The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  Alazar ignored the shocked looks from the other Predznak. He had also failed to mention his plan to hunt down their Master by seeking out Gabriel for fear that they would protest.

  “What is the matter Aleepoo, you do not want to play with me anymore?” Serena pouted and pretended to wipe a tear from her cheek.

  Serena was beautiful, cruel, and crazier than any angel he had ever met, including Solren, the Angel of Illness. She was Lucifer’s hatchet man, or woman. She doled out punishments to the Fallen who had stepped out of line, or anyone else she felt like hurting. Lucifer had trouble controlling her, so he had finally stopped trying. A session with Serena and you would pray for death. The problem was she did not simply cause physical pain. As the Former Angel of Insight, she had a special talent of being able to invade an angel’s mind to torture him with whatever he truly hated.

  She resided in the Hall of Mirrors and creatively used the mirrors as a torture device. The petite blonde monster would chain an angel to the ceiling and cause them to decay slowly over time while they watched their beauty fade as the pain of death crept into every corner of their body. It was a torture no one wanted to be subjected to, but it was not the worst one that she had to offer. If she truly hated someone, she would chain him to her bed and have her way with him, whether or not he complied. The Predznak were always at the top of her list for such a punishment. Alazar, Sacha, Tristan, Elrick, and Haydn were her favorites. Alazar wanted to remove her head so that he would never again have to endure the feeling of her body against him. Then he would shred her nightmare black gown. Perhaps then, he would have a decent night’s sleep without seeing her hideous form tormenting him. He considered taking her head as a trophy before he left, especially if Lucifer declared war against him.

  Alazar cringed at the sound of her overly sweet and depraved voice. He would kill himself if he stayed a minute longer, or rather, he would force the Heads of Hell to destroy each other, while he made his exit. He knew none of them would survive, which gave him the advantage. The three Heads of Hell would be stupid to try to stand in his way. Even if the Predznak did not want to leave for fear of repercussions, they would be more than happy to wage a war against Lucifer and his lackeys for the sheer fun of it.

  Alazar flinched at his thoughts. If he killed the Heads of Hell, he would be declared a Rogue Angel only to be hunted and killed by Michael. He was so close to the edge that one more step would mean turning his back on Father. He needed to keep his head on straight and survive this.

  “Serena, I would rather live in the Realm of Fire than be near you a second longer,” Alazar sneered and looked away from her.

  “That can be arranged,” she smiled maniacally.

  Hades leaned forward and cleared his throat. “Alazar, while I would love nothing more than to see you in the Realm of Fire till the end of your days, you cannot simply walk out of here. You have been given an order and you must obey it. If you leave, the Council will declare you a rogue and hunt you to your death. On second thought, I will escort you out,” Hades rose from his black metal throne, happy to help the Predznak flee from Hell.

  Lucifer motioned for Hades to sit. Lucifer was enjoying the show too much. “Go on then, take your chances with the Council. Know that I will notify them of your absence immediately. I suggest you find a very deep hole to hide in, dear brothers. Michael will not waste any time in hunting each of you down and dragging you back here. He hates you almost as much as I do,” Lucifer chuckled, knowing it was the truth. Not that he really wanted them back in Hell, but he wanted to see the look of fear on Alazar’s face at the mention of their Father’s attack dog Michael. Oddly, fear never came to Alazar’s face; the only thing he saw was an unwavering look of determination.

  “Let him come and find me, I’ll make sure that he sees the ocean, or the forest, or his beloved sky just before I make him fall upon his own sword. Make sure you tell him that for me.” With that, Alazar stormed out of the Throne Room, followed by the other Predznak.

  “Do not come back or I will let Serena keep you as her own personal pet,” Lucifer yelled as Serena clapped gleefully at the prospect of having Alazar to play with, permanently. That threat alone would keep them from returning.

  Alazar walked across the bridge to the castle rotunda and prepared himself for the onslaught of Fallen rushing to subdue him, but they never came. Apparently, Lucifer was smarter than he looked. By allowing him to leave, Lucifer fully expected the Celestial Warriors to kill him. Alazar was excited by the thought of playing with the warriors.

  Tristan, the Angel of Fear, muttered as he twisted his fingers and fretted behind him. “Do you think this is wise, brother? Michael will seek us out and demand that we return. I will follow you, but I cannot come back here, none of us can. We would not survive a second banishment to this awful place,” Tristan sniffled. Every day was a torturous experience for Tristan and while he was grateful to be leaving, he needed assurances from his leader that he did not have to enter the Gates of Hell ever again.

  “I said we were done here and I meant it, Fear. If we do not leave now, we will be stuck here forever. I know you do not want that. I will seek out our absent Master, kill her, and we will all be free. Hide yourself away until it is safe, and then you can live your life as you see fit,” Alazar smirked as they walked through the castle for the last time in the foreseeable future.

  “Wait, you are going alone? What about us? What are we to do in your absence?” Tristan was agitated by the thought. On a good day, he needed Alazar’s assistance every five minutes. He had admitted to himself long ago that his own decisions could not be trusted. He needed Alazar’s guidance to do the simplest of tasks. He was consumed by his own temptation and fearful of everything. Alazar was the only one that could successfully get him through the day.

  Alazar stopped mid step and turned on his heel to face Tristan, who tripped to a halt and cowered before him.

  He looked directly at Tristan and saw the huddled mess that remained of his once powerful brother. It killed him to see Tristan staring at the ground, shaking at the thought of being on his own, but he could not complete his task with Tristan sniveling next to him. His compassion was finally at an end. Tristan would be better off without him, if not safer.

  “Let me make this clear to you, Tristan. I am done, not only with Hell, but with everyone and everything. I am going alone because I do not want to deal with you or anyone else,” he glared at all of the Predznak who looked either confused or angry. “I do not want to lead this group of lunatics any more. You are all crazy and incapable of handling your own temptations. The darkness is overtaking me quickly. I can no longer manage your insanity and my own. It is best for us to separate. I fear that if we stay together, we will only do more damage. Besides, I need my own space, my own breathing room. I am tired of babysitting all of you. I am done!” Alazar yelled and waved his hands frantically.

  Zacharael cleared his throat to speak, but Alazar held out his hand to stop him. He saw the bruises and cuts on Zacharael’s face for the first time and winced. Lucifer had obviously beaten him badly, but Zacharael should not have submitted to Lucifer. It turned Alazar’s stomach to know that he had not protected Zacharael, but in the end, his brother was too weak to withstand the Angel of Darkness. Zacharael was the first to crumble, and the others would soon follow. This was his wake up call. He needed to put as much distance between himself and Hell as he could.

  “I do not want to hear a word out of your mouth, Desire. Our vow is broken, you saw to that. You are dead to me,” Alazar growled as he stared down Zacharael. He did not need to hear Zacharael’s sweet and empty promises. Nothing he said would change Alazar’s mind.

  Desire opened his mouth to speak, but Alazar turned his back on him and continued along the hallway toward freedom.

  Elrick, the Angel of Hunger, matched Alazar’s pace as they descended the second floor staircase. “Are you sure about this, brother? I understand wanting to leave, I am in agreement with you. I
can no longer tolerate it. Lucifer threatens my safety constantly. I am denied peace and must be ever vigilant so that I can survive. I grow weary here. However, I ask you, should our Master die? While I can no longer accept her as our Master because of all that she had denied us, can we truly demand her head? I need to know that we are doing the right thing. Is there no hope?” Elrick asked in an even voice. He put his hands on Alazar’s shoulders for support.

  Alazar paused and looked at his once elegant brother. He could see the weariness in his blue eyes and the despair etched into his beautiful features. The tall dirty blonde angel in front of him hardly compared to the Heavenly version that once swayed any angel who listened to him to consider his opinion. They were all suffering and it was up to him to find a solution. While he could not stand to be around the Predznak any longer, he felt that he owed it to them to find a solution to their problem. Freeing them from Anjali would be his last act as their leader.

  “Elrick, we are wasting away here. I can see it in your eyes. You have lost faith too. You know as well as I do that she is not coming. She is never coming. I fear that she does not want us. She failed us Elrick. I think we can argue that point with the Council. We agreed to live here because they promised that she would come for us. The Council has lied to us, Gabriel has lied to us, and Anjali has turned her back on us. She does not want to be the Destroyer. She has done this to herself. While she is not an angel, she is the one who has gone rogue. We have done everything that the Council has asked of us. We tempt the mortals, we live in Hell, and we resist Lucifer. How many times have their vows to us been broken, how many delays have there been? I am merely doing what the Council refuses to do. I want her and Gabriel to accept the consequences of their actions. By denying us, she has gone against the Council and needs to be punished. We both know what can happen if the Destroyer goes rogue. It’s better to have a dead Destroyer, than a Rogue Destroyer,” Alazar could not be glib with Elrick. Elrick was too even keeled to yell at or to hate.

  “I have feared the same thing. I have requested on many occasions to speak to her, to tell her about our distressed state and each time I am denied. I agree. She is not coming. I think the Council is biding their time until they figure out what to do with us. I assure you; whatever they decide will not bode well for any of us. I admit that I have contemplated escape before. Whenever I go to the Mortal Realm to tempt, I must force myself to return. My resolve will not last much longer. My morals are nearly gone and I know that they will erode even further if we stay. I wish that we could stay together, but I do not want to be a burden to you or the other Predznak. I know your decision must have been a difficult one to make, but I am glad that you had the strength to make it. I fully support your decision to kill our Master and Gabriel, if needed. Be well brother, and good luck to you,” Elrick quickly hugged his brother and nodded his goodbye to the others.

  Alazar was grateful for Elrick’s moment of clarity. Had Elrick asked him to reconsider and keep everyone together, he might very well have caved. It was hard to deny Elrick when he pleaded his case and spoke passionately about something. He was charismatic, unlike Alazar, and should have been the leader of their crew. For the first time in forever, Alazar regretted accepting the position of leader.

  Alazar stood tall, having received Elrick’s blessing to eliminate their Master. Elrick was the smartest of them all and the one he turned to for advice in times of need, before he went mad. If Elrick agreed with his logic, then he knew that he had made the right choice.

  Aeries grabbed Alazar by the front of his shirt before he could step onto the first floor staircase and slammed him into the wall. Alazar should have known better than to believe that the Angel of Anger would not put up some sort of a fight. It was what he lived for.

  Staring Alazar down, Aeries growled. “You are going to kill Anjali? I always thought that I would be the one to do it. I do not accept your claim on her. It should be me.”

  Despite being slightly offended that Aeries was questioning his right to kill their Master, he too had always believed that Aeries would carry out the task. He was sincerely surprised that Anjali was still alive. Aeries had been the most vocal about the delays in their Master’s arrival. Numerous threats had been issued against Gabriel and Anjali regarding their decision to push back the awaited date, time and again. Gabriel was lucky that he still had the use of his legs and should be grateful to Alazar for keeping Aeries in check for this long. He pondered the image of Aeries striking down their Master, but somehow it did not feel right. Deep down something told him that the honor fell to him, not Aeries.

  Alazar shoved Aeries into the wall. The maniac had snapped Alazar’s collarbone again, but he shook off the pain. He stalked toward Aeries, who was amused by his aggressive stance and behavior. Alazar was nearly a foot shorter and several inches narrower in physique than Anger. He had always been baffled as to why Aeries actually followed his orders and listened to his speeches, most of the time. Aeries was more of a leader than Alazar could ever be, when Aeries was not threatening to attack everyone.

  “You will listen to me, Aeries. If I find out that you went after Anjali, I will personally make your death painful and without honor. Back off, Anger. She is mine. Are we clear?” Alazar did his best to look intimidating, which appeared to be a poor attempt based on Aeries’ condescending smirk.

  Aeries was shaking and snarling with his fists clenched. He was straining to keep himself under control and not punch Alazar. His dark brown hair covered his murky brown eyes, making him look more menacing than usual. “If you are leaving us, then I no longer have to follow your orders. I will find the girl and kill her myself. She must be punished for leaving us to rot in this place!”

  “I agree that she must be punished, but not by you,” Alazar replied calmly. He moved closer to Aeries and stared into his eyes.

  He hated using his power against Aeries, but he knew it was the only way to stop him from hunting Anjali. He allowed the cold, icy feeling of death to overtake him. He knew his blue eyes were bright and glowing as he stared down his violence-prone brother. He did not go far enough to make Aeries see the peace of death, only the threat of knowing the end was close. It was a reminder that the Bringer of Death outranked the Bringer of War. As one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Aeries was definitely the strongest, but Alazar was far deadlier. Alazar doubted that the remaining Horseman, Solren, would challenge him since the Fourth Horseman, Elrick, had given his blessing. Of course, Solren was so lost to illness that he often forgot that they were supposed to have a Master.

  “Swear to me that you will leave her be. As the leader of the Predznak, I alone should have the honor of confronting our Master and killing her,” Alazar held his head high.

  Aeries held Alazar’s death gaze for as long as possible, but finally turned his head and closed his eyes. He shook his head, trying to dispel the feelings associated with death. He was not willing to die solely because he wanted to destroy their Master. Let Death worry about her.

  “I swear that I will leave Anjali to you,” Aeries growled low in this throat.

  Aeries swore and admitted defeat as he stepped back out of Alazar’s path. He nodded curtly to Alazar, effectively saying that he relinquished his claim on Anjali and that Alazar would be the one to hunt their Master, without interference from him.

  Alazar felt slightly guilty for using his power on a fellow Predznak and decided that he did not need Anger taking his head once they left. “I am sorry, Aeries; I have no quarrel with you. I just feel that it should be me.”

  Aeries hefted out a breath and nodded. “May you accomplish your mission, brother.”

  Alazar braced himself as he turned and locked eyes with his least favorite brother, Sacha. He fully expected something vile to come from his personal nemesis’ mouth. He raised his eyebrow. Depending on the next words uttered by the Angel of Deception, he might very well break his vow against killing a Predznak.

  “I hope you burn in whatever Hell you
end up in and I hope that I am there to watch. I thought you were stronger than this. Leaders do not give up when things get tough, they take a stand,” Sacha sneered and spit on the ground in front of Alazar.

  Alazar nearly laughed. He had expected worse from the purveyor of lies and misdirection. Sacha must have been truly upset to speak the truth to Alazar. “Not one of your best threats, but I will take it. How is it that you did not see this coming? You have lost your edge, Deception. You should have known that Gabriel and Anjali would continue to string us along until they could be rid of us. Gabriel has lied every time that he set a new arrival date. Each time he promises that she will be ready, and each time he returns alone with more apologizes. I cannot take any more apologies, Sacha,” Alazar slammed his fist into the wall next to Sacha’s head.

  Sacha brushed off bits of stone from his shoulder and grimaced. “I am frustrated as well, but Gabriel has not lied, of that I am sure. I do not know what is going on, but Gabriel has been sincere. Maybe she really needs more time, or maybe she does not want to honor Gabriel’s deal with Lucifer. Who would want to sit at Lucifer’s left hand and rule from the third throne? Serena would certainly have a problem with that. Perhaps it has nothing to do with us, Alazar. Have you considered that? We should be patient and request to speak with her again. I do not think she should die because she has misgivings about living in Hell with the devil,” Sacha watched Alazar examine his bloody fist with mild disregard.

  “If she does not want to honor the deal, I can accept that, but why not come for us? The deal should not prevent her from claiming us,” Alazar snarled.

  “I do not have the answers, Alazar; I only know that Gabriel has not lied. There must be a reason for the delays,” Sacha huffed, annoyed that his reckless brother was about to doom them all.