The Belial War

by R. D. Brady

  But it was also the smart move. After seeing that video, he knew the countries of the world would fold. If not immediately, then after the first city was bombed. He had no doubt about that.

  Even though Patrick had closed his eyes, he hadn’t intended to sleep. He just wanted the world to go away. But his body had shut down. When he opened them again, Cain was sitting in the chair next to him, the TV muted across from him. Patrick didn’t say anything to let him know he was awake.

  His body had needed the sleep, but it hadn’t been peaceful. It had been full of images of bombed-out landscapes, people scavenging for food, children dying in the streets. At least, he hoped they were dreams. They had felt real. And with all the abilities of the people he had surrounding him, he prayed that he wasn’t tapping into some latent ability and seeing what the future held.

  It felt like Armageddon or the end of days, he thought. Is that what this is? It feels like it.

  Cain looked over at him, his face drawn, but he forced a smile. “You’re awake. Can I get you anything? Tea? Something to eat?”

  “No. Thank you.” Patrick tried to push himself up and winced at the pain in his back as he forgot about the uselessness of his legs.

  Cain stood quickly, grabbing the remote for the bed and pushing a button. “Let me.”

  Patrick nodded his thanks as the back of the bed began to rise. His gaze shifted to the muted TV, where a newscaster was speaking, Laney’s plane flying in a box in the corner. He winced as he lost her once again. “Have they found anything?”

  “No, Patrick, I’m sorry. The Coast Guard has been all over the area, along with quite a few boats that had been nearby. There’s been no sign of her.”

  Patrick took a shaky breath, a tremor working its way through his hands. He didn’t know why he’d asked. He’d seen it for himself. He kept seeing it, even when he closed his eyes. Laney had been through so much. But surviving that blast—it wasn’t possible.

  He frowned as a breaking news report cut across the screen. A different newscaster appeared, his face pale. If Patrick didn’t know any better, he’d think the man was in the beginning stages of shock. He unmuted the set. “We have just received word that the U.S. has led a counter strike against the hideout of Elisabeta Roccorio. A hacker managed to access the government feed of the attack and broadcast it online. I will warn you: What you are about to see is graphic.”

  The screen shifted to a grainy black-and-white video. Three people were walking in a courtyard. He recognized Elisabeta in the middle. The three looked up as a missile slammed into the courtyard. Patrick held his breath.

  They got her. That was a direct hit. There’s no way she could have survived. He closed his eyes. Thank God.

  At the same, he was filled with anger. If they had attacked Elisabeta before Laney got on that plane, she’d still be alive.

  Cain sucked in a breath. And Patrick’s eyes flew open. On the screen, the smoke was clearing, and movement could be seen. Patrick leaned forward, straining to see through the haze. What was that?

  But then the smoke cleared, and Patrick got a clear view. Elisabeta stood up, one arm hanging by a thread, deep gashes in her torso, neck, legs, everywhere. But even with the poor quality of the video, he could see the wounds slowly healing.

  Horror, disbelief, and shock rolled through Patrick. He looked at Cain. “She did it. She figured out how to do it without Nyssa. She’s immortal.”

  Chapter 71

  Boston, Massachusetts

  Mary Jane McAdams put her phone down with a shaky breath. Jake was about to land at Logan. Thank God.

  Originally, he’d planned on staying in Baltimore, and Mary Jane felt she had no right to ask him to stay with them. He had important work to do, and holding her hand wasn’t it. Besides, he’d already done so much for their family by bringing back Susie. And according to Jake, Delaney McPhearson was the one who’d actually found her. Mary Jane took a breath, the image of that poor woman’s plane exploding wafting through her mind. She knew Jake and Laney had been close, and she could hear the pain in his voice that he was trying to hide.

  All of Jake’s people seemed to be targeted right now, even Jen, who’d been so helpful with Molly. She and Molly had been speaking on the phone almost every day, ever since they’d learned she was a Nephilim.

  Mary Jane was still having trouble accepting it. Her sweet little girl was as strong as Superman. And if Mary Jane was having trouble accepting it, she couldn’t imagine how anyone whose first exposure was Elisabeta’s broadcast was handling it.

  Mary Jane had been trying to hold it together ever since that first horrible broadcast. She could not understand how someone could be so evil.

  And then that second one. She put a hand to her mouth, the loss of those children cutting too close to home. She had almost lost Susie not that long ago, when that same madwoman had arranged for her kidnapping. She slumped onto the bed, the reality of how easily the woman who’d taken her daughter could have taken her life. Footsteps approached her bedroom. She quickly composed her face, standing up as the door opened.

  Molly peeked her head in, her long curly red hair still damp from the shower. “I got my stuff.”

  “That’s great, honey. Um, why don’t you put the clothes and stuff in my closet?”

  “Okay. Um, I can’t reach Jen. Do you think I should try again?”

  Mary Jane had chosen to keep Jen’s injuries from Molly. It would do nothing but worry her, and right now, there was enough to think about.

  She shook her head. “No. I’m sure with everything happening she’s just busy. But that was Jake. He’s flying in. He’ll be here in an hour or so.”

  Molly smiled. “Good. I like him.”

  “Me, too.”

  Molly placed her bag in the closet. “Uncle Jimmy is looking for you. He said they’ve started a countdown.”

  She tried to pretend that Molly’s words did not terrify her. “Okay.”

  After Elisabeta’s first broadcast, their large extended family had decided to all bunk down together until whatever this was had passed. Two of her brothers and their families were now staying at Mary Jane’s. Their parents were down in Florida with her sister and their family. They would be flying back in three days. They hadn’t been able to change the flight.

  They’ll be fine. We’ll be fine. Maybe she’s bluffing. But while Mary Jane didn’t believe that last part, she was also really hoping that first part was true. She had seen the video of the attack on that crazy woman. Had seen her rise up from the ashes. So she had no hope that the woman would not rain down hell when the deadline arrived. And she was struggling to keep the terror that was crawling around her mind from shooting out of her mouth. Feeling Molly’s gaze, she forced a smile to her face. “Is Aunt Su’Ona getting the twins set up okay?”

  Molly grimaced. “Yeah, she’s trying to get them down for a nap. It’s not going well.”

  Mary Jane smiled. Her brother Charlie’s kids were beautiful, intelligent, and a complete handful, especially the four-year-old twin boys. She said a small prayer of thanks that Susie was so easygoing, even with what she had been through.

  Molly looked around. “Where should I put my sleeping bag?”

  “No sleeping bag for you, my dear. You take the other half of the bed. We’ll let your brothers have the floor.”

  “It’s okay. I can do it. I mean, I’m . . .” She cut off her sentence at Mary Jane’s look.

  Mary Jane sat back on the bed, patting the space next to her. “Sit.”

  Molly dropped the sleeping bag and sat, not meeting Mary Jane’s gaze. Mary Jane tipped her daughter’s face up to look into her blue eyes. “You do not owe anything to anyone because of your abilities. It does not mean you are less than or deserve less than anyone else. Your brothers are older. They can sleep on the floor.”

  “It’s just . . . I feel like I should be doing something. I mean, maybe I could help.”

  Mary Jane’s heart clenched at the thought. “Abilitie
s or no abilities, you are way too young to be thinking along those lines. And besides, what did Jen tell you?”

  Molly scuffed the carpet with her toe. “That I need to train. That I will only get myself hurt.”

  “That’s right. And these abilities do not mean you have to use them. Your father never did.”

  Molly leaned against Mary Jane’s shoulder. “I miss him.”

  “I do, too,” Mary Jane said lightly, although her feelings toward Billy were a little more complicated lately. She loved him. She had since she was a little older than Molly. But right now she was so mad at him for not warning her that one of their kids could have these abilities. And for it to be Molly, her quiet one, was a dagger through the heart. The boys were disappointed they didn’t have the superhero abilities of their little sister. They thought of it as cool. But even at her young age, Molly had a sense of duty that came along with her abilities.

  And that scared the hell out of Mary Jane. She’d seen the videos of what these people could do. She did not want her innocent little girl anywhere near them. She hugged Molly tight. When she was little, she’d promised Molly that there were no monsters in this world. And that if there ever were, she would protect her from them.

  But how was she supposed to protect any of her children from the monsters poised to attack them now?

  Chapter 72

  Invess, Calevitnia

  Elisabeta threw her shredded shirt into the roaring fireplace of her room with a growl. The rest of her clothes quickly followed before she stormed to the shower. She had driven from the wreck of her estate to the safe house Sergei had set up for her. Stepping in only once the steam rolled from the water, Elisabeta let the water wash over her. Her skin was once again unblemished. In the thirty-minute drive, her wounds had completely healed.

  She stayed in the water until the cold that had seeped into her bones had disappeared. She had miscalculated. She’d known they would strike the silos. Their locations had been known for decades. They’d have to be absolute idiots not to take them out. But she had not counted on them finding her home.

  She wiped the last bits of moisture from her skin, slipping into her robe and tying the belt securely. But on the bright side, they now know who I am.

  She smiled. She would never admit it to anyone, but she had had her doubts. After all, the carvings on the Göbekli Tepe skulls were thousands of years old, and she was relying on the translations of a modern-day scholar. One small misinterpretation would have rendered the entire formula useless.

  She poured herself a glass of wine from the decanter on the table by the window. Dr. Chen, apparently you were as good as you thought yourself to be. Well done.

  She tipped her glass to the heavens in silent salute before taking a sip. A knock sounded at the door. “Enter.”

  Two men in dark fur-lined jackets walked in, a trunk between them.

  “By the fireplace.”

  Without a word, the men carried it over. After lowering it down, they straightened and looked at Elisabeta.

  She waved them from the room. “You’re dismissed.”

  They bowed and retreated, closing the door behind them. Elisabeta walked over, cradling her glass of wine to her chest, studying the trunk. It was an old green steamer trunk, with thick leather straps around it. It looked as if it had been kicked around quite a bit in the decades since it had been created.

  Placing her glass on the mantel, she opened the trunk. The four skulls from Göbekli Tepe grinned back at her. She picked one up, feeling a bit like Hamlet. Ah, Yorick, what a tale you could tell.

  But unlike Hamlet’s departed friend, this skull could still talk. Elisabeta ran a hand over the etchings, a simple technique that contained knowledge that would change the course of humanity forever.

  Placing a hand on either side of the skull, she crushed it, then dropped the pieces into the fire. Each of the other skulls experienced the same treatment. The pieces smoldered, some of the smaller bits catching fire. She knew they wouldn’t be completely destroyed. The act was more symbolic. The pulverizing of the bones insured that no one would ever learn the secrets of the priests. Even the world’s foremost puzzle solver would be unable to put these particular pieces back together. She grabbed the poker, shifting the pieces around.

  Now they truly have taken their knowledge to their graves.

  Only one more object remained in the trunk. Carefully nestled in reams of cotton, Elisabeta pulled out the Tome of the Great Mother and uncovered it.

  She prepared to heave it into the fire as well but caught herself. Perhaps not.

  Walking over to the bed, she placed the book down and flipped through it. As much as she despised the woman captured on the pages, she had to admit the women who had created the pages were true artisans. It would be a shame to destroy such a piece of beauty. Besides, there might be more knowledge that she’d need to glean from its pages. She had learned the hard way that Victoria was not someone who gave up her secrets easily. No doubt her followers were the same.

  Nonetheless, she ripped the first six pages from the tome.

  Certain knowledge will die with me. She smiled. If I could die, that is.

  She walked back to the fireplace and tossed the pages in. The edges of the pages curled as they blackened. Smoke wafted out into the room. Elisabeta had memorized the instructions, should she ever need them. But she never planned on creating the mortus again. After all, one immortal in this world is all it needs. And I am more than happy to fill that position.

  Elisabeta reclined in her chair, sipping her wine and watching the fire burn away the last chances anyone had of stopping her, or of even competing with her. Finally, she stood as the papers were reduced to ash. She changed into thick wool slacks and a heavy sweater, shivering in the cold. Why anyone would choose to live in this armpit of the world was beyond her. Lacing up her heavy boots, she strode from her room and down to the living room.

  Artem looked up from where he stood at the computer desk. Luckily, he had not been with her in the courtyard. That would have truly been a loss. He had been overseeing the movement of her control room to this safe house at the time. Radar arrays lined the walls, and a long control panel ran underneath it and three other monitors.

  “Are we ready?” Elisabeta asked. Elisabeta had originally planned on giving the world governments an extra twenty-four hours if McPhearson had been turned over. But then they’d tried to kill her.

  “We are only your word.”

  “Then you have it.”

  Chapter 73

  Boston, Massachusetts

  “Five minutes!” her brother Charlie yelled from downstairs.

  Mary Jane put down the book she’d been pretending to read for the last thirty minutes. She and Molly had curled up on the bed together, each with a book. She wasn’t sure Molly was truly reading, either, but the reading at this moment wasn’t important so much as just stealing a moment together for just the two of them.

  Mary Jane sighed. “Let’s go before he starts yelling a countdown every ten seconds.”

  “Why does Uncle Charlie yell everything?”

  Mary Jane stood up. “He’s a middle child, honey. He grew up thinking if he didn’t yell, he wouldn’t be heard.” And apparently he never grew out of it.

  They made their way down the stairs, following the noise to the family room. Jimmy stood against the back wall, a mug of coffee in his hands. Charlie turned at her arrival. Like everyone else in her family, Charlie and Jimmy had the red hair and blue eyes that were their family trademark.

  “About time,” he said.

  Mary Jane just gave him a grimace. She really did not want to see which target that madwoman chose. But she also knew sticking her head in the sand wasn’t going to help either.

  Three of her nieces, Jimmy’s girls, sat cross-legged on the ground in front of the TV, ages eight, nine, and ten. Susie was curled up in little Jackie’s lap. Their mother, Shelly, was in the kitchen putting together some food. Shelly was always
cooking.

  Her nephews, Jason and Griff, Charlie’s boys, were sitting at the back table with Mary Jane’s two boys, Joe and Shaun, a card game in front of them.

  “Where’s Su’Ona?” she asked.

  “Putting the twins down,” Charlie said. “She’s going to stay with them.”

  Mary Jane wended her way through the girls on the floor while Molly plopped down with them. Susie immediately crawled into Molly’s lap. Mary Jane glanced out the window at the unusually quiet street. No kids raced by on skateboards. No one was taking their dog for an afternoon stroll. There wasn’t even traffic.

  It’s like a bomb already went off.

  Mary Jane took a seat on the couch, looking at the nine children in the room. They had debated whether or not to let the kids see the news coverage, but the story was everywhere. And there was no way to shield them from it.

  Charlie sat down next to her, and Shelly, Jimmy’s wife, walked in, leaning up against Jimmy as the countdown clock on the TV reached twenty seconds. Charlie put the sound on and grabbed Mary Jane’s hand. Mary Jane grasped it back tightly. Oh God, please help us.

  All the talk in the family room died away. There wasn’t a sound in the family room, not even on the TV. The anchors had even gone mute. It was as if the whole world was collectively holding its breath as the clock counted down. Mary Jane tensed as the clock ran out.

  And then . . . nothing. No sounds, no big ball of fire taking them all to the next life. A nervous laugh sounded from the boys’ table before nervous smiles were shared.

  Thank you. Mary Jane closed her eyes. It had been a bluff. She hadn’t been able to destroy any—

  “We are receiving reports of an explosion in Denver.”

  Mary Jane’s eyes flew open.

  “We go now live to a reporter on scene.”

  The image onscreen shifted to a nervous-looking man in a tan suit. Behind him, a large cloud of smoke could be seen. “A bomb has exploded in downtown Denver along the 16th Street Mall. We have received word of mass casualties. First responders are on the scene. And—” The man paused, his hand to his ear. His mouth opened. He swallowed hard then stared back into the camera. “We have received word that radioactive material has been detected. People need to stay away from the Denver area. If you are heading here, you need to immediately turn around.”