“You can’t promise that.”
“You don’t know him,” Ayla said, breaking away from Bravo’s grasp to take Lilith’s hands in hers. “Now pick up that damn war hammer and let’s go. That legion of flies sounds like it’s getting awfully close.”
*
EMMA WAS where Lilith had left her, bound to the iron ring by the bronze chains. But she was virtually unrecognizable. The wings, sprouting from between her shoulder blades, were almost fully formed, spreading outward, larger than the chamber. She stood amid rubble. Great gouges in the wall on either side of her spoke of the strength of her ebon talons. Her face had changed, as well, swelling in cheeks and forehead, mouth widened to accommodate rows of teeth. She stared balefully at them from out those dreadful ruby eyes within eyes.
“Good God!” Ayla said.
Lilith unwisely went toward her beloved, who lashed out to the extent of her bonds, teeth gnashing, causing her to rear back before retreating. “It’s no use,” she said. “Even if that instrument works you won’t be able to get near her.”
“I’ll be able to,” Bravo said. “I’m her brother.”
Ayla stepped in front of him. “Have you forgotten that she almost killed you back on Malta? If not for Conrad’s intervention...”
“It was Conrad? But how? He’s long dead.” Lilith said, but neither of them answered her.
Slowly, the expression on Ayla’s face changed. “Oh,” she said. “I see.”
“What?” Lilith was frantic. “See what?”
Ayla crossed to where Lilith stood. “Just stay back,” she said softly. “No matter what happens do not interfere.”
“Why?” Lilith voice was jittery with her agitation. “What’s going to happen?”
“Bravo is going to save her,” Ayla said, “or die trying.”
Holding the Nihil in front of him, Bravo advanced toward his sister—or what remained of her. He did not look to either side but stared directly into her eyes.
“Emma, be still,” he said. “I’m coming for you.”
The transforming creature in front of him rose up as if gathering itself for an attack. Its talons made new and deeper scrapes down the wall. Its wings fluttered, trying to gain freedom. Its teeth clashed together.
No matter to Bravo, this was still his sister, and Ayla was right—he was determined to save her or die trying. With that in mind, he rushed at her. The faster he could get near her, the better. Dodging those snapping jaws, he feinted right, darted left, slammed the instrument against her chest. At once, Emma began to convulse, and it was all he could do to keep the Nihil in continuous contact with her. He smelled a kind of burning, as of incense, of a mix of spices too rare and exotic to name. Something was melting, or rather folding in on itself. It seemed to him that a force beyond his reckoning was gathering all its strength and power into itself to repulse him. He was prepared. And then he wasn’t.
Emma’s head lunged forward, jaws gaping wide, and three sets of teeth buried themselves in the meat of his shoulder. He cried out, and Ayla had to tighten her grip on Lilith, who had taken up the war hammer.
“We have to help him!” she cried. “Look, she’s killing him.”
“What did I tell you?” Ayla said firmly. “If you move you’ll divert his attention and doom us all.”
At the same time, Bravo had turned his mind to shutting down his pain centers. One by one, he cut them off, until he felt nothing except the tingling in his hands, smelled nothing but the rise of rich spices curling up from the contact between the instrument and Emma’s altered flesh. Then she began to thrash her head back and forth, trying to rip gobbets of muscle out of him, forcing him to return to shutting down deeper pain sensors. Writhing and bucking, she almost dislodged the Nihil. But he persevered, forgetting his pain centers, putting all his energy into one last push even while the agony of her bite threatened to make him lose consciousness.
At last, at the end of his rope, he called upon the cold blue fire, and at once it leapt from him, encasing her. And that was the end of it. He heard something utter a scream that almost shattered his eardrums, and then a release of tension, of animus, of the intent of evil. Then, in another voice altogether, a deeply felt sigh of relief. At first, he thought this was uttered by Emma, but it was a deeper voice, and he knew it to be the Fallen that had been inhabiting her corpus. The Nihil had released it.
His shoulder was bleeding, but Emma’s mouth had withdrawn. He looked up to see the wings had vanished, as had the talons that had infested Emma’s fingertips. Most joyous of all was Emma’s face, which had been returned to her whole. Her eyes were clear and sparkling. Not a trace of the transformation remained, and he thanked God for that. He released her from the pressure of the Nihil instrument.
“Bravo,” she whispered in a hoarse and husky voice. “Brother mine.”
And then she began to weep.
50
The Hollow Lands: Present Day
“BROTHER, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU? I’M SO, SO SORRY.”
Both the women rushed to Emma’s side. Lilith unlocked the chains, pulled them off her, and Bravo collapsed into Emma’s immediately outstretched arms. She held him close, rocking him as if he were a child. He was breathing hard; she could feel his heart pounding against hers.
Lilith kissed Emma’s forehead and cheeks, while Ayla attended to Bravo’s deep wound. Ayla bound his shoulder with a strip of cloth she ripped from her undershirt, laid both hands on top, and began one of the healing incantations Kamar had taught her.
“Beleth,” Lilith whispered in Emma’s ear.
Emma shook her head. “He’s gone. Really gone this time.”
“He must be relieved, the coward.”
And then the buzzing was upon them. Lilith took up her war hammer, moved to block the doorway, but it was too late. The legion of flies entered the room just before the doorway was filled by the terrifying countenance of Leviathan. His skin was the color of fresh blood. His eyes flame ridden. A single horn protruded from the center of his sloped forehead. A serpent’s tail, thick and powerful, flicked over his shoulder. His three sets of wings opened like black sails. Upon the bulging upper cartilage the flies rose and fell like a blackened tree limb, furred with toxic lichen.
Leviathan’s saurian jaws hinged open, forked tongue vibrating as it took an in-depth sounding of the chamber.
“Emma,” Leviathan intoned, like a godless prayer. The sound drove every ring, weapon, and chain to shuddering, a chain of inchoate noise that made their ears hurt. “Emma.”
Emma had slid to the floor, her back propped against the wall, with Bravo in her lap. Lilith advanced upon the Seraph, lifting her war hammer on high to deliver a terrible blow.
“Fool!” Leviathan rumbled, and swatted her with such force that she struck the side wall and collapsed to the floor, insensate.
“You, woman,” Leviathan flicked his talons, so they clicked together like stag beetles. “Get away from them.” Ayla complied, backing up against the wall.
Leviathan grinned. “So here is the grandson. He kept you from Conversion. It seems that Conrad made quite an astute bargain.”
“What are you talking about?” Emma said.
“Ah, yes, you were the protected one, Emma. You were never privy to your family’s many secrets.” He heaved a sigh, sending the legion of flies up toward the ceiling, before settling back down into his wings. “Your grandfather struck a bargain with me.”
“Why on earth would he do that?”
“Well, he wasn’t on earth, per se. But then neither are we.” He swept an arm out, sending everything to rattling again. “His friend, the poet Yeats, prophesied that his grandson would be murdered before his time. Conrad did everything in his power to keep that from happening. In due course I was summoned by your grandmother, Tanis. Quite a power, in her time. But I digress. Tanis summoned me and a bargain was struck.”
At Tanis’s name, Bravo stirred, but Emma gentled him and he subsided.
“In
exchange for keeping Bravo alive it was agreed that Conrad’s son—what was that insect’s name again?”
“Dexter,” Emma provided. “Our father’s name was Dexter.”
“Right. Dexter. Well, Dexter, poor, poor insect, was born without the family’s birthright—their powers.”
“So you can’t harm my brother.”
“I don’t want to harm your brother.” Leviathan’s laugh set their teeth on edge. “I want you.”
Emma’s eyes opened wide. Her heart began to pound in her throat. “Why? Of what possible use could I be to you?”
“You are correct, of course. It’s not really you I want; it’s your power. It’s just that you have to come along for the ride. You see, you being of the female gender have a greater power than any male of the family. Once that power is combined with mine, Heaven, quite literally, is the limit. Together we will rule both Heaven and earth. A power never before seen, or even imagined.”
“You’re mad,” Emma said.
“I do believe you are correct, Emma. But this is the nature of the beast, isn’t it?” The Seraph grinned, a sight not fit for the human eye to absorb. “And, in any event, madness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.”
Out of the corner of her eyes, Emma saw Lilith, lying in a heap. Her heart constricted, but she fought against showing any emotion on her face, even now as Lilith opened her eyes, returning to consciousness. How badly was she hurt? Tucking her concern into the back of her mind, she resolved to keep Leviathan’s full attention. “This Conversion you spoke of. How did you—?”
“Long and constant planning, Emma. Ages ago, I inserted rumors in the world concerning The Testament of Lucifer. In fact, there is no such thing. Perhaps as your keen mind comes to grips with reality that won’t be much of a surprise to you. I laid a trap for you.”
“I don’t believe you. How would you know that Bravo would find it?”
“Clues,” Leviathan said. “Clues, clues, clues. Bravo, like his grandfather, is oh so good at following them.”
“And how did you know that I would be the one to read the Testament and not Bravo?”
“Curiosity killed the cat, that’s a human saying, inane, but it applies here. In your case your curiosity began the Conversion. Your brother, being who he is, inherited his father’s caution. You, however, inherited your grandfather’s impulsiveness. I knew, given the opportunity, you would be the one to discover how to read it. And once you did, the trap was set. You were enmeshed in the words I had created.” He shrugged. The flies, disturbed, buzzed angrily. “I admit that I have consistently underestimated Conrad. The bargain he made was, as I said, astute. Your brother is astonishingly resourceful. But, no matter, I myself will begin the Conversion and, as I am directing, nothing will stop it this time.”
He beckoned with black talons. “Now come here so we may begin.” When Emma showed no inclination to move, he swept his arm out, pointing it at Lilith, who stared at him with hatred through half-dazed eyes. “No? It seems that you are as stubborn as you are impetuous. But, really, all that is required is a bit of an incentive.”
The hand extended toward Lilith curled into a fist, and Lilith cried out, her back arching as if the Seraph had delivered a blow to her spine.
He kept his gaze on Emma. “No? More?” He opened his fingers, closed them again. This time Lilith screamed, convulsing as if delivered an electric charge. “Emma. Really.” And again, the gesture and the scream. “Do you want this to go on all night? I have infinite patience. Time means nothing to me.”
“Stop,” Emma said. She was defeated and she knew it. Gently, she laid her brother aside, rose and stepped toward Leviathan.
“Emma, no,” Ayla said. “You can’t do this!”
“What choice do I have?” Emma said in a strained voice. She kept coming. Lilith was stuck in her peripheral vision, like a mote in God’s eye. She was watching Emma closing with the Seraph, and if there was an expression on her face Emma could not read it.
When she was an arm’s length from Leviathan, she stopped. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might pop out of her chest. Her mouth was dry, and there was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could smell the Seraph, a mixture of shadow and light, sunlight and moonlight, sweet and metallic as blood, sour and earthy as a tree root.
Leviathan leaned forward, and Emma almost gagged on the stench. “Now that we have come this far I will tell you a secret. I would never kill you, either.”
Emma looked at him. She was no longer afraid. She had passed beyond fear into a land wholly unknown to her. Curiosity killed the cat, she thought with a silent, bitter laugh. The Seraph has me pegged down to my toes. But had he?
“What’s the big secret?”
“I mark the contempt in your voice.”
“Mark it in your book of memories, The Testament of the Seraph Leviathan.”
“Ha.” But Leviathan gave her a peculiar look.
“We’re all living that Testament, aren’t we, Seraph.”
“You will call me by my name.”
“Seraph, Seraph, Seraph.” Her eyes gleamed. “What? Will you kill me for my insolence? No. You said you wouldn’t kill me.”
“Of course I wouldn’t,” Leviathan said. “We are all family. You and Bravo and I.”
“What?” Emma staggered, as if he had delivered a gut punch. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Let’s review your family history. Surely, you know that your great-great-grandmother, Chynna, took the name Shaw. Her real family name was Sikar.”
Emma looked over her shoulder at Bravo for confirmation. He was fully conscious now, sitting up. His eyes were entirely clear, but they were filled with an emotion Emma had never seen before and could not identify. He seemed as changed as she had been, and she shuddered in the bare face of the unknown.
“The Seraph is correct,” he said as he pulled himself up, stood shakily with his back against the wall. He was covered in blood, but it was dark, coagulated. Ayla’s incantation had stopped the bleeding at least. His gaze flew past her, impaling Leviathan. “Go on. I want to hear this.”
“I’m sure you do,” Leviathan said mildly. “Because I‘m about to tell you a secret that even your grandfather didn’t know, though he spent fruitless years trying to find out. Well, it is this: Chynna mated with a member of the Fallen.”
They all could hear Emma’s indrawn breath. “Is this true, Bravo?”
He nodded. “A Grigori.”
Emma stirred. “I thought all Grigori were destroyed,” she said. “By you, Seraph.”
“Ah, Beleth told you that, did he, that ignoramus.” Leviathan gave a little laugh, imbued with something—something more vicious than contempt, repugnance, possibly—other than humor. “Well, that is to be expected. It’s the lie I created and perpetrated.” He gave that sound again, and it was as if he was pleased with himself. “Part of my legend, you might say.”
Looking deep into Emma’s eyes, he said, “But, you see, there was one Gregori left alive.”
“You,” Bravo said.
“Bravo!” Leviathan cried.
“You mated with Chynna.”
“And, therefore, I am your great-great-grandfather.”
They all seemed paralyzed with shock. Reaching out, Leviathan clamped his left hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Welcome to the family, my dear.”
He extended the talon on the forefinger of his right hand directly toward the center of Emma’s left eye. It turned from black to bloodred, then to white.
“Ready or not,” he whispered, “we begin.”
Bravo pushed himself off the wall, murmured his two incantations, summoning Conrad. Blue fire leapt from the palms of his hands, crossing the distance between him and the Seraph, encasing him in a shroud of cold flames. Leviathan jerked in response. His white talon, his weapon for Conversion, turned bloodred. Fire broke out along the upper cartilage of his wings, instantly frying the flies slavishly clinging to them in hopes of f
easting on dead flesh. That stench itself made everyone else in the chamber gag.
Hot fire met cold fire, pushing it back. Bravo, baffled, picked up the Nihil instrument.
“That’s right.” Leviathan curled his fingers, gesturing. “Bring it home.”
Don’t! Conrad whispered. Don’t give it to him!
“The Nihil belongs to me, Bravo. It was stolen eons ago by the Phoenician alchemists, to cripple me. Broken into four sections, it was divided for safekeeping. Now, thanks to you, it has returned intact and potent as ever.” He laughed, and they all winced. “I am a creature who thrives on fear and irony. It’s ironic that the same instrument that saved Emma will now give me back the full measure of my power.”
His fingertips clashed together as they beckoned. “Give it here, Bravo, there’s a good little Shaw.”
As if mesmerized, Bravo picked his way across the chamber, while Ayla and Lilith stared in outright horror. He was halfway to where the Seraph stood facing Emma when a shadow came rushing through the doorway, claws and clawed wings raking Leviathan’s back.
“Beleth,” Lilith breathed. “Emma, the Power has come back.”
With a roar, Leviathan turned, slashed a talon across Beleth’s neck. Black ichor oozed, then rushed from the wound. Still, Beleth would not give up. It bit down on the cartilage of one of the Seraph’s wings, tore off a section with a vicious twist of its head.
With Leviathan’s attention elsewhere, both Bravo and Emma were released from their thrall. Quickly Bravo transferred the blue fire to his sister, encasing her. He remembered what the Seraph said about Emma’s latent power.
He told her what to say, and the instant she uttered the Latin for “Let there be fire!” fire erupted from her. Unlike Bravo’s, it was a blue-green. The two met each other, twined, spiraling up and up to the ceiling, then spreading out in a mushroom shape, billowing closer and closer to Leviathan.
Beleth was bellowing. The Power was on its knees, trying to reach up to puncture the Seraph’s armor-like skin, but it was too late. Leviathan sent a tongue of his pernicious flames down Beleth’s throat, setting the Power on fire from within. Within moments, the fire had burned clear through Beleth, leaving it a hollow, ashy shell.
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