“It’s over,” Gabriel was saying with a smirk. He was still wearing his collar and his dark robes were tattered and ripped. “Even a relic of war like you must see that, Poseidon.”
Raphael’s state of dress wasn’t much better than Gabriel’s. His armor was dented, he had lost his helm, and his lip was leaking a steady stream of blood.
Instead of entering the conversation, Alan passed the front line of soldiers and stared out into the mass of Sodom’s army. Although the forces of the Light had been fighting for the better part of the morning, the enemy camp still vastly outnumbered them.
Alan searched the crowd for a familiar face as Gabriel and Raphael continued to argue. Soon Alan’s eyes landed on Gideon, who was waving to him frantically. Alan smiled and joined the eccentric inventor.
“Alan,” Gideon said, awkwardly embracing him, “I’m so glad you made it. I dare say we need your help and that of the other Horsemen as well.”
“Why has the fighting stopped?” Alan asked.
“Sodom sent a messenger,” Gideon said as his eyes transitioned from joy at seeing Alan to sadness at his coming words. “They’ve defeated the minotaurs and captured those they have not killed. Sodom is threatening to execute them all if we don’t turn back.”
Alan’s heart dropped at the news. Cratos had come with his people at his request. The minotaurs, who had refused to enter the fight between demons and angels for centuries, were now on the cusp of death and it was all his fault.
A cold wind gathered above, adding trepidation to the already dark clouds.
“We will not abandon those who came to our aid to battle the Darkness,” Raphael was saying when Alan checked back into the conversation.
“Then you are a fool,” Gabriel said. “You will see us all to our deaths. It’s over. I’ve fulfilled my agreement. I’ve fought for you, but I didn’t say I’d die for you.”
Somewhere behind them thunder boomed and lightning struck. A flying figure drifted toward them from the enemy camp. Wrapped in black energy that seemed to coil and swirl through him, Sodom approached.
He seemed taller, even larger, if at all possible. Where his pupils once were, now only blank, white orbs showed. It was hard to say what he was dressed in, as the dark matter continued to wrap around and through him. “There is no hope for you here,” he said in a booming voice. “It is over. I am the Four Horsemen in one. I am so far beyond any of you. My power is unparalleled. The Apocalypse begins as soon as I kill you all or you surrender. Those are the only two choices you have and they end in the same resolution.”
Everyone looked to Raphael for an answer. The Archangel lifted from the ground with billowing white wings on either side of him. His trident was held high and he pointed the weapon at Sodom with menace. “You do not dictate the future. We are all free to choose our paths. Mine is to stand against you and that will not change.”
A shout of agreement echoed Raphael’s words as the few angels and centaurs that remained supported their leader.
Sodom shook his head, ignoring Raphael’s words, and turned to Gabriel. “And you, you do not belong with these cretins. Join me where you belong, not as a servant, but as an equal and you will have a place at the Usurper’s table when he rises to power. I will make it easier for you.”
With a snap of his fingers, Sodom motioned toward Gabriel’s collar. The only thing keeping the Fallen Archangel in check fell from his neck. The red light extinguished.
Alan could hear Gideon gasp as he punched buttons on the control arm brace he wore. Nothing happened.
All eyes turned to Gabriel. Everyone in his immediate vicinity took a step back. Gabriel smiled, looking from Sodom to Raphael. Fire erupted from his hands as he floated up into the night air next to Sodom and Raphael.
If it was at all possible, Alan’s heart sank even lower. With Gabriel and Sodom united, their odds of survival were slim at best.
Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five
“We really need to figure out a way to transition between planes with our clothes,” Ardat said as she draped the blanket over her shoulders offered by Artemis.
“I’m working on it,” the Shaman said with averted eyes.
“Artemis,” Michael said, wrapping his own covering over his lower body, “my armor. Do you know what our situation is on the battlefield?”
Artemis had a small hand covering her eyes as she stared down at the ground just in case she was able to see anything by accident. “Your armor is in the Temple hall. It’s been converted into a staging area. I haven’t been outside of the Temple, but Danielle showed up not too long ago on Alan’s dogs. She’s weak but she can tell you what she knows.”
“Thank you,” Michael said in a rush of words and ran inside the Temple.
“You probably want some clothes too, right Ardat?” Artemis asked, still covering her eyes with her head tilted down.
“Yes, and you can open your eyes now. I’m covered,” Ardat said.
Artemis blinked slowly and looked up as if she was still too shy to look at Ardat. “Okay, wait here; I’ll be right back.” The young girl ran inside the Temple, leaving Ardat and the Shaman alone again.
“I’m surprised you are still here,” Ardat said with a hint of spite in her voice. “Usually you pop in and out. When things get tough you’re nowhere to be found.”
The Shaman smiled at her, despite her words. “I fear that in my haste to keep the balance, I have acted too much in the favor of the Darkness. I should have never given Gabriel the spell he requested. My actions have led us on this path. This is my mess to clean up just as much as anyone else’s. I will stand beside you.”
Ardat took a step back, shocked. The Shaman was no doubt powerful, but how the old man would be able to handle himself in a fight with the likes of Sodom and the demons he commanded was a mystery to her.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” the Shaman, said straightening his stooped back.
“Here you go,” Artemis said breathlessly as she returned with clothes.
“White, huh?” Ardat took the offered cloaks and boots.
“Yes.” Artemis winked at the Shaman as if they were sharing some kind of inside joke. “I think they are more befitting in light of your current alliance.”
Ardat rolled her eyes and took to the air to change. The sky was dark and the wind cold. Ardat surrendered the covering to the breeze that pulled on the loose fabric. She changed into her new clothes far above the Temple, where no one could see.
Her robes were so stark white they almost hurt her eyes. The boots Artemis had brought were also white, laced with gold and brown.
Ardat descended back to the stone steps below where Michael stood in his signature golden armor conversing with Artemis and the Shaman. The look in his eyes when he turned around was worth everything Ardat had endured, even wearing the silly white clothes.
“Ardat,” Michael said, lost for words. His mouth moved as if he had more to say, but no sound followed.
Ardat wished that moment could last forever. It wasn’t only the way he looked at her; it was the way his eyes shone. If there was any anxiety about whether Michael could forgive her or not, it was gone now.
“I hate to break up the moment,” Artemis said with an awkward cough.
“Right,” Michael said, tearing his eyes from Ardat and shaking his head as if to clear a fog. “We need to get to the battle and see where we are needed the most.”
Michael lifted into the air, his pearl-white wings unfolding from his back and lifting him skyward with soft steady beats. Ardat almost tried to call on her own wings. Like phantom limbs, they asked to be extended.
Ardat ignored the memories of her past and the removal of her wings. As a member of the Fallen, once the Usurper and all who followed him were defeated, they had been stripped of the heavenly appendages. Instead of dwelling on these things, Ardat channeled her power over gravity and lifted herself into the air to float next to Michael.
Both the Archangel and Ardat l
ooked to see if the Shaman would follow. Ardat wasn’t surprised to see the elderly man in a serious conversation with Artemis. She couldn’t let the opportunity pass her by. “So, staying behind again?”
“I will be there when I am most needed,” the Shaman said with the patience of a saint. There was no malice in his voice; to the contrary, he actually smiled.
“When you’re needed even more than now?” Ardat asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Come on,” Michael urged. “We need to go. He’ll come later or he won’t. That doesn’t change what we have to do.”
Ardat gave the Shaman one last disapproving glance before she followed Michael toward the battle.
Michael chose the most direct path toward the battlefield, leading them over the place the conflict first started. The wreckage of the fight was horrendous—even for Ardat, who had seen her fair share of fighting and killing. Thousands of dead bodies lay below. To their credit, Raphael had pushed forward deep into the enemy camp. Most of the bodies below were clad in armor indicative to Sodom’s army.
Along with the dead and wounded were far too few angelic healers who were running around, doing their best to help, both their own and the enemy.
Ardat shook her head. Helping the enemy’s wounded. This is why the Light has always struggled so strenuously. They should be killing off Sodom’s wounded soldiers, not assisting them and holding them as prisoners.
As Ardat was still critiquing the battle strategy of Raphael’s army, she caught sight of dark smoke rising in the air just ahead of them.
“What do you think it is?” Michael asked over the rush of the wind.
“I’m not sure,” Ardat answered. “It looks like a large fighting pit. Maybe a prison or coliseum of some kind.”
The strange building roaring in flames was soon lost to the pair as they flew forward. When they finally reached the new front lines of battle after passing a shoddy triage camp, it seemed they had arrived just in time.
Ardat was shocked to see Sodom, Raphael, and Gabriel all conversing. Ardat pulled up just outside of the debate, while Michael flew forward without pause.
All eyes were on the two of them as the din of conversation fell silent. It was clear no one was expecting to see Michael anytime soon.
“Michael,” Raphael shouted with a grin so large on his bearded face Ardat thought his face might split in half.
“Michael,” dozens of voices echoed all around.
“He’s back,” someone said louder.
“Michael’s back!” Yells soon flowed from the remaining warriors of the Light.
“His entrance to the conflict is meaningless,” Sodom said with a wave of his hand. He was looking at Gabriel, disregarding anything else. “Never before has history witnessed one incarnation of The Four. I am unparalleled in every way. Join me and reap the rewards of victory when we crush the Light.”
Ardat quickly gathered what was transpiring. Gabriel floated in between the two factions, with Sodom to his left and now Raphael and Michael to his right.
Gabriel looked from one side to the other and back again. For the first time Ardat could remember, the Fallen Archangel looked unsure of his next move.
“Gabriel,” Michael said, shattering the stillness, “I forgive you. Come back to us. Whatever your wrongs or what wrongs you feel have been done to you can be healed. We all make mistakes; that’s inevitable. Whether we choose to accept and struggle with those mistakes is what sets us apart.”
Sodom gave out a booming laugh that vibrated inside Ardat’s chest. “Please, spare us your pleading, Michael. You have disregarded Gabriel’s friendship from the beginning. You have always been on opposite sides. Do not pretend that is any different now. He will join me and together—”
“That’s not true,” Gabriel said more to himself than anyone else.
“What did you say?” Sodom asked with feigned indignation.
“That’s not true,” Gabriel said louder, looking at Sodom with fire in his eyes. “We haven’t always been on opposite sides; we were brothers once.”
“We are still brothers today,” Raphael said.
A dazed look came over Gabriel as if he was discovering or perhaps remembering something long forgotten. He looked up at Michael and Raphael. “I’m with you. Mostly because we are brothers but secondly, I really want to kill Sodom and end his incessant talking.”
Ardat floated back a few feet, stunned. Never had she thought she would witness the day when Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades would unite and fight as one.
She wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Sodom’s mouth dropped open for a moment before a sneer covered his lips. “Then you will all die together!”
A scream like nothing Ardat had ever heard came from somewhere deep inside Sodom as he yelled orders to his soldiers while closing the distance between himself and the Archangels. “Kill the minotaurs!”
---
Alan couldn’t believe his eyes. Michael was back, Gabriel had agreed to fight alongside them, and for whatever reason, Ardat had made a change to her wardrobe and decided to wear something other than black. But there was no time to dwell on these events.
Already a lightning bolt as long as a spear appeared out of nowhere as Michael flung his weapon at the oncoming Sodom. Gabriel’s twin fire swords erupted from his hands, and Raphael was racing to meet Sodom with his trident extended. More than anything, Alan wanted to take to the air and help defeat the tyrannical demon leader. However, Sodom’s order to his men to kill the captured minotaurs was still ringing in his ears.
“Kyle, Kassidy,” Alan tried screaming over the sound of two armies racing to clash once again. His voice failed to reach them, but they did turn to him for direction. High overhead and still on their steeds, Kyle and Kassidy looked down at Alan. Alan waved wildly with his hands toward the spot where the minotaurs were held captive and motioned for them to follow.
Alan thought he saw his actions rewarded with nods. Regardless if they heard him or not, Kyle and Kassidy swooped toward Alan to follow, Kassidy looking like she had ridden a gryphon her entire life and Kyle already half falling off his phoenix.
“Tracy—” Alan said, but before he could tell her his plan, she was already urging her warhorse forward.
Alan ran like he had never run before. Every second counted. Like a flash, he was among the enemy, slicing his way to where the minotaurs knelt, with his sword and both bright-blue wings.
Overhead, crackling and booming erupted from the battle between Sodom and the Archangels. Alan couldn’t afford a spare moment to look. In seconds, Alan had reached the minotaurs and by the state of things, not a moment too soon.
The minotaurs were made to kneel, bound both hand and hoof with coils of thick chains. A contingent of dark-clad soldiers missing arms and legs stood ready to fulfill their leader’s command.
Already, weapons were raised over the minotaurs’ heads. Alan crashed into the first soldier, who carried a heavy axe poised and ready to strike the neck of a bound minotaur.
Alan hit the soldier so hard, bones broke and the demon was thrown yards deeper into the ranks of Sodom’s forces. Alan didn’t wait to see what happened. Instead, he allowed himself to be encompassed by the feeling that marked him as the Horseman of War. He allowed himself to tap into the strength and lose himself on the battlefield. Tracy, Kassidy, Kyle, and even Alan’s dogs of war, who had returned from dropping off Danielle, joined him.
Alan knew his first priority had to be freeing the minotaurs and second dispatching their executioners. The fact that most of these soldiers were missing limbs crossed Alan’s mind as strange, but he had no time to stop and think of what this could mean.
Almost faster than he could think, his muscles reacted. Blow after blow either crippled an enemy or struck a chain holding a minotaur as prisoner. Frantically, Alan hacked away at various minotaur’s bonds, searching for Cratos’s familiar face. Finally, after releasing almost two dozen minotaurs, he found his friend.
Cratos was ble
eding from a multitude of wounds, but that didn’t stop him from straining against his bonds. Deep, bleeding rivets were already gouged into his wrists and neck where the chains met his skin. Furious streams of steam shot from his nostrils.
“Easy there, Cratos, you’re going to hurt yourself,” Alan said, feeling a sense of relief at finding his friend.
“Little brother,” Cratos roared in greeting as Alan severed his chains with a single blow.
Cratos rose to his hooves, disregarding the need for a weapon or time to give his wounds attention. He searched the battlefield. “Queen Baymore, we must find her.”
“There,” Alan shouted as his eyes fell on Kassidy. She was breaking the chains off a minotaur, who much like Cratos, roared with the sense of freedom and wasted no time in entering the fight, regardless of her lack of weapon.
“Good,” Cratos huffed. “These enemies, little brother; they do not die like regular demons.”
To prove his statement, Cratos pushed Alan out of the way and lowered his horned head, impaling a charging demon through the chest with both horns. The demon continued to struggle even with Cratos’s horns protruding out of the back of its armor.
Cratos gave one colossal shake of his massive head and sent the writhing enemy flying through the air. It crashed with so much impact its body left an indention in the ground. As if nothing happened, the figure rose and charged forward again without the slightest hesitation or noise.
“What are they?” Alan asked, bringing both his wings together in front of him to block a battle hammer and send out a strike of his own, decapitating his enemy. He watched in horror as the headless body rose again, stumbling blindly.
“They are born out of some kind of dark magic,” Cratos said.
“Hey, any way to stop these zombies from getting back up?” Kassidy said, fighting her way to Alan and Cratos. Her gryphon soared above, grabbing enemies two at a time and dropping them from dizzying heights.
The Complete Archangel Wars Series: A Shared Universe Series (The Archangel Wars) Page 72
