by D. R. Rosier
The other Angel cried out in pain. She sent a quick burst of fire into the damaged armor killing the one facing Daniel while reaching out to grab his sword.
The Angel said arrogantly, “Don’t bother demon, that sword only works for Angels.”
She twisted through his defense and removed his head. The last Angel looked at her, mouth open.
She shrugged, “I guess half Angel is good enough.”
Then she ran the last one through, he was so shocked he didn’t even try to defend himself.
She tore the armbands off their corpses, “Daniel, do we have people for this, or should we give it to the humans? They need to figure out how they work. Or at the very least, how to make them work on the suits too. I am assuming they won’t right now, no one is that stupid.”
Daniel replied, “Probably not, the government probably has better facilities. Our Angels don’t have a higher knowledge than humans. The other dimension wouldn’t allow it.”
She nodded. “Let’s go find some more shall we?”
After travelling around a while they found a pocket of police and slowly approached. They lifted weapons but didn’t fire, Jezebel hoped they wouldn’t. It would ruin her day. They stopped at about 50 feet and called over for who was in charge, a man in a suit walked out.
He said sounding tired, “Agent Halley, FBI. I am assuming with the lack of suits and people dying that you are part of the local crowd?”
Jezebel said handing over the devices, “We took these off a few we killed. We were hoping you would know where to get them sent. Best case for a defense, but hopefully at the very least if they can be modified to include the suits those assholes are in?”
He snorted, “Anything else? World peace or something else easy? And how about those swords?”
She grinned and said, “Actually, could you get on the radio with our descriptions so we aren’t shot at? You can’t have these swords, but there should be a number lying around at the end of the day. Although really these can only be used by Angels, so the best place for them would be with my people.”
He nodded thoughtfully, “I can do the first, as to what happens to the enemies weapons that’s past my pay grade, but I will pass on your suggestion. Are you saying that the Angels living here will side with us?”
She said her face growing dark, “Yes, they will, especially when they see us fighting.”
He replied, “Okay, I’ll pass the word about you three, if you want more fighting they are spread out around the city but there is still a large pocket of them about 15 blocks North.
She replied, “Thanks.”
Jezebel, Daniel and Natalie were seen on the news that night in different parts of the city. They managed to kill the enemy Angels in Vegas. But not without cost. The city still had no power, and much of the infrastructure was damaged and would need to be rebuilt.
Other cities were showing a response now too, the Angels at least. The rest of the supernatural community, to Jezebel’s annoyance, seemed to be staying out of it. What she had accomplished in Vegas was a start, but a very small one.
There had been less than fifty Angels to start attacking Las Vegas, and they were relatively isolated into groups of 5 or less. Easy pickings for the group of 3 expert fighters now armed with the enemy’s weapons. There were a lot more than that scattered across the country, she knew it was the only move but Jezebel worried about her Angels and the days to come.
She wondered when they would consolidate and what that would mean for the defenders. She just knew she was very tired right now, it was close to midnight and she was ready for some sleep. That’s when her front door was knocked on. She went to answer it and Daniel stepped in front of her.
She muttered, “Assassins don’t knock Daniel.” Then she giggled as she pictured an assassin dressed up like a ninja waltzing up to the door and knocking. Now she knew she was tired, she felt punchy.
She watched in shock as men in suits with sunglasses, started to carry equipment into the room. She had a feeling she needed to be awake for this so used a little of her flagging energy to revitalize herself with her Angelic magic. It was a long day and she hadn’t had time to join with Daniel for a recharge, plus Sandy was still missing in action and she had no idea why.
Daniel whispered, “Secret service, apparently the phones are down and the president wants to talk to you.”
Awake now or not her mind went blank, the president? This should be fun.
A few minutes later she heard a generator turn over and they had it all set up and going, and she was looking at the President on a 60” projection screen. Her heart was beating a little fast. Silly perhaps, she was Arch of North America. She was also a young woman in her 20’s who was way in over her head though, the Arch thing was supposed to run itself.
She said nervously, “Mr. President.”
He gave her a slight smile which was a relief. She wasn’t sure what this was about yet.
President said, “Arch Anders is it?”
She nodded but said, “Jezebel will do sir.”
He inclined his head and then went straight to the point, “Do you know what this invasion is all about? One of our agents thought it must be the independence you Angels sought, and they came to set that right so to speak. But the attacks don’t line up with that thinking. They seem to be targeting everyone, and on top of that technology specifically.”
She said reluctantly, “I wish I knew. I thought the same thing, but if that was the case they could have just sent a team to kill me. It doesn’t make sense based on what we know. I can contact the older Angels I know, maybe they have an idea. Should I contact the agent or is there a way to reach you?”
He sighed and looked more upset, “I was hoping you knew, please get that information. You can just call Jim Thompson when you have it. He can get the word to me. Also any Angel’s wanting a sword to help with the fighting can come get one of what we recovered. After watching the footage it’s obviously the best way to go about it.
“Even ballistic missiles fired from a hundred miles away get knocked out. I don’t understand the low technology of the swords, yet with the way they cut, still high technology. Maybe some social significance? But I won’t complain they don’t have ray guns either. Get that information as soon as you can please, we need it to form an appropriate defense strategy.”
The screen went dark. Jezebel knew who she needed to talk to and was not looking forward to it. The oldest Angel she knew, the only one thousands of years old that she was aware of. It was time to talk to Katrina.
She touched her Amulet and reached out for the old Angel but wasn’t getting anything back. They must be asleep. She sighed and decided to follow suit, it apparently needed to keep until morning.
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Jezebel stretched her body as she awoke. She could smell the fresh brewed coffee and it was wonderful. She reached out and took the mug and a sip. She arched an eyebrow at the cup. Daniel must have unplugged the satellite setup and plugged in the coffee maker to the generator to get it made.
She didn’t waste any more time. She knew they needed to understand the attacks. Closing her eyes she connected to Katrina and found someone on the other side this time.
“Katrina, sorry to bother you, but we, the President of the US and I, was hoping you would know what the Angels were up to. Why are they attacking everyone, not just sending a team to kill me?”
Katrina replied to everyone on the council plus her, “I don’t know for sure, but I have heard stories when I was younger. The humans even have some historical fact mixed in with legend that they now miscount as true history. The angels are not here just to keep the Demons down, or stop them from taking over here to give them a foothold in another dimension.
“What I heard was we are also here to keep an eye on the humans, make sure they never achieve the ability to gain dimensional technology. The humans were close once, seven thousand years ago. I am sure you have all heard the tales of Atlantis and the wondr
ous magic and technology of it. Well, it is not just a story, it is fact. Except in the tale Atlantis fell due to their folly, that part is a lie.
“Atlantis fell because the Angels feared the humans. They didn’t believe peace even worth trying. So before the humans came to full understanding of the technology and would be able to cross dimensions they took out all the technology and set humans back millennia in scientific understanding. The Demons took advantage of this and attacked Angels here, but lost.
“If I had to guess I would say the invasion is about both. They are no longer in control of us, but humans have come a long way again. So most likely they are here for both reasons, Jezebel’s actions may have caused them to attack a little earlier, but it would have happened regardless.”
Jezebel replied, “Thank you Arch, can I ask the council a question?”
Jezebel felt the feeling of acceptance through the link and asked, “Why have not all the races met this threat? It was the major reason for forming a multi-race council in the first place.”
Amy replied, “It’s not that simple, this isn’t joining with Angels to fight off an attempt to take back control from the Angels here, it is grander than that. If the Weres fight, we will also be outing ourselves to the humans. We are still discussing it.”
Tony said, “I passed the word to help if they could, but you know how independent Demons are, I can only do so much. As far as witches, there isn’t even one here anymore, so who knows what they are up to.”
Jezebel sighed. She thanked them and released her amulet. She hoped the Weres came in soon, they were really tough bastards, and fast. And the Witches, she figured that’s where Sandy was. She missed her love but it had only been a day since she left, she would have to be patient and wait for an answer. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t her problem that so many were dying.
She was Arch of North America. It wasn’t her business anymore what the other Angels did much less what the other races did. She wasn’t even on the council anymore. She sighed, despite all that. She would help where she could. It was what she thought was right, even if some didn’t want her help at all.
She went in the other room and made a phone call with the satellite equipment, calling the number she had for the head agent. She passed along all she learned, she hoped it would be enough to make a difference.
Chapter 14
Not a good time for this. Jezebel felt the Elven magic tied up inside her, pushing her toward Oregon. She snorted. Of course the old Elf would want her owed favor in the middle of a war for survival. It made a twisted amount of sense. Angels and Demons exposed, invasion from another dimension and now a favor.
Maybe he was worried she would die without getting his price? She hoped it would be quick.
Of course with planes grounded and Sandy MIA she was going to have to get there the hard way. 16 hour road trip wasn’t exactly fast. That’s when she felt dizzy and about to fall over in a faint, much like last time the shaman had moved them to the parking lot. Only this time a hundred times worse. The world blurred in front of her eyes and she was in front of the shaman.
He said, “Don’t worry. Once the contract spell is off you I won’t be able to locate you much less do that again. I really didn’t have time to wait and I realize this isn’t the best time for you but I am calling in my favor.”
Jezebel had her head between her knees and was trying not to hyperventilate. That would never be a favored form of travel as far as she was concerned. She would have rather taken the road trip. She slowly stood up, and then glared at the old man.
“Damn right it’s not a good time, what is so important it had to be done now?” she asked, annoyance filling her voice. She could smell something burning and wondered what it was.
He said, “I apologize, but it’s not something I have any control over. I think you know if you attacked me with fire I would be able to… Stop it?”
She nodded slowly, not sure where he was going with this.
He explained, “While true we can stop magically created and channeled fire, natural fire eludes our control. Else this part of the world would be safe from it. I want you to put out a forest fire for me. It burns perilously close to one of our enclaves. I believe this within your mores, correct?”
She sighed. She had no choice. She would probably do it even without the favor too. Hadn’t she just extolled that very notion during the television interview?
He said, “I will send you now, are you ready?”
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes hoping that helped with the disorientation and nodded.
She felt herself move again, and although it wasn’t as bad without seeing the blur of the world it still made her feel motion sick. She looked around. The smoke was fairly thick, she shape shifted to give her body a better natural filter for breathing than just a few nose hairs. She also toughened up her lungs a bit against burning and irritation.
She could feel the fire in a mile radius with her power, but only had the ability to affect it within a hundred yards or so. She took care of anything around the Elven village first. She ran in an ever increasing spiral around the village, putting out the fire as she went. She started to feel a bit tired, putting out a normal fire didn’t take much energy, but the fire was so big it was overwhelming.
She felt the Elven magic lift from her body. She knew she had done enough to satisfy the favor. Yet, she felt like she wasn’t done. There was still more fire about a mile north, although she had taken care of the other directions. She ran back to the Elven village and looked for the person in charge there, it appeared to be a woman, or at least, she was the only one around. Everyone else was in their huts.
The Elf woman said, “Shall I send you to civilization child? It appears your favor is complete.”
Jezebel sighed. “There is more fire about a mile north. I am willing to get it for you but… I need more energy.”
The Elf said, “So what do you propose?”
Jezebel said, “Well… If you have any couples that wouldn’t mind being knocked out for about twenty four hours I can take care of it. They would have to engage in lustful activities to feed me…” She just kind of trailed off.
The Elf said, “If we let you do this for us it would accrue a debt in your favor.”
Jezebel said, “Umm, how about for a free ride home, not just to the edge of the forest.”
The elf shook her head, “I was already going to send you there now. It would not be honest payment.”
She hadn’t really been thinking about a deal, she just wanted to make sure they were safe. Dealing with Elves is a pain in the ass. She knew she couldn’t just do it for free now though, she had a feeling it would be an insult to even suggest it. So what could she trade for the work?
She thought about it for a moment and couldn’t think of anything she needed except for information.
She said, “Can you give me the Intel you have on Angelic weapons from the other dimension, or anything about why they are here now?”
The Elf said, “We do not have any Intel on this invasion and plan to stay hidden and well out of it, unless we are paid to spy on them of course. We also will not divulge practical quantum device theories. Not for putting out a fire anyway.”
She suppressed the need to roll her eyes and asked, “So what will you do then?”
The Elf woman said, “I could offer you a specific favor, such as transportation in the future?”
Jezebel sighed figuring she was getting swindled but was willing to do it for free anyway, so what the hell. She just nodded in agreement. Jezebel watched the Elf reach into her robe to take out and give her a coin.
The Elf said, “Now when you want to travel somewhere just take that out and think of the place, the coin will disappear after you use it. Now, that other matter.”
Jezebel felt her life force rise quickly to full, being fed from the Elf directly in some way she didn’t understand. She just nodded and took off north to take care of the rest of th
e fire.
It took her about an hour, running back and forth along the leading edge of the fire. She used her magic to snuff it out section by section until she couldn’t sense any more fire at all. She was almost exhausted again as she started to run back to the village.
The Elves were a pain in the ass but she felt better about things now. The risk of the fire burning back toward the Elves was gone. She was looking forward to getting home and taking a nice long shower.
She already had a ride back. She wasn’t going to use the coin…
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Sandy sighed. She had been trying for a while, but Witches were very… Wary. They hadn’t been well treated by the rest of humankind. They were human, just, more advanced. More evolved.
They actually belonged here, but had been hunted down over the long centuries or blamed for everything that has gone wrong. A lot of the current Witches in power had been around for some of it.
Sandy couldn’t blame them for wanting to remain hidden. The latest in the news wasn’t exactly conducive to trust. Large parts of Africa and Asia were now killing any Angel they could identify as well as the Demons. If the Witches came out and helped in North America or other countries not rioting they were virtually declaring open season in the other ones. It was a tough question, all she knew was she had to help.
She was a nervous wreck a couple of days ago when she felt Jezebel fighting the Angels. It had taken all of her will power not to join. What is more, she is pretty sure that armor wouldn’t affect her magic at all. After all it wasn’t exactly an attack with Magic, it was more the magic causing a natural effect, such as lightning or gravity.
She was on Cat’s island talking with her mentor and hadn’t really gotten anywhere. She could see Cat was torn as well, but feared releasing the knowledge. It wasn’t all bad though. The governments in Russia, Europe and America were openly recruiting, asking for Angels or Demons to join the armed forces. Or if they didn’t want to do that just come get a sword and please help.
