Baylahn: A Supernatural Action Adventure Opera (War Of The Angels Book 3)

by Michael Todd

  The two demons swallowed hard, seeing her reaction and the heat bubbling off Lucifer. He took a deep breath and gently rubbed his claw down Baal’s cheek. “I am disappointed in you, Baal. You have always made…conscious choices.”

  He took a step back and looked at the two of them. “I should rip your teeth out and wear them as a necklace.”

  Beelzebub and Baal gulped but didn’t dare say a word. Lucifer snarled, then a small smirk pulled at the edges of his lips. “But I am not going to. I like your initiative.”

  The seal on Beelzebub’s lips loosened and his eyes widened in relief. “Thank you, my Lord. It was I who felt that we needed to push the demons further to really get the message across to them. I knew we needed to strike hard and fast when we heard the humans were building forts to keep us out. I immediately sent in troops to disperse them and slow them down. To show them that we do not take their ignorance and betrayal lightly.”

  Lucifer snarled at him. “What are these forts?”

  Beelzebub cleared his throat, ignoring the angry side glance from Baal. “They are very high-tech, state-of-the-art facilities. They have the ability to protect an entire city and connect to others. The mercs, especially Katie’s mercenary team, have been working around the clock to get them built. They are trying to save as many pathetic meatsacks as they can.”

  Lucifer turned and walked back up, brushing his hand over Mania’s hair as he passed her. He sat and crossed his legs, smiling as he rubbed his chin. “State of the art? We’ll see about that.”

  Beelzebub’s smile quickly faded, and Baal clenched his fists tightly to stop their shaking. While Mania laughed maniacally, calling her birds to her shoulders, the demons froze in complete and utter fear. Baal noted excitement on Lucifer’s face, which was the last thing he expected. In fact, it was the last thing that he wanted at that point.

  Sometimes a happy Lucifer was scarier than an angry one.

  The sun shone brightly as it peeked over the buildings in New York. Car horns honked loudly, and angry New Yorkers stomped down the streets on their way to work. Juntto wiggled his toes in his shoes, smiling at the fuzzy socks he had put on. The door of the limo opened and he got out, stretching his arms over his head. For public appearances, he looked like any average mid-thirties human on his way to work, but that would change once they were inside the UN building.

  He entered, looking at the guards, who walked over to him. “What can we help you with, sir? You must be on the list to pass through here.”

  He morphed his face, flashing them a deep blue grin. “I think that will suffice for identification. And the name is Juntto the Warrior, if you want to check your list.”

  The guards started and looked at two men in suits standing to the right. They walked over and nodded at Juntto. “Right this way.”

  They escorted him down the elevator and into the World Council’s bunker. As soon as he went through the doors, he let his body shift into his normal large blue form, although not as large as he could get. He wanted to intimidate them, but not at the cost of taking their focus from what they were there to discuss.

  Katie, Pandora, and the general were already there, waiting for him at a table at the front. He lumbered forward, pulled out a chair, and shrank down small enough to sit comfortably. He sneered, leaning toward Pandora. “Definitely no Hygge in this room.”

  Pandora lifted an eyebrow. “No, these men aren’t worried about fuzzy slippers and blankets, and neither should you be with the information I have. Pull it the fuck together.”

  Katie glared at them. “Shush.”

  Sitting around a large moon-shaped raised desk in front of them were several members of the council. Behind them on video feeds were President Dragos of Romania with his usual snide look and the UK prime minister. They were unable to make it to New York on such short notice but had been told the meeting was of grave importance.

  President Dragos cleared his throat and banged the gavel. “Before we begin, I have something I would like to say. Katie and Pandora, I and all of Romania would like to sincerely apologize for the misunderstandings we had in the past. At no time would I have turned my back on you if there hadn't been demonic forces relaying false information to me and the rest of this council. We understand now where your frustration came from, and we hope to cooperate smoothly in the future.”

  Katie cleared her throat and glanced at Pandora. “We have all been under the influence of misconceptions, and we appreciate the apology. We too would like to move forward and do what is necessary to win this war against the very threat that attempted to split this council apart.”

  The general nodded and stood up. “I would like to thank Juntto for coming today on such short notice. We know you are just now getting accustomed to this dimension, and we are grateful for the help you have offered the humans on this planet to date.”

  Pandora elbowed Juntto, who sat up and cleared his throat. “Uh, yes. I was enjoying my Hygge life, but I want to help in any way I can. I am not quite sure why I am here today, though.”

  The general glanced at Pandora. “Pandora will shine light on this for all of us. Pandora?”

  She cleared her throat and stood up, walking out onto the floor. She lifted a notebook and pointed to some demonic language written inside. “I know you cannot read this, but I was able to translate most of it from a document I found pinned to a motel wall. It seems that Fuck-boy Wilson and his red-headed gladiator have found the location of Baylahn.”

  Juntto stood up, shocked and wobbling, and had to sit back down. The general noted his reaction. “Juntto, are you all right?”

  Juntto swallowed hard and looked at the council. “This is not good. Not good at all. Baylahn is one of the Seven Monsters of Time. One of the great Leviathans.”

  Pandora nodded. “That’s right. Juntto is the Warrior, and he is now our ally. Tiamat was the Destroyer, but the Army took very good care of her. Sasha, or Teyollucuani the Spider Queen, was also killed, but there are more.”

  The council members shook their heads. “But they have to be found or called upon, correct?”

  Juntto put his hands together, a grave look on his face. “That is not true. Many of them feed off evil. They feed off the fear from the humans around them. It takes a large push of those emotions and senses, but when they are unleashed, they can be detrimental to human existence. With more demonic activity comes more evil lurking around the surface of the Earth.”

  Pandora cut in, “And with more evil comes more fear from the human species. The Leviathans are starting to wake on their own.”

  Gasps arose from the council members and those sitting in the audience, and everyone began to whisper back and forth. Even with Pandora’s diminishing demon powers, she could feel the anxiety and terror flowing through the souls of the humans around her. She could see the auras of fear, even on the general, who kept a straight and quiet face.

  Dragos yelled from the video screen, “QUIET! We must keep our heads. We are here to make reasonable decisions. Can you tell us about the other Leviathans, especially this one that Wilson seeks?”

  Juntto nodded. “The other Leviathans are Legion the Many, Kabbus the Nightmare, and the Unnamed One. Then, of course, there is Baylahn, the largest and possibly the most dangerous of all of the Leviathans. His strength and size make me look like a human child.”

  Pandora took a deep breath. “He has remained undetected for so long because he is so big.”

  The general furrowed his brow. “How is that possible?”

  Pandora thought about it for a moment. “If you were in a submarine and you sent your sonar out, and it bounced back the way it would if it hit an underwater mountain, would you think it was anything else?”

  The general shook his head. “No, not unless there were other signs.”

  Pandora nodded. “Right, and this Leviathan, asleep, would give no other signs. It would take spanning out as far as you could to look at the anomaly in order to see that it was in fact not a mountain.
Even then it would still look like some large rock formation.”

  Juntto walked forward. “Ancient cultures knew about him. They used to say he was too big for any one sea to hold, so he was forced to circle the Earth endlessly.”

  The general stood up, gripping his pen tightly. “Katie? Pandora? Juntto? We’re asking too much of you this time. The other Leviathans will be explored, but we have to deal with the clear and present threat at hand. We need you to follow Wilson, find Baylahn, and if necessary, neutralize him.”

  Pandora glanced at Katie and tried to stay calm. “We can find him and call for reinforcements, but I don’t know if we can take him out.”

  The general frowned. “Why not?”

  Pandora chuckled nervously. “Have you been listening to me? He’s big.”

  Dragos narrowed his eyes. “How big?”

  Pandora let out a deep breath and began to pace. “He could eat all of New York City in one bite and have Philadelphia for dessert. I am talking about a beast who could initiate an extinction-level event for humanity. A creature so large and fierce that if you made it angry, it would take out half of the United States before you could pick up the phone to call the President. He is a game-changer, and he will end the story if you don’t handle things properly. Right now, your biggest concern is how to begin to understand the sheer size of this beast. You have to start thinking bigger.”

  The general looked at Juntto, unsure if Pandora was overdramatizing. Juntto nodded. “She speaks the truth. You have never seen the likes of this beast, and if you do, you probably won’t live to tell about it.”

  The cool breeze blew across the open space outside the Taiwanese village. Calvin undid the sweatshirt from around his waist and pulled it over his head. “One thing I miss about having a demon is having my body temperature regulated. Seriously, that has been one of the biggest things I’ve had to get used to. For years I never felt too cold or too hot unless I was in the middle of a battle and my demon was busy doing something else.”

  Korbin chuckled, hopping onto a crate next to him and sitting down. “Well, at least Taiwan has mild temperatures. They say this is pretty much the coldest it gets here all year.”

  Calvin nodded. “Kind of like California.”

  A group of Taiwanese soldiers walked past carrying one of the larger crates of ammo. They were rebuilding the fort in Taiwan, making sure that everything was up to spec and solid. The government there wanted as much protection as they could get, regardless of the cost. One of the Taiwanese soldiers called from on top of the wall. “Zài fàngzhì pēnqiāng zhīqián bìxū níngjǐn luóshuān. Zhèngquè?”

  Korbin stood up, nodding. “Shì. Jiāng tāmen níngjǐn zhì zuìdà róngliàng, ránhòu jiāng pēnqiāng jiàngxià bìng níngjǐn.”

  Calvin chuckled. “He could have just asked you for my mother’s recipe for fruitcake, and I wouldn’t know the difference.”

  Korbin laughed and slapped him on the back. “I know a lot of different languages. He wanted to know if we tighten the bolts before the gun is laid in.”

  Calvin nodded. “Gotcha.”

  They sat and watched as the teams set up the state-of-the-art guns and detection systems that were on the plans for the fort. Everything was coming together fast, which had been shown to be important at that point. Korbin stood and stretched his arms. “Gotta get to that final meeting with the government.”

  Calvin shook his head. “Mind if I stay behind for this one? I want to give Sofia a call.”

  Korbin smiled. “Sure. Tell her I said hello.”

  Calvin smirked. “Will do, boss.”

  Calvin pulled out his phone, calculating what time it was in California. It was nine at night in Taiwan, which meant it was about five in the morning where she was. There was a possibility he would wake her up, but he hadn’t talked to her in a few days. He dialed the number and waited for her to answer.

  “You go all the way around the world, and you forget what time it is here?” She laughed.

  Calvin smiled. “It’s five in the morning there. I know it’s early, but I wanted to talk to you before it got too late here.”

  Sofia yawned. “It’s okay. I was awake. I’ve been unable to sleep comfortably lately. I think it’s about time I get to the doctor again.”

  Calvin perked up. “Is there something wrong? I can fly back.”

  Sofia giggled. “Nothing’s wrong. Calm down. You know pregnant women go to their doctors regularly. I’m getting a little belly now.”

  Calvin sighed. “Aww. You better send me a picture of that.”

  Sofia chuckled. “I took some last night, but they’re for your eyes only.”

  Calvin laughed. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been waiting for that.”

  Sofia let out a deep breath. “I miss you. Tell me about Taiwan.”

  Calvin looked around. “Well, there is a ton of amazing food. Actually, some of it is amazing, but some of it makes me want to puke. I am eating a lot of fish, though.”

  Sofia yawned again. “That’s good for you.”

  Calvin snorted. “Yeah, except that the government people love to go out drinking. They take shots of this clear strong shit that will put anyone on their ass. I call it Dragon Juice because I can’t ever remember the damn name.”

  Sofia smiled through the phone. “My black Taiwanese dragon.”

  Calvin smiled. “Roar. But seriously, that shit will make you breathe fire.”

  5

  The council members had excused themselves, leaving the details to the general. They were all going to make precautionary preparations in case this Leviathan became an immediate threat to their countries and the safety of their people. The only thing they knew to do with something of that size was to start preparing underground shelters and hope that was good enough in case of an attack. Neither Pandora nor Juntto had the heart to tell them that it most likely wasn’t going to matter. If Baylahn made his way to shore, most of their people would die.

  The general pulled Katie, Pandora, and Juntto to the side. “Thank you, folks, for coming here with this information. I know it must be hard to face those who just a month ago tried to have you killed.”

  Katie cut Pandora off before she could say anything. “It was a misunderstanding. Water under the bridge.”

  The general nodded. “Good. I’m glad you feel that way. This is a huge undertaking, and trust me, I am not walking lightly into this situation. If I could send anyone other than my three most important warriors, I would, but from the sound of it, it’s going to require everything we have to take care of this problem before it devastates the world.”

  Juntto stood up tall. “We are here in service, and we will do what we need to do.”

  Pandora gave him a side glance. “Suck-up.”

  The general cracked a smile and took a deep breath. “Okay, here is the deal. I need you to apprehend Wilson and bring him back alive.”

  Katie gritted her teeth. “That’s a tall order.”

  The general patted her on the shoulder. “I know it is, but the world needs to see him brought to trial. We need to get you guys to him as fast as we possibly can.”

  Juntto looked at Katie and Pandora. “Hopping the portal train?”

  Katie shook her head. “That won’t work. Baylahn is a moving target. We’ll have to take a sub.”

  The general nodded. “I figured as much, so we are currently preparing one for you. It will be small, but not as small as the one Wilson is on. I have also called Dr. Thorough and Dr. Alice Cromwell. They are providing the weapons and technology for this whole thing.”

  Katie slapped her hands together. “Sounds good, but we have no time to waste. Tell me where they are, and I’ll go grab them through the portals. The fate of humanity depends on us.”

  Katie, Juntto, and Pandora collected their weapons and Katie opened a portal in the lobby. The general tipped his head to them as they stepped through it. Juntto came out last, barely getting out of the way before Katie snapped it shut behind them. He sn
eered, looking around him. “It’s fucking hot here. You cannot Hygge in such conditions.”

  Pandora looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You need to stop obsessing. Not everything is going to be perfect and cozy for you, especially when we are walking through a swamp to get to our weapons.”

  Katie covered her mouth. “It smells like sulfur here.”

  Pandora sighed. “What do you expect? We are standing in a bog of some sort in a weird dimension.”

  Juntto slowly looked down as a large snake wrapped itself around his leg. He growled and grabbed it with his hands, crushing it between his palms, then threw the snake down hard. “I want my Hygge back. Let me at this Baylahn. I will crush him like I did the snake.”

  Pandora scoffed. “Yeah, right. If only it were that easy.”

  Katie quickly opened a portal, and the three of them hurried through.

  The base was quiet as Katie, Pandora, and Juntto stepped into the hallway. Juntto took a deep breath. “Much cooler here, but still not cozy.”

  Katie looked at a window at the end of the hallway. There were lights on inside, and machinery whizzed and whirred. “That looks like the lab. We will probably find them in there.”

  The three hurried down the corridor and into the lab. Dr. Thorough and Alice looked up and smiled. “We were wondering when you would get here. We are packing the things for you right now. We got short notice on all this, so we are sorry if it isn’t specifically what you need. The directions were a bit jumbled. Something about a giant Leviathan who could eat the entirety of the world?”

  Dr. Thorough nervously placed the duffel bags on the table next to the weapons. “Alice took the phone call. The whole Leviathan thing is terrifying.”