by Diem, J. C.
Two more firebombs hit the building and I stepped out from concealment. “It is Hellscourge!” Dom shouted and began to run towards me. I shook my head that even the angels were calling me that now and took off at a run.
Dom caught up to me just as Elijah tore past us. Shouts sounded from the far side of the warehouse as Sophia tossed her firebombs as well. We were unobserved at the moment, so Dom turned me to face him. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.
“No, but I don’t have a choice,” I replied.
“Briathos told us what you plan to do. Jeduthun and I will try to help you escape again once you are cured of the toxin.”
I looked over his shoulder to see his partner coming towards us. I waited for Jed to reach us before I replied. “I appreciate your offer, but Hagith and Orifiel will become suspicious if I escape when you two are near me again.” They’d helped me once and to repeat the act would only endanger their cover.
“Are you carrying the rune stones that we gave you?” Jed asked.
“No. They were taken by a demon.” Zach was technically a Nephilim, but I didn’t have time to explain the story to them.
“What about the fragment of metal that Hagith will expect you to have?”
“It’s not on me. I’m not letting her get her hands on that.”
They shared a worried look. “She will not be happy to hear that.”
“Good. I need her to be pissed off at me.” Holding out my arms, I took a deep breath before speaking the words I’d never thought I’d have to say. “Take me to your leaders.”
Grabbing hold of me, they marched me back up the street and around the corner. Angels had gathered to inspect the damage that had been done to their base. One of them pointed at us and they all turned to stare.
Hagith stood out from the others. Tall, thin and slender, her blond hair was kept in a tight bun. Dread filled me when I was close enough to see her expression. Triumph blazed from her icy blue eyes. This was the angel who had stripped Nathan of his grace just to punish him. If she was willing to do that to one of her own, what would she be willing to do to me?
₪₪₪
Chapter Nine
Orifiel pushed his way through the crowd as I was escorted over to them. He stared at me in grim silence while his partner in crime smirked. I thought I saw regret in his eyes before he schooled his expression to neutrality. He knew Hagith had gone over the edge and he didn’t have the willpower to stop her.
“It was foolish of your friends to attack us,” Hag said when Dom and Jed pulled me to a stop a few feet away from her. “This attempt to rescue Leo has shown us just how pitiful your band of rebels is,” she gloated. Turning on her heel, she stalked towards the door. I hid my relief that she’d fallen for our ruse.
Dozens of suspicious eyes followed me as I was propelled after her. Dom and Jed maintained stony expressions. Their grips on my arms were tight, but not painfully so. I was grateful that Brie had managed to make sure they were the ones to catch me.
Speaking of Brie, she was waiting just inside the warehouse. She sneered when she saw me, then fell in behind her leaders. I took a quick look around as I was propelled across the plain concrete floor.
A few changes had been made since the last time I’d been here. A raised platform had been built at the back of the building. Two chairs painted a garish gold color with royal blue cushions had been placed side by side on the dais. They were for the leaders of the raggedy host of angels. A pedestal sat next to the chair on the right. The box that held seven fragments of the object of power taunted me with its nearness. I would have to ignore it for now.
We headed for a heavy metal door to our left. Behind it was a set of stairs that led to a dark basement with dirt floors and wooden walls. Several rooms had been converted into cells. As I was escorted past the first door to the right, I glanced inside. That was where Nathan had been shackled to the wall. It was also where his grace had been stolen from him.
Turning my attention back to Hagith as she strode ahead of me, I searched her dark gray suit and saw a bulge in the right pocket of her jacket. It had to be the vial that held Nathan’s grace. I tore my gaze away as she flicked a look over her shoulder.
Hearing movement to the left, I saw Leo’s face appear in the barred window of his cell. “Violet?” he said in a tone full of dismay. “What are you doing here?”
Dom and Jed allowed me to pause for a moment to talk to him. “I came to rescue you,” I replied as flippantly as possible.
“You do not appear to be doing a very good job this time.”
His solemn reply brought a snigger out of me. Spinning around, Hagith stormed over and slapped my face hard enough to make my ears ring. “Keep silent, filthy Nephilim!” she hissed. “You will speak only when you are instructed to do so.”
Leo glowered at her, but he kept his distance from the door. His cell was warded and he’d get a shock if he touched the bars. I was pretty sure his grace was still intact. Hag wanted to keep Brie in her inner circle. If she mistreated Leo, she would lose one of her main supporters.
Hagith smirked when she came to a stop next to the door that led to my cell. Dom and Jed shoved me inside then stepped back. Nothing had changed since I’d been here last. The same thin mattress lay against the back wall. A small stool was in the corner to the right of the door. A bucket was on the left and it would be my toilet. The only thing missing was a roll of toilet paper.
I wondered if the invisibility runes that I’d drawn with my own blood on the wall to the left were still there, or if they had been discovered and scoured away. Only a demon blade could disarm the spells, or one of Vepar’s runes. It was doubtful Hag would allow demons into her lair, so it was most likely still there.
Hagith and Orifiel stepped into the cell and I shifted backwards until I hit the wall. I was standing next to my mattress, so I’d have something to land on when I fell. Brie entered the cell and motioned for the other lackeys to disperse. Dom and Jed left last and sent lingering looks at her. She nodded slightly, presumably reassuring them that she wouldn’t let things get out of hand.
Waiting until the lesser angels were gone, Hag motioned at her sidekick. “Search her thoroughly. I want to make sure she does not have any spells on her that will enable her to escape this time.”
She mistakenly thought that was how I’d managed to teleport away from her when Nathan had revealed that he’d been the one who had taken my soul. Utter despair had allowed me to call on my legion and use their power. I could only ever teleport under the most dangerous, or stressful conditions.
With a look of distaste at the thought of touching an abomination like me, Orifice searched my pockets and found nothing. He shook his head and stepped back.
“Take off your clothes,” Hag instructed me icily.
I gaped at her in astonishment. “I’m not going to strip down with a guy watching me,” I protested. I didn’t want to get naked in front of females, either, but there was no way I was going to do what she ordered when a male was standing right there.
Hagith’s hand rose and she stepped towards me. Orifiel caught her wrist before she could slap me again. “I have no wish to see Hellscourge naked,” he said. “I will wait outside until she is dressed again.”
Nodding stiffly, his partner waited for him to leave before she crossed her arms and stared at me imperiously. “Remove your clothing,” she repeated.
I saw an opportunity to rouse her to anger and snatched at it. “I didn’t know you were into girls,” I taunted her as I stripped my hoodie and shirt off. “That explains why you have an alliance with Vepar. How long have you two been dating?”
Her nostrils flared and her hand came around my throat. She slammed me into the wall and pain radiated from my head when it bounced off the wooden boards. “You will treat me with the respect I deserve,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
“Believe me, I am treating you with the respect you deserve,” I replied hoarsely. “You’re a po
wer mad bully who gets off on hurting people who are weaker than you.”
“You are not a person,” she said dismissively and released me. “You are a monster that has no right to exist.” She deliberately wiped her hands on her skirt, as if touching me had soiled her perfection.
Brie sent me a warning look not to push Hagith too hard or too fast. I needed her to purge me, not beat me to death. I stripped down to my underwear, but it wasn’t enough for her. She continued to stare at me, willing me to obey her. It didn’t have any effect, but I complied anyway. Rolling my eyes and pretending it didn’t make my skin crawl to be so vulnerable, I took my bra and undies off as well.
Hag’s gaze lingered on the scar on my left breast and the gray mark on my abdomen. She signaled for me to turn around and I obeyed. “Get dressed,” she ordered with a sniff of disdain. I did so with haste, glad to cover up my nakedness again. “Where is the eighth piece of the demonic object?” she asked.
“It’s at our base,” I replied honestly.
“Our allies will most likely have possession of it soon,” Orifiel said as he stepped back inside.
“Don’t count on it,” I said with a smirk. Hag was already on the edge. It shouldn’t take much to push her over. “They might be able to unlock the doors, but they won’t be able to get inside.”
“Lord Vepar has access to spells that will negate yours,” Hagith said. “They will tear the building apart to find the fragment if they have to.”
“No evil beings will be able to set foot inside,” I insisted.
“If that is the case, then how is it possible for you to enter?”
“I might have demonic essence inside me, but my own soul is missing,” I reminded her. “I’m just an empty vessel and I don’t show up on this particular type of spell.”
Turning to her partner, her eyebrows rose in enquiry. Orifice thought hard and his eyes widened when he figured it out. “You had a priest bless the building?”
“Yep,” I said with a wide smirk. “It’s guaranteed to keep demons out.”
“We will send our own people in to search then,” Hag said with a glower.
“Your girlfriend’s spells only work for demons. Even if Vepar unlocks the doors, angels still won’t be able to enter. Neither you, nor your allies, will be able to retrieve the item.”
“That demon is not my girlfriend!” she hissed and slapped me again.
Blood trickled from my nose, but I sniggered defiantly. “Keep telling yourself that, Hag.”
Her face went white with rage at the insult, but Brie intervened before her leader could use her fists to punish me. I needed another type of torture to fix what was wrong with me. She guided the topic to something that I could use to push Hagith’s buttons. “Why is the scar on your stomach gray instead of black?” she asked.
“I managed to draw one of my Wraith Warriors out,” I said with a shrug. “The other one is still inside me.”
They all drew back in horror to hear that. “You have one of those evil assassins living inside you?” Orifice asked.
“Yeah. He’s probably just about ready for me to call on him now.” I could see how disturbed they all were to hear this. Even Brie was repulsed by the news. “He took a bit longer than the other one to develop,” I added.
“We cannot allow this thing to be brought to life,” Hag said. A fanatical light was shining from her eyes. “Where is the other warrior?” she asked.
“She’s stuck in hell. I can’t call on her when I’m in this dimension.”
Falling for the lie, she started towards me. I shrank back from her and sent a glance at Brie. Her face was drawn, but she gave me a tiny nod of support. Giving myself over to Fate, I didn’t resist when Hag’s hands clamped down on my head.
₪₪₪
Chapter Ten
Pain flooded through me from head to toe as Hagith unleashed holy fire on me. I could distantly hear myself screaming. The pain increased when Raziel and the other two angels began to purge me from the inside.
Something twisted inside me, trying to escape from the dual barrage. I knew it was the Wraith Warrior and that he was burrowing deeper into my body. Drive him out, I screamed at the angels inside me and they obeyed.
Bright white light filled my eyes and I could suddenly see myself in both dimensions. Orifiel was trying to wrench Hagith away while Brie stood there, wringing her hands. Inside me, I saw the black house that I’d created for the legion beginning to crumble. Holes appeared in the walls and the lesser demons screamed shrilly when the holy power set them alight. At the core of my body, I saw the evil essence of the Hellmaster. I heard him snarl in defiance as he curled around my organs and gripped as hard as he could. More of the black building disintegrated and white light flared, destroying the weakest members of the legion.
Heather’s house began to turn gray as the holy fire tried to reach Sy. The white house where the angels resided was the only structure that was untouched. My demons were dying and I’d lose them all if this kept up.
Orifiel managed to tear Hagith loose and the power diminished. “No!” I moaned in despair. “He’s still inside me!” If they stopped now, my legion were going to die for nothing.
With a look of determination, Brie darted forward and placed her hands on my head. Her power flooded through me and the white light blinded me completely. I could hear both myself and my legion screaming. I shared their pain as they withered and died.
The door to Heather’s house burst open. Three figures emerged and raced towards Raziel’s house. Sam and Heather carried Sy by the arms, dragging him as best they could. The hellscribe writhed in their arms with smoke rising from his skin and clothing. His black robe caught alight and he screamed in torment. My heart hurt to see him in such agony.
As they approached the angels’ house, the door opened and they leaped inside. The building that I’d constructed for the demons crumbled to dust until only the arena was standing. I saw some withered, flaming figures running for the safety of the only building that was still intact, but I couldn’t make out how many there were.
Turning my attention back to my body, I saw black essence being drawn out of me. Brie saw it as well and increased her power. Raziel and his colleagues met her strength with their own, driving the essence out of me until it coalesced into a Wraith Warrior. All four angels cut off the purge of holy fire at the same time.
Hagith and Orifiel reacted immediately when they saw the warrior form. White lightning flared from their hands. It was a physical manifestation of the holy power that Brie and my inner angels were using. Still watching from somewhere outside my body, I saw the Wraith Warrior flinch away from the barrage. Shadowy and without a face, I sensed the malevolence that he felt towards me as he fled. Unrestricted by the angelic wards, he headed for the closest portal that would take him to hell. Like all creatures spawned in the underworld, he couldn’t exist in this dimension for long.
Too badly damaged by the purge to continue beating, my heart stuttered a few times then stopped.
“I think Violet is dying,” Brie said hoarsely.
Orifiel came forward and dropped to his knees beside my prone body. I lay on my back on the thin mattress and my chest wasn’t moving. He put his hands on my chest and a different kind of power flooded through me.
Raziel was the greatest healer among their kind and he gave my heart a jolt to get it going again. Working together with Orifiel, they repaired the damage that had been done to me during the purge.
“I have done what I can,” Orifiel said and sat back on his haunches. “Her body is now sound, but I am not sure if her mind is still whole.”
Hag turned on Brie and my ally flinched back from her fury. “What were you thinking?” she snarled. “You could have killed her!”
“I had to drive the evil out of her,” Brie said wearily. “It is what God would have expected us to do. He might have abandoned us, but my instinct drove me to destroy the darkness.”
Orifiel put a calming hand o
n his partner’s arm. “It is done now. Briathos did what we could not. Her hatred of Hellscourge surpasses even our own.”
Slightly mollified, Hag nodded stiffly. “You are right. I should not be berating our loyal soldier for simply doing her duty. Instead, you will be rewarded for giving a disgusting Nephilim the punishment she deserves.”
Brie bowed her head in modesty, but I saw the remorseful glance she sent at me as they filed out. Orifiel closed my door and chanted a spell to lock it.
“How could you do that to Violet?” Leo said in a low voice when Brie reached his door. “If she dies, you and I will never be friends again.”
“I am sorry you feel that way,” she said stiffly. “I was just doing what needed to be done.”
Turning his back on his best friend, he dismissed her completely and didn’t see her look of pain. If I survived, I’d explain everything to him. She’d only done what I’d asked her to do and I didn’t want him to hate her for it.
Feeling my consciousness being drawn back to my body, I found myself in the nowhere lands. My hounds moved in to surround me when I fell to my knees. I was as weak as a kitten and I didn’t even have the strength to stand. The oil lamps that I’d created illuminated the hellbeasts that gathered around. The crab beetle clicked its claws in distress, but kept its distance. The other beasts were wary of it. My nightmares watched me with worried scarlet eyes.
My alpha hound howled in misery as he sensed my pain and the other canines joined in. Even after being healed, my entire body still hurt. My female Wraith Warrior appeared and gently picked me up. She carried me over to my carriage, opened the door then placed me on the seat. My alpha hound clambered inside and sat on the floor with his huge head resting on my legs.
Knowing I was safe here, I fell into a deep sleep that was closer to unconsciousness. Even if the male Wraith Warrior turned up, my loyal guards wouldn’t let him near me. No one could reach me in this dimension. Not even the Hellmaster himself had the power to be able to hurt me here.