by M. R. Forbes
"So, you don't believe me?" I asked.
"About the Beast?" He shook his head. "No."
It may have seemed like an inconsequential answer, but it brought our true plight into crisp focus. The Beast's power was growing, while ours had been diminished. Survival was going to be tricky enough, and near impossible if we couldn't hope to get the other Divine off our backs. The fact that the archangels didn't seem to think the Beast was a real thing was going to be trouble.
"You haven't noticed an uptick in fallen angels lately?" I asked.
"It has been noticed," he said. His eyes shifted, slicing into Sarah. It was the first time he had even acknowledged her standing there, but there was nothing warm about his expression. "Someone has been Commanding them. No demon can Command a seraph."
He knew what she was, and he knew what she had done. Was he trying to provoke an attack? For someone who believed he couldn't win, he wasn't being very smart.
"The sword," I said, trying to shift the conversation.
He smirked. "Do not think that I would not like anything more than to take your 'sister' and remove her head, as all creatures carrying the blood of Hell deserve," he said. "Do not think I wouldn't like to do the same to you. It is difficult enough to be in your presence, I pray that my Lord will give me strength to maintain my vows, and grant me eternal peace should you choose to defend your miserable wretch of a sibling."
He was trying to provoke me. He had said he didn't think he could win, and he had been telling the truth. Angels didn't play games, so what the hell was going on? Was he really just so filled with hate that he couldn't control himself?
I felt Sarah shivering next to me, and her hand clenched my arm and squeezed tightly enough that her nails broke my skin. This asshole was undoing everything I had worked to achieve.
"The sword?" I repeated, making sure my voice was calm and even. If Sarah made a move, I would need to be quick to stop her before she freed him to act. He might have been feeling he would martyr himself, but I knew what the real outcome would be.
"The Canaan Blades," he said, recognizing that I held the restraint to dismiss his jibes, "have been lost for many thousands of years. We've been searching for them, my brothers, sisters, and I since that time. I've been ordered to find out how you obtained it, and ask for its return."
"You're asking for it back?" I said.
He sighed. "As I said, I would prefer to rip it from your dead hand, but it has been made clear to me that retrieving the Blade is more important. There's a risk involved with attempting to destroy you, a risk the archangels are unwilling to take, but I would have been. Seeing as how you won't allow me to take that risk, however... yes, I am asking." He spat the words like he had taken in a mouthful of old coffee. I could tell that it killed him to say it.
"Why do you want it back so badly?" I asked.
"The Blade was one of three forged by the hand of the Lord, Himself in the light of Heaven," he said. "It bears properties that make it unsuitable to remain in this realm."
I had been stabbed with the sword. There was nothing special about pain and blood, but then, it was only supposed to work on full-blooded demons. "What kind of properties?"
He laughed. "I'm not about to tell you what makes the Blades special," he said. "It's bad enough you've somehow managed to acquire one, and even worse that you have used it. Now, will you Confess how you came to hold the Blade, and surrender it to me, or shall I return to report your refusal?"
I knew how badly he would love to tell the archangels that I had refused him. I looked at Melody. She was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes pointed at the floor. If I didn't give him something, he might cast the blame for it onto her. For all her brashness, she didn't seem like the fallen type.
"I can't tell you who we got it from. His name is not to be spoken or remembered by the seraphim," I said. "If that doesn't mean anything to you, ask your boss. I can tell you that Melody was there because she was assigned to work with Thomas, and that's it. It's not her fault he decided to do the right thing and forego Heaven in order to help me fight the Beast. The Beast you claim doesn't exist, who just so happens to be the one who has your sword. We lost it trying to escape from him."
Callus stared at me, his jaw clenching and softening while he attempted to control himself. "You lie, diuscrucis," he said at last. He tilted his head, and then smiled. "It seems I may not have to return to report you. Perhaps I will get my wish after all."
I focused on my Sight, sensing more angels approaching the farmhouse. There wasn't much they could do if I refused to fight.
"I will ask you one more time, diuscrucis. Surrender the Canaan Blade."
I held my hands out to the side. "I don't have it," I said.
Two of the angels reached the doorway, coming in behind Callus. One was old, with long white hair and a pristinely kept beard. The other was in the body of a ten-year old boy, with a mop of brown hair and a cherubic face.
"Callus?" the younger one asked.
"Eli. He will not surrender the Blade," Callus said. "He insists that the Beast is real, that it is free and that it has the sword."
"Truly?" Eli asked.
Callus nodded. "Have you ever heard anything so preposterous? You must have known he would refuse to turn it over, since you brought so many brothers with you."
Eli smiled. "Yes," he said. "We need to kill them all."
"It would be an honor, brother," Callus said, "but he cannot be provoked."
Eli looked at me, and smiled. A smile I knew, and would never forget, no matter whose face it appeared on. "I bet I can provoke him," he said, his eyes revealing only malicious intent.
Somehow, the Beast was inside Eli. Somehow, it had taken control of him. The angel hadn't fallen, which could only mean he was being controlled against his will. Or was he? What if the seraph had let the Beast in? Did it matter?
"Go ahead and try," I said, focusing, trying to pull as much power to me as I could.
The Beast took a deep breath. "Mmmm. I can smell it. I can feel it. Enjoy it while you can, kid." He moved his attention to Sarah. "I understand you're a little confused, had a little case of cold feet, but the offer still stands."
I felt Sarah's grip on my arm tighten even more. I knew the Beast's words would be registering somewhere within her. I knew that there would be a battle raging in response. He had said he could provoke me, and it took all of my strength to resist.
"Sarah," the Beast said. "Think about it. The power, the freedom. No more being split in half." He was the destroyer, and he was trying to ruin her psyche.
"Eli?" Callus asked. "What are you doing?"
The Beast didn't answer. He kept looking at Sarah, and spilling his garbage. "You will be a goddess in my universe," he said. "I'll be the only thing above you."
The way he said it, I could feel myself losing control. My body started to quiver in anger.
"Eli?" Callus asked again. "Melody? Where are you going?"
I had been so focused on the Beast that I hadn't noticed Melody backing away, reaching the door where the other angel waited. Was he a servant, or just an unwitting ally? I had no way to know.
"Come on, Sarah," the Beast shouted. "Forget about them. You were born to be their master."
"Eli," Callus said. "I don't..."
"He's the goddamned Beast, you idiot," Charis shouted, unable to hold back anymore.
Callus' eyes widened, as though he finally decided to believe; just in time for a cursed dagger to appear in Eli's hand, and disappear into his neck.
"I tried to do it your way," the Beast said, wrenching the dagger from the seraph. Callus dropped to the floor. "I don't like your way."
It all happened in a blur of instinct and emotion. The Beast, lunging for Sarah, trying to grab her. Charis, lunging for the Beast, her own dagger in hand. Melody, twisting away from the angel she was standing next to and narrowly avoiding being skewered herself. It was all so fast, and at the same time so slow. Sarah was already
gripping my shoulder, so I pulled myself forward and turned, wrenching her out of the Beast's path, while at the same time pulling a poker from its resting spot next to the fireplace, and sending it hurtling into the angel that had attacked Melody. It impaled the hand with the sword, forcing him to drop it. The attack would cause him to fall, leaving her free to act at will.
The Beast's lunge struck only air, and he was just quick enough to regain his balance and avoid Charis' dagger. He smiled again, that stupid, confident smile, and brought the dagger around, cutting into her arm. She grunted and kicked out, and the Beast flew backwards to slam into the wall.
I felt the rest of the angels on the move, two coming in from the kitchen, two upstairs, and two more circling around to the front. Melody had dispatched her opponent, so I started moving forward.
"No," Sarah said, pulling against me. "The kitchen. We need to get to the car."
Not that a car could outrun a seraph, but it would offer some measure of protection. I reversed course, beckoning with my eyes for Melody to follow.
"Yes, get to the car," the Beast laughed. He stood against the wall, the dagger in his hand. "You think a car will save you? I found you here. I'll find you anywhere you go. I'm only getting stronger, Landon. You can't stop me now, and I'm only getting stronger. You might as well..."
His speech turned into a harsh gurgle when Charis' dagger pierced his throat and pinned him to the wall. "See...you... in New York," he sputtered. His eyes flashed pure white, and then returned to the seraphim gold. He'd abandoned ship.
Charis rushed over and pulled the blade out, taking the one the Beast had been holding, as well as the angel Callus' sword. I could hear the footsteps in the kitchen, and I could sense them in the rooms upstairs. We were getting boxed in.
The two from the kitchen appeared first. They didn't know the Beast had started it. They didn't know we should have been safe. They came in with the swords raised, anger in their eyes at the death of their friends. I tensed, ready to attack, as did Charis.
"Hold your attack," Sarah said to them. She had her hand raised, as if she was directing the Command forward. The two angels paused, and anger turned to confusion.
A breeze, and the two in the front had arrived. Sarah turned towards them. "Hold your attack," she said again. They too held up.
"Come on," I said, taking Sarah by the hand and leading her around the angels in the kitchen. Charis trailed behind.
"Melody, are you coming?" Charis asked, noticing the angel didn't follow.
She shook her head. "No. I'll stay and explain this to them. I don't know if they'll believe it, but I have to try." Footsteps on the stairs next to us. Melody stepped in front of them. "Gaius, Lucas, wait," she said.
"Landon," Sarah gasped. "Hurry, I can't hold this for long."
I had seen the anger. I didn't know if they would give Melody time to explain. I led us out the back at a run, towards a small old barn fifty feet behind the house. The doors swung open as we approached. The Fiat was going to be a tight fit, but it was better than nothing. I focused on the door to pull it open, and helped Sarah slip into the tiny back seat. Sweat was pouring from her forehead, and all of the muscles were bunched up and throbbing.
"You drive," I said to Charis, knowing she had years more experience then I did. I did my best Luke Duke impression, sliding across the hood to the passenger side and falling around into the seat.
"That's it," Sarah said, with a heaving sigh. Charis put her hand onto the starter and closed her eyes. A moment later, the two angels from the kitchen burst out the back of the house, with Melody trailing behind them.
"I don't want to kill them," I said. "The balance."
"I've almost got it," Charis replied. The angels were getting closer, and I could hear Melody shouting for them to wait. I doubted they would listen, especially after they had been Commanded by a true diuscrucis. It was a shame, but I could imagine the trouble Melody was going to be in over not trying to kill Sarah herself.
They were getting close, but Charis got the car running, the engine sputtering to life. She threw the car into gear and pulled out of the barn as fast as the machine would allow. The angels followed behind as we drove along the grass towards the front of the house. I was sure they would go airborne, but Melody finally managed to catch up, and she tackled them, pulling them down into a heap.
"I didn't even like her the first time we met," I said, looking up into the rearview mirror and watching the three angels rise. "I hope they don't punish her too badly."
Charis snorted. "I hope they try listening to her," she said, "but I'm not holding my breath."
I turned my head back to look at Sarah. She was laying across the seat, rubbing her temples. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"I hope so," she replied.
CHAPTER FOUR
I turned and checked behind us again, scanning the sky for any sign of the angels. The fact that we'd been on the road for fifteen minutes and hadn't caught sight of them was the best news we'd had. I didn't know if Melody had convinced them on the topic of the Beast, but she had at least gotten them off our tail.
"I should take the wheel," I said. I checked in on Sarah before turning my attention to Charis. She had fallen asleep with her hands still on her head. She looked peaceful for the moment, at least.
"You're sweet, Landon," she replied. "I don't mind driving."
A simple prefix, but it registered. Could the timing have been any worse? "I'm sure you don't, but priority number one is to get you back in touch with your evil side. We're stuck traveling like mortals until you do, and I'm willing to bet the odds of us making it from here to New York in a jet without being torn from the sky are only slightly above zero."
Charis rolled the car to a stop, right in the middle of the road. Not that it mattered, there was nothing around us but pasture, and we hadn't seen another soul yet.
"You have a point," she said, pushing open the driver's side door. "Did I just hear you say New York?"
I swung open my own door and got out of the car. We both circled around the front, meeting at the hood. Charis still looked exhausted, and I was sure I did too, but it didn't take anything away from her beauty. I had a thought, and discarded it. It was bad timing for sure. I crossed on the outside, meeting her eyes on the way by, giving her a small smile. We finished the circuit and took our new places. I put the car back in drive and eased us forward.
"The Beast said 'see you in New York'," I said. "He's going after Obi."
"How can you be sure?" Charis asked. "He could have said that to distract you."
"He wasn't lying."
"Well, no; but he's not Divine. I don't think it works on him."
I peeked up into the rearview again, just to be sure. Nothing. "It probably doesn't," I agreed. "I'd rather be wrong and have Obi and maybe Izak with us, than be right and have one or both of them dead. We're at a huge disadvantage, because the Beast has an army of servants he can send to do his dirty work. We're what? Seven, including Dante?"
"If this is a pep talk, you're doing it wrong," Charis said. "I know you care about your friend, but it's a huge risk. Without Obi, we can still trap the Beast. Without the Box, we can't."
Her first comment made me smirk, her second sunk my battleship. She was right, and there wasn't much getting around it. "Maybe we should split up," I suggested. "Divide and conquer."
Charis shook her head. "For one thing, you need Vilya to travel the rifts. For another, that could be playing right into the Beast's hands. It would certainly make things easier for him if he could separate us."
I took a deep breath and sighed. "I just hope Obi and Thomas got back with Izak. He's the safest harbor they've got. Considering our current situation, he's the safest harbor we could get too."
"Thailand, Landon," Charis said. "I'm sorry, but we need to get to Thailand."
"I know, I know." There was something else I needed to do in New York, but that would have to wait too.
We spent the next fifteen
minutes riding in silence. Charis closed her eyes and tried to relax and rest, and to put back together the tattered strands of her connection to Vilya. I kept checking the mirror every twenty seconds or so, until I was satisfied the angels weren't going to pursue. Why would they? They had enough of a mess to clean up back at the farmhouse.
I was just beginning to settle into some kind of less alert state when I heard Sarah start gasping in the back seat. I reached up and pulled the mirror down so I could see her in it. The reflection yielded only her torso, but it was convulsing erratically, clenching and softening in chaos. Charis must have been sleeping, because she hadn't noticed. I pulled the car to a stop.
"Sarah," I whispered, turning around in the seat and leaning over so I could see her face. Her hair was caked to her face in a layer of sweat, and her hands had dug into the cushioning so hard they had broken through the cracked leather surface. "Sarah," I said again.
"No," she said softly. "That can't be. That can't be how it ends."
I realized not all of the moisture was sweat. She was tearful, pleading with something I couldn't see. I didn't understand how her ability to see the future worked. I didn't know if it was ever accurate, or just a glimpse of some of the possible threads. I didn't even know if anything she was seeing was the truth, or if it was her evil alternate haunting her dreams.
"Sarah," I said again, a little more forcefully.
It didn't wake her, but it did wake Charis. Her eyes snapped open and she spun around in the seat, joining me in my vigil.
"Sarah," she said, her voice a gentle coo.
"No. I don't want to do it," Sarah cried. "I don't want to. It doesn't have to be this way. Please."
Charis and I looked at each other. "We have to wake her gently," I said, maneuvering back around and pushing open the car door. Charis followed me around to the driver's side, where I shoved the seat forward so I could get to Sarah.
"No. No. No. Show me something else," Sarah whimpered. She released her grip on the cushions and started punching herself in the chest. "Show me something else."
