dumb one,” said Ham.
“I never said you were dumb, I just know that sometimes you—”
“Wait.” Ham covered Shem’s mouth with his hand. “Did you check that couch?”
Lucifer saw Ham’s gaze moving in his direction and he slid back behind the sofa. He held the butcher’s knife in a reverse-grip.
“He’s not hiding in the couch, Ham.”
“Not in the couch, you moron. Behind it.” Ham moved away from Shem and reached behind his back to draw an ornate dagger from its sheath. “And you treat me like I’m the dumb one…unbelievable…”
Lucifer listened for the footsteps, and stared at the floor. Ham’s shadow loomed closer, growing larger. This was it, this was the moment. Lucifer jumped up and lashed out with the butcher knife.
And all he cut was empty air.
“That…wasn’t how I expected it to go…” muttered Lucifer.
Ham smiled and waved the dagger. It had a gold hilt and a long cross-guard, which made it reminiscent of a crucifix. He thrust forward and Lucifer just barely jumped back to avoid the blade. Lucifer threw the knife, but Ham ducked and it harmlessly flew over his head.
“Time to die, Satan!” shouted Ham as he charged at the Morningstar.
Lucifer was near the liquor cabinet. He picked up a bottle of gin and smashed it on Ham’s face right as he came within reach. Ham was startled and stumbled and fell face-first on the ground.
“That was my brother!” shouted Shem and opened fire.
Lucifer jumped behind the sofa and rolled, waiting as Shem fired. It was a revolver, so Lucifer counted. Once he reached the final round, the gun clicked on the empty chamber.
“Oh poop, time-out,” said Shem as he fumbled to open the chamber and reload the gun.
Lucifer didn’t honor the time-out. He stood and leapt over the sofa, then darted towards Shem. The smaller brother looked up in surprise.
“No fair, I called a time-out!” shouted Shem just as Lucifer barreled into him, putting all his weight into a shoulder-strike. Shem was thrown back into the wall and Lucifer went into the foyer.
In the driveway was a minivan that looked to be several years old and not in the best condition. Lucifer went to the driver’s seat and opened the door. It was unlocked and the keys were still in the ignition.
“First bit of luck today,” said Lucifer as he turned the key. The engine puttered and rattled. Lucifer turned the car off and tried again, stepping on the gas a few times. The engine still wasn’t quite ready to reward him. “Come on, come on…”
Lucifer glanced behind the seats and saw several weapons stacked up in the van. He reached over and picked up a shotgun. Pointing it out the open car window, Lucifer aimed at his front door. Shem appeared in the doorway and raised the revolver. Lucifer pulled the trigger and Shem ducked, the buckshot taking out several chunks of the wood in the frame.
“I’ll definitely be billing them for that.” Lucifer tried the ignition again and this time, the car started. He laughed and shifted into reverse, looking over his shoulder as he backed out into the street.
“That’s our van! This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen!” Shem shouted as he ran after the car.
Lucifer ignored the protests and shifted into drive, then sped down the street towards Chicago. Although “speed” was probably not the best use of words—the van didn’t exactly have a whole lot of pick-up.
As he merged onto Lake Shore Drive and headed into the city, Lucifer thought about the odd incident. Those two definitely weren’t demons and they certainly didn’t seem skilled enough to be part of any sort of organized outfit. It wasn’t likely they were simple thieves, either—they were after him.
Lucifer remembered that Shem mentioned something about their father and a guild. He would have to find out more about those two feckless, would-be hitmen. And for that, he would need to consult some help. Someone who could possibly know something about this and who would provide assistance without any strings attached.
There was only one person in the city who fit both those criteria.
4
Miraculously, Lucifer had somehow managed to get the rickety van he stole from Shem and Ham all the way from Evanston to the city. He parked it on Rush Street in front of a fire hydrant and climbed out, leaving the keys in the ignition. He was still dressed only in his silk robe and a pair of slippers.
A nearby pedestrian called out to the Morningstar. “Hey Hef, you’d better move your car.”
“Why?” asked Lucifer.
“Because the city’s gonna tow it if you leave it there.”
Lucifer shrugged. “Not my car anyway.”
He whistled as he crossed the street, waving greetings to the people who were stunned to see a man walking the streets in nothing but a robe. Lust was his destination—on the surface, it was a fashionable night club. But beneath that thin veneer, it was a gathering place for the supernatural elements of Chicago. At one time it was run by Asmodeus, who—after a run-in with Luther Cross—ended up imprisoned in Cocytus. Now it was under the control of Asmodeus’s former paramour, Lilith. She remained in Hell, but left a trusted lieutenant to watch over her operations on Earth.
The club itself wouldn’t open for business until around nine or ten at night. But Lucifer was one of the few aware of the apartment above the club where the manager resided. And also knew of the rear entrance.
He walked up the staircase that led to the sole room at the top of the building. Lucifer pushed the button and waited. After a few moments, there was no answer. Lucifer rang the bell a second time. Just as he was about to go for the hat-trick, the door finally opened.
“I will personally rip every tooth out of your goddamn skull and use them to decorate my bathroom,” said the demon with fiery red hair and wearing sweat pants and a black T-shirt with “SATANIC PANIC” emblazoned on the front.
“Good morning to you as well, Mara,” said Lucifer, his arms folded over his chest. “Or should I say ‘good afternoon’?”
Mara’s yellow eyes nearly bulged out of her skull when she saw who her visitor was. She immediately dropped down to her knees in supplication. “Forgive my manner, My Lord. I-I didn’t realize it was you.”
“Stand up, stop embarrassing yourself,” said Lucifer as he walked past Mara and into her apartment. “You know how I hate that.”
Mara rose to her feet and closed the door. “I’m sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“Yes, I’ve been a bit busy as of late,” said Lucifer.
Mara stared at his clothing—or rather, lack thereof. Lucifer could feel her eyes crawling over him.
“Go on, you know you want to ask,” he said.
Mara was uncharacteristically bashful, her cheeks actually turning red as she looked down. Slowly, she raised her chin, her eyes still moving from side to side as if she were trying to avoid looking directly at Lucifer. This
routine went on for a few moments before finally, she addressed the elephant in the room.
“Why…why are you wearing a robe?”
“Because I had just woken up. I made myself some coffee, went out to the deck, and just enjoyed the slow start to my day,” he began. “And then I was suddenly attacked.”
Mara’s reticence turned into shock. “What? Who would dare attack you?”
“Oh, I imagine lots would dare,” said Lucifer. “But in this instance, it was two humans. I got the sense they were some sort of demon hunters. And I thought who better to go to for information than the queen of the supernatural underworld.”
Mara looked away again with a smile forcing its way onto her face. “I’m hardly any sort of queen…just keep things in order for my mistress. More of a regent, really.”
“Whatever you choose to call yourself, you’re my best source of information on this,” said Lucifer.
“Of course, I’d be happy to help you in any way I can. But…there’s one thing I’m still not so clear on.”
“What’s that?” asked Lucifer.
“These men attacked you, you dispatched them, and then you came here,” she said. “So…I still don’t understand the robe.”
Lucifer frowned. “I…actually didn’t—the hunters are still alive.”
“Why would you leave them a—oh, I see,” said Mara, believing she’d discovered some master plan. “You left them alive as a warning. Probably maimed them terribly so other hunters would know not to come after the Morningstar.”
Lucifer’s lips pursed and stretched as he tried to push himself to say the words he didn’t want to say. “No. I…had to escape. In their beat-up old van. And so I didn’t have time to get dressed.”
Mara looked concerned. “Do you think it might have been Heaven attacking you? Because I do know about this one time when an angel imbued his followers with his own power. Could be that Uriel has decided to make a move against you.”
“They weren’t imbued with anything,” said Lucifer. “They were just normal demon hunters.”
“They must have been extremely formidable then. I know the Vatican employs highly trained assassins. And there’s also the Sons of Solomon and some very dangerous independent guilds…”
Lucifer’s lips tightened. He walked over to a liquor cabinet and opened it, helping himself to a bottle of bourbon. Without even asking, Lucifer removed the top and started drinking straight from the bottle.
“…sir?” asked Mara.
“It was two of them. Their names were Shem and Ham,” said Lucifer. “And they were utterly incompetent.”
Mara looked as if Lucifer had just spoken gibberish to her. “I don’t understand…if they were so incompetent, then why did you have to escape from them? Is this some sort of ploy to lure them into a false sense of security?”
“It’s no damn ploy!” Lucifer shouted. He closed his eyes and took a breath to calm himself. “I’m sorry. What I mean is I have…a situation.”
“…situation?”
“I inadvertently seem to have burned out my powers. At first, I thought it would be temporary. But now, it seems as if it’s permanent,” said Lucifer. “And without my powers, I’m just…”
“Human,” said Mara in disbelief. “When did this happen?”
“About a month or so ago. Barbatos was one of the Cocytus escapees and I lost my powers dealing with that situation,” said Lucifer. “Since then, I’ve been left stripped, so to speak. No psychometry, not even a spark of hellfire, I can’t even use basic magic without some sort of intermediary.”
“If this happened a month ago, then how come I’m just hearing about it now?” asked Mara.
Lucifer took another swig from the bottle and collapsed on Mara’s couch. “I didn’t want to broadcast it for obvious reasons. Enough people already know that the Devil is on Earth. If they knew he was powerless as well…”
“There would be waves of enemies out to kill you,” said Mara. “So that begs the question—how did these two learn about it?”
Lucifer took another drink. All this time, his assumption was that Shem and Ham simply attempted a foolhardy assault and had no knowledge of his current state. They certainly seemed stupid enough to think they could face the power of the Morningstar on their own. But what if Mara had a point—what if someone had informed them of his current state?
“That’s a very good question,” said Lucifer.
“What do you know about them?”
“They were brothers, and they also mentioned something about their father’s guild…”
“And you said their names were Shem and Ham?”
Lucifer nodded. “In the Bible, Noah had two sons named Shem and Ham.”
“Their father must run one of those independent guilds. A number of them exist across the world, quite a few here in America. More often than not, they tend to be ultra-zealous religious militias. Not too many operating in Chicago, they tend to exist in more rural areas,” said Mara.
“I’d imagine they’d face significant pushback from the different factions out here,” said Lucifer.
“That’s before you consider the larger, more organized groups, like the Vatican, the Sons of Solomon…”
“And OSIRIS,” said Lucifer.
Mara raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
“Seems Uncle Sam is getting involved in supernatural affairs as well,” said Lucifer. “Though they don’t seem particularly zealous, more concerned with maintaining order. Two of their agents actually helped Belial and I shut down Barbatos.”
“Do they know about your powers?” asked Mara.
Lucifer looked up at her. “You think they’re responsible for siccing the Wonder Twins on me?”
Mara shrugged. “Is it that outside the realm of possibility? Wouldn’t be the first time the US government used proxies to deal with their dirty work.”
“That’s true…” muttered Lucifer. “You have a phone I can borrow? I need to reach Belial and I dropped mine during the escape. I’d like to get back to the house now and could use his help.”
“Of course. But I’ll go back there with you right now, no need to wait for Belial,” said Mara. “He’s not the only one indebted to you.”
“That would be helpful,” said Lucifer. He looked down at his robe. “And I don’t suppose you have any clothes in my size…?”
Mara’s eyes burned bright yellow as she waved her hands. Energy crackled around Lucifer’s body, shifting the robe until it transformed into a silk red suit with a black, open-collared shirt. Lucifer examined the new clothing and gave a smile of satisfaction.
“Much better,” he said. “Although I will need you to turn this back into a robe later.”
“I will. Although there’s a bigger problem,” said Mara. “Now that these two know, who’s to say how many others will find out? You’re going to have a target on your back. Do you know of a way to restore your powers?”
Lucifer paused. Then he just stood from the couch, buttoned the jacket, and walked past Mara towards the front door. “I’m afraid I haven’t come up with anything just yet.”
5
Not only did Lucifer leave the van in a place it would definitely be towed, but the stockpile of weapons inside would definitely give the police reason to investigate further. And now that Mara was with him, Lucifer had no need of the van for transportation purposes—her wings could teleport them both instantly to Lucifer’s front door.
They materialized about a block away just in case Shem and Ham were still lurking around. Didn’t seem likely as strategy certainly wasn’t their strong suit, but it was best to take precautions so as not to be caught unawares. The two of them walked the short distance to Lucifer’s home.
The front door was left open. Mara took the lead and once inside the foyer, she conjured a hellfire sword in her hands. The library was to the left of the foyer and she checked inside there, first. Some books had been removed from the shelves, but they were left discarded on the
floor. There was broken glass in a puddle of gin from Lucifer’s attack on Ham, as well as the butcher knife Lucifer had thrown in the fight.
Mara moved through the library and into the kitchen. Also empty and not much of note in there. She continued forward, but as she came closer to the living room, she could sense another presence. Mara held up her hand, signaling for Lucifer to stay back. She gripped her sword with both hands and pushed open the sliding door with her foot.
She charged in the living room and raised the sword, prepared to bring it down on the remaining intruder. But she met with sudden resistance in the form of another flaming sword. Mara locked eyes with the intruder and her face carried a hint of surprise.
Mara’s sword vanished, the hellfire retreating back into her arms. The ‘intruder’ did the same as well, just as Lucifer entered the room behind Mara. He too was surprised to see the third person, though he probably shouldn’t have been.
“Belial?” asked Lucifer. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here,” said Belial.
“We tried to contact you, but we didn’t get an answer,” said Mara.
“I got your message and I came right over,” said Belial. “I hoped to catch the would-be assassins before they managed to escape.”
“And did you?” asked Lucifer.
Belial shook his head. “They were gone by the time I arrived. It seems they tried searching for some useful information, but I didn’t see any books unaccounted for.”
“No, my guess is they saw that the books weren’t in whatever idiot variant of English they speak, and so they just left them behind,” said Lucifer. “Or perhaps it was the lack of pictures that put them off.”
“Whatever the case, we need to press on ahead,” said Belial.
“Agreed,” said Lucifer. “I didn’t find my phone, so my guess is they must have taken it, thinking they could get some information off it. Not only are they likely too stupid to access anything on the device, but I’ll bet they didn’t even think about disabling the GPS. We can find them that way and then I can learn more about why they came for me.”
Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3) Page 3
