“I thought you weren’t going to get caught up in all this?”
“Your brother is... very convincing,” Tamera smiled lightly. “And the faithful have the bus station, harbor, and airport locked down. The city is about to become a war zone.”
“With no escape,” Xlina looked at Tamera. She had done well in the fight with Archam, but she was no warrior. A voodoo Caplata. She could use magic, but her abilities seemed to pale compared to the forces building against them. “Then you should hide.”
“Tried that too,” Tamera gestured down the brick walk, showing her desire to be away from Pandora’s.
“I can’t protect you,” Xlina fell in step with the Haitian Caplata and they hurried down the city streets.
“I never asked for your protection Baku,” Tamera corrected as they rounded a bend heading away from the harbor and toward the high rises of city center.
“Where are we going?” Xlina looked at multiple store fronts as they passed from the Old Port into the city proper. The quaint style transitioned away to cement walks and buildings of glass and steel. The storefronts gradually became more modern as they entered the hustle and bustle of the city. Gone were the small shops and vendors replaced by chain stores and pharmacies. Hell, there was even a Starbucks on the corner. Xlina spent little time in this part of the city, preferring the old port to the more modern city center. She couldn’t really place a finger on it. She had lived in Boston, which was a much more urban sprawl than Portland, but somehow the further they got from the Old Port the less magical the city felt. The old timeless wonder was replaced with a sterile box store feeling. As if the rest of the human world had built up around the magical little Old Port.
“We are going to my see my brother, Tamir,” Tamera answered plainly, pointing down the way.
“I don’t understand,” Xlina kept pace as Tamera turned another corner and stopped before a giant building of glass and steel.
“He is Bokor,” Tamera reached for the glass door and hesitated turning back to Xlina. “People hear voodoo and think of zombies and animal sacrifice. Voodoo is more than your television shows would care to admit.”
“Stereotypes, I get that,” Xlina nodded, looking at the posh glass door. “So why does my brother want us to meet with Tamir?”
“Your brother thinks you’re too stubborn to give up that girl’s soul,” Tamera chuckled with a wide smile. “Angels hunt us Baku, they hunt for the soul gone astray from hell. The Bokor, know a thing or two about angels. Arrivan aims for Tamir to summon this angel. To make a deal on your behalf to prevent the Heavenly Host from ripping the city to pieces.”
“Amber isn’t a bargaining chip.” Xlina froze, backing away a step. The encounter felt too much like the previous night’s run in with Lexxes.
“He said you’d say that too,” Tamera grinned, holding the glass door open and making an inviting gesture with her free hand. “This brother of yours, he knows you well.”
“I haven’t seen him in years,” Xlina hesitantly passed through to a large executive lobby lined with leather couches. A prim and proper secretary sat behind a black glass desk, typing away noisily and answering calls on a headset. Gold stylized lettering on the far wall read ‘Law Offices of Baptist, Bernard, and Edwards’ on a gray slate background. “Does your brother work here? Heading down to the boiler room for some who-do?”
“Not quite,” Tamera waved to the receptionist, who waved back with a smile. She walked past the desk like she owned the place and made for the silver elevator doors in the back.
“Okay, so what kind of deal are we talking?” Xlina followed, looking around at the posh interior with awe.
“Well, you aren’t willing to send the soul back,” Tamera pushed the button of the elevator, causing the doors to open. She shuffled into the elevator and leaned on the rail, pressing the button for the top floor. “And the angels don’t want a resurrection. It muddles the whole second coming schtick. So, we strike a deal for something in between, yah?”
The elevator lurched into motion as soon as the doors closed, ascending the long climb of the building. Xlina waited impatiently as the elevator dinged with each floor they passed. What Tamera was offering was too good to be true. A way out without triggering some variation of holy war. Oxivius had warned her to be wary of awakened offering all the answers and asking for nothing in return.
“Sounds good, but what’s the catch?” Xlina finally worked up the nerve to blurt out. “There is always a catch.”
“Angels are a rigid bunch,” Tamera leaned on the wall of the elevator. “There is no telling if they will even go for it. But it’s worth a shot.”
“And if they don’t? Go for it?” Xlina asked skeptically.
“If they don’t? We are back to you ferrying an illicit soul around Earthrealm with all the heavenly host aiming to prevent you from resurrecting the dead.” Tamera’s face grew grim. “Look, this is a way out that doesn’t involve violence. Doesn’t require...”
“If it fails, we are back to the druids killing me,” Xlina finished for her. “The original plan. Wipe me and Amber from existence. Save the city. Natural order restored. Brilliant plan.”
The elevator dinged and the doors slide open, revealing a lavishly decorated penthouse office suite. The walls were covered with Haitian artifacts that seemed ancient and incredibly valuable. Xlina wandered into the office suite, drawing a smirk from Tamera as she looked around in awe.
“Tamir Baptist,” a powerful male voice drew her eyes up to a polished steel desk. A man leaned back in an executive leather chair, dressed in a fine black pinstriped business suit with a white mandarin collar. He was Haitian like Tamera, with dark skin and a black goatee. His head was shaved bald and polished, a tiny glare of light danced across his skull. He sat looking like a million bucks behind his desk. Xlina felt foolish for the comment about the boiler room in the lobby and she turned to Tamera, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Our family immigrated here three generations ago,” Tamera plopped down on a white cushioned chair with a solid oak frame. The office looked as if Valeria herself had decorated it. “Tamir set up shop here in Portland. I was content doing my thing in Boston until your brother ran into me.”
“I’m sorry,” Xlina extended a hand to Tamir graciously.
“Nothing to be concerned about,” Tamir replied with a smile as he swiveled from side to side in his chair, waving aside the formality of her offered hand. “Many think poorly of immigrants, but we are not so different. We come seeking the same as everyone else. A better life than that which we left behind.”
“Thanks,” Xlina sat in a white cushioned chair next to Tamera, who seemed to enjoy the irony of the situation far too much. “Thanks for trying to help.”
“Shall we begin?” Tamir smiled, grabbing a remote from his desk and triggering the shades to fall on the windows. “I am eager to meet this angel.”
“So am I,” Xlina looked about the room nervously, “I have never met an angel, honestly I wasn’t sure they even existed.”
“They don’t really,” Tamir rose from his chair and circled his desk, leaning on the edge casually. “At least not as we would think of them. Celestial spirits of the higher plane are a more apt description. They are beings of rigid order and serve the cosmos by keeping everything running with precision like a well-oiled machine.”
“Cosmic mechanics,” Xlina offered with a chuckle, “I can see why they chose a more prestigious image to sell to the masses.”
“Angels are no joke,” Tamera pushed Xlina’s shoulder. “They are beings of immense power. Not to be trifled with lightly.”
“Aren’t you about to trifle?” Xlina looked at Tamir, raising an eyebrow.
“I seek to commune, nothing more,” Tamir opened his arms innocently. “The angel might not even respond. We must be prepared for that.”
“Prepare to be disappointed,” Xlina sent a mischievous wink to Tamera, “Story of my life.”
“You jest
heavily for one in your condition,” Tamir folded his arms across his chest, flashing a disapproving glare.
“I’m sorry,” Xlina looked at the floor sheepishly, “It’s just everything is so big. Angels, Demons, the Heavenly Host, and I am small. It’s hard to believe.”
“Believe it, Xlina,” Tamir rose from the desk and crossed to the open space of the office suite before the windows. His arms rose to sides as if he intended to consume the room before him. His eyes fluttered and turned into solid white orbs as he called out in a foreign tongue. Xlina did not recognize any of the words, but the scent of sage and vanilla filled the room as the Bokor’s magic wove about them. He flung his head back and a flash of light emanated from his mouth like a beacon shooting straight through the ceiling, without leaving a mark.
“What now,” Xlina whispered, looking to Tamera who only shrugged in return.
“We wait for an answer” Tamir lowered his arms, turning back to the pair seated before his desk.
“How long?” Xlina looked back at Tamir.
“As long as it takes,” Tamir shrugged and returned to his executive chair, leaning back and folding his arms.
“Wonderful,” Xlina slumped in the chair in a huff. Waiting was not her strong suit. “How will we know if they respond?”
“We’ll know,” Tamir grinned. Almost as if on cue, the building shook. A loud blaring horn broke the silence in the room as the building itself recoiled and tremored violently. Xlina grabbed her chair, but it was no use as the chair itself tipped over, spilling her onto the floor. “Seraphim.”
She glanced at Tamir, whose wide eyes peered out over his desk. He crouched timidly as the office filled with a blinding silvery light. Xlina lost sight of everything within the overwhelming glare. It felt as if her eyes would burn out of her skull. She closed her eyelids tightly and covered her eyes with a hand, but still the light shone through. The roar of horns was deafening as she fell to the floor. The sound and light completely disorienting Xlina. All she could do was lie still and let the heavenly chorus pass. Slowly, the light dimmed, and the blare of the horns faded until the room settled. She dared open an eye and slowly the office came into focus once more.
Chairs and plants had been strewn about as if a toddler discarded them in a tantrum. The glass windows of the high rise were cracked and splintered from the violent shaking. Xlina grew bolder and surveyed the utter destruction in the room. There, at the center of it all, stood a woman, an angel.
Her face was flawless and smooth with the bluest eyes Xlina had ever seen and flowing black hair. She wore a black leather trench coat that was cut into ribbons in the back, allowing her massive white wings to flap freely. Under the jacket, she wore a dark blue corset with matching black leather pants. She did not fit the image of the holy angels from scripture, but Xlina knew in her heart she now gazed at a celestial. She swallowed hard and her heart skipped a beat in her chest.
“I am Tamir Baptist, Bokor and servant of the Lwa. I have called you here to barter,” Tamir emerged from behind the desk, asserting his authority. The woman turned her blue eyes on him and tilted her head curiously.
“I am Sariel of the Seraphim,” the angel stepped forward and her wings spread, revealing not one giant wingspan but six individual wings. “What do you seek to barter Tamir of the Lwa?”
“We seek only to keep a soul from the clutches of a demon,” Tamir spread his arms wide submissively. The angel looked to Tamera, then to Xlina. She squinted roughly as her blue eyes drilled a hole in her.
“That one is fairly marked,” Sariel raised a hand toward Xlina, and she could feel the pull of her soul through the mark. It felt reminiscent of Valeria. As if the angel were tasting her soul.
“This one harbors a soul stolen from the depths of the infernal plane.” Tamir gestured to Xlina plainly. “We only ask that she might keep what she has claimed in a manner approved by the celestials. To call off the Heavenly Host from this fair city before more destruction and death follow.”
He was good, Xlina had to give him that, but Sariel was like nothing she had ever encountered. She could feel the power resonating from the being. As if all the power of creation stood before her. She was dumbstruck in awe.
Sariel merely drew her hands together as if in prayer, and a golden halo of energy formed around her head. She extended her right hand and a golden hilt took form with a blade of solid fire. Flames licked the ceiling and the alarms sounded. The sprinklers came to life dumping a heavy mist of water down in the office. The water sizzled, turning to steam as it fell on the fiery blade.
“Oh shit,” Tamera sprang into action. Taking cover behind a chair, she drew a handgun from the back of her jeans that Xlina did not know was there. She opened fire, emptying the pistol at the angel. Bullets collided with Sariel punching holes through her corset, but instead of blood, sheer light shone from each bullet hole like a laser. Her pristinely perfect face twisted in rage as the light subsided. The holes remained in the blue corset, but the skin beneath was completely unblemished.
Sariel swung the fiery blade in a sweeping motion and a wall of fire swept through the room, sending the trio scrambling for cover. Water from the sprinklers turned to steam instantly as furniture and desks lit with holy flames. Xlina barely avoided incineration, taking cover behind the overturned chair, which now smoldered and burned. Tamir wove a spell in the air as the chaos unfolded around them.
“He needs time,” Tamera called over the din of the fire alarms as she discharged an empty clip from her pistol. Xlina knew what that meant, but she trembled before the divine entity. Sariel’s power was far beyond anything she had seen, beyond anything she thought possible. She conjured her nightmare energy and dove forth, dodging the backswing of the fiery blade with a well-timed duck. The blade sheered through glass and metal in a line, bisecting the entire office, and the building lurched as the windows shattered. As Sariel brought the sword back around, Xlina seized the opportunity, swinging with a floating left hook that would make Muhammed Ali proud. Her fist collided with the angel’s jaw, which gave not at all. Xlina’s wrist rolled on impact as if she had punched a solid steel girder and the bones in her hand cracked painfully. The nightmare energy fizzled harmlessly on the Angel’s skin. Sariel looked down at Xlina and thrust her free hand forward, striking her in the chest with an open palm and the force of a semi-truck. She lost the feeling of the ground beneath her feet as she careened backwards through the air. She could feel her ribs cracked or possibly broken around her sternum where the angels’ blow had landed, and she crashed in a heap on the office floor, skittering into Tamir’s desk.
Xlina couldn’t breathe. Her ribs ached, and each breath was excruciating. Her hand swelled, and she was certain she had dislocated her pointer and middle fingers on the Angel’s face. She drew her battered hand close, holding her arm against her chest. Tamera cried out, releasing a spell, and the shadows in the room elongated, blanketing the office in utter darkness. Except for the Angel. The seraph stood unmolested by the darkness as if the shadows themselves feared her light. With a wave of her hand, the angel dispelled the darkness, wiping the spell from reality like she was erasing a white board.
Xlina’s heart sank. She had seen battles, many desperate battles. This was not a battle. It was a massacre. They stood no chance against the celestial on their own. It had been sheer hubris to think they could barter with such a being. She chanced a look up to see Tamir in the final throes of casting. A sigil of darkness formed in the air before him, and he pushed his hand through, releasing his spell.
A wave of darkness shot forth and finally the angel recoiled defensively as the wave of darkness collided with Sariel. Her wings folded around her like a shield, the six alabaster wings took full the impact of the spell. Feathers fell from the blast and the Seraph took a single step back. Tamir fell to the floor, exhausted and panting. For all his efforts, he had merely driven the angel back a solitary step.
Sariel’s wings unfolded, and she brought the sword be
fore her, holding the hilt in both hands. Her blue eyes scanned the room as the water from the sprinklers continued to rain down. Xlina was desperate. She had no other choice. She placed her hand on the mark and called out to Valeria.
“I need you!” Xlina cried out as the angel strode forth, fiery blade held high. She paused slightly, holding the flaming blade above her head to issue a broad, satisfied smile. The flaming sword came crashing down and Xlina threw her hands up instinctively, but the killing blow never came. Instead, a heavy clang rang in her ears. She looked up to see Valeria, adorned in red leather and wielding the Sanguine Blade.
“Sariel,” Valeria shrugged off the flaming sword with a parry of the demon’s blade. The blood red blade weaving and circling as Valeria moved defensively before Sariel.
“Demon,” Sariel snarled in contempt. Her hands gripped the flaming blade pensively. She hesitated to strike.
“You know the rules Sariel,” Valeria stood before Xlina protecting her Baku pet. “No angel and demon conflicts here on earth until the revelation, isn’t that right?”
“Then begone vile demon,” Sariel held her blade menacingly, but still she did not strike.
“Pish-posh,” Valeria cooed, relaxing and lowering the demon blade. “Come now, this one is marked by me fair and square. The soul she carries is marked as well. You have no claim here Angel.”
“Then send it back to the infernal plane,” Sariel lowered her sword as well, and Xlina felt a wave of relief wash over her.
“In due time,” Valeria relaxed, scanning the room. She was drenched from the sprinklers and the sound of fire truck sirens filled the air. “Your moment here is done Sariel and we all know how your kind is such a stickler for the rules.”
“This isn’t the end, demon,” Sariel spat in contempt, “The heavenly host will put an end to your schemes.”
“They will try.” Valeria looked down on Xlina, her pristine make-up running down her cheeks from the sprinkler’s rain. The office had been shattered. “Are we done here?”
Dirge of the Dead Page 18
