By L.J. LABARTHE
The Body on the Beach
With Cate Ashwood: Brick by Brick
City of Jade
Long Road Back
Piece Us Back Together (Multiple Author Anthology)
Ties that Bind
Waiting for the Moon and You
ARCHANGEL CHRONICLES
No Quarter
No Surrender, No Retreat
No Shadows Fall
The Wind-up Forest
The Crystal Lake
The Bone Cup
A Shot in the Dark
A Fire in the Heart
A Candle in the Sun
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Candle in the Sun
© 2015 L.J. LaBarthe.
Cover Art
© 2015 Anne Cain.
[email protected]
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63216-777-4
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-778-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906567
First Edition October 2015
Printed in the United States of America
This paper meets the requirements of
ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
This series and these characters are very close to my heart. However, no matter of authorial love would help get them published without the help, support, and faith of a very special group of people.
First of all, as always, my deepest gratitude and love goes to Cate Ashwood, who is my grammar savior and my dear friend. Her wit, insight, and talent are unlimited, and she is truly a star in the universe of humanity. Secondly, my thanks and love to the oldest and dearest friends in my life: Sue Cavanagh-Lang, Chris Wiley, Marina Pycroft, Tracy Bailey, Laura Osgood, Clare Clarke, Shane Bevin, Hermann Lauss, FAL, Jasmin Pycroft, Meredith Shayne, my knight protector from the west and my family, my mother, my cousin, Dr. Ian, my brother, John, my niece, Shandi Sansom. Thirdly, to my dear friends and colleagues, Ali Wilde, Zathyn Priest, Alison Mann, Raine O’Tierney, Skylar M. Cates, Israel Bishop, Rick R. Reed, Kit Yoo, and Molly Soiner, I say a big thank you, you’re awesome. Finally, but no means the least, thank you a million times over to my wonderful editors, Erika Orrick, Ian, and Lynn West, the art department and Anne Cain, all the staff at Dreamspinner Press, and most of all, to Elizabeth North.
Vous êtes tous merveilleux et ne laissez jamais personne vous dire le contraire. Bénir. Merci pour toujours.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
—1 Corinthians 13:13.
HEAVEN
Michael: Chief Archangel, he is oldest of the Archangels and has the following titles: Prince of Heaven, Archangel of Repentance, Righteousness, Mercy and Sanctification, Tutelary Sar of Israel, Guardian of Jacob, Commander in Chief of the Armies of Heaven, Destroyer of Satan, Chief of the Sun, patron saint of policemen, a Grail angel. His power is gold, and he is bonded to Archangel Gabriel.
Gabriel: Archangel of War, he is next in age and has the following titles: Mercy, Revelation and Annunciation, the Strength of God, God’s Rage and Jealousy, General of God’s Armies, Commander of the Seraphim, Left Hand of God, Destroyer of Sodom and Gomorrah, Dictator of the Koran to Mohammed, Chief of the Moon, a Grail Angel. His power is silver, and he is bonded to Archangel Michael.
Raphael: Archangel of Healing and Medicine, Prayer, Joy and Light, Overseer of the Evening Winds, Angel of the Sun. His power is white, and he is bonded to Israfel, Angel of Music.
Uriel: Archangel of Sanctification, Fire, and Vengeance, and his titles are: Guardian of the Gates of Hell, Guardian of Eden, Fire of God, Angel of Thunder. His power is orange, and he is bonded to Archangel Raziel.
Tzadkiel: Archangel of Judgment, and his titles are: Chief of God’s Secret Police, Commander of the Ophanim, Angel of Jupiter. His power is copper colored.
Samael: Archangel of Death. His power is indigo.
Remiel: Archangel of Mercy and Visions, and his titles are: Guide to Judgment, Angel of Thunder. His power is dark green, and he is in a long-term relationship with Ishtahar.
Haniel: Archangel of Love, with the titles of: Guardian of Innocents, angel of Venus. His power is red.
Metatron: Archangel of the Voice of God, and his titles are: Angel of the Covenant, Chancellor of Heaven, Scribe of God. His power is pale blue.
Raziel: Archangel of Secrets and Mysteries and Science, Author and Keeper of the Sefer Raziel book of magic, angel of the Grail. His power is bronze, and he is bonded to Archangel Uriel.
Israfel: Angel of Music. His power is blue, and he is bonded to Archangel Raphael.
Tabbris: Angel of Free Will. His power is purple.
Agrat bat Mahlat: Angel of Prostitution and Sex and Procreation. She is one of the four Holy Succubi, called the Whore of God. Her power is red, and she is married/bonded to Shateiel, Angel of Silence and Soldiers.
Shateiel: Angel of Silence and Soldiers. The most trusted lieutenant of Gabriel, he is mute and communicates solely by telepathy. His power is light blue, and he is married/bonded to Agrat, Angel of Prostitution, Sex and Procreation.
Camael: An Angel of War under the command of Gabriel. His power is silver-blue.
Sophiel: Intelligence of Jupiter (corresponding to Tzadkiel), Angel of the Moon. Her power is blue.
Brieus: Angel of Demon Hunting. His power is silver-blue.
EARTH
Bob Taytton: Megalomaniac who believed himself to be the reincarnation of a French saint named Secaire. Opened the portals to Hell that sparked the Seventy Years War, and was killed at the outset of that war.
Ishtahar: High Priestess of Semjaza, Prince of the Grigori. Born in the city of Eden at the dawn of Creation. Forced to bear children to Semjaza; mother of the first Nephilim—half human, half angel hybrids—including Hiwa and Ahijah. She is in a long-term relationship with Remiel.
Hiwa: Elder son of Ishtahar; hates his father, Semjaza, and feels nothing but loathing for him. Has spent most of his life living as an assassin, working predominantly for the Russian mafia.
Ahijah: Younger son of Ishtahar; also hates his father, Semjaza. Has devoted his life to God, living and working as a priest, finally settling in Brazil.
Eleanora: A French witch living in Provence.
Lyudmila: Queen of the Eastern Bloc Weres and has two shifter shapes—a wolf and a mink. Has talent with magic and with visions. Is Russian but now lives in Yerevan, capital of Armenia.
Piotr: Lyudmila’s consort. Is Russian, but lives in Yerevan with Lyudmila. His shifter shape is that of an eagle.
Minnie: An Australian witch. Formerly a thief, known as No-Hands Minnie.
Max/Mobius: Extremely talented hacker known for being able to dig up hidden information. His partner is Minnie. He lives with her and their cat.
Angelique: Alpha of a Venatores pack. Formerly US Air Force and is of Mexican descent, raised in Texas. Her shifter shape is a dark gray wolf.
Lily: Beta of Angelique’s pack, is an Englishwoman, formerly of the British Army. Her shifter is a gray wolf, and she was married to Danny, another member of the pack. He left her and she is now single.
Baxter: Kappa of Angelique’s pack. Formerly a US Marine, suffering PTSD. His shifter shape is an Arctic white wolf.
Danny: Former Kappa of Angelique’s pack, now retired. Also a former US Marine, born and raised in Georgia. His shifter shape is a gray wolf, and he was married to Lily, another member of the pack, but he left her when he retired from Venatores.
Riley: Omega of Angelique’s pack and the pack medic. Formerly a US Navy Corpsman working with the United States Marine Corps. His shifter shape is a red rock wolf.
Declan Jones: Shifter and older brother of Liam. Raised in Puerto Rico, worked for some years in the US Army.
Liam Jones: Necromancer and younger brother of Declan. Worked as a police officer before he and Declan set out together to work as demon trackers.
HELL
Lucifer: King of Hell. A Fallen Angel, the first Fallen Angel. Is very good friends with the Archdemon Adramelek, one of the first angels to Fall. His titles are: King of Hell, Lightbringer, The Morningstar, Lucifer, Prince of Lies, Lord of Deceit, Lord of the Flies, The Devil, Satan. Is almost omniscient, nearly as much as God. His power is white, and he is in open relationships with Lilith and Adramelek.
Adramelek: Fallen Angel and unquestionably loyal to Lucifer. Formerly a member of the choir of angels called the Thrones. His titles are: Archdemon of Fire, Great Minister and Chancellor of the Order of the Fly, President of Satan’s Private Council, the High Council of Devils, President of the Order of Glass Knives. Power is silver-black. He is Lucifer’s lover.
Ondrass: One of the first demons created, born out of Lucifer’s fury just after his fall into Hell. His titles are: Archdemon of Discord, Grand Marquis of Hell, Lucifer’s personal hitman, member of the Order of Glass Knives. His power is black, and he is in a relationship with his personal assistant, Markus.
Melcherisa: Archdemon of Darkness, Governor of the Base Natures of Hell, member of the Guild of Glass Knives. His power is dark gray.
Lix Tetrax: Duchess of Whirlwinds, High Priestess of Fevers and Member of the Order of the Fly, member of the Guild of Knives. Her power is silver-gray.
Ba’al: Seneschal to Lucifer and butler to Lucifer. Absolutely loyal to Lucifer and loves him as a father-figure. His power is gray.
Sprite: Adramelek’s hell-cat, ginger colored, with a fondness for tuna and fresh fish.
Uphir: Archdemon of Medicine and Science; Hell’s Physician. His power is muddy-brown.
Markus: Personal Assistant to Ondrass, the Archdemon of Discord. His power is gray, and he is in a relationship with Ondrass.
Lilith: The first wife of Adam, and prior to that, the consort of God Himself, Lilith is the first scorned woman and the first strong woman to say no to a man. After she left Adam, she wandered in the wilderness and mothered giants, the monsters of ancient mythology. Originally named Lilitu, she met Lucifer in the desert and they spent a long time in conversation. Lilith is the oldest of the four sisters of the succubi. Agrat, Eisheth, and Naamah are her sisters. Her titles are: Consort of Lucifer, Eater of Infants, The First Adulteress, Consort of Yahweh, Mother of Giants. Her power is red.
OTHER
Semjaza: Prince of the Grigori, imprisoned in the constellation of Aquila by Gabriel in the last days of Eden. His punishment was for corrupting humanity and breeding with human women, most notably his high priestess, Ishtahar, whom he forced to be his wife. Is the father of Hiwa and Ahijah. He is a talented magician. Was pulled down to Hell and now suffers in the Lake of Frozen Souls, tortured personally by Lucifer.
Naamah: One of the Four Succubi Sisters, she used to live in the seas of the Earth, but moved to Purgatory during the Seventy Years War. Has two children, twins, whose father is unknown. Her twin children are named Arthur and Morgana, after the Arthurian legends.
THE SMELL of disinfectant made Adramelek wrinkle his nose, and he tried not to gag. The overpowering odor made his eyes water. He shifted on the hard plastic chair as he sat in the waiting room and tried not to think about the smell that seemed to be pervasive, wiping out all other senses.
This was by far the most uncomfortable mission he’d been sent on. Sitting in the waiting room of the small, private clinic in Silverton, Colorado, wasn’t his idea of a good time. Yet he had volunteered, both out of curiosity and simmering anger. The meeting of the Guild of Glass Knives, the Brotherhood of Archangels, and the Venatores had led him to suggest and volunteer for this mission.
Earlier, as Adramelek watched Tzadkiel’s slideshow of construction on Transon Corp.’s new testing facility—designed to help create their nightmarish products that promoted Earth isolationism from all but pure humans—Adramelek found himself filled with a righteous rage.
He had not felt such an emotion since the Fall, when Lucifer had been cast out of Heaven along with all those angels who had sided with him. Adramelek had been furious then, furious at his lord’s desires being thwarted, at the failure of Lucifer’s plans. He was furious now, but for entirely different reasons.
He had adjusted to Hell, after all; indeed, it hadn’t taken him long to come to love his new home and to develop his part of psychic real estate to suit his own personal tastes. As humanity had evolved and grown, expanding across Earth like a plague of rats, Adramelek had found himself developing a grudging respect, a reluctant fondness for them, akin to the fondness one had for a well-behaved hound. Earth itself had always been beautiful, and Adramelek had enjoyed his visits to the planet, insofar as he could, considering the restrictions placed upon Hell dwellers by God. But those restrictions had lapsed over the slow march of time, and with the new treaty between God and Lucifer, Adramelek had far more freedom now than ever before.
And that was why he was furious. Now, he could come and go between Earth and Hell whenever he chose; as long as he didn’t break the treaty by killing humans, angels, or monsters or trying to possess anyone, he was free to walk where he wished. He didn’t have to cloak himself in shields and protections or look over his shoulder every time he heard the barest whisper of an angel’s Grace, thinking that Uriel was stalking him. No, he could now do almost as he pleased, and almost was actually quite wonderful.
These humans in Transom Corp. were an abomination. Adramelek didn’t think any of his allies in this fight would disagree with him. Oh, Michael might wring his hands and talk about how every human deserved a second chance, but Adramelek didn’t agree. At the depths of his being, he was still a Throne, one of the choir of angels who surrounded God’s seat and praised Him and His works. The Throne within him felt that the actions of Transom Corp. equaled rejecting God’s works and therefore there was no redemption to be offered. The Archdemon that Adramelek had become felt that Transom Corp. was turning this into an “us versus them” fight, and he’d had enough of those to last him a lifetime.
Which was another reason why he was here in this waiting room. He had an appointment with a specialist who referred clients to Transom. The leaflets that Angelique’s Venatores had gathered from a hospital in rural Arkansas had given the name of the doctor and a contact phone number, and so Adramelek had volunteered to contact the man and set up a meeting. He would play the part of a father with a terminally ill son. He had dressed in an expensive suit that Ondrass had insisted he wear, and beneath the fine linen shirt, around his neck, he had all manner of wards
and charms and sigils on lengths of leather cord designed not just to protect him but to make sure his true nature was hidden from the wards that Transom’s witches had covered the clinic with.
Adramelek looked at the leaflet. He had brought it with him, although he wasn’t sure why. It was so innocuous looking—a glossy piece of paper promising all sorts of miracles—and there, on the bottom, was the name of the consulting doctor who referred patients to Transom: Dr. Jason Markham. Adramelek hadn’t met the man yet, and he already despised him.
“Mr. Smith?”
Adramelek looked up at the nurse who was smiling down at him. “Yes.”
“Dr. Markham is ready for you now. If you’ll follow me, please.”
Adramelek got to his feet and gestured for her to lead the way. “It’s a little odd to see a nurse doing a registrar’s job,” he remarked as they walked down a long, whitewashed corridor.
“The registrar’s dealing with some new interns right now,” the nurse said. “So we’re doubling up a bit. Here we are, this is Dr. Markham’s office.” She tapped on the door and then opened it. “Mr. Smith for you, doctor.”
Adramelek nodded his thanks to her and walked through the door into the office of Dr. Markham. He was a little taken aback by how unassuming the man looked—balding brown hair, pale skin, myopic blue eyes deep set into a lined face. He wore a plain gray shirt beneath his lab coat, and a faded brown tie, the knot tied somewhat haphazardly. At first glance, Adramelek thought that Dr. Markham would be more suited to working in a clinic in a more busy part of the world than here.
“Please have a seat,” Dr. Markham said.
Adramelek did so, hearing the door close behind him. He regarded the man opposite closely, taking in the wrinkled hands that were spotted with age, the fingers toying with an antique fountain pen. The desk that stood between them was littered with paper, sticky-notes against the monitor of a computer that sat on one corner, perched precariously on a pile of books.
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