Tempest

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  As if Insepth read my mind, he said, “You know, we might be allowed passage not because of our sins, but because whoever is in there wants us to get through.”

  His words hung in the air, distracting me as I stepped on the approximate spot where the bearded man had been eaten by insects. My foot faltered and I paused to look at Insepth.

  “But that means it’s a trap.”

  “Happy days.” Insepth sighed. “Shall we?”

  Together we took a step forward, then another. The door opened and loud grunge music assaulted my ears and lights blinded me.

  Insepth’s hand curled around mine tighter and we went inside.

  Chapter 18

  And no wonder! For Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.

  2 Corinthians 11:14

  My eyes adjusted to the colored strobe lights as Insepth tugged me across the dance floor and between writhing bodies. The drum beat vibrated in my chest, cutting painfully into my head. I didn’t let go of Insepth to cover my ears though. Instead, I pressed in even closer to him and away from topless women gyrating against muscled men. Some of those men watched me pass by with black Demon eyes or golden Growler ones. The rank smell of sweat and unwashed flesh flooded my senses, and I did my best to hold my breath.

  It seemed to take an eternity to cross the dance floor. Images of people kissing and doing even more intimate things blinked in slow motion as we squeezed our way through the crowd. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, but tried not to be too shocked. This was a bar in Purgatory after all.

  Once free of the press of bodies, Insepth didn’t slow until he reached the counter. He pulled up a stool for me and we promptly sat down.

  The bartender looked like he was pulled straight out of the Indian wars of the eighteen hundreds. His long black hair hung loosely past his shoulders and his face was decorated with war paint. His bare torso gleamed when a flash of light hit it.

  Insepth took it in stride. “I don’t suppose you have any Scottish gin back there?”

  The Indian smirked. “Ah, there might be such a spirit, but I require payment.”

  Insepth pulled a twenty dollar bill from his pocket and the Indian laughed, along with several Demons leaning on the counter nearby.

  He blushed. “What is used for payment in this establishment, may I ask?”

  “Pain,” the Indian said, continuing to smirk.

  Insepth nodded. “And a cola for my girlfriend here.”

  I only half registered him calling me his girlfriend when the Indian dropped the dish rag he’d been wiping the counter with and pulled a knife from the sheath on his belt.

  “I don’t need anything to drink—I’m fine,” I rushed out, grabbing Insepth’s wrist.

  He looked at me with probing eyes. “It’s all right. I got this.”

  My gaze shifted back to the Indian, whose twisted smile radiated anticipation.

  “This is barbaric,” I muttered under my breath.

  “It’s all relative.” Insepth held out his hand.

  The Indian motioned for him to turn his hand palm up, then in a swift movement, the blade sunk deeply into Insepth’s hand, slicing it from end to end. Blood squirted and I grabbed the rag off the counter and wrapped it around his bleeding hand.

  When I looked back, the drinks were sitting in front of us on beverage napkins. The cola fizzed over ice in a tall glass. Insepth took a gulp of the gin and set the glass down on the table with a thud.

  “Don’t you provide bandages?” I growled at the bartender. “I’m surprised there isn’t blood all over the place.”

  He tilted his head and laughed. “There are other ways to inflict pain.” He leaned in sniffing, and for the first time, I sensed he was a Demon. “A sweet little human girl shouldn’t be in a place like this.”

  His warning was a promise of horrible things to come. My inner fire went crazy and I had to concentrate to keep it down. “You’ve made a mistake. I’m not sweet.”

  It happened so fast, I only saw a blur where the bartender’s hand was as it thrust forward. Something inside of me unfurled that I didn’t know I had. Insepth raised his hand to block the bartender’s, but wasn’t quick enough. It was my hand that grasped the blade and shoved it away from my throat in a frantic push. When I looked up, the knife was embedded in the Demon’s hand, driven straight into the countertop.

  Insepth yanked me off the stool and it toppled over. He spread his arms out protectively. “She didn’t mean it—she thought you were really going to cut her.”

  The Demon’s black gaze settled on me. The people closest to us were like statues. The same blood lust I’d witnessed in Sawyer the night at the lake glistened off several of them. The bartender sucked in a deep breath and my eyes widened. I was so ready to scorch him if he came any closer.

  He pulled the blade from his hand and the wound closed before my eyes. He wiped up his blood with a towel from his back pocket and laughed. The gut-jerking sound relaxed the onlookers and they went back to their drinking and sexual exploits.

  “You might just survive a few hours with that attitude,” the Demon bartender said, and then left us for other patrons.

  Insepth used his good hand to pick up my tipped over stool. Once I was perched on it again, I said, “That was stupid. You can’t need a drink that badly.”

  He smiled and took another sip, savoring it in his mouth for a long second before swallowing. “Actually, I really did need a drink.” He inched closer. “Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, when in Rome, do as the Romans do?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Where is Horas anyway?”

  “I don’t know.” He glanced over his shoulder. “But I’m afraid that little spectacle has put you on everyone’s radar.”

  “He was going to slice my throat,” I hissed.

  He shook his head. “He feeds off the pain and fear of others—and that’s the payment for the drinks. If you were dead, you wouldn’t be useful to a Demon like that, at least not for a while.”

  I pouted and stared at the bubbles rising in my cola. “How was I supposed to know that? It happened so fast.” I dropped my voice lower, and knowing he wouldn’t be able to hear over the pounding rhythm of the music, I leaned over and put my lips to his ear. “My hands sort of went all Kung Fu on their own. How did I do that anyway?”

  Insepth glanced sideways, frowning. “I have no idea. Perhaps it has to do with your control of all four elements, but I didn’t feel you draw any power. It was as if you had superhuman strength all of a sudden.” He took a gulp of his drink. “Strange, but useful.”

  I was about to respond when a tap on my shoulder made me jump. A blonde Demon looked back at me with dead eyes and a beautiful face. She wore black leather pants and a tank top that revealed a lot of cleavage. Traces of blood still clung to the side of her mouth and I caught a glimpse of what looked like pieces of flesh sticking out from the long black painted nails she tapped on her thigh.

  “His holiness requests your appearance at his feet,” she said in a heavily accented purr.

  This might be our opportunity to find Sawyer and Vorago, Insepth said in my mind. I’ll be at your side.

  I saw his point, but my gut still twisted.

  Her face lost some of its fake friendliness and I realized it wasn’t a request at all. If I didn’t go, I’d have to kill her and that would definitely blow any cover we had left.

  “Lead the way.” I waved my hand.

  We walked behind her and the throng of people split, allowing us clear passage. Horas appeared, slipping between two very large, bald-headed humans to join us.

  “So much for being discreet.” He smiled tightly.

  “Do you know who this holiness guy is?” I asked, noticing how everyone had stopped dancing, drinking and making out. They were all turned our way, staring—a sea of pale, sick individuals, hungry for a sh
ow.

  “You’re not going to like him,” he said, looking almost frightened.

  My heart pounded and my skin became clammy. The fire left me completely and so did my Gaia. Water and air were nowhere to be found either. My stomach lurched and hot juices pushed up my throat. The blonde Demon stepped to the side and extended her hand for us to continue forward. I heard Insepth’s sharp intake of breath, but didn’t look his way. I couldn’t have turned my head if my life depended on it. My legs became weak and I fought to put one foot in front of the other.

  There were about twenty Demons, all clad in black, on a dais. They formed a horse shoe around the central figure, who reclined on a throne fashioned of steel and dark wood. It fanned out behind its occupant like peacock’s feathers and was engraved with intricate symbols—Angel markings.

  We reached the edge of the dais and stopped.

  With a wag of his finger, the music stopped and the lights stopped blinking. Only dull light illuminated the room and it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

  I barely noticed him rise, my eyes were trained on only one thing—the black wings that unfurled from his back.

  Chapter 19

  My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.

  Daniel 6:22

  His eyes were the lightest of blue, like a winter sky, and his black hair was tucked neatly behind his ears. He stood as tall as Eae, but where Eae was all rippled muscles, this Angel was lithe and wiry. His movements were relaxed as he crossed the dais, reminding me of a bored cat. When he paused and looked down, the breath caught in my throat. He was beautiful.

  “This is a pleasant surprise. Rarely—” He paused and scratched his chin in a very human-like gesture. “Actually, never has a couple of living Watchers graced me with their presence in this place.” He grinned and his tone changed to teasing. “You two must be very clever indeed to accomplish such a task.”

  Even though there were at least a hundred beings in the room around us, there was complete silence. No one moved a muscle. I blew out a small breath and gathered all the courage I had to speak, but Insepth beat me to the punch.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I’m Insepth.” With flourish he gestured my way. “And this is my companion, Ember. The Demon is Horas.”

  The dark Angel’s eyes flicked over the three of us and settled on me. His gaze narrowed slightly and the corner of his mouth lifted. “How interesting,” he mumbled.

  “And who might you be?” Insepth lifted his chin.

  “Samael—” he spread his arms wide and took a slight bow “—your gracious host.”

  I began to breathe easier. Samael’s gestures were similar to Insepth’s. They both had a flair for the dramatic, except Insepth’s accent was British, and Samael spoke with the same perfectly articulated dialect that Eae, Michael and Uriel used.

  When Insepth didn’t speak, I glanced at him, then Horas. Insepth was as white as a ghost and there was no sign of Horas’ usual witty nature. He stood rigidly next to me with wide eyes and a dropped mouth.

  I took a step forward and Insepth’s hand shot out to stop me. I glared at him. When he said nothing, I shrugged his hand away. His sudden inability to talk was getting on my nerves. This wasn’t the first time he’d seen an Angel. As a matter of fact, the last ones he’d encountered, he’d been quite rude to. He’d never had an issue with speaking his mind before.

  We didn’t have time to waste. The dragons would be here in fifteen hours and I had no doubt Chumana would leave us behind if we weren’t there waiting.

  “Is there any chance my friends and I can speak with you in private?” I glanced back at the sea of pale faces staring at us. “Away from them?”

  Samael chuckled and the honey-sweet sound tightened my chest. “Of course. I am at your service.” He motioned his finger at the blonde who’d brought us to the dais.

  “Follow me.” She pivoted away.

  I stretched my legs to catch up with her. Insepth and Horas exchanged wide-eyed looks, but didn’t say anything.

  Noise began to cackle in the crowd and a moment later the lights were blinking and music boomed again. We were forgotten as we skirted the dais and slipped through a door behind the stage.

  The narrow hallway was made of stone and lit with lanterns. Drops of condensation peppered the walls. I thought I heard a moan, but the sound was fleeting and I hoped it was my imagination. The Demon turned a corner and stopped in front of an arched doorway. She clicked the latch and stepped aside. Her red lips pursed impatiently when we didn’t immediately go in.

  “It’s not a good idea to keep Samael waiting,” she said.

  Insepth tugged on his hair and exhaled before raising his brows at Horas, ignoring me completely. Horas shrugged in response—but his jaw was set firmly—and he pushed the door open.

  I caught my breath. The oval shaped room reminded me of one of the sitting rooms at Insepth’s Biltmore mansion. A cluster of velvet upholstered gilded chairs were arranged in the center and the walls were adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of forests, flowered meadows and Angels. I hardly noticed the door shutting behind us as I stared at the scenes curving around the room. They told different biblical stories. I crossed the room, passing images of colorful blooms and animals to reach the naked forms of a man and a woman beneath a massive white trunked tree that had red fruit dangling from weeping branches. The fruit kind of looked like plums, only much bigger. The picture was so vivid I could almost smell the flowers and feel the sun shining on my face.

  Above the couple and coiled around the branches was a large, mottled gray snake with green eyes. It stared at me with familiar eyes.

  “The original sin. How sad the humans faltered, tempted by the serpent,” Samael’s voice snuck from behind.

  I wanted to stare at Samael. His high cheekbones, wide spaced eyes and curved lips were perfection. His face was mesmerizing and I felt myself stepping towards him without thought. My Gaia snapped and I pulled back and took a sharp breath. I forced a smile, but didn’t look into his eyes, turning my gaze to the other scenes in the room.

  A glowing Angel with his arm outstretched stood at the edge of the forest directing Adam and Eve to leave. An Angel hovered in the sky above a burning city and seven shrouded Angels stood around a man in a pit filled with lions. The final image showed thousands of Angels standing in formation on a great green plain, and above the scene were the words, And there came a great voice out of the temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying: “It is done.”

  Samael attempted to hand me a goblet filled with what looked like red wine, but I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

  His brow arched and he took a sip. “I promise it’s not poisoned, love.”

  “If you wanted me dead, I’m sure you could come up with a more original way than poison,” I replied.

  He barked out a laugh. “So true.” He quickly sobered. “I like you—you’re a witty one, and brave too. I saw what you did to my bartender.”

  I looked down at the swirling designs on the Oriental rug. “Sorry about that. I thought he intended to harm me.”

  “No apologies needed.” He leaned in, bringing his hand to his mouth to feign telling a secret. “He was going to hurt you.”

  I avoided his probing look and returned my gaze to the tapestry. “What is the significance of these particular stories?”

  “They show great historical times when Angels were given task to either destroy or aid humans.” His lips curled up. “The first shows Uriel and Raphael leading Adam and Eve out of the Garden, and the second is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by Gabriel. Ah, one of my personal favorites.” Samael crossed the room to stand directly below the life size images. “Daniel was our Father’s favorite prophets. While traveling thr
ough Babylon one spring day, he found himself in trouble with one of the religious sects after he mocked the false deity, Bel. The Babylonian king, Cyrus, was outraged. Then there was the trickery with the dragon who lived within the city’s walls—the beast ate poison cakes offered to him by Daniel. The Babylonians worshipped the dragon and this put him in even deeper trouble. An unrepentant Daniel, who felt he’d done the one true God’s will by destroying the creature, was thrown into a den of seven lions. Our Father sent seven Angels to aid Daniel by holding the lions’ jaws closed, so that he might be spared.”

  I was familiar with the story of Daniel and the lions’ den, but the dragon part was new to me. I studied Samael, trying to get a sense of his true character. His aura was clouded, subdued in a way that was very different from the other Angels I’d met. Michael was a hot head, not even attempting subtlety, and Uriel certainly didn’t hide his fiery nature. Even Eae, with his laid-back manner, was still readable. But Samael, dressed in black pants and a white collared button up shirt, was a mystery.

  He extended his wings like a man stretching his arms, giving a gentle shake and a few lone black feathers floated to the floor. It was then that I noticed other feathers littering the floor.

  “The last is the prophecy of the final judgment. The plains of Armageddon is where the seven arch Angels will present the seven golden vials full of the wrath of God.” There was a fleeting frown on Samael’s lips before his face brightened. “That must be the desperate times you mentioned earlier.”

  Insepth stood quietly next to the plush chairs. My heart pounded harder when he didn’t speak. What is wrong with him?

  Bothered by his rudeness and my lack of understanding for the reason, I straightened, shifting my eyes to Samael. “We’re looking for someone. His name is Vorago. Do you know him?”

  Samael’s brow arched slightly. “The name is familiar.” He cracked his neck. “Oh yes, I remember now—the Growler who prickled Gabriel’s jealousy. Gabe imprisoned the poor chap in Purgatory to eliminate the competition for an enchanting water Watcher.” He flashed gleaming white teeth. “Unfortunately, it didn’t play out as well as Gabe had hoped.”