by Steve McHugh
“You should go,” I said.
He patted me on the back, and I watched him leave before activating my shadow magic. Tendrils of shadow shot up from the floor, wrapping around the dead bodies and dragging them into the now-shadow-covered floor. The effect took mere seconds as burst after burst of power flooded my body.
I placed a hand on the nearby wall to steady myself as power coursed through me. It took me a few seconds, but when I was settled, I reached out with my necromancy and saw Irkalla’s spirit trapped in the spirit snare once again. But this time instead of the usual brightness I saw in most spirits, Irkalla’s was a beautiful orange and golden color. I reached out for Irkalla’s spirit, but when I tried to pull it away, the dark-red and black mass tightened its grip.
I released my power from Irkalla and reached out to the snare. Despite the newfound level of knowledge about my necromancy, knowing something and being able to actually do it are two different things. Magic isn’t a science—it’s about power, patience, and sheer will. And when it came right down to it, necromancy was just a different form of magic, albeit one that most sorcerers were incapable of wielding.
I stepped toward the body of the attacker and pushed my hands out in front of me. My spirit began to leave my body, and for a split second I panicked and the light-blue and purple spirit almost rushed back into me before it made contact with the snare, but I managed to catch my emotions and forge onward.
Being in control of both my body and spirit at the same time was a strange sensation, a bit like rubbing your head while patting your belly, or the other way around. There was a steep learning curve to this type of power use, and I didn’t have time to practice. I either got it right the first time, or Irkalla, and possibly I, would die. No pressure or anything.
My spirit was still tethered to my body when it touched the snare, and I felt a jolt of pain, as if I’d hit a sword on stone and felt the vibrations run up my body. I pushed it aside, and my spirit began to expand. Blue and purple light wrapped around the snare as Irkalla’s own spirit cascaded over mine, mixing together.
Memories flashed into my head. Irkalla discovering that her friend had been murdered by Siris, finding her friend’s body, along with those of her friend’s family. The rage that followed was something to truly fear, as Irkalla destroyed anyone who got between her and the target of her vengeance. She’d told me that Siris had murdered someone she’d cared for, but the depth of pain and suffering Irkalla had gone through felt like a shotgun blast to my heart.
Other images, of Nergal and Gilgamesh—the latter now dead, and the former now an enemy—and of Nanshe, an old friend to us both, came to me quickly without pause, until the second my spirit had completely encompassed the snare, and then there was nothing but darkness.
There were no memories in the man, no hopes or fears, no feels, no nothing. Whatever had once been there had been replaced with a void. But somewhere inside there was a voice. It was small and barely audible, but I pushed my spirit further, crushing the snare and pushing it further and further away from Irkalla’s spirit, forcing the two apart.
The voice began to come through louder and louder, but it was muffled and I couldn’t quite hear what it was shouting. I continued on, desperate to snuff the snare from existence. Smothering it seemed like the only way to remove Irkalla from its grasp, but the constant muffled cry was beginning to feel like I had a jackhammer going inside of my skull.
A wave of nausea hit me, and I crashed to my knees, fighting against the snare as it tried to stop me from destroying it. The muffled voice became louder and louder until I screamed in pure incandescent rage as I fought against the snare. And then, without warning, the snare vanished. I fell to the floor, panting and sweating from near exhaustion.
I looked over at Irkalla and willed her to move. For several seconds I was certain I was too late, until her eyes opened and she stared at me. “That wasn’t fun,” she said, her voice low and full of pain.
I nodded. I couldn’t find any words to use.
“Did you hear it?” she asked me.
I nodded again. “The voice,” I managed.
“I couldn’t make out what it was saying. It was the man’s memory, his one final memory that couldn’t quite be destroyed by what had been done to him. Do you know what the memory said?”
Right at the end I’d heard the voice clear as day. It had been one word screamed into my skull. “Abaddon.”
CHAPTER 8
Nate Garrett
You okay?” Tommy asked me as he entered the morgue with Selene and Grayson.
“That was not a fun experience,” I told him as I got back to my feet. “How’s your head, Irkalla?”
“I wish to crush something so I can feel better,” she said from beside me.
“Abaddon,” I said. “That was the name I got from the snare.”
I looked between Selene and Tommy, who both had an expression of pure shock on their faces.
“Wait, the devil guy from the Bible?” Tommy asked.
“Woman,” Irkalla corrected. “Devil woman.”
“As to whether she’s from the Bible, yes and no,” Grayson said. “It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“She’s older than I am,” Irkalla said. “If you thought that Tiamat was trouble, Abaddon is just in another league. I never met her, but I heard stories from those who did. She’s not a woman to mess with.”
“So, we might be dealing with someone who may, or may not, be the actual devil?”
I shrugged. “That about sums it up, I guess.”
“I’m hoping it isn’t the devil. If it is, a lot of the music I like is going to be ruined for me.”
“What, you mean if the devil is really just an asshole?”
Tommy chuckled slightly. “Yeah, I always thought he’d be cool. Or she. I’m completely open to a devil of either sex.”
“Or both sexes at once.”
“That, too.”
I paused for a second. “You know I’m an atheist, right?”
“Yeah, I figured as much. What with you having shown no belief in any religion for the centuries I’ve known you.” He made it sound as if I’d just said something incredibly stupid.
The urge to swear at him was great, but I pushed it aside. “I spent my whole life meeting people who, at one time or another, others thought were actual gods. I don’t put a lot of stock in religion as a whole.”
“But what if this woman genuinely is the devil? That’s going to throw a spanner in your entire ideology. You worried?”
“No, because I’m an atheist. It’s not the devil; the devil doesn’t exist. Not Lucifer, not angels, demons, or any other part of the whole story.”
Tommy stared at me for a heartbeat, his expression completely neutral. “You hope.”
I smiled. “Fuck off.”
Tommy laughed. “Nice comeback, very mature.”
“Fuck off, my good man?”
“That’s better. At least make it sound genteel.”
“You two done?” Grayson asked with just a flicker of irritation.
I was about to make a rebuttal when something caught in my mind. “Erebus said something about the seven devils. Isn’t Abaddon one of them? He said I was created in a similar way as the seven devils.”
Grayson nodded. “Abaddon was one of the seven devils, yes.”
“What do you mean, created?” Selene asked me.
I shrugged. “I don’t really know. Erebus just said that I was created to be a weapon. Like Mordred.”
“You all talk, and I’ll go make sure everything is prepared,” Tommy said. “Which means I’d quite like to know where you’re going.”
“My father has spoken about her before,” Selene said. “She scared him.”
“Hyperion was scared of her?” I asked, more than a little surprised. Hyperion was one of the most powerful beings I’d ever met; I couldn’t imagine the number of people that scared him to be very high.
Selene nodded. “Not ju
st her, but those she worked with. Those she answered to. If Abaddon is involved in this, we need the advice of people who have dealt with her before.”
“What about Hades, and the like. Won’t they have dealt with her?”
Selene shook her head. “The seven devils had vanished before the Titan war, so before the ascendency of Zeus and the Olympians. Mostly they’ll only know stories and rumors, or they might have met one or two of the devils, but it’s unlikely they’ve really dealt with them as a unit.”
“So, Tartarus it is, then,” I said, trying to figure out just how powerful someone would be to make a Titan afraid. “At least we can check on Sky and those who work there. Maybe some of the Titans can help us.”
“I don’t think Hades is going to be in any hurry to let any of them out,” Irkalla said. “They might not be on the side of whoever this cabal is, but they have no love for Avalon, either.”
“See, a nice chat with Hyperion will sort all of this out,” I said, feeling very little confidence in my words.
“If I step away, are you going to be able to stand upright?” Tommy asked.
“I’m grand, just tired. I’ll be fine.”
Tommy watched me for a few seconds to make sure I wasn’t about to fall over, and then left the room.
After checking that Irkalla wasn’t about to collapse, too, Selene walked over to kiss me on the lips. “I was worried about you. Don’t do anything stupid, I said. I’m pretty sure what you did classifies as stupid.”
“Well, yeah, but it’s always nice to be the hero, so they go hand in hand.”
Selene shared my smile before kissing me again. “It’s a good thing you’re handsome, because you’re not too good at the smarts.”
“Ah, how sweet, thanks.”
Grayson sighed, although I didn’t know if it was out of a desire to not see the public display of affection, or because it had been a long day. “I’m glad you’re both okay. I need to go deal with a few things, but I’ll be seeing you all later.”
“We’re still on for that chat,” I told him.
Grayson nodded. “I promise you, I’ll explain it all. I just need to find out a few things for myself before we talk. I’ll see you at Tartarus, and I’ll explain everything. But know this: Abaddon is to be feared. She is unlike anyone you’ve ever faced.”
“What is she?” Irkalla asked.
“A necromancer. Maybe the most powerful in all existence. She used to use snares like the one that grabbed Irkalla—she might well have been the person to invent them. Abaddon, like you, Nate, was created to be a weapon. But over time she became cruel, vicious, and full of rage at those around her. If she contacts you in any way, do not engage her in a fight.” He strode toward me and took hold of my face in his cold hands. “Promise me, Nate. Promise me you won’t fight her. She will kill you.”
I nodded. “I have no intention of fighting her. But if she comes for me, I’ll throw everything I have at her.”
Grayson appeared to be relieved. “Wait for me in Tartarus. I’ll come with answers.” He turned and walked toward the door.
“How do you know her?” Selene asked before he could leave.
Grayson paused at the door and looked back at us. “She was my friend.”
He left the room, leaving us with questions we would have to wait to hear the answers for.
“Road trip,” Irkalla said after several seconds of silence. She steadied herself. “Just so we’re clear, I’ve never seen one of those damn snares before, you?”
I shook my head. “No, I haven’t. And you’re not coming on this trip. We can’t be certain that you’re a hundred percent. I’d rather you stayed here and helped Olivia and Tommy. I’m concerned that whoever did this will try again.”
Irkalla looked annoyed for a second before nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine here. I could use the rest, I guess. Make sure whatever happened to me is absolutely gone. I’m almost sure the snare was able to grab me because I’d never seen one like it before. I just didn’t know what I was meant to do to get around it. The more I fought, the tighter it grasped. Not the most fun thing I’ve ever done.” Irkalla sat back on a nearby chair. “I think I’m just going to take a moment to rest, if that’s okay.”
“I saw my mother,” I said softly. “She told me that Valkyrie weren’t a species. That they’re necromancers who specialize in a very specific form of necromancy. The fact that this man died in battle meant I could screw with the snare. I’m not sure I could have done it otherwise.”
“You saw your mother?” Selene repeated, concerned.
I nodded. “She put a construct of herself in my head when I was born. My father did the same, but I still have no idea who he is, so I don’t get to see that one. She said I need to find the Valkyrie if they’re still alive. That they’ll help me find her.”
“We’ll find her,” Selene said.
“I know, but that’s for another day. Right now this is more important. Erebus, the nightmare inside of me, is a construct, too. My parents did something to give him the kind of personality he has; he didn’t explain more. The more I learn, the less I know.”
Selene, Irkalla, and I left the morgue and made our way back up to the ground floor, where we found Zamek and Tommy in deep conversation. The cleanup crew was pretty much finished, but a lot of people were bringing in family members to stay under Tommy’s protection while this whole thing continued. No one was sure who the enemy was, and while that continued, so would the uncertainty over exactly how safe and secure everyone was.
Irkalla wished us all luck and went off to get some rest. She probably wasn’t very happy about not being a part of what we were doing, but it was for the best.
“The jet is ready to go to Tartarus,” Tommy said. “It’s the one Hades loaned to Mordred and Morgan, so try not to break it.”
“Take care of yourself, you hear me?” I said, hugging him.
“You, too. Try not to get into too much trouble.” He stared at me for a second before laughing. “Sorry, I almost said it with a straight face.”
I smiled. “I would hate to work for you.”
“I’m an awesome boss, and everyone loves me. I bring them cake every Friday—how can they not love me?”
I left the building and got into a black SUV and found Zamek inside. “I wondered where you’d gone,” I said.
He picked up the battle-axe from the seat beside him. “Needed to go sharpen my axe. I get the feeling it’s going to get a lot of use.”
Selene entered the SUV, and we were taken to a nearby airfield, where we boarded the jet. There was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when flying terrified me. Since then I’d jumped out of two helicopters to wage war on my enemies. Flying was never going to be my favorite mode of transport, but until someone finally invented a teleport that worked without risk of disintegration, flying was the best I had.
So, I gritted my teeth and spent the journey drinking whiskey and trying very hard to get some rest. I had the feeling I was going to need it. At some point I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew I was jolted awake from the landing at the private airport in Mittenwald.
It was a short drive from there to the Wolf’s Head compound near Lake Ferchensee. The security at the gate let us in the second they saw that it was me, with most of them saying hi and asking how I was before we drove in. The last time I’d been at the compound, they’d been attacked, and I helped defend the place. I really hoped it wasn’t going to come to that again, and judging by the number of armed guards patrolling the area, anyone trying had better come armed for a long, protracted battle.
Selene parked the Range Rover we’d been given at the airport, and we all got out into the wintry south-German air. There was plenty of snow on the ground, and it crunched underfoot as we were motioned by one of the guards to move toward the command building at the far end of the compound. I was grateful for the warm clothing and new boots that Sky had supplied when we’d reached Germany, and hoped that those who had gon
e off to find Elaine weren’t having too much trouble. The second the thought entered my mind, I became fully aware that it was the pot calling the kettle black, but the point still stood.
Sky walked out of the command building before we’d even reached it, and smiled. Sky had been born to a Native American father and a European mother who had been murdered when she was a young child. Hades and Persephone had taken her in and raised her as one of their own. She walked over and hugged Selene and me before introducing herself to Zamek.
“I’ve never met a dwarf before,” she said.
“They’re not all as great as I am,” Zamek replied, shaking Sky’s hand.
Sky laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind if I ever meet more. Olivia told me you were on the way. You want access to Tartarus, is that right?”
“We need to see my father,” Selene said. Her tone was solemn, and I knew she wasn’t exactly thrilled to be here under such unpleasant circumstances.
As the four of us walked through the compound, heading down toward the realm gate room, we explained to Sky what had happened back in England, and how we believed that Abaddon was involved.
“My father spoke of her once or twice,” Sky said. “He told me she was not someone to cross. My mother thinks she’s about as evil as anyone has ever been. I think they both met her once or twice, although by that point the Olympians were in total control, so I’m not sure how much power or influence Abaddon actually had. Even so, my mother grew up with Hera in her life, so if there’s one thing she knows, it’s evil. If Abaddon is involved in these attacks, what’s to say the other six devils aren’t involved, too?”
“That’s what we need to talk to Hyperion about. We need to know how likely that is, and why they would attack now,” I told her.
“How are you doing, Nate?” Sky asked with some concern.
“I’m as okay as possible, thanks,” I told her.
“Good, and you, Selene?”
Selene shrugged. “My brother, Helios, is involved in all of this. I don’t think I can protect him any further. This will be his last time to hurt those I care about. I am both saddened and angry about that fact. He is my brother, after all.”