The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  Taking in the scenery, a chill came over her when she recognized the road from her dream. This was the very spot where she had seen Alazar walking alone in the snow. Her breath caught as anticipation filled her. She knew she was close to finally finding her angel. Increasing her speed, she made her way up the road.

  The castle entrance came into view and the parking lot lights revealed a long wooden bridge that looked to be the only means of entering the castle from the front. It stretched across a deep ravine where the river had carved out a gully around the foundation of the castle. It vaguely reminded her of the bridge from the rotunda to Lucifer’s tower.

  She saw the spirit of a girl standing on the side of the embankment a few feet from the bridge. She was wearing peasant clothing and appeared despondent. The girl quickly averted her eyes and diligently studied the ground. Anjali considered speaking to the lost soul until she saw the fear in the girl’s eyes. She knew who and what Anjali was, even if she didn’t know her actual name. The soul saw the Destroyer standing in front of her, and was probably afraid that the Destroyer would take her to Hell. She was destined for Hell since she had thrown herself into the river below. Anjali left the girl and moved on. It was the job of the reapers to take the souls to their final destination, not hers, at least, not yet.

  She gazed up at the dark castle. It was imposing and had features similar to the Castle of Tears. She thought it was odd that Alazar had run from one castle to another. Perhaps he was homesick for Hell, though she doubted it. Maybe subconsciously he had sought out this castle since he was ordered by the Council to wait for her in the Castle of Tears. She didn’t think she would be lucky enough to be welcomed into his open arms, so she went with the assumption that it was merely familiar territory.

  She thought about her options for a second and considered Alazar’s possible mental state. Since Lucifer held the room in the highest tower, and Alazar hated Lucifer, it might be the perfect slight for him to live at the top. Deciding it was as good a plan as any, she appeared inside the highest tower. The room was devoid of furniture and felt abandoned. She sighed; mad that it wouldn’t be as simple as she’d hoped. She set out to search the upper floors.

  The interior of the castle was pitch black, though it didn’t pose a problem for her night vision. Where there was a questionable footing or broken step, she lit the torches that hung on the walls to navigate the partially crumbling fortress. There were multiple areas under construction in the dilapidated building which posed hazards such as exposed rebar, holes in the floor, and her favorite, a door that led to a thirty-foot drop. The building had sustained damage in many areas from looting, fires, or battles. The souls that lingered looked like they had died mainly from burns, swords, or hunger.

  Anjali quickly investigated the various rooms, though she found no signs of life aside from the occasional bat or furry creature. The main floor was the most decorated area with antique furniture and tapestries on display for the tourists. The staff kitchen had a generator, which supplied electricity to modern conveniences like a microwave and a refrigerator, though the area was off-limits to visitors.

  Frustrated with the sheer size of the building and its copious hiding places, she decided to descend lower into the darkness to find the dungeon. Why anyone would hide in a dungeon was beyond her, though if Alazar were living in the castle, it would probably make sense for him to reside where so many had died. It would most likely call to him on some level.

  She quickly descended the stairs and sank deeper into the bowels of the castle. She immediately noticed the drop in temperature and the thickness of the air. The air was oppressive and tangible. The hair on her arms stood up, despite not being cold. She pressed on and came upon a long hallway beyond the main prison area that felt colder than the other areas. She had the compelling urge to turn away. The darkness inside of her twisted and churned when she smelled the death and decay that permeated the frigid air. It smelled like the Hall of Torment. Her skin crawled from the scent, but she quickly realized that she wasn’t revolted by it, but excited. It was familiar and called to her, intriguing her. She knew that Alazar had to be near.

  The sketch of Alazar’s face filled her mind as she walked quickly through the hallways. It occurred to her that she had no idea what she was going to say to him when she did find him. She felt stupid for not having a prepared speech.

  She turned down a short hallway that felt promising, but it unfortunately ended in a solid wall with no visible exit. Either the hallway had been remodeled like the rest of the castle and the passageway had been sealed shut, or Alazar was keeping his lair a closely guarded secret. Leaning closer to the wall, she searched for something that would show the way to his hiding place. Moving slowly back and forth across the rock wall, she noticed a small flicker of light between the rocks.

  “There has to be a room here,” she thought as she pressed her fingers into the unyielding rock wall, hoping to reveal a doorway.

  She sighed and gave up. Alazar had blocked up the doorway and probably used his power to appear on the other side of the wall. She took a chance and disappeared. She reappeared just beyond the wall, where she hoped there was a room and not a thirty-foot drop into rebar. Thankfully, there was something beyond the wall, but rather than a room, she found a narrow staircase that descended lower into the castle. The lit torch gave her hope that someone was home.

  Fear prickled along her skin knowing that she could be ambushed when she reached the bottom. She didn’t think Alazar knew that she was coming, but she assumed he would be prepared for such an occurrence. He’d had countless years to await her arrival. For all she knew, this was a giant trap and she would be bound and gagged and ultimately lose her head.

  She waved her hand and donned her dress. He needed to see her as the Destroyer rather than a mortal girl. She would rather explain why she was wearing Serena’s dress.

  Steeling herself to the task, she slowly made her way to the bottom of the stairs and saw only one way to go. She was forced to crawl through an opening in a broken wall and found herself standing inside a dark cave. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t a cave, but a small bunker made of concrete. It didn’t look like it was part of the original castle but might have been a storage area, or a panic room, depending on the need. Perhaps treasures had once been hidden there. Now it was most likely the hiding place for the Angel of Death.

  She lit the torches and the small fireplace with her Hell Fire. The concrete floor was broken, making it difficult to walk on. Making her way further into the room, she was surprised to see a black leather Barcalounger with metal legs in one corner. On the other side of the room was a smashed wooden end table, a bookshelf piled high with magazines, a wash table with a handheld mirror on it, and a Queen Size bed with one pillow and dark sheets. It was doubtful that a squatter was living there given the lack of an entry point. It was depressing to see her angel living in squalor. The Angel of Death was residing in a hole in the wall in Romania. She thought that he would at least have a room at the Hilton for goodness sake. Why was he living like this?

  Anjali sat down on the bed for a moment and took in the sight of the room. A chill ran through her when she remembered his room in Hell. While his possessions were similar, the ones in front of her were broken and dilapidated. It pained her to see that his new dwelling was a mockery of the room he had once resided in.

  Glancing at the floor next to the bed, she saw a gossip magazine about celebrities. Some of the pages were earmarked and circled. She was relieved to see that it had yesterday’s date on it. He was still in the area, so she hadn’t missed him completely. As she pondered the room, a sense of dread came over her. If he wasn’t at home, then there was only one place that he could be; the city. Panic rose quickly when she thought about all the innocent people he could tempt.

  She disappeared quickly from the depressing room and reappeared in the heart of the city.

  The entire city was oddly quiet though it was well before midnight.
Searching the streets, she couldn’t find anyone driving or walking around. She wouldn’t have been surprised to see tumbleweeds passing her by on the deserted roads. It was eerie not seeing people going about their normal lives. It seemed that the locals were on to Alazar’s late night tricks and were hiding in their homes. The only places that had lights on were the pubs.

  Anjali moved through the streets and stopped near a group of restaurants and pubs. She could hear chatting and laughing inside but knew by the rising moon that Alazar would soon have plenty of inebriated mortals to choose from.

  ∞

  Commander Nathanael arrived in the middle of the dark Romanian city and glanced around. He was pissed that he was yet again called in to deal with problems that were not meant for Celestial warriors, but he wasn’t one to question orders. He was told by Lord Michael that the area had an unusually high death rate and it was presumed that there was at least one vampire in the area. Lord Michael had been adamant that he leave immediately to seek out the foul creature and destroy it. Hunting vampires was beneath him and his talents. How he longed for a battle with Rogue Angels, false gods, or the Veteres. He sighed and resigned himself to the task at hand. The faster he found his vampire and killed it, the faster he could go home. He decided to take to the rooftops for a better view.

  He had spoken with Azure to find out why one of the Xiphos Warriors hadn’t dealt with the vampire already. They were supposed to handle small problems like bloodsuckers. That’s why they had been allowed to live after their former Master had died. Azure told him that the warrior closest to the city hadn’t seen or heard anything out of the norm. Nathanael had asked to speak to the warrior directly, but as usual, Azure said the warrior had too many leads to follow up and had already moved on to the next city. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually spoken to one of the Xiphos, but he knew that they were insanely busy. Azure kept them on their toes and worked them hard.

  The night was cold and windy, making him long for Azure’s warm bed. A storm was approaching and the crispness of the air hinted at the possibility of snow. He wanted to get his assignment over with quickly so that he could move on to something more interesting, like being nestled within her blonde curls.

  From the top of the brick building, he could see the empty streets and the darkened shop windows. It was late and most of the mortals would be in hiding in their homes, if the rumors were true. He didn’t bother to tuck in his white wings since any mortal that he might run in to would be drunk or tired and easily mistake him for a delusion. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  Unfortunately, there were plenty of places for a vampire to hide in the city, but it would do little good to hide far from its food source. He decided to move closer to the section of town where the lights were giving the mortals a false sense of security. Even people afraid of vampires had to leave their homes at some point to feed or socialize; those idiots would top the helpless victim list tonight.

  Moving from the vacant rooftop, he appeared on top of what looked like a restaurant. Music was playing and he could hear the mortals talking and laughing. They would be easy targets for a bloodsucker. He searched the perimeter and walked up and down the alleyways. There were multiple food venues spread across the surrounding area. It would be difficult to watch them all since the uneven height of the buildings blocked a direct view. He chose the one most likely to produce the perfect meal, an alcohol establishment. He leaned against the chimney of the building across the street, waiting for the first scream.

  He thought about how he would eliminate the creature. It was a waste to use his Celestial Sword since the vampire would evaporate too quickly to enjoy the victory. He looked around for a source of wood to create a stake. It was a crude method to kill a vampire, but it brought more satisfaction to watch the disgusting thing die slowly and painfully.

  The garbage bins in the alley below held wooden shipping crates for food. They would work well enough. He extended his wings and dropped down between the buildings. He was careful not to scrape his wings against the brick as he landed. He rummaged around and found a nice sturdy length of wood. Whittling it down to a sharp point with his knife would give him something to focus on as he waited for the doomed vampire.

  ∞

  Alazar cursed the cold weather and willed the impending snow to stay away. Yet another storm to screw up his plans and force the small number of tourists to remain indoors. He didn’t like to draw them out personally. They always expected sex. The idea disgusted him. He didn’t need to be confused with the Angel of Desire. What he needed was to move to a warmer climate. He pondered which country should be next on his list as he scanned the area for signs of life. The trouble with warm places was the lack of dark places to hide. Hawaii was too damned sunny to stalk people and South America was either too densely populated or too sparse for his needs. It didn’t look like he was going to change zip codes any time soon.

  He walked quickly through the streets and looked for someone of interest. He passed the bum on the corner that was too liquored up to understand anything. He fell into Illness’ turf. The man yelling at his girlfriend was too easy. He fell into Anger’s territory and wouldn’t be hard to tempt. He was already headed to Hell for beating her. Frustration made him walk faster. He needed to find someone before the storm hit or he would go home cold. He couldn’t take another night of numbness. He was too close to losing control and murdering everyone that he laid eyes upon.

  Something white and shiny in the darkness caught his attention as he approached his destination. Fear spread through him when he processed what it could have been. He ducked behind a parked car and took a moment to control his breathing. If he didn’t know better, he could swear it was a feather. Fuck. He needed to make sure that it was only a snowflake or a chicken feather. Yes, chickens were prevalent in the countryside. Someone might have bought one for dinner. Why would a Heavenly Angel be in this part of Romanian anyway? There was nothing of interest here, except for him. He froze. Maybe the Council had finally given up on the Predznak and had ordered his capture. He needed to figure out what he really saw.

  He disappeared and reappeared at the opposite end of the alleyway where he had seen the snowflake. Yes, he was now convinced it was a fucking snowflake. He took a deep breath and poked his head around the corner. He quickly pulled back and flattened himself against the brick wall. Son of a bitch. Nathanael was here and sadly, the white wings proved that he wasn’t classified a Fallen, a Forgotten, or a Rogue, though it didn’t mean he was still a good angel. Daring to take another look, he found the proof that he needed. The Celestial Sword on Nathanael’s belt was enough to convince him that he was in deep shit.

  He leaned his head against the wall. He needed to escape. Hawaii wasn’t looking so bad after all. Wait. Why was Nathanael sitting in a dark alley alone? It appeared more like a stakeout. If Nathanael was hunting him, he would have raided the castle and torn the place apart looking for him. He would circle over the city until he found him. Why wait in an alley?

  It dawned on him that Nathanael was carving something. The idiot was making a stake out of a box lid. Alazar calmed immediately. He was after a vampire.

  Moron, there are no vampires here, only me, he chuckled.

  His breath caught in his throat. His latest bloodbath must have aroused suspicions and forced Michael to send someone to investigate. His bloodlust had summoned a Celestial Warrior. Wonderful! He was the idiot.

  He thought about the problem at hand. If Nathanael was looking for a vampire, he could look all he wanted. He was snug in his hiding spot, which meant he wouldn’t be searching the city until after the pubs were closed. That gave him plenty of time to find a victim, regain some of his warmth, pack his stuff, and get out of town. He would have to work fast. Luring his victim from town was his best shot. He would be sure to make it look like a vampire attack so that Nathanael would get in trouble for allowing another murder to occur. It was turning out to be a better day than he’d thought
.

  Alazar quickly disappeared and reappeared a few streets over. The area had been fruitful when all his other options were limited. It was a popular make out place because the benches were tucked into a shadowy corner. He watched with interest as a young couple kissed and groped each other next to the bank. The couple was drunk, but all business. Lust wasn’t his department, thankfully, but there was more going on between the couple. This was not a normal hook up. The woman was a prostitute and the man was paying a pretty penny for sex.

  They were both easy targets, low self-esteem on her part, and arrogance on his. He could convince the man to kill the woman for fear of being found out. People tended to frown upon paid sex and this douche-bag had a wedding ring on. He was certain that the man’s wife might object to him screwing a whore. A murder suicide it was then. It would be simple.

  He smiled as his power rose to the surface and he chose his opening words for the-soon-to-be deceased.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a female voice said through the din.

  Chapter 5

  Alazar was hiding in the shadows away from prying eyes. How had someone spotted him? It was obviously not Maraquette; she would have greeted him with a stiletto to the tailbone.

  He turned and saw a petite woman standing a few feet from him in the street beyond the alley. She was backlit, so he couldn’t make out a face. He smirked, having found his new target.

  Anjali watched Alazar stride through the alley, confident that she was not a threat. She had felt his power like a beacon while searching the other nightspots. She had focused on the feelings that death evoked; isolation, loneliness, desperation, and hopelessness, and for the first time, felt a response.