The Helm of Darkness

by Kim Richardson

  Elder Nicholas clicked his tongue. “Lies. Lies. Lies.”

  He waved his hand dramatically in the air. “It doesn’t matter. The Helm of Darkness is safe. Hades will never find it. Your master has failed because the news of its location will never reach him. The dead cannot speak.”

  Alexa gasped. There was only one way this could end. She knew Milo’s protests would be worthless now that Elder Nicholas had made his decision. If she spoke up now, she would only make things worse.

  Milo moved away from the desk.

  “Whatever you do,” he said hurriedly to Alexa, “don’t kill any elders. Knock them out if you have to, but if you kill one—”

  “Yes, I know, we’ve been down that road before,” growled Alexa.

  She knew all too well that the elders wanted to kill them, but she could only clobber them on the head with her fists.

  “They are trying to kill us. I much prefer to fight demons. At least I can kill them and not feel badly about it.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” said Milo.

  He kicked two wooden balusters free from the nearest staircase and tossed one to Alexa.

  “You don’t want their deaths on your conscience. Listen to me,” he spoke fast and low, so only Alexa could hear. “Make your way to the exit. Turn right. Go all the way down the hallway and get to the kitchen. The door at the back will lead you to the river. You’ll hear it. Follow your instincts. You can’t miss it.”

  “What about you?” Alexa suspected that Milo was about to do something heroic again. She was getting used to the idea of having him around.

  Milo’s eyes flashed. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “That sounds like something I would say.” Alexa watched his face. “You better be.”

  She gripped her baluster. It was lighter than she’d expected, but it would knock someone out cold if she hit him hard enough. Her numbing fear subsided as anger and a familiar cold darkness took its place.

  Elder Nicholas didn’t hesitate. He pointed at the angels and roared like a madman. “Kill them!”

  Everything moved at once. It was like watching an old Kung Fu movie when the heroes were suddenly surrounded by a ridiculous number of martial arts fighters and had to fight against impossible odds.

  Alexa didn’t have time to blink as the elders attacked in a blur of white and silver. They came at her from everywhere at once, and the swish of their swords sliced through air all around her.

  Hurt. Don’t kill.

  It was beginning to be habit now. Moving on instinct, she let the attack sweep past her. She didn’t strike but let herself float with the press of the charge. She let her angel senses guide her, and her first attacker tumbled to the ground when she stepped out of the way.

  Milo disappeared under a blur of white robes, but she heard him curse, and then she heard the sound of wood hitting bone and flesh.

  She realized Milo hadn’t shared the location of the Helm of Darkness. If he was killed now…

  A woman whose face was marked by so many tattoos it was impossible to tell her age bared her teeth like an animal and shouted. “Back to the shadow world, demon!”

  Alexa was so shocked to be called a demon that she hesitated.

  The woman’s sword sliced through Alexa’s coat. She screamed as hot pain exploded on her left arm, and the white light of her essence spilled from her cut.

  Alexa sensed the air move behind her, and she spun her wooden baluster around and caught the hilt of another sword before it could decapitate her. Alexa kicked out and struck her new attacker in the chest. He grunted as he fell.

  Something hard hit the back of her head, and black spots exploded behind her eyes. She stumbled, but she managed to step aside and use the baluster to block a second blow. She hit her attacker with her open hand and caught him on the side of his head. His body went limp, and she turned to face her next attack.

  She met it with a foot to the chest and threw the woman back.

  Alexa gave herself over to her anger and her darkness. She moved swiftly and without thought. She managed to control her rage and avoided killing her attackers, but it was hard. There were so many. Her essence flowed like adrenaline, and the faster they came, the faster she reacted.

  Milo shouted, “Get to the river!”

  He disappeared again into a blur of arms and legs and swords. Six elders lay in a pile around Milo’s feet, but there were many more to replace them.

  A wink of metal and the swish of a long sword came from her right. Alexa caught the metal in her hands, and her baluster fell to her feet. The blade sliced her skin, but she managed to yank the weapon right out of the elder’s grip. She spun and kicked him in the groin.

  His face reddened. “You bitch,” he spat, and then he collapsed with his hands between his legs.

  She could hear Milo shouting, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  An elder yelled, “Death to the devil’s servants!”

  Alexa spun, kicked out, and punched, but she knew her body was on the edge of failure. Her legs felt stiff, and her muscles were ready to cramp.

  She blocked another sword that swung dangerously close to her face, and strands of her sweaty hair fell around her cheeks.

  Something hit the side of her head, and she fell to the floor with her arm at an awkward angle. She heard a sickening crack and an excruciating pain shot through her arm. Her M-9 shot warm fluid into the break, but it was mending her too slowly.

  The elder pressed the tip of his sword into Alexa’s chest and another elder punched her in the face.

  Alexa rolled away with a cry of pain. She tried to fight him off with her good arm, but he knocked her fists away. He grabbed her and held her by her hair. Alexa screamed and the top of her head burned as he tried to pull off her scalp. She hit him again and again with her good hand, but his hold never loosened.

  He held her by the hair and backhanded her across the face a few times. Her vision blurred as she kicked and clawed and screamed at him. Two more elders closed in—

  Suddenly a blur of white fur and gleaming canine teeth leapt into the fray. The men screamed as the creature attacked them, and Alexa fell back.

  One of the ice beasts must have gotten inside.

  Alexa wiped the tears from her eyes and felt hot breath on her face.

  She blinked into familiar yellow eyes. “Lance?”

  The scout opened his jaws, and a big gray tongue lolled out. “Miss me?”

  CHAPTER 24

  ALEXA FORGOT THE IMMEDIATE DANGER and threw her arms around the white German Shepherd. God, she had missed him. She rubbed her face against his soft fur and fought back her tears.

  “I’m all for hugging,” said Lance. “Only the souls know how much I love hugs and belly rubs. But if you don’t let go of me soon, it’ll be Lance chops on the elders’ menu tonight.”

  Alexa let him go and jumped up. “How did you find us? Where have you been?”

  “I’ll explain later,” said the dog. “Let’s get out of here.”

  He turned around and shouted, “Milo!”

  Milo head-butted an elder, and the body crumbled to the ground.

  Alexa scanned the chamber and could see that all of the elders were either unconscious or injured and bloodied, but still alive. But there was no sign of Elder Nicholas.

  “Where’s Elder Nicholas?” she asked as Milo bounded into view. There was not a scratch on him, and he still held his baluster.

  “I don’t know.” Milo shook his head. “Probably off to warn the others. We need to get the hell out of here. Now. This was just Elder Nicholas’ personal guard I imagine. We won’t make it if the other hundreds find us here. Come on!”

  They picked their way around the fallen elders, sprinted across the chamber, and made for the doors.

  Milo pushed open the doors, and he and Lance barreled through, but something moved in the corner of Alexa’s eye.

  “Milo. Lance. Wait!”

  Alexa halted and turned. Elder Nic
holas was cowering in the corner next to a stack of books and using a drape to cover himself.

  He pointed his crooked finger at her and said, “You won’t get away with this, angel!”

  Alexa closed the distance between them until she could smell the alcohol on his breath. She glowered.

  “You’re an asshole.”

  She smacked him across the face with her outstretched hand, and he fell back. He held his face and looked both shocked and offended that she had hit him.

  She leered at him. “You look much better on your ass and looking scared. It suits you.”

  Milo smiled at her, looking both pleased and impressed. Then he turned on his heel and vanished through the door.

  “I love me a strong woman,” said Lance. “Let’s go, badass.”

  Lance barked and shot after Milo. Alexa smiled proudly and sprinted down the hallway after them both.

  The unfamiliar corridors and doors passed in blurs of browns and grays. One of the rooms they passed had high ceilings, chiseled marble floors, and an enormous and ornate golden throne studded with rubies and sapphires. They rushed down more hallways until she hadn’t the slightest chance of finding her way out again. But they met no one, and Alexa thanked the souls that they appeared to be safe.

  “Lance, how did you find us?” Alexa’s left arm dangled loosely beside her. “I thought you were on a job—”

  She hoped Milo and Lance didn’t hear the emotion in her voice.

  Lance kept his head focused straight ahead as he answered. “The archangel Ariel told me where you were. She sent me to look after you.”

  Alexa looked at Milo, but he gave no indication that he’d heard what Lance had said.

  “How did you get past the ice beasts?”

  “Remember when I told you I have many talents?” His nails tore at the stone floor as he galloped along next to her.

  “Yes?”

  “Well,” said Lance, “outsmarting ice beasts is one of them.”

  Alexa rolled her eyes. “So, where were you all this time? No one would tell me.”

  “The Legion sent me on a fool’s errand.”

  He lowered his ears. “They had me track Ryan and his two minions. I discovered their hideout in New York, but I was found out, and I lost them for a while. When I got back to Horizon, I heard the news about the attacks on Hallow Hall.”

  Lance looked at her briefly. “Is Erik all right?”

  Alexa’s chest tightened. “Yes. Yes, he’s fine.”

  She didn’t speak for a while, and she didn’t even notice they had entered the kitchen. The flower-dusted tables were laden with enough food to feed an army.

  “Listen, there’s something I need to tell you,” said Lance.

  Alexa and Milo stopped dead in their tracks and turned around to listen.

  “What is it, Lance?” said Alexa.

  Lance’s ears stood straight up on his head as though he’d heard something.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked.

  Milo and Alexa both nodded, but it was Milo who answered, “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Good,” Lance sounded relieved. “Because the Legion is putting a stop to your mission.”

  “What?” Alexa was dumbfounded. “Are you serious? Why would they do that? Don’t they realize that Hades is a real threat?”

  Lance sighed. “They do, but right now they’re putting all their resources into finding Ryan and the angels that followed him. And that includes us. I wasn’t supposed to come here, but I sneaked out before anyone except Ariel saw me leave.”

  Milo frowned, “We have vital information that I know the Legion will want to hear.”

  “I’m sure you do,” said Lance. “But it won’t make a difference. They won’t listen to you. I can promise you that. The Legion has bigger problems.”

  “Bigger than a pagan god on the verge of finding a weapon that will make him invisible?” said Alexa.

  Lance’s ears flattened over his head. “What weapon?”

  Milo quickly told Lance what they’d discovered in the books. “If he gets his hands on the Helm of Darkness, he’ll rip the worlds apart in fire and chaos, and he’ll never stop.”

  Lance sat back down on his hind legs. “It’s worse than I thought. We can try to convince Ariel to set up another team—but I’m certain Metatron won’t allow it.”

  He hesitated for a moment. “You see, there’s been a new development while you two were gone.”

  “What kind of development?” asked Milo.

  “The kind that binds Ryan and the Cleansing together,” answered the scout. “It seems that Ryan has been preaching for years about a new Cleansing.”

  “The cleansing of the human race,” said Alexa, partly to herself. “I know about the Cleansing. The oracle told me what had happened.”

  Alexa shook her head gently. “You know, I’m not surprised that Ryan is involved in this. There was always something about him that felt wrong.”

  “Wrong doesn’t even cut it,” said Lance. “The Cleansing is going to be much worse this time. Ryan has convinced thousands of angels to join him, both new angels and those who stayed loyal to Asmodeus. He has promised them a world without humans, where angels will be freed from their duties. He’s gathering an army of fallen angels.”

  Milo looked horrified. “An army? Are you sure?”

  He sounded as though he already knew the answer.

  Lance shook his head. “I can’t say for sure yet, but it looks like it. My guess is that he’s getting ready to strike the Legion. It explains Metatron’s orders, and why he’s got every angel working around the clock on this. And I mean everybody. He’s got all the Scouts working to sniff out any of Ryan’s spies that are still in the Legion. Every single angel in Horizon is on active duty. The mortals won’t stand a chance against the demons unless we can help.”

  Lance looked somber. “Metatron’s gone a little paranoid, too. He committed hundreds of angels to Tartarus without any evidence, just because they worked with Ryan in the past.”

  “He’s sending innocent angels to prison?” said Alexa, startled. “I thought they had all sworn an oath that protected them.”

  “They had. But Metatron issued a new decree that annulled the old one,” said Lance. “I’m sure he knows some are innocent, but he can’t afford to take any chances. Better to protect the Legion now than be sorry later.”

  His ears flattened. “Which is why I’m here.”

  “Because of me,” said Alexa. She knew exactly why. “He’s sending me to Tartarus because he doesn’t trust me, isn’t he?” She clenched her jaw.

  “It’s because of your past history with Ryan,” said Lance, looking uncomfortable.

  Alexa raised her voice. “I don’t have a past history with that jerk. I barely know him. How can he even think that!”

  “It’s worse than that,” Lance’s eyes began to tear.

  Alexa shrugged and shook her head. “What could be worse than Tartarus—”

  And then she knew. She knew before Lance had a chance to speak.

  “Termination,” Lance’s voice cracked. “Your true death.”

  Alexa felt like she’d been slapped across the face. The world spun like a merry-go-round, and she felt sicker and sicker but was unable to jump off.

  “This is a mistake,” said Milo suddenly. “You heard wrong, Scout.”

  The hair on Lance’s back rose like spikes. “No, I didn’t. I heard it from the mouth of the archangel Ariel herself. She told me.”

  He looked at Alexa. “Any angel has the authority to take you into custody and turn you over to Metatron, so that he can…”

  He didn’t finish.

  Alexa couldn’t look at Lance. “What about Milo?”

  She couldn’t help feeling hurt and betrayed. All she had done was kiss a mortal. It was nothing compared to the crimes that Milo had perpetrated.

  Milo looked away from Alexa. “Yeah. What about me? Am I to return a prisoner?”
r />   His tone was cold.

  Lance gazed up at Milo. “I didn’t hear anything. I don’t think you’re under suspicion.”

  Alexa gritted her teeth and tried to calm herself. “When will they arrest me?”

  “As soon as you arrive in Horizon,” said Milo. “Knowing Metatron, there will be a team already waiting to take you to Tartarus.”

  Alexa wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm the cold chill she felt in her veins. “What about Hades? We can’t just forget about him.”

  “No, we can’t.” Milo straightened. “It’s too important. Besides, I think Hades and Ryan have been working together since the beginning. I don’t think for a minute that the Cleansing and Hades’ escape from the Netherworld is a coincidence.”

  He looked at Alexa. “But I’m not about to turn you over to Metatron either.”

  Alexa’s voice was low when she spoke. “So, what do we do?”

  “We go behind the Legion’s back,” said Milo. His eyes danced conspiratorially, and Alexa felt a surge of warmth in her chest.

  Lance’s ears perked up, and he looked as pleased as a dog could look. “I was hoping you’d said that.” He began to talk quickly. “It’s why Ariel sent me to warn you, and it’s why I’ve arranged a secret convoy. I’ve called in a few favors from the angels working at the pools in Operations on level two. We could be in and out of there in a few minutes. We’d be gone by the time they even suspected us of having crossed back.”

  Alexa smiled, “Us? In like the three of us?”

  She might still get her chance to defeat the pagan god.

  “Of course, all three of us,” said Lance, and then he began to scratch behind his ear. “You need me—”

  The ground shook, and Alexa heard thousands of feet running towards them. Shouts erupted and were repeated back. The elders had found them.

  Milo rushed ahead and yanked open the door at the back of the kitchen.

  “Quickly!” he ushered them. And when Alexa and Lance were safely through, Milo pulled the door closed behind them.

  They were plunged into complete darkness.

  “That should hold them for a while.”

  Alexa blinked in the darkness, but even before her eyesight could adjust she heard the sound of glorious rushing water. When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw the steps that descended into the murky darkness.