Published by Quirky Algorithms
Seattle, Washington
This novel is a work of fiction and a product of the author's imagination.
Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by M.R. Forbes
All rights reserved.
One
I could feel Elyse and Rose's hands on my arms, though my body slumped forward, hanging from their grip as every muscle lost rigidity. The demon's voice was soft in my mind, and at the same time the power of it was almost deafening.
"You made a promise, diuscrucis," Abaddon said. "I have no wish to return to this horrible place."
I blinked my eyes, fighting against the threatening unconsciousness.
"Can you hear me?" I asked, pushing my words inward to the place where I could feel him. It was a dark place in my soul, a place I had closed off to heal.
"Yes. I hear you. What has that demon done?" he said. "Diuscrucis, I will not be controlled."
It was the connection that allowed us to speak. The one we had forged inside the Box. It was the promise I had made, to see him destroyed so completely that his soul would no longer be tormented in Hell, or brought back to this world to even greater torment. These things had bound us, linked us together through that black pit. The distance from Hell to where I was had been too far. Now we were together. Closer than I would have guessed.
"A summoning spell," I said. "I tried to stop it. I was too late."
He howled in my mind, the power of it nearly knocking me out.
"I can't help you if you kill me," I screamed at him.
"I hate this place. I hate this body. I hate this power. I hate. I hate."
"Landon?" Rose said. Her voice sounded as if it were a million miles away. "Landon? What's happening?"
I ignored her.
"Abaddon, I will keep my promise. I will find a way. Tell me where you are."
The demon's power eased in my head. He could have destroyed me had he wanted to. The connection was strong enough, and he had the ability. He didn't want me dead. Maybe I was the only thing in the world that he didn't want dead.
"Dark. It's still dark. I don't know. Find the demon. Make him tell you."
"I will. You have to back off. You're going to destroy me. I can't even stand up right now."
The pain lessened immediately, my blurred vision regaining focus. I found my legs, getting them under me and using them to stand. Rose and Elyse sensed my return and released their grip.
"Landon?" Rose said again. "Are you okay?"
I looked over at her, blinking a few times. There was a sudden dark hue to the world that I had never noticed before. It hung in front of me, like a shadow that was in the wrong place.
It was Abaddon. Watching me? Or just leaving me a reminder?
"Keep the promise."
I would never be free of him until I freed him from the universe.
"No," I said to Rose. "I'm not okay. None of us are okay. Abaddon is free. We have to stop him."
Two
"Free?" Rose asked. "What does that mean, Abaddon is free?"
"Nothing good," Elyse said. "Abaddon was made in the likeness of the Beast. He has the power to destroy every living thing on Earth. The question is, how did he get out of Hell?"
"Randolph Hearst summoned him," I said.
"Hearst?" Elyse replied. "That lowlife? He doesn't have the power to pull something like this off."
"Not on his own. I'm betting he had help."
"Gervais?"
"No. Gervais wouldn't want to share in a play like that."
I turned my attention to the UPS delivery man. Alyx was still holding him up against the wall, the strength in her tiny hands almost comical. The man didn't move. His face was bleached white, and he had a stain on the front of his pants.
"You son of a bitch," I said. "What's your motive, Gervais?"
"What?" the man said. "Look, mister, I don't know who you think I am, but-"
"Cut the shit," I said, moving in closer to him. "You remember Alyx, don't you?"
She bared her teeth for me. They elongated into fangs as she did.
The man looked terrified, and he tried to run, his legs moving futilely along the ground while she held his neck.
"Judging by what Abaddon said to me, he didn't come across at full strength. I know you know what the hell is going on here. I know there's a reason you came to deliver that message personally, and I know there's a reason you let it happen in the first place. Stop playing games, or Alyx here is going to play one of her own."
The man's eyes shifted from me to Alyx, and back. Then he sighed loudly.
"Oh, fine. Have it your way, Landon."
He morphed in front of us, returning to the thin man with the curly black hair and the accent that I loved to hate.
"How did you know it was me?"
I smiled. "I didn't. I figured if I was wrong, at worst I would have scared the crap out of a deliveryman."
"Bah, I should have guessed. What did you mean, judging by what Abaddon said to me?"
"You aren't the one asking questions here. Tell me what your game is, Gervais. I know you will because you don't want to die, and you aren't powerful enough yet to prevent Alyx from killing you."
"Can you at least put me down?" he asked. "I will explain everything I know, but it would be so much nicer to sit and chat."
Alyx looked at me. I nodded. She released her grip, and Gervais fell to the ground. He reached up and rubbed at his neck.
"That's going to leave a mark," he said.
"Where have you been for the last three weeks?" I asked.
"Oh, here and there. You know how it is for demons."
"Gervais," I said.
He gave me his little French laugh and shrugged. "You defeated the Fists of God and kept your part of our bargain. You didn't need me around anymore."
"You tried to take Zheng's memories. His knowledge of how to make them."
"Well, of course, I did. That is how this works, isn't it, diuscrucis? I already told you I want to return to my former glory. I can't do that unless I have an ulterior motive. In this case, I was hoping to take our friend's memories and use them to make Fists under my control. It was a bit of a risk, but it was win, win as long as you defeated that stupid Angel."
"And now you hacked your bonded promise so that Hearst could bring Abaddon back into this world. Why?"
"I want to use his power."
"I don't need you to tell me that part. Hearst summoned him. Hearst is in control of him. That's how it works, isn't it?"
"Yes. Mostly. There are ways." He smiled the annoying, mischievous grin that I hated so much. "There are always ways. So, let me tell you why you want to keep me around."
"Good idea," I said. "Though after the last time, I'm considering taking my chances without you."
"As well you should. But it would be a mistake. You see, I know where he summoned the demon. I know where they are keeping him. You're right when you say he isn't at full strength just yet. Except it isn't because his power didn't come across. It's because they are holding it. They don't want Abaddon free in this world. They don't want to destroy every living thing. If they did, what would they feed on? No, they have managed to contain him and his power. Now they will work to extract that power and use it to their own ends."
"You seem to know a lot about it," Rose said.
"Of course I do, my flower."
"How?"
He changed shape again, turning into a fat man with a short beard. "I can be anyone as long as they are human. This one was one of Hearst's. He had access to the Solen Intranet." He changed back to himself. "It is funny, the things that can be
found on intranets these days. Such high security from outsiders, but nothing once you are inside. Especially if you're the administrator."
"So you got Hearst's secret hideout for Abaddon from the intranet?" I asked, skeptical.
"No. I got the names of a few demons who had access. That is the thing about lesser demons, Landon. They are very easy to seduce if you have the right body." He morphed into Rose's sister again, sticking out his hip and grabbing his breasts.
"You asshole," Rose said, her face twisting in anger.
"Gervais," I said, putting out a hand to hold Rose back.
"It was a little distasteful, what I had to do for the information, but worth it in the end. A demon with sexual mores is a bit too ironic for me in any case."
"Get to the point," I said.
"Ah, yes. The point. The point is, I know where they are storing Abaddon. You do not. Therefore, you need me to help you."
"I wouldn't have if you had kept our first bargain."
"No."
"And if I make another bargain with you, you're going to renege on that, too."
"Likely."
"So why wouldn't I just find Abaddon on my own? I'm sure Hearst would be happy to tell me where he is."
"Go ahead, Landon. Go to Hearst and ask him about Abaddon. See what you get from him. Why don't you take your harem with you? I will wait here for you to come back and ask me to make a deal." He paused, looking smug. "You will come back to make a deal. I'm certain of it."
I stared at him for a good minute. It sucked to know the demon was up to something and at the same time have the niggling feeling that he had me right where he wanted me. Of any demon I had ever met, Gervais was the most accomplished manipulator of them all.
"Alyx, stay here and keep Gervais company. If he tries to do anything other than watch television, tear his throat out."
"Yes, Master," Alyx said. I looked over at her. "Yes, darling," she said instead.
"Rose, it's your call if you want to come along," I said. "Elyse, I would appreciate your company."
"Sure," Elyse said. "I'm in."
"I'll go," Rose said. "I need the practice."
"Aren't you afraid I'll steal your girlfriend while you're gone?" Gervais asked, clearly amused.
"Go ahead and try," I said. "Let's go."
Three
We took ten minutes to change from workout clothes to street threads before heading out from my apartment, taking to the streets on foot. I would grab a cab to Hearst's place soon enough, but I wanted to get Rose and Elyse up to speed first.
"Apparently, I can hear Abaddon can speak to me," I said. "Through the connection we made while I was in the Box."
"But you destroyed the Box," Elyse said. "How did the connection survive?"
"Part of our souls were both trapped. I made him a promise there, binding his soul to mine. That binding survived after I escaped. Somehow, he can speak to me and push his power through the link."
"He can send his power through the link?" Elyse said. "You mean he could kill you?"
"If he wanted to, yes. All he wants is for me to keep my promise."
"What was your promise?"
"To destroy him. Except he's already told me, he won't go willingly. I need to earn it."
Elyse grabbed me by the arm, turning me toward her. "Are you serious?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I made the deal because it was the only choice I had. It was the only way I was getting the Beast in the Box. To be honest, I didn't think I would have to make good on it already."
"Shit," Elyse said.
"Yup. So, do you have any idea how to kill an unkillable demon?"
Elyse laughed. "Not yet. One thing at a time."
"So if Abaddon wants you to kill him, why didn't he tell you where he was?" Rose asked.
"I don't think he knows. At least not yet."
"Do you even want to find him before you can destroy him? I mean, it seems to me that he's better off being held somewhere while we figure out what to do. If he's as powerful as you say, it can't be a bad thing that the power is being contained."
"It isn't a bad thing the power is contained," I said. "It is a bad thing that Randolph Hearst is containing it, especially since he has a currently unknown accomplice. I'd be happy to find out where Abaddon is and take control over his imprisonment, if that becomes an option."
"Accomplice?" Rose said. "You said it wouldn't be Gervais, but can you be sure? That demon is the slimiest little worm I've ever encountered."
"You haven't encountered enough demons," Elyse said. "Gervais is too smart to be a worm."
"And if he had a hand in summoning Abaddon, he wouldn't have come back to me. No, he needs my help for something, and in return I'm going to set him up to make a move. We probably won't figure out what that move is until it's too late."
"Then how do you know we won't end up worse off than we already are?"
"I'm linked to one of the most powerful demons that Satan ever created, and he can end me with a thought. How does it get worse than that? At least for me."
"Point taken," Rose said. "Do you know where we're going?"
We had been walking aimlessly while we chatted. It was a couple of miles to Hearst's brownstone, a distance I would normally cover on foot if I were being sneaky. Having Abaddon's power in my soul, a constant buzz of dark energy, was killing my mood for sneakiness.
"Hearst has a brownstone on 93rd and Broadway," I said.
"Do you think he'll be home?" Rose asked.
"Probably not. His cronies will tell us where he is."
"Are you sure?"
"If they enjoy their continued existence, yes." I motioned to Elyse, who plucked a stone from her pocket. The stone could be replaced with a four-foot obsidian roman spatha with both demonic runes and angelic scripture on the blades with little more than a thought. "You brought your knives?"
Rose spread her shorter coat to show me the weapons. I was unarmed myself, figuring to let her get the experience she needed.
I whistled for a cab, waving it down and opening the door for Rose and Elyse. Then I slipped in on the front passenger side. I made eye contact with the driver, checking him for Divinity. It had been easier when I could sense them from a distance, but it had meant they could sense me, too.
"You don't want to sit in the back?" he asked, surprised. He was a younger guy in a sweater and stained jeans.
"I'm good up here," I replied. "Ninety-third and Broadway, please."
I watched his face. His eyebrow twitched just a little. Most people probably wouldn't have noticed.
"Elyse," I said. "Do you know our driver?"
The truth of it was that cabs were very common targets for both the Divine and the Nicht Creidem. They were an easy excuse to criss-cross the city, eavesdrop on conversations, and pass messages from place to place. Things like Lyft and Uber had only made that part of the Divine spy network that much more effective.
"I don't recognize him," Elyse said, leaning forward. As the daughter of the Nicht Creidem's former leader, she would have known most of their crew. "They've been recruiting outsiders lately, though. Kind of like you." She looked over at Rose, smiling.
"Is there a problem?" the driver asked, looking nervous.
"I don't know," I said. "It depends on why you know the home address of Randolph Hearst."
His eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?"
"Someone you don't want to screw around. Are you Nicht?"
His hand shifted on his left side. I took hold of my power, using it to pull his hand up hard enough that he cracked himself across the jaw.
"Don't," I said.
"You're him, aren't you?" he asked me, rubbing his jaw. "The one they warned me about."
"Yes. So you are Nicht Creidem?"
"They told me not to talk to you."
"There are three of us in the cab and only one of you. Considering you aren't Divine, and you don't appear to have any tats, I recommend doing what's best for your own safety. And d
on't even think about reaching for the gun again. You can't kill me with it anyway."
"Yeah, I'm Nicht," he said. "I only joined a few months ago. They put me on this route after I got them some good intel on a demon that was trying to smuggle a runestone. I know Hearst's address because I end up going that way a lot."
"I guess it's my lucky day," I said.
The Nicht Creidem weren't friends of mine, but we weren't total enemies, either. They wanted to destroy all Divine, and at the same time keep all of the power that was stored in the artifacts the angels and demons had created over the ages, like Elyse's sword. I killed Divine to keep humanity from being consumed by them, for better or for worse. There was some overlap there.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"I told you. A cab ride up to Hearst's. I need to talk to him."
"What about?"
"He has something I'm interested in."
His ears perked up. I knew they would. "Oh?"
I smiled. "Stick around, and I might give you something to take back at the end of your shift."
"Okay, sure. Just reporting a diuscrucis sighting will get me a nice bonus. Anything else will be gravy."
"Then let's go," I said. The poor kid didn't know that I would make sure he forgot all about having seen any of us by the time he was three blocks from Hearst's residence.
The cab pulled away from the curb, cutting off a livery in the process. He was a good driver, quick and efficient, and we reached Hearst's brownstone in no time.
Four
"What's your name?" I asked the driver when we stopped at the curb a block away from Hearst's place.
"Joey," he said. "Joey Lincoln."
"Nice to meet you, Joey. Come on."
He looked over at me. "You want me to come with you?"
"You wanted the information, didn't you? I'm not going to sit here and tell you something you can hear for yourself."
Joey didn't look happy about the idea, but he unbuckled himself and climbed out of the cab. Rose got out on his side while Elyse joined me on the curb.
"What are you doing?" she asked in a whisper.
Execution (The Divine Book 6) Page 1
