“You toy with treason.”
“Why, because I point out the truth?” Uriel laughed scornfully. “Mephistopheles once thought as you do, and it was his downfall.”
“Righteousness was his downfall; righteousness overcame him!” Maya hissed angrily. “What I do has only purity and virtue at its heart. It has nothing to do with that loathsome demon king.”
“It seems Mikal isn’t the only blind one,” Uriel kythed, now deliberately provoking her. He smiled to himself in the silence that followed his taunt.
“I could destroy you with a mere thought,” Maya threatened after a moment.
“Do it then, Pretender,” Uriel crowed, undaunted. “Think of me. Destroy me. Obliterate me and prove the truth of my words. Even as I fade from existence, I will laugh at your folly.”
Maya was silent.
“The time may come when we confront each other, but you know I will fight you with every shred of power I possess. And while I know I can only lose such a battle, in the end I’ll still win. You’ll be so drained, your influence will fade enough for many to wake from your poisonous dream. The Archangels and those like them will arise, and then they, too, will resist you. You cannot fight us all, False One. Should we get it over with, O Blessed Bitch?”
Uriel could sense Maya’s fury pulsing. The air itself throbbed with anger, and even the omnipresent light of Heaven seemed to seethe in self-righteous fury.
But no bolt of power lanced out of the firmament to strike him down, and he snorted in disgust.
“I thought not. Now leave me, Pretender. I have better things to do than banter with the blind.”
“One day, trickster, you will bow to me, and I will mock your subservience and force you to kiss my feet in apology.”
“But not today,” Uriel replied. And then she was gone.
Uriel shuddered in spite of himself. He’d skirted dangerously close to open confrontation with Maya, and he hadn’t been pandering when he said he knew the only outcome to such a battle would be his destruction. He was confident that in the aftermath, her power would be sufficiently shaken that most of the Seraphim and Dominions, and even some of the more powerful Powers and Cherubim, would rise up against her, but still, he wouldn’t be there to see it. Uriel had no more desire to court his own destruction than any sane creature, mortal or immortal.
He put the conversation behind him and looked for Camael, the Power who served as his second-in-command. Before he could locate the other angel, however, Uriel felt a pulse reverberate throughout the immortal plane. He stared about in alarm, expecting another attack, but he quickly identified the source as other than demonic in nature.
It felt more like… Yes! Someone or something had just crossed the Binding, and for Uriel to feel the effects this strongly so far away, it must be someone of tremendous power. Focusing on the sensation, Uriel sensed several smaller, familiar ripples he identified as mortals – but living ones! – then he was shocked to feel another pulse almost as powerful as the first. Another series of smaller waves, then still another pulse, stronger than both that had come before. There was a strange echo to that one Uriel couldn’t place, and he gave up after only a moment of concentration. He was too far away to really decipher anything useful.
One thing he did recognize, however, buried in all the hundreds of small waves, one of the three strong pulses had a familiar feel to it, and Uriel smiled grimly.
Mikal was back, and it seemed he had found reinforcements of some sort.
“Camael,” Uriel kythed, “I’m leaving. Hold our position here and treat the wounded. You’re in command until I get back.”
“Yes, sir,” the Power replied aloud, drifting nearer. His flesh had a yellowish hue, which Uriel knew carried over from the brilliant-yellow, smoke-like body he also possessed, and his eyes glowed a vibrant yellow color. Camael used both gaseous and corporeal forms with equal frequency, and Uriel was used to his second’s idiosyncrasies.
Camael’s blue wings dipped in salute, then he immediately turned and started issuing orders, gesturing curtly with his broad-bladed war spear. His yellow-gold hair gleamed in the light of Heaven.
Leaving Camael in command effectively put the Archangels temporarily back under the control of Maya, who now dominated the mind and will of nearly every being in Heaven, including Uriel’s second-in-command, but it couldn’t be helped. With Mikal’s return, Uriel had more pressing matters to see to, and he had to hurry before things moved beyond his control.
- 5 -
Alicia and Moreen quickly mobilized the remaining support staff from Shadow Company and got packed and ready to depart with the first signs of morning light. Most of the people left behind were women and younger children, but a dozen or so men were on-hand to deter any bandits or other form of harassment they might encounter on the return journey. The jintaal under James Tarmin offered what help they could, then set to tending their dakkan mounts.
Moreen heard a distant sound, like a piercing, hooting birdcall of some sort, and she turned her head about curiously, looking for the source. The night sky overflowed with the stars visible from such a lofty, unimpeded view, and with both Sin and San so recently full, the ground was clearly visible beneath their twin luminescence. While she watched, something passed swiftly in front of Sin, and a chill went down her spine as if it were a premonition of some sort.
“A wild dakkan, no doubt,” she reassured herself quietly.
“What’s wrong?” Alicia asked from nearby.
“Jumping at shadows,” Moreen waved her off. Even so, she went back to studying the sky.
“Isn’t it clear?” Alicia said, coming to stand next to her. “And so bright. Why I…” Alicia’s voice cut off as they both saw stars vanish and reappear rapidly all about the sky, as though a flurry of winged creatures was flying high overhead. The chill feeling returned, only this time it froze Moreen’s spine as she gasped in fear.
“James!” she shouted. “Overhead!”
One of the other paladins must have noticed the phenomena, because the six holy warriors were already in motion. James joined the Red and Green paladins as they stood back-to-back with weapons drawn, warily scanning the sky. Nuse led the Orange and Violet paladins to their dakkans, and they quickly leapt into the air.
No sooner had they left the ground, when suddenly the Orange’s pale-green dakkan screamed in pain and crumpled to the ground, dark shapes clamoring over its verdant scales.
“Demon attack!” the Orange shouted as he was swarmed by a dozen shadowy forms.
Chaos erupted as the denarae and humans left from Shadow Company drew their weapons and were immediately set upon by a wave of snarling creatures charging forward out of the night. Moreen saw Garet’s children charge into the thick of the fray, weapons drawn and faces eager.
“No!” she cried, reaching out, but they were already gone.
Beside her, Alicia picked up a sword from somewhere and stood by, ready to defend them both. Moreen drew a pair of knives she kept for personal protection, but she didn’t know what good they would do against a swarm of demon-kind.
“Come on!” Alicia shouted, and they moved forward to do what they could to help.
For the most part, Moreen kept to the background with the other women and younger men who had no weapons training. Against bandits or other mortal men, they could have picked up pans, knives, and other familiar implements and joined the fray, but against demons they could do little.
The two paladins remaining in the air wheeled about, and demonic creatures fell screaming to the ground or vaporized into black ash as they were cut or clawed out of the sky. After the Barrier War, these paladins were adept at midair combat against demons, and their experience kept the men on the ground from being swarmed by the dozens of airborne monsters swooping through the night sky. Three of the riderless dakkans joined the fray above, while the other – grounded by torn wings – ripped into the demons below.
Little by little, the line of mortal men and women s
hrank and collapsed in on itself as the demons crushed them mercilessly. Moreen watched in despair as James was forced back and tripped, then fell to the ground. She rushed to his side and helped him stand while a denarae – no doubt the younger brother of a Shadow Company warrior – stood heroically above him in defense. The youth’s sword had limited success, though it had obviously been blessed and marked with the Tricrus, but it was enough to hold the beasts back while Moreen pulled him to his feet.
“We can’t hold,” Moreen said as she helped James to stand. He had a deep gash across his chest, and his forehead oozed blood from a vicious looking wound near his scalp.
“There’s too damn many of them,” James said. They both glanced up and saw that Nuse had apparently finished off the airborne demons at least, and was now flying low to help the rapidly depleting forces on the ground. James whistled shrilly and motioned him to change course and land near him.
“We’ve got to evacuate onto the dakkans,” James shouted when the Blue paladin was near enough. “Hessan and I will hold them off as best we can while you coordinate getting everyone loaded who will fit. Everyone else must head for the Binding and take their chances in Heaven.”
“Are you sure?”
James shook his head in disgust, “Damn it, it’s the best we can do.”
Nuse nodded reluctantly and turned his dakkan away, already shouting orders. James turned to Moreen and said, “I want you to climb aboard my dakkan right now and help people get loaded. You’ve ridden before with Birch, so you’re my best resource.”
Moreen hesitated.
“Go,” he shouted, then charged back into the fray.
An orange-scaled dakkan skidded to a halt next to Moreen and crouched low to the ground. Without pausing, she used a practiced leap and swung herself into position, leaving enough room for James himself to mount later. From her perch, she started shouting orders of her own and helping people to mount the massive winged creature. She looked frantically for Garet’s twins, but couldn’t see them among the standing or fallen. Moreen took that as a good sign, hoping that they were already with Nuse or one of the other paladins.
Two smaller demons outflanked James and the few remaining combatants and rushed toward Moreen, but the orange dakkan attacked with blinding speed and snapped both creatures up in one bite. The dakkan chewed them in half and quickly spat them back out, where they lay writhing on the ground. Mere physical injury wouldn’t kill the demons, but it could take them out of the fight for a while.
An inhuman screech overpowered the din of the battle and Moreen looked over her left shoulder to see the pale-green dakkan that had been wounded in the first moments of the fight finally succumb to the swarm of demonic shapes clamoring over it. The riderless beast crashed to the ground and thrashed in agony, still trying feebly to fight as its blood seeped out onto the ground around it from a half-dozen gaping wounds.
Finally, Moreen realized no more could fit on the orange dakkan if it was expected to fly away. She directed the few people waiting to mount toward another of the flying mounts, but watched in horror as they were intercepted by three demons and torn apart halfway to their promised salvation.
“James!” Moreen cried in desperation, looking for the paladin.
Then the Yellow paladin was there, slumped against the flank of his mount. He stumbled forward and left a crimson smear along the dakkan’s dull orange scales.
“Help me up,” James croaked, holding up a bloody hand toward Moreen. She took hold and nearly dropped him as his blood-soaked fingers slipped through her grasp. Moreen clasped the metal bracer around his wrist and pulled with all her might and finally managed to haul the Yellow paladin across the neck of his paladin.
“Arrete, airborne!” James said wearily, and immediately his mount leapt forward, wings pumping. The dakkan kicked into the air with a crowd of demons howling behind it, then veered sharply to avoid colliding with Nuse’s fully-loaded dakkan. Moreen nearly wept in relief when she saw Alicia seated near the back of the Blue paladin’s flying mount.
She was less relieved to see neither of Garet’s children there. Moreen quickly looked over both shoulders, trying to catch sight of the other dakkans so she could look for the twins. Demons were sprouting wings and lifting off the ground behind them, but they were slow to rise and quickly left behind.
“They won’t catch us,” James said, misinterpreting her concern. He was still sprawled across her lap, feet and hands dangling on opposite sides of the dakkan’s neck. “Even fully loaded, we can outrun demons in the air.”
Moreen continued to search until she’d gotten a good look at all five dakkans that had survived the encounter. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she knew for a certainty that Garet’s twins had been left behind somewhere on the ground, and God help them if they were still alive.
Chapter 17
Without knowledge of both good and evil, one cannot develop a sense of moral value.
- Jacob Piersol,
“Errors of the Prism” (107 AM)
- 1 -
“What? Uncle Birch, what is it?”
Birch turned wide eyes on his nephew, and Danner flinched away as he locked eyes with his uncle’s burning gaze. He reached forward and switched off the engine to his buggy.
“Demons,” Birch said angrily, “on the other side of the Binding. Let’s go.”
He wheeled Selti about sharply and charged back.
Nothing happened.
Birch looked back over his shoulder and saw the narrow curtain of light through which he had just ridden, but he remained in the immortal plane.
“Mikal,” he shouted, then turned and charged back through the curtain, again with no effect.
Once again, Birch turned Selti back toward the Binding, but a strong hand gripped his leg, holding him back. Birch looked down and saw Mikal staring at him sadly.
“It’s no use, my friend,” the Seraph said. “Maya has restricted the Binding, I can feel it. We cannot get back through.”
“What do you mean, restricted?” Danner asked angrily climbing out of his buggy. Mikal shifted away from Danner slightly and did not look directly at him when he answered.
“Maya’s influence extends throughout Heaven,” Mikal replied, “and it seems she does not want anyone returning to the mortal world.” He looked up at Birch. “Kaelus, even within that mortal shell, can you not feel it?”
Birch nodded.
“I can feel it now,” he said, and Danner wasn’t sure whether it was his uncle replying or the demon housed within him.
“Well, can we force it back open? Those are our friends back there, our girlfriends, our wives and children,” Danner said angrily. “We’ve got to be able to do something.”
“We can’t,” Mikal said flatly, “not from here. We need to get to Medina and confront Maya, convince her to reopen the Binding.”
Birch glared at the shimmering curtain that stood between him and Moreen.
“That’s the only way?” he asked without taking his eyes off the Binding.
“It is, I’m sorry,” Mikal replied.
Birch turned.
“Then let’s get moving,” he said.
Garnet was standing nearby. The Shadow Company commander had witnessed the whole scene with a grim expression. Trames and Kala stood nearby, watching anxiously, their unauthorized presence forgotten for the moment.
“Garnet,” Birch said.
“We’re ready to move, Birch,” the big man said. “Mikal, lead the way.”
- 2 -
Bradley fought to control his breathing as panic threatened to overtake him. The demons were getting closer! He could hear their footsteps getting closer and closer. They hadn’t found the hiding place yet, but it was only a matter of time before they discovered him and his sister. Closer. A muttered, guttural voice. Closer still!
His heart thundered in his chest and his breath caught.
Claws scrabbled on stone so loudly it felt like they were standing next to his
ear. Then gradually the sounds grew quieter until he could no longer hear the footsteps. His burning chest subsided as he carefully released his captive breath.
“Anolla,” he whispered, his voice barely audible even to his own ears. Quietly, she shifted her body closer so he could speak directly into her ear.
“We’ve got to make a run for the Binding,” he said softly.
She moved away, so he tilted his head so she could speak into his ear in turn.
“Are you mad?” she hissed. “If we move, they’ll see us and tear us to shreds. You saw what they did to those bodies. They’ll do the same to us.”
“Sooner or later, they’re going to find us,” Brad replied, “and then they’ll do it anyway. It will be weeks before anyone comes back, maybe months. It’s our only hope.”
“Can’t we get to the buggy Moreen left behind?” Anolla asked. “It should be able to outrun…”
Brad shook his head. “I saw someone try to drive it away and they got caught. It’s trashed. It’s the Binding or nothing.”
Anolla closed her eyes, fighting down her fear, then she nodded reluctantly.
“How far is it?” she asked. “I can’t see past you.”
“Maybe fifty yards. If we’re careful, we’ll have cover for the first ten or so, but after that it’s all open ‘til we reach the cleft,” he said. “It looks like they’re staying away from it, though, so we stand a good chance of pulling it off, but we have to go now, before something changes.”
“Let’s do it, then,” she whispered.
The twins were trapped in a narrow crack in the stone of a cliff side, and only a small pile of boulders blocked them from view to the clearing beyond. The boulders had fallen in such a way that at a casual glance, they were flush against the cliff and it seemed nothing could possibly be behind them. It was a miracle of pure luck that Brad had discovered the narrow passage that led back to the little cave where they’d been hiding since the awful night began.
They knew many of the humans and denarae who had been with them had made a run for the Binding during the battle, but a group of demons was waiting for just such an escape attempt and had slaughtered all of them. Since then, the twins had endured the tortured screams of the men and women who’d survived the battle only to become the victims of an orgy of blood and torture as the demons delighted in tearing them apart piece by piece. Both of them had been sick repeatedly, and their tiny sanctuary reeked of bile and vomit.
Satan's Gambit (The Barrier War Book 3) Page 24
