“Ghoul demons,” said Milo.
Alexa stiffened at the putrid sewer smell that rolled off them.
“They’re lesser demons that feed on human flesh. They’re not very smart, but they are ruthless and tough to kill. So, it’s not likely they came here on their own. They would never appear in such large numbers unless they were sent by their master.”
“Hades,” said Alexa. A spider of a shiver walked down her spine.
Had Hades sent these ghouls after her? Had she put the lives of all these mortals in danger because of her own selfish need to see Erik?
Even as she spoke, a solid wall of ghoul demons poured over the floor in their direction. They crawled, hissed, ran, and slipped on the polished floors, tumbling over themselves like a giant wave of putrid black oil.
A man Alexa recognized from the training room screamed as a wave of ghoul demons overwhelmed him. His cry died as he disappeared into the tangle of thrashing arms and legs. It happened so fast that Alexa barely registered what was going on. But when the ghouls moved away, some bones, ribbons of flesh and blood, and some bits of torn clothes were the only indication that a person had been there seconds before. There was no sign of his soul.
Alexa gagged at the sight. More gory bundles of bones and bodies were scattered across the dark floors all around them. The ghoul demons were like piranhas on steroids.
With a clatter of claws against stone, the demons charged across the hall towards them.
Milo leapt forward, shouting in a language Alexa didn’t recognize. With his swords gripped in both hands, he screamed as he unleashed his fury. He drove both his swords through the chest of the first demon to rush him. Soft flesh and hard bone hissed on contact with Milo’s blade, and black ichor, like a perversion of the blood of the gods, splashed onto Milo’s face.
The demon slid from the swords and hit the ground like of bucket of slop, its body not entirely able to contain its contents. The creature boiled and frothed from the inside until nothing was left but a dark puddle.
Milo didn’t stop moving. He attacked the onslaught of ghoul demons in a deadly dance of death. Twisting and spinning, he struck with deadly precision and never seemed to miss. He was incredible to watch. Alexa was mesmerized at his skill.
Suddenly a demon who had crawled past Milo along the ceiling leapt out at her.
Alexa snapped out of her reverie and met the demon head on. She struck out with her blade and sliced a gash across its taut black stomach. The demon howled and rushed her again so quickly that it batted her to the ground with its leathery hands. Alexa rolled to her feet, whirling her dagger. Her blade flashed in the semi-darkness, and she hacked off a chunk of its flesh in a spray of demon blood.
The demon hissed in rage and lunged toward her yet again. Its long wet fangs gleamed as it spat and hissed. Its eyes were ablaze with a furious red glow. The demon’s roar thundered in her ears as its claws raked her sides. She turned and drove her dagger through its chest. It collapsed in a heap.
Heedless of the danger, she threw herself back into the fray, demanding revenge for the other dead mortals.
“Curse you, Hades!” Alexa bellowed as she slashed through a gangly wall of ghouls.
Her eyes watered at the putrid smell of wet dog and feces. She lunged and ducked, letting her angel senses guide her. She immersed herself in her own dance as the demons attacked. She dodged right and then left, leapt and thrust, and then repeated it all. She sprang up and drove her blade through the chest of another demon. It choked on the black blood clogging its maw. She gagged and was momentarily blinded as the warm demon ichor sprayed her face.
Alexa screamed in pain as a demon leapt on her back and tried to pull her down from behind. She could feel its icy breath on her neck as it sunk its teeth deeper into her flesh. She swung her blade blindly over her back and felt it make contact. She stabbed and twisted the blade as she pulled it away and then sliced off the ghoul’s head. The demon tumbled to the ground. The severed head lay on the stone floor, and its body twitched before it collapsed into a puddle of black blood.
She wiped her face with her shirt and looked around. Milo was gone, but so were most of the ghoul demons. She sprinted down the hall doing her best not to step on the hundreds of dark bloody puddles and bones that were scattered on the floors.
Shrieks, wails, and hideous laughter erupted again when she neared the end of the hallway. She bounded into the main lobby where Sensitive operatives had fallen upon the ghoul demons and were being bloodied and repelled even as more operatives came to their aid. A ghoul demon had cornered a young girl against a wall, and Alexa could see blood flowing from a deep gash on the side of her face. She held her hands up protectively against her unseen foe, but the ghoul hissed what sounded like laughter and lunged—
Alexa sprang forward and slashed the side of its neck. A fountain of hot blood gushed across her face and chest. She stabbed it in the back and had to hold her blade firmly when she felt it penetrate bone. A claw flashed past her face as the creature twisted around, but its claws never reached her. Her hatred pounded through her like a shot of adrenaline, and she slashed its neck repeatedly until its head toppled to the ground next to her feet and dissolved into a heap of black liquid.
“Get behind me,” said Alexa as she yanked the girl behind her.
The doors to the dining hall were open, and she couldn’t see any of the demons inside. Pulling the girl with her, she ran into the dining hall and saw a group of scared but unharmed Sensitive children huddled with some adults in the far corner.
“There are locks on the tops and bottoms of these doors,” said Alexa to the frightened girl. “Lock them. You’ll be safe in here. And don’t open these doors until someone you recognize tells you it’s safe. Okay?”
The girl gave a tight nod of her head.
Alexa pulled the doors closed and waited for the click of the locks before she dashed into the fight again. She could already feel a familiar tingling as her M-suit repaired itself, but the thought of Erik being reduced to a pile of bones sent a new kind of cold terror through her.
She heard a high-pitched scream coming from west wing, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She recognized Rachel’s voice.
No! No! No!
She flew in the direction of the scream and whirled around a corner just in time to see a man thrust a blade into Rachel’s chest. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth moved in a silent scream. With the last of her strength, Rachel reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. But then she let go and went limp.
The man tossed her to the ground and then wiped his blade on his pants. He turned around at the sound of Alexa’s approach—
Alexa froze in horror.
Ryan smiled at her. Ryan the angel. Ryan the traitor. Ryan the jerk.
Even in the darkness she could see the shadows below his eyes and his grayish skin coloring. He looked sick. Although she knew it was Ryan because of his light brown hair and pale skin, he looked wrong somehow, like a fake.
Had he been in the mortal world since the night of Hades’ escape?
For a moment, Alexa stared at the angel who had released Hades and had caused her to become complicit in Hades’ escape. Then she saw the loathsome James and Will, Ryan’s loyal sidekicks. They had backed two operatives against the far wall. The operatives looked confused and held up their arms in surrender, but the two angels plunged their blades into them nonetheless. The operatives fell lifelessly to the floor. Their skin glimmered with millions of lights, and their souls hovered above their bodies like tiny glowing suns.
What happened next was even more disturbing. The rebel angels grabbed the souls and devoured them.
The world slowed as Alexa contemplated what had happened. James and Will had just ingested human souls. She’d had no idea it could be done. She thought only demons and supernatural creatures could consume a soul. She was wrong.
James and Will shivered and moaned in delight, just as Hades had done when he had con
sumed Dr. Prevost’s soul. Then they laughed, a sick horrible laugh that she’d never forget.
She had heard legends of shadows and claws, and of a darkness that devoured souls. But this was much, much worse.
“What’s the matter, Lexi?” laughed Ryan. He kicked Rachel’s body aside and came forward a step. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I wish I was looking at a ghost,” said Alexa. “Your ghost. Or better yet, the ghost of your soul so I could feed it to a demon. Creatures like you shouldn’t exist. Not in Horizon and not on Earth.”
“You were always so quick with the compliments, Lexi. Too bad they’re going to be your last.”
Alexa caught a glimmer of movement on the ground behind Ryan. Blue eyes blinked up at her from across the lobby. Rachel was still alive. She wasn’t moving, but there was still light in her eyes, and they were fixed on Alexa, pleading.
For now, Ryan seemed to have forgotten about Rachel.
Good, thought Alexa. Let him see only me.
“How could—how can angels—”
Alexa felt like she was going to be sick. Her knees shook, and she strained to keep from falling. Ryan and his gang deserved to die, each and every one of them.
“Consume mortal souls?” Ryan’s smile widened. “Just as easily as swallowing down a pint of beer. Once you know how to do it of course. You should try it sometime. You might see things…differently.”
The air moved next to her, and Milo appeared at her side. He was so covered in black blood that he was barely recognizable. His steely eyes shone with hatred as he stared at Ryan, James, and Will.
Ryan looked a little surprised when he recognized the warrior angel. His shoulders tensed, and something Alexa couldn’t decipher flashed across his face.
“A new bodyguard I see,” said Ryan.
He chuckled wickedly, and his expression darkened.
“Can’t say that I like your choice of protector, Lexi. What happened to the other one? Did you tire of your little mortal? Where is he by the way? I know this is his home. Did the ghouls get him?”
“Shut up,” hissed Alexa. “I’ll kill you if anything happened to him.”
Ryan lifted his hands in mock surrender. “Oh, dear, I’m so scared. Please don’t hurt me, Lexi. Please. I’ll do anything.”
His evil smile made her every fiber ache.
More cries erupted from another room. The cries grew frantic. A woman’s voice ascended to a terrible, painful wail that went on and on. Alexa wanted to clap her hands over her ears. It was like the entire world was screaming.
Erik, be safe…
Then an eerie silence fell. It was unnatural. The ghoul demons and the mortals seemed to have vanished, and the corridors and hallways had become desolate and empty. Only angels stood in the lobby.
Alexa turned her attention back to Ryan and his cronies. She shook her head, and her voice cracked.
“I’ve always known there was something foul about you. But this? Why? What would motivate you into doing something so immoral and evil?”
“Power, you mindless little rookie,” said Ryan.
As he moved closer, Alexa could see that the skin on his face was stretched tightly over his bones. It was the face of an old man, not the young face Alexa remembered. His skin was covered with a spider web of black veins.
“Haven’t you learned anything from all this? You just don’t get it, do you, Lexi. It’s always been about power. Power is everything. A single mortal soul is like a thousand batteries. It makes us invincible. It’s a source of power that was hidden for so long we almost forgot about it. The Legion kept the secret well. Lucky for us because there’s an endless supply of these batteries right here in this mortal world.”
“I never imagined you could top your murder of those innocent girls for Hades…but this?” Alexa bared her teeth. “You’re sick and twisted, Ryan. Demons ingest mortal souls, not angels, you jerk.”
Ryan laughed. “Why not? It’s not like it’s never happened before. Wake up, Lexi. Look around. Why should we bow down to these monkeys when they’re inferior to us? Did you ever ask yourself why the Legion makes you do the things they do? Why does the Legion even exist? Didn’t you ever wonder?”
He shook his head. His face was a brutal mask. “No. I didn’t think so. Take what’s yours. What is ours. Take a soul, Lexi. Discover true power.”
“Screw your power,” said Alexa through gritted teeth. “Your twisted actions have left me with a shattered soul. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. But what I do know is that you are worse than any demon I’ve ever met. And I will smile and rejoice when you die.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Ryan’s mocking smile returned.
Alexa growled and felt the empty part of her soul begin to fill with fire.
Ryan’s eyes flashed. “Take your pick. There’s more for the plucking—”
Alexa roared like a wild animal as she shot forward. She let her hatred for these angels consume her as something cold and dark flickered inside her. She didn’t care. All that mattered now was that she was going to slice the smile off Ryan’s face, once and for all.
She had only made a few steps in the traitor’s direction when Milo slid his arm around her waist and lifted her off her feet. He held her hard against his chest and whispered in her ear, “Wait.”
Alexa struggled against his iron grip, but it was like trying to fight off a statue made of rock.
“Milo! What the hell are you doing? Let go of me. I’m going to kill him—”
“Look.” Milo gestured to a thick mist that coiled around the floor.
Tendrils of blue smoke materialized and rose between them like a wall. It shielded Ryan and the other angels, and they disappeared from view behind it. If Milo hadn’t stopped her she would have run right into it.
The mist thickened on the floor and stole slowly and silently throughout the hall.
Alexa’s chest contracted, and she smelled spices and death. A shape moved in the mist. Alexa gritted her teeth.
And then a female creature stepped from the blue smoke.
She was naked, except for a garland of skulls that hung from her neck and a skirt of dismembered arms. Her smooth dark blue skin made her look as though she’d been doused in ink. She held curved blades set with precious stones in three of her four hands. In her fourth hand she held a freshly severed head that was dripping with blood.
“What the hell is that?” Alexa frowned at this female demon. It looked oddly familiar.
“Kali,” answered Milo as he released her carefully. “The Hindu goddess of death.”
CHAPTER 9
THE GODDESS KALI SMILED AT the mention of her name, and Alexa could see that her teeth were black and pointed like needles. It was the most horrendous face she had ever seen. It was the face of a monster, the face of a nightmare made of flesh.
A cold shiver licked Alexa’s spine, and she took a careful step back into Milo’s hard chest. The blue mist slowly dissipated, and Alexa saw that Ryan and the other angels had escaped down the hallway.
“I thought she was just a myth?” said Alexa under her breath.
“All myths are true,” answered Milo.
“Not all of them, surely?”
“All of them.”
Alexa stole a glance at Milo. His tone had been flat, final, as though everyone knew that pagan gods and other supernatural myths and legends were true, and that she was the idiot who still didn’t believe. Looking at the terrifying, blue-skinned creature now, she believed.
“Kali,” said Milo, taking a careful step forward. “You are as beautiful and terrifying as I remember,” he purred. “Who’s the lucky guy?” Milo smiled and gestured to the severed head.
Kali smiled proudly and stared lovingly at the head.
“My latest husband,” said the goddess in a heavy accent.
Her voice was the like the wails of a thousand women, and it sent a jolt of fear and anger through Alexa. Clearly, this goddes
s was also a psychopath.
“What brings you here, Dark Mother? Or should I say, how did you get here?” inquired Milo. “As queen of the Mada and Preta demons, and one who bathes in the blood of demons, your place is in the Netherworld. Not here.”
He drew his swords and held one in each hand. He stood legs apart, and from the tension in his shoulders, Alexa knew this was no ordinary foe.
“Why are you here, Kali?” said Milo again. “This isn’t your fight.”
“Hades compelled me,” said the goddess, as though this was the most natural thing in the world.
“Really?” questioned Milo. “I thought the two of you hated one another…that business of who was in charge of the River Styx. I heard the two of you were always at each other’s throats.”
“Yes, it’s true. I never cared for him or any of the other pagan gods. But he was the worst. Too pompous.”
As she spoke, her body swayed sensuously from her head to her toes, like a snake. When her hips gyrated, her skirt of dismembered arms slapped against each other. It was a belly dance from hell.
Kali continued to talk about Hades.
“He thought he presided over all the demons and over death. All the while, he surrounded himself with demon whores and accumulated gold, silver, and precious stones. But he was wrong,” she said with barely controlled anger. “I am in charge. I am the mother of darkness, and of all the devils. I am Kali, the Dark Mother, the goddess of Death.”
The goddess’ grin widened, and Alexa noticed that her skin was smeared with blood.
“So, how can he compel you if you hate him?” inquired Milo.
Alexa could see that Milo was trying to negotiate with Kali, but she wasn’t sure it would work.
Kali lifted the severed head and brought it close to her face, examining it like one might examine a pretty flower. “Because we made a bargain. He gives me what I want, and in return I help him.”
The Helm of Darkness Page 7