“You know, it’s funny you should come here and tell me you need to get to Cocytus,” said Beelzebub. “Becuzzz I’ve heard some rumblingzzz. Of increased activity in the Badlands.”
“The Badlands have always been dangerous territory, that’s not news,” said Mara.
“Though I’d prefer your whore hold her tongue in my palace, she’s not wrong,” said Beelzebub. “However, this is different. I’ve even heard tell of demons leaving the comfort of the city walls to journey into the Badlands.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Lucifer. “Why would they take on that risk without good cause?”
“My sentiments exactly,” said Beelzebub. “And now, you want to go to Cocytus. I wonder if this has anything to do with the rumors of a new threat rising in the Badlands. There are even suspicions that perhaps this is not a newly arrived demon, but one who escaped the confines of Cocytus.”
“Is that so?” asked Lucifer.
Beelzebub nodded. “Though that’s not possible, izzz it? Becuzzz Cocytus is impenetrable. No one can break in, no one can break out. That is what you promised us all those eons ago, wazzz it not?”
“You want the truth, Beelzebub? Very well, here it is.” Lucifer leaned against the table and paused for effect before continuing. “Yes, I’ve heard about these rumors. In fact, Mara was the one who brought them to my attention during her most-recent report to her mistress. As Cocytus was built by me, I felt it was my responsibility to check in on it. But I prefer to travel in secret, because if these are simply rumors, then I don’t want to cause a panic.”
“Hmmm…” muttered Beelzebub. “Would make sense, I suppozzze…”
“Now you know why I didn’t want to go to Cross. If it proves to be nothing, then no one need know about any of this. But if it’s something, then at least I’ll have the element of surprise on my side. So what do you say? Are you willing to help me one more time?”
Beelzebub’s gossamer wings beat furiously and he returned to the head of the table. He steepled his long, thin arms together and focused his gaze on the Morningstar.
“Very well, Lucifer. Tell me what it izzz you require.”
11
Beelzebub’s aid consisted of a vehicle they could use and a small assortment of guards following behind for added protection. The vehicle itself was a carriage drawn by a basilisk—a ten-foot-tall scaly, six-legged creature with a head resembling an iguana and one giant red eye.
Outside, it had the same chitinous appearance as pretty much everything else in Beelzebub’s realm. But inside, it proved remarkably comfortable. There were padded benches at both the front and back of the cabin, and the cushions were soft enough to sleep on. One-way windows ran across the entire circumference of the roundish carriage, providing a 360-degree view of the terrain. There was a driver guiding the basilisk, seated on the roof of the carriage.
Lucifer looked through the windows at their escorts. Four demons, each of them clad in the same armor as the ones in the realm, mounted on giant flies. The Morningstar then focused his attention on the sword that rested in the corner in a sheath. Without the ability to manipulate hellfire, Beelzebub had also generously provided Lucifer with a weapon he could use to defend himself.
“You’re quiet,” he said to Mara, who sat across from him.
“There’s something I don’t understand,” she said. “You told me Beelzebub was loyal.”
Lucifer nodded. “The little disagreement he referred to.”
“You said he spoke out against you and then you knocked him unconscious,” said Mara. “That sounds like a tad more than a little disagreement.”
“To those unfamiliar with our relationship, sure,” said Lucifer. “Beelzebub can be trusted to be honest with me. He’s not some servile demon who will do whatever I ask.”
“When you need some assistance, is servile such a bad thing?” asked Mara.
“Perhaps not, but those other Hell Lords only showed that kind of submissiveness when I sat on the throne. Now that I’m no longer there, how can I trust that any of them would still do the same?”
“But you were confident enough that Beelzebub would.”
He nodded. “I was. Beelzebub is a friend, has been dating back to even before The Fall. He challenges me, yes. But isn’t that what a good friend is supposed to do?”
“I get what you’re saying, but I’m not completely convinced,” said Mara.
“You don’t have to be convinced. You just have to trust me.”
Mara left the matter at that and decided to change the subject. “Once we get to Cocytus, how do you think it will all go down with Erebus?”
“I’m not entirely sure. All of this is uncharted territory,” said Lucifer. “I was actually hoping just entering Hell again would restore my powers, but no such luck.”
“But you’re sure that Erebus can help you?”
“No, I’m not,” said Lucifer. “It’s a gambit. I just hope this won’t all prove a wasted effort.”
Mara avoided his gaze, directing her eyesight towards the window. Lucifer watched this and cocked his head slightly to the side.
“You can speak freely, you know,” he said.
“I know, but there’s nothing I have to say.”
Lucifer knew she wasn’t being truthful, but seemed better to let it lie for the time being. He too focused on the Badlands scenery—or lack thereof—as it passed by the carriage. Two guards flanked them on either side, and then one in front and one behind.
Something flew from the sky. It was a strange sensation, because to Lucifer, it was almost as if it moved in slow-motion. But he couldn’t react fast enough to stop it. And though he could see it coming, it still proved to be a shock when the burst of hellfire struck the giant fly the guard was mounted upon.
The guard was thrown by the impact against the side of the carriage, his body hitting the glass with Lucifer reacting by sliding away. The carriage rocked from side to side and the basilisk bellowed in a mixture of fear and surprise, with the driver trying to control the beast by tightening the reins.
“We’re being attacked,” said Mara, looking out the window.
Lucifer craned his neck to try and find the source of the hellfire bomb. Dark spots hung in the crimson sky, but quickly they descended, growing larger. As they came into view, Lucifer had a sinking feeling. They were demons, but mounted on something far worse. Large, serpentine creatures with massive wingspans who freely spat hellfire from their long jaws.
“Dragons,” he said.
“Can you see how many?” asked Mara, trying to look for herself.
“More than I’d like,” he replied.
“Shit.” Mara stood up and opened a hatch on the ceiling. She stuck her head out to speak to the driver. “Can you get us out of here?”
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” asked the driver.
Mara reached her hands up through the hatch and planted them on the carriage roof. She pushed her body through the opening and clambered out.
“What are you doing?” asked Lucifer, looking up through the hatch.
“Whatever I can.” Hellfire forged a bow in her hands and she raised it up, then drew back the string to generate a flaming arrow. Mara let it fly, with several others in succession.
The dragons grew closer, their demon riders moving them to evade the arrows. They responded with roars that were followed with fireballs. Mara crouched, her wings flaring to life and cloaking her body to provide some protection.
“What are you waiting for?” she asked of the guard at the rear.
He looked up at the dragons hesitantly, then sighed and broke away from the carriage. The giant fly he rode carried him up to meet the attackers. One of the dragons dove straight for him and opened its mouth wide to let loose a jet-stream of hellfire. The guard’s fly spun to the side, just barely evading. The dragon flew right by, but its rider leapt off the back, going for the guard.
The demon raised his arms and a flaming axe formed in them, w
hich he brought down on the guard, slicing him clean in two from his shoulder diagonally to his waist. The demon’s axe changed into a spear which he used to jam into the head of the fly. Its buzzing ceased and its wings gave up on fluttering. The demon jumped from the dead creature and his own wings carried him back to his steed.
“Dammit!” Mara cursed. She fired several more arrows, but all this seemed to do was anger the dragons and they descended. She gestured to the two remaining guards. “Go, go!”
They broke away from the carriage and flew to engage the dragons. There were five in total and the final guards were no match for their numbers. Two dragons apiece ganged up on each rider and made short work of them. Both ended up being engulfed by twin streams of hellfire and were left as nothing more than charred skeletons.
As their brothers took care of the guards, the other two dragons went for the carriage. One of them released a fireball. By the time Mara noticed it, it was too late to throw up a shield. The blast struck and she was thrown from the roof.
Mara’s wings held her aloft and she used a hellfire whip to grab hold of the carriage and pull herself back to the roof. She crouched behind the driver’s seat and said, “That was a close one, huh?”
No response came. Mara pulled herself up so she could look over the seat and see the driver. All that was left was a burnt husk. She sighed and opened the hatch.
“We’ve got a problem,” she said.
“What kind of problem?” asked Lucifer.
“The driver. He’s kind of…well…dead.”
“Move out of the way,” said Lucifer.
Mara slid from the hatch, unsure of what he had planned. Lucifer pulled himself up to the roof and climbed into the driver’s seat. He pushed the demon’s remains off the carriage and the dead body hit the ground.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “It’s too dangerous for you to be up here!”
“You can’t drive and fight off those attackers at the same time,” said Lucifer. “So what other option do we have?”
Lucifer wrapped the reins around his arm and gripped them tight. His other hand clutched the sword so he could fight back if the situation warranted, though he wasn’t as confident he’d be very successful.
Mara crouched behind Lucifer’s seat, waiting for one of the dragons to get closer. She hurled her hellfire spear. The dragon ducked its head, and its rider was punished for that. The spear went right through his chest, dissipating as it emerged from his back, and he slipped off the dragon’s back.
In the time it took for the rider to fall, Mara leapt from the carriage and her hellfire whip lashed around the dragon’s neck. She pulled herself onto its back and used her hellfire whip to steer the beast away from Lucifer. In the process, her dragon slammed into one of the others. That caused the new dragon to reflexively spit out a jet-stream. Mara’s dragon also took offense. She retracted her whip and let her wings carry her from the dragon’s back. With the two having angered each other, they now ignored the carriage and instead started fighting amongst themselves.
Back at the carriage, Lucifer had two dragons to contend with. They flanked him on either side and he spied the two of them beginning to position their heads for a pincer attack. Lucifer pulled hard on the reins and the basilisk grunted and protested, then skidded to a stop.
The beast turned as it came to a sudden halt, but the carriage still had momentum behind it and swung ahead of the basilisk. Lucifer tightened his grip on the reins, but couldn’t take his eyes off the two dragons that had flanked him. He stopped just before they initiated their attack and it was too late for them to stop now. Both dragons breathed fire right onto each other’s face that had been meant for Lucifer and they both ended up killing each other in the process.
Lucifer rested his sword on his shoulder, admiring his handiwork. He would quickly realize that was a mistake once the remaining dragon swooped down. The rider snatched Lucifer with a thrown net of hellfire. Lucifer tried to extricate himself, but the rider pulled him from the carriage. He hung in the middle of the air, his body hitting the dragon’s side.
“I’ve got him! I’ve got him!” shouted the rider. “The master will be pleased!”
“Mara!” Lucifer shouted. “A little help?”
Mara looked away from the dragons she’d managed to turn against each other. As soon as she realized Lucifer was being carted off, Mara’s wings carried her after the kidnapper. The rider looked back and saw her flying after him. He hurled several hellfire projectiles with his free hand. Despite Mara’s swift maneuvers, the rider blanketed the air with them and she was forced to deflect with hellfire weapons and shields of her own. As she defended herself, the rider used one final burst, pooling the hellfire in the palm of his hand. He threw it and when it struck Mara’s shield, an explosion followed. Lucifer tried to see through the flames and smoke, but by the time they faded, there was no sign of Mara at all.
Lucifer quickly came to the conclusion that if he was going to get out of this, he would have to do it on his own. He still had the sword, though it wasn’t a whole lot of use against cutting through hellfire. But if the rider’s concentration was split enough, that might work.
“Who’s this master you mentioned?” asked Lucifer.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Ever consider what he might do to you once you’ve outlived your usefulness?” asked Lucifer. “Or what might happen when the other Hell Lords learn about what you’ve done?”
“Shut up!” shouted the rider. “You’re not gonna scare me with any of your threats!”
“Not a threat, more of a promise,” said Lucifer. “You do know who I am, don’t you? And you know what kind of power and respect I still command down here?”
For a brief moment, the rider glanced to Lucifer. And in that moment, Lucifer saw the rider’s growing uncertainty. It was working.
“Are you sure you want to make the Morningstar your enemy, kid?” he asked.
The rider bit his lower lip. And in that instance, his concentration faltered. The net weakened and Lucifer was able to reach a hand out and grab the rope. He pulled and the net dissipated around him. Lucifer continued to climb up the rope. The rider tried to shake him off, but he held tight.
Lucifer used all his strength to pull himself forward, then released the rope. He jammed the sword into the dragon’s side, using it as an anchor. The dragon protested by flailing, giving the rider some difficulty holding on. Lucifer pulled himself into another leap and this time landed on the rider’s back.
The rider thrashed, trying to throw him off. Lucifer released the rider and tried to balance himself on the dragon’s back. The rider turned and Lucifer jumped at him, slamming his shoulder into the rider’s chest. The rider lost his footing and fell off the dragon.
Lucifer took the dragon’s reins and tried to claim command over the beast. The dragon wasn’t very accommodating and fought against him, spinning and flailing in the air. It was a battle just to remain steady on the dragon’s back.
The dragon seemed to calm, but then suddenly flipped. Lucifer lost his grip and he fell, watching as the ground quickly came rushing up to meet him. He felt that the end was upon him but before he struck, there was a bright flash of light.
It was the last thing he remembered before he succumbed to darkness.
12
Belial stuck a finger in his collar and tugged at it, trying to give his neck more space. He was dressed in a suit, something he never did, and he couldn’t understand why anyone would wear these things. Particularly the tie. The suit combined with the sunglasses he wore was a uniform, though. Required if he was going to pose as Odysseus Black’s bodyguard as the sorcerer visited Eden.
Although Odysseus rarely visited Eden, he had a standing invitation. All the powerful movers and shakers in the supernatural world were welcome through its doors. That enabled Heaven’s ambassadors on Earth to maintain lines of communication in the event diplomacy proved necessary to resolve conflicts.
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br /> “You don’t like the clothes, do you?”
Belial looked to the rear of the limo’s cabin where Odysseus sat, his arms held straight out and hands resting atop his cane, which was planted right between his feet.
“Not in the least,” said Belial. “Why do men wear these ties?”
Odysseus gave a shrug. “It’s part of the formal attire.”
“How does wearing a noose around one’s neck indicate formality?” asked Belial. “Humans truly are a strange breed.”
Odysseus gave a chuckle. “Just gotta put up with it for one night, m’man.”
“I appreciate the assistance, by the way,” said Belial. “I know you prefer to remain off Heaven’s radar.”
Odysseus nodded. “True. Eden’s not my usual choice of watering hole. But you’ve been doing good work, and it’s always nice to have the Devil owe me a favor.”
The divider right beside Belial’s head lowered and the driver glanced at him over his shoulder. “We’re pulling up now.”
Belial nodded and the divider closed. The limo came to a stop in front of the entrance to the Willis Tower. Belial got out of the limo first and held the door open for Odysseus. Once Belial closed the door, the car slowly rolled forward.
Odysseus led the way, Belial trailed a few steps behind him and acted the part of the bodyguard by turning his head in different directions. They entered the elevator and waited until it kept rising past the floors. Once they were alone in the elevator, Odysseus traced the sigil that served as a key to enter Eden above the buttons. The white button that allowed entrance shimmered into view and he pushed it.
Once they finally entered Eden, several curious patrons turned their attention on the pair. Not only was Odysseus Black a rare sight in here, but the last time Belial came, he nearly started a fight.
“What in the name of the Presence do you think you’re doing here?”
Lucifer Damned (Morningstar Book 3) Page 8