“Are you strong enough to stand up and fight for your life or are you too weak to try?” Anger poured through Simon’s voice until his outrage could be felt by even the most uninterested person. “What will it take for you to go forth and reclaim your lives? A sign, a calling, a man shouting a warning that this is your last chance? Well, here it is. Decide once and for all if you are going to turn your lives around and be what you were meant to be. Will you choose to be powerful, courageous, spontaneous, creative and brilliant creatures? Will you choose to endure all the difficulties that life has to offer you or will you choose the easy path? Will you fall to your knees and cling to the very thing that holds you back, keeps you chained down and destroys your very souls? Decide! Will it be life or death, salvation or addiction, hope or defeat?” Simon roared.
Every person sitting in their metal folding chair, locked in this room for one hour, was compelled to listen to Simon. They were entranced by his words and were spellbound. This was the moment that they had been waiting for, even if they didn’t know it. Judgment day had arrived, though they weren’t being judged by an unseen force, they were judging themselves. They were being forced to look into their own souls and decide if they believed they were capable of accepting life, with all that it had to offer or give up and go back to their lives of sin.
They had all turned away from God, their families and even themselves. They hated who they were. They detested their lives. They all wanted something more, but didn’t know what they wanted. Did they want better jobs or did they want to live their lives without the pressures of holding down a job? Did they want love or did they want to push love away? Could they be saved? Could they save themselves? Were they worthy of the Gates of Heaven because they pulled themselves back from the brink of death that their addictions had led them to?
They each looked inside their hearts and decided which path they wanted to choose. Life or addiction. Life or the madness of running away from anything difficult that caused them pain. Life or the belief that they were unable to dig themselves out of the hole that they’d created and lie down and give up.
Simon watched as each person thought about their past and their present, while contemplating the future. One by one, the choice was made. They didn’t waver in their choice. They didn’t feel conflicted by it. They simply accepted their fate and made peace with it.
He nodded and looked up to the ceiling briefly. His work here was done.
Joshua looked out across the top of the cityscape, biding his time. He watched the churchgoers file into the cathedral, ready to start midnight mass. He knew that most of the people entering the church were the devout and faithful. The average sinner who eased their guilt by going to church would hardly find the will to come to a late night mass without holiday guilt or the chance to win a charity event. These were the faithful who knew what a novena was and when they were supposed to kneel. Not that Joshua cared about the church and their ways; he merely cared about the people who held God in their hearts, who professed their love to Him by taking the time to worship and pray to Him. They were the ones who looked for guidance and followed it. He hated them all.
He heard a faint scuffing sound to his left. “Are you done?” Joshua asked even though the answer was right in front of him. He watched the God-fearing people make room on the sidewalks for the unholy sinners who were leaving the house of redemption as they left their addiction meeting.
“It is done,” Simon replied.
Joshua heard the sadness in his friend’s voice and yet there was an undercurrent of relief.
“Will any of them make it through the night?” Joshua asked as the woman clutching her purse ducked into a dark alley.
“Not a single one of them. They all chose destruction,” Simon said with confidence.
It was the same answer he gave every time Simon tempted the addicts. It was all the proof Joshua needed. When faced with a test of faith, the pathetic mortals would fall. It was the devout he needed to worry about. The Angels of Temptation would handle the rest.
Joshua turned and looked at his friend. The Angel of Illness had a peaceful look on his face just before a flicker in his eye told Joshua to brace himself. The meek and mild-mannered Simon, a personality that Illness had adopted to cope with his addict members, dimmed as Solren’s true personality came out.
Solren launched himself at Joshua, throwing them both to the ground. He tried to punch Joshua in the face but Joshua was well aware of Solren’s standard opening move. He threw his elbow into Solren’s throat, cutting off his air supply. Solren grunted and rolled to the side as Joshua got up and dusted himself off.
“I’m going to kill you. This is the last time you will ever breathe in the night air!” Solren growled as he hunched over and threw his shoulder into Joshua’s stomach, forcing them yet again to the ground.
“Solren, enough. We need to end this. I have work to do and I don’t have time for one of your breakdowns,” Joshua gasped, compelling his lungs to work.
Solren sat on his chest and pinned him down. “You betrayed me! I will never forgive you! All your plotting and scheming ends now!” Solren raged and screamed madly into Joshua’s face, spraying him with saliva.
“Really? Are you’re going to kick my ass after all I have done for you? You forget that I’m the one who looks after you and cares for you. Without me, you would be in the park feeding pigeons and naming them. You’re not in your right mind, brother. You are not well and you know this. All the years of tempting the mortals with mental illnesses, addictions and sicknesses has eroded your mind. Fight your way through the delirium, brother. I am Joshua, your friend and confidant. We have been at each other’s side for years. I guide you through the darkness and lead you past the obstacles until your mind is free from the insanity,” Joshua panted as Solren’s weight crushed his chest. He hoped that his words would break through the haze and penetrate the small rational part left in Solren’s brain.
Solren ignored Joshua’s ranting and grabbed his throat, determined to choke the life out of him. Joshua struggled helplessly against him. Thankfully, the light began to fade from his eyes and Solren calmed.
Solren panted and wiped the spit from his mouth with his shirtsleeve. “You help me set up the meetings for the addicts. You remind me of my duties as a Predznak, as a Harbinger to the Bringer of the Apocalypse. You tell me all the time that I was created to tempt the mortals and make them choose their fate. You, brother, are the one who tells me to come in from the rain and rest. You took care of my wounds after I inadvertently attacked a brick wall without reason. You are Joshua, the Angel of Innocence, the one who makes me remember the angel I once was, while wrestling away the knife from my throat, when I want to give up.”
Joshua saw the glimmer of recognition a second before he was about to black out. He gulped down the cool air as Solren released his hold and clambered to his feet. He tried to sit up as he coughed and sputtered, trying to make words form in his oxygen deprived brain.
“Yes, I am your friend,” Joshua coughed.
“I’m sorry,” Solren blurted out as he stepped back, giving him room. He pulled at his hair and began to pace.
“Yet again I will forgive you because of the burden you bear, but I swear to you, there will come a day when I no longer find forgiveness in my heart, Solren,” Joshua said, attempting to stand.
“I pray that day never comes,” Solren said sheepishly.
“If you are done for the night I suggest you go rest. You are always weary after a temptation. I will meet up with you later. Can you manage on your own for a little while?” Joshua asked. It was getting late and the mass bell was already reverberating through the building.
“Yes. I remember where to go. I promise to get there without incident. Thank you for looking after me. I am grateful, even if I don’t always show it,” Solren nodded and quickly turned to leave.
Joshua ran his hands through his hair and swore. It was getting harder and harder to keep Solren from learning c
ertain truths. He thought for sure tonight would be the night that Solren remembered all the details he had pieced together over the long years. Though Solren was a very intelligent angel, his power had fractured his mind to the point where he couldn’t even remember that they were enemies fighting on opposite sides of good and evil. Soon, he would have to kill Solren, lest Solren finally accomplish his mission of murdering him. Joshua had to enact his plan quickly if he wanted to free his master and make Lucifer and the Predznak suffer.
Chapter 14
Alazar and Balthazar flew out over the ocean to search the surrounding islands, having exhausted their search of the mainland. They both agreed that Haydn was warped enough to seclude himself on an island with Anjali.
“She’d be dead by now if he wanted to kill her. He must want something from her,” Balthazar suggested as they flew over a destroyed hotel on an island a few miles off the coast. “Does that look like her handiwork?” He pointed to the broken roof and partially collapsed section of guest rooms.
Alazar shook his head. “It looks like a regular earthquake hit them. There aren’t any scorch marks on the surrounding trees. Do you remember how much lightning hit the buildings and cars in New York? She would have lit half the jungle on fire if she had done this,” he said, turning his attention elsewhere.
“Yeah, you’re right. The whole building probably would have been knocked down,” Balthazar said as his hopes deflated.
They flew along the shoreline and kept a watchful eye for anything out of the ordinary.
“I hope Demyan hasn’t found her,” Alazar said, angry that they had to deal with yet another threat.
“She has no way of defending herself and if Demyan has gone Rogue, there is no telling what he’ll do to her,” Balthazar replied. “Why do you think he wants her?”
“It’s hard to say. He could be mad about Portland, or any number of things. Maybe he thinks things got out of hand in New York and wants to make sure that she never releases her power again. I can’t tell you what would motivate a Celestial Warrior to turn against everyone. Granted, I’ve seen it happen, but I still can’t understand it. They’re supposed to be better than the rest of us,” Alazar said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. It was true that he had seen warriors lose their minds and blame God and everyone else for their problems, but their motivations were always different. It was a shock when a protector of Heaven turned against God because they were so revered by the other angels.
Balthazar shook his head. “If Demyan wanted revenge for Portland, he would have drawn me into a fight. I’m the one who stood between his sword and Lucifer. That was a strange day. Never in all my life did I expect to protect Lucifer,” he said in amazement.
“I hear you. How many times did we plot to kill him?” Alazar smirked.
“More times than I can count,” Balthazar chuckled.
There were times when Alazar wished for the days when he plotted to kill Lucifer. Things were less complicated back then. His enemy was his enemy and there wasn’t any more to it. Now, because of his master, he was forced to protect the devil who once tried to command the Predznak. He was the same devil who allowed them to suffer under his pet lunatic.
“What’s that?” Balthazar shouted excitedly.
Alazar followed Balthazar’s outstretched hand and saw the top of a mountain that had telltale signs of a battle. The trees had been flattened in a semicircle and a river that had once cascaded over the cliff had been diverted. The entire river was now spilling over the side of the mountain due to a large chasm that had formed. Aside from a manmade dam or channel, nothing could have moved the path of a river in such a way. This was destruction worthy of their master.
“I think we found her,” Alazar said cautiously. He was afraid that they were too late and she had moved on from the area. His stomach churned at the thought of losing her again, but it flip-flopped and was excited by the possibility of finding her. He had no idea what to say to her but it was time to come up with some kind of answer.
They circled around the peak one more time to make sure it was safe to land. Swooping down, they gracefully touched down on top of the mountain and examined the area.
“She was definitely here,” Balthazar said as he scanned the ground. “It’s weird, but I think she was wearing sneakers.”
Alazar gaped at his assessment and then gulped. “She must have improvised her outfit. It’s too humid for her to survive in her normal badass boots and dress with the bonds making her suffer from the heat. Without her power to change her clothes, she probably stole something more suitable from the hotel. Can you imagine how tired she must be if she trekked all this way from the hotel?” He tried to sympathize with her difficult journey. Having made his way through the Romanian wildness injured and half-delirious, he gave Derick a lot of credit for getting him as far as he did.
Balthazar nodded knowingly at his assessment. “If Haydn did take her, she’s going to kick his ass for putting her into a situation where she needed running shoes,” he snickered, trying to lighten the tension they both felt.
“God, I hope they aren’t pink. She’ll punch Haydn right in the eye with her ring if those shoes are pink,” Alazar quipped as he looked out over the endless jungle.
“Thankfully, they were blue,” a voice from their past shouted from the tree line along the ridge below them.
Balthazar opened his heavy black duster and pulled both of his pistols as Alazar summoned his favorite dagger to his hand.
“Where the fuck is she?” Alazar shouted. His voice was drowned out by the sound of multiple shots being fired. He turned his head to glare at Balthazar. “We haven’t gotten to the part where we shoot him yet, Balthazar. Let him answer the question first.”
Balthazar was already running toward Haydn full-force. The growl that erupted from his lips informed Alazar that he would have to wait until Haydn was conscious before he could properly interrogate him.
“I don’t have her!” Haydn yelled, throwing his hands into the air to stop Balthazar’s attack. “I had her, but Demyan stole her from me.” He pointed to the hole in his shirt that had singe marks around the edges, a hole that was roughly the size of a Celestial Sword.
Balthazar skidded to a halt, but didn’t lower his guns. “I hate not being able to see his eyes,” he grumbled, annoyed by Haydn’s sunglasses.
“Where would they have gone?” Alazar shouted.
Haydn shook his head. “I don’t know, but I do know that she was able to release her power. Demyan either released her from her bonds so that they could have a fair fight, or she knocked him unconscious so that she could unlock the bonds herself. Regardless, something bad happened. This wound was created only a few hours ago. Look at it. It’s nearly healed. While I believe her to be powerful, I feel like she was in grave danger to release this kind of energy. I don’t know much about her, but I do know that she’s tough as Hell and smarter than me. Demyan probably didn’t know what hit him,” Haydn explained quickly as he kept a close eye on Balthazar’s guns.
“Liam, I summon you!” Alazar shouted across the mountaintop. He pointed his finger at Haydn. “If Demyan hurts her, I will hold you responsible.”
Haydn sighed and nodded. He tried to speak, but Balthazar leapt into the air and slammed his fist into Haydn’s jaw. Haydn staggered back and landed on his ass. “Please avoid hitting the glasses. This is my third pair since arriving on this island,” he groused.
Alazar stared pensively at Balthazar. “He needs his jaw intact so that he can finish telling us what he knows,” he huffed.
Balthazar shrugged. “I’ve gotten plenty of confessions out of men with broken faces. It tends to speed up the process,” he said unapologetically.
Alazar frowned and looked at Haydn, who was rubbing his jaw. “Normally, I would agree with you, but we don’t know what Anjali wants to do with him. If she gives the order, then rip his jaw off. Until then he’s our only lead.”
Sneering at Haydn, Balthazar crossed h
is arms. “And you were mad at me for being logical earlier,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Alazar watched Haydn get to his feet as he felt a small breeze next to him. He looked down and found the fluffy white beast he needed. “She was on this mountain not long ago. She might still be here. Find her,” he commanded.
The wolf’s blue eyes stared at him for a moment before he nodded and ran toward the ridge.
Haydn watched the giant wolf disappear into the forest. “Either that’s one of Fenris’ Drei, or that thing was bred with a polar bear. What the hell is one of die Drei doing here? Don’t tell me that we are friends with Fenris now,” he said in disgust.
“Much has changed in your absence, but that can wait. Why did you bring Anjali here?” Alazar asked, stepping into his personal space as Haydn stood up.
Haydn tried to back up, but Alazar took another step closer. Alazar saw his own blue eyes reflected in Haydn’s glasses and waited for the wayward Predznak to confess.
“I made a mistake, Alazar. I thought that I wanted to free the Predznak from her command, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hurt her. I didn’t understand the truth until I felt her power and it released me from my distorted mind. Everything I believed to be true was merely a twisted version of what really happened. I didn’t just doubt you and the other Predznak; I had started to doubt myself. I couldn’t trust my own thoughts. I believed that I was a coward incapable of making a decision. Now I know that I fought for what I believed in. I remembered that being a Predznak was the best decision I ever made. I had allowed my power to blind me, but now I’m free from it,” Haydn explained.
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