“He’s here, isn’t he?” Arthur said. He couldn’t imagine that a cave could naturally form like this one so it had to be the work of some supernatural force.
“Come on,” Lucy said.
As they walked he became aware of a constant low level noise. At first it sounded like a hum, maybe running water or machinery. The further they went the louder it became. By the time the mouth of the cave had disappeared from sight behind them he had begun to suspect that it was actually a growl.
He turned to Lucy. Her big dark eyes shinning fiercely. “Is that him?” Arthur whispered.
Lucy only nodded.
They continued through the tunnels that seemed more like corridors. Their every step was reflected on the shining black walls that rippled like solid water.
A few minutes later Arthur was stopped by a hand against his chest. He looked at Lucy for instruction.
“Wait,” she mouthed.
Arthur nodded and did as he was told. He watched Lucy creep forwards, into the dark opening of another tunnel. He waited and he listened. Then he heard her begin to speak.
“Azeel.”
He heard chains rattling and that didn’t seem right. If this was the Demon’s home then why were there chains?
“Azeel my name is Lucy. You knew my father?”
Another growl. Lucy may have been able to understand what the creature was saying but Arthur did not.
“His name was and ever shall be Lucifer.”
The growl changed in pitch or tone, he wasn’t sure which, and the chains rattled as if they were being strained against. Arthur looked behind him as if there might be someone there but he was alone in the cave. The only one who could help Lucy if she got into trouble.
“We are building an army. Our time has come. Will you join us?”
This time there was no growl, just the rattle of chains and the crunch of breaking rocks. If Azeel became hostile then he wouldn’t be the first and, between them, he and Lucy had subdued more than one Demon during their search. Yet he was reluctant to enter the chamber.
“It is your duty to us,” Lucy said. Arthur gathered that Azeel was arguing against joining them. Again, he wouldn’t be the first.
There was no more time to decide what he should do. He heard the snap of metal and then rocks falling to the ground. He could either run or go in.
Arthur entered the chamber.
Azeel was huge but he wasn’t the biggest Demon Arthur had encountered on their journey. He was naked and his skin covered with markings that might have been tattoos or might have been something else. His arms and legs were chained to the wall. His head was covered in thick grey hair that hung half way down his back.
“Who are you?” Azeel said. He looked at Arthur who was surprised to find that he understood him.
“My name is Arthur Park...” Arthur began but he was cut off by Lucy.
“He isn’t important. Answer me Azeel, why won’t you join me?”
The Demon turned away from Arthur but seemed reluctant to do so. He bared his teeth which were the size of Arthur’s fists, but he wasn’t smiling. “Join him again? Why would I be such a fool.”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” Lucy said. “You stood in opposition to Jehovah once before because you knew it was important. Well it’s still important, maybe even more so.”
Azeel shook his head. “We were young. We were foolish. We thought we could defeat him but it cannot be done.”
“And if you’re wrong?” Lucy said. “If there’s a way to defeat him but you just stood aside and did nothing? What place will you have in my father’s heart if that happens?”
Azeel turned away for a moment and appeared to consider the idea. Then he shook his head. “It won’t happen. I am safe here.”
Lucy nodded.
Arthur didn’t know if she had noticed the chains around the demon’s limbs. He stepped forwards and this time he wouldn’t be ignored. “Who locked you up Azeel?”
The Demon turned up his nose at Arthur. “Stay away from me vampire.” He said the “v” word like it was an insult. “I won’t answer to you.”
“Answer to me then,” Lucy said. “Who locked you up Azeel?”
“Nobody,” Azeel said. He turned away from her as well. “Nobody could lock me up.”
“You’re lying to me Azeel. Tell me the truth.”
His whole body seemed to sag and he fell into a sitting position. The cave shook and little pieces of rock fell from the walls and ceiling. “I am here because I am a fool.”
Arthur remained by the chamber entrance while Lucy walked up to the giant creature. She put a hand tenderly on his massive leg and looked up into his face. “Tell me what happened Azeel.”
Azeel was silent for a moment and Arthur wasn’t sure that he was going to speak but then he did. “A man tricked me.”
“Tricked you how?” Lucy said. Her voice was soft and soothing like he had never heard it before. He wondered if this was the real her and that the bitter woman he had seen before was the lie.
Azeel shook his head but Arthur knew that he would tell them. “I am tricked like a fool by a stupid human.”
“They aren’t all stupid,” Lucy said. “My mother is human.” It wasn’t unkind but a gentle reminder to the Demon that she was the one in charge.
Azeel nodded.
“There’s no shame in being tricked,” Lucy said. “You are from a world without falseness. It is not something you are prepared for.”
Azeel nodded again but it was going to take more than that to convince him.
“Who is this man?” Lucy said. “How did he trick you?”
Azeel finally looked her in the eyes. His face had fallen and he looked hurt. “I came here after the war,” he said.
He meant after Jehovah had banished him and his soldiers from the Kingdom. They had all been left to rot on Earth amongst the humans and forgotten gods. Arthur knew the story well by now.
“All I wanted was a quiet place where I could rest, recover, and think about what my life was going to be like.” The giant demon shook his head. The events he was talking about had happened thousands of years ago but to an immortal creature that was no time at all. “A man found me here.”
“Did he do this?” Lucy said.
Azeel nodded. “He said he could help me. He fed me and he brought me water. One night I fell asleep and when I woke up I was in chains.”
Arthur looked around the shiny black room. He had been sure that this was the work of a demon or an angel but apparently a man had built this place. “What happened to the man?” Arthur said.
“He’s still here,” Azeel said.
Then he wasn’t really a man at all. Demon’s who had been born in the other world were notoriously unreliable when it came to human time but, if what Azeel was saying was true, then he had been locked up for more than three thousand years. Even a witch couldn’t live that long.
Arthur glanced at Lucy and saw her turn to check behind them but there was nothing there. She walked towards Azeel. “If I unchain you will you join me?”
The big demon looked down at her and then nodded slowly.
Lucy reached out for the chains around his wrists. She was spectacularly strong but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t break the cuffs around the giant wrists. After trying for more than a minute she let go and stepped back to look up at Azeel. “Who was this man?” Lucy said.
“His name was Merlin,” Azeel said.
Arthur knew the name but it took him a while to realise why. “A wizard?”
“You know him?” Lucy said.
“He’s a legend.” Arthur shook his head. “He should have been dead centuries ago.”
Azeel and Lucy were both watching him now, as if he might be able to find the answer to their mutual problem. If Merlin really had done this then it meant he was still alive or at least that he had been until recently.
“We have to go,” Arthur said.
“Go? Why?” Lucy said.
“He’s here,” Arthur said. “I don’t know how so don’t ask but Merlin is somewhere nearby.”
“And what if he is?” Lucy said. “He is just a man and an old one at that.” She said the last almost like a question, as if she was unsure whether 3,000 plus years was old for a human. “I am the daughter of Lilith, I will not turn and run from any man.”
As if her statement was a spell itself the ground began to rumble. It was the same steady growl that he had previously put down to Azeel but Azeel was no longer moving. “He’s coming,” whispered the demon.
“Get behind me,” Lucy said.
Arthur was not one to let a woman fight his battles for him but he had seen enough of her to know that she was more than capable of doing so. He did as she instructed and stood beside Azeel.
The entrance to the chamber darkened as if by a large object but when Merlin appeared he looked the size and shape of an ordinary man. He was dressed in a dark suit that fitted his slim frame perfectly. His face bore a grey-white beard that had been neatly trimmed and his white hair was parted and combed.
“Are you the one they call Merlin?” Lucy said.
The man looked closer to sixty than three thousand. He smiled and revealed two rows of perfect teeth which would have been uncommon in any man who’d reached adulthood. “I have been called that among other things.”
“You imprisoned this man?”
Merlin closed his mouth. “Unless I am very much mistaken this is not a man.”
“You have no right to hold him here,” Lucy said.
“You are mistaken madam. I was charged with protecting this Kingdom and that is exactly what I am doing. I cannot allow a monster to go free.”
“How are you holding him?” Lucy said.
“If I told you that, I have no doubt you would find a way to let him go free,” Merlin said. “You are not unknown to me Lucy.”
Arthur considered leaving them to it. If he had thought that he might be able to escape from the room he might have done so. But both Merlin and Lucy blocked the only way in or out.
“If you know who I am then you know who my father is. Our cause is a just one and we need this demon,” Lucy said.
Merlin shook his head. “You are mistaken once again madam. I am not going to allow any of you to leave.”
“Do you really think you can stop me doing whatever I want to do?” Lucy said.
“Many years ago I brought the message of Jehovah to this forsaken place,” Merlin said. “I am not going to allow your kind to undo all of the hard work I’ve done.”
“He’s going to make slaves of you all,” Lucy said. “Jehovah is not your friend.”
“Maybe he’s not your friend but I am his soldier. With him by my side there is nothing you can do to me.”
Arthur didn’t know how true that was but Merlin certainly seemed to believe it. He had met plenty of Wizards in his time and, as a rule, he didn’t like them much. They weren’t often dangerous but Merlin was not like anyone else he had met.
Unless Arthur could think of a way to prevent it they were going to fight. It wouldn’t be pretty but maybe in the confusion he would be able to escape. For now all he could do was wait for one of them to cast the first blow.
“It’s not too late for you Merlin,” Lucy said. “There is a place for you in my father’s army. You can undo all the damage that you’ve done. You can make the world a better place.”
“What makes you think I have any interest in making this world a better place?”
Lucy, apparently, had no answer to that and no other option but to prepare for a fight.
Merlin raised his arms and muttered something that Arthur didn’t quite hear. Then he heard the rock creak and felt the floor begin to shake. It took him a moment to realise that the walls were closing in on them.
He was forced to move towards the middle of the room, closer to Lucy and Azeel than he would have liked.
She threw herself at the old man with a speed and power that made it clear that she was not human. She might have looked like a young woman but she fought like the soldier that she was. There was no delicacy but plenty of grace as she slammed into Merlin and crushed him against the cave wall.
The air was knocked out of the old man’s lungs with an audible grunt. Beams of pure light popped and sparkled as if the surprise had knocked them out of him. Arthur had to look away to avoid being blinded.
“Let him go old man,” Lucy growled through gritted teeth.
“Kill me if you think you can,” Merlin said. “I won’t break my covenant with The Lord.”
Lucy pushed him harder against the rock until it started to give way. Merlin was stronger than he looked but he had never encountered someone like her. The daughter of a fallen Angel who had risen to the status of a god and the first woman in creation. However powerful he thought he was he couldn’t beat her.
“I will kill you,” Lucy said. “Your magic will fail then. Why not save yourself the pain and let him go.”
“The pain will be brief,” Merlin said. He was hardly struggling against Lucy now.
“Then I will be at his side and stronger than you can ever imagine.”
The old man was evidently in pain and, despite the situation, Arthur felt a strange desire to help him. He had no illusion about his own importance to Lucy, however, and knew that she would turn on him in a heartbeat if he got in her way.
“You have one chance,” Lucy said. “Save yourself.”
Merlin closed his eyes and said nothing. He looked at peace and somehow that seemed worse. Arthur didn’t turn away. He watched as Lucy increased the pressure and the old man’s spine began to crumble. Arthur heard the pop of bones being forced out of their sockets. A moist sound as skin and bone was slowly torn apart.
The pain must have been incredible but Merlin remained still and at ease with his decision to die in torment. Blood began to ooze from the corners of his eyes and mouth.
Air escaped from his deflating body with a strained whisper. Fragments of unfocused magic shot out and broke chunks of black marble from the walls as if it were no more substantial than wet paper.
Arthur ducked as a jagged piece of the rock fell from the ceiling and hit the ground to his left. The whole cave was falling apart, as if Merlin’s magic was the only thing supporting it.
In the final moments of his life Merlin opened his eyes. They were changed to black stone. His lips parted and he spoke in a voice that was not his own:
“She cannot be saved. He is hidden. This time the world belongs to us.”
He repeated the same words three times and then he was gone. Lucy let go and he fell to the floor like a bag of disconnected bones.
“Try the chains,” Lucy said. She was out of breath, or upset, both seemed unlikely.
Arthur turned to face Azeel. He found that the chains came away easily now and the demon could stand, albeit with his neck turned awkwardly against the ceiling.
The floor continued to shake. He looked at Lucy.
“We have to get out of here,” Arthur said.
“Agreed,” Lucy said. She turned to Azeel. “It’s time to go.”
Arthur followed her out of the chamber. Azeel cast a shadow over the two of them as he came along behind. They dodged falling rocks and only just managed to remain standing on the shaking ground.
Eventually Arthur saw the glint of moonlight on the black stone. They burst out of the opening into the night, huffing and panting. Arthur turned to see Azeel squinting. After centuries trapped in the dark cave, even the moonlight, must have seemed blinding to him. As he watched the demon recover he saw the cave entrance crumble and fall. The ground behind it was sucked downwards.
Suddenly Lucy was grabbing his hand and pulling him away. He let her lead him along the path away from the cave entrance. A loud crack followed a moment later and half of the valley floor fell away leaving a sunken pit of shiny black rock.
They kept moving away until Lucy seemed to feel they were sa
fe from the sink hole.
“And now Azeel?” she said. She had already recovered her breath but her hair was a scattered mess. “Will you join us?”
The demon looked at her and nodded slowly. “Where would you have me?”
“We have not yet gathered. You will hear my call when it is time.”
“What do I do while I wait?” Azeel said.
“Go. Experience the world that you helped to create. Some day soon you will help to save it as well.”
Azeel nodded. Arthur stood beside Lucy on the side of the hill and watched as the giant creature walked away, watched until he was out of sight. Then he turned to her and said: “Where now?”
Lucy looked at the sky. “It is almost sunrise. Now it is time for you to rest. At sunset we leave for the city.”
“Lunden?”
She nodded. Of course, where else would they go? Everything seemed to centre around the city. Together they walked back up the hill towards the forest where he would find a dark place and rest, while she did whatever it was that she did.
CHAPTER 10
GRAHAM UNDERSTOOD THAT SHE WAS FOLLOWING HIM. HE had caught glimpses of her out the corner of his eye and seen her spectral form reflected in the shiny surfaces that he passed. She was following him while he followed the golden trail but, so far, she hadn’t tried to attack him again.
He stopped in front of the building he had got to the previous night. It was a new building, the walls had been painted white. There was nothing special about it at all, except for the way it had glowed when he’d been on Tracer.
The glow was something that he had seen before. He believed, although he had no evidence to support the theory, that the sort of intense glow that he had seen signified that Bridget had stayed there over night or even for several days. The building matched a description she had given him some weeks ago and was not dissimilar to a church he had searched south of the river.
Graham reached into his pocket and took out the glass bottle. It was less than half full now and he was growing concerned that there wouldn’t be enough for him to finish the job.
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