Derick felt as if he were in an episode of the “Twilight Zone,” but it didn’t matter, he believed Annie. While his brain was tied in knots trying to figure out how all of this could be real, he believed the sentiment and emotion that she expressed, not the mention the dress that had appeared out of nowhere.
Derick’s mind bounced around the concept of Hell and an Angel of Death pushing people to commit suicide. Even if he didn’t want to believe in either of them, he believed that Annie was different from him. There was no denying that she appeared to be more than human.
“I’m confused beyond belief, but you can’t leave,” Derick wasn’t sure who she was, but he couldn’t let her go. He had a million questions, but more than that, he wanted her to stay. He should have never doubted her and thought that she was crazy.
“I have to. Death stalks my every step. If I stay with you, bad things will happen. You won’t be safe, for many reasons,” Anjali imagined Lucifer getting his hands on Derick. She couldn’t allow that.
“I don’t care who or what you are, but you have to stay with me. I know you well enough to believe that none of this is your fault, or at least that you tried to prevent it from happening. You saved Pete. I wouldn’t have been able to do that alone. I had no idea what to do. I know you are upset about Wedge’s death, I see it in your eyes. We can find a way to deal with Alazar, whoever he is, but we have to do it together,” Derick pleaded. Even though he didn’t understand anything that was happening; he knew he had to keep her close.
“Derick, I would love nothing more than to stay, but I can’t. It’s because I love you that I have to leave. I refused to see you harmed. I’m so sorry for everything. Go back to Tulsa and live a good life, a life that I can’t have. Goodbye,” Anjali finally allowed the tears to flow freely as she watched Derick’s form blur and disappear.
Before Derick could say anything, she disappeared from Romania and entered the Hall of Mirrors.
Anjali sat down on her throne and cried for the loss of her sweet boy and her deranged angel.
Chapter 15
Radek was mad when he saw tears in Lady Black’s eyes as she entered the Hall of Mirrors.
“Don’t tell me he broke up with you. I’m going to go back there and kick his ass,” Radek snapped. Apparently, his “go get the girl” speech had fallen upon deaf and stupid ears. The mortal truly was an idiot. She deserved better.
“No. I left him. Alazar killed Wedge. He made his declaration of war loud and clear. I can’t have Derick caught up in this. Alazar won’t hesitate to kill him just to spite me. Then of course, there’s Lucifer. A mortal doesn’t stand a chance against two of the deadliest angels. It’s better this way,” Anjali wiped the tears from her cheeks and settled herself. It was time to get her head back in the game. She had a Rogue Angel to deal with.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. He made you happy and that counts for something. I agree that Alazar would consider him a pawn in your battle. You did the right thing, though I still think Derick is a good influence. I wish things could have worked out for the two of you,” Radek bowed to Lady Black, stepped up onto the dais, and stood at her right side, awaiting his next command.
“Thank you. You really are a romantic,” Anjali chuckled quietly.
“I try, my lady,” Radek replied. He put on his serious face, knowing that things were about to get ugly.
“Mark, I summon you,” Anjali sighed.
Radek grimaced, knowing how hard it would be for Lady Black to sentence Alazar to death. She had been so hopeful that she could find all her angels and join with them. She had failed in her first attempt to obtain an angel. He feared that she would give up on the rest, believing that they would never follow her, and sentence them all to death. He prayed that she didn’t make a mistake and give up on the other Predznak before she gave them a chance.
Radek watched a shimmering light appeared in the middle of the Hall of Mirrors. It never failed to amaze him how beautiful and comforting a light could be. Even though everyone in Hell thought Mark was a douche, Radek liked the angel. At least Mark had never punched him in the face, which made him a much nicer angel that any other he’d ever met, with the exception of Gabriel. Gabriel was nice, but he was often on edge and cranky.
Mark bowed when he saw Lady Black sitting atop her throne. She looked as beautiful as ever, but he could tell that she was sad. He feared the worst since she never summoned him merely to exchange pleasantries.
“Mark, please inform the Council that Alazar, the Angel of Death, is now a Rogue,” Anjali’s voice nearly cracked when she said the dreaded words.
Mark was stunned for a moment. He was not necessarily surprised that Alazar, of all angels, had decided to rebel against Father and become a Rogue. Alazar had always been difficult, but Mark was surprised that it was Lady Black issuing the decree. He thought as his Master, she would go to almost any length to either protect him or persuade him to change his mind before anyone else found out about his evil deeds. Once an angel was declared a Rogue, there was no going back, even if the angel begged to be brought back into the fold. It was a serious matter to declare someone a Rogue.
“You are certain, my lady?” Mark asked tentatively. She was visibly upset and it was doubtful that she would call upon him unless she was sure of the situation.
“Yes. Inform the Council and Michael at once. I’m sure that Michael will lead the search himself,” she choked, trying to keep the tears from falling again. She reminded herself that Alazar had made this choice, not her. She had failed to secure his loyalty, but he was the one who turned his back on her.
“I will inform the Council immediately, my lady. Though I regret the loss of my brother Alazar, I can honestly say that I am not surprised. In fact, I am more surprised that he did not turn against Father eons ago. It is a sad day. I will speak to the Council about choosing a new Angel of Death,” Mark cringed when he said the last part. It meant that Father would gather all the angels and request a volunteer for the position.
Mark remembered the strife that came about during the Premena Ceremony. It was uncomfortable watching his brothers and sisters look away from each other or look to each other for a volunteer. Most didn’t want to change their positions, despite it being considered an honor to answer Father’s call and take up a new charge. Arguments would sometimes break out if no one stepped forward. Finding a new Angel of Death would certainly cause difficulties now that everyone knew what was at stake. The original Predznak had no idea what was in store for them. Now it was common knowledge how difficult a task it would be to become a Predznak.
“Very well. Thank you, Mark. Do you know if I will need to be present during the volunteering process?” Anjali didn’t know much about the “transformation” ceremony, but she knew she wasn’t ready to find a new Angel of Death yet. She would do what was required of her, but her heart wouldn’t be in it.
“I am not sure, my lady; there is no protocol in place for such an occurrence. I will seek guidance from the Council and inform you of their decision. I would think you would want to be there to oversee the outcome,” Mark replied. His heart skipped at the thought of her returning to Heaven, even if it was for a few hours. He paused, unsure why he cared about seeing her in Heaven. He ignored the thought and waited for Lady Black’s response.
“I would prefer not to go, if given a choice. It’s not as if I can choose someone. They have to volunteer. Besides, I don’t want to sway someone’s decision by making them think that I will seek retribution on those who don’t step forward,” she replied, waving away the thought of attending.
Mark understood her hesitancy, and there would be those who stepped forward for the wrong reasons, but he did not think it would have anything to do with her seeking retribution against them. The pitiful fools would sign up because of her fair face.
“I understand, my lady, and I will express your concerns to the Council. Will that be all?” Mark was reluctant to leave. He was not ready to sentence one of his
brethren to death, even if it was Alazar.
“That will be all. Thank you, Mark,” Anjali turned her head. She couldn’t watch Mark leave, knowing that she had just condemned Alazar to a life in the Hall of Shadows, beneath Lucifer’s boot.
Mark bowed his head and sighed. He disappeared and returned to Heaven.
Anjali hung her head and said a prayer for those who hunted her angel. Alazar had said that he would not go down without a fight. She feared that even Michael might not be able to capture him.
“What’s the matter? Did someone run over your cat?” Hades’ snide voice echoed through the hall.
Of course Hades would appear to torment her. He could smell misery like a shark could smell blood in the water. She hated Hades’ uncanny ability to know just when she was at her lowest.
“I don’t need this right now, Hades,” her voice sounded defeated even to her own ears. Hades would certainly pounce and go in for the kill.
Radek bowed to Lady Black and left before he said something to Hades that would land him in the Hall of Torment for a month.
“What happened now? Did you and Lucifer get into another fight? How boring. Or are you unhappy that you didn’t destroy my entire tower? That would have been mildly amusing, but I would have simply taken over your quarters until it was rebuilt,” Hades sniped and looked down at his manicured nails.
“If you must know, I have declared Alazar a Rogue. Mark just left to inform the Council,” Anjali raised her head to watch Hades’ reaction. She expected him to do a dance at the thought of Alazar being dragged back to Hell in chains.
Hades processed the information carefully. He was neither sad nor upset. Alazar had never been one to sing the praises of Father and Heaven from the rafters. He’d always been a bit disgruntled. After his little stunt of abandoning his post in Hell, the Council should have retrieved him and shackled his ass in the Hall of Shadows, but they had stupidly listened to Gabriel and left Alazar to his own devices. In his estimation, there were long overdue to hunt down their insolent brother.
Hades was about to say something nasty when the agony on Lady Black’s face made him pause. She was truly upset about this turn of events. As his Master, she deeply felt the loss of her angel. In a moment of weakness, he decided to take the high road and hate himself later.
“Tell me what happened,” Hades replied evenly.
“You’re going to love this. I gave the bastard a choice. I told him that he had pledged his allegiance to God, not to me. I said I wanted an angel who could handle this task, not one who had made a promise eons ago to someone else. He had volunteered without knowing all the consequences. I wanted him to choose to be the Angel of Death, knowing full well what it entailed. I wanted him to choose me and not begrudgingly be stuck with me because of a mistake he had made,” she didn’t know why she was confessing to Hades, but she needed to tell someone. She wanted to be admonished for her stupidity and Hades was the perfect person for the job.
“Noble, but stupid. You should have forced him to submit to you. Let me guess. He said no,” Hades rolled his eyes at the child before him. He knew that she wasn’t capable of truly being the Destroyer. She was entirely too naïve.
“He killed someone that I knew. He forced him to hang himself in a very public place. It was terrible. You’re right; I was stupid,” she grimaced.
Hades couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They were in agreement for once. It felt odd being on the same side of an argument. Rather than capitalize on the moment, he said something that went against his nature. He said something nice.
“While you misjudged Alazar, I think you had good intentions. I believe that most in your place would have demanded that the Predznak bow before them or demand that Father destroy them all and start over. You did neither. You constantly go against the norm, which infuriates me to no end. I never know what idiotic thing you are going to do next. Giving a Predznak a choice, it’s unheard of. They are yours to wield and command and instead you ask them what they want to do. You never cease to amaze me, but in this case, you did the right thing, for you. If you didn’t give Alazar a choice, then he would have gone kicking and screaming into his duties. Trust would have been a constant issue. Alazar is hard to contain on a good day. If he were displeased about the way you handled things, he would rail against you even more. Obviously, it was a risky move, but it’s better that he turns against you now rather than later, when you really need him. It sucks that we now have to watch our backs while Michael hunts him, but it’s best to start with a new Angel of Death, one whom you know is loyal to you,” Hades avoided eye contact as he spoke. He didn’t need to see her shocked expression. He was afraid that this experience would crush the Destroyer and push her closer to becoming Serena number two. He feared what would happen if this girl’s spirit were completely broken. The world would suffer and so would Hell. A pissed-off Destroyer would mark him as an enemy.
“Wow. I’m going to say thank you and not question your motives since you are rarely this nice to me, but it doesn’t change the fact that I screwed up and someone else died. Yes, it’s better that Alazar did this now rather than when I start an Apocalypse, but it still sucks and I feel terrible about it. Now I have to watch him suffer in the Hall of Shadows while I deal with his replacement. I was starting to like Alazar. I know you all hated him, but he was growing on me. He’s not as bad you all say, or so I thought. I can’t imagine someone else taking his place. What if his replacement is a total ass and I hate him? What if he won’t listen to me either?” Anjali lamented the angel that she thought Alazar to be.
“Then you will crush him and force him to do your will,” Hades snarled, imagining a new Angel of Death throwing his weight around, threatening everyone. She had a right to be worried. Death needed to be stable. Hades caught himself when he saw the startled look on Lady Black’s face. “Well, that’s what I would do, but, of course, you would never do that. You and I are very different creatures. You are inherently good and see the goodness in people. I used to be like that until I learned the hard way to keep people at a distance. No matter what we do, we can’t seem to dim your positive outlook and boundless faith in people. It is what makes you different from Maraquette and Serena. We may never see eye to eye on the large things, and that may be for the best. I agree that you screwed up, but I know why you did it. Now you have to live with the consequences of your actions,” Hades composed himself and regained his matter-of-fact demeanor.
Anjali was miserable. “I can’t believe I let it come to this,” she muttered.
“If nothing else, learn from this outcome so that you do not repeat it with the others. Know that when Michael finds Alazar and drags his low-life carcass into the Hall of Torment, there will be a line waiting to punish him. He pissed off just about every angel here. They will all want a piece of him. It’s best to put that image firmly in your mind so that there is no confusion later. I don’t want you going soft and offering him soup after his ass kicking. He will have fully deserved his punishment,” Hades preferred that she be kept from Alazar at all times, lest she have sympathy for him and help him escape, which would be catastrophic.
She rose from her throne and approached Hades. “You deserved your ass kicking too, but you’re right. I’m going to speak to the boy who died so that I can learn to hate Alazar. I will not stand in your way during your torture of Alazar. Be warned, I may fight you for a place in line,” Anjali growled when she thought about Wedge dying alone in the stairwell.
Hades nodded, but hid the trepidation from his face. He was always taken aback when the Destroyer showed her true nature and her wrath. It was possible there was hope for the girl yet.
She left Hades and headed to the rotunda. She needed to see Wedge and remind herself why she was condemning Alazar. Perhaps it would make it easier to hate him.
Anjali walked out of the castle and headed for the Realm of Fire. She thought about sweet, innocent Wedge and became more outraged. How dare Alazar spit in her face and hur
t a friend of hers! He could have chosen a stranger, which would have been terrible enough, but he went after someone she knew for greater effect. She pictured Wedge fiddling with his computer. He’d never hurt anyone. He’d been destined for Heaven, which was even worse. Instead of being at peace, Wedge was going to be burned alive countless times until he moved on to the next realm, and the next. He would never know happiness or peace while in Hell.
Anjali reached the edge of her least favorite torture and looked at the murderers and suiciders. She watched the flames dance across their bodies while they screamed and pleaded for mercy. How could she sleep knowing that Wedge was here instead of in Tulsa, studying in school, looking for spirits, and making films?
She searched the faces of the damned looking for his round pudgy face and red beard that didn’t match his brown hair. She figured that the baseball cap that he constantly donned would have been left behind. Becoming frustrated, she turned to Gresham, who was watching her with a mix of fear and curiosity.
“I’m looking for a new suicide, Douglas Stephens,” she replied evenly and raised her head to look Gresham in the eye.
“There’s no one by that name who has recently arrived, my lady,” Gresham replied gruffly.
“Perhaps he hasn’t been processed yet,” she murmured to herself.
Anjali brushed past Gresham and headed to the Hall of Winds to speak with Sebastian.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 40
