Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
I’d like to thank:
Ebony Bodenbender for doing my cover art.
You can reach her at [email protected]
Or visit her website at https://ebonybodenbender.wixsite.com/commission
Dominique Minter for being my editor and lovely wife.
And all the readers who have made this possible.
Prologue
The child, sitting on her father’s knee, bounced up and down. “Daddy, tell me the story again.”
The man smiled down at her; a weary smile that shifted his scarred face into a semblance of joy. It caused his thick beard to brush the child’s face, and she giggled, squirming as it tickled her skin.
“Once upon a time, there were two gods; one male, and one female. The male named himself Orion. The female named herself Genesis. They sprang into being before the concept of time or space existed. Knowing an eternity of nothingness together, they resolved to create their own entertainment. Thus was born the universe. For a time, they lived in happiness. One day, Genesis created something new. A world, full of life; which she gave as a gift of love to Orion. Rather than receiving it as intended, Orion became obsessed with his new gift. He created men, giving them intelligence that they might know him. He created women that the new species might procreate, and thus humanity spread upon the world. The more time passed, the more distant he became from Genesis, until eventually they stopped speaking altogether. For her part, Genesis drifted in the aether, broken-hearted at the loss of her love. Eventually her broken heart turned to jealousy, and she made her own world, with her own species. We call them demons. Where Orion had made men for intellectual pursuits, Genesis made demons for war. When she was ready, portals opened up in points all over the world, disgorging her race of demons into our world. You see she hoped that by destroying the object of his fascination, she might free him from his obsession. To this day, the demons continue to invade our world, and still we fight; for if we lose, humanity will cease to exist.”
The child leaned into her father, and sighed. “Why do you always want to hear our story?” He asked her bemusedly.
“It’s just so romantic, don’t you think? It’s like a grand love story, even if she’s doing it wrong.” The child mumbled into his chest. The old man frowned down at her, but before he could respond she began to snore softly. Petting her head gently, he lifted her small body, and tucked her into bed. “You’re a strange girl, Beneficence Church.” He knelt over her, and kissed her forehead. With a sigh, he stood, turned out the light, and closed the door behind him. He moved to the living room of the safe house, slumped into a chair, and pulled a piece of correspondence from his pocket.
Dear, Judas Church.
I hope this letter finds you well. As you know, the war goes poorly, and the garrison at Eritra has fallen. I am afraid we must recall you from your leave early. We will be expecting you at the cathedral in Rosen within the week. Accommodations will be provided for you and your daughter for the duration of your stay. Please do not be late, the need is urgent.
Sincerely, Reverend Blanco Carmine
Chapter 1
Beneficence Church, now in her low twenties, removed her sword from where it hovered; inches from the neck of the man in front of her. Before he could react, her foot snapped up into his face, delivering the knockout blow with frightening grace. As his body toppled, her mane of dark red hair settled around her head like a bloody halo.
“Did anyone else want to try copping a feel?” She asked calmly, glaring at the gang of men who had accosted her while she waited outside her favorite bar. Rather than respond, they grabbed their friend, and fled in shame. It was far too common of an occurrence for her to work up true wrath anymore, but neither would she allow herself to show weakness. In her experience, those who acted like a victim became one.
She cursed as she dusted off her clothes. Her ‘night on the town’ dress was spotted with blood now, and blood was impossible to get out of the expensive material. This dress was the only luxury item she had ever bought on her meagre salary, and the thought that it might be ruined was depressing. She cursed her appearance at the same time she attempted to fix it. The dress hugged her figure, attempting to soften her muscular frame with strategically located pads of a foamy material. It was low cut, and tight, again attempting to magnify the effect of her meagre assets. Her perfect makeup was now a mess of sweat, and dust, and she cursed as she washed it off into the dirt next to the tavern; using a hand-mirror, and a canteen of water. She stared into green eyes, and a pale, beatific face marred by a thin scar on one cheek. Most of the makeup she rinsed away had been directed towards minimizing the effect of the scar, and she cursed the man who had given it to her as she snapped the mirror closed.
In some ways she didn’t actually mind the scar; it did as much to warn away the savvy predators as any amount of weapons or armor, and was a testament to what she had survived. Unfortunately it did nothing to ward against the fools with more balls than sense, as evidenced by the now-departed band of dunces. It wasn’t that she wanted no male attention, only that she didn’t want the wrong male attention.
“Hey, Benny!” Charlie, her current quasi-boyfriend ran up to greet her, appearing from around the corner of the bar. “Sorry I’m late, the highway was clogged, and-”
“I don’t want to hear it Charlie; this is the third time this month that you’ve been late. Do you know what happens to women who stand around alone outside of bars?”
Charlie snorted. “They beat up dumbasses? I saw the band of idiots slinking away as I passed.”
“Damn it Charlie, why do you have to be such a dick? Thanks to you being late, I have blood all over my new dress.” Her voice rose in indignation as she spoke, ending somewhere around exasperation.
Charlie smiled rakishly. “The notorious Beneficence Church bought a new dress just for me? Does that mean I’ve graduated from pre-boyfriend status?”
“If you’re ever on time maybe you’ll find out.” She said, exaggeratedly turning up her nose at him.
Smiling, he presented his arm. She wove her own arm into his; still turning her nose up haughtily at him, and they entered the bar locked together. The night flew by in a haze of drinking, dancing, and flirting. As Charlie knew from experience, Benny dropped her haughty facade once they made it into the bar. They had known each other for years, and he knew exactly what made her tick. Both were acolytes in the Crimson Order; low-ranked soldiers in the Inquisition’s special forces. Charlie was proud of his status. Despite being low in the overall hierarchy, membership in the Crimson Order was only for the top one percent of soldiers. The red stripes of the order meant you were a deadly fighter trained in all manner of weapons, and blessed with a special power by Orion. Sparks of flame danced around Charlie’s hand as he felt for his pack of cigarettes, but then he remembered that he had quit smoking. The sparks flowed dejectedly back into his arm.
“You know you’re not supposed to show your powers when you’re not on active duty. There might be spies about.” Benny said, flicking his arm in her own unique manner of reproach. Charlie wondered where she had picked up the hab
it as he stuck his tongue out at her childishly, rubbing his arm.
“I can’t help it. I see you in that dress, and it just gets me… hot.” He emphasized his point by poking her arm. As he drew his finger away, it burst into flame, and he waved it in front of her face. She snorted, rolled her eyes, and flicked his forehead playfully. It was much lighter than the previous flick, and didn’t sting this time. Charlie decided this was a sign of victory. Winking, he grabbed her hand, kissing it. She allowed the sign of affection with a soft smile.
“You read up on tomorrows mission?” He asked, a more serious tone entering his voice.
She nodded, and drew a sigil on a bar napkin with a beer-soaked finger to make them inaudible to others. Her own gift revolved around the generation of symbols which created magical effects. The effects were generally less powerful than someone with a more focused gift, but being able to produce nearly anything she wanted if she had time and resources to write the sigils made her gift far more versatile. “It looks simple enough. Get into enemy territory, blow up a bridge, get out.
Charlie nodded. “The higher-ups are hoping it’ll redirect the local demons into a fortified position. With luck they’ll be able to massacre them with artillery before the demons get close.”
Benny snorted. “I’m surprised they told you that. With most of us, you just get told where to go, and don’t ask questions.”
“Well you know my father. He got drunk, and blabbed about it. You’d think a general would know better. I swear that man is gonna get us killed one of these days.” Charlie said ruefully.
Benny shook her head in derision. “Sorry Charlie, I have nothing good to say, so as my own father says, I’ll say nothing on that front.”
He smiled wanly at her. “Good to know someone around here has standards.”
She winked at him. “You saying you don’t?”
He grinned rakishly at her. “Only for you.”
“What are you kids talking about over here?” A voice interrupted their flirting.
“Go away Gregor.” She said, without turning toward him.
“And why should I Benny? Are you too wrapped up in your new conquest now to give me the time of day?”
She did turn to look at him this time. She raked her eyes over him dismissively. He had short-cropped brown hair above a masculine face, and muscular frame. He also towered over a foot and a half taller than Charlie’s standing height. Red stripes on his shoulder announced that he too was part of the order. It was whispered that he had only been allowed in due to his family name. Vellir was the surname of a famous hero of the crimson order who had stood alone against a horde of demon, and come out victorious; dying of his wounds days later.
“Well after the multiple times you failed in bed I decided I deserved better.” She said, punctuating her statement with a casual ‘go away’ wave of her hand.
Charlie turned away to bite back laughter as Gregor’s face went purple with rage. In truth, she hadn’t left him for his bedroom performance, but because of his periodic rages; something that was incompatible with her own nature. He simply couldn’t stand to be nettled, even flirtatiously.
Gregor cracked his knuckles. “I know better than to hit you, but Charlie here isn’t so lucky.”
Before he could approach Charlie, Benny stood, and interposed herself between the two.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort Gregor. You want to know why I really broke up with you? Because you’re a child whose prick is so small you overcompensate whenever I prick you with words. You simply haven’t built up the tolerance a more well-endowed man develops by default. Here let me show you.”
Without warning, she drove her knee into Gregor’s crotch. A high-pitched groaning sound escaped his lips, but his order training kept him on his feet despite the noticeable quiver of his legs.
“See? Felt pretty small to me. Come on Charlie, let’s go before we catch stupid. I hear it’s contagious.”
Benny began walking toward the door, moving past Gregor without looking back. Charlie moved past him in the next instant, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back. This seemed to wake Gregor from his pain-induced torpor. With a shout of pure rage, he swung at Charlie, who ducked under the blow; whirling away like a dancer to stand by Beneficence.
“Are we doing this for real then Gregor? Come on, show me what you’ve got.” She said condescendingly.
Gregor channeled his gift, and a crusting of rock built up around his body like armor. Only tiny seams around his joints remained free of this earthen shell, leaving no space on his body that might be considered a target for hand-to-hand combat. Benny pursed her lips, and turned to Charlie.
“Leave this to me.” She said, and he shrugged, backing away.
Benny stepped forward, pulling a lipstick tube from a pocket.
“See Gregor? Even Orion, in his infinite wisdom, decided that your number one weakness was a thin skin.”
Gregor roared, charging like a mad bull, and she expertly pirouetted around him as he came into range, drawing a quick line on his back with her lipstick tube as he passed.
“No wonder you sucked so bad in bed, your stones are in the wrong place.” She called, tauntingly.
Gregor whirled around, and stalked toward her, eyes glowing orange as if lit with magma. When he entered striking range, he swung a fist, faster than his rocky build should permit. Benny was faster still, and she ducked under his arm, twisting around his back with feline grace. She added another line of lipstick, and then danced way just in time to avoid a kick that missed her by inches. With her proximity, there was no time for another taunt. Instead, she dodged blow after blow. After Gregor’s fist smashed a chair, she saw her chance. Grabbing a still-straight metal chair leg, she rammed it into one of the joints in Gregor’s armor. While the metal didn’t hurt him, it did lock his joint, preventing it from moving. The second of immobility while he removed the metal protuberance allowed her to whirl around him, finishing the glyph of nullification with a last curl of lipstick on his back.
A cracking sound filled the air as the rock armor sloughed from Gregor’s frame, and he looked down at the pile of stones that comprised his former armor; shock overriding his former rage. Before he could recover, Benny swept his legs; knocking him into unconsciousness with a fist to the back of the head when he toppled.
“Come on Charlie. Let’s find a different bar. I refuse to let our evening be ruined by… that.” She said, waving her hand dismissively at Gregor’s unconscious body.
Charlie smiled at her, and extended his arm. “We can’t have the Princess of Pain go unsatisfied.” He said, closing the door behind them.
Chapter 2
“Of all the foolish, irresponsible, unprofessional, and just plain stupid things I have ever seen in my career!” Father Landon Ellis, captain of the crimson order shouted at the assembled soldiers. Every member of Benny’s squad was present; but her, Charlie, and Gregor stood in front of the group on display for the rest. Gregor sported a black eye from where his face had impacted a rock when she delivered the coup de grace.
“I should discharge the lot of you after you publicly outed yourselves. You know that using powers in public is expressly forbidden. All three of you are security risks now, and if we didn’t need your powersets for the upcoming mission, you would be out on your asses. Does this seem like a game to you acolyte Church?
She had been staring through him, mind already on the day’s upcoming mission. When her name was called out, her gaze snapped back to his face. After a moment of searching her mind for what he had just said, she called out “No, sir!”
He snorted contemptuously. “Please explain to me what was going through your mind when you publicly displayed your powers.”
“Well sir, after acolyte Vellir decided to engage his power, it became impossible to stop him through conventional hand to hand, but lethal force was not authorized so I could not use my sword. Therefore in order to disable him, and prevent further damage as he chased me around t
he city like a rabid, lovesick puppy, I determined the benefits outweighed the risk. Also, since my own power is largely indistinguishable from more traditional magical forms, and acolyte Kirin never used his, it’s my assessment that acolyte Gregor is the only one who truly put himself on display.”
“I didn’t ask for your assessment acolyte. That said, you are correct. Though you may not use mana, to a layperson your power does look like traditional magic. We have also determined through our own investigation that acolyte Kirin did not use his power, and is thus involved only by proximity. That leads us to one conclusion. Acolyte Vellir, for exposure of your power, and assault of a fellow member with lethal intent, you are hereby dishonorably dismissed from the Crimson Order. Turn in all of your order-assigned weapons, and report to the front desk for debriefing.”
Debriefing in this case meant having his power removed, and any classified information burned from his mind. Gregor grunted and turned, rage exuding from him palpably as he stalked off.
“As for the rest of you, now that you’ve lost your best mule, you get to split his carry weight amongst yourselves. Figure it out. You have two hours. Dismissed.”
There was a groan from the assembled soldiers as they dispersed, and several shot glares at Benny. She sighed.
“It’s not like I was the one who turned it into a full fight. Gregor should have just let it go.” Benny muttered to Charlie.
Charlie glanced at her from the side of his eye. “You shouldn’t have nettled him like you did. You know what he’s like. Did you expect him to suddenly break down and apologize?”
Benny turned away from the rebuke as if struck. “No, I expected him to take it; maybe throw some insults back. I didn’t expect him to armor up in the middle of the bar and try to kill me.”
Charlie shrugged, his expression distant. “Love makes us do strange things.” He muttered.
She glanced at him sharply, but he didn’t elaborate. Elbowing him, Benny forced him to look at her. “Why, you saying you love me?”
When Hell Froze Page 1
