by Diem, J. C.
Dom shook his head. “I have no idea who they are. I am simply able to conjure up their images.”
“Who is he?” Leo asked.
“It isn’t a he, it’s a she. That’s Lord Vepar.”
Leo wrinkled his nose. “It is hard to believe that she is the same Vepar we were kin to. She was so beautiful when she was an angel and now she is hideous.”
All demons were ugly, but lords were even more repulsive than most. “You should see a Demon Prince if you think she’s bad,” I said.
Dom concentrated again and the prince of the eighth realm suddenly appeared. I took a step back out of reflex even though I’d already killed him. Twelve feet tall, he dwarfed even the lord. His leathery black wings were furled against his back. His armor was made of metal. The center of his chest was exposed to reveal strange markings on his inky flesh. His horns rose up and swept all the way to the back of his head where the tips almost met. Instead of feet, he had cloven hooves.
“Now that is unsightly,” Leo said with a shudder.
I conjured up a weak smile and was glad when the illusion faded. None of my friends or allies were aware of what I changed into whenever I went to hell. At first, I thought I was going to become a lord. After my last trip to the underworld, I now knew better. I was turning into something that had never existed before; a Demon Princess. Shaking off my dread, I focused on our task. “These illusions are awesome, but can you make them do anything?”
The look Dom gave me was almost insulted. “Of course. They would not be of much use if they remained frozen.” With a look of deep concentration, he made scarlet weapons appear in the demons’ hands. Then they surged to life and came rushing at Leo and me. Only the dull silver blade of my dagger made me refrain from defending myself. It only glowed crimson when I was in danger and it wasn’t showing any signs of it right now.
Their blades passed through me without leaving any damage. I was close enough to Vepar to see the glint in her eye as she targeted Leo. He looked a bit spooked and was on the verge of calling for his sword again. Her weapon swung at him and he flinched as it seemed to slice into him.
Dom made the images disappear and I could see that it had taken effort out of him. “How many demons can you conjure up?” I asked.
“A hundred at the most.”
“Creating so many illusions will tax Domiel,” Jed warned us. “He will not be able to maintain the ruse for long.”
“How many angels know of this ability?”
“Just the two of us,” Dom replied almost bashfully. “I fear our kin would not be happy if they discovered that I have this talent.”
“My Mom could do something similar,” I told him. “She could send visions of hell to people to scare them into being good.” He seemed relieved that he wasn’t the only one who could create images of evil beings.
Leo’s expression turned thoughtful as he spoke. “We will need help if we are going to save Nathan. I think it is time to call in the cavalry.”
₪₪₪
Chapter Three
Knowing exactly who Leo was talking about, I sent a message to Detective Reynolds asking him to call me urgently. My phone rang a few seconds later. “I figured you’d returned to the city,” he said without preamble when I answered the call. It was late, but he was awake and sounded alert.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Our new captain all-but gave up on the search for you for the past three months. Now she’s suddenly sending us out in droves to find you again.”
“I guess word spread that I killed the Prince of the third realm. Vepar knows I’m back on Earth again.” She was calling herself Vesper Marsh, but we all knew her real identity.
“What do you need to speak to me about so urgently?” Reynolds asked
“We need your help. Is now a good time to talk?”
“I’m out cruising the streets looking for you,” he said dryly. “Now is as good a time as any.” He knew his partner, Gomez, was possessed by a demon. He was doing his best to avoid her without raising her suspicions. She was frequently sent on missions by her demonic boss without him, so she was kept busy a lot lately.
“Park your car somewhere and Leo will come and get you,” I told him.
I heard him pull over and the engine cut out. “I’m on Thirty-Fifth near Lexington,” he reported. Leo nodded and disappeared. He was gone longer than I’d expected and I realized why when he came back with Sophia in tow as well.
Jed asked a question that stabbed me directly in the heart when we’d all gathered together. “Where is Samuel?”
“He’s dead,” I said flatly. “A Wraith Warrior killed him when we were in the third realm.”
Reynolds sucked in a breath and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know how close you two were. You have my sincerest condolences for your loss.”
I held onto my tears with a tight grip and managed a stiff nod of thanks.
“That is not good news,” Dom said with a disturbed expression. “The imp was instrumental in helping you traverse through the palaces in the nine realms. How are you going to accomplish your mission without him?”
“Violet will find a way,” Sophia said and moved to my side. She was tall and slender and had long white hair. I was the only one who could see her true form. The others just saw a plain woman with a similar body shape to Sophia, and long graying brown hair. Standing next to Reynolds, they were a marked contrast with his dark hair and skin.
The shortest by far, Leo’s vessel was a fourteen-year-old boy with short curly blond hair and guileless blue eyes. I looked worn out and tired next to the beautiful beings in the room. Reynolds might not be inhumanly handsome, but he was definitely attractive.
“Sophia called a few days ago and told me that Nathan had been kidnapped,” Reynolds said. “I presume that is why we’re gathered here?” He was eyeing Dom and Jed with a hint of suspicion.
“This is Domiel and Jeduthun,” I said by way of introduction. “They’re double agents and they’re spying on the angels for us.” The pair winced at my description, but they didn’t deny it.
“What can you tell us about where Nathan is being kept?” the cop asked. His dark blue suit was rumpled and his hair needed a trim, but he was all business. He was a homicide detective, but he’d probably had experience at hostage situations as well.
“Nathanael is being kept in the first cell on the right in the basement beneath the warehouse,” Jed reported. “He is shackled to the wall and is being tortured almost constantly.”
White spots danced in front of my eyes. I was forcibly reminded of my own torture session in the basement of the police headquarters. Bob had carved my flesh open over and over only to heal me before I could bleed to death. Nathan’s torture had lasted a lot longer than mine. He had to be in pretty bad shape by now. Not even an angel would be able to heal themselves if they were being tortured constantly.
“Two angels are guarding him at all times,” Dom added. “It is impossible to enter his cell without being seen.”
“Then we’ll need to draw the guards out,” Reynolds decided.
“Dom may be able to cause a distraction,” Leo said and gestured for the angel to demonstrate his ability.
Dom dutifully created half a dozen lesser demons. Reynolds cursed beneath his breath and almost went for his gun. Sophia realized they were illusions and merely studied them intently. “Can you make them move?” she asked.
“He can,” Leo confirmed. “They are very lifelike when they are in motion.”
“We’ll need a lot more than this if we’re going to use them as decoys,” the detective said. His hand was still hovering near his gun, but he was taking this far better than I’d expected. Most humans would have run screaming at their first sight of a demon.
“Dom can call up a hundred illusions if he has to,” I informed him.
“How many angels are in their base?”
“They have one hundred and twelve in total,” Jed said. “There are always at
least thirty either out on patrol or watching the rebels’ base at any given time.”
“So, we’ll be looking at around eighty or so enemies and we’ll have a hundred decoys.” Reynolds calculated our odds and shook his head. “I’ll need to see where he’s being kept.”
“He’s in that building,” I said and pointed at the windows.
The detective crossed the floor and made sure to stay in the shadows as he peeked outside. All of the businesses had closed for the night hours earlier and the street was quiet. A few streetlights illuminated the sidewalk, but the warehouse sat in a pool of darkness. Angels had excellent night vision and they didn’t require artificial light. “I’ll have to get the blueprints so I can see the exact layout,” Reynolds said almost to himself.
“Will this be of any assistance?” Jed asked. She held her hands about a foot apart and an image appeared between them. It was an overhead view of the inside of the warehouse. It looked just like the blueprints the detective needed, except it was in full color.
Reynolds moved closer and peered at the image without any apparent surprise. There probably wasn’t much that could startle him now. Not after seeing what demons looked like in real life. A second image appeared below the first, depicting the basement. I clenched my hands when I saw a figure chained to a wall in the first cell on the right. “This will most definitely do,” the cop said as he studied the layout.
We remained silent as he reviewed our options. Due to the wards that guarded the building, we’d have to physically remove the shackles from Nathan and carry him out. Even with my experience at infiltrating the palaces in hell, I couldn’t see a way to free him without the angels catching us.
“I’m pretty sure we can pull this off,” Reynolds said after a few minutes. “But I’m going to have to call in some favors.”
“From whom?” Sophia queried.
“I have a friend who has connections to some very bad people,” he replied grimly. “If anyone in my department discovers what I’m planning, I’ll end up in a cell myself.”
“We won’t let that happen,” I promised him. “But you should probably lay low during the rescue. If Hagith and Orifiel find out who you are, they might take action against you for helping us.”
“I thought angels were supposed to be the good guys,” he muttered.
“So did I,” I said dryly. “It turns out some of them can be just as power hungry and selfish as any human.”
Dom and Jed shifted uneasily at my pronouncement. Celestial beings were supposed to be above petty wants and needs. Hag and her sidekick had proven this wasn’t the case at all. They wanted to rule over their own kind and now they had their wish. If they got their hands on me again, they’d be in a position of power once I retrieved the final two pieces of the mystery object. I still had no idea what it would do. A flood of demons would be descending on our planet all too soon. Whoever wielded the object would presumably be able to turn the tide against them.
₪₪₪
Chapter Four
Reynolds asked for privacy to make a phone call. We stepped out into a hallway that led to the rest of the offices in the suite. Leo pulled the door shut and the silence spell ensured that we wouldn’t overhear his conversation.
“Do you really think humans will be able to help us rescue Nathanael?” Jed asked doubtfully.
“Detective Reynolds is an intelligent, resourceful man,” Sophia replied. “If anyone can assist us in this endeavor, it will be him.”
“He was chosen by Fate to join our team for a reason,” I added. “Maybe this is it.” Nathan was my guardian and protector. He couldn’t exactly save me from dying if he was locked away in a cell. Death had been circling me my whole life. Without my soul, I was a target and death was determined to finish me off.
Speaking of my imminent demise, I needed a boost to keep me going. “Can one of you zap me with holy fire?” I said to Dom and Jed. “Leo can do it, but he hates hurting me.” Leo looked down at the worn carpet and shuddered.
“I will purge you,” Jed offered with a sigh. “Neither Dom nor I wish to cause you any harm, yet we are aware that this is necessary. Briathos warned us that you may require us to perform this task from time to time.”
Sophia and Leo flanked me and held onto my arms as Jed moved to stand in front of me. She put her hand on my forehead and celestial fire burned me from the inside. It didn’t last long, but I had to bite down on my screams of agony. Dom stepped forward and I knew he was going to attempt to heal me. “Don’t,” I said hoarsely. “Not unless you want to become connected to me the same way Nathan is.”
He hesitated then stepped back again. “You look much improved, but your skin still has a gray tinge to it.”
I straightened up and Sophia and Leo let me go. Examining my hands, I saw what he meant. My skin looked a bit lighter, but nothing was going to take the toxin away. It had spread too far by now. They were all staring at me in concern, wondering the same thing that I was. Sophia had been sent a vision that I wouldn’t last out the year. It was early October now and my time was rapidly running out. “I’m not dead yet,” I said more harshly than I’d intended. “I still have time to finish my mission.”
If Sam or Nathan had been present, they would have staunchly declared that I wasn’t going to die. We all knew better and no one bothered to deny it.
The door behind me opened and I turned to face Reynolds as he gestured for us to join him again. It was safer to talk inside the only room that had a silence rune guarding it. Leo waited for us all to enter then stepped in last and shut the door.
“I’ve lined up a team,” the detective said. “I’ll meet with them tomorrow night and we’ll work out a plan based on the blueprints you showed me.” He nodded at Jed and she inclined her head in return. “They’ll want to scout the place out for themselves to see what they’re up against. I’ve told them they’ll have a distraction to help them out, but I was vague on the details.”
“Aren’t they going to freak out when a hundred demons suddenly appear out of thin air?” I asked.
He shrugged and didn’t seem too bothered. “These men have been in combat situations. They’ll keep their cool long enough to do the job.”
“I take it they are mercenaries?” Sophia asked with a hint of disapproval. “Will they not expect payment for their services?”
“Their boss owes me,” Reynolds replied with a near scowl that wasn’t directed at her. “We won’t need to pay them anything.”
“Good,” I said with a weak smile. “I only have about two dollars to my name right now.”
“I have considerably more than that if payment becomes necessary,” Sophia added.
“If the demons break free from hell, money will no longer have any meaning,” Dom said.
Jed checked her watch and frowned. “We should go. Hagith and Orifiel will expect us to return from our patrol soon.”
“How can we get in touch with you to tell you the plan?” Reynolds asked. Angels didn’t use cell phones.
“Alert me with a signal when you require me to conjure up the illusions,” Dom replied.
“I won’t be going in with the team,” the detective said. “But I’ll be nearby in case I’m needed. I’ll park somewhere close and set off my car alarm when the time comes.”
“That should suffice,” Dom said in approval.
“We should leave,” Jed urged her partner. The pair disappeared and I moved to the window to see them appear near the door to the right of the warehouse. There were several entrances, but this was the one they used the most frequently. A few moments later, the other eight angels who had been sent out returned as well. They all stepped inside and ten more angels exited a few moments later.
We drew back from the window and Leo spoke to the detective. “I can draw the blueprints for the warehouse, if that will help,” he offered.
Reynolds turned to him in surprise. “You can draw?”
“My vessel is an artist. I will borrow his talent to
recreate the plans of the building.”
“You can do that at our base,” Sophia said and sent a pointed look at me. “Violet is in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.”
Being purged with holy fire was enough to push back the taint, but it didn’t do anything to wash away my exhaustion. Only Nathan’s grace could do that. Knowing that Sam would be waiting for me in my dreams, I couldn’t hide my reluctance.
“You’ll be of no use during the rescue mission if you’re dead on your feet,” Reynolds pointed out.
I knew he was right and I nodded in capitulation. We gathered around Leo and he teleported us to Sophia’s store. Leaving the others in the front room, I trudged upstairs to take a shower. Stopping in my room to grab my pajamas, I glanced into the living room on my way out. The couch looked forlorn without Sam sitting in his favorite spot watching TV. We all avoided the room now. It reminded us too strongly of him.
Taking a long shower, slow tears rolled down my face as I cried soundlessly. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get over my guilt and heartbreak at losing Sam. His soul might have survived, but it was small comfort. I missed him more than I could express. His friendship had kept me sane through some very trying times. Without him, I felt bereft.
Things were even worse now that Nathan was in the clutches of my enemies. My tears dried up and my grief turned to cold anger when I thought of the agony he was suffering from because of Hag’s wounded pride. She was now number two on my list of my most hated beings. The Hellmaster was at the top, of course. If it wasn’t for him, none of us would be in this mess in the first place.
