by W H Lock
It was the Archangel Uriel; Guardian of the Gates of Paradise, Prince of the Presence, Angel of Repentance, and the Light of God.
"Ah shit," Quinn said.
Chapter Forty-One
The Archangel Uriel stood to his full height. He towered over the humans around him by more than a head in height. His wings spread out to fill the surrounding space. He wore the battle armor of an angel. It resembled the armor of a Spartan warrior, covering his chest, forearms and lower legs, and a leather pleated kilt around his waist. Unlike Asbiel, Uriel glowed with an inner radiance. But their eyes were the same, a starless void that had gazed upon eternity without blinking.
The Barghest stopped savaging Oscar's fading shields and looked up at the holy being in the room. It snarled in a deep hatred, an emotion well beyond the compulsion to guard and protect the dagger. It turned and ran at Uriel. It leapt into the air. It extended four legs to wrap around the angel and rend him to pieces.
Uriel casually backhanded the barghest in mid-air. The beast yelped at it was flung across the room. It landed on its dog-cat feet, roared in defiance and charged at Uriel again. This time the angel caught the beast by the nap of its neck. Without a flicker in the angel’s beatific expression, Uriel summoned his Heavenly Sword in his other hand.
Holy flames wreathed the massive blade. Looking at it, Quinn remembered that Uriel was the angel charged with guarding the gates of Eden.
Uriel raised his pitiless blade to strike when a voice held his thrust.
"Put that mutt down, Uriel. You have no right to be here," Del said from the door.
Quinn turned to look in surprise. The Del he’d known would have run far and fast with a werewolf on her tails. Quinn had honestly thought that he’d never see Del again.
Del limped into the ruined storefront. She was wearing a sports bra and bike shorts she had scavenged from somewhere. She had cuts and bruises across her body where Eno had gotten a touch on her. She looked at Quinn and pointed at him.
"I'll deal with you and your shite later, boyo," she said. She turned back to Uriel and said, "Thou art in violation of thine oath, o Prince of the Presence. Wouldst thou foreswear for such as this, o Guardian of the Gate of Paradise?"
"Who dares speaketh such to me? What mortal has such boldness? Verily, there art none hither who canst command me. Come forth! I would rest my gaze upon thine seeming."
Del stepped forward, standing straighter and lifting her chin. "Delilah the Sly, Holder of the Shadow of Man, bearer of the jade scepter of the Lord of Greed. I move with his hand and speak with his voice."
"A fox for a hound? What sort of merriment is this? Tis a most excellent jest. Your Lord Mammon was always a fellow of infinite fancy. But we must be about our business, mortals, flee e'er I end thee."
"Nay, Angel. That beast is bound to my lord and thus to me. Thou didst bind to treaty with thine brothers. Release my lord's pet, quit this field, and we shall be done in deed and in word."
"Quit the field?!? The jests abound! Nay, Shadow Bearer, I shall not remove myself hither. This infernal servant seeks to harm one of mine own liegemen. I am within my rights to defend mine own. And thus I do."
As pitiless as any devil, Uriel slowly pushed his Heavenly Sword through the throat of the beast. It yelped in surprise, a high kitten-like mewl, and then it choked on its own blood as it gasped for air. Uriel tossed the beast against the wall. The neck snapped as it hit. It slumped to the ground in a bloody smear.
With a flick, Del summoned her gun. She held in both hands, taking a professional marksman's stance. She kept the pistol aimed at Uriel's head. She was sure of everything in that moment.
"The dagger is mine, Uriel. Leave or face the consequences." Del flicked the safety off on her pistol. It never moved from the bead she had drawn on Uriel's head.
Uriel looked over his shoulder at Del. His face did not change expression as the Heavenly Sword flickered and became a spear. With a massive heave, Uriel turned and threw the spear using the strength of his entire body.
Impossibly, Del fired two rounds before the spear reached her. When the spear hit Del, she folded in half with the impact. The spear dragged her with as it drove itself into the ground several feet behind where she had been standing. Del stood but only because the spear held her up.
Uriel grabbed at his head and roared in pain. A white liquid that flowed like blood spurt from the wound she had struck on Uriel. He stood back to his full height and kept one hand over his face.
"Nay, Fox. The dagger shall be mine," he said in a voice that was as terrible and as beautiful as the sunrise before a hurricane. Uriel let go of his face. She had missed. The bullet had scored a track along the side of his head. He bled freely; glowing white flowed down his cheek like blood.
Uriel held his hand out to his spear. The heavenly weapon wiggled, causing the end to move back and forth. Del flopped around with the spear’s movement, looking like a poorly animated marionette. The spear was stuck at first, but then it broke free of the ground with a snap. The spear slid back out through her chest with a wet sucking sound. Black blood flung out as the spear left her body, splattering the walls and floor.
Quinn watched Del die. The place in his heart he held for her was strange and quiet and painful.
"Fetch the dagger," Uriel said out loud to no one in particular.
Gwen stood up and dusted herself off. She straightened her clothing and walked towards Quinn and the satchels. She smiled at him in apology and sorrow.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I love you. Once I have finished, you will see how right I was. Now, please, give me the dagger?"
Quinn nodded at Uriel and asked, "Why doesn't he come over here and take it?"
No one said anything.
"He's the most powerful being for miles, probably this side of the Mississippi. Why hasn't he come over here and taken it?”
Gwen looked at the floor in silence. Then, after a moment, she looked back up and said, "Quinn, please do the right thing. Give me the dagger and everything will work out. God will come back to us, and we will be filled in his glory."
Quinn looked back at Del's body. She was on her back, starring with dead eyes at the ceiling. A too-large pool of blood formed around her. He looked at Elly across the room. She had her wand out and was moving towards him, her eyes locked on Uriel. Karen was kneeling, her hands moving in a complex pattern. The lines of force around her were pale but building in strength.
Quinn had no idea what they were planning, but he had to buy time.
"I think he can't come over here. Maybe it's because of that treaty Del talked about? Maybe it's because technically taking it would be stealing. Which is a sin." Quinn looked right at Uriel and wagged a finger.
The angel did not respond.
Quinn looked at Gwen and then Oscar. "That's why he told one of you to get it for him. Not because he's a pompous dick who expects servants to do whatever he wants, although he is that." Quinn looked Uriel in the eyes.
The angel chuckled in delight. "Thou art a marvel, Chwin. Rumor hath preceded thee. Thine boldness puts e’en their claims to naught."
Quinn twitched at the name his adoptive mother had given him.
"He told you to come over here and take it because he can't. That’s why he didn’t take the lantern, the skull, or the dagger. He’s an archangel. Nothing on Earth could stop him. He didn’t because he can’t." Quinn looked at Oscar with a sneer. "So that puts us right back where we were. I have the dagger and you don’t."
Quinn flipped the large circular table back over to stand on its legs. He whispered the words to himself and summoned a circle. The aquamarine eldritch lines pulled themselves up out of the world and into the light. They spread across the table in a spinning pattern. The scent of ivy blew through the room. Quinn reached below the table and hauled up the satchel. He placed it on the table and grabbed the edge of the table. With a flick, he spun the entire top of the table, as if it were a giant record. At first, the satchel was alone, but
as it spun faster and faster, the satchel turned into a yellow blur.
Quinn pressed his hand against the table edge. The spinning table slowed to a stop. Now there were three identical yellow satchels on it.
"How about we play one more game? You guess where the lady is at and you can have the dagger. You guess wrong, and you leave. No dagger. Nothing. I win."
The angel's laughter filled the room and shook the walls. "Thou art merriment unto thyself. E'en anon thou struggle to delayeth the inevitable. I can seeth wherefore mine own broth'r Asbiel speaks so of thee."
"I think she identifies as a woman, but you can take that up with her. What's it going to be?" Quinn looked at Oscar and then at Gwen. "Just you and me. We find out who the best really is."
"Tis a trap," Uriel said.
"Three-card monte, Quinn. That's so precious," Oscar said. "But sure, Quinn, why not? One more chance to show the world that I will always be better than you? I’ll take that. I find the little lady and go home with her.” Oscar came forward to stand next to Gwen. He put his arm possessively around Gwen’s waist. “And more important, you admit that I am the best.”
Quinn said nothing. He stood there and waited.
"I don't know which one, Oscar. How can you tell?" Gwen stared intently at the three bags on the table.
"The thing about three-card monte, Gwen, is it's a scam. The card is nowhere near where you think it will be. You just have to figure out the least likely place that it will be and look there." Oscar grinned at Quinn. Oscar pointed at Quinn and said, "And he knows I know that. The three of us used to run this scam on the Santa Monica boardwalk back in the day to get lunch money."
"So, if he knows that you know, does he know that you know that he knows that you know?" Gwen asked. "And if he knows, where did he put the dagger?"
Oscar stared at the satchels.
"What fools you mortals be," Uriel said. He swept his broad hand across the room. His magic spread across the room as a wave from his hand. "Lies belongeth to the Devil. Sooth is akin to God. He is by yon harlot."
The wave started by Uriel's arm reached the table. The three bags on the table and Quinn rippled like reflections in water and vanished. The empty space next to Del's body changed to reveal the real Quinn. He was gently touching her face. Quinn felt the magic wash over him and dispel his illusion. He turned to the trio and smiled his 10,000 mega-watt smile with a dash of innocent scamp. He was also holding the satchel.
For a moment the world stood still.
In a single smooth motion, Quinn picked up Del’s gun as he stood, and fired at Uriel.
The angel roared in pain. A gout of luminous white blood erupted from the endless black of his eye. Uriel clapped one hand to his head, covering the now useless eye. Before Quinn could blink, Uriel spread his wings and leapt across the massive empty room. He backhanded Quinn with a casual gesture.
The blow hit Quinn as if he had been thrown into an oncoming bus. His body went limp in shock as he flew back. He felt multiple bones break. He dropped the satchel as he tumbled head over heels.
"Thou shalt learn suffering as none other, mortal! E’en Lucifer shall pale upon hearing of thine punishments!"
"You've clearly never met my mother." Quinn tried to stand but couldn't shake the wobbliness from the blow and the landing. He got to his hands and knees only to fall over again.
Uriel strode across the room. He picked Quinn up by the scruff of his neck. With a shake, Uriel suffused Quinn with a white light. Quinn screamed in pain as the magic flowed through him. It pushed his bones back into place and fussed them back together.
“That is but a taste of what I shall visit upon thee.” Uriel tossed Quinn against the wall again. Quinn slumped to the ground.
Oscar walked forward and picked up the satchel. He opened it. He inspected the insides for a moment. He tossed out the two fake daggers without hesitation. He pulled the false back and said, "Karen. So predictable. And, Quinn, once again what you had is now mine." Oscar looked at Gwen and then back at Quinn. Oscar’s smile was hard and cruel.
Gwen blushed and looked away.
Quinn stood. The pain of the broken bones that had been forcibly healed made him want to stay down and whimper. But he stood anyway. Quinn glared at Gwen and Oscar.
"THIS IS THE FBI! THE BUILDING IS SURROUNDED! RELEASE YOUR MAGIC AND LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS!"
"Come hither. We must be away." Uriel stood to his full height. The white blood from his eye poured down his face and across his chest. The eye was destroyed.
Oscar flipped the dagger in the air and caught it by the hilt. He laughed and walked back to stand by the angel. Gwen and Andre joined him at the feet of the angel. Uriel folded his wings around the three humans and raised his hand to the ceiling. A huge section of the ceiling exploded up into the air. A column of undeniably pure light flooded in from the heavens. Uriel spread his wings and jumped into the air. He effortlessly flapped his wings and flew into the night, quickly fading into the stars. The three humans were pulled up along behind him like trailing stars.
FBI agents in tactical gear flooded into the room. Their riot shields held high, each shield casting a protective magical barrier around the men to block any oncoming magical or mundane attacks.
Karen pulled her hands together in a complicated but swift movement. She was sure she could cast the net and lock everyone in place just long enough to get away when she felt the hard pressure of a wand tip against her temple.
"Don't even think about it," Elly said. "You're under arrest, Karen Lee. Let that go, or I blast you into whatever dimension you don't want to be in." Midnight landed on Elly's shoulder and glared at Karen.
Quinn stood up and cleared the uncertainty from his head with a few shakes.
Agents streamed in from the ruined front door and secured the room. They brought in Eno, Max, and Rube. The humans were handcuffed but Eno, being a werewolf, was muzzled and shackled. Walking in behind them was Special Agent in Charge Nelson. He whistled at the destruction.
"Well, Quinn. I have to admit when you go big, you go real big," Nelson said with a shake of his head. He ran his hand across his thinning scalp and looked around the room. "You did your part. Now I'll do mine. You're free to go."
"What?" everyone said at the same time. Eno said nothing. He just glared.
"You heard me, Quinn. You delivered. I am living up to my end of the bargain. You're free to go. Just like in the deal."
"No!" Quinn said. "You arrest me! This isn't like that! You need to arrest me!"
Eno and Karen looked at Quinn. Each of them went through confusion, understanding, pain, and then anger. Each emotion rolling over them and leaving only anger. They glared at Quinn. Max looked at Quinn, his eyes wide with the pain of betrayal. Rube just looked at the floor.
"We didn’t agree on anything," Quinn yelled. "I'm a criminal. I broke the law. You need to arrest me! I stole that dagger! Arrest me!"
"Don't you remember our meeting here in Savannah? Or the one Austin? Agent Barnes was there. I'm living up to my end." Nelson nodded at the door. "Get him out of here."
Several agents grabbed Quinn and locked his arms against his side. They hustled him away from his team.
Quinn shouted over his shoulder, "No! You don't understand! This isn't what you think! He's lying!"
The agents dragged Quinn out of the building. A white van was waiting for him. It wasn't a prison transportation style van. This was a VIP van with interior LED lights, steps, and bottled water waiting for him. They let go of him.
"Fuck you guys. You can go straight to Hell," Quinn said. He turned and walked away. He didn't dare look back at his team. He didn't want to see their faces.
Despite the pain of his healed bones, Quinn had no choice but to walk away. He knew it wouldn't take long for word to spread. Eno, Karen, Rube, and Max, especially Max, would talk the moment they were in the holding cell. Once Oscar heard, Quinn knew Oscar would make sure the story got spread as wide and as far as it possibly coul
d.
By letting Quinn go and saying he had set his friends up, Nelson had taken everything away from Quinn. Nelson knew no one could trust Quinn anymore. No one would work with him. No bankroll would front him gold to run a game.
Quinn was alone.
And the world was going to end.
Soon.
"Well, Quinn," someone said from the nearby darkness. "You really screwed that one."
Quinn stopped and turned. The man's hair was perfectly tousled as if it had a mind of its own. He looked exactly like Quinn, except this man wore a black velvet suit. Unlike Quinn, this man wasn't covered in a mix of his own blood and the blood of a dead former lover. He smirked knowingly. His eyes were black and soulless.
"Fuck," was all that Quinn could say.
Chapter Forty-Two
Anyone looking at the two men would think they were identical twins. There wasn’t much difference in their appearance. The newcomer was dressed in a black velvet jacket . His bow tie draped around his neck and the top three buttons his ivory shirt were undone. There was a smudge of lipstick on the collar.
Quinn's much plainer clothing was torn and soaked in blood. Some of it his own.
And of course there were the eyes. The newcomer’s eyes were black and empty, just like Uriel and Asbiel’s eyes. Starless voids that had stared into the abyss and not blinked for an eternity.
Quinn and the newcomer both had great hair.
"I mean, you screwed this up," the man said. "I bet on you hard, Quinn. I even sent my best ringer to help, and you still screwed it up. And got her killed to boot!"
Quinn shook his head. His best ringer? Got her killed? In a moment it snapped together for Quinn.
"You're Mammon," Quinn said.
"And you're sharp," said Mammon, Lord of Greed and one of the seven Princes of Hell. "Normally I prefer Your Highness or Your Covetednes but this is an off-the-book meeting, so I'll let it slide. This time."