The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  “I thought you’d be long gone by now, perhaps somewhere warmer, where she can’t find you,” Maraquette snickered.

  “Why would I want to do that?” Alazar rolled his eyes at her.

  “I thought you had more sense than this, Alazar. Ever since you became a Predznak, you have hated it. You got more than you bargained for; you say it all the time. It’s a miserable existence tempting the mortals to kill. Angels weren’t meant to do that, it goes against our very nature. You signed on for something you knew nothing about and you have regretted it ever since. If you say yes to her, it will only get harder. Alazar, this is not who you are, or what you want. She will turn you into a murderer, and for what? You may save a few mortal souls along the way, but what about your soul? This will destroy you. Every time I see you, you are weaker and more distraught. Go ahead and deny it,” Maraquette purred as she carefully approached him. She needed him to doubt Anjali’s intentions. Her deal with him might be broken, but she still had need of him.

  Alazar rounded on Maraquette and glared at her, knowing that she was right. He worried about that constantly. He didn’t want to sink further into the abyss. He took a deep breath and remembered how it felt to be with Lady Black. He clung to the promise of freedom from his darkness.

  “No, she will make it easier for me. She will help me. I’ve already felt what it would be like to join with her,” Alazar snapped. He pushed away his doubts and squared his shoulders.

  “My poor brother, she has you so blinded by all that she supposedly has to offer. You forget that she is the keeper of all the temptations and can use them against you. She will make you pay for all your past mistakes, she will never trust anything you have to say, and she will deceive you. You just can’t see past the taste of happiness that she has offered you. Mark my words, at the first test of loyalty she will turn on you. You’re one-step away from becoming a Rogue, Alazar. How can you prove to her that you will be loyal and do her will? Believe me, if you join with her, you will regret it forever. There is no escaping once you are bound to her. How can you know her well enough to make such a huge and lasting decision?” Maraquette said in her best concerned voice.

  Alazar’s memory sparked when Maraquette spoke of being blinded by what was offered. She had been blinded by Lucifer’s kind words in Heaven, and was sorely disappointed when she fell from Heaven and awoke in Hell to look into the eyes of the devil, not the Morningstar. Lucifer looked at her with lust, but never love. He had broken her heart and she was bitterly trying to get even with him. She would do and say anything to harm Anjali. He was done listening to her.

  He grabbed her by the hair and shook her. “From the moment you came into my life, you have said and done everything possible to get me to help you escape Michael and keep him off your trail so that he doesn’t find out that you are the one responsible for so many of the deaths that he investigates. The truth doesn’t exactly fall from your lips, my dear. The truth is, I should have killed you long ago for your deeds, but I always pitied you because of what Lucifer did to you,” Alazar growled. He held the deranged angel by her hair, deciding the best way to put her out her misery.

  Maraquette grabbed his hand and pulled at him, trying to free herself. She knew she was in trouble. Pleading with him was her only hope. “I’m your friend, Alazar, I always have been. While it’s true that I do like my head attached to my body and have asked for favors, I still care about what happens to one of my brothers. I don’t want to see Lucifer destroy you. I know what he’s capable of. If you return to Hell, he will demand your head. He won’t care what the Destroyer says. His word is law in Hell, and you have committed enough crimes to earn a death warrant,” Maraquette said to scare Alazar.

  “If you’re my friend, then I’m in deeper shit than I thought. How about for the sake of our friendship, I give you a head start? When I join with Anjali and tell her of your treachery, she will surely inform Lucifer that you are still alive and plotting against her, Michael, and Father. Lucifer won’t have time to worry about me since he will probably hunt you himself. He hates Rogues. It’s one of the few things that I like about him,” Alazar smirked. He didn’t have need of the little traitor anymore. He was going to be with his Master and could finally atone for his sins.

  Alazar threw Maraquette on the ground and turned his back on her.

  Maraquette nearly attacked Alazar for his lies, but remained still. Lucifer would never hurt her. Once Anjali was dead, Lucifer would finally be free of the Keeper of Desire and they could be together at last. The only thing Lucifer ever talked about was the Destroyer and her beautiful face. She had entranced him centuries ago. The little home-wrecker had him eating out of her hand. Aganon had explained how Lucifer fawned over Anjali. That information alone was enough to enrage her. No one should be touching Lucifer. It was time to break Lucifer free from the Destroyer’s spell. Lucifer would finally be able to remember how much he loved her and Anjali would be nothing more than a corpse. All she needed was to create enough strife between Alazar and his Master and their fates would be sealed.

  “Now, now, don’t be mean. I have your best interests at heart, brother. Aganon has overheard Anjali’s conversations with Lucifer and Hades. He said that Anjali is willing to do whatever it takes to possess you. What will keep her from hurting you to get what she wants?” Maraquette looked Alazar in the eye, trying to sell her lie.

  “I’m willing to take my chances with her. I don’t care what Aganon told you. I’ve made my choice and if you don’t stop talking, I will save the Council the time and energy of putting you on trial and kill you right here,” Alazar allowed his power to rise as he stalked Maraquette, backing her into a corner.

  “Stop, Alazar. You promised me a head start, for old time’s sake. Run along to your Master, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Maraquette said quickly. She tried not to show how terrified she was of him. The sudden drop in temperature let her know how Alazar was serious was. Even if he couldn’t tempt her, his power rising to the surface made him stronger and faster than her.

  Quickly disappearing before Alazar could grab her again, she retreated to the parking lot of the castle. Round two was a loss, but round three and the win would be hers. She laughed when she thought about Anjali’s impending return to the castle. Alazar was in for a rude awakening when his Master arrived to claim him.

  Pulling out her cell phone, she delighted in knowing that a victory was close at hand.

  ∞

  “I had no idea that making love to someone could be like that,” Derick gave Annie a smoldering, yet satisfied look.

  “Neither did I,” she snuggled against his arm.

  She quivered inside at Derick’s admission. They had made love, not fucked, like he had done with his cheerleaders. She finally accepted that she couldn’t give Derick up. He was uncomplicated, aside from being a mortal. He brought out a side of her that she didn’t even know existed. She had never thought herself capable of public sex, especially with a virtual stranger. No, he wasn’t a stranger, she knew the real Derick. She felt safe with him. There was no second-guessing and no games. He always made it clear what he was thinking and feeling.

  They walked further down the road until he stopped her and pulled her into a kiss.

  “I know I didn’t keep my promise about being just a friend tonight and I’m sorry, but will you still come with me to investigate the castle? I promise I will behave myself. Well, technically you seduced me, so I’m innocent. I didn’t break my promise. I said that I would be what you needed,” he chuckled.

  Derick was definitely what she needed.

  “Yes, I will help you tonight,” she practically purred the words in his ear. Delirious with happiness, she would do anything that he asked of her.

  They walked hand in hand up the long driveway that led to the castle. When they turned the corner, they were met with flashing lights and some sort of commotion in the parking lot.

  Fear spiked inside of Annie as she began to comprehend what
she was seeing. Police cars and ambulances were crowded along the front entrance, blocking the bridge. She had heard sirens earlier, but had ignored them since they were common in a city. She looked to Derick, thankful that he was safe, but was upset that something terrible had happened.

  “Oh God,” Derick squeezed Annie’s hand and rushed toward the flashing lights.

  Derick needed to get a head count of his team before he could relax. He was hoping for something simple like a small fire or a power issue. Sometimes their equipment shorted circuit breakers and overloaded the power grids with older wiring. He absently felt around for his walkie-talkie, but stopped when he remembered that he had left it in his hotel room.

  Making his way through the crowd, he searched the blank faces mulling about the parking lot, hoping to spot a familiar face. Derick’s breath left him in a rush when he saw Josilyn sitting in the back of an ambulance. He sprinted over to her, pushing past the medics.

  “Josilyn, what the hell happened? Is everyone okay?” he nudged past the medic nearest her and grabbed her hand. He saw the breathing mask over her face and panicked.

  “Sir, you have to stand back,” the medic said in English.

  “Tell me what happened first,” Derick yelled.

  “She is having trouble breathing. Give her a moment to recover. She is in shock,” the medic replied.

  Annie saw Pete talking to an officer a few feet away. She grabbed Derick’s hand and pulled him toward Pete.

  “Pete, what happened?” Derick asked his friend, breathless.

  Pete looked relieved to see Derick, but sadness was etched into his expression. He tried to speak a few times, but choked up. “Wedge.”

  Derick fell back on his heels. Wedge had been hurt. He needed to find him. He was responsible for the crew. It was his job to keep everyone safe and get them back home.

  He looked around at the ambulances, frantically trying to find his friend.

  Annie understood the look of sorrow on Pete’s face. “Pete, Wedge isn’t okay, is he?” her stomach dropped when he slowly shook his head, unable to speak.

  Annie trembled when she thought about all the things that could have happened to him. As much as she didn’t want to know his fate, she had to find out.

  Derick stared vacantly at Pete, processing the information. “Wedge is gone?” he couldn’t understand how something like that could be true. He’d seen him a few hours ago at lunch. How could he be gone?

  Looking around the parking lot, Annie saw Morgan leaning against their white van. He was by himself smoking and staring at the ground, lost in thought. Cassie was screaming at a police officer who was trying to ask her questions. She was annoyed and yelling about their equipment, not wanting it touched or tampered with.

  Annie pulled the nearest officer to the side while Derick and Pete exchanged shocked looks. “What happened to the boy?” she asked the officer in Romanian.

  “He was found hanging from the main staircase. It looks like a possible suicide. We are checking to see if anyone saw what happened. Your friends said that they didn’t see or hear anything until they found him in the stairwell,” the officer replied quietly.

  Annie closed her eyes. The world fell away and she felt cold. She had done this. She had stupidly trusted Alazar and in return, he killed one of her friends. She should have demanded that he join her or killed him on the spot. One more innocent life had been extinguished because of her crazed Angel of Death. It was time for this madness to end.

  She couldn’t look at Derick knowing that she was responsible. She needed to see the staircase for herself.

  Annie quickly slipped through the crowd and disappeared once inside the entryway. She reappeared in the hallway at the top of the stairs. Thankfully, no one was standing at the top. She looked down and saw people on the third floor landing. She listened to them taking pictures and trying to determine what had happened. They were saying things like, “rope” and “jumped”. Dread filled her, knowing what she needed to do.

  She disappeared and reappeared in the basement of the castle, directly into Alazar’s room.

  Alazar smiled when he heard rustling behind him. He knew Maraquette wasn’t stupid enough to return.

  Turning, he saw Anjali. She was wearing her infamous dress, but he tried to ignore it. He was happy to see her until he saw the malice on her face. Before he could blink, her fist collided with his skull and he was thrown back into his chair.

  “How could you? You couldn’t have just said no. You had to make a spectacle and spit in my face. I should have known better than to trust you. I should have killed you when I had the chance, you son of a bitch!” Anjali screamed and lunged forward. She grabbed Alazar by the shirt and pulled him out of his chair.

  “What? What are you talking about?” Alazar yelled, dazed from the punch. He had no idea that she could hit that hard. His brain was rattling around his skull. She had definitely held back during their earlier fights.

  “I’m surprised you weren’t standing underneath him with a giant sign that said ‘Go Fuck Yourself, I Don’t Want a Master’. It would have been a lot simpler. You destroyed yet another innocent life, Alazar, and you obviously have no remorse. Instead, you’re sitting in your room smugly waiting for me to see your handiwork. I’m sick of this, Alazar. You’ve gone too far,” she threw him across the room.

  Alazar smashed into the wall and crumbled to the bed. He had no idea why she was so mad. Maybe she was the crazy one. Shaking his head, he tried to focus his eyes. He watched the rage of the Destroyer grow and was oddly fascinated by it. He wanted to reach out and touch her to see if she would be warmer than usual. He snapped himself from his fantasy to figure out why she enraged.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied when he came to his senses. He scrambled off the bed, avoiding her grasp. He tripped on the remains of the bookcase, but managed to stay standing.

  “Of course you don’t, all you do is put the idea in their heads. You don’t stay for the actual act, right? You can claim ignorance if you don’t have to witness them jumping from the ledge. You don’t have to feel guilty if you can’t see the light leaving their eyes. How wonderful for you. Well, regardless of whether or not you were there to witness it, he’s still dead because of you,” Anjali stepped up to Alazar and stared at his cold blue eyes.

  Dead? He hadn’t killed anyone, not since tempting Pedro. The woman had apparently lost her mind. He had no idea what had set her off. He opened himself up and searched for the reason behind her anger. He was startled when he found it. The cold feeling of death filled the castle. Someone had indeed died here recently. He was appalled when he realized that she was blaming him for the death.

  “You think I did this? You think I killed someone?” Alazar’s body was rigid as he spoke.

  “Unless there happens to be another Angel of Death lurking around the castle capable of pushing someone to end their own life, then yes, you are the logical choice. Why does everything have to be a battle with you? I guess you have been alone too long to understand what I was offering you. You’re beyond my help and I’m tired of apologizing for all that has happened. I offered you a clean slate and you killed someone, and worse, you made it personal. I will never forgive you,” Anjali fought back the tears and stepped closer to Alazar. While she hadn’t known Wedge for long, she liked him and he was Derick’s friend. Poor, shy Wedge with his comic books and Star Wars obsession would never see Tulsa or his family again. How could she possibly explain this to Derick? He would never forgive her.

  Alazar was stunned. She didn’t trust him. Rather than ask him if had done it, she had simply assumed. Maraquette had been right about Anjali not being able to trust anyone. He finally had a glimpse of what life would be like with her. He would constantly have to prove himself to her and fight for her trust. Though he wanted to be with her, he couldn’t live like that. He couldn’t have every day be a struggle; it was hard enough to do his job.

  “Well, since there isn’
t another Angel of Death, I guess I’m responsible. What’s it going to be Destroyer, pistols at dawn, sword fight to the death, or rock, paper, scissors, best two out of three wins?” Alazar snipped as he glared back at her. He stepped closer until he was less than an inch from the woman who could never be his Master.

  “None of the above,” she kneed Alazar in the groin and punched him in the throat. He gasped and slumped to his knees.

  Alazar’s vision wavered as pain filled his entire being. He gasped for air and quickly decided what to do.

  Anjali reached down to grab Alazar’s arm, intent on dragging him down to Hell, where he would wait in the Hall of Mercy for the Council to retrieve him for his sentencing. Before she could touch him, she was tossed into the air when Alazar dove at her legs and flipped her over his back. She landed on the bookcase on her neck and broke through the last few shelves. Shards of wood pierced her back, causing her to scream.

  “I’m not going down without a fight,” Alazar raised his foot and stamped down on Anjali head.

  Anjali blocked the kick and grabbed Alazar’s foot. She twisted it and threw him off-balance. Alazar crumpled forward into the pile of wood.

  She slumped to her side and painfully rolled to her stomach. There was a chunk of wood in the middle of her back between her shoulder blades. Reaching back, she tried to dislodge it so that she could breathe. Before she could pull the wood out, she felt it tear through her back and into her chest.

  Alazar stomped the wooden stake through her back, driving it deeper into her body. It wouldn’t kill her, but it would slow her down enough for him to escape.

  “If you think that you can kill me, you’re deluded,” Anjali gasped through the pain.

  Alazar backed away from her. He saw the blood seeping from her body as it pooled around her on the floor. He didn’t want to kill her. He wasn’t a Rogue yet, despite what she thought. Maybe he could plead his case to the Council.