Gloriel looked down at him with surprise. “Deserted you? You are part of him. He could no more desert you than I could leave Natalie. She is my body. I am her soul. We are one. As are you and Sariel. Never forget that.”
He nodded and pulled the sword hilt from his pocket and looked at it. He wasn't sure if Gloriel was right but it made sense. 'Well Sariel, if you can hear me, hiding or not, I may need you soon. I hope you'll be ready.'
“Movement, sir,” George said and pointed at the doorway. In the gloom they couldn't make out any details, but Chris saw at least one figure standing just inside the room. It seemed to hesitate for a moment and then slowly it advanced.
“Flares at the ready,” Judge Hawkes said. The team and the judge lifted the flares and prepared to ignite them. The figure drew closer.
“Now!” the judge said and six flares snapped on and were tossed almost as one.
The room lit up again, their shadows grew behind them and, walking toward them not more than twenty yards away was...Angelica.
Chapter 18
Chris stared in disbelief. He was looking at a much different Angelica than the hissing Fury that he had left in front of a mall in downtown Ottawa.
Angelica looked like she'd been attacked. Her tank top and jeans were torn in several places. She was limping and there was a gash across her upper left arm and several bruises on her face. As she stumbled along, she was gasping in obvious pain.
“That's far enough, Angelica,” the judge said loudly.
She stopped and looked around, squinting through the glare of the flashlights pointing at her until she had located Judge Hawkes. “Ethan,” she said, sounding relieved. “You're still alive. Then I'm not too late.” Her voice was weak and her speech slurred.
“Yes, I'm still alive, my dear. No thanks to you and your friends.” The judge's tone was glacial.
“Me?” She stared at him blankly and then laughed a bit. It sounded painful. “I had nothing to do with this. After my humiliation in Ottawa, my superiors decided that I needed to be taught a lesson. They locked me up and, as you can see, had Talon try to re-educate me. I endured their abuse for a time but, Fallen or not, I am still an angel and finally had had enough.” She smiled grimly. Chris noticed that her lower lip was split and began to bleed. “Talon will need to recruit some new members, I'd say.”
“Lovely story, I'm sure. So tell me, Angelica, how did you get here?”
She cocked her head to the side, seemingly puzzled by the question. “Really, Ethan. I am one of the Fallen. I knew where these,” she looked with distaste at the remains of the nosferatu, “creatures were being sent and I took the Angel's Road.” She looked at him curiously. “Have you not explained that route to your recruits?”
Chris looked over at the judge who appeared slightly uncomfortable. “None of them is strong enough to use that conduit yet. You were the only one who ever did, to my knowledge.”
“Ah, I see.” She shifted her weight from her left leg to her right and grimaced. “Well, that is what happened. I followed the creatures down after they had entered this place, whatever it is. I wasn't sure that you had survived, but I'm glad you did.”
The judge made no reply. He simply stared at Angelica and Chris guessed that he was trying to decide whether to believe her or not. While he hesitated, she looked over and up at Gloriel.
“Hi Nat. I'm so happy to see you healed and whole. If I had known you were with the party, I wouldn't have been so concerned.” She sounded relieved and began to limp slowly toward the angel. Gloriel was frowning at her. She actually growled low in her throat.
“Angelica,” Gloriel exclaimed. “You dare speak to me?” Her wings sprang out and up, their metallic edges ringing loudly. “Prepare yourself, Fallen. I'll show you the way back to Hell.”
Angelica stopped and stared up at Gloriel, a look of sadness and grief on her face. “You still blame me for that attack, don't you Natalie,” she said in a small voice. “I didn't know! I told you then and I'm telling you now. They tricked me. All I wanted was to talk to you one last time, sister. To try to convince you to join me. Instead, they used me as bait. You were injured. Our friends were killed.” A look of fury crossed her face for a moment. “Oh, but they paid. I swear they paid for that betrayal. Not one of those fiends ever made it back to Hell, of that you can be sure.”
Gloriel hesitated. “You...you didn't set me up?”
“Is that what you've believed, all this time? We were closer than sisters, Natalie. As close as two mortals can be. Can you blame me for wanting you with me when I left? Yes, we've gone on different paths but I've never stopped loving you or wishing that that horror had never happened.” She spread her arms wide. “I am alone here. No troops, no other Fallen. Just me. Human. If you want to take your revenge, then take it. I won't fight back. Perhaps then you'll know peace.”
There was a flash and a momentary disturbance in the air and then Natalie was standing where Gloriel had been.
“I...I want to believe you, Angie. I really do, but...” She sounded like she was near tears.
“You can, Nat. You know me better than anyone. Trust your heart. Trust your feelings. I know you will never come over to my side now, but let's at least put that horrible day behind us.”
Chris had watched the entire interaction in disbelief. Surely Natalie wasn't falling for Angelica's lies? Because that's what they were, he just knew it. Or were they? Here she was, alone, injured, obviously weak. He could tell by her voice that Natalie desperately wanted it to be true. To think that your best friend had betrayed you must be horrible. Maybe, just maybe, she hadn't.
A hissed whisper from behind him made him look over his shoulder. The judge and the rabbi were taking hurriedly under their breaths. Then the rabbi nodded and began to chant quietly. Chris thought he was speaking in Hebrew but he really had no clue what that sounded like, so he wasn't sure. Now what are they up to, he wondered.
He turned back to see Angelica holding out her arms to Natalie, who walked slowly toward her as if hypnotized. And then they embraced. Both of them were crying.
“I'm sorry I doubted you, Angie,” Natalie sobbed and hugged her fiercely.
“So I am, Nat.” Angelica sounded broken-hearted. “I'm sorry...that you're such an idiot.”
Natalie pulled back and stared at her friend. “What?” And then she shrieked with pain.
From somewhere, Angelica had pulled a knife and Chris watched in horror as Natalie staggered back, the hilt protruding from her stomach. “Try calling Gloriel with a foot of cursed iron in your guts, you stupid bitch.” Angelica snarled.
Natalie collapsed and lay on her back, gasping for air and twitching horribly. Angelica looked down at her and laughed.
“How can an angel be so gullible? That was always your weakness, dear. Sentiment.” She looked over at the judge. “I don't know why you're here, Ethan. You always did love ancient history more than people. But to leave your beloved Nest and come here? Now? You really are a fool.”
“Perhaps, Angelica. Or perhaps it is you who are the fool. You are alone here. As you said...no troops, no Fallen. Just you.”
She laughed. “I don't need anyone else to deal with you. And once you're gone, your Angelic Dominion will fall. Cut off the head and the body dies. So, let's see if that theory holds, shall we?”
Angelica was engulfed in flame and Chris gasped, hopeful for a brief moment that someone had used some sort of weapon on her. But his hope was short-lived.
Suddenly towering over Natalie was a monstrous creature. Perhaps she had been an angel once, but now she was something else.
She stood as tall as Gloriel had, but the heavy brutal face held no beauty. White hair wreathed in flame hung down her back. Two horns twisted out and up from her forehead and immense webbed bat-like wings stretched out behind her. In her taloned hand, the demon held a shard of metal that glowed and smoked and dripped red gobbets like blood. A breastplate of scarred iron covered her chest and below that, hairy g
oat-like legs that hinged backwards led down to cloven hooves.
Chris stared at the thing, appalled. How could they fight...that?
Lilith threw back her head and laughed. “And now I will make you a sacrifice to my master. The one, true ruler over Heaven and Earth. A glorious day for the forces of Hell. My reward will be beyond measure. But first,” she looked down at Natalie sprawled out on the floor, unmoving, “I'll deal with this dear sister of mine.” She raised her horrific weapon. “Your soul will not rise, my dear. I'm sending you into oblivion.”
As the demon readied herself to strike, the ground in front of her exploded upwards, pushing her back and away from Natalie.
“What?” she screamed. “What is this trickery?”
Something rose from the cracked stone floor. Something made of stone and earth and metal. It grew and it grew until it was almost as tall as the demon herself. Two arms, two legs and a misshapen head, the creature must have weighed at least a ton. The only features to be seen on its face were two pits filled with flame.
“What is it, judge?” Chris asked frantically.
Judge Hawkes nodded at the rabbi who was still chanting under his breath. “It's a golem, Christopher. Courtesy of our friend here.”
“A golem? Never heard of it,” Chris replied. “But thanks anyway, rabbi.”
Rabbi Eddleson smiled faintly as he continued to mutter under his breath.
The golem made no sound but reached out and grabbed the demon in its arms, holding her and tightening its grip.
“How dare you,” Lilith shrieked. “Mindless slave. You cannot match my power.”
She shrugged and struggled, finally breaking free and backing away from the golem, which plodded after her relentlessly. The demon slashed at the golem with her glowing shard and Chris watched in shock as one of the creature's arms was severed. The demon began to laugh and then roared with anger as the arm was replaced with another that grew out of the golem's body.
Oh, that is so cool, Chris thought.
“I think this might be your best chance to escape, Ethan,” Chris heard the rabbi say. He looked at the man and saw that he was turning white and sweat was pouring down his face. “I won't be able to do this for much longer. Take your people and Natalie and get out of here.”
The judge seemed to be considering that option. He wouldn't just leave him here, would he? Chris watched the judge closely but finally the man shook his head.
“If I left you here, Joseph, I'd be no better than that monster we are facing. We will all walk out of here, or none of us will.”
Chris breathed a sigh of relief as his faith in Judge Hawkes was restored.
“You are a fool, Ethan,” the rabbi panted. “But thank you.”
“It's been said more than once, my friend. And you're welcome.” He smiled gently at the rabbi and then turned back to watch the battle.
Chris watched the two monsters slug it out for a moment, but was more worried about Natalie. She lay still, not too far from the fight, and Chris was sure that she was still bleeding.
“Your honor, we have got to get Natalie out of there,” he said urgently.
“I know, Christopher. The team is on it.”
Chris had been so focused on his friend that he hadn't seen two team members, Beatrice and Davidson, sneaking up to the left of her position, crouched down and moving slowly. He assumed that they were trying not to draw Lilith's attention to themselves. They reached Natalie's prone body and knelt beside her. One of them, Beatrice, checked for a pulse then looked back at the judge and nodded. Chris felt a rush of relief. At least she was still alive.
The pair grabbed Natalie under the arms but then crouched lower and froze as the golem was knocked back almost to their position. But it caught its balance, lowered its round, boulder-like head and charged into Lilith, sending her flying across the room. It stomped after her and the team members managed to drag Natalie back to the altar.
“Tony, you're the best at triage. Find out how she is,” the judge ordered and Tony jumped forward and knelt down next to Natalie's body. He ran his hands across her torso, checking the position of the knife that still jutted out of her stomach and Chris heard him take a deep breath. Then he looked up at the judge.
“I don't think the blade pierced any vital organs, Of course, I can't tell without an x-ray, but she's breathing strongly and she hasn't bled out, so those are good signs. Beatrice, check the packs please. I need packing, gauze and tape. We'll pack the wound once I remove the knife and tape her up as tightly as we can. It isn't ideal, but it's all I can do right now.”
Beatrice hurried over and started rummaging through the packs. Ramona hastened to help her. George and Davidson held their positions, standing between the group and the two combatants who were still tearing at each other fiercely.
Once the necessities had been found, Tony prepared to pull out the knife. Chris had to turn away. He just couldn't watch what was happening to Natalie. So he stared at the demon and the golem as they battled on.
Several large chunks of stone had been ripped out of the rock-man's torso and shoulders and they hadn't regrown. Chris considered that an ominous sign that the rabbi was weakening. But the demon was bleeding profusely from her chest and her left arm was twisted awkwardly. She could still use the arm, but not with much strength. It was a stalemate as far as Chris could see. But the demon wasn't slowing down, whereas the rabbi was now barely able to stand. What would happen when he collapsed?
“There,” Tony said and Chris looked around again in time to see Beatrice pulling a clean shirt down over Natalie's tightly bandaged stomach. “That should hold until we can get her to a hospital.”
“Thank you, Tony,” the judge said gratefully. “One way or the other, this situation won't last much longer.”
“You're quite correct, judge,” the rabbi gasped. “I'm afraid I'm almost done. A minute, maybe two and I believe I'll pass out. Sorry...that I wasn't...stronger”
“You gave us time, Joseph. You've acquitted yourself admirably, my friend.”
The rabbi gave a weary nod. George glanced back, then rushed over and supported the rabbi before he could collapse.
“Thanks. I'll hang on as...long as I can.” The rabbi trembled and he was now as pale as milk.
Chris looked around frantically. There must be some way out of this mess, he thought. On the streets, he always had an escape route. There was always a place to crawl through, or climb over, when he was being chased by bad guys trying to do him harm. Heck, he'd outrun a half-dozen cops a day before he'd met Judge Hawkes. There was always a way out. But try as he might, Chris couldn't see one in this situation. Once the golem was down, there was nothing to stop that demon except five security people armed with silver weapons. They were finished.
He fished the hilt out of his pocket again. What the hell was this thing good for anyway? Stevens was dead, Natalie was gravely wounded and they were all going to die and for what? So that Sariel could get a piece of his sword back? Big deal! Chris would soon be dead and then who'd be left to use the damned thing? Or look for the other pieces? What had been the point?
'The point, my other self, was to get Lilith here alone, and weaken her enough for us to finish her off.'
Chris froze for a minute. He couldn't believe it. 'Sariel?' he finally asked using his inner voice.
'Of course. I am so, so sorry for Stevens. He was a good man. But if the nosferatu had sensed me within you, they would have either fled and informed their master, or called in reinforcements. The same is true of Lilith. I pray that Natalie will be all right, but we must not allow my brother to know that I walk the Earth through you. Not yet. Not until we have the entire sword whole and in our possession. The lord of Hell would not stop until all of the judge's organization was destroyed. And that would leave the world defenseless.'
'How come she didn't sense you that day in the mall?' Chris asked in confusion.
'Daytime, Chris. Remember? They cannot use their powers in the day
time. Now, prepare yourself. The rabbi is about to fail. Will you allow me to take charge? You'll notice I'm asking nicely this time.' Chris could hear the amusement in Sariel's voice and he found himself grinning.
'Good,' he replied. 'Keep doing that. And yes, I don't know enough to challenge her on my own. Do what you have to do. That monster is pure evil.'
'She was not always so, Chris.' Sariel said with deep sadness. 'Ah, but my brother has much to answer for. But now she is one of his three generals on Earth. With her gone, he will be weakened, which will aid our cause immensely. So, let us begin.'
Rabbi Eddleson gave a sharp cry at that moment and collapsed against George, who eased him gently down and propped him up against the altar. At the same time, the demon let out a screech of triumph. The golem froze for a moment and then fell apart into a heap of dust and small pebbles.
“Your creature is defeated. I am victorious.” The Fallen One stalked slowly toward the altar. “I had meant to kill you quickly, to get this small task over with. But now you have angered me. Your deaths will be slow and filled with agony.” She stopped about ten yards away and leered at them.
At this distance, Chris saw that the demon's armor had several deep gashes in it that were oozing smoking, black blood. One shoulder had been wrenched and moved hardly at all and part of her right horn had snapped off. And yet she stood there grinning through rows of pointed teeth, her blazing red eyes lit up with evil glee.
“First, I shall tear apart my former little sister. She may not feel it, but it will cause you all great pain and that will delight me. And then I will deal with your new little toy. Tell me, sweet Christopher Wright, where was your angel? At least Gloriel stepped up and was willing to fight. But you? Craven and cowering in some dark corner of your mind, I don't doubt. Well, no matter. I will enjoy slicing you up regardless. And the rest of you.” She glared at Judge Hawkes. “I'll save you for last, Ethan. You may have the pleasure of watching all of your puppets fall before you yourself are killed. I'm sure you will feel quite proud of yourself for leading them on this fool's errand, won't you?”
Confronting the Fallen Page 26
