Anjali held up her left hand, surrendering. “Fine. I’ll do as you say, just don’t hurt her,” she slowly sank to her knees in front of Maraquette and tried to wipe the pooling blood from her vision. She was glad to hear it was a woman and not Derick. With any luck, she didn’t even have Derick.
Maraquette stood behind her victim and held the swords crisscrossed against Anjali’s neck. “Surrender to me and I will go easy on Derick.”
Anjali knew Maraquette was lying. “No matter what I do you’ll kill Derick, so forget the lies.”
“You speak of loving Lucifer, yet you take a mortal into your bed. How can you possibly love Lucifer when you’re with another? I’m going to expose your lies to him. He will have no choice but to revile you,” Maraquette purred.
“Go ahead. I don’t care. I’m sure Lucifer will love to hear how you seduced Alazar,” Anjali snickered. It was worth the blades slicing the top layers of skin on her neck to know that she had sufficiently pissed Maraquette off.
Anjali looked up at the mortal, debating what she should do. She focused her eyes and saw that she knew the woman. It was Mrs. Pavel.
Anjali smiled at Maraquette, knowing that the game had just changed.
∞
Alazar explored the turrets in the castle, hoping to find Derick quickly.
He intentionally didn’t tell Anjali his reasons for wanting to search the upper floors. He knew Maraquette didn’t care about Pete and had lied to the kid about saving him from his potential swan dive. Yet, as much as she didn’t care about Pete, she was twisted enough to throw Derick off the highest tower to seek revenge for attacking her puppet. She would want a gruesome death for Derick. A messy puddle on the pavement would certainly be etched into his Master’s mind for all time.
He searched the towers until he reached the lookout tower connected to the fortification wall on the far side of the castle. Pete’s stolen red coat could be seen through the windows in the next tower over, highlighted by a lone candle. Squinting, he saw Derick standing in the middle of the room with his back to the door. He didn’t appear to be bound, but was keeping the weight off his right leg.
Alazar appeared inside the room, careful to make sure there were no booby traps.
“Hey, you okay?” Alazar called out to Derick.
Derick made no sound or movement, which concerned Alazar. He looked around, but the room was empty.
When Derick didn’t reply, he slowly approached him, reaching out to grab him and run.
Two shots rang out consecutively and pain exploded under Alazar’s left shoulder blade. Pete had switched from his trusty shotgun to a rifle. He was going to shove both guns down Pete’s throat and pull the triggers.
Alazar stumbled, but remained standing. He was confused when he saw that his chest wasn’t bleeding. The bullets were still lodged in his back. The kid obviously didn’t know much about bullet calibers since the bullets weren’t powerful enough to tear through him. It was possible Pete had misjudged the distance, though he doubted it.
Lunging forward to grab Derick, he was met with empty air as Derick vanished. He turned around and saw where the shots had come from. Pete was perched in the window of a nearby tower, but Pete didn’t have the ability to make Derick vanish.
“Alazar, just play nice and you might survive this,” a voice called out from behind him. It took him a moment to place it since he hadn’t heard it in almost fifteen hundred years.
“You worthless piece of shit. Where’s the boy?” Alazar growled. He was going to make the servant suffer.
Aganon opened the door from the outside staircase and stepped into view, but stayed away from Alazar. “Know that I don’t want to do this, but I don’t have a choice. I am forbidden from hurting my Master or Lady Black, but Lady Black failed to forbid me from hurting anyone else. I have accepted that I will die once Lady Maraquette’s wishes have been fulfilled, but know that I take no joy from this, Alazar,” Aganon sighed and hung his head.
“I’m going to remove your kidneys. Know that I will take joy from it. Oh, and you shouldn’t worry about Lucifer killing you. You tried to kill my Master, which means you’re on my list alongside Pete and Maraquette,” Alazar rose to his full height, trying to intimidate Lucifer’s pet. Aganon was well acquainted with Alazar’s fists and knew firsthand the kind of pain he was capable of inflicting.
Aganon acknowledged him by tilting and nodding his head. He waved his hand and summoned a long sword. He crouched into an attack stance and held the sword with both hands, pointing it directly at Alazar.
“Are you really going to attack me while I’m weaponless? That’s low, even for a servant of Lucifer,” Alazar was appalled by Aganon’s lack of decorum. He should at least be able to defend himself, but then again, he was dealing with Maraquette. He shouldn’t expect a fair fight.
Aganon circled Alazar, but didn’t reply. His face was emotionless, but his eyes surveyed every move Alazar made.
“I’m going to enjoy breaking every one of your bones,” Alazar shifted his stance, planning to toss Aganon out of the tower.
“The sword isn’t for you,” Aganon replied just before he disappeared.
Alazar panicked. He didn’t want to be the one to tell Anjali that Derick was dead by Aganon’s hands.
Two more shots soared through the air and hit Alazar below his right shoulder blade. Aganon and Pete were toying with him. They wanted him wounded, not dead.
Alazar quickly vanished and reappeared in the tower where Pete had been. He was bleeding and in pain, but it wasn’t as bad as his previous chest wound. Unfortunately, the bullets were still inside him and traveled deeper with each movement.
Looking around the empty tower, Alazar knew Derick was in trouble.
∞
Derick’s kneecap was throbbing and the stone floor under him wasn’t helping with the pain. He was mad that he hadn’t able to warn Alazar before Pete shot him. After disappearing from the tower, he appeared in an empty room. His hands were quickly tied behind his back by Pete and he was forced to kneel. He had tried to take a swing at Pete, but the bastard had hit him in the shoulder with the butt of the rifle. He was planning on making his former best friend suffer, as soon as his hands were free. Forget the Angel of Death; he wanted to kick the shit out of Pete. He wondered if Alazar would acknowledge his first dibs on ramming the gun up Pete’s ass.
Derick was surprised when another man appeared in the tower with a long sword and a vacant look in his eyes. He had no idea who the man was, but he immediately hated him.
“Mind telling me why you’re doing this, Pete? And don’t give me the bullshit excuse that you want to see your parents again. Trust me; they won’t want to see you like this. We were best friends and you sold me out, you dick,” Derick yelled and pulled at his bindings.
“You’ve never been in love before, Derick. You don’t get it. She’s the only one who understands me and loves me for who I am,” Pete replied calmly. He watched Aganon position Derick in the middle of the room, facing the door, with his head down.
“You’re wrong about that. I have found love and my girlfriend is more stable than yours, and mine is supposed to end the world someday. I guarantee that my girlfriend is going to kick your girlfriend’s ass. You do realize by now that Maraquette is a Rogue Angel, right? Even if she manages to kill Anjali and Alazar, there are people hunting her. They won’t let her get away,” Derick threatened.
“Your girlfriend already killed Michael, the leader of their so called Celestial Warriors. Aganon said that they are nothing without him. Besides, they’re the bad guys. They are the ones who falsely accused her of being a Rogue,” Pete replied confidently.
“Yeah, she’s trying to kill three people, myself included, and she’s the one who has been falsely accused. There’s a hell of a story for you. You are so far gone that you can’t even see what’s right in front of you. Alazar’s right, she must be really good in bed,” Derick braced for another hit from the rifle. If Pete was too bus
y hitting him with the gun, he couldn’t shoot Alazar.
“Shut up!” Pete attempted to backhand Derick but Aganon grabbed his elbow.
Aganon pushed Pete away and gagged Derick. “Don’t harm him more than is necessary. I may be helping Maraquette, but I’m not thrilled about having Alazar hunting me down. As much as I love her, I fear him more, as should you. You should know that Derick is correct. Maraquette is the bad guy. She’s doing this to gain the favor of my Master, Lord Lucifer. She’s been lying to you since the beginning. I know it won’t make any difference, nor will it change your mind, but she won’t make good on any of her promises. I would know. The best that you will get is a chain swinging next to mine in the Hall of Torment. Lord Lucifer will surely enjoy beating a handsome boy like you,” Aganon was frustrated that he couldn’t completely break free from Maraquette’s influence.
Derick watched Pete flip off Aganon and leave the room without a word. He wasn’t sure if Pete believed him or not, but he doubted it.
“Let me go,” Derick muttered through the gag to Aganon.
“I am forbidden. I promise it will be the most painful experience of your life, and for that, I’m sorry,” Aganon took up his position next to Derick and held the sword over his neck, ready to remove his head.
Alazar raced through the rooms until he heard Derick’s muffled voice down the hallway. He quietly rounded the corner and saw Aganon about to take Derick’s head. Alazar threw out his hand and used his power to hurl Aganon across the room before he could swing the sword at Derick’s neck. Pete was nowhere to be seen.
The servant fell back into the wall, but didn’t drop the sword. He rebounded off the wall and moved behind Derick to stab his back with a downward strike.
Alazar reached out and pulled the sword from Aganon’s hands with his power, happy to have a weapon in a possession.
Aganon, unsurprised by the move, let go of the sword, pulled a dagger from the back of his jeans, and threw it into Alazar’s stomach just as Alazar caught the sword. Aganon grabbed Derick and disappeared again.
Alazar fell to his knees, swearing. They were screwing with him, that was apparent, but he didn’t know why. He knew that they wanted to kill Derick in front of Anjali, so why would they pretend to attack the boy?
He pulled the dagger from his stomach and slid it into the back of his jeans, just in case. Hefting air into his lungs to combat the pain, he used the sword to push himself up and attempted to stand. He hadn’t been this bloody since his last battle with Sacha. He had been full of holes then too. Of course, Sacha was just keeping him busy while waiting for Lucifer to arrive. Sacha had stolen one of Lucifer’s trophies and intended on framing Alazar, just to watch Lucifer kick the shit out of him. Alazar paused. Maraquette’s servants were keeping him busy so that he couldn’t help Anjali. They didn’t know that he had volunteered to save Derick on his own.
He needed to stop following them and take the lead.
Alazar went back to his original plan of searching for the best place for a spectacular swan dive and found what he was looking for. He passed by one of the windows and spotted Derick standing on the rooftop of the guard tower that overlooked the entrance to the castle. A fall from there would be enough to kill the kid as he plunged into the rock basin of the drought-plagued river below.
This time he looked for the closest tower to find Pete. Entering the tower with the best line of sight, he found his victim. Pete was in the shadows looking across the way to where Derick was standing.
Alazar put his sword on the ground and threw out his right hand to pull the rifle from Pete’s grasp before he could turn around. “You won’t be needing this.”
He quickly emptied the magazine and pulled the bolt handle to release the cartridge in the chamber. He resisted the urge to shoot the kid and tossed the empty gun aside. He knew how best to handle Pete.
Pete was shocked that Alazar had found him. He looked around for something to use against the angel. “She’ll come for me. She said she would protect me from you.”
Pete sounded so confident that Alazar actually pitied the boy, but not enough to forgive him.
Alazar shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. You are the distraction and nothing more. She didn’t stop me the last time I tempted you. Right about now she’s hoping that you are dead so that she doesn’t have to get her hands dirty by killing you herself,” Alazar walked toward Pete, unhappy that his physical performance was hindered by his injuries. Death didn’t look as scary while bleeding and lumbering about.
“I have faith in her,” Pete said triumphantly. He held his head high, waiting for Maraquette to rescue him.
Alazar laughed darkly. He knew Maraquette couldn’t bind a mortal to her as a Forgotten or a Rogue. Pete wasn’t under her influence, like Aganon “You have faith in the wrong person, Pete. You were supposed to have faith in God. Instead, you chose knowledge of forbidden things over your faith in Him. It’s not the first time someone has been tempted by lies, obsession, and desire. It’s time, Pete. The only reason you are still dragging air into your lungs is because my Master didn’t know how far you had truly fallen. She was blinded by my dark deeds and her love for Derick. She saved you because of your friendship with Derick. This time, I don’t think anyone will save you,” Alazar stepped directly in front of Pete and looked into his eyes.
“You’re wrong,” Pete sneered. He stood tall and proud, knowing that he had made the right choice.
Alazar snickered at the boy’s stubbornness. “The first time I tempted you, I should have shown you Heaven and your parents welcoming you home with open arms. I should have shown you the Heavenly Gardens and filled your mind with the peaceful feeling of being there, before I showed you what Hell was like. I picked the wrong images to tempt you, but the truth is you had made your choice before I ever laid eyes on you. You chose Maraquette because you selfishly wanted to cut corners and see your family again. You would have seen them again, after living a full life, but you couldn’t wait. She tempted you with desire, in more ways than one. She used your anger and agony over the loss of your parents to lead you astray. The funny thing is, even after you knew you were destined for Hell, you didn’t try to repent. You didn’t fall on your knees and beg God for forgiveness. Instead, you murdered your friend in cold blood. Now there is nothing you do can redeem your stained soul. Technically, I should walk away and let you live out the rest of your miserable life, afraid of dying, but you have made yourself an enemy of my Master and I have vowed to protect her. I can’t let you live to plot another day. Look into my eyes, Pete, and see the truth of what you have done. See the journey that had led you to Hell.”
The Angel of Death whispered to Pete and showed him the truth about Maraquette. In his final moments, Pete saw himself betraying his best friends and murdering Wedge. His life had been wasted in the pursuit of knowledge of the afterlife, and his obsession of finding the answers, rather than living his life. He let anger and agony over take his heart when he lost his parents. Guilt had consumed him because he felt responsible for their deaths. Pete saw himself luring a trusting Wedge to the staircase. He had believed Maraquette’s lies when she had said that Wedge wanted to hurt her. She had lied about a fight in which Wedge had supposedly threatened her life. Pete watched their struggle on the staircase. He saw the fear in Wedge’s eyes when he pulled the noose over his head and pushed him over the railing. He finally understood the truth. Maraquette was using him, but it was too late. Tempted by her beauty, he had carried out too many evil deeds. Maraquette had led him astray and he was the bad guy.
Alazar’s power rose and the temperature dropped. “Finish what we started, Pete, and you will have all the answers you seek. I’ll save you a seat in the Realm of Fire, you murdering son of a bitch.”
Alazar felt whole again as he tempted Pete, the right way. Though he was angry with Pete, he didn’t allow it to cloud his mind or his power. Every image that he showed Pete was the truth. It felt good to tempt someone without
the darkness influencing him, though he admitted to himself that he wasn’t above a bit of revenge.
Instead of ending the kid quickly with a fall to his death, he let Pete decide how best to die with only the use of a dagger. It was petty of him, but the kid had made him vulnerable on more than one occasion. He took the dagger from the back of his pants and held it out to Pete.
Pete resisted at first, but slowly reached out to take the dagger. He still suffered from the agony of losing his parents and was all too willing to end his pain by committing suicide. Now he had the guilt of betraying his friends on his conscience. Seeing all of his wicked deeds laid out before him, he had only one choice.
“You’re right, Alazar. I’ve done so many terrible things. My parents would be ashamed of me. Tell Derick, I’m sorry,” he looked at the dagger in his hand and accepted his fate.
“See ya, Pete. For once, I’m looking forward to returning to Hell just to watch you burn,” Alazar backed out of the room as the sickening sounds of flesh being torn permeated the air.
He turned his attention to Aganon who was frantically searching for Alazar on the rooftop, still holding Derick. Since Aganon wasn’t the one with the plan, he was forced to do exactly as Maraquette commanded. There would be no deviation from her orders, which could help him save Derick.
Alazar appeared on the rooftop and held up his hands. Aganon was startled to see him and edged closer to the stone barrier that overlooked the ravine.
“Aganon, you can stop this. You don’t have to do what Maraquette wants. Think about what Lucifer will do to you,” Alazar tried to take a step closer, but the wild look in Aganon’s eyes and his frantic backward movements concerned him.
“You will understand someday, Alazar,” Aganon replied. With that, Aganon wrapped his arms around Derick and both of them tipped backward over the barrier.
Alazar threw open his black wings and ran for the wall, but the damage had been done. When Pete had shot him in the back, the bullets had damaged his wings hidden deep inside his back. He stumbled forward from the pain and fell flat on the stone roof. He scrambled to the barrier, hoping it was another trick. Looking down, he saw two bodies at the bottom of the ravine.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 53
