Liam folded his arms and stared at Hades. He didn’t know much about Hades aside from what Anjali and others had told him, but he agreed with Calin. He needed to be sure that Hades was willing to kill Aello.
“Anjali knows that you unleashed your Harpies on her in Greece. So, the question is who are you more afraid of, Aello or Anjali?” Liam smiled sarcastically.
Hades frowned. “I do not fear Aello,” he stated.
“But you do fear Anjali, don’t you?” Liam winked. He watched Hades squirm a bit and avert his eyes.
“I…,” Hades started.
Viktor swore behind him. “Anjali is walking out into the square and calling off the warriors, whom I presume are on her side this time. There are only a few angels left standing, but they are in bad shape. They appear reluctant to walk away from the fight, but Anjali isn’t taking no for an answer,” he said, giving a play by play.
“How does she look?” Liam asked.
“Angry. Very angry,” Viktor replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. He ran toward a door in the corner of the room, but Liam grabbed his arm.
“You don’t want to go out there. If her ring is missing from her finger, then things are about to get serious. We need to stay here. You don’t want to be in the middle of the storm,” he warned.
Viktor glared at Liam’s hand on his arm until Liam removed it. “I’m not afraid of her storm, her black eyes or her hair that moves without the wind. I fear for the person standing opposite her,” he replied darkly. He dashed toward the exit and was gone.
Liam wasn’t sure what to think of Viktor, but he didn’t have time to worry about him.
Hades leaned forward and twisted around so that Liam could see his Celestial Bonds. “Free me, Liam. You can’t let Lady Black fight Aello alone. She won’t be able to kill my Harpy. I am the only one who can do it. I promise you that Aello will never surrender to her. I have no idea how I’m going to stop Aello since she won’t listen to me anymore, but it’s better if Aello takes her wrath out on me,” he said sincerely.
Liam was shocked by Hades’ willingness to sacrifice himself to save Anjali. Without a word, he leaned over, pressed his thumb to the bonds, and released Hades.
Hades stood up and changed into a navy suit with a black tie. He disappeared from the room with a look of determination on his face.
Liam hung his head, afraid to look outside to see if Hades had tricked him or not. Taking a deep breath, he hoped that he had done the right thing.
∞
Stepping into the middle of the square, Anjali raised her arms to the sky. “You want me, Aello? I’m here. It’s time to end this,” Anjali shouted, though she couldn’t see Aello. The clouds were rapidly darkening overhead and the temperature dropped indicating that the rain was coming. She had to focus her mind to make sure that the storm didn’t get away from her. She looked around at the collapsed buildings and broken street lamps. The town could recover from the damage, but they could never recover from the type of devastation she was capable of unleashing.
Looking over her shoulder into the restaurant, she saw her angels giving her the thumbs up. She wanted them far away from the fight so that they couldn’t be used against her. Seeing that Calin and Derick had abandoned the street eased her mind and helped her to formulate a plan.
On the opposite side of the square were the Celestial Warriors, who, despite their injures, looked like they wanted to rejoin the fight. They didn’t like standing on the sidelines, but they admitted they were outmatched.
Aello landed in front of an overturned truck and approached Anjali. “Master lied to us. He told us that you were weak and easily breakable. That was not true. Even now, I see your blood on your skin and gown, yet you are still standing. I am glad that you are not easily breakable because I want to hurt you for as many years as I have hated you,” Aello squawked. She flapped her wings and hit Anjali with a gust of wind.
Anjali held up her arms to block the wind and dug her heels into the pavement. She remembered how the three Harpies had surrounded Belinha with a mini tornado while she waited for the storm to strengthen. Belinha had taken a beating until she was able to manipulate the storm. She would have to do the same until the rain started.
“What are you waiting for, Aello? You know that a little wind won’t hurt me. Do your worst,” she taunted, though she immediately regretted her words when she remembered how her rough landing had broken most of the restaurant behind her.
Aello squawked and flew straight at her, but Anjali anticipated the move. She sidestepped the attack to allow Aello to fly past her. She threw out her hands and used her power to push Aello into the wall of a produce market. Shaking off the hit, Aello stepped forward cautiously.
“My hands are no longer bound and you can’t sneak up on me. You will face the Destroyer and you will be the one bleeding,” Anjali yelled. She needed the Harpy focused on her and not the storm. She didn’t want Aello anticipating her next move.
Aello took to the air and zipped around. She took a few swipes at Anjali, testing her defenses, but Anjali remained still. She closed her eyes and called upon the winds. She pictured a tornado in her mind, just like the one in Greece, but something told her to stop. She thought about how injured and battered Celaeno had been after her encounter with the tornado, but she realized it wasn’t the wind that had injured the Harpy—it was the lightning. When the lighting collided with the tornado, it had disabled both Celaeno and Ocypete.
“Zeus created you, didn’t he? Even though he made you practically indestructible, I’ll bet that he was sure to give you a weakness. The god infamous for thunder and lightning would certainly make sure you could not withstand his lightning bolts,” Anjali smiled cruelly.
Aello skidded to a stop when the first streak of lightning arced across the sky. The fear on Aello’s face was undeniable. She cringed when a loud thunderclap rolled across the town.
“You cannot kill me,” Aello said confidently.
“I’m not here to kill you. I’m here you to hurt you,” Anjali said, raising her hands to the sky. She focused on the power of distrust, fear, vengeance and death deep inside of her. Her Predznak made her stronger and hopefully powerful enough to manipulate the lightning.
Aello leapt into the air as the clouds opened and released a wall of rain. She was knocked to the ground, but she quickly got to her feet. She struggled against the weight of the rain and managed to hover a few feet off the ground.
“Lightning, lightning,” Anjali muttered to herself. She could feel the electrical current buzzing in the air. Focusing all her energy, she pulled the electricity toward the ground and created a web of lightning to cage in Aello.
All around Anjali, the glass in the streetlights popped and crackled as the lightning arced across the square. The windows that were still intact instantly blew out, spraying glass everywhere. The static in the air was enough to make her hair frizz and stand up even higher. Taking a step forward, her dress snapped and crackled.
Aello couldn’t escape the lightning. She squawked madly and fell to the ground. She tried to take off again, but was forced to her knees. “Stop this!” she shouted. She covered her head with her wings and tried to make herself very small.
“Surrender!” Anjali yelled.
“Never!” Aello shouted from under her wing. She could hear the fear in Aello’s voice.
Anjali was angry when she thought about how afraid the women in the barn had been and how Pontius had screamed for help when he fell from the sky to his death. She wanted to punish the Harpy for everything she had done. Staring at Aello, she focused all her power toward the Harpy.
The clouds above Aello began to swirl and turn greenish gray. Anjali wanted to rip her wings off for kidnapping the local women and feeding on them. She would show no mercy on the wretched creature.
A giant lightning bolt streaked through the sky and hit Aello. She screamed and rolled around in pain. A patch of her feathers flew up into the air followed by a loud sna
p. Writhing on the ground, Anjali could see that Aello’s wing was bent at an odd angle. The lighting must have broken her wing.
“Stop this!” shouted the one voice in the world Anjali was grateful to hear.
To her left stood Hades, soaking wet and disheveled. His normally perfect quaffed hair was standing up and his black tie was askew. His navy suit was singed in a few places from a bolt or two of lightning. He appeared calm on the surface, but Anjali had seen the many faces of Hades firsthand. To the casual observer he looked calm and under control, but anyone who understood the real Hades would see the stress lines around his mouth and the barely contained rage in his eyes.
“What do you want, Hades? I’m a little busy with your Harpy at the moment,” she asked, unsure if he was there to kill her or help her. She knew he was pissed because he was wearing his black tie, but she wasn’t sure who he was pissed at.
Aello’s body trembled when she tried to lift her head to see Hades.
“Master betrayed me!” Aello shouted. For the first time, she sounded upset. Whatever had happened between them, Aello truly felt betrayed.
Hades’ unflappable composure collapsed for a brief second. There was a flash of grief and embarrassment on his face before he quickly hid his reaction.
Seeing Aello’s black beady eyes express the first signs of true emotion, Anjali made a desperate move, one that could get her killed.
She opened her mind to Calin and simultaneously threw out her hand to Hades before he could reply. Her power was at its peak and even a Head of Hell was not strong enough to fight her.
Hades flew through the air as Calin made his move. She had Hades’ throat in her left hand and a Celestial Sword in her right, courtesy of Senior Swordsman Edric, who Calin punched in the throat before stealing his sword and giving it to her. Calin quickly disappeared and returned to his hiding place with Derick.
Forcing Hades to kneel in front of her, she held the Celestial Sword to his throat.
“Have you lost your mind?” Hades gasped. He leaned against her stomach to avoid getting too close to the blue flame.
“Aello, surrender to me or I will kill your master. I promise to stop the storm and allow you to return to him, if you yield!” Anjali shouted, making it clear that this was an ultimatum.
She felt Hades tense up, so she put her hand on his shoulder to steady him. He would be furious with her once this was over, but it was the only way to end things, if he complied.
Aello appeared torn. She looked like she wanted return to Hades, but was still angry with him.
Feeling Hades sigh, he leaned forward. “Aello,” he said softly like a lover’s whisper, a sound that was far too intimate for the tense situation. “Do you really wish me to die?”
Without hesitation, Aello hung her head. “No, Master.”
He held out his hand to her even though the Celestial Sword was at his throat.
From the corner of her eye, Anjali saw Tabbris take a step forward and shake his head indicating that Aello was not allowed to join her master.
Anjali tapped Hades’ shoulder to inform him that he was short on time.
“Come to me, Aello,” Hades said in the same quiet tone, not acknowledging anyone else surrounding him.
“Kill her!” Tabbris shouted.
“You don’t get to speak, General. This is not your business nor your concern,” Hades said indifferently, still appearing to have control over whatever emotions were brewing beneath the surface.
Tabbris sputtered, but didn’t object.
Aello quickly crawled forward to accept Hades’ hand. “I want to please you, Master, but I have failed,” she said as her voice shook.
Holding her breath, Anjali removed the sword from Hades’ throat and took a step back. She kept a close eye on Aello as she began the process of pulling back the storm. Though she didn’t trust Aello, she had faith that Hades would do the right thing.
Hades closed the gap between them and placed his hand on the Harpy’s deformed face. “You have not failed me, my darling. I asked you to hunt down the Destroyer, which you have done. How could I ask any more of you?” he replied sweetly.
Aello shook her head vehemently. “I failed to kill the Destroyer,” she said, her face contorting into an odd expression that made her look like she was about to cry.
Hades nodded slowly. “I know, my darling, but you no longer have to worry about that. As a reward for your loyalty, dedication and devotion, I will kill the Destroyer for you. You captured her for me and now I will complete this task,” he said quietly.
Anjali tensed up and prepared for a fight. She knew Hades was a lying snake and always assumed that they would continue their war at some point, but she doubted that he would choose today while surrounded by Celestial Warriors.
Lord Commander Marcus appeared worried upon hearing that Hades would kill Anjali. Anjali assumed that Tabbris would join forces with Hades to rid the world of her, which was an intriguing image since Hades and Tabbris hated each other, but she wondered if the Warriors would follow their General or fight on her side. Either way, she would have no mercy on Tabbris if he overstepped his authority again and attacked her instead of Hades, should it come to that.
Aello nodded and slowly cocked her head to sneer at Anjali.
Hades opened his arms to his Harpy. “Come to Master” he whispered.
Without hesitation, Aello embraced Hades and she glared wickedly at Anjali over Hades’ shoulder.
“Good girl. You have made Master proud,” Hades said softly.
Anjali became a little nervous as she waited to see what Hades would do. Thankfully, Aello’s feathered body jerked and twitched. Blood bubbled up into the creature’s beak when she tried to speak.
“Shh. You’re a good girl, Aello. Master is proud of you. It’s time to rest. You have done well, my darling,” Hades cooed. He held Aello’s limp form and guided her to the ground.
Anjali wasn’t sure how to feel as she watched Hades pat Aello’s cheek and continue to say sweet things. She had never seen this side of him before. She was so distracted by his display of emotions that the storm quieted down and her power came back to her in a rush.
When Aello’s body stopped twitching, Hades closed his eyes for a moment. Anjali stepped forward to speak, but Hades jumped to his feet and turned to the Warriors. “If any of you understood the loyalty that these Harpies have demonstrated to me over the years, you would be ashamed of the way you have served Father. They never once questioned me. They never once faltered in their duties, until I betrayed them. While it’s true that they were creatures of evil, created by a demented Rogue Angel, they did everything I ever asked of them, short of killing the Destroyer. I never asked to command them, but I did everything I could to protect them, while protecting the mortals from them. They deserved better than to be monsters, but I had no hand in that. You could all learn something from them,” Hades announced to everyone within earshot.
Tabbris regained his bravado and stepped forward. “She ate mortals, tortured people and had no regard for the sanctity of life. She should not be praised,” he hissed.
The corner of Hades’ mouth curled up. “Since you have done two out of those three things, I should declare you the monster,” he quipped.
Tabbris took an aggressive step forward and put his hand on his holstered sword. “I am charging you with conspiring to…,” Tabbris shouted.
Waving his hand to cut him off, Hades chuckled. “I killed her. What more do you want, General?” he asked snidely. “If you need anything else from me, you know where to find me.” With that, Hades disappeared.
Nervously watching Tabbris’ attention turn to her, Anjali saw her angels run toward her as a show of strength to the Warriors, in case they decided to attack her.
She decided to head off Tabbris’ anger and approach him. She held out Edric’s sword to him as a peace offering. “Sorry, but I needed to borrow this. Holding a knife to Hades’ neck wouldn’t have the same effect,” she said q
uickly, hoping to quell his anger.
He marched toward her and pulled the hilt of the sword from her hand. “If you ever pull a stunt like that again…,” he sneered.
“Trust me, I have no interest in getting that close to one of those swords again,” she said.
Edric sheepishly took his sword from Tabbris and stepped back toward Marcus.
Tabbris was about to speak when Gabriel stepped out of a nearby market. “General Tabbris, let us tend to the injured mortals until help can arrive. Some of the streets are blocked with debris and overturned cars. The medics will not be able to reach the area and many more will die if we do not hurry,” Gabriel said as he drew Tabbris’ full attention.
Anjali breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left the warriors to their task. Once the warriors spread out to assess the damage, she went to Alazar to retrieve her ring.
“So, I guess we get to live for another day,” Alazar smiled.
“It seems so,” she winked.
She reached out and put her hand on his arm. “I need you to bury Aello’s body before the mortals see her. She should be laid to rest next to Celaeno,” she said, looking over her shoulder at Aello.
“I will see to it, My Lady,” he said, bowing his head.
She turned to see Haydn, Tristan and Balthazar standing in the intersection waiting for her.
“I think we need a picture of this. Us working with the warriors is definitely photo worthy,” Balthazar snickered.
“I’m sure Marcus appreciates the help. Let’s accept our victories where we can,” she replied as she patted his shoulder.
“I’m not helping them,” Haydn sneered.
Anjali frowned and took his hand. “I know what they did to you. I hate Tabbris as much as the next person, but Lord Commander Marcus saved my life in Portland. Tabbris lost control and overstepped his authority by decreeing Lucifer and me criminals. Well, technically, Lucifer was trying to destroy the world by controlling me, but I had stopped him before Tabbris branded us criminals,” she shrugged. She could see the anger in Haydn’s eyes every time he looked at the warriors. “I understand your reasons for hating them, but the new Lord Commander and High Commander seem like honorable angels. I won’t tell you what to do, but I think it’s time to move past your anger and find a way to heal.”
Angel of Distrust Page 39