Rise of the Fallen

by Chuck Black

  “Well, they’ll have to get in line because we wanted you first.”

  Validus watched Carter jerk away from the car, but he couldn’t break loose from their grip. The agents slammed him onto the trunk.

  “You can make this hard, Carter, or you can make this easy.”

  Validus convinced himself that this was best. His mission was to keep Carter alive. In war there were always casualties and sacrifices made for the mission. Carter would be safe, and Validus would give whatever support he could to the SWAT team.

  Validus glared at Carter, a war raging in his heart.

  “Please, help me. I have to save them!” Carter pleaded, meeting Validus’s gaze.

  Carter didn’t even know the risk he was asking to take. He was one stray bullet from an eternity of damnation. All logic and reason told Validus to walk away.

  He looked at the federal agents, then back at Carter. He knew the only way to save Sydney Carlyle and the Branson children was to get Carter there.

  “Carter, you’re only going one place, so shut up!” The agent lifted him back to his feet and shoved him onto the sidewalk.

  Validus slowly drew his sword, regretting his action even before he took it.

  Drew looked at the two Feds. “Nothing personal, guys, but I just can’t go with you right now.”

  One of the agents put his hand on the back of Carter’s head. Validus committed. He swiped his sword through the handcuffs and stepped back.

  Before they hit the ground, Carter spun and grabbed the agent’s outstretched upper arm. He used that leverage to slam the agent’s head into the car, just aft of the door opening. The concussion knocked the agent out cold.

  The other agent was standing just forward of the open door. He reached inside his jacket for his gun, but Carter side-kicked the door, which slammed into the agent. He sprawled backward, onto the sidewalk. Carter reached down and pulled the gun out of the unconscious agent’s holster. He brought it to bear on the fallen agent, who froze, holding his hands clear of his jacket. Carter covered the ground between them.

  Validus turned away, once again amazed at Carter’s near-supernatural skill. He’d never seen such abilities in a man before. Watching him was reminiscent of watching David’s mighty men of valor, but Carter was beyond even them.

  Validus materialized through the wall of the nearest building and made his way to Tren, knowing Carter could find his way to the gang’s warehouse on his own. His mind turned to his own upcoming battle. Without support from Malak and Linari, there was every possibility that Validus could lose everyone … Carter, Carlyle, the two children.

  Validus found Tren on top of a building two blocks west of the abandoned warehouse the Dragons called their “dome,” far enough away to be relatively safe but not too close to be seen. The dome was a staging point for the Fallen in this area of Chicago, and the gang was a physical manifestation of the outpouring of such evil hearts as Durgank’s. Tonight it felt especially dark. Validus could feel the darkness of Durgank everywhere. It made his skin crawl.

  Tren crouched, which gave him just enough height to see over the two-foot stub wall on the roof of the building. Validus approached low and silent until he was beside Tren. He knelt down and peered over the wall.

  “What have you got?”

  “I haven’t been able to get very close. This place is crawling with Fallen, and I’m sure the droxan aren’t far away. With all the activity near that warehouse in both realms, Carlyle and the children have got to be inside.” Tren looked over at Validus. “I’ve counted twenty-five warriors for the Fallen so far and at least that many gang members. No sign of Micah’s guardian. If he went in, I’m afraid he’s gone.”

  Validus pursed his lips and nodded. He looked back at Tren. “It’s not in my nature to back away from a fight, no matter what the odds. Tonight, no matter the cost, I don’t plan on walking away from here without those people safe … all of them. I don’t expect the same from you.”

  Tren allowed a subtle grin. “You warriors always try to be the heroes. Don’t think for a minute you get to do this alone.”

  Validus smiled. “You’re all right … for a guardian,” he teased.

  Tren snorted. “What’s the plan?”

  Validus reached inside his overcoat and offered a gun to Tren. “Here. I translated a couple of FNs from the FBI just in case we might need them. The plan is for me to take out fifteen of them and you take the rest.”

  “Simple … direct … foolish. I can do that.”

  Validus spun around in time to see three warriors materialize up through the roof of the building just a few steps away. Teriel approached with two of Linari’s warriors. Validus looked for more, but there were none.

  “This is Kassen; that’s Walsop,” Teriel said.

  Validus looked at Teriel for some hope of more to come, but Teriel just shook his head. Validus let the severity of the moment grip his soul. These men might die tonight. There was no place for levity now.

  “Gentlemen, you haven’t come to a picnic. I wish we had more support, but since this is it, we’ll have to make do. Here’s the situation: A young woman and two children are being held hostage in that warehouse. As you know, this is Dragon territory and that’s their dome. Durgank has taken control of the Fallen’s operation and has over twenty-five warriors in support. Their goal is to eliminate Drew Carter. He’s an unsaved man with the ability to see into our realm.”

  The two warriors’ eyebrows raised.

  “Bottom line—Carter must live, but he’s our only hope of getting those hostages out safely.”

  “Why’s that?” Kassen asked. “Can he dodge bullets or something?”

  “Actually … yes, he can.”

  Kassen and Walsop looked sideways at each other.

  Validus spotted the FBI car a block farther west of their location. Carter was coming in from the southwest.

  “That’s our man.” Validus pointed. “We’re going to give two-stage protection to get him into the warehouse; then we’ll rendezvous on the roof and come down on the Fallen from above. Is everyone armed?”

  All four warriors nodded.

  “Tren, you and Teriel cover Carter as far as you can. Our goal is to eliminate so the Fallen we encounter don’t get word back to Durgank. For Carter’s sake, we need to keep the element of surprise as long as possible. Any questions?”

  Validus drew his sword, and the other four followed suit. “For the glory of Elohim!”

  “For the glory of Elohim!” they echoed.

  Validus looked each warrior in the eye, feeding strength into their souls with his gaze. “Let’s move!”

  The two teams split. Tren and Teriel met Carter and stayed with him by jumping from rooftop to rooftop and building to building, sometimes materializing through walls to keep cover. Validus positioned Kassen and Walsop at the back and on the second floor of a nearby apartment building next to the warehouse, then made his way to the front. He was able to briefly get eyes on the street and the front of the warehouse.

  He counted thirty-four Fallen, and more were coming. Durgank was there, and he was preparing for an army. Validus’s heart sank. He was leading his men and Carter into a death trap.

  “Almighty Elohim, if ever I needed Your strength, Your power, Your wisdom, Your help … it is now. I am here to do Your will, my Lord. Please hear the voice of Your servant.”

  Validus rejoined Kassen and Walsop in time to see two of the Fallen racing between the buildings toward Carter.

  Kassen and Walsop waited for the word from Validus. When the timing was right, he gave it.

  “Go!”

  The two warriors fell from above to intercept the attacking Fallen.

  Validus scanned the area and saw another Fallen jumping from the roof of the warehouse right on top of Carter. Validus jumped across the gap, simultaneously dropping his sword and drawing his short sword. He collided with the Fallen in midair. The impact sent them smashing into the side of the warehouse, then crashing
into a heap on the ground. The Fallen’s body sublimated into a greenish vapor and sunk into the earth, revealing Validus’s perfectly placed blade.

  He recovered his long sword in an instant and joined the nearest fight. Two quick slices put Walsop’s enemy down. Kassen’s opponent retreated, and Kassen went after him.

  Validus looked at the door Carter had gone through and then back at the skirmish that Tren and Teriel were fighting. More Fallen had joined that fight, and it was looking desperate.

  “I’ll cover him,” Walsop said, then materialized through the warehouse wall.

  Validus sprinted back to help Tren and Teriel. His advance from behind them was unexpected, and he was able to eliminate two of the four Fallen in short order. In the distraction Validus’s arrival caused, Tren and Teriel each landed a deadly cut that ended the fight.

  “We’ve got to get back to Carter,” Validus said. “Walsop is in there alone.”

  Gunshots rang out from the warehouse just two hundred feet away. Validus recognized the distinct sound of Carter’s FN firing in rapid succession. They sprinted to the warehouse, but by the time they arrived, the air fell silent again. The last shots Validus heard were two rounds of the FNs. Whatever had happened, it was too late now.

  Kassen rejoined them.

  “Any sign of Walsop?” Validus asked.

  Kassen shook his head. Validus regretted letting him go in alone.

  “To the roof,” Validus ordered.

  The four warriors jumped first to the apartment building next door, then to the roof of the warehouse. They crawled along the roof toward the front of the building. Validus held up his hand, then materialized his face through the corrugated tin just far enough to see inside the warehouse. The situation was grave. He pulled back and looked at his three comrades.

  He quickly drew an imaginary representation of the inside of the warehouse.

  “Hostages here, surrounded by three gang members. Carter here with Durgank on him.” He hesitated with the next information. “Twenty-four warriors. Most along this wall here and here.”

  Going in was nothing short of suicide. He took in the gazes of his warriors … and his guardian.

  “I’m not going to ask you to do this. Those who go in with me … well, I don’t expect to come out.”

  “Where do you want us to fall through?” Tren asked, undaunted by the threat.

  The other two nodded.

  “You are truly warriors of valor,” Validus said. “If we can pull the Fallen’s attention off the gang and on to us, I’m counting on Carter to handle himself.

  We’ll fall back next to Carlyle and the children. If one of us falls, we fill in to keep our backs protected. Understand?”

  All agreed. They drew their handguns and positioned themselves, waiting for Validus’s signal to materialize through the roof and into a gauntlet of inescapable death.

  34

  WHEN HEROES FALL

  AD 1943

  “Yortan!” Validus yelled, but it was to no avail.

  The death camp was filled with two thousand Fallen, emboldened by the power of the evil hearts of the men Apollyon had darkened. But Yortan the guardian would not abandon his charge. Validus saw the fury in his eyes, the same fury that fueled all of them. This battle rivaled those Validus had witnessed between the Fallen and the angels in the days before the Great Purge.

  Validus turned to General Danick. “Yortan is going in. Your orders, sir?”

  “We must help him. This is the lineage. All the others are gone. His charge is the last one, Validus!”

  Danick had committed the remaining lineage warriors to Yortan’s charge, little Anna Wiesenthal. Her journey had led them to this place of utter hopelessness: Sobibór death camp in eastern Poland, a place dominated by the Fallen through the Nazis.

  Once again, Apollyon and his minions led by General Desgard had used the circumstances of man’s fallen and depraved state to wield horrid power in both realms. One by one, each of the lines of promise that General Danick had been following were eliminated. It wasn’t haphazard or accidental—it was a methodical, tactical strike, and Validus knew exactly why.

  After nearly seventeen hundred years of faithful lineage tracking and protection, many warriors in the Lineage Legion began to lose heart, questioning if their devotion to and sacrifice for the cause were misplaced. After all, even General Brandt seemed to think so. The Diaspora of the Jewish people continued throughout the world, making their quest to track lineages almost impossible, especially with each warrior who fell.

  Then, fifteen years ago when it seemed as though even General Danick himself was ready to abandon the cause, the Fallen struck. A man filled with over one hundred vexer-possessors had gained access to the Lineage Legion headquarters in Poland, the highest concentration of Jews in Europe. Like a Trojan horse, the man committed suicide within the church and unleashed a century of demons into the heart of their headquarters.

  Validus had fought shoulder to shoulder with his fellow warriors, defending General Danick, but it wasn’t Danick they were after—it was his chart of lineages. In the throes of battle, two of the Fallen had gained access to the chart.

  It was brief, and at the time Danick and Validus weren’t sure how much the Fallen had learned, but one short decade later it became evident that the breach of information would be devastating in a myriad of ways.

  The Fallen orchestrated the most bizarre and accelerated rise to power of an Antichrist that the angels had ever seen. Adolf Hitler was ruthless in accomplishing the will of Apollyon. The entire world of warriors was plunged into another epic battle for the conquest of humanity. General Brandt had no men to spare, and the fierce defense of the lineages by Danick’s legion had cost many warriors their lives. The genius of the devious scheme was a testimony to the brilliant, darkened mind of Apollyon.

  Now, in 1943 at the culmination of his heinous scheme, all of Danick’s protected lineages had been targeted and eliminated … All but one.

  The guardian Yortan was the protector of the last. He was a massive angel of great power and skill, but even he had his limitations. General Danick, Validus, and the remaining six hundred lineage warriors had all vowed with their lives to protect the child, but against two thousand Fallen it was little more than a suicide mission.

  Validus searched for Captain Brish. “Get your men to the left flank. We need to protect that guardian!”

  Brish and sixty of his warriors rushed the gates of the Sobibór camp, but they were grossly outnumbered.

  Validus looked at Yortan. His massive frame powered a double-edged long sword, cutting through two and three demons with every slice. A constant greenish mist surrounded him as his arm of justice sent Fallen after Fallen to the Abyss.

  “Haro, get your men to the right flank. We must breach their line,” Validus ordered his last captain, then turned back to his commander. “General—”

  But Danick was not there.

  Validus didn’t need to see. He knew what was happening. The gates of Sobibór were being charged, and Danick was leading it. He was heading straight into the fray to help Guardian Yortan protect his charge.

  The warriors rallied when they saw their general leading, an angel warrior of six thousand years, the commander who had survived thousands of battles and led them to victory in preparing the way of the Messiah.

  Danick and his six hundred valiant angel warriors stormed one of Desgard’s darkest strongholds, the death camp of Sobibór, to save the life of one child.

  Both realms erupted in chaos—a battle of swords, guns, and axes. Validus threw himself into the fight, methodically working his way toward Danick.

  Fifty yards beyond Yortan, Eva Wiesenthal was walking naked along the long barbed-wire corridor that led to the gas chamber and clinging to Anna, her infant child. Time was running out.

  From the north and west of the death camp, forces of the Fallen abandoned their guard and rushed to reinforce the main gate near the railway. In a moment of trium
ph, Danick, Validus, and Yortan broke through, and two hundred warriors spilled into the camp.

  Inside, Validus could see guards and prisoners running every direction. The humans felt the spiritual battle over this dreadful place too, and a revolt was taking place. But Eva and Anna had already disappeared into the gas chamber in the remote sector of the camp.

  Once they breached the Fallen’s lines, Yortan and Danick didn’t hesitate to rush upon the inner defenses of sector three. This was where Desgard’s greatest evil was accomplished, and this was where his vilest of demons and beasts were. Thoughtless vessels of pure evil reveling in the hatred, torture, mutilation, and death of innocent people. Some of the Nazi guards hosted dozens of possessors. Two droxan beasts were roaming sector three’s compound, feasting on the fear of the victims and on the hatred of the predators.

  Yortan struck first with Danick and the sixty-seven remaining warriors close behind. Validus took three men and went for the first droxan. He had learned from Danick that there was no defense against droxan, only offense. They must be attacked, or they would destroy you. The hard part was finding enough courage to charge headlong into four-inch talons and fangs.

  “Four quarters!” Validus shouted above the clashes of battle.

  His three warriors immediately split and came at the droxan from each of their respective quarters with Validus charging straight on.

  The droxan whipped its tail and caught one warrior across the chest, tearing its serrated spines through his torso. The angel immediately dissolved away. The beast lunged for Validus, and one of the flanking warriors sliced through its side. It screeched and tore wildly at the warrior, giving Validus a split-second opportunity to explode upward with his sword, slicing clear through the droxan’s neck. Body and head dissolved away in a green vapor as they fell to the earth.

  Validus sent both of his angels to the aid of three others who were facing the second droxan. He looked for Danick and Yortan but was intercepted by two more Fallen. One made a powerful slice with his sword while the other fired four rounds of a Walther P38 at Validus’s chest.