“I’ll survive. I’m assuming that you will run back to the Council and detail how I burned and froze their beloved Rusalka. Don’t forget to mention that I punched her, a lot,” she mumbled, making her way to her throne.
“My lady, I am sorry I told the Council that Lucifer tortured the creature, but it is my job. To be honest, I do not know why they demanded that she not be harmed, but I must abide by their rules. They must have their reasons, though admittedly I do not know what they are,” Mark sighed. It was not his place to question the Council, even though their reasoning seemed unsound in this case. “I am sorry that you were injured.”
“I could care less about being injured. Lots of people try to hurt me,” Anjali said dismissively. “I know you were doing your job. Lucifer is the one who is mad at you, not me. I understand the difficult position you are in. I’m mad that Skylis managed to break free of the Hall of Shadows and made her way into the castle. Things could have been catastrophic if she had not been stopped, and yet I have a feeling that the Council will not see it that way, given their stupid ruling,” she produced a cold cloth and held it against her neck. She tried to be as vague as possible since she wasn’t sure how much Mark had seen.
Mark was surprised by her candor. He had noticed bruises and cuts marring her skin on multiple occasions, but had always assumed that the prisoners had done the damage, now he was not so sure. It saddened him to know that she had to deal with such conditions while in Hell.
”After seeing what the Rusalka is capable of, I understand why you had to treat her as a hostile prisoner. Given that she tried to escape, I see no benefit in telling the Council what happened. Hell has been sanctioned by Heaven to contain the prisoners of Hell by any means necessary. You were well within your right to punch her,” Mark bowed his head slightly. The Council was already demanding Lucifer’s head for torturing Skylis, but he feared that Lady Black’s name would be added to the list if they found out about the escape attempt.
Anjali knew she was in dangerous territory. One false move and Mark would have the Council even further up their asses. “I appreciate the offer to keep the Rusalka’s escape quiet, but I would rather inform the Council so that they may understand how dangerous she truly is and why it was necessary to treat her the same as any other prisoner in Hell. Maybe they will finally see reason and reverse their ridiculous edict,” she replied formally, hoping it would keep her from losing her head.
Mark was taken aback by her statement. He could never predict what she was going to say or how she would react to any situation. It was clear that he had no idea what was going on inside this woman’s mind. He was embarrassed that she had ignored his friendly offer to keep her secret.
“Of course, my lady. I will inform the Council of the Rusalka’s attempted escape,” Mark bowed his head curtly.
Anjali saw Mark stiffen and avoid her gaze. She felt bad for shutting him out, but it was necessary. She leaned forward and smiled at him. “Thank you, Mark. Now, you sought me out. What did you need?”
“I was going to tell you that the Council was demanding an inquisition regarding the Rusalka, but at this point in time I would prefer to inform them of the current situation to seek their guidance,” Mark replied coldly.
“Very well. Is that all?” she could see that Mark was mad. She thought about giving him a nice Thank You Card for all his tireless efforts as their liaison.
“The Council would like an update on your search for Alazar,” Mark replied stiffly.
She felt that she owed Mark for offering to keep her battle with Skylis quiet, so she decided to let her guard down since her Alazar problem didn’t directly involve Hell. “Between you and me, things aren’t good. Not that the Council needs to know this, but as the Angel of Understanding, I could use your advice.”
Mark’s head snapped up. She was asking for his advice? He smiled and nodded for her to continue.
“I’m having a problem breaking through Alazar’s anger. He is acting out because he is in pain, but I don’t know what to do. There’s this part inside of me that wants to force him to submit, but the rest of me wants a relationship built on respect. He is supposed to stand by my side, but he’s too full of rage to accept his duties. There are times when I want to console him and other times when I want to punish him. We seem to be at an impasse and I feel like I’m losing my mind,” she poured her heart out, hoping that she hadn’t placed her trust in the wrong person.
Mark listened carefully to the problem and looked at it from both sides. He thought it was strange that Alazar would refuse his Master. If he was in pain, it might keep him from listening with his heart and accepting her.
He smiled and leaned forward to speak. “Do what you always do, my lady. Be yourself. You may not think that I see how you influence Lord Lucifer and Lord Hades, but I do. You made Lord Lucifer apologize for attacking me. I never thought he would do that. When he is near you, he is calmer and more centered. Even Lord Hades is different around you. They were both intolerably cruel to Maraquette, which is partly why she left. I saw and overheard them say terrible things to her. You do not want to know what they did to Lord Tabbris. I’m told that they nearly drove him mad. I do not know what would have happened to him if he had not left Hell when he did. You, my lady, have fared far better than your predecessors have, and not because you are powerful. I have seen your compassion for Lord Lucifer, though I know of no other who would be as kind to him,” Mark explained. He appreciated that she trusted him enough to confide in him.
Anjali thought about what he said for a moment. How did she manage to keep Lucifer and Hades from killing her daily? Kindness. She showed them kindness. Thus far, she hadn’t been very kind to Alazar, not that she’d been given a chance to do so while dodging his blows. She needed to change tactics.
“Thank you, Mark, for your insight. You’re right. I need to show Alazar that I’m not the bad guy,” she smiled at Mark, grateful for his levelheadedness.
Mark’s breath left him in a rush when she smiled at him. She’d never actually smiled at him before. “Yes, my lady, that is a good place to start. Good luck,” he bowed and disappeared from the hall.
One small step at a time, Mark muttered to himself, thankful that Lady Black might someday see him as something other than the enemy. He did not want to be enemies with anyone, not even Lucifer, though it was hard to remember that when Lucifer was cruel to him.
∞
Alazar opened his eyes and saw the ceiling, though it was far away. Damn it, he was still on the floor. The equivalent of a hangover was jumping up and down on his skull, while his joints and muscles laughed at him for going ten rounds with a cement mixer. Ironically, being locked in Celestial Bonds and beaten by Lucifer and Hades simultaneously would have been an improvement over his current state.
How could a vision make him feel like this? Perhaps this was the consequence, though he doubted it. Father had a thing about failing. Even though Father would forgive someone for their misdeeds, He had created Hell to punish those who failed. No, he decided that this was merely the flashing neon sign that said, caution, and not the actual punishment. Heaven help anyone who crossed the line and tempted the Destroyer to end the world. They’d be in serious trouble.
Alazar took his time and crawled over to his lounger. He needed to reconsider his plans. Anjali’s description of Hell to Peter, Petro, Piper, whatever his name was, had intrigued him. She didn’t sound like an observer who merely watched the wicked suffer, but someone who had firsthand knowledge. He had seen the suicide in her mind, yet it hadn’t dawned on him that she had actually suffered the punishment associated with taking one’s life. Lucifer should have never allowed such a treatment, yet she mentioned something about a trick by Hades’ hand. That sounded like something Hades would do.
Grief slowly filtered through his mind. His Master had suffered just as he had suffered. She knew his pain. She must have felt so alone. If Hades was deceiving Lucifer and ordering Anjali to be tortured, there w
ould have been no one to plead her case to. Her Predznak were off in the world sulking like children.
Her condemnation of him echoed through his soul. Had his lack of faith in her and Father caused him to abandon his post? He’d let anger, pain, fear, and isolation overtake him. They had clouded his mind and made him lose focus. He had allowed Lucifer to beat him down and had given Lucifer the opportunity to force his will upon the Predznak. If he had been stronger of mind and spirit, he could have crushed Lucifer and waited for her. He’d been wrong about this theory that she had abandoned them for new Predznak. She did come, though it was not as expected. Instead of Gabriel delivering her on a silver platter, Lucifer had called to her, and she had answered his call.
Alazar froze. He should have called to her. It was true he had confronted Gabriel and tried to force him to hand Anjali over, but Gabriel never gave her up. No matter how hard he attacked Gabriel, he wouldn’t confess his daughter’s location. An angel who could survive an attack like that was certainly capable of lying to the Council to keep his daughter safe from Lucifer and Hell.
The shock on Anjali’s face when he sliced her hand in the street, a hand she offered to him, proved that she had no idea why he was furious with her. She had been unprepared for their fight; otherwise, she would have taken him by surprise in the alley and handed him his lungs.
Son of a bitch. He believed her. All this time wasted on being angry with his Master and she had known nothing of him or his brethren. He hung his head in shame. He’d been so worried about his own pain that he never once considered that she might actually need his help.
Alazar sat forward in his chair as a cold sweat broke out across his body. If Anjali had died believing she was a mortal, Lucifer would have taken advantage of her. He would have known of Gabriel’s lies. He would have been able to hurt her because she had no knowledge of her power. That dress! Lucifer forced her to wear that dress and did Heaven knows what to her. She had been defenseless and alone without the Predznak. They should have been waiting in Hell for their Master, as was decreed by Father, and welcomed her. Instead, a conniving Lucifer and treacherous Hades had tricked her and tortured her. Anguish filled him at the thought of her bleeding and crying for mercy.
She was right; he had failed in his mission. He had volunteered for this position. She had been created for the sole purpose of being the Bringer of the Apocalypse. No one had asked her to step forward; Father had created her and told her what to do. She wasn’t given a choice. It seemed even Gabriel refused to give her a choice by lying to her. Suddenly he didn’t feel so bad about nearly killing Gabriel. The girl should have been told the truth so that she could decide for herself what she wanted.
The Eye of Sirrush only confirmed that she didn’t have control over her power. He had witnessed that for himself, yet she had still come for him. It was proof that Gabriel had lied. Now that Anjali knew the truth, she came searching for him to fulfill her destiny. He was the one being a dick. It was time to get his head on straight and find out who she really was, rather than make assumptions.
He carefully stood up from his chair, surprised to find that his body was infinitely better. He was able to move without wanting to vomit.
Snapping his fingers, he put on fresh clothes. He needed to see her. He debated if he should forego the black motif he was working with, but he’d never been one for bright colors. White was most certainly out, so he decided to stick with what he knew, but he dressed it up a little and put on a suit. He needed to remember that he was a Harbinger and he had a job to do.
He paused, having no idea where to find her. He wasn’t about to march into Hell and search for her. No, he needed a neutral place. The only places he’d seen her were in the city or in the castle.
The mortals filming in the castle! Yes, she seems to care about them, he smiled, hoping that she would be with them. He had overheard them speaking about an inn when they were escorting Pete, Pat, Steve, out of the tower. The inn sounded like a good place to start.
∞
Anjali searched the dungeon, the upper towers, and the castle grounds to no avail. Alazar was nowhere to be found. Afraid that he was out terrorizing the city, she used her power to locate him. The answer to her call was closer than she expected. Quickly following it through the streets, she stopped when she approached the inn.
Why would Alazar go to the inn? Maybe he was looking for Pete. Shit. Alazar was hell-bent on hurting her. Now that he knew she cared about the mortals, they were easy targets. She needed to find the Spirit Experts and keep them safe.
Not wanting to freak out the patrons of the inn or the Spirit Experts, she became Annie and wore a black T-shirt with the yellow batman logo, jeans, and her wool coat. Dressing it up a little, she pulled the top section of her hair into a ponytail and waved her arm creating coiled tendrils.
Entering the inn she quickly looked around, acquainting herself with the layout. She hadn’t seen much of the place the first night she’d been there. She’d been too preoccupied with wanting to kiss Derick. She was about to ascend the steps when she heard people laughing. Turning around, she saw a doorway that led to a small restaurant.
She quietly approached the doorway, curious to see who was inside, though somehow she already knew.
Poking her head around the corner, she saw the Spirit Experts sitting at the far end the room. Derick, Pete, Josilyn, and Wedge were looking at lunch menus and chatting. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that they were safe. Morgan and Cassie were unaccounted for, which concerned her since Alazar was capable of anything.
She could feel Alazar’s power concentrated in the upper level of the inn. Knowing that four of the six Spirit Experts were safe, she walked up the steps to find out if Cassie and Morgan were his next targets.
∞
Alazar paced around the small bedroom and stopped when he realized that it was nicer than his basement cell.
The rustic wood-framed double bed and colorful patchwork quilt were infinitely better than his rusty metal bed. His dungeon didn’t even have a window. The hand-carved wooden chair in the corner and hand-painted dresser with a decorative lamp on top reminded him of his room in Hell. It made him sick to know that even his old room was nicer than his current hiding place. So much for things getting better once he left Hell. His life was somehow worse than ever.
Alazar turned when he heard a key rattling in the door.
“Hello, Anjali,” Alazar said, as she walked into Room 5, the only one listed under an ‘Annie’ as he’d heard Pablo call her. “Or do you prefer Lady Black?” he asked, tentatively. He was confused by her mortal clothes, but was grateful not to see the dress. Her appearance was muted, yet she was still stunning. She looked like she belonged in the Mortal Realm.
“Hello, Alazar,” Anjali replied cautiously. She stiffened, preparing for an attack. Alazar was anxiously standing in the middle of the room. She was surprised to see that he was alone. “No one calls me Anjali except for Lucifer and Gabriel. The Council mostly calls me Destroyer. Call me whatever you wish,” she walked inside the room and closed the door behind her. It seemed that Death wasn’t stalking Cassie and Morgan. He was stalking her.
He hesitated, not sure how to begin. He didn’t want to piss her off again. He put his hands up when he saw her tense. “Okay…Lady Black; I didn’t come here to fight. I came here to talk. I guess I should have brought a white flag, or something,” Alazar lowered his hands and wiped them on his pants. He was sweating and on edge. While he didn’t want to fight, he wasn’t ready to kneel. Why was this so hard?
She took in his appearance. He looked polished and professional, the way she had always pictured a Predznak to look. “Okay, so talk,” she replied slowly, trying to ascertain if this was a trick.
Alazar was about to speak when his insides froze. He saw gouge marks on her neck. They were healing, but still gruesome. Something powerful had taken a swipe at her. He took a step forward before he realized what he was doing. He stopped abruptly, unsure o
f why he had moved toward her. Did he want to comfort her?
“Did Lucifer hurt you?” he growled. Rage filled him when he thought about someone hurting his Master. The thought made him falter. No more than a few hours ago, he had plotted her suicide and suddenly he was outraged that someone else was trying to kill her. Maybe he really was losing his mind. Solren would certainly have a good laugh.
Anjali saw him staring at her neck. She was confused by his apparent concern. “It’s not easy being the Destroyer, Alazar,” she shrugged, not wanting to give anything away.
“Who did that?” he stalked closer without thinking.
Seeing his indignation, she decided to tell him the truth. “A prisoner from the Hall of Shadows escaped and tried to eat Hades. I stopped her, but not without a price,” she replied, touching her neck.
Alazar grimaced. He’d forgotten what it was like to live in Hell under the constant threat of a prisoner uprising. It was one more thing to feel guilty about.
Closing his eyes, he pictured her without any allies in Hell. He needed to hear the truth about what had happened to her, as much as he didn’t want to know. “What is it like for you in Hell? Do they hurt you? You told that boy how miserable it is to suffer in the realms. I need to understand what happened to you.”
Anjali saw that Alazar was trembling. She doubted he was that good of an actor to deceive her. If he were ready to listen, then she wanted to him to know everything. “I know you think I’m just some force that obliterates the world, but there’s more to me than that. You may not believe it, but I’m much better suited to live in the Mortal Realm, as a mortal, than to be the Destroyer and live in Hell. I was blissfully ignorant of my pre-ordained destiny and Gabriel’s deal with Lucifer. I was never prepared for this life and never prepared for Lucifer. I’ve been trying to figure things out on my own, and unfortunately, I don’t have all the answers. Yes, Lucifer has hurt me, but he tries to be kind. Yes, Hades has tried to kill me, but now we have a truce. Yes, I have suffered in the realms, but now I help punish the wicked in the Realm of Nightmares. Sadly, I’ve had to fight for everything that I have, which isn’t much. The Fallen hate me. The Council is screaming at me to find my Predznak, before Michael hunts all of you down and kills you. Is that what you need to hear?” she replied bluntly, as she raised her eyebrow at him.
The Third Throne: Angel of Death Page 28