by Vox Day
“Nice shot,” Jami praised him. “That had to hurt.”
“Way to go, Khasar,” Holli cheered. But her voice was weak, and that worried Jami.
“Not enough to stop him, curse the luck. He just wasn’t expecting it. Now he’s angry, and if I know Bilethel, he’ll chase us to the Gates of Heaven and back.”
Jami looked back. Sure enough, Lord Bile was back in his snake-demon form and was in full pursuit, the great mottled wings beating the air as if every stroke was a lash laid to Khasar’s naked back. Even at this distance, she could feel his hateful fury.
“Khasar, I think he’s gaining on us.”
“I know, I know.”
“Isn’t there anything we can do?”
“I’ll fly, you pray,” Khasar said, his voice already sounding strained with the effort he was making. “That’s all I can think of at the moment.”
Jami sighed. She could hear Holli murmuring something behind her, but her own lips were sealed. Praying made her feel uncomfortable, mostly because until a few hours ago, she hadn’t believed in God, the Devil, or any of these stupid, supernatural creatures surrounding her now. They weren’t supposed to exist at all! No, she shook her head. She hadn’t prayed in fifteen years, and didn’t see any reason to start now.
She turned her head to look back at the snake-demon, and a blast of cold air brushed past her right ear. Her ponytail suddenly felt very heavy, and when she reached back she could feel that a chunk of it had been frozen solid by the blast. Suddenly, she realized that it didn’t matter if she believed God existed or not; they needed help and they needed it now. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes and began to pray.
“Okay, God, I think we’re in, like, a lot of trouble here. You know what I’m saying? They say you’re supposed to be so great and powerful, and so I’m thinking you should be able to get us out of this situation here. I don’t know if you can make Khasar fly faster or what, but I’d really, you know, like, appreciate it if you’d do something.”
When she finished her prayer, she opened her eyes and was deeply disappointed to see that the demon was still gaining on them. Khasar was straining mightily now, and she could feel his fur growing damp as he gave his all. But Lord Bile was flying closer, ever closer, and it was obvious to her that the Archon’s effort would not be enough.
“O Lord, be with your servant now!” Khasar cried suddenly. “Save us, Almighty One!”
“There is nothing that can save you. Save your voice to cry the Prince his mercy, the King of Heaven does not care!”
Lord Bile mocked Khasar, then paralyzed the Archon’s left wing with a freezing blast that caught him squarely from behind. With one wing locked into position, Khasar was forced to extend the other and begin a gentle, downward glide that would leave them helpless on the ground, completely in the demon’s power.
“Khasar!” Jami shouted at him. “Don’t stop!”
“I can’t move my wing!”
They continued to glide lower and lower, and Jami could see that Khasar was aiming for an open field of grass in between a large clump of trees and a steep hill. Behind them, Lord Bile floated easily like a monstrous, evil shepherd, guiding his sheep into the slaughtering house. There was a look of cruel satisfaction in the emerald eyes, and Jami shivered before them. She wondered fearfully what the demon had in mind for her and Holli. It couldn’t be good if he’d gone to such lengths to get them.
“Get ready! This is going to be rough!” Khasar yelled at them as they lurched towards the ground.
But as Khasar tried to steady himself for an awkward, two-legged landing, Jami heard the sound of trumpets blaring. There was a sharp crack of thunder, and she heard a wail of pain and fear behind her. She looked back and saw that Lord Bile had been struck by a bolt of lightning that had burned a large hole through one of his leathery wings.
“Where did that come from?” Jami tried to ignore the field of green rushing up at them.
“Hold on,” she heard Khasar cry just as his rear paws touched the ground. He was trying to keep himself upright, running on two legs, but he could not keep his balance and tumbled over on his side, sending her flying off his back.
Jami felt the unpleasant sensation of the earth becoming sky as she somersaulted through the air, and saw the yellow turn to green and back again, before the breath was smashed from her body. Her vision went red as she slammed into the ground. It felt almost like a car crash. The redness quickly faded although she found it hard to breathe as she carefully wiggled one part of her body at a time. Everything was still there, and nothing seemed to be broken.
Flat on her back, she stared up at the sky in stunned disbelief as twelve angels riding raging steeds of fire swept across her vision. Did she get knocked out? Was she dreaming them? The angels rode headlong through the air, bearing lances, and they charged the wounded snake-demon.
Lord Bile snapped and bit at the white riders, but to little effect as they stabbed at the monster with their lances, piercing his massive torso as they rode past, then circled around to attack again. Lord Bile roared in pain, and although no single wound appeared to do him much damage, he was losing the battle.
Jami was just beginning to regain her wind when the demon roared his angry disappointment one final time, then turned and retreated towards his mountain stronghold. The trumpets blew a second time and the riders halted their fiery steeds, abandoning the pursuit.
“Are you all right?”
Jami winced as she tried to take a deep breath before answering Khasar. The handsome Archon was in his human form, leaning over her with a look that showed only concern for her despite a left arm that was dangling awkwardly from his side.
“Holli!” she gasped painfully, worried about her sister.
“She’s here,” he reassured her. “Lay still, she’s being attended to.”
“Is she okay? Your arm…”
“Don’t worry about me.” He grinned and gently squeezed her shoulder. “We’re safe, and I’ll be fine.”
Jami tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea passed over her and she was forced to lie back upon the prickly green grass.
“Relax, child. Close your eyes. All will be well.”
The voice was not Khasar’s, but that of a woman. As her eyes obediently closed, Jami caught a glimpse of a kindly, wrinkled face, and she felt a soft hand tenderly stroke her brow. She smiled as she sank thankfully into unthinking darkness, soothed by the woman’s gentle touch.
Chapter 13
The King of Chaos
When did you say the earth would stop turning?
When did you say we would all start burning?
When should I make a pledge?
Should I listen to the voices in my head?
—Ministry (Burning Inside)
In an instant the voice, the heat, the pain, and even the lake itself were gone, and Christopher found himself standing beside Prince Jehuel in a large, dark cavern. He was still in his spiritual form, unscarred by the fall. He looked curiously at his arms, surprised and happy to find them whole.
“Are you unwell?” the Seraph asked, eyeing him strangely.
“No, I’m… I’m fine.” Christopher looked at his arms again. They were still there. “I thought I was just about all burned up there, while we were coming down. Why didn’t you… I mean, what were those voices?”
“Voices?” Prince Jehuel looked surprised for a moment. “Oh, just a trick of the mind. Leviathan is not a mindless monster, and has had no visitors in a long, long time. No doubt he would prefer to be left undisturbed.”
“Well, if that was him, he can’t be mindless,” Christopher agreed. “But I heard a second voice too.”
The angel-prince shrugged his robed shoulders, clearly uninterested.
“I heard nothing. But there’s bound to be strange things happening this close to the King of Chaos.” He walked over to the far wall, where a set of keys magically appeared in his hand, then began unlocking the first of seven silver locks that were
attached to a large stone door.
“Beyond that door is Leviathan,” he said as he unlocked the second lock. “Pray that I still hold the means to its mastery!”
“You got it, dude!” Christopher had absolutely no desire to face a primordial King of Chaos pissed off from a millenium of imprisonment. “But just in case you can’t control it, what should I do?”
“Then you shall discover what lies beyond the Beyond,” said the prideful Seraph solemnly. A surprisingly ironic smile flashed across his haughty face. “Are you curious?”
“Well, I’m not, actually,” Christopher said, honestly enough. “I hope you’re not either.”
The last lock was finally opened, and Prince Jehuel drew himself to his full height. He glanced quickly back at Christopher, and Christopher realized that Leviathan’s Keeper was not quite as confident as he wanted to appear.
“Behold, the King of Chaos!” Jehuel said dramatically as he hurled open the stone door.
Behind it was a massive lake of fire, a huge, bubbling pool of magma that looked a lot like the illusion that Christopher had seen during his descent. In fact, it was the same. The main difference, though, was that there was a giant black object floating in the middle of the lava, half the size of a football field.
“It’s so… big!” Christopher gasped.
The huge structures of Heaven had been impressive, but if this monstrous creature stood up, it would dwarf the buildings lining the streets of gold just like Godzilla towering over the skyscrapers of Tokyo. Then the giant thing moved, and Christopher realized that what he thought was Leviathan’s body was only its head.
“Holy—!” he blasphemed incredulously.
The dragon, for Leviathan was indeed a dragon, glared at them with all six of its yellow eyes. It had three heads, each attached to a long neck encrusted with hardened scaly armor. Christopher shook his head in awe as he saw molten lava drip from its thick snaky necks, but the lava did not even seem to burn the dragon. He ducked when the colossus noticed them, lifted two mighty wings, and flapped them forward, spraying a huge torrent of magma over them.
“I know thee!” its angry voice hissed, so loud and deep that the rocks of the chamber shook with the force of its fury. The magnificence of its anger was truly breathtaking.
Prince Jehuel bowed politely, as he brandished a small silver object in front of him.
“I am honored by your recollection, great King of Chaos.”
Christopher thought he heard sarcasm in the angel’s voice, and Leviathan’s angry response proved him right.
“It is no honor, Prince of Heaven! I have sworn to destroy thee and so I shall!”
“One day, maybe,” the angel-prince agreed. “But not today, great King. Not while I bear this talisman. Your heart is in my hand, and with but a single squeeze I can end you for all time.”
“Dost thou think I know it not? Long have I thought on thy talisman, Prince Jehuel, and thou knowest I will not try thy strength! Speak, then, of thine purpose here. Surely thou hast greater concern than to mock thy prisoner?”
“Perhaps, or perhaps not.” Jehuel smiled cruelly. “Truly it gives me great pleasure to see you bound. And maybe I will come again one day, simply to scoff at you.”
Leviathan roared, a wordless cry of sheer and impotent hate that echoed off the rocky walls of the prison.
Jehuel laughed, then relented. “But you are correct, Great King, and such is not my purpose today. I have need of you.”
“Is it so?”
“It is so. There is war in Heaven, and angel battles angel as the Divine Host has been riven apart.”
“Thy news gladdens mine ears!” the beast exulted. “Which side hast thou chosen?”
“I have cast my lot with the Son of the Morning, whom you may remember as Lucifer, the Shining One. He seeks to overthrow the King, whose rule has grown heavy on our shoulders.”
“Lucifer, yes, I remember him.” The three heads bobbed up and down. “He was strong. But not so strong as the King of Heaven.”
Christopher snorted. Prince Lucere had conquered almost all of Heaven, and the King still hadn’t lifted a finger in His own defense. But then, it wasn’t fair to expect Leviathan to be up on current events, considering he’d been locked up in here for centuries.
“Times change,” Jehuel informed the monster. “Heaven has already fallen to Prince Lucere’s hand. But on this mortal plane, our angels are outnumbered by the Hosts of Heaven and I would not trouble Prince Lucere with the issue.”
The dragon chuckled, making a rumbling sound like an avalanche of rock.
“Thou wouldst have me cover for thine own mistakes, mayhap.”
“Even so,” Jehuel admitted freely. “Your hatred for me is great, I know, but not so great as that you harbor for another.”
The three great heads nodded slowly.
“As thou sayest, even so. A day of reckoning will one day come for thee, but first I would break the King of Heaven in these jaws. An thou provideth me the way, I shall postpone thine own deserved reward. Set me free!”
“Do you take me for a fool?” Prince Jehuel shook his head. “You will be set free, but for a brief time only. First you shall swear to bind yourself to my will.”
“Then I shall not serve thee.” The great beast was stubborn.
“No? Then you may stew in your own hatred until I come again to you, a time that may never come. Will you forgo the chance to wreak vengeance on your greatest enemy, because you would not serve a lesser foe? Then your foolishness surpasses your hate.”
Christopher watched, breathless, as the great dragon contemplated the matter, weighing his hatreds in the balance. Its three heads moved slowly in a rhythmic pattern, and Christopher wondered if they were debating the choice among themselves. Did the monster have one brain or three? Was it possible that the second voice he’d heard might have belonged to Leviathan itself?
But even as the thought crossed his mind, a hint of cinnamon wafted past his nose. Suddenly, he realized who the second voice belonged to, and it wasn’t Leviathan.
“Melusine?” he whispered in astonishment. “Is that you?”
“Shhh,” she urged him. “I’m here, right behind you. I’m invisible. But you don’t need to talk aloud, we can speak through your mind.”
“How? Like this?”
“That’s it! Just think at me. It was strange, but I could hear your thoughts right after you defeated Lord Verchiel in the Circle. I… well, I followed you to this world. Lord Kaym found me out, but instead of getting angry with me, he told me to follow you.”
“I …okay. Listen, if Kaym told you to follow me, then it’s cool.” Christopher didn’t know why Kaym would have sent Melusine after him, but he was glad he had. Without her, he would have surely burned up in coming here, and besides, he understood more of what was happening better than the seductive little angel did herself. Melusine, he knew, would one day become his guardian angel, even though she couldn’t possibly know that now. And apparently they shared a bond that was much deeper than he’d realized. “Does Prince Jehuel know you’re here?”
“I don’t think so. Lord Kaym told me to keep myself hidden from him. But listen to me. He told me to give you this command.”
Christopher raised his eyebrows. Command? That was new.
“Yeah, I’m listening.”
“You are to take the talisman from Prince Jehuel. Lord Kaym says you’re stronger than the prince thinks, so he won’t be expecting it. Then you will be Leviathan’s Master!”
“Yeah, and I’ll have a pissed-off Seraph going after my head in the Circle too!” What was Kaym thinking?
“Don’t you understand? Lord Kaym told me that Leviathan hates Jehuel! So give him Jehuel.”
Christopher laughed. While the thought of such a callous betrayal might have bothered him before, he had seen too much of the spiritual world to flinch at the thought of treachery now. He had learned too that the lure of power was sweet, much too compelling to resist. And t
here was the fact that Kaym had ordered him to do this, and he didn’t like the idea of crossing his mentor.
“You’re not making this up, are you?”
“Me!” Melusine sounded indignant. “Of course not! I wouldn’t dare.”
“Okay, okay, I believe you!” She was probably telling the truth. “Anyhow, like Jehuel himself said, might as well be three times damned as twice. But won’t the Prince mind? I mean the Dawn Prince, not Prince Jehuel.”
“Oh, he’s always hated Jehuel. Lord Kaym knows what he’s doing. Prince Lucere will be pleased.”
Okay, well, if Kaym thought the Prince would like it, then that was that. Christopher took a deep breath and turned his attention to Prince Jehuel, steeling himself for the confrontation. The angel-prince was threatening the monster, shouting and waving the talisman around as if he were going to destroy it at any moment. The dragon wasn’t giving in though. Christopher tried to act casual, pretending he was getting bored, as he moved carefully into position behind Jehuel. He took one surreptitious step forward, then another, until he was within a few feet of the angel-prince.
“That’s it, you can do it!” Melusine encouraged him.
Well, here goes, Christopher thought. Gathering himself together, he leaped into the air and smashed his shoulder into the Seraph’s side, knocking them both into the lake of fire. The lava hissed and burned, but it was as harmless as water to his supernatural form. When he struck, he’d managed to grab the talisman with his left hand, while his right hand was locked in a death grip around Jehuel’s wrist. As they tumbled through the lava, he pulled and twisted at the small object, desperately trying to yank it out of the angel-prince’s hand.
Jehuel was strong, though, and though taken off-guard by Christopher’s treacherous attack, he hung onto the talisman. They rolled over twice, then the angel-prince spread his mighty wings and hurled himself upward, erupting from the lava and dragging Christopher with him. They flew through the air, and just as they were about to strike the roof of the giant cavern, Jehuel twisted, forcing Christopher between the angel’s body and the jagged rocks.