Darkness Reigns

by Joseph Nassise

  Cade didn't care; he was too caught up in the memories of his own betrayal by the brotherhood he had loved and fought for.

  "For your fucking information, I murdered my own wife, stabbed her in the heart to save your sorry asses, and you stand there and accuse me of betraying the Order!" he roared, his rage like a living, breathing thing, and for just a split second Gabrielle thought she saw the flash of great, grey wings rising from behind her husband's shoulders, there and gone again in an instant, so quick that anyone else would have doubted that they'd seen them at all.

  But Gabrielle knew the truth about her husband's ancestry.

  And given his emotional state, she knew that things might get ugly very quickly if she let him continue in this vein.

  "Enough!" she shouted, startling both men.

  She stepped between them, her back to Hale, and caught her husband's gaze with her own. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded. "Do you think now's the time to go all self-righteous on these people? While we were trapped in the Beyond, they were dealing first-hand with the results of our failure, Cade. Our failure. Now would be a good time for you to sit down, shut up, and start acting like an adult!"

  Cade's anger seethed for another moment and then, as abruptly as if a switch had been thrown, it went away again. The tension in the room visibly deflated.

  She turned around to find an ashen-faced Hale pouring himself another whiskey with shaking hands. She waited of him to drink it down, then gently took the bottle away from him. They were going to need clear heads if they were going to work this out.

  For his part, Cade seemed to recognize that as well, for he didn't waste any time apologizing to the major. "That as uncalled for," he said. "You had nothing to do with what happened back then and I shouldn't allow my frustrations to curtail our cooperation before it even begins. Please forgive me."

  Hale nodded. "My apologies as well, Knight Commander," he replied, using Cade's former title for the first time. "All of this was set in motion long ago by powers that none of us suspected were at war in the world. You have done far more than most to put an end to it and I regret my outburst."

  The trio were silent for a time, until at last Hale asked, "How much do you know about what happened after you left?"

  Gabrielle shook her head. "Not much. We know the Adversary somehow reversed the ritual Cade attempted, that rather than permanently banishing him from this plane it served as a conduit for him to bring his closest allies across the Veil and into our world. After that he set out to destroy the Order from within by taking control of Seneschal Ferguson and corrupting those he could while in that guise, including Preceptor Johannson. All of that was laid out for us by the archangel Uriel when he and Captain Riley assembled what was left of the Templar special combat teams at the old quarry before I entered the Beyond to look for Cade. We've had very little access to information since."

  Understatement of the year there, Williams, she thought.

  Hale didn't seem to find her lack of knowledge unusual. No doubt it was a lot harder to get accurate information these days without computers and cell phones and near instantaneous communication from one side of the globe to the other.

  He startled her out of her line of thought when he said, "That's what they called it, you know."

  "Called what?" Gabrielle asked.

  "The Battle at the Old Quarry. It's gone down in the Templar Histories as the night the newly resurrected Gabrielle Williams opened a portal to the lands of the dead and went in search of her husband, Cade, so that together they could set things right again."

  "Jesus," Cade said. "A little melodramatic, don't ya think?"

  "You tell me," Hale said, suddenly earnest again. "Isn't that what you've come here to do?"

  Cade didn't say anything, but Gabrielle knew the truth. If he could find a way to set things right, Cade would.

  It was that devotion to righteousness, no matter the odds, that made her love him so. She just hoped this time the challenge wouldn't prove too much for him. After all, every man had their limits.

  Even Cade.

  She pulled her thoughts back to the present. "And those who were with me that night at the quarry? Captain Riley? The men that fought with him? What happened to them?"

  Hale shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know any of the specifics. I didn't join the Order until well after that point and the records I've seen only mention the two of you by name, along with a mysterious individual referred to only as the Watcher of the Ages. We wouldn't have even those if some of those fighting that day hadn't survived, but I can't tell you who they might have been."

  Gabrielle's thought took her back to that day. She saw again the portal to the Beyond shimmering in the air before her, having just flashed into existence at her command. She saw the archangel Uriel standing off to the side, urging her forward, telling her to hurry, to find Cade before it was too late. And then that fateful moment where the enemy grenade bounced out of the smoke to land by Captain Riley's feet, the desperate leap he made to try and avoid the resulting blast...

  When she shook her head to clear it of the images her memory had conjured up, Hale was talking to Cade once more, explaining what had happened while they were lost in the Beyond.

  "At first, there was nothing to indicate that what the archangel told us was true; that the Adversary, and his scream, had regained physical form, that they were walking the earth as they had so long ago. But in the months that followed, it became clear that a darkness had entered the world.

  "Those demon princes made their way into the inner circles of key world leaders and began to influence things. Tensions rose. Long time allies argued fervently over trivial matters and soon were set against each other as enemies. Eventually someone did the unthinkable."

  "They hit the button," Cade said softly.

  Hale nodded. "By some miracle - or maybe grand design of the demon lords, who knows? - the nukes all failed. The conventional weapons, however, did not. Rather than obliterating ourselves from the face of the planet, all we managed to do was knock ourselves practically back into the Stone Age. Entire cities across the globe were pulverized into dust in mere moments. By the time world leaders figured out they been had, civilization had taken a beating.

  "But that was just the beginning."

  Cade and Gabrielle watched as Hale visibly sought to control his emotions. After a few moments, he was ready to continue.

  "Hellcats opened across the globe in the wake of the war, allowing an army of lesser demons access to our world. At the same time the supernatural creatures that we, the Order, had held in check for so many generations, recognized a shift in the balance of power and made their move, coming out of the woodwork like an army waiting for its chance to strike when the enemy's back was turned. Estimates suggest we lost 80% of the human race within that first year.

  "My God," Gabrielle breathed, horrified.

  Eighty percent of the human race? Gone? Just like that?

  But Hale still hadn't delivered the worst news.

  "After that the Seven took control, one on each continent, and mankind became a subservient race practically overnight. The rich and powerful allied themselves with the demons early on and served the rest of us up on a platter. Men are captured and forced to work in the cities on the demon's behalf while all women are required to sign up for the annual breeding programs to help produce the half-breed troops that fill the ranks of the Regent's army.

  "In short, the human race is fucked," he concluded.

  Gabrielle knew the situation was bad after talking to Jacob and his daughter, but she'd never expected it to be this bad.

  "Thankfully the Templars are still fighting back, just as we've always done." Cade replied. "Who's in charge now?"

  Hale laughed, but it was not a happy sound. Nothing that mournful could ever be.

  "Fighting back? I guess you could call it that, if you were being extremely charitable. Fact is, we're barely surviving day to day. What little impact w
e're having on the enemy is more a result of what we need to get by than any concerted effort to reduce their numbers or regain territory that we've lost. We operate more like terrorist cells that the global organization we used to be. I report up the chain to another cell just like mine and so on, so that if any of us are caught, we can only give up so much information before that becomes a dead end.

  Hale shrugged. "As for who's in charge, I don't have a clue. I don't even know if we have a regional commander anymore, much less a Grand Master."

  "So you're making decisions on your own then?" Cade asked.

  "Ones that effect this area, yes. Frankly, we don't have the supplies, never mind the manpower, to expand beyond that point. It's all we can do to steal enough food and supplies to keep us going. I never thought I'd say it, but the Templar Order has been reduced to little more than a thorn in the side of the Seven and maybe not even that."

  The Seven. That was the second time he'd used that expression and it caught Gabrielle's attention.

  "The Seven? Who, exactly, are they?"

  "As best as we've been able to determine," Hale said, the disgust in his voice evident, "they're Ashereal's scream, the angels that fell with him when he was banished from the heavens. We know some of their names - - but not all."

  "And the destruction of Ravensgate? Was that the work of the Seven?" Cade asked.

  For the first time since they'd started the conversation, a grin crossed the major's face. It was there and gone again quicker than lightning, but Gabrielle was certain that she'd seen it.

  "No, that was us. The Templars, that is. The Regent was using the facility as a staging ground for attacking those who refused to pledge allegiance to the demons' cause so it seemed the perfect target.

  "That, of course, was back when we still had running water and electricity and all the comforts of modern civilization. Those days are long gone."

  Hale sighed. "I'll send word up the chain that you've resurfaced. Who knows, it might even do some good, help rally the troops and all that. In the meantime, you're welcome to stay here, train with us, whatever you'd like. I'll have Sergeant Dean get you settled in some quarters and show you around. Welcome home."

  As Cade thanked him, Gabrielle found herself focusing on Hale's final comment.

  Home? she thought. I don't think anything will ever feel like home again.

  Welcome to a brave new world.

  20

  Late on the afternoon of their third day after their arrival at the Moria commandery, Cade and Gabrielle were summoned to Major Gale's office. When they arrived, they found Sergeant Dean waiting there as well.

  Hale wasted no time in getting down to business.

  "If we're going to put your skills to use, it's high time you saw first hand what we're up against," Hale began. "Sergeant Dean is leading a team on a fact finding mission to Lesser York this evening, and, if you're feeling up to it, he's requested that you accompany them."

  Cade grinned broadly. "More than up to it," he said.

  "You are there as observers only," Hale warned, the tone of his voice making it clear that he wasn't as enthused about the idea as Cade was. "Sergeant Dean is in charge and I expect you to follow orders just like any other member of the squad. You keep your heads down and do what you're told, understood?"

  "Absolutely," Cade replied.

  Gabrielle nodded her agreement as well. "What's in Lesser York that's so important?" she asked.

  Hale turned to the man standing nearby. "Sergeant?"

  "Not a what but a who," Dean told them. "We've got a source among the Regent's supply convoy drivers. Guy keeps us abreast of what's moving in and out of New York. He reached out the other day, let us know he had something we'd be interested in. So we've set up a meet to hear what he has to say."

  "Wouldn't it be easier to meet him outside the city, away from prying eyes, as they say?"

  Dean shook his head. "Easier, yes. Possible, no. The drivers' movements are highly restricted. When they're not behind the wheel, they're confined to the city limits, under the watchful eyes of their overseers. If we want to talk, we've got to go to him."

  "Seems like that would look even more suspicious," Cade said. "A bunch of strangers showing up out of nowhere? Everyone's eyes will be on us."

  This time, it was Major Hale who answered. "We've spent the last several months setting up the good sergeant and his crew as a group of salvage rats working the countryside, searching for anything that might be useful, anything they can trade to those living inside the city. The bar our informant drinks at just happens to be a hub for the city's vibrant black market, so no one looks twice when our boys show up for a quick word."

  "Our goal," Dean finished, "is to get in, have a chat, and get out again before anyone's the wiser."

  Sounded like a reasonable plan to Cade and he had to admit he was more than a little curious to see what "Lesser York" looked like, up close and personal. There was only one problem.

  "Aren't you guys forgetting something?" he asked, waving a hand at Gabrielle's obviously feminine form. "If the Preceptor is snatching any able-bodied female of the streets for his breeding program, won't we be calling undue attention to ourselves if Gabrielle accompanies the team?"

  Gabrielle snorted. "As if I can't take care of myself," she said.

  "It's not the taking care of part I'm worried about, Gabbi. It's the blowing our cover before we begin part that has me concerned."

  "Cade's right," Dean said, "which is why I had this prepared." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cloth-wrapped object, which he handed over to her.

  "You're going to need to wear it at all times once we leave the commandery," he told her, as she unwrapped the cloth to reveal a gold pendant with a dark green gemstone in the center. "Our resident mystic charged it with an obfuscation spell. As long as you wear it against your skin, you will appear as a middle-aged man to all but the highest ranked demons and supernaturals of similar power. Give it a test," he suggested.

  Cade watched as Gabrielle slipped the necklace over her head and adjusted the pendant beneath the front of her shirt so that it would lie flat against her skin. Seconds later the hazy image of a sharp-featured bearded male settled over her face. Cade could still see her features beneath the disguise, however, like a double-exposed negative.

  Well that's not going to fucking work, he thought sourly, and turned to say as much to the others only to be brought up short by the pleased expressions on their faces.

  "My complements to the mystics," Major Hale murmured to Sergeant Dean, as he stared in fascination at Gabrielle's new look.

  Dean grunted in agreement and then passed a small mirror to Gabrielle so that she could see the result for herself.

  They can't see it, Cade realized, looking from Dean to Gabrielle to Hale again. All they see is the illusion.

  He thought about what Dean had said about high ranking demons and other supernaturals being able to see through the disguise and decided not to say anything that would give his situation away. Their place here was already precarious; no sense generating further suspicions - and the questions that accompany it - by revealing the charm was ineffectual on him.

  "Looks good," he said.

  Something in his tone must have given him away, for Gabrielle cast a curious look his way, but he just planted his smile back on his face and held it there until she turned away with a shrug. He would no doubt have to face questions from her later, but he wasn't worried about that. She'd get the answers she wanted, he just wasn't going to give them to her here in front of the others.

  Satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, Gabrielle pulled the necklace over her head, wrapped back in its protective cloth, and put it in her pocket for later.

  With that, the meeting came to an end.

  Just as the sun was rising the next morning, Cade and Gabrielle, with her necklace already in place, made their way back to the main entrance, where they found Sergeant Dean and four other Templars waiting for th
em in the early morning darkness. The multi-wheeled all-terrain vehicle they'd rode in earlier that week had been swapped out for a set of horses Dean had produced from somewhere in the warren of tunnels that made up the commandery.

  Introductions were quickly made. The four men accompanying Sgt. Dean were named Savile, Meikle, Leveen, and Care. When they were finished, they mounted up and then set off, moving in single file away from the commandery and into the surrounding forest.

  As they rode, Cade took the time to study the men with Dean. They all had the look of seasoned fighters, which pleased Cade. While it was never a guarantee for how a man would act when the shit hit the fan, the fact that they looked like they had been out on the sharp end a time or two might increase the chance that they'd remain steady if things went unexpectedly sour. All of them were dressed in an assortment of handmade and recovered clothing, as were he and Gabrielle, doing what they could to visibly support their cover story of being scavengers working the ruins for anything of value. They also carried firearms, but Cade had already been informed that they would be leaving them behind once they reached the staging point before their entrance into the city proper. Apparently possessing one was a crime punishable by death and the Preceptor had given his men the authority to mete out that punishment right on the spot should anyone be discovered carrying one. As a result, all of the members of the team were armed with large combat knives stuffed into their belts, with the exception of Savile, who favored a pair of tomahawks.

  To each his own, Cade thought, missing the long sword that usually rode in a sheath on his back. Major Hanes had persuaded him to leave it back at the commandery to avoid even the hint of suspicion that he might be more than they seemed. Apparently there were quite a few of the Preceptor's infernal allies who had grown weary of fighting sword carrying knights in the early days of the resistance and any association was quick to draw a demon’s ire. Cade wore a K-bar knife in its place, though strapped to his boot instead of his back, but the sword had been with him for so long that he felt almost naked without it.