Hellfire and Brimstone

by Angela Roquet

  —Marcus Tullius Cicero

  A nephilim gardener was raking leaves out of the flowerbeds surrounding the memorial statues when I arrived at the park after work Thursday evening. The task seemed pointless, as the tulip trees were still shedding, an endless shower of golden confetti raining down on the bright green lawn. It was a sad reminder of my own never-ending job.

  I gripped my cup of cider and held it up under my nose, savoring the warmth in the chilly breeze. My other hand pinched together the open folds of my leather jacket. I hadn’t thought to zip it up while I waited in line at Nessa’s donut shop, and after walking a couple blocks through the city, I was now certain that a witch’s tits had nothing on mine.

  I hastened my steps through the memorial park and set my cider down on Josie’s bench. Jack-o-Lanterns had been placed on either side of it. They watched me with toothy grins as I zipped up my jacket over the white blouse I’d worn to work. It had been a gift from Ellen, and while it wasn’t really my speed, I’d chosen it with Tasha in mind. She’d said that the souls considered her one of their own, likely due to her lack of a black robe and more human attire.

  I sat down and rubbed my hands together before taking up my cider again. It was the perfect temperature for a day like this. I took a sip and smiled at the name engraved in the marble bench.

  “Hey, lady,” I said softly, knowing full well that Josie couldn’t hear me. It wouldn’t stop me from speaking to her. “Sure wish you were around to talk me out this stupid thing I’m about to do.”

  I kept finding myself here lately, pining over Josie and fretting over Saul. Neither of them could be replaced. No one even came close. I’d spent a fair amount of time with Ellen, Adrianna, and Tasha the day before—granted, the last two on that list probably didn’t consider me girlfriend material. It was discouraging. I hadn’t exactly been trying to replace Josie, but while I didn’t need a mentor anymore, I did long for friendship.

  I sighed and checked my watch before taking another drink of cider. My meeting with Tasha was in an hour, but I had agreed to meet with Bub half an hour before that on the ship. Our morning chat about canceling date night had taken an unexpected turn, though I wasn’t too surprised. Bub was coming with me to confront Vince. I’d resisted his backup offer until he started quoting John Wayne at me. A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.

  I wasn’t stupid. I knew bringing him along was a good idea—and I knew that he’d come anyway even if I refused his help. I just hoped he didn’t try to interfere when I started questioning Vince about Saul. Because I would be questioning him.

  My priorities had been evaluated enough, and I was sure of them. Souls to Naledi first, vengeance second… unless an irresistible opportunity presented itself, for example, Vince confessing to Saul’s murder and his head being right there for the taking. That seemed like a reasonable excuse to go off script to me.

  “Greetings, my dear,” Warren said as he dropped out of the sky, landing in the small clearing between me and the memorial statues.

  “Do you have it?” I asked before his wings had folded against his back.

  Warren held up a wooden box, then paused to wipe the corner of it off on the front of his blue, mechanic jumpsuit. “Eight souls. Eight,” he repeated with stern eyes.

  “Cross my heart.” I reached for the box with my free hand and cradled it in my lap. “You’re the best. I owe you big time.”

  “The device isn’t approved by the council for widespread use yet,” Warren said, scratching his cheek thoughtfully. “And the details you shared about this trial run were a bit fuzzy.”

  I nodded. “I know, I know. These factory souls want to remain anonymous though, so I really can’t share more than I have.” It wasn’t an outright lie. Ruth certainly wanted to remain anonymous.

  I wasn’t sure how useful the soul gauntlet would be yet, but I had a few ideas. Maybe I’d pretend to be leading the rogue souls into battle and then dump them in the throne realm. Surprise! You all can just hang out here until you learn to play nice, mmkay? Naledi and her Apparition Agency probably wouldn’t find that tactic too amusing, especially if the hoard of souls destroyed their realm in a massive tantrum. But technically, I could call that mission accomplished, right?

  Warren shrugged at my vague explanation. “So long as you share your data. I can’t perfect this tool if I don’t have legitimate test results to work with.”

  “Absolutely. First thing in the morning,” I said.

  “Good. I better get back to the shop. New recruits for the Nephilim Guard are in need of weaponry.” He waved as he took flight, ascending up through the golden boughs of the tulip trees. I returned the gesture and watched him go, stifling a laugh when he nearly collided with a ghostly stork on its way to the factory.

  When my gaze dropped, Maalik was standing before Saul’s memorial. He faced away from me, his silver wings and folded hands resting against his back. A stab of panic urged me to leave before he turned around, but common sense reasoned that it was too late.

  “Some say that concealing the truth is not the same thing as lying.” It almost sounded as if he was talking to himself. He turned around, giving me the full burden of his stare. “I suppose you and I have that belief in common. Though I do it for the sake of peace. I’m not sure what excuses you tell yourself.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, folding my arms over the box Warren had delivered.

  Maalik closed the distance between us and sat on the opposite end of Josie’s bench. His wings fluttered up over the back of the white marble and settled again, their tips dragging the ground below. This close, I was able to get a good look at him. His black robe was free of wrinkles, and his mane of dark curls was sleek and shiny. He looked better than I’d seen him for some time, despite the cynicism warping his features.

  “Where’s Tasha Henry?”

  My eyes bulged at the seemingly randomness of the question. “How should I know?”

  Maalik’s jaw flexed and the beginnings of hellfire swirled in his eyes. He meant to intimidate me into a confession. “You were seen at her last known location by one of the guards on watch duty, and without a soul on your docket to use as an alibi. Would you like to try again?”

  I mirrored his nasty look. “What? A girl can’t enjoy an island getaway without needing an excuse now?” I pushed past the impulse to crack another joke, seeing as how he was unmoved by my scapegoat humor. “I was looking for Tasha, okay?” Didn’t get more truthful than that. “I thought finding her might help me keep the Special Ops Unit online,” I added for good measure.

  That truth was somewhat sketchier, but in a roundabout way, it was fact. I’d found Tasha, and she was leading me to Vince and the missing souls, which might have kept the Special Ops Unit going if it hadn’t already been shut down.

  Maalik looked unconvinced, though the smoke swirling in his eyes dissipated. “What’s in the box?”

  Panic coiled around my heart again, and my hand gripped the box more tightly. “What’s with the twenty questions?” I asked, taking a careful drink of my cider. It had been meant to look casual, but I was afraid my shaking hand ruined the ruse.

  Maalik sighed and rested an arm across the top of the bench. “Naledi asked me to accompany you tonight.”

  “What?” I gasped and almost fell as I scrambled off the bench and to my feet. My cider sloshed onto the grass, and I clutched the box to my chest. “Then why are you badgering me with all this cloak and dagger bullshit. You ass!”

  I expected Maalik to look pleased with himself, like he’d just played some grand joke on me. The prank of the century. But instead, anger and doubt clung to his aura.

  “I do not like volunteering my aid to those I cannot trust,” he said. “Maybe you’re not lying, but you’re certainly not sharing all the details.”

  “Why should I?” I snapped. “Tell me. Why should I share anything, after seeing the way the council reacts to truth? They wanted to kill me, Maalik. And you were going to let th
em!”

  He winced at the accusation. “I did everything in my power to stop it, and when I realized I couldn’t, I had to trust Naledi would sort things out.” His eyes were moist when he turned them up to meet mine. “Even if she hadn’t, I would have done something, anything, to stop them from harming you.”

  I wanted to believe him, but we’d been trading carefully disguised lies for too long now. I willed the sadness heaving in my chest not to reach my eyes. My throat tightened and I had to swallow a few times before I was able to speak again.

  “I don’t need your aid, voluntary or otherwise,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “You can’t go after Vince alone tonight. That’s reckless—”

  “I never said I was going alone.”

  Maalik pulled in a sharp breath through his nose. “The council does not trust the Lord of the Flies—”

  “And I don’t trust the council. So I guess we’re even,” I said, not caring how petty I sounded. “In any case, this isn’t official council business. Or didn’t Naledi tell you?”

  His eyes smoldered again, stoking the fires of my own wrath at the same time. “Naledi involved me. I’m council, so it is council business now, and I say the Lord of the Flies cannot be trusted.”

  I scoffed, barking out a loud, clipped laugh saturated with spite. “I trust Beelzebub more than anyone, and that includes you.” He jerked at the insult, as if I’d slapped him. “If he doesn’t come tonight, neither do I.”

  “He is spawned from evil. It is his nature to deceive and spread lies—”

  “As far as I can tell, he’s the only one being honest with me. A hundred years, and no one else has bothered to tell me the truth about Vince or Saul—”

  Maalik’s chest heaved and his eyes blinked fiercely. “How did he find out?” He glanced past me over to the statue of my mentor. It took me a moment to recognize the look for what it was. Guilt.

  “You,” I whispered, dropping my cup of cider and the wooden box. “It was you?”

  The world spun as Maalik’s tormented gaze met mine. Any remaining doubt was washed away in a wave of fresh misery. The realization that he’d given himself up was painted all over his face.

  “It was a long time ago,” he choked out, stumbling over the words as he watched me. “I didn’t know you. It was an order. And Saul had become a legitimate threat.”

  I felt a familiar rush of heat spread down my arms. If I hadn’t been so furious, I might have been alarmed.

  No more, no less. Naledi had said.

  If I’d wanted to, I could have taken three steps across the park and sunk my hands through his chest. I could have pulled the concentrated soul matter that made up his essence inside out, letting it disperse into the darkening sky.

  I wanted to. I wanted to so badly that it hurt to look at him.

  I’d shared a bed with this man. He’d had the nerve to tell me that he loved me, knowing that he’d killed my mentor. The comment about concealing the truth not being the same thing as lying struck my heart like an uppercut.

  Maalik’s gaze ripped away from mine and dropped down to my hands sticking out from the cuffs of my leather sleeves. His eyes widened, and I was sure he could see my wrath building beneath the surface.

  “Stay away from me,” I said softly, the demand laced with an unspoken threat.

  I reached down to scoop up the wooden box and my empty cider cup before stalking out of the memorial garden. Before I reached the park entrance, I ducked behind a row of hedges and flipped the skeleton coin, taking it to the throne realm.

  Naledi had some explaining to do.

  Chapter 19

  “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

  —Mother Teresa

  The sky was brighter in the throne realm. It stung my eyes as I marched up the front steps of the cottage.

  “Naledi!” I pounded on the front door. The hinges of the wooden box creaked under my arm, complaining about my vice-grip hold.

  Father Ron greeted me with a startled expression. “Ms. Harvey. Is everything all right?”

  “No. Where’s Naledi?” I asked, pushing past him and inside the cottage foyer.

  “This really isn’t a good time,” he stammered before following me around the corner and into the living room. “We’re in the middle of a meeting.”

  A dozen faces turned to stare at me. Even without my special soul vision, I could feel the weight of their auras filling the small space. They didn’t appear to have much else in common, with their varying races and cultural attire. A few were older, but most looked to be somewhere in the gray range of midlife.

  Naledi stood at the center of the mass, wearing her burlap dress. It managed to look even more regal as she drew everyone’s attention. “For those of you who do not know, this is Lana Harvey, the reaper responsible for our newfound status in Eternity,” she said, announcing me as if my visit had been expected. Knowing her, it very well might have been.

  The souls clapped enthusiastically, flashing broad smiles and exuding genuine gratitude. I recognized Morgan, the youngest of those present, at one end of a sofa. She sat next to a familiar soul I couldn’t name, but I remembered him watching me with wary eyes through a window the day before. All traces of suspicion had vanished now that I’d been properly introduced.

  “We need to talk,” I said to Naledi, curbing my tone as much as I could, considering the duress I was under.

  “Of course,” she cooed. “Our meeting was just adjourning.”

  The souls stood up on cue and filed past me, some pausing to shake my hand or murmur some blessing or another. I felt my face warm with the compliments. Naledi followed them to the door, and I followed her, watching as she waved them off and they meandered back to their old-world homes built into the neighboring hills.

  As soon as Naledi closed the front door of the cottage, the dam holding back my inner turmoil ruptured. “I know Maalik killed Saul, and there’s no way he’s coming with me tonight.”

  Her smooth features showed no surprise, and I hated not knowing how much she actually knew. She clasped her hands together under her breasts and gave me a neutral expression. “I understand your objection—”

  “No buts,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “There is nothing you can say to change that. I don’t care how all-knowing you think you are. Either I do this my way, or you can send Maalik out to chase his tail. I somehow doubt Tasha will be interested in working with someone from the council who ordered her execution.”

  “Okay,” Naledi said. “We’ll do this your way.”

  I waited, expecting her to say something more to convince me otherwise. When she didn’t, I turned away from her and dragged my hands down my face. “How could you even think that was a good idea? He killed my mentor.”

  There was a fight brewing in me, left over from Maalik’s accidental confession, and not even Naledi’s compliant mood could pacify that. I paced the foyer like a caged beast, waiting for something to justify unleashing my wrath.

  “I know,” Naledi said. “I’ve always known.” Well, that would do.

  “Are you fucking serious? How could you keep that from me?” I screamed at her.

  “Why should I have told you?” she asked, opening her hands gently. “What would you have done? Killed a member of the Afterlife Council?”

  I growled up at the vaulted ceiling, and my rage echoed back to me. “Did you know that I would find out this way when you asked Maalik to accompany me tonight?”

  “I did,” Naledi confessed in her annoyingly passive voice. It made it hard to come out of the gates on her without feeling like Jerk of the Year. Through my mounting anger, I stumbled over reason.

  “You were counting on it. Weren’t you?” I gave her a wide-eyed glare.

  Naledi nodded. “I can’t trust you to convince these souls to come home if you’re hell-bent on revenge. Now that you know the truth, you can focus on what’s important.”

  I coughed t
o muffle the sob creeping up my throat, and unzipped my jacket. It was suddenly way too hot, and I couldn’t suck in enough air. “Saul was important. He deserves to be avenged, and now that I know I can’t do that, you think I’m the best person to preach peace and forgiveness to an assembly of disgruntled souls? Are you nuts?”

  Naledi smiled softly, a twinge of amusement shifting her features. “I know you are. And I hope you’ll remember that Maalik was following orders when your mentor met his end.”

  I ground my teeth at the reminder. “There’s no love lost between me and the council, but Saul’s life was snuffed out by Maalik. For that, I can never forgive him. I might have to let him live, but I don’t ever want to see or speak to him again.”

  “I understand,” Naledi said. She crossed the room slowly, pausing before the hanging incense burner in the corner. Her fingers traced the edges of the golden plate, and the first stirrings of anger burned in her eyes. “Trust me, I understand.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.” I huffed. “You ripped the Witch of Endor’s heart out after she killed Winston.”

  Naledi frowned at me. “It didn’t bring him back to me. And Seth was equally to blame, yet he walked free.”

  “Not for long.”

  Her eyes blinked in surprise, and I couldn’t help but grin.

  “He’s dead. Tasha found out from a few souls and demon contacts on the mortal side. Apparently, it was a grisly affair.” I enjoyed her shock a moment longer before adding, “Wow, you really can’t see everything. Huh?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I never said I could. Being all-knowing is such a fluid label.” She shrugged and then nodded at the box under my arm. “That will not serve you well. The souls gathered on the mortal side are many.”

  I shrugged. “So I’ll have to make a few trips.”

  Naledi didn’t look confident of my plan. She opened her mouth as if to say so, when a scream from outside spun both of our heads toward the front door. I jerked it open before she could protest.