This time was different. The smoke didn’t just show a vision, it started to take shape—a human shape. Trails of smoke reached for my shoulders and then became hands, suddenly grasping my neck. I was being attacked by a goddamn cloud!
I was thrown back, stumbling and falling on the ground. The smoke-being was on top of me, its hands wrapped around my neck and its grip growing stronger. For a brief moment, I could’ve sworn I saw flashes of crimson where its eyes should have been.
I struggled with it, trying to gain some leverage. But the cloud was a lot stronger than me. And somehow, despite being able to choke me, still remained intangible. Every time I tried to throw a punch, my hand just passed harmlessly through the creature, only to quickly reform.
“Cass, what the hell is going on?” I shouted.
The cloud moved its head closer, just inches from my face. And then it whispered something in my ear. Something that sent a chill down my spine. Not because of what it said, but because of the way in which it was said.
“Re…lease…”
The cloud then screamed and before I knew what was happening, the smoke hit my face, invading my body through both my mouth and nostrils. I was overtaken by an uncontrollable coughing fit, so strong I felt like I was about to vomit up my lungs.
I rolled over onto my knees and sat up on them. When I opened my eyes, the smoke was gone. The coughing had slowed and I slowly stood. I walked back over to Cassandra and sat on the floor in front of her chair. She reached a hand out and laid it gently on my bald head, slowly stroking my scalp.
“What was that?” I asked.
“I think you know, even if you aren’t yet ready to admit it,” she said. “You are in a difficult situation, Luther. But you won’t win this fight by turning inward. The Hermit walks a lonely road. To avoid this path, you must look inward. And you must accept that you are not alone.”
“I already know I’m not alone, Cass. Tessa helped me out some and I’ve got Coop watching out for Morrison. So what else could—”
I stopped as the knowledge hit me. I looked up at Cassandra and she just smiled back.
“You can’t be serious,” I said. “He’s the last person who should have anything to do with this. He’s one of the people I never wanted to find out about Dakota. And now you’re telling me I need to go ask him for help?”
“He is many things, Luther, but a liar has never been one of them. If anyone would want to see this plot foiled without more bloodshed, it would be him.”
“He started the war in the first place, how can you say that?”
“Do you know the story? The true story?” asked Cassandra.
I stood up and looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
“His rebellion was not because of vanity or pride, those are simply the labels thrust upon him by the scribes who put their own spin on things.”
“Then what?”
Cassandra tapped the deck and looked at me. “See for yourself.”
I reached out and took the top card, then laid it on the table. The twentieth card in the Major Arcana, an angel playing a trumpet and the dead rising from the graves. And at the bottom of the card, the word JUDGEMENT.
I scrunched my brows together as I tried to decipher the meaning, staring at the card for what felt like an eternity. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what it says, judgment. Against those who kept the secret hidden.”
“What secret?”
“I wish I knew.” She shook her head. “All I do know is it was a secret so powerful, it led to a celestial war. I’m not the one who can answer that question for you, only he can. He sought to liberate the others from the lie they’d been living.”
“And you think that would be reason why he’d help me?” I asked. “How much suffering has he inflicted on this world? How many of his corrupted souls have I had to kill?”
“Is that his doing, or just what they want you to think?” Her eyes drifted upwards to the ceiling as she emphasized ‘they.’ When she returned her gaze to me, she continued. “You’re not a stupid man, Luther. And so you shouldn’t act like one for that matter. You of all people should know better than to judge another by the lies told by others. You left the Sons of Solomon, and yet you’re still playing by their rules.”
I scoffed. “You really are talking out your ass this time. How could you say I’m still playing by their rules? I threw their damn rulebook out. I—”
“Embraced your demonic side? Betrayed everyone and everything you cared about so you could make things easier on yourself? Isn’t that exactly what the Sons always feared would become of you? Isn’t that why they originally wanted Alistair to kill you? How is that not playing by their rules?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came forth. The crazy old bat was absolutely right. In trying not to play by their rules, I ended up doing exactly what they expected. And now it looked like Dakota might pay the price for that failure.
“If what you’re saying is true, then how would going to him make things better? Wouldn’t that kind of alliance also be playing into their worst fears about me?”
“No, because this would be an alliance on your own terms. Both of you. Not what they said you were destined to become, but what you chose to become.”
“That’s a tall order,” I said. “And you know there will be lots of folks unhappy with it.”
“Then you’ll have to deal with them as well, I suppose. But you have trials, Luther. This will not be an easy path to walk. Still, you know you must seek him out.”
I reached for the deck and drew another card, flipping it over and laying it on the table. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The fifteenth card, picturing a crimson beast with bat-like wings, curling horns, goat legs, and had a man and woman chained at his hands. On his forehead was an inverted pentagram and a sinister smile adorned his face. At the bottom were the words THE DEVIL.
“There’s one more card.” Cassandra stood from her chair and reached for the deck. She took my hand in one of hers and held it as she placed the card on my palm with her other hand. I looked at the back of it and then turned it over.
A skeletal knight on a pale horse, carrying a flag and standing over the bodies of the fallen. The thirteenth card. DEATH. At first glance, many people think the card is to be taken literally. But in reality, it simply symbolized change.
“What’s going to change?” I asked.
“That’s not something for you to know just yet.”
I nodded and set the card back down on the table. “Thanks, Cass. You helped me see things a bit clearer.”
She offered one final smile and I turned and left the store. As I approached my car, I was starting to feel better than I had in a long time. But that feeling was short-lived, because just as I got close to my car, something powerful and strong landed on the roof.
I was thrown back by the blow and I heard the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass. When I looked up, I saw Cain standing on my flattened car roof, his gun in hand and aimed right at me.
“I’m the greatest tracker who ever lived, son,” he said. “There’s nowhere you can hide where I can’t follow.”
25
Cain hopped off the now-crushed roof of my car, the barrel of his revolver pointed at me the whole time. I reached under my jacket and drew my own revolver, but by the time I had it out, Cain was close enough to kick it out of my hand and then stomp on my chest for good measure.
The breath left my body. My ribs ached with a dull pain. Cain bent down and grabbed me by the neck, then he turned and threw me. My body traveled the distance he’d just walked and my back struck the Camaro.
Cain moved like the wind. Before I had a chance to even catch my breath, his hand was around my neck again and he pinned me against the Camaro. He stared right into my soul with those glowing, green eyes. His lips curled away to reveal gritted teeth and he pressed the barrel of the gun against the side of my face.
“I should kill you righ
t here and now,” he said.
“But you won’t.” I turned my head and spat blood. “Your master needs me alive.”
He growled and pulled me away from the car, throwing me through the window of Cassandra’s shop. I raised my head and looked through the cloud. The old woman sat there calmly, as if nothing was happening, just puffing on her pipe.
“That’s the second window broken on account of you, Luther,” she shouted across the room.
Somehow, I managed to stand, but it was tenuous at best. My knees were shaking and I could barely feel my legs. I sighed and looked back at Cassandra.
“Thanks for the reminder. I’ll send you a check.”
Cain stepped into the shop through the broken window. I heard the glass crunching under his booted feet and turned. I reached behind my back and drew my dagger from its sheath. With the blade held in a reverse-grip, I attempted a series of slashes.
Cain’s size belied his speed. He was tall and broad, but he moved like the love child of Bruce and Ali. I could barely keep up with his movements and my blade cut nothing but air. Even if I could have hit him, what good would it have done? He couldn’t be killed, he’d stay on my ass until the stars burned out.
Cain grabbed my wrist on one of my swings. I tried to push back, but his strength was far greater than mine. As I struggled, he punched me in the face. The only thing that kept me on my feet was his grip on my wrist. He squeezed—it was like his fingers were about to burrow into my flesh. Soon, I was certain I’d hear the crack as he crushed the bones in his grip.
I lost feeling in my hand and the dagger fell from my grasp. Cain grabbed it with his free hand before it hit the ground. And then the next thing I knew, the blade was in me, stabbed right into the side of my lower torso. I didn’t know if he’d hit any organs, all I did know was that I felt a dull throb coming from my side and my vision started to blur. All I wanted to do in that moment was lie down and take a nap.
But I couldn’t. I had to keep fighting, somehow. If Cain got hold of me, took me back to Asmodeus, the two of them would then go to town on my ass. And being interrogated by two of the greatest torturers in the universe was bound to get me to talk sooner rather than later.
I focused and tried to stay awake. Tried to push past the pain and concentrate on the moment. I looked into Cain’s green eyes and stared hard, then whispered a single word.
“Ignis.”
Cain’s coat caught fire. He didn’t look the least bit shocked by it. In fact, he seemed pretty dispassionate about the whole thing, just staring down at it with an expressionless face. But he did let go of my arm, which gave me an advantage.
“Ventus!”
I held out my hand, palm facing Cain, and a sudden gust of wind blew into him, powerful enough to throw him from the shop and out into the street. I looked back at Cassandra.
“Thanks for the assistance.”
“I’m old and blind, what’d you expect me to do? Blow smoke in his face? Hit him with my cane?”
Okay, she had a point, but I was still annoyed. A little effort would’ve been appreciated. Or at least a word of encouragement. Instead, all I got was criticism because of her damn window.
Now to the matter at hand, though. Walking was something of a chore. Keeping the knife where it was felt like the best move, feared I might bleed out otherwise. So how exactly could I limp out of there while being pursued by a supernatural killing machine who could track me wherever I went?
I went through the door and into the parking lot. I saw Cain in the middle of the street, standing and raising his weapon. He fired on me and I held up my hand.
“Sepio!”
The bullets struck the barrier I’d erected around myself, flattening against the magic wall and harmlessly falling to the ground. I glanced to the side at my car. It wasn’t going to be any use now. Didn’t even want to think about how much it was going to cost me to get it fixed up.
Headlights fell on Cain and he turned to face a bus barreling down on him. Cain made no attempt to get out of the way, just stood his ground. The bus slammed into him as its brakes squealed. The driver swerved to try and slow down faster. As it came to a stop, I saw Cain pinned to the bus, forming an indentation in the front. Cain pulled himself off and continued on towards me.
I kept one hand on the wound and started limping towards the street, away from him. I tried to focus on healing, pouring magic into the wound to get it to close up faster. “C’mon, heal, damn you…!”
Shots were fired. I ducked instinctively as I moved as fast as I could. The streets were mostly empty in the dark hours of early morning, but I knew that wouldn’t last. Sooner or later, someone was going to call the cops. And when that happened, I didn’t want to be anywhere near here.
I had to try to get away from Cain, find a car or something and borrow it. I moved down the street as fast as I could, ducking into the first alley I saw.
“Cross!”
Cain’s voice beckoned in the night. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and held it in. Had to relax, lower my heart rate, gain control over my breathing. Magic was the only thing that could get me out of this and I couldn’t focus if my adrenaline was too high.
Had to concentrate. Focus the power, summon the hellfire. Sparks flickered around my fingers and then fizzled out. I shook my hand in frustration and stretched out my fingers.
“C’mon, c’mon…”
The frustration was starting to lead to panic, which was only going to make me less focused. I was walking right into a loop. And then I heard footsteps and looked up to see Cain standing at the mouth of the alley.
“You’re not gonna outrun me, Cross,” he said. “Anywhere you go, I can follow. One way or another, you’re coming with me.”
The hellfire wasn’t coming. Only one way out of this now and that was talking. I was going to have to be even smoother than usual to charm someone like him. And my powers almost certainly wouldn’t work, so I had to do this completely on my own.
“You’re really slumming for Asmodeus, huh?” I asked. “What’d he promise you anyway?”
“Chance to kill you or the chance to die by your hand.” Cain gave me a once-over from top to bottom. “Obviously the former’s more likely than the latter, but I’ll take what I can get at this point. Only thing he wants in return is to question you before I take your ass out.”
“He didn’t tell you what he wants to know, did he?”
“Don’t really give a rat’s ass.”
“You might. If you knew who his boss was.”
Cain stopped in his tracks, his brow twitching. “Don’t figure Asmodeus for the following sort.”
“Yeah, neither did I. But he got kind of desperate after we left him down in Purgatory,” I said. “We’re not all like you, Cain. Not everyone can escape Thanatos.”
Cain didn’t say anything, just stood there, silent. For what felt like an eternity. His lips pursed and then he finally said, “He’s workin’ for Thanatos?”
“The same one who imprisoned and tortured you time and time again,” I said. “Way I’ve heard it told, Thanatos doesn’t like it when someone escapes his realm. He wants something from Asmodeus, something I have. And once he has that, I’m betting he’ll next turn Asmodeus on you.”
Cain chuckled. “That the best you got, Cross? Doesn’t bother me if it’s Thanatos signin’ Asmodeus’ checks or the goddamn Easter Bunny. You broke your word, cost me the one thing I wanted in all the world. That means somethin’ to me. And now, all I want is vengeance. Don’t matter who I have to get in bed with or what I have to do in order to get to that point.”
“Let me get this straight. Thanatos tortured you for literal centuries, but you don’t got a problem with him. I lied to you once and that puts me at the top of your shit list?”
“Thanatos was just doin’ what he was made to do, can’t fault him for that anymore’n you can fault a dog for chasing its tail. There was no deception in our arrangement.”
“But there is in your deal with Asmodeus,” I said. “There’s a girl. She has a baby—a real powerful baby that could change everything around here. But we have a chance to stop it. To stop Thanatos and anyone else from getting their hands on this kid.”
Cain paused and it seemed like he was thinking about it. Did it work? Could I convince him to drop this feud between us and turn on Asmodeus? With someone like him on my side, there was no way Asmodeus could stop me.
“Think I’ll pass,” Cain finally said. “I don’t give a shit about this world or any other one. Far as I’m concerned, burn the whole goddamn thing down.”
Well, shit, I thought. That was the end of my plan. I had no other backup now. This was the last-ditch effort to try and fight back. Now or never, what was I willing to do, how far was I willing to go, in order to take this to the next level?
I looked down at my hand. I could feel heat in the center of my palm. I held my hand up, staring at it. When I looked at Cain, he was watching me with a cocked head. My hand was glowing. Sparks beginning to form around the fingers.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked.
“Think I’m about to beat your ass,” I said.
The hellfire flared to life in my hand and I forged it, extending out into a whip I snapped it on the ground and Cain too a step back. I smiled and laughed as I stared at the whip and then looked up at Cain.
“That’s right, let’s see just how tough you are.”
I cracked the whip and the tail flew at Cain. He avoided the first lash. And the second. On the third, I snagged him. The whip wrapped around his gun-arm. He pulled back on it, but couldn’t break free.
I snapped the whip and he went into the side of the building. The gun clattered on the asphalt. Another crack and the whip wrapped around the gun, then brought it back into my waiting hand.
Cain was back on his feet. I cracked the whip again, this time going for his neck. He held up his arm again to deflect and once more, the whip wrapped around his forearm.
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