The Demon Beside Me

by Nelson, Christopher

  “If you wanted, you could conquer someplace in order to help it,” Caleb suggested.

  “Like I just said,” Tink mumbled.

  “Like some sub-Saharan country in Africa,” Caleb said, giving Tink a quick glare. “Or some other place where the dictator is brutal. You could take over Cuba. Cuba would be interesting.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” I said. “Gorgeous Cuban women at my beck and call? Tempting.”

  “No.” Hikari, as expected, was not a fan.

  “But-”

  “No.”

  “Then what do you suggest?”

  She shrugged. “Conquer something that no one will care about. Take over a square foot of land in Wyoming or Montana. Own an iceberg in the Antarctic. You can be the Lord of Penguins and Polar Bears.”

  “But where’s the fun in that?”

  “Where’s the fun in shaking up the world?” she asked. “Where’s the fun in ruining thousands or millions of lives for this? What’s the point of this, Conquest? Why does he need to do this?”

  “It is to open the Gates of Ascension,” he replied.

  “I get that, but why does it involve you? Why do they want to unleash you upon this world? What the hell did we do to you?” Frustration started to leak from every word. “Their old war didn’t involve us, not until they brought humans into it! Even as they died, they wanted to put the screws to us! Why can’t you leave us alone?”

  Conquest didn’t respond for at least a minute. When he did speak, his tone was as soft as ever, but there was sympathy in his words. “Humans are the bridge between angels and demons, a rotten, burned, untrusted bridge. We must tear the ruins down so that you may build again. We are the agents of change. This world must change.” His gaze returned to me, and his eyes were dark pits once again. “This world will change.”

  I felt his power drawing on me again. I closed my eyes. “Please don’t.”

  “My apologies.”

  “But what’s in it for humanity?” Hikari demanded. “Why don’t we have a choice in the matter?”

  “Because you are as children before their races,” the Horseman said. “Children rarely get to make choices as an adult would.”

  “That’s not fair,” she said.

  “It is not meant to be fair.”

  “But-”

  “Enough,” I said. “Hikari, dear heart, I understand your frustration here. I’m half human too, remember?”

  “Sometimes,” she said. “Sometimes I forget.”

  I let that pass, as usual. “So, Tink thinks I could do the most help at home here. Caleb thinks I should be altruistic and take over some place that needs help. Hikari thinks I should take over nothing. Conquest, how will you do it? How does it actually work?”

  “The events for your choice have already been put in place.”

  That shut me up for a moment. I spluttered. “You mean you know what I’m going to say?”

  “No. I simply know that whatever choice you make, the foundation will already have been laid, and I shall be the catalyst of your conquest.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “Well, then, what’s the point if it’s already pre-ordained? How about you go forth and conquer Heaven in my name, then. Maybe that’ll be a little much for-”

  “Zay!” Caleb shouted, jumping to his feet.

  I shut my mouth, too late.

  Conquest was on his feet. I hadn’t seen him move. His body wavered, rippled in the air, and in a brilliant flash of light, a shining white bow appeared in his outstretched hand. A quiver of white-fletched arrows appeared, slung across his back. The coat, shirt, and tie had vanished, replaced with simple scaled armor. White fingerless gloves covered his hands, and his fingers pulled an arrow from the quiver and placed it on the string. He aimed up into my ceiling and let go of the string.

  The arrow vanished into the ceiling, leaving no trace of its passage. Instead, the floor trembled and shook. I clutched the arm of the couch and Hikari grabbed my arm. A white light flashed through my window, bright enough to force me to cover my eyes. When the light dimmed, I saw a white horse standing tall and proud in front of me, and Conquest pulling himself up the saddle. “In your name, Gatekeeper,” he said, his voice no longer soft, but a growl that echoed and rattled dishes in the kitchen. In another flash, he was gone, horse and rider vanished through the wall and out into the night sky.

  Nothing remained of the Horseman except the memory. I looked at Tink and she shrugged, her eyes wide. Caleb sat down heavily, head in his hands. “I shouldn’t be surprised,” he said. “But Zay, how could you?”

  “I wasn’t expecting him to simply do it!”

  “Probably shouldn’t have expected a being like that to understand sarcasm,” Tink said. “Not thinking, just like usual, demon.”

  “Give it a rest, Anna,” Hikari said. “There’s no reason to believe that anything like that would happen.”

  “He said he didn’t have any limits.”

  “It wasn’t a question of limits!”

  “Shut up.” The girls fell silent and I bit back any remark I might have made. Caleb was pale, but the veins in his neck were throbbing. “Just shut up, please. Zay, what were you thinking? How am I going to explain this to the Choir? Do you have any idea how they’re going to take this?”

  “Is there any way you can avoid telling them?” I asked.

  “If I don’t tell them, they will execute me when they find out. How do you expect them not to find out about the conquest of our home?” Caleb drummed his fingers on his knee and sighed. “Even if we don’t tell them, it’s going to be obvious. As soon as the Gates of Ascension open and we return home, it’s going to be yours. And you know what’s going to happen to you once they find out?”

  “They’re going to kill me and take it back.”

  “They’re going to annihilate you, your friends, me, and probably the entire Host as well. Don’t you realize you just won the Second Celestial War before it even began, and lost the Third?”

  “Mom always said I was going to be famous,” I muttered. “Look, Caleb, I’m-”

  A white arrow slammed into the coffee table, cutting my apology short. It quivered as if buried in the soft wood, but the arrowhead was easily half an inch above the table. There was a paper tied to the shaft with a white ribbon. I stood and picked up the arrow, untying the ribbon and pulling the paper off the arrow. As soon as the note was in my hands, the arrow itself vanished. “Cute,” Hikari said. “Message for you, sir.”

  I forced a smile as I started to read the note aloud. “To the Gatekeeper Isaiah Bright, Lord of Heaven,” it started. “The realm of Heaven is yours. As there are no inhabitants at this time, our casualties are minimal. Your realm awaits merely the opening of the Gates of Ascension for you to take up formal rulership. Included with this note is the symbol of your reign. Rule wisely, Lord Isaiah Bright. Your loyal servant, Conquest.” Folded within the paper was a simple white key with a silver chain. I pulled the key out and held it up to my eye. There were no markings, no symbol, not a thing to distinguish it from any old fashioned key made on Earth.

  “That’s it?” Hikari asked.

  “Looks like it,” I said, taking the chain and looping it over my head. The chain burned against my skin and I felt magic bite into me. When I looked down, the chain and key were both gone, but I could still feel it within my skin. “Does the key have any meaning to you, Caleb?”

  “Not a bit,” he said. “Maybe it would mean something to a higher rank, but I’m not familiar with it.”

  “So that’s it?” Tink asked. “Now you’re the ruler of the Choir?”

  I laughed. “No, I’m the ruler of Heaven. The Choir is something else entirely. Right, Caleb?”

  “That is correct,” he said. “I still don’t know how I’m going to explain this.”

  “There’s something written on the back of this note,” Hikari said. “My brother will arrive for his command in sixty-six days. Be prepared, Gatekeeper.”


  “Great. The second Horseman is War, right?” I asked. No one answered. “I can’t wait to see what sort of misery I can cause myself with that.”

  Any comments made in response were lost as a squeal burst from the ceiling above us. We all cringed and I ducked just in time. An imp phased into sight just before he would have collided with my face. He flapped his wings, spun around, and grabbed my shirt as I straightened back up. “Zay, what the fuck?”

  “Kibs?” I asked. “What?”

  The imp shook me. “I said, Zay, what the fuck? The Chairman just got a message delivered by arrow. So did the Princes of each House. You know what that note said?”

  “Congratulations to Lord Isaiah Bright, conqueror of Heaven, winner of the Second Celestial War That Hadn’t Yet Started?”

  “You fucking dumbass!” Kibs slammed his forehead into mine. I staggered backwards into Hikari. “Do you have any idea whatsoever as to what the Choir’s going to do when they find out about this?”

  I jerked a thumb over at Caleb. “Ask him.”

  Caleb shrugged. “Assuming the Seraphim got a similar message, we should be hearing the response in about ten seconds.” He lifted his hands and his sword and shield suddenly shimmered into existence. “I don’t plan on letting them get too excited,” he said, “but you might want to look as non-threatening as possible.”

  Our front door blew inwards.

  Chapter Two

  * * *

  I crossed my arms in front of my face and pumped ichor through my limbs. If I needed to move, having a bit of demonic speed and agility would help. Luckily, whoever was rude enough to crash my door simply blew it off the hinges, not into splinters. I lowered my arms and watched as someone strode into my apartment, standing firmly on top of the fallen door. His gaze was fiery gold and translucent wings arched high over his shoulders. “I am here for Isaiah Bright, halfbreed,” he stated.

  Before I could say a word, Caleb stepped between the newcomer and me. “Victor,” he said. “Nice to see you again.”

  “Caleb.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I am here to bring the halfbreed to judgment.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question. Why?”

  Victor’s golden gaze dimmed. It took me a moment to realize that he had simply narrowed his eyes. “Caleb, please don’t play the fool. He is here. I must give him formal notice and escort him before the Cherubim for trial.”

  “Please state your jurisdiction,” Caleb said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your jurisdiction over a demon. How is it that we can suddenly bring a member of the Host to judgment under Choir law? I am curious, Victor.”

  “Caleb.” Victor held his hands out to his sides. A curved scimitar shimmered into each hand. “I already asked you to not play the fool.”

  Caleb swung his heavy shield in front of him and leaned on it. “I only see one fool here, and he’s on the wrong side of my sword. Do you really think you can stand against me?”

  “We will see who stands firm.”

  “Not in my apartment!” Hikari broke the silence of the spectators. “What the hell are you doing, breaking a door down like that? Haven’t you ever heard of knocking? Is kicking a door down the normal way you angels enter rooms?”

  Victor glanced at her. “Yes.”

  “Seriously?”

  “No. That was a joke. You are not Isaiah, are you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Then shut up and step aside, human.”

  I sighed and stepped forward, clapping a hand to Caleb’s shoulder. He stepped sideways, letting me stand beside him. Now that I had a good look at the other angel, I could tell he was nothing at all like Caleb. Where Caleb was stocky and dark, this one was slender and fair. His hair nearly matched the golden glow of his eyes and wings, and he seemed as meticulously groomed as any imp. “Your name is Victor, isn’t it?”

  “You are the halfbreed Isaiah Bright,” he stated.

  “I am,” I said. “Let’s get a few things straight here. You just broke down the door to my apartment. You called me a halfbreed, twice. You drew weapons on my friend. You just told my girlfriend to shut up. Tell me why I shouldn’t just end you where you stand?”

  The angel’s scimitars crossed in front of him. “I am not afraid of a halfbreed.”

  “I’m not just any halfblood.” I smiled and held a hand up, fingers forming claws, ichor already streaking my palm. He crouched, scimitars held ready.

  Caleb put his shield in front of me. “Victor, again, what is your jurisdiction? You can’t simply assault a Baronet of House Asmodeus and expect to walk away from it. Do you really want to start an incident?”

  “He has already started an incident,” Victor growled. “Caleb, stand aside. He must answer to the Cherubim.”

  “If it was a matter of answering to them, that would be one thing,” Caleb said. “But I suspect he’ll meet with an accident along the way. He might fall on a pair of swords, for example. I suspect those are your orders. No, don’t bother to deny it, Victor, I know how the Cherubim work as well as you do. I won’t let you simply lead him off and kill him.”

  “You are defending the enemy!”

  Caleb’s sword swung into line with the other angel. “I am defending my friend. A friend who does amazingly foolish things from time to time, but a friend nonetheless.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I said.

  “Will you fight for him, then?” Victor’s tone held nothing but contempt.

  “Only if you start it, Archangel. I invite you to try.”

  The twin scimitars quivered, then vanished. “I have no orders to fight you.”

  Caleb snorted, but his sword dipped to point at the floor. “Your slavish adherence to orders warms my heart, Victor. Run along now. I’m sure the Cherubim will be happy to issue new orders that authorize you to try to fight me. I’m sure if you lick their boots properly, they’ll forgive you for running away and not order you to fight to your death.”

  Victor’s scimitars flickered back into his hands for just a moment before vanishing again. He snapped something I couldn’t understand. Caleb laughed as Victor spun and walked away. Once he was out of sight, Caleb’s sword and shield vanished, and I reversed my limited transformation. I sighed and turned around to find Tink directly behind me. “Hiding back there?” I asked.

  She shook her head and showed me her hand. A rune I hadn’t seen before glowed just above the blood streaking her hand. “If that idiot had tried anything, I had a binding ready. It might not have held him, but I’m sure you and Caleb would have taken advantage of it. What the hell was that about?”

  “Apparently the Choir doesn’t like my ownership of Heaven,” I said. “I should add that to my list of titles. Baronet of House Asmodeus, Favored of the Prince, Gatekeeper, and Lord of Heaven. I like it.”

  Kibs phased back into sight. “I can add that to your list of heraldry, if you want. Shit, Zay, you know what he’s going to do? He’s going to go back to the Cherubim and get a new set of orders, and then he’s going to come after you. I hate to say it, but I think those assholes have justification to go after you.”

  I shrugged. “So?”

  “So I suggest you don’t let them, dumbass. Besides, Opheran wants to talk with you in person, as soon as possible.” Kibs fluttered around the room before landing on Caleb’s shoulder. “Look, I know you’re all cool and shit with starting wars, but you know the situation isn’t really all that great.”

  “Are you sure you should be admitting that around me?” Caleb asked.

  Kibs covered Caleb’s ears. The angel chuckled, but didn’t move to dislodge the imp. The years had mellowed both of them. “Zay, you know Lucifer hasn’t recovered from the fuckup at the Gates of Purgatory,” Kibs said. “Amon is back in fighting trim, but you really screwed Lucifer. They’re still having internal struggles after you nailed Azriphel and their High Prince was overthrown. If the Choir starts shit, we’re going to be p
ressed hard.”

  “I get the point,” I said. “So you think I should make sure this Victor dude doesn’t drag me off before the Cherubim?”

  “They take your head and Heaven back, and Asmodeus either fights to avenge you or lets it pass. If they fight, it drags the entire Host in. If not, they show massive weakness, which the Choir will take advantage of.” Kibs let go of Caleb’s head. “Just like this one almost took advantage of the other’s weakness. I saw you almost go for him. I would have laughed.”

  “It would have been no contest. Victor and I have history. He is nowhere near as skilled at swordplay as I am.”

  “How long do we have before he comes back?” I asked.

  “Half an hour,” Caleb said. “Forty minutes at most. All he needs is to get to a secluded place and wait for the Cherubim to convene a quorum. That part won’t take long. What will take a while is for them to issue orders to him.”

  “We’ll leave in ten minutes,” I said.

  “Where to?” Tink asked.

  “First Rev. I’ll ask Jase for sanctuary while the diplomatic parts get taken care of. Kibs, can you tell Prince Opheran where we’re going and ask him if he can bring some pressure to defuse the situation? If he wants to meet there it should be fine, or I can go somewhere else once things have calmed down.”

  “Got it.” The imp saluted and phased out of sight.

  Next, I looked to Tink and Caleb. “Who drove?”

  “She did,” Caleb said.

  “Good. You and I need to talk, so you’re coming with me.”

  “I’m going with you. I can leave my car here, right?” Tink crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t trust you two to think of everything needed. Right, Hikari?”

  Hikari shook her head. “I’m not going.”

  I frowned. “You’re going somewhere else?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here and play word games with the angel when he gets back. Besides, someone needs to fix the door before that landlord finds it. He won’t do anything, but I don’t want to hear him whine about it for the next three months.”