by M. R. Forbes
"Not that amazing," I replied. "It wasn't enough to stop Abaddon from kicking my ass."
"It wasn't designed to stop Abaddon," Adam said. "He had already been dealt with when the Blades were created. Lucifer poured so much power into him, we knew he wouldn't gift another like that."
I wanted to pick him up by the neck and punch him. "You couldn't have told me that before I challenged him to a duel?"
He chuckled. "That would have been entirely detrimental to your confidence."
I still wanted to punch him, but he had a point. Instead, I held out my hand and helped him to his feet. "You saved my life, again."
"You know what you can give me in return." He held the sword out to me. "Just not yet."
Except, there was one promise I wouldn't be able to deliver on. The only question was who was I lying to? I was glad I didn't have to decide that yet.
I went back to where Abaddon had knocked me down, picked up the bracelet, and returned it to my wrist.
"We need to find Avriel, and be quick about it. The Beast knows we're here. If he knows Abaddon isn't anymore, he won't be a happy camper."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
We found him in the largest of the golden temples, naked and bound to the ground by chains. Runes ran up the length of them until they reached the manacles themselves, which were ordinary metal. He was filthy, covered in his own blood, which had been splattered around the room so often that it was nearly a dark red coat of paint on top of the floor. Spread out on either side of him, beyond his reach, were his wings, somehow shorn off without killing him.
I had my own anxiety about facing him, even before we had entered the temple. Seeing what the Beast and Abaddon had put him through, it took an extra helping of courage to continue forward.
"You."
That was all he said when he saw me. Despite what he had been through, he was defiant.
"Avriel," Adam said, going down to one knee. "We've come to save you, brother."
The archangel looked at him. "You've come to save me? Save yourself, brother. Get away from this one before he breaks whatever promises he's made to you."
Adam turned to me, a questioning look in his eyes. I ignored it.
"Avriel," I said. "I'm sorry."
That was all I said. No excuses, no trying to weasel out of it. I had spent hours trying to think of a way to explain, but in the moment I knew there wasn't one. I got down on my knee and bowed my head, ready to take whatever he dished out.
There was silence for at least ten seconds. Finally, he let out a huff of air. "I felt the demon retreat. You came back for me, and you apologized with sincerity. The Lord would not approve if I could not find it in my soul to forgive you. Rise, diuscrucis, and help me get away from this place."
"Well done, Landon," Josette said.
I got to my feet and walked over to the chains. A single stroke from the Deliverer not only snapped them, but made them disintegrate entirely. I pulled the manacles off with my bare hands.
"What manner of weapon is that?" Avriel asked. He rubbed his wrists as they began to heal. The wings stayed mangled on the floor.
"A weapon of the Lord," Adam said. "Created after your disappearance." He rose to his feet and approached the archangel, wrapping him in a hug. "I am honored."
"Thank you," Avriel said. He looked at his blood-soaked wings. "My days of flight are behind me it seems."
"Take the sword," I said, holding it out to him. "It will heal you."
He surprised me by shaking his head. "Let it be a reminder to us all. The value is in survival, not in lamenting our wounds."
"I can't get you out of here any other way," I said. "Adam can only carry one of us."
Avriel laughed. "Fear not for me, diuscrucis. The wings are for more local travel. Besides, we won't be alone for much longer."
Before I could ask him what he meant, sixteen seraph charged into the temple, organizing in a circle around us. I didn't need to ask who all of them were; I already knew. The Inquisitors, and their backup.
"Adam." A woman stepped forward, with long wavy blonde hair and an equally long face. She was a little bit pudgy, a little bit butch, and she exuded power.
"Kassie," Adam said, dropping to his knee once more.
She turned to the archangel. "Avriel. It is an-" That was when she noticed his wings, and all the blood. "What has been happening here?"
"Kassie," I said, stepping towards her. "It's-"
Her sword was out and headed towards me before I could finish my greeting. I brought the Deliverer up in plenty of time to block it, but I didn't appreciate her attitude. When the swords met, hers cracked and crumbled to dust.
Her eyes grew wide. "Is that?"
"The Deliverer," Adam said. "But why did it just shatter your blade?"
Kassie didn't say anything. She looked at the other assembled angels. Then her face changed.
"Darn," the Beast said. "You got me." A small demonic dagger appeared in his hand, and he lunged at Avriel.
The archangel didn't flinch. He put his hand out and caught the Beast's wrist, twisting and breaking it with ease.
"Ouch," the Beast said, his other hand coming around in a fist and slamming into Avriel's face. The archangel fell backwards.
I rushed to help him, but everything erupted in chaos, with the Beast's servants turning on the loyal angels. "Adam," I shouted, getting the angel's attention. I threw him the Deliverer, and shifted.
He caught the blade and turned, just in time to block one of the angel's attacks. As had happened with Kassie, the sword shattered when it came into contact with the Canaan Blade. The seraph tried to back away, but Adam caught him with the tip of the Deliverer, and it tore through him, the wound opening with a blinding white light. The seraph didn't turn to ash. He vanished.
I heard an angel try to sneak up behind me, and I leaned on my hands and kicked back with Ulnyx's powerful hinds, feeling claws ripping through flesh and sending the angel flying. Then I brought the legs back in and used them to spring towards another of the now fallen Inquisitors, grabbing his neck in my jaws as his blade smacked into my side. I didn't even notice such a puny wound, and I took a sick pleasure in feeling the crunch of his spine in my teeth.
"Not bad," Ulnyx said. "You're getting better at being me every time you shift."
The statement made me catch myself. It was too easy to be corrupted by the Great Were's power if I didn't keep myself grounded. I turned and looked for Avriel, finding him still going hand to hand with the Beast. He was more than holding his own, and had managed to knock the dagger form his hand.
"Getting sick of losing yet?" I asked the Beast, coming up from behind and grabbing him. Avriel might have been able to kick the crap out of the host all day, but without a weapon all the damage would just heal.
"Who says I'm losing?" He twisted in my grip, trying to turn around. I focused and tightened it, keeping him straight.
"You're down one Abaddon. I've got the Box and Avriel. I've got Sarah. I've got a bracelet that hides my location from you, and I've even got a pretty sweet sword. Where exactly are you coming out ahead?" I brought my forearm around his neck. He grabbed it and fought against the motion, knowing that I was getting in position to break it.
Somehow, he managed to slip the move, ducking his head under my arm, turning and elbowing me in the stomach. He followed up with a punch that launched me across the room.
"You don't have Avriel yet," he said. He held out his hand, and the knife flew into it. Avriel was coming at him, ready for another round. He turned in one smooth motion, and the dagger launched from his hand and pierced the archangel's heart. "I just wanted you to think you were winning, so it would hurt more when I did this." He motioned with his hand, and Avriel's entire torso collapsed inward on the dagger. His expression was one of surprise, and then he fell to ash.
"The Divine aren't the only ones who know how to channel power with symbols," he said, laughing. "Let's see how well Avriel's Box works for you withou
t Avriel."
I didn't say anything. I just stared at the pile of dust that used to be Avriel the Just. I could hear Josette crying in the back of my soul, and I could even feel the shock of the Were at the sudden turn of events. I felt sick to my stomach, the hope and despair pouring in as though Abaddon were still standing right outside the door. All the while, the Beast laughed.
"Keep underestimating me, kid," he said. "I'll find out where you've got Sarah stashed sooner or later. I know it's somewhere in New York, thanks to the hours this sack of feathers I'm wearing spent chasing around after your sidekick. I'm just glad she came in useful after all, she was almost as much of a loser as you."
He smiled his stupid smile, and left her body.
I walked over to Avriel and knelt down over the ashes, my eyes threatening to fill with tears, my heart ready to burst. I heard footsteps, and looked back. Adam was approaching, along with five other seraph.
"Using the sword told the angels where I was," I said. "It's all the Beast needed." I turned back to the ashes. "He was our only hope."
Adam put a hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure something out. The Inquisitors are with you. What's left of us, anyway."
It didn't bring me any comfort. "We need to go back to the church, and meet up with the others. We need to tell them what happened. I don't know if we can recover from this one. Even Malize thought Avriel was the only one who could make the Box strong enough to keep the Beast contained. Without him? I just don't know."
I stood up and faced the other angels. There were two men and three women, of varying ages and features. They all looked upset at the loss of the archangel.
"Do you believe in the Beast now?" I asked them.
"We do, Landon," Adam said.
"This fight isn't about Heaven and Hell. It's about survival. For all of us. Can you abide by that? Because I can tell you right now, you will have to fight side by side with demons if we're going to take him out."
The angels weren't happy about that, but they didn't argue.
"We'll do what we must," one of the women said. She was dark-skinned, and spoke with a thick Haitian accent.
"Which of you is the First?"
The same woman stepped forward. "I am. I speak for the Inquisitors. We will help you however we can."
"Can you get us some more angels?" I asked.
She smiled. "We can try."
I held out my hand, motioning for Adam to give me the Deliverer. Joe was going to do his best to kill me for this, but Adam handed the sword to me, and I handed it to the woman.
"What's your name?" I asked her.
"Fredeline." She gazed at the Deliverer, holding it with reverence.
"Fredeline, it appears the Deliverer will tell you who is true, and who is a servant. Use it to root out the faithful, the ones that are willing to join you."
She brought the blade to her lips and kissed it. "I will," she said. "Starting with my own." She brought the sword to each of the remaining angels. Each of them put their lips to the sword, including Adam.
"This is a temporary truce, diuscrucis," she said. "Once the Beast is taken care of, it will be business as usual."
Somehow, I doubted anything would be usual once this was done, but I nodded.
"Then we will take our leave of you," Fredeline said. "Adam, stay with Landon. He needs someone to keep him out of trouble."
Adam bowed to her, and the angels left the temple.
"Why didn't they turn to ash?" I asked him, seeing that Avriel's wings were still lying on the floor.
"He rejected them," Avriel said. "The wings don't make us what we are. Our faith does."
I knew there was a deeper meaning somewhere in there, but I wasn't in the mood to look for it. The Beast had won this round, and negated every other victory we had scored along with it. It was a challenge to keep my head up and keep fighting, but I knew the stakes.
"To the bat-cave, then," I said, the humor feeling flat, and falling flat.
We walked out of the temple, and Adam tucked his arms under my shoulders.
I didn't even notice the flight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
"What are we going to do?" Sarah asked.
We were all gathered in the nave of the church, after having forced a reluctant Father Tom to close it off to worshippers. I hated to ask him to do it, but the church was the only place we had that felt somewhat safe. Rebecca's place under the Statue of Liberty may have been a viable alternative, but it was too hard to get into and out of. Still, he had submit without complaint, after I gave him the short version about what had happened to Avriel. He had been crushed to hear about the death of an archangel, and had retreated to his office and locked the door.
"I feel like the 2006 Yankees," Obi said. "Up three games to none, looking like a lock for the Series, and then pow! Sox kick our ass."
"Maybe we're the Red Sox?" Adam suggested. "Down, but not out."
"We need to find someone who can understand Avriel's work," I said. "His design. Malize said there's a lot of math involved, so maybe we just need Stephen Hawking or something."
Obi huffed. "Man, it takes him an hour to say one sentence. How long would it take him to tell us how to alter the Box?"
"I'm open to suggestions," I replied. "Come on guys, we've got negative time to find a solution."
"Landon, do you remember when we met at the tower in Thailand?" Charis asked. "I told you I might know someone who knew about the Box?"
I did remember. I tried to think of who she was referring to, but she knew too many people to cherry pick one of them from her memories. "Yeah, but if your source is reliable, why didn't you push him on us earlier?"
She shrugged. "I didn't say he was reliable. I just said he might know about the Box. He's more of a last resort."
"Which is where we're at," Obi said.
"Sad, but true," I agreed. "Who is he?"
"He's a demon. I think Dante knows him. His name is Alichino."
"It doesn't ring a bell," I said.
"His name means harlequin. He used to serve in Hell, but he got kicked out and sent back to Earth for allowing someone to escape their torture."
"That doesn't sound like much of a punishment," Obi said.
"For a demon who was created in Hell, and wants to stay in Hell, Earth is the worst punishment there is."
Obi huffed again.
"Okay," I said. "So, where do we find him, and why do you think he can help us with the Box?"
"Brazil. I'm not sure he can help us with the Box, but I know he was obsessed with it. He always wanted to be the one to find it and free Abaddon. He was hoping that Lucifer would be so grateful, he would let him go back to Hell."
"Is he good at math?" I asked.
Charis nodded. "He claims that he can prove the Euler-Mascheroni constant is irrational."
"Whatever that means," Obi and I both said in unison.
"We've got to go find this Alichino. Melody?"
The angel had been quiet during the conversation. She had taken the news about Kassie in stride, but she looked pissed that she hadn't guessed at her true allegiance. "Yes, Landon?"
"Can you go find Fredeline, and stick with her? She'll need someone to lead her to us when we're ready for them to join the fun."
She got to her feet and nodded, walking over to Obi and kissing him on the cheek. "See you around, mate," she said with a smile.
"Don't be long," Obi replied.
She winked at him, and headed out of the church.
"O-"
"Don't even tell me I'm not coming," Obi said.
There was a rift in Brazil. "Fine, you're in. Charis, you too. We need Vilya to get us there."
"I want to come," Sarah said.
"No," I said. "I'm sorry. I wish you could, but you're safer here. The Beast is stepping up his game, and we need to stay focused on the task, not on protecting you."
She frowned, but stayed quiet.
"Besides," Charis said. "We need to stay inconspicu
ous. We can't do that trailing a big entourage."
"Which is why you want Thomas and I to stay here?" Adam asked.
I nodded. "Hold down the fort. With any luck we won't be gone more than an hour or two."
"The First asked me to keep an eye on you," Adam reminded me.
"If she stops by, tell her I'm in the bathroom. Izak, can you come unlock the door for us?"
The demon stood up and followed us as we descended the stairs into the church basement. He knelt down in front of the rift and used his good hand to scratch out the runes to connect this one to the one in Brazil. He did it fast, almost impatiently, and started walking away as soon as it flared to life.
"Thanks, Izak," I said.
He waved his hand at me and left.
"He's in a good mood," Obi said.
"You wouldn't be too happy if you lost your hand," I said.
"True."
"Are you boys ready?" Charis asked.
Obi shrugged and walked in. We followed behind him.
"Where are we?" I asked. We had stepped out into a small room encased in stone, with a metal door at the north end. "No, wait. Let me guess." I knew a little bit about Brazil. "Christ the Redeemer, in Rio?"
"You're getting good at this," Charis said.
"Whoa, hold on." Obi pointed up at the ceiling. "There's a demon rift under a huge statue of Jesus Christ?"
"It's under the chapel too," Charis replied. "Look, I didn't put it here. Alichino might have. He has an irreverent sense of humor."
"He's a demon. Doesn't that just come with the territory?" Obi asked.
"You asked," Charis said.
"Touche," Obi replied.
"So, how to we find Alichino?"
The door swung open. A small demon stood there. He was three feet tall, with a long snout and leather skin, the left half of which was black, the other half white. He was wearing a pair of tight lycra bicycle shorts and Pumas, and holding a thick book under a spindly arm.
"You don't find Alichino, diuscrucis. Alichino finds you."
I laughed. Could it actually be this easy? "You knew-"
"No," he said, before I could finish. "Well, yes. But, no. Dante looked me up and asked me if I could help you. Me and him go way back. You have the Box?"
