by M. R. Forbes
In the meantime, Alyx and I set about cleaning up the mess. I won't lie and say it was an easy job. It wasn't. Every one of the victims had a family once, before the Beast's power had infected them and turned them into a sort of false Divine. Every one of them had come here looking for a new life with people who were going through the same thing as they were. Outcast from society. Lost and alone.
Sarah had been doing something similar the first time I had met her. Caring for the Awake, the people who could see the Divine. That community had crumbled in almost the same fashion as this one, though the fault that time was squarely Gervais'. I could imagine how Sarah might feel to repeat the history. It would only lend to her belief that the death and destruction were destiny and not the work of evil.
And Adam was evil. There was no question to that. He hadn't fallen because of me. He had fallen because his soul was turning dark. Everything else was a coincidence. Did God or Archangel Michael know what he and the other archangel had been doing together? I doubted that was allowed in the Kingdom of Heaven. In any case, his true color had shown through.
Black.
Alyx was a tremendous help in removing the bodies. She wasn't at all squeamish around blood and gore, and she set about picking up the corpses with a workmanlike attitude, shifting to her Great Were form and lifting three or four at a time. Their blood spilled onto her, matting her fur and leaving her looking as if she was coming in from a battlefield. She didn't comment on it, only taking a few minutes to vanish to Sarah's shower once her part of the work was done.
In the past, she might have paraded herself naked in front of me after, on her way to grab some new clothes. She did nothing of the sort, dressing in private in a pair of Sarah's jeans and a thick sweater. It was conservative to the point that it was still sexy.
At least she was trying.
I used my power to pull the blood together, cleaning it all from the floors and walls and compacting it into a small blob. Then I pushed it out the window and into the woods at the edge of the mansion's grounds, next to where Alyx had placed the bodies. We stood over them for a few minutes in silent reverence before returning inside.
Obi was waiting at the front door as we entered. He had his laptop in his hand, holding it open a crack, so the screen stayed on.
"That was a nice thing you did," he said.
"What was?" I asked.
"Praying for them."
"I didn't say a prayer," I said.
"You paid your respects. You don't need to say anything. It's still a prayer."
"I said a prayer," Alyx said, surprising me. "Not out loud."
Obi smiled. "See. I'm glad you found someone smarter than you. Not that it's much of an achievement."
Alyx giggled. Even I cracked a smile. I had missed Obi.
"Did you find anything?" I asked.
He nodded. "It might be nothing, but considering we're already at nothing, it can't hurt to check it out. It's a couple of days old. I didn't know I would need to look for it, or I would have noticed it earlier." He held up the laptop and opened the screen. I recognized SamChan immediately. The post was a jumble of letters.
"It's a polyalphabetic cipher," Obi said. "The kind Angels like to use."
"Angels use SamChan?"
"Not directly. The Touched do. That's how they communicate."
"And you think this is related to Adam why? He's a bad guy now."
"The text is subtle, but this is an anti-establishment propaganda piece. It's calling for recruits to speak out about unjust practices."
"Unjust practices? In Heaven?"
"Yeah, right? That's why it caught my eye. There's a downside."
"What is it?"
"It's in Italy."
"Let me guess. Near the Vatican?"
"Right on."
I turned to Alyx. "Do you?"
"Si," she replied.
"You can't bring her, man. They'll sniff her out from a mile away."
"Then she'll wait a mile and a half for us. She can cover that ground in about three minutes."
"Damn. What kind of demon are you, anyway?"
"Great Were," Alyx said.
"No way."
"Way," I replied.
"I thought you were done with those things after Ulnyx."
"She's a special case," I said, putting my arm around her shoulders.
Obi looked at us for a few seconds, his left eyebrow going up. "Oh. I see how it is." He looked over at Alyx again. "You said a prayer?"
"Landon's been telling me that being born evil doesn't mean living evil," she replied. "That I can choose for myself."
"Mephistopheles changed," I reminded him.
"Okay. I hear you. So you'll wait in reserve nearby. It's cool. That means it's you and me up close to the action, Landon."
"I was expecting as much. You're sure you won't be recognized?"
"The call was for the Touched. I'm not exactly Touched, but you know I lean good. I don't think I'll stand out in that crowd. You, on the other hand?"
"I won't stand out at all."
"Can you teleport us to Italy?"
I shook my head. "No. It wears me out to move like that, and if I do again now, I won't have anything left to deal with Adam if he shows up at the party."
"We only have a few hours."
"There's a benefit to knowing demons."
Obi made a face. "Damn. I hate moving through rifts."
"I've got some contacts in the area," I said. "Alyx, did you know Lylyx?"
"No."
"Really? She was Ulnyx's mate. She took control of their pack when he left. She helped me fight the Beast. Well, the whole pack helped me fight the Beast. There weren't many of them left, but the ones that made it out are staying out of sight out in the countryside near Rouen."
"They won't have the power to create a rift," Alyx said.
"No, but they'll know the fiend who does."
"All right," Obi said. "Enough chit-chat. You have a plan, let's get moving."
"It isn't much of a plan," I said.
"When is it ever?" he replied. "You've always done okay making it up as you go."
"Sarah's gone," I said, feeling the pain of it in my soul. It was going to be my fault if she went full-evil. "I wouldn't call that okay."
He didn't try to console me, or convince me I was wrong. I had always admired that about him.
"All the more reason to hurry," he said.
Five
The chateau Sarah had been living in had belonged to Gervais before she had taken residence there. I had never been in favor of her decision to make it her home base after everything that had happened in that location, but she was of a mind that she could convert all of that evil energy into something good. When she had opened her home to the changelings and started getting more serious with the only one of them that had become an angel instead of a demon, I had started to believe that she could succeed in that goal.
Now Brian was buried out in the back with the others, and my initial fears had been realized. Normally, I preferred being right about things and having my distorted worldview confirmed.
Not this time.
Being Gervais' former estate, there was a large collection of expensive cars being stored in the garage beside the main chateau. I had taken a Ferrari from there once, picking almost at random from the group. I grew up in the city and didn't care that much about cars. Obi was a different story. He pointed each one out to me as we walked the aisles, running down stats that were meaningless in my ears. Torque, horsepower, camshafts, turbo.
Whatever.
I knew he was talking because he was nervous. He felt responsible for Sarah, the same way I did if not more. He had been here with her. Maybe he should have seen the signs? How could he, when he didn't know what to look for? I didn't blame him, but I knew he would be blaming himself, and there was no way to talk him out of that.
"We'll take that one," I said, pointing at an SUV in the corner. "It looks a lot more comfortable than
these racecars."
"The Bentayga," Obi said, smiling. "Good choice. It's the newest car in the fleet." He paused.
"What?" I said.
"Brian bought that car for Sarah. Did you know it's the only one here that didn't belong to Gervais?"
"Cars don't have auras. Did she ever drive it?"
"Once. She was like you." He mimicked her. "Car? What's the point? Obi, I've got wings." He returned to his own posture. "Half of which are razor sharp. Anyway, Brian thought she'd like to have a car that didn't belong to her old man."
We reached the car. I circled to the passenger side, while Alyx moved immediately to the back.
"I guess that means I'm driving?" Obi said.
"If we hit any trouble on the way, Alyx and I will need our brains free to take care of it."
"I can't argue that." He opened the driver's side and got behind the wheel, hitting the starter and getting the engine going. It had a nice sound to it. "And trouble does seem to follow wherever you go."
"Everybody wants a piece of the diuscrucis," I said. "We mainly have to worry about angels. They'll be able to track Alyx. The good news is that they don't usually want to get involved with her. Too much risk."
Obi looked into the rear view, checking Alyx out again. "Hard to imagine," he said.
She responded by partially changing, her tiny hand elongating out into a massive claw.
"That makes it a little easier."
He got us moving, the door to the garage opening as we neared it, and closing after we were through. I felt a sense of sadness to leave the place behind again. Every time I had ever visited, it had been for the wrong reasons. I should have stopped by more often.
We were on the road for thirty minutes before anyone spoke. My mind spent the time cycling through every decision I had made since that day in the museum, when I had approached a pretty girl to ask her not to touch the ancient artifacts on display, and she had responded by blowing me to the afterlife. Every decision had so many possibilities, so many outcomes. What would have happened if I had done anything differently?
What would have happened if I had never taken up Dante's mantle at all?
That was where I wound up stuck. What if I had never become the diuscrucis? Charis would have been forced to fight the Beast on her own. True, but would the Beast have ever gotten free in the first place? I had found Sarah, which had wound up leading Gervais back to her, which had led the Beast to her. I had given Rebecca an opening to steal the Holy Grail, which in turn had gotten her involved.
Was the world better off without me?
I had my chance after the Beast was gone. I could have joined Charis in the universe, but I didn't. I chose to stay because I thought it wouldn't be. That I was standing in the center, holding both good and evil aside so humanity could simply be. Was that truth or arrogance?
"So, Landon," Obi said, breaking me out of my head. "You said you were in Hell a few days ago? What was that like?"
I blinked a few times to bring myself back to reality.I looked out the window. We were on a small road in the middle of a green landscape. It felt good to be out in the open. I breathed in deep, taking in the moment. A moment was all the universe would spare me.
"I thought I could do it," I said, not answering his question. "I thought I could recruit people to help me keep the balance. I was wrong."
"You recruited me," he said.
"And you're still alive because you distanced yourself before it was too late. My sole recruit? She's dead. Killed by Gervais. I'm worried the same thing is going to happen to you."
"You're worried?" He laughed. "It's my ass, my decision."
"That's what Rose said."
"You can't control everything, man. You want people to have free will; then you have to deal."
"I know. But I feel like everything is spiraling out of control. Gervais is here, Obi. He's on Earth, and he's gaining power. Even once I stop Sarah, I still have to deal with him."
"You've handled worse."
"I've gotten lucky. That luck is going to run out sooner or later."
"You think it's luck? I don't, man. I think you've got help."
"Dante? He can only do so much."
"No, not Dante."
I considered for a moment. "You mean God?"
He shrugged. It wasn't a neutral shrug.
"That doesn't make any sense."
He shrugged again, glancing over at me. "He can't get involved directly, right?"
"That's a pretty big leap."
"Leap of faith," he said. "Yup."
I was silent for a minute. I didn't have the energy to try to wrap my head around that one right now.
Obi looked into the rear view mirror again. "So," he said, shifting the conversation once more. "How did you two meet?"
Six
Alyx and I had gotten Obi up to speed on current events by the time we reached the countryside outside of Rouen. He had listened attentively, throwing in his comments at the right times, and sucking some of the weight out of the story. His part in my war had cost him pretty dearly, but time had helped heal some of those wounds, and he had managed to return to his old self, to the generally positive attitude that had made him such a good friend. It was something I desperately needed, and he seemed to know it.
We pulled off to the side of the road. Alyx climbed from the back as soon as we stopped, taking a few steps away from the strong scent of the car's interior leather and putting her face into the air. She turned with the breeze, her small nose twitching as she sought the scent of other weres.
"That way," she said, pointing off toward a hill in the distance. "Ten miles or so."
"Hold on," Obi said from the car. "Let me check the GPS."
Alyx glanced at me. I smiled, looking back at Obi. "We'll meet you there," I said.
"What?"
Alyx shifted, her body growing and changing, morphing impossibly from a five and a quarter foot woman to a fifteen-foot monster. I didn't hesitate to climb onto her back, grabbing some of the hair at her neck to stay rooted.
"You've got to be kidding me," Obi said, shaking his head at the sight.
"See if you can find a road that leads out that way. If not, we'll find you. Alyx has your scent."
"Do I have a choice?"
"Does it look like you have a choice?"
He produced a pad from his pocket, scribbling a note on it so he wouldn't forget about me. "See you there, I guess," he said, waving.
I waved back as Alyx lurched forward. It took her a few strides for her gait to even out, but when it did it was the best mode of ground transportation around. She flew across the landscape, the grass below her a blur as she pounded across the landscape. She loved to run, and I could feel her excitement as she did, along with the joy she got from the freedom. Was she feeling the same joy in being free of Espanto and free to make her own choices? I hoped so.
We covered the distance within ten minutes, the open ground giving her a chance to hit full speed. She slowed when we reached a small picket fence lined with chicken wire. A large herd of goats was behind it, and their heads all perked up at once at her approach, as they began baying to one another in fear.
The noise drew the attention of their keeper, a slight Asian man in a simple cotton shirt and jeans. He had been resting in the flatbed of his pickup, and he sat up and stared at us only moments after Alyx returned to her human form.
"Where did you come from?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out how we had gotten so close without being noticed.
I looked over at Alyx. Weres didn't like the sun much more than vampires did, although they could survive in it.
She shook her head. This one wasn't a were. A fiend, maybe a turned? Not a threat, for sure.
"We're looking for someone," I said. "Multiple someones, actually. Do you know if this farm belongs to them?"
He looked at us suspiciously. His eyes stopped on Alyx. "It might."
"Do you know me?" Alyx said.
/> "There's something familiar about you," he replied. "You remind me of Onyx."
"Is Onyx in charge?" I asked.
"Yeah. She won't like it if I let you onto the property, though. Not without her permission."
"Can you call her? I'm sure she'll talk to me."
He hesitated. "What is this about?"
"I'm trying to get to Italy in a hurry," I said.
"Have you tried the airport?"
"Faster than that."
His expression turned more suspicious.
"And why would Onyx help you with that?" he asked. "We're not looking for trouble, or to draw attention. We don't want to get involved."
"Like it or not, you're involved," I said.
He heaved a resigned sigh and jumped down from the truck. He was even shorter on the ground. He walked toward me, putting his hand out as he did. It started to burn with hellfire. Hard to control hellfire that was usually only found in the hands of serious demons. Who was this guy?
"I don't like it," he said. "Not at all. And we don't want to be involved. I don't know who you are or who you serve, but I think you should go."
"I can't," I said. "I really need to get to Italy, and there's only one way that's fast enough to suit. We don't have to fight. Just call Onyx for me, and I'll take care of it. I'm sure she'll want to help."
"Last warning," he said, raising his hand.
I was running out of patience. So was Alyx.
"Landon," she said.
"Go ahead," I said to the fiend. "Give it your best shot."
He smiled, thinking I underestimated him. And maybe I had a little. The hellfire burst from his entire hand, not just his fingers, a stream of heat that I could feel from across the distance.
I didn't fight back. I let it wash over me, accepting it. It didn't burn. It didn't destroy. It fell apart as it hit me, my power negating it, turning it into pure energy that would return to the universe.
"What?" he said when he saw it had no effect. "That's not possible."
"Surprise," I said. Alyx tapped me on the shoulder and pointed back the way we had come. I turned and saw the Bentley off in the distance, heading our way along a narrow dirt road. "My name is Landon."
