Hell's Ascendant (Mantles of Power Book 3)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Anathiel?” Veldoran asked, blinking in confusion, and his face suddenly paled, much as the faces of the angels in the room did, and his voice rose as he protested. “Anathiel was here?”

  Estalia laughed and turned to leave the room, smiling to herself. If nothing else, this would sidetrack all the spies for months.

  Chapter 25

  Red lightning flashed above the disk, and Isalla flinched back slightly as a soft boom blasted across the landscape, blinking unhappily as she tried to regain her vision. She should have known better than to watch for the help that was coming, but it was better than watching Vinara channel her mana into Rose’s armor, since that also meant looking at the ruin of her beloved’s body.

  The spots across her vision quickly faded, and as they did so a wave of pressure hit Isalla, one that was more mental than physical. She’d only been in the presence of an archangel a handful of times, and the sensation of their majesty was unmistakable, almost forcing Isalla to her knees. It was even more powerful than the others she’d encountered, Isalla realized, but the pressure retracted almost instantly instead of forcing her down.

  “Who…” Isalla began, her eyes widening enormously at the unfamiliar figure who stood in the middle of the road, a surge of fear rushing through her as the possibility of someone having stolen the link to attack them rushed through her head.

  The angel standing before her was beautiful, with warm brown skin, silver hair and eyes, and wore simple, functional steel armor, while her feathers were silver as well. She held a cloudpiercer which radiated power, though, and Isalla flinched slightly, though the beautiful angel’s smile set her slightly more at ease, as did the satchel slung over her shoulder.

  “I’m Anna,” the angel replied simply, her gaze focusing on Rose, and her expression abruptly turned grim as she added, “I also see you weren’t joking about her being mortally injured, Vinara. It’s a good thing I got here in time, then.”

  “Lady Anna? You… look very different,” Vinara said, quickly moving out of the angel’s way as she approached. “I wouldn’t have recognized you!”

  “This is close to how I originally looked, though with a few changes that I made over the years intact. I enjoyed them, and didn’t see a reason to revert everything, even if I’ve decided to stop hiding who I am,” Anna replied, setting her cloudpiercer aside and flipping open the satchel as she crouched next to Rose, her voice soft as she pulled out what looked like a glowing blue needle on a handle. “Rose, what did you do to yourself? Ah, well. I can’t heal her personally, but I can take her to Uthren’s Throne and get her tended to.”

  Without hesitation the angel stabbed the needle into Rose, and Isalla cried out in horror, at least until a shimmering barrier of blue light rippled over Rose’s body. It took her a moment to realize Rose wasn’t breathing, and Isalla demanded, “What did you do to her?”

  “She’s in stasis,” Anna explained, relaxing slightly as she nodded, looking around at them and wincing as she pulled out a box. “Don’t all of you look like you’re in bad shape? Here, healing potions. What happened?”

  “Sorm, a former captain of the Holy Council’s guards, confronted us. He distracted us with demands, then set off at least five incineration stones that he’d buried beneath the road,” Eziel said, her eyebrows knitting with worry as Vinara took the box from Anna, opening it to reveal several glowing vials inside it. “Lady Kitania attempted to block the blast but didn’t have time to do so. I shot him once, but he teleported away after I deflected another stone back toward him.”

  Isalla winced at the explanation, a chill running down her spine at the thought of incineration stones. They were weapons of war among angels, and expensive due to the sheer power of the detonation they could invoke. The idea of five of them used to try to kill them… it terrified her.

  “Well done,” Anna said, nodding, then looked over at Kitania as she sighed, walking toward the demoness as she added, “Now, you look under the weather, Kitania. I thought I taught you to dodge.”

  “I was on a horse at the time and spotted where he buried the stones a bit too late,” Kitania replied, her voice slightly strained, and she smiled unhappily, adding, “Thank you for the cloudpiercer. I’d thank you properly, but I’m afraid I’m in bad shape.”

  “I see that. However, I can’t take much time here, not if I want to ensure Rose recovers sooner rather than later,” Anna said, leaning over Kitania and brushing a few strands of her hair back. The gentle intimacy of the action startled Isalla, and she opened her mouth, then shut it again as Anna spoke. “I’m taking her to the city, so you’ll have to catch up, I’m afraid. I can’t carry all of you.”

  “Alright. How will we find you?” Yain asked, her voice unsteady as she drank one of the potions, and Vinara handed one to Isalla, who took it absently. As she watched, the hole in Yain’s ear slowly began closing and her other injuries sealed themselves.

  “Oh, that’ll be simple,” Anna said, walking back over to Rose while she unfolded a sling designed to allow angels to carry larger loads, then carefully shifted Rose into it, which Isalla knew had to be an awkward load, yet Anna handled her like she was weightless. The angel also picked up one of Rose’s packs, specifically the one which contained Ember, and adjusted it to fit more easily. “Just come to the High Temple and request an audience. I’ll leave instructions that I’m waiting for you.”

  “Ah… request an audience with who? I can tell you’re an archangel, but I have no clue who you are,” Isalla said, her voice a little nervous at this point. She’d never spoken to an archangel before, and she’d only been in their presence once or twice.

  “Oh yes, of course… I suppose you are too young to recognize me,” Anna said, her smile widening as she picked up her cloudpiercer. “Ask for an audience with Anathiel. Now, I have to go.”

  Shock froze Isalla in place as the angel’s wings extended, then she took flight so suddenly the ground cracked where she’d been standing and dust blasted outward, sending Isalla into a coughing fit. She waved dust away, her gaze rising still more as she watched a silver streak head into the distance. Even so, Isalla’s shock grew even more profound.

  “Um, am I supposed to know the name?” Vinara asked, frowning deeply as she looked around. Isalla met Eziel’s gaze, and the other woman looked like someone had dropped an anvil on her head.

  “Just… well, maybe she isn’t as famous among demons. I mean, she’s history. Ancient history,” Isalla began, swallowing hard as she grappled with the idea of who Anna was.

  “As I thought,” Kitania muttered, and her voice drew everyone’s attention, including Isalla’s.

  “Wait, you knew she was an archangel?” Vinara demanded, her tone sharp.

  “No, I suspected she was an archangel. I spent over a decade in her care, you may recall, and even as careful as she is, I heard a number of clues that made me suspect who she was. I just didn’t know, and I wasn’t going to pry,” Kitania retorted, shifting slightly.

  “Are you going to tell us, or make us figure it out for ourselves?” Maura asked, her voice slightly cross. “We’ve had a hard day, and I’m starting to lose patience.”

  “Anathiel, the third archangel of war… and the leader of five invasions of the hells,” Isalla said at last, her tone flat with the shock rippling through her. “Slayer of more than fifteen demon lords, according to legend. She went missing during her fifth crusade, and her mantle was believed to be subsumed by the Archangel of Glorious War some thousand years later. That was over two thousand years ago. I don’t remember exactly when she went missing.”

  Everyone fell silent at that, and after a moment Yain murmured, “Oh. Well… that’s scary.”

  “Wait, her? I… of course I’ve heard of her! I just thought… oh, now I feel stupid,” Vinara muttered. “I must have taken a rock to the head.”

  “She’s rather nice, I’ll have you know. If you aren’t in a training salle with her,” Kitania said, sighing as she added, “Vin? Would you
give me a potion already? I’d like to have my bones healed, since we’re probably going to be walking the rest of the way.”

  “Oh, right. I’m just used to letting you put yourself back together,” Vinara said, and stepped around a horse as she approached Kitania with the box still in hand.

  Shaking off her shock, Isalla uncorked her potion and downed it, feeling a wave of healing energy rush through her, soothing most of the remaining aches and pains as it did so. She wasn’t in good shape, but she was doing better, now.

  Besides, she was feeling much, much more hopeful now that she knew that Rose was in good hands. Even if the idea of Anna being the archangel of war terrified her more than a little.

  “Uthren’s Throne has changed,” Anna murmured, mixed feeling surging through her as she shot through the air.

  It wasn’t surprising that the city had changed in the time since she’d last seen it. Empires had risen and fallen in that time, so with humans in charge it would be more of a surprise if the city hadn’t changed. Even so, a tiny part of her was dismayed, and not just because it meant she was coming closer to her past.

  Uthren’s Throne had once been a fortress city, one which was dedicated both to their guardian deities and to the alliance with the heavens. It was large, yes, but protected by heavy stone walls that had been built by the dwarven kingdoms and built to withstand any siege. Most of those walls still stood, as did the massive temple at the city’s core, but the city had grown far beyond the walls.

  Now Uthren’s Throne was nearly ten times the size it had once been, the old walls now circling the heart of the city, while farmland surrounded the unfortified outskirts to feed the people who lived within. There were manors and fine buildings in areas that had once held homes inside those inner walls, while most of the businesses must have moved into the outer city, based on what she was seeing.

  The angelic fortress was also eye-catching, in part because it was the only building larger than the temple other than the castle itself, and also because of its sheer height. Even now Anna could see several dozen angels flying around it in patterns that looked like military drills, though they didn’t look nearly as crisp as Anna would have expected. More annoying to her, she still hadn’t heard an alarm go up by the time she’d crossed over the city itself, and she sighed as she banked toward the temple, and specifically for the uppermost chamber. That’s where she expected to find Herbert, or where he’d show up once he felt her aura.

  Finally, the first cries of shock reached Anna’s ears, and she smiled slightly as she saw dozens of mortals stop in the streets to stare at her, some of them falling to their knees. It’d been so long since she’d seen that sort of reaction to her presence, even if she didn’t necessarily like it. Being worshipped could be tiring, to say the least.

  None of the wards over the temple activated to bar her way, showing that despite her time in the hells, Anna was still considered an angel where their magic was concerned. That was enough to make her smile, and she ignored the priests and alarm bells as she flew past the pillars of the chamber and landed, looking at the three thrones within as she raised an eyebrow.

  “They’ve redecorated, too,” Anna murmured, looking around and cringing inwardly.

  Three thrones sat on a raised dais, one which was raised Anna’s full height, and she didn’t want to even think about how petitioners would have to crane their necks to look at the deities if they were in residence. That might be intentional, now that she thought about it, and all over the walls were engravings showing deeds from the deities pasts, most of them gaudily washed in gold, which was the main source of her distress. It lacked so much nuance, and made her feel even worse about leaving the Spire of Confession. At least most of the rooms there had been tastefully decorated, even when they were rather ornate.

  The ripple of another deity’s aura washed over Anna, and she turned as thunder rumbled over the city, just in time to see a stocky, brown-haired human land outside the room, his beard and hair crackling with lightning as he scowled, a flail that was wreathed with lightning as well in one hand, while he wore elaborate armor that made him look even more imposing, or at least she assumed that was the intent. He certainly didn’t look happy to see her, though, and Anna didn’t recognize him.

  “Hellspawn, how dare you intrude into our sanctum!” the deity boomed, causing Anna’s eyebrows to both rise. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a chance to reply before he shot toward her, lightning crackling in his wake as he attacked her. Unfortunately for him, his movements were far too predictable.

  Anna didn’t bother dodging, a hint of derision welling up inside her, and she muttered under her breath, “Children.”

  Her free hand snapped up as the flail lashed out at her, and with her power flooding through her it was as easy as could be for Anna to catch it, and her arm barely trembled as a thunderclap exploded outward from the impact, lightning arcing uselessly down her gauntlet. Anna stopped the weapon in mid-air, her fingers half-curled around the head of the flail and using the spikes as handles as she looked at the suddenly shocked deity in front of her.

  “Is this how Uthren greets guests these days? I must say, its standards have fallen,” Anna replied coldly, and with that she ripped the flail clean out of the man’s hands, tossed it in the air, and caught the handle on its way down. “As for calling me hellspawn, that was quite rude. I must assume you believe me to be ashborn, but nothing could be farther from the truth.”

  “What the… give that back!” the man demanded, lunging toward the flail with lightning speed, but Anna stepped out of the way, easily anticipating his movements as she clicked her tongue.

  “No, no… I think I’ll give it back when you’ve proven you deserve to have it. At the moment I’m afraid that you’re more likely to destroy your own temple,” Anna said, and her gaze drifted to the side as another deity appeared, this one also unknown to her, though the blonde woman looked a good deal more cautious, as her eyes widened at the sight of Anna and the man. Anna politely corrected herself. “Or, to be more accurate, the temple of you and your fellow deities. I can’t say that I’m impressed at how things have changed.”

  “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” the woman asked, her voice cool as her hazel eyes narrowed, a hint of concern in her voice.

  “I’m here to see an old friend and get the assistance a young friend of mine is owed,” Anna replied, dodging again as the man took another swipe at the flail, a smile flickering over her lips. He had a lot to learn, and she could tell he was relatively new to his powers. “As for who I am—”

  “What is the meaning of this commotion?” another voice interrupted, and a thinner man with brown hair and eyes landed in the entryway, wind swirling around him as he looked around, then almost froze as his gaze settled on Anna.

  “Ah, hello, Herbert. Did your fellow deities pass on their mantles again?” Anna asked mildly, raising an eyebrow at him.

  Herbert froze in place for a long moment, and Anna saw the woman give him a startled look as the deity’s jaw worked, then he finally spoke incredulously. “You’re alive? You’ve been missing for thousands of years!”

  “I was not missing. I was hiding; there’s a distinct difference,” Anna corrected, clicking her tongue as she shook her head, then saw the thunder god’s eyes shift just in time to dodge as he made another attempt to reclaim his flail, and she continued. “Also, the manners around here seem to have grown worse in the last few millennia. I was accused of being hellspawn and attacked without warning.”

  “Krath, stop that, you’re just embarrassing yourself,” Herbert said, reaching up to rub his eyes as he took a deep breath, then sighed. “As to that, I do apologize for your reception, but you must understand that almost no one knows of you personally anymore. I’d also appreciate it if you called me Cyclone; I struck my original name from the records before you disappeared.”

  The god stopped trying to reclaim his flail, looking at Herbert in surprise, and Anna couldn’t help
a smile, as well as wondering why he looked away when he was well within reach. The man was obviously inexperienced, which she thought foolish. The woman cleared her throat, crossing her arms as she looked between Anna and Herbert.

  “May I ask who she is, since you seem to know each other?” the woman asked, her voice somewhat sharp. “I have no idea who she is, yet you seem wary of her, Lord of Gales.”

  “Ah, of course,” Herbert said, shaking himself slightly as he took a deep breath, then bowed his head to Anna as he continued. “May I introduce Krath, Lord of Thunder, and Sanguine, Lady of Blood? Krath, Sanguine… this is Anathiel, Archangel of War.”

  “You’re who?” Krath blurted out, the blood draining from his face as he stared at Anna in shock, and possibly a little horror. Sanguine had also paled a little, and Anna couldn’t help raising an eyebrow.

  “I prefer to go by Anna, as that was the name I used while I was in hiding, but Cyclone is correct. Did you all pick new names as deities? They don’t sound normal to me, but I have been out of touch for a while,” Anna said, a smile flickering across her face. “I am a little surprised that people remember me, though. It’s been a good four thousand years, after all.”

  “Choosing names that we aren’t embarrassed by has become something of a tradition,” Herbert, no, Cyclone said, as Anna struggled to adjust to the new name. He let out a breath, shaking his head incredulously as he continued. “On the other hand, how in the blazes do you think people would forget you? You led five invasions of the hells, five, and are one of the most legendary generals in history! It’s barely been a dozen angelic generations since you vanished, if even that. Why did you vanish, anyway? Hiding, you said?”

  “I got tired of war,” Anna said bluntly, her smile fading a little as she sighed softly, then looked at Krath as she asked, “Are you going to attack me again?”

  “Ah… no, I don’t think so. My apologies, Your Excellency, but your wings gave me the wrong impression,” Krath said, with a sheepish look on his face that made Anna smile.