With the death of Skalgrig and the surrender of his army, their stay in Artunecki came to a quick end. Once the rest of the army arrived at the gates of the town, they set off again. Alex rode in a carriage with Jamana, One and Two.
Riverie was to be their next town. That was where Nekrosis was. It was another town a few hundred miles away. It bordered the same mountain range. Alex stared out the window as the carriage wheels rolled away on the red rock beneath. In the distance, he could see little settlements. Most consisted of single storey buildings. Alex couldn’t see any demons about, but there were strange black shapes hovering above the buildings.
Alex closed the carriage window as the dust became too much. He leaned back in his seat and his thoughts turned to Lucifer. The entity that resided in him was getting stronger. Alex could feel it. He’d also seen some of Lucifer’s memories. He had been really strong, killing hundreds of angels, even bringing the archangel Gabriel to her knees. Lucifer had escaped God by opening a hole in the ground. A hole that had welcomed him. How had he done that?
One and Two sat opposite him in the carriage. One rested her head against the carriage door. Two had hers on One’s shoulder. Their chests rose and fell evenly, the features on their faces were relaxed. They looked beautiful, asleep. Almost angelic.
Jamana was seated beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder. Her hands were in his lap. Her eyes were closed.
It was a nice moment. All three girls asleep and momentarily absent from the suffering, abuse and misery that was their life in hell. Soon, one way or another, his time in hell would come to an end. What would happen to these girls?
Alex’s thoughts drifted back to his own realm and those he had left behind. He wondered what Karen was up to. Had Satani found the demon that killed the angel? A horrible thought entered his mind.
What if more angels had been killed since his arrival in hell? It suddenly occurred to him that things could have spiralled out of control back on earth.
Were the demons in Ignis Estate safe from reprisals? Was Melissa safe? Karen would take care of the demon. She’d said as much, and he trusted her.
Alex felt a little better, that was, until he remembered Chrissy and her sister, Emily. He still didn’t know if they were both okay. He owed them an explanation. Especially Chrissy. She knew about demons now. She would have many questions for him.
* * *
It was dark outside when the carriage came to a sudden stop. The girls were still fast asleep and Alex had been on the verge of getting some shut eye too when the carriage jolted to a stop. Alex opened the carriage window to look out. It was dark, but he could make out the mountain range to his right, and to his left were flat plains.
There was nothing else out there.
Alex jumped out of the carriage and was about to make his way to Keira when he spotted the beast.
Its head was bigger than Alex’s body. It had a long wide neck. On its back were blunt horns half a meter in length. It had wings that were thick and twenty feet long. For all descriptive purposes, it resembled a dragon. It didn’t seem to have eyeballs. It did have the holes for eyeballs, but they were empty. Just darkness. And then, flames rose from within the holes.
Yup, this was a dragon in hell.
Alex reached back for his sword, hoping Lucifer could bring some of that speed and strength that he once possessed. It would take everything he had if they were to defeat this beast. His fingers gripped the handle of his sword and Alex was about to unsheathe it when he became aware of Keira standing beside him.
“You don’t need the sword, Alex,” she said.
“I don’t?”
Keira shook her head. “The dragon’s here for me.”
“To eat you?” Alex asked, confused.
Keira laughed. “No. It’s here to take me to the Valley of the Two-Headed Kromos. I’ve received word that Merculis Azarath has launched an attack on the city. They need me there. You, Pikes, Corcin, Mariah, Cierrella, Magnamus and the rest of the demon troops will continue on towards Riverie. Find Judas and kill him.”
“Shouldn’t I come with you to the Valley of the Two-Headed Kromos?”
Keira shook her head. “Merculis doesn’t have the numbers to win a full-frontal attack on the city. The rebellion plan was to simply hold out for as long as possible and show the rest of hell how weak Satani was.”
“What’s changed then?” Alex asked. “Why have they decided to attack?”
Keira smiled up at him. “It could be because of you. Word spreads quickly in hell, and word of how easily you defeated Skalgrig may have reached him. You were an unknown factor in this war. They chose a good time, knowing that Satani would remain on earth to deal with the angels’ deaths. They weren’t expecting you to come and when you did and dispatched Skalgrig with such ease, your reputation’s been enhanced. Maybe it’s caused him to be a bit reckless. He knows his time is limited. It could be that he’s desperate.”
Alex watched as Keira approached the dragon. It bent its knees and lowered its neck until it touched the ground. Keira jumped onto the dragon’s neck and as the beast rose up, she slid down until her back came to rest against the blunt horn on the dragon’s back.
Now that Alex was no longer focused on killing the animal, he had to admit, Keira sitting on its back, she looked like a total badass.
“Corcin will look after you while I’m gone,” she said to him as the dragon flapped its wings and raised a storm of dust. “Don’t get into trouble,” she blew him a kiss.
The magnificent and somewhat terrifying beast flew off into the dark red sky. As it disappeared from sight, Alex became aware of a demon sitting on his horse, staring at him with cold eyes and a cruel smile.
Pikes.
Corcin came to stand beside him. “He’s going to try and cause you trouble, now that Keira has gone,” she said. “We have rules in hell. If he tries to take what is yours, or harms that which is yours, you can kill him. But other than that, you should not attack him.”
“Thanks,” Alex muttered. “That was a great fucking fantastic pep talk.”
“We’ve got a little further to go before we arrive at Riverie. See if you can get some sleep.” And with that, Corcin headed back to her horse.
Alex made his way to his carriage. Inside, all three girls were awake and worried. Alex told them what had happened, and that they had nothing to worry about. The carriage began to move once more. The girls fell asleep, but it wasn’t so easy for Alex. The carriage wasn’t that comfortable. It was hot and stuffy. He still had to adjust to hell’s climate.
There was also the thing about Merculis suddenly deciding to attack. Alex had met Jamie. If the father was anything like the son, then something didn’t add up.
The carriage rolled through the dirt track and as the night came to a close, they arrived at their destination. Alex could see the town in the distance, but he knew something was wrong.
Between them and the walled city were thousands of demons. They all wore black armour with the head of a blue demon painted on the chest.
Chapter 28
It was early morning, though you couldn’t tell by looking up. The sky had two colours. Red and a really dark red. And they seemed to change from one shade to the other is if operated by a switch. You pressed it, and voila, it was night, or day.
Alex stepped out of the carriage and stretched. It had not been comfortable sitting in that space for so many hours. He felt exhausted. It reminded him of returning from work after a twelve-hour security shift in Canary Wharf. He needed a bed. What he didn’t need was to be facing a sea of hostile demons.
Their procession of horses, carriages and foot soldiers had come to a complete stand still. Demons milled about in fours and fives, looking very much unconcerned about the large army in front of them.
Alex spotted Corcin, Mariah, Pikes, Magnamus and Cierrella standing beside one of the carriages and he made his way towards them.
“Alex,” Corcin nodded at him, seeing his appro
ach.
“Why have we stopped?” Alex asked.
Pikes snorted. “Because there’s a fucking army between us and the town,” he said. “Or, is the mighty Alex going to defeat them all?”
Alex glanced at Pikes. The black-skinned demon leaned against the black carriage. But he did not blend in. His skin was rough, where the carriage had a smooth furnish. And the metal plates he wore on his arms and across his chest were a dark red.
Pikes folded his arms across his chest and took a step towards Alex. But that was all he did. Take a single step. Alex remembered what Corcin had told him about getting into a fight with Pikes.
He looked away from the demon and turned to Corcin. “We have to face those demons, right?” he asked. “That’s why we’re here. So why don’t we just get this over with?”
“Our scouts said there would only be two to three thousand demons at the most. But there are at least eight thousand demons between us and the town of Riverie. If the scouts got the numbers wrong, what else have they missed?” Mariah asked.
“The human is right,” Magnamus said. “It changes nothing. Alex is our champion. We offer Judas a duel to the death. If he accepts, they fight. If he does not accept, we all fight.”
The big red hulk of a demon had a deep voice to match. Alex liked his no-nonsense attitude. And he was right. It didn’t change anything. Not really. Judas was here with a larger army than they’d expected. They couldn’t turn and run. Alex would have to face the demon and hope they would duel to the death.
Alex turned to look at the thousands of demons standing in the distance. If Judas decided he had the numbers advantage and wasn’t going to duel to the death, there was going to be a lot of deaths.
“Mount your horses,” Corcin said. “Let’s face the bastards.”
* * *
Alex was back on a hell horse and surprisingly, he preferred it over the carriage. Spending hours seated in an enclosed space, being on the back of a horse felt good. As the beast broke into a gentle trot towards Riverie and the thousands of demons that stood in-between them, Alex even welcomed the hot and ashy air that ruffled through his long hair.
Corcin rode beside him on a black hell horse. That seemed to be the only colour they came in. A hundred yards behind them were Pikes, Magnamus, Mariah and Cierrella. Behind them were the rest of the demon army. They didn’t seem very organised to Alex. Horses, carriages and demons moving at a steady pace, all mixed together.
As they got closer to the town and the army that stood in their way, they began to realise just how much bigger it was then their own. There were six large columns of demons on foot. Either side of them were hundreds, maybe even a thousand demons on hell horses. They kept riding though, only stopping as they came within a hundred feet of the columns.
“They outnumber us three to one,” Corcin said, worry in her voice.
Pikes raised his black blade and pointed to the column of demons furthest left. “They’ve had reinforcements.”
He was pointing to a section of the column that was dressed differently. They did not wear the black armour with the blue demon face that Alex had come to recognize as Merculis Azarath’s forces.
The demons that Pikes pointed at were bigger in size, on average at least ten feet tall. They also looked more vicious. Most had four or five horns sticking out from their heads, and dozens of sharp smaller horns protruding from their arms and backs. They didn’t wear armour, but the exposed skin on their arms and face looked as hard as steel. Most stood on their feet. A few sat on bulkier beasts that looked like triceratops. Large animals with enormous grills and horns at the front.
Two demons broke away from the column and began to ride towards them on hell horses. With a gentle tap on her hell horse, Corcin moved towards them. Alex joined her as the rest remained back.
As they got within twenty feet of them, Corcin recognised the two demons approaching them. “That's Nekrosis and Judas,” she muttered. “They’re both here. No wonder there are so many demons. They’ve combined their forces and brought in reinforcements.”
The two demons that approached them did not look at all intimidating. Both had red skin and sharp horns on their heads. One was male, the other female. Both sets of horses stopped ten feet away from each other.
“Nekrosis is a woman?” Alex asked.
“That’s not going to stop you from killing her, is it?” Corcin whispered.
Alex didn’t reply. Truth was, he didn’t know. He’d yet to kill a woman. He supposed if his life depended on it, he would do it.
“You don’t have the numbers to defeat us,” Judas said. “Satani is no longer the right person to lead hell. She is too weak. Right now, instead of coming back to hell to lead her armies, she stays on earth to appease God. Why fight for her when she isn’t even here? Join us and we will lead demons back to their rightful place in all the realms.”
“We won’t be doing that,” Corcin said flatly.
“You don’t have the numbers to defeat us. Your death will not only be in vain, you will die as a traitor to your race,” Judas spat out in anger.
Again, Corcin maintained her composure. “We seek to resolve this battle by the ways of old. A battle of champions.”
It was then did both Judas and Nekrosis glance at Alex.
“And you’ve brought your champion, Alex? Is it true you killed Skalgrig with a single strike of your blade? You defeated Jamie Azarath in battle and even pushed our lord Satan back into his prison?”
Alex shrugged. Most of it was true. He hadn’t actually killed Jamie. That had been Karen.
“Will you duel our champion, or are you too cowardly?” Corcin asked.
Judas’s lips spread into a smile. “Is it true Lucifer is inside you?”
“Why do you ask?” Alex asked, an eyebrow raised in caution.
“If it is true, it means there are two of you. If we select a champion, he or she will have to fight two. That is not fair.”
Corcin’s lips tightened. “What are you proposing?”
“We will honour the tradition of the duel of champions,” Nekrosis said. “But your champion is not a single entity. Your champion is a cheat. He killed Skalgrig by using the skills of another. Choose another champion, or,” Nekrosis’s lips curled into a cruel smile, “We both will duel Alex and Lucifer.”
Corcin stared at Nekrosis for a long moment before she leaned over her horse towards Alex. “Two against one,” she whispered. “Do you think you can defeat them both?”
“Fuck yeah. I’m Lucifer, mother fucker. I’ll kill them both with my bare hands.”
“You don’t have any hands,” Alex reminded him. Out loud, he said to Corcin, “Lucifer’s pretty confident.”
He didn’t bother telling her that Lucifer was always confident, and that sometimes that confidence was misplaced.
“Then so be it,” Corcin muttered. “Alex will duel you both,” she said to Judas and Nekrosis. “The terms remain the same. The losers will die and their armies will surrender.”
Both demons nodded. They dismounted from their horses. Judas drew two black swords from the scabbard at his waist. Nekrosis didn’t have any swords with her. From her waist, she released a long black chain. At its end was a curved silver blade, the tip coloured red.
Alex dismounted from the hell horse and pulled out his longsword. The warmth from his body flowed into the blade, turning it red like burning ember. Alex barely had a chance to step towards his opponents when Nekrosis struck. The blade at the end of her chain flew at him like a bullet.
It came for his head and it was only his reflexes that saved it from being gutted. Alex tilted his head to the left just in time to avoid the blade ripping open his mouth. And though he managed to avoid that, he wasn’t quick enough to completely save himself. The sharp edge of the blade touched his left cheek and cut through it with ease. Alex felt a stinging sensation. He didn’t get a chance to assess the damage. Nekrosis pulled her chain and the blade was back in her hand.
&n
bsp; It came at him again, but this time he was better prepared. Alex batted the blade away with his sword and charged towards them. Judas came whirling with both black swords out. Sparks flew as their blades clashed. Alex blocked the strike to his right, then ducking under the left strike, he swerved his long sword, aiming for Judas’s chest.
But Judas slid sideways. In his former place was a blade at the end of a chain. Alex stumbled as he got out of the curved blade’s way. He had to recover quickly as the blade on its return, tried to slice his neck. Alex deflected it with his longsword, then took a step back to assess the situation. This was going to be much harder than it had been with Skalgrig.
“We need a plan,” Alex muttered.
“I have one. Go for the chain wielding bitch. If we can get close enough to her, we can take her out.”
It made sense to Alex. With her long chain, she was probably used to keeping her enemies at a distance. How would she react if they managed to get close?
But it was an easier said than done task. Nekrosis stood a good twenty feet away from him, and in-between them was Judas, his swords whirling in both hands. Alex took a side step, and they both did the same, apparently knowing what he planned.
Growling in frustration, Alex charged at Judas, deciding he would kill him first if he had to. He moved quickly and swung with his longsword. Judas blocked it, then came with his own attack. Alex parried the blow and as he did, Nekrosis’s blade came swirling around Judas. It would have chopped off Alex’s nose had he not moved back in the nick of time.
And so it continued. Alex went on the offensive, but to little avail. Judas remained on the defensive. He blocked Alex’s strikes without trying anything difficult himself, without exposing himself. Alex struggled to put the demon under any pressure, as every time he thought he had an advantage, Nekrosis’s blade came swirling at him.
The Devil's Apprentice: Book 2: Descent to Hell Page 16
