by Doug Romig
Casadore
A Spiritscape Chronicles
Short Story
By Doug Romig
Doug Romig
Copyright 2014 by Doug Romig
About the Author
DOUG ROMIG lives in Knoxville, Tennessee where he enjoys the writing, hiking and spending time with his sons.
His first book, The Spiritscape Chronicles Book One: Angelcide, was followed by Shrink: An Abby Chilton Novel. Upcoming mystery titles from Doug include The Spiritscape Chronicles Book Two: New Fallen, Reunion: An Abby Chilton Novel, and Interpol: A Jonas Lange Adventure.
Follow Doug's blog at https://dougromig.blogspot.com, see what’s happening on Twitter @DougRomigWriter, follow on his Facebook page at DougRomigWriter or just send him an email at [email protected].
Novels by Doug Romig
The Spiritscape Chronicles Book One: Angelcide
Shrink: An Abby Chilton Novel
Short Stories by Doug Romig
The Spiritscape Chronicles: Casadore
Casadore
There were times for work and times to soar. This was a time to soar while working. Casadore was flying higher and faster than any other angel. It was his skill. He was not the strongest or the most powerful of the legions. He was not the wisest or the most creative. He was the fastest of the warriors. Out maneuvering and hitting faster than any opponent, demon or anything else in the vastness of the Spiritscape was his way. His allies looked for him to be moving about and dodging attacks in the thick of any battle, leaving devastation in his wake. His enemies tried in vain to hit him often discovering that what they tried to hit had already struck them down. No one ever laid a hand or claw or anything else on this speedster.
With the golden eyes and matching hair, Casadore looked incredible even by angelic standards. His spirit had the same form as most other angels. He had a head and body with all the right appendages. Even though he had no wings, he didn’t need or want them. He had formed a pair on his spirit once to try them and almost immediately absorbed them back in. They just got in the way.
When he was flying through the amber Spiritscape, his velocity stretched him to the point his essence trailed behind him like a comet speeding toward a star. Many of the demons who had seen him mockingly called him “Stretch”. Cas took it as a compliment. Few of the angels were feared enough to merit nicknames of demons. It was considered a high honor to be mocked by the hordes. It meant they needed to warn one another about you.
Casadore was patrolling one of the more notorious sections of this spiritual realm. The mountains made of precious gems, the valleys that stretched beyond the imagination and the flowing rivers of ethereal energy all made the Spiritscape a place of both breathtaking beauty and unimaginable danger. Still, this was more his home than any other place. It wasn’t like he slept. In the countless eons of his existence he had never been injured in battle so he never needed down time to recuperate. Who would want to stop doing this? It’s way too much fun! I will love doing this forever. His thoughts were of the pure pleasure he took in his work.
Casadore and Ezekiel
His friend, mentor and partner appeared out of nowhere, flying beside him. “Slow down, Cas. Some of us aren’t that fast,” jested Ezekiel. Pulling up beside him, the two flew in perfect synchronicity. “What are you after today? The same as ever?” Zeke had a way of cutting to the essence.
“One of us will find it. It may as well be me.” Casadore was curious. “Why are you here? Don’t you have some demon to hunt on Earth? No one has seen S'theno for a while. She is probably tempting some poor soul in Hollywood or Bollywood.”
Zeke seemed to give that some thought. “She probably is. I’ll look for her when I’m done in the Smokies.”
“You are talking about the mountains on Earth and not the group of demons we fried at Klamor, right?” The essence of the angel glowed with humor.
“Yes, the mountains. I’ll be closer to Dollywood than Bollywood. There is something out there causing some problems. It shouldn’t take too long,” laughed the hunter. Getting to business he continued, “Michael wants to you to keep an eye out for anything unusual. Several demons are missing and he wants us all to find out why. I think they have found a new place to hide from us.”
The speedster chuckled. “Can you blame them? I heard one of them call us the ‘gruesome twosome’. Not that flattering, but now we each have nicknames and a name for the both of us. Does it get any better?”
“Gruesome twosome? I like it. Kind of rolls off the tongue.”
Casadore was ready. “I’m having hats made. Do you think Adoneal could make us our own spirit sphere with a Gruesome Twosome logo on the side? It would be good advertising.”
“Let’s just get a banner for you to hold behind you as you zip along. Better coverage,” teased the hunter. “I hear they are whining about ‘overzealous attacks by those two angels’. Personally I take it as a compliment.” There was egoless pride in the voice of Ezekiel.
“If they didn’t want us to fry them, then…” began Cas.
“They shouldn’t get in our way,” finished Zeke. “Just watch yourself. I don’t want to have to stop hunting to come save you, again.”
Casadore smiled at his friend. “Sure, I get in over my head a few dozen times and you think you have to come to my rescue every time?”
“Always have. Always will, my friend.” A touch of hands sealed their friendship that they thought would last forever. They were wrong.
Casadore and the Demon
After Zeke ported away, Casadore saw something in the distance that brought a smile to his face. A lone demon was zipping through the Dovhavhads Spires. Those needle-shaped blue-brown peeks were notorious for demonic activity. There was rumored to be a hidden escape hatch from some of the worst sections of Hell around here. Zeke knew that was the reason Cas was here. Casadore wanted to find it before any other angel did. I wonder if that thing will tell me where the secret exit is. Probably not. The demon, a spirit tinted indigo and covered with feather-like fur, had the beak of a bird but the body of a great cat, walking on two legs. This demon had no tail and there were several spots where the fur had been singed off, leaving scaly, blue leather in its place.
The speed of Casadore gave him the advantage. He moved ahead of the demon, set his trap and then ported right behind it. The instant appearance of an angel was enough to spur the demon on even faster.
“I have some questions for you,” shouted a jovial Casadore. “Care to stop and talk?”
The voice of the demon sounded like gravel in a blender. “After the battle at Fanjil, I don’t think talking is your strong suit, Stretch.” A jaunty salute came from the demon followed by the devilish equivalent of an obscene gesture.
“You take out forty-two hellbound and you are branded a doer and not a talker?” The angel made a show of considering that. “I can live with that.” He followed the demon at a distance that made it think it was gaining ground.
“You are getting slow in your old age,” taunted the deluded demon. It moved ahead, looking back and laughing at the slow moving angel. Had the demon been watching where it was going it would have seen a perfectly round portal right along its trajectory. It turned just in time to run right into that portal that led right back into the icy, blue depths of Hell. Casadore was right behind the demon, sealing it in. A curse of frustration echoed through the spires with the departure of the demon. The angel chortled. Zeke is right. It’s the little things that make it fun.
The angel knew to trace the movement of the demon back the way it had come. Maybe, just maybe, that demon had been dumb enough to leave straight from Hell’s
back door. The real problem was not finding the door. The issue was about all the demons in this area. If Casadore came upon four or five, it would be an angel-food cake walk. He had taken out as many as a dozen in the past, but this was different. This time, he would be fighting alone in the spires that had all kinds of hidden nooks and crannies where any number of things could be hiding. Those odds made him uneasy. Not uneasy enough to stop looking for the secret exit, though.
Casadore and the Beast
Casadore sensed it a moment too late. Something was on top of him, spinning him around with a new sensation: pain. Nothing had ever landed a punch in all the battles he had fought. Now a piece of his core had been ripped out leaving him hurting and weakened. He turned to face this cowardly attacker, sending out a blast of angelic fire at nothing, The angel reached out with all ten of his senses searching for what had attacked and taken a piece of his spirit. There was nothing there. Impossible!
He did what any wise warrior did when facing an unknown opponent. He created distance between himself and the enigmatic enemy, flying off at speeds that would impress even a demon. Searching while flying, the speedster could not sense what had wounded him. Demons had a strange feel. Angels had a different feel. Humans felt more alien than anything in the Spiritscape to Casadore. This didn’t feel like anything he had ever encountered.
The angel knew his first duty was to reach out and share this crucial bit of intelligence with the other angels. He hesitated. The warrior did not know what to report. Something bit me. Yeah, that will go over well. Zeke will never let me hear the end of that. Casadore had not stopped looking behind, in front and all around him for this mysterious entity. There was still nothing to be sensed. Something bit me? Why did I think that? The idea of a bite was odd. Nothing ever bit angels. They were bite proof. The worst that could happen would be…
Anguish rushed through his being. Another part of his essence was severed by something that he couldn’t see. Casadore had been looking, listening, feeling, and reaching out for the coldness of a demon. All of his senses were useless against this specter that felt like it was devouring him one bite at a time. It was time to call in reinforcements. He reached out with his thoughts to all other angels whether in the Spiritscape or Heaven. No one replied. Trying again to call out to the ones who could help him, he quickly discerned the problem. The part of his essence that could reach the other angels was gone. Stolen. Eaten? He never thought he would think this but the words came to his mind. I need a healer now! Enough of this. It was time to get out. With a thought he could port away to someplace safe.
Nothing happened. A quick survey of his damaged spirit told him his ability to port or make portals was missing in action. What is this thing? His options were very limited. He could make a run for other angels in the Spiritscape. The only problem with that is he could not contact anyone to discover where they were. It would be a random run with the blind hope of finding another angel. The Spiritscape was far too vast for that to be a real option.
He could try to make a run for a part of the Spiritscape that was close to Heaven. If he could make it in there he should be safe from whatever was out to get him. That would be a long run. At the rate this thing was nibbling away at him, there wouldn’t even be a halo left before he was even a third of the way there. Well, he really didn’t have a halo to start with. It was time for Plan C.
Casadore knew that there were countless spots throughout the Spiritscape that touched close enough to Earth to pass through. If he could get onto Earth, he could find Ezekiel. Zeke would get him help and then they could both track down this beast and show it how being torn apart really feels. He scanned the Spiritscape for touches of Earth. He found just what he needed.
There was a place where Earth touched the Spiritscape that he had never seen before. It wasn’t too far away and it looked like there was something up there. If he hurried he could get there before anything else bad happened. Casadore picked up his speed as he sailed toward safety. It was only a little farther and then…
Another part of him was gone. How is this happening? Why is this happening? What could be doing this? Where am I going? Part of his memory was missing. The speedster had just had a thought that was gone. It was something about getting away from this thing that was taking him apart. Something about Zeke. Where is Zeke? I should know this. I need to port out of here. Wait, I can’t port. That part is gone. Where am I going?
It was time to face this thing and fight. Running wasn’t working. Porting was not an option. As the angel turned a corner, he knew that was his only option. He turned to face his opponent, his back to the wall of a golden cliff. This thing would not get him without a fight.
Angelcide
Prologue
Casadore was cornered. There was no way out. This was impossible. In all the battles he had fought there had never been anything like this. Everything he tried ended in failure. It was almost like his adversary was toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse. It was time to try a new tactic.
“You cannot win!” shouted Casadore. “Stop now before I'm forced to do something you will regret.” It was just bravado. He already knew there was no real hope. His wounds were severe and his strength was fading fast.
The sound of cold laughter rang through the air. The voice that spoke was dripping with cruelty. “You have no idea what you are dealing with. I know everything about you. All your strengths. All your weaknesses. Goodbye, Casadore. Thank you for the exercise. You will be tasty.”
Casadore felt fear down to his core. This was a new experience for the warrior. He had never known fear in all the battles he had fought. Those terrorizing words of this new enemy flooded him with that very crippling emotion. Cutting through his fear in an instant, something within him screamed that there was something wrong. What was it? Wait. How did his adversary know his name? How did this foe know so much about him? That was impossible, too.
The attack was swift, efficient, brutal and fatal. Casadore never even had the chance to defend himself. A scream leaped unbidden from his very soul. The pain was excruciating as he called out for help. “Ezekiel!” Casadore died with the name on his lips that was only heard by two others. The laughter of his attacker rang out knowing that Ezekiel wouldn't be able to save him.
“I'd better find this Ezekiel. I hope he is more fun than that creepy dude in the shadows,” thought the only other who had heard the cry and arrived just in time to see Casadore die.
Chapter 1
The path was quiet with the only sound being the multitude of unseen bugs in the high grass. Zeke glanced around. He could have sworn someone had called his name. Listening carefully and looking around with hazel eyes that saw so much more than normal sight, all Zeke could see was the natural Earthscape around. As beautiful as the scenery was this was no vacation. He was hunting. Ezekiel was not like the angels that humans pictured in paintings and picture books. He had no halo or feathery wings. He was one of the most bad-ass angels in the four realms and was feared by many for good reason.
Humans who met him when he chose to look human had varied reactions. Some people found him intimidating and terrifying. Some men and women found him so appealing that they fell in love with him on the spot. He honestly preferred it when they were afraid. It was impossible to hide how attractive he was no matter how ugly he chose to look. Women who were attracted to the bad boys were driven nuts by the bad angel. They really had no idea how bad he could be. He kicked ass and sent demons to Hell with no mercy, pity, or second thought. Zeke was not one of the sweet, touchy-feely, angels who took care of humans in need. That was for the nice angels. He was definitely not a nice angel.
The sound ahead more than caught his attention. It enthralled him. The giggles could mean so many things but Zeke could tell by the hushed tones that this was a romantic encounter. Two lovers on a hike. “Wonderful,” thought a sarcastic Zeke. “I'm hunting a soul eating, life sucking, grotesque demon and there are humans getting lucky in my way.�
�� Even with his hiking boots and walking stick his light step could lead to embarrassment for the lovers in nature so he began to whistle a haunting tune. It would have seemed familiar to anyone who heard it even though they would never be able to place it. Those notes would stay with anyone who heard them for the rest of their lives even though they would never be able to duplicate it. Zeke smiled a very mischievous grin thinking about all the heavy metal songs he had inspired even though they never got it quite right. AC/DC got close a couple times though.
In a low, rich baritone Zeke's voice rang out. “Don't mind me. Just passing by.” The female giggle rang out and a man's “shhhh” followed. “Humans,” the angel sighed to himself. “If they only knew what real intimacy was like.”
Zeke had long since given up trying to look unattractive to blend in. It never worked anyway. Seeing him anyone would say he looked good but not angelic by any means. The hazel eyes and coal black hair were the focal point of his six foot, two frame. He looked like someone who knew his way around the gym but was not so muscle-bound as to be disproportionate to a normal person. It was his real spirit-form that would have really blown their minds. Describing an angel to a human is totally impossible. It was outside any frame of reference. Imagine peace yet power, light and lightening, calm and a storm all rolled into one. Angels were not what everyone thinks with the wings, harps and halos. Zeke had played a harp a few times but only to scare the Hell into demons. It was one of his favorite tricks to make them run. It was so much more fun when they ran. He was not a messenger or an angel of service. Ezekiel was a warrior. Tracking down demons on Earth and sending them back to Hell was his passion. He was far from omnipotent and omniscient. But he did operate on a level that made nuclear weapons seem like potato guns.
