Ascension

by A. S. Fenichel

  A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Gabriel drew her back. He looked at Reece, leaned forward and whispered something to the leader.

  Reece looked back at the cauldron and then at Gabriel. Reece nodded.

  Gabriel leaned down close to her ear. “Stay on the pulpit. Help Lillian with the women.”

  It took a second for her to understand what he had in mind. Without a word, she moved to Lillian’s side and peered through the curtain. Four people lay across the large altar tied with rope. One demon with the face of a bull stood over them. This demon was as large as the malleus and nearly as wide.

  Belinda had never seen or heard of this type of demon before.

  It was speaking in the demon language.

  The harsh tones were always unpleasant to her ears. The mist lessened because the fire was no longer being fed. The bull-faced demon was a priest of some kind. He lifted a large knife in the air. Twenty or thirty demons lay prostrate on the sanctuary floor, chanting in the same untenable language.

  Reece and Gabriel took a large plank of wood that had fallen from the beams above and what looked as if it was a paddle for stirring the cauldron. They pushed them under the pot, creating a fulcrum and began to rock the cauldron. It made little noise at first, but as the rocking increased, so did the sound.

  The priest turned away from his demonic flock.

  “Now,” she screamed.

  The men’s faces strained under the weight of the pot. Sweat poured down their faces. The cauldron rocked forward, tipped over and spilled its boiling, putrid content across the floor and down into the sanctuary. The chanting turned to screaming as the demons burned in the boiling liquid.

  Belinda rushed toward the priest. His arm descended toward the first woman. She lifted her sword and sliced the knife-wielding arm from his body.

  It thudded to the raised dais and the knife clattered next to the limb.

  The bull-faced demon roared and swatted her away with his remaining hand.

  Pain seared across her shoulder where the blow connected and she soared through the air, hit something soft and tumbled to the wooden pulpit. Her left arm and the curtain broke her fall. It tore from the rod and the heavy drape covered her face. Dust and the terrible smells of the demon world choked her. Coughing out the disgusting filth, she managed to push out from the folds of fabric.

  The priest charged forward, ignoring all but Belinda, perhaps because she had taken his arm.

  She rolled to her feet. Her sword lost in the fall, she grabbed the blade the priest had lost with his arm. It weighed far more than she expected based on its size. She wouldn’t be able to throw the heavy knife accurately, so she crouched into a battle stance and held the weapon in front of her.

  The demon stopped and examined her. The stump of his arm bled freely. Was he smiling?

  “Woman.” The demon butchered the English word, but it was still clear to Belinda that he did not consider a woman a threat.

  “Yes. I am the woman who cut your arm off.”

  He opened his mouth and a sound that might have been a laugh gushed out. He lunged forward.

  Belinda slid to the side avoiding his one arm. She focused solely on his black eyes.

  Lillian’s high-pitched battle cry cut through the cacophony of screaming demons, clashing steel, and the bubbling scum from the cauldron.

  The priest’s eyes darted to find the source of the scream.

  Belinda jumped forward and pushed the ceremonial dagger up under his jaw.

  The points of two sai blades came through his chest, stopping only a half an inch from Belinda’s face.

  She backed away, the sai receded and the priest crumpled to the raised floor of the dais.

  “Nicely done,” Lillian said from the other side of the dead demon.

  Belinda’s heart still raced with the battle fever. She turned, searching for Gabriel. She found him, standing on the body of a dead trebox. She watched as he jumped to the body of another demon, stabbed the writhing creature through the heart and continued to jump from one to the other as if they were pebbles in a stream. If he found one alive, he put it out of its misery before moving on.

  Reece was across the room doing the same thing. Neither man stepped on the steaming floor. Whatever had been in that cauldron continued to bubble and the stench had gotten worse with the addition of the demon bodies.

  The gruesome process continued, but neither of them was in danger. Belinda found her sword, wiped it off on the fallen curtain and sheathed it. The hilt of the dagger protruded from the priest’s gullet. Strange writing covered the hilt and triple blade. Placing one foot on his throat, she gripped the hilt and tugged the knife away. Then she wiped it on the demon’s robes and tucked it in her belt for later examination.

  The women on the altar had not moved. They remained placid during the near-sacrifice and continued in their daze throughout the battle.

  Lillian began cutting the ropes.

  Belinda shook one girl. She couldn’t have been more than fifteen. Her clothes indicated that she was probably a house servant. Her eyes were glossed over. It reminded Belinda of her mother’s face when the opium took effect. The other three were in a similar condition: a young African girl, a woman of the street, and an older woman who might have been in trade. None of them were coherent. They would have to be carried from building.

  The floor shook.

  “Time to go.” Reece jumped from the body of a malleus to the stage.

  Gabriel was just behind him.

  The walls shook and bits of the ceiling crumbled. The bubbling liquid on the floor funneled down and the floor, with the dead demons, fell to whatever lay below.

  Belinda took hold of the African girl. Pulled her arm around her shoulder, gripped her waist and began to run for the hallway where they had entered. Her friends’ grunts and heavy footsteps followed behind her.

  “You’re going to have to help me.” No response, the girl was dead weight. She struggled, pulling the catatonic victim along foot by foot.

  Wood and stone fell from the walls and ceiling. Dust filled the lamp-lit hall. They were not going to make it. She was holding up the rest. She pushed the girl against the wall and held her there. She saw Reece rush past with one victim and Lillian with the young servant girl. Gabriel stopped beside her, holding the oldest woman. The woman was walking, though barely.

  “Come on.” He passed his rescue off to her, picked up the still-unconscious girl and headed toward the exit.

  Belinda coughed out some dust.

  The woman cried but continued to stumble toward the door. Another stone fell just in front of them.

  Belinda stopped, moved forward and dodged more rubble. The dust had gotten too thick to see anything. A beam crashed, blocking her path.

  “Hand her to me.” Thor’s voice cut through the cacophony of the building collapsing.

  Belinda thrust the woman forward, and hands thrust from dust cloud pulling the woman to safety. Belinda climbed over the beam, ran down the hall and out into the street.

  She hadn’t caught her breath when Gabriel’s arms crushed it out of her again. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine,”

  He pushed her away far enough to get a good look at her. “Only the truth, Bella.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “Perhaps a bit bruised up but not hurt, Gabriel. I’m fine.”

  * * * *

  Gabriel let his breath out. He’d thought he’d lost her. When Thor rushed in after he came out, and he realized Belinda was not behind him, his heart had moved into his throat. The girl slung across his shoulder finally began to stir. He’d practically thrown her to Jamie. By the time he ran back, Thor was in the street holding the woman with Belinda only steps behind. A thick layer of dirt and grime covered her from head to toes but her eyes were bright with excitement.

  He never wanted to let go of her. He both loved that she wouldn’t drop the other woman to save herself a
nd hated it. The old structure continued to shake and collapse in on itself.

  The spire creaked, wobbled and cracked at its base before it tumbled from the roof and crashed to the street.

  “I think we’d better clear the area,” Gabriel said.

  Taking Belinda’s hand, they rushed around the corner and across the street.

  Jamie and Thor had moved the carriages a safe distance away. They were in the process of tucking the rescued women inside.

  Lillian wiped some blood from Reece’s face as they too watched the building fall.

  “What the hell was in that pot?” Reece asked.

  “Whatever it was ate right through the foundation of the building,” Gabriel said.

  Lillian turned to them. “I think it may be time to call in more troops. If this is what happens on the full moon, then the horrors of the new moon are far beyond the capabilities of the four of us. Gabriel is a fine addition, but it is not enough.”

  “We’ve always managed before.” Reece’s tone bit with pride.

  “This is different. They are getting stronger.”

  The building made noises similar to screaming. The hunters backed further away and watched open-mouthed while the structure crumbled down to a pile of stones.

  Several local people gathered around and with each creak and grumble of the settling ruins they jumped back a step. A man in his nightclothes grumbled about it being long overdue that the damned place crumbled. A woman commented that the odor was already going away.

  “I think it is time we retreated,” Reece said.

  Lillian nodded. “Agreed.”

  Quietly, they made their way to the carriages. Jamie’s carriage was full with the rescued women so the hunters all climbed into Thor’s carriage. Gabriel stopped prior to climbing in. Thor watched the crowd gathering while holding the door open.

  “We had best get out of here, my lord. No telling what these folks will think of the four of you.”

  The driver was right, but something needed saying. Gabriel waited until Thor met his gaze. “I shall forever be indebted to you, my friend. What you did tonight cannot be repaid.” It was not enough, but what more could he say?

  Thor smiled for just a fraction of a second. When he spoke, his voice was for the earl’s ears only. “I’ll be watchin’ out for you, Gabriel. And the lady too.”

  Gabriel throat tightened with stifled emotion. He slapped the driver’s shoulder soundly. “Good man.” Then he cleared his throat and climbed into the carriage.

  Belinda looked out the window. Dark smudges marked her face and she glowered, lost in thought.

  He longed to know what rattled through her magnificent mind. He’d never thought of her mind before he left for France. All he thought was that he loved her, and she would be his. He imagined her body beneath his while he was in prison. In his darkest moments, those dreams had kept him alive. Now there was so much more to her. She was as bright as anyone he’d ever met. She was also righteous and honorable, traits not often attributed to women. Perhaps that was an error on the part of men.

  Across the carriage, Reece and Lillian whispered together.

  “What will happen to those women?” Gabriel asked.

  Lillian ignored whatever it was Reece was saying to her and turned toward Gabriel. “We have a very nice home that has been set up as a hospital here in London. The doctor there is well trained for these types of injuries. She will know what to do.”

  “The doctor is a woman?” Gabriel didn’t know why this shocked him. He’d never heard of a female doctor, but nor had he ever seen women do what Lillian and Belinda were capable of.

  Lillian smiled sweetly. “Doctor Emily Barns. I will introduce you to her if you would like.”

  He would like to meet a woman who was able to learn medicine with all the obstacles she must have faced. “I would like that very much. Perhaps we can check on the patients in a day or two. What do you think, Bella?”

  She smiled in a way that made him wonder if it was the idea that she liked or did she just thrill at being asked her opinion? Was it that he had asked or would any man asking have elicited the same response? His idea that he knew her completely shook with each passing moment they spent together and yet the learning excited him beyond imagining. This magnificent woman would be his wife. He would find a way to convince her.

  “I would like to check on them as well.”

  Lillian gave them a broad grin. “Very good. We shall tour the hospital the day after tomorrow”

  The carriage stopped in front of the alley that led to the office.

  Reece jumped down and turned back to assist Lillian, though she certainly did not need help. Gabriel had seen the attractive redhead leap across the altar, spin through the air and bury both of her strange knives in the priests back. She could manage getting down from a carriage. However, he liked the idea that the demon hunters allowed for certain traditions when the situation permitted.

  The carriage door shut and they were on the move again. “Are they lovers?” Gabriel asked.

  “No. They are the best of friends. I think they may have been lovers once, but not for a long time. Why do you ask?”

  “Perhaps, because we are lovers, and it was very difficult for me tonight when you struggled to get out of that building.” Even saying those words caused his chest to tighten painfully.

  “I’m sorry I frightened you, Gabriel. But what happened tonight changes nothing. I am willing to die for this cause. You will have to accept that or you must find another to make your life with.” The sweet tone of her voice contrasted the ferocity of her words.

  Her face was dirty, her legs were still clad in trousers, but she spoke gently. Her tone reminded him of the girl she had been all those years ago. His Bella had not gone, only metamorphosed into something more.

  Out the window, London was shadowed in darkness. Each street held some memory of his life. This was his home, his and not the demons that made an abomination of the city. “I understand, Bella. I could not run from this problem either.”

  Her hand touched his arm and turned toward her. Her expression change from whatever question she was about to ask to deciding not to ask.

  “What is it, Bella?”

  She sighed. “I loath to go home tonight. It is nearly morning.”

  He touched her chin. His fingers made a small clean spot. His other hand made its way to her breast and between her firm, round mounds. Her eyes never left his as he pulled out the small handkerchief she had tucked there. He wiped the smudge from her chin and under her eyes. “May I stay with you tonight, Bella?”

  “It is almost morning.”

  “You said as much, but I suspect that neither of us will sleep for some time.”

  “True.”

  He wrapped his hand around her small waist to her hip, bumping the large dagger she’d secured there. “What is this?”

  She pulled the strange knife from her belt. “I forgot. I meant to give this to Reece. It is the ceremonial dagger that priest was using. I have never seen anything like it or him before. I will have to have it delivered to the office in the morning.”

  “I will send Thor back tonight. It may be important. The writing is very strange and the shape.” He touched the wide curve on one side and the jagged edge on the other.

  “Heavy too.” She handed it to him.

  She was right. The blade was far heavier than it appeared. “I wonder what it is made from.”

  The carriage stopped and Thor was at the door. Belinda plucked her skirts from the bench not bothering to put them on. No one would be awake to see her at that hour.

  “Her ladyship forgot to give Mr. Foxjohn the dagger from the building tonight. It could be important.” Gabriel held up the blade.

  Thor’s eyes widened and he took the knife. “I’ll bring it back right away.”

  “I’m so sorry, Thor. You must be so tired.”

  The driver smiled, showing hi
s teeth. “Not so tired as you, I imagine, my lady. Don’t trouble yourself about it. It’s no bother.”

  She stepped down. “Thank you, Thor. And thank you for coming in after me.”

  He blushed and nodded before jumping back up into his seat and moving off down the street.

  The garden was silent. They walked hand in hand toward the house. Belinda stopped and tugged on his hand.

  “What is it?”

  A wicked grin lit her face. “Follow me.” She took off at a run. Her skirts were tucked under her arm and her round bottom called to him in those tight trousers.

  He ran after her, keeping pace as they moved deeper into the garden. The shrubs grew taller as they moved farther from the house. “Bella, where are you leading me?”

  “Trust me,” she called back.

  The sound of moving water was soothing in the dark garden. He should have remembered the large fountain where they had often played as children. As children they had splashed in the cold water on the warmer days of summer. Now as he approached the marble structure, his sweet Bella perched her trouser clad thighs on the edge of the low wall and tugged off her high boots. Three small knives tinkled onto the ground.

  Gabriel laughed.

  She looked up and shrugged. “One can never be too prepared.” She removed her sword and leaned it against the fountain wall.

  He stepped closer, and she stood up on bare feet. “The water is cold, Bella.”

  “It will be refreshing after the heat of that building.”

  Neither one of them wanted to call it a church. It had been a house of God at one time, but demons had desecrated the place. “Shall I help you?”

  She pulled at her bodice and turned her back. “The ties are cleverly hidden.”

  Finding the tucked in ties, he unlaced the bodice revealing soft flesh beneath. “No stays?”

  She turned, her bare breasts with hard peaks turned up as if calling to him. “It is difficult to fight with my breath cut in half. I never wear them.”

  He cupped the soft peaks in both hands while his head moved down to take one into his mouth. “You are so beautiful, Bella.”

  She moaned. Working the buttons of her trousers, she tugged them from her hips while pressing her breasts forward.