The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  Anger and pain flooded her. She lost control of the clawing sensation inside of her for a split second, too consumed by the agony in her chest. Her power rushed through her and she embraced her wrath. A force burst forth from her and propelled Alazar across the room. Sucking in a breath quickly, she looked up to see a dazed Alazar sliding down the wall to the floor.

  Alazar rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out where up was. He saw a terrifying sight when his vision steadied. Anjali’s eyes were black, glowing, and locked on him. She was on her knees, reaching around to remove the wooden spike. Before he could speak, she was on her feet advancing on him, and she looked pissed. He was almost stupid enough to beg for mercy and bind himself to her, but he held himself firm. She didn’t trust him and he couldn’t live with that. He did the only thing he could; he ran. Disappearing from the room, he launched himself through space and appeared in a cemetery, a fitting place for him. He was a coward for sure, but a breathing one with a head still attached to his body.

  He leaned against a large monument and assessed the damage. Hawaii was the next location on his flight plan.

  “I was going to say I told you so, but you look like shit and I hate kicking people while they’re down,” Maraquette stepped out from behind a mausoleum.

  Alazar sighed, knowing that he was looking at his only friend in the world.

  ∞

  Anjali was about to hunt Alazar down when she remembered Derick. She couldn’t leave him to deal with the death of his friend alone. She knew the Spirit Experts would go back home to take care of the arrangements for Wedge, forcing Derick to leave for good. Once they left, she vowed never to see Derick again, but she couldn’t leave things like this. She owed him an explanation for Wedge’s death.

  Her anger evaporated when she thought about Derick and how much pain he would be in after losing his friend and colleague. She calmed down and took a deep breath. The raw pain in her chest subsided to a dull ache. The bleeding had stopped and she could almost move her back without wincing, thanks to the release of her power.

  She would alert the Council of Alazar’s status change to Rogue and let them deal with him. There were still nine other angels that she had to find. Alazar was beyond her abilities now. Let the Celestial Warriors do their job for once and find the bad guy. They were better equipped to capture Alazar with their Celestial Swords.

  She took a moment to lament what could have been with Alazar. Truly, she liked him. She could easily see him by her side leading the Predznak. If only she had gotten to him sooner. This only fortified her decision to find the others as quickly as possible. She couldn’t imagine losing all the Predznak to darkness. She would never forgive herself.

  A tear fell when she thought about Michael removing Alazar’s head. Her heart burned, imagining his last moments. Would he ask for forgiveness before he died? It was doubtful, given his recent actions. Either way, she wished that she could have brought him into her life. She already missed him.

  Holding her head high, she knew it was time to start her gamut of misery. She didn’t know which was worse, losing her Angel of Death or Derick. The loss of both of them might very well cripple her permanently. It was definitely better to get it all over quickly.

  Appearing as Annie, she walked around the parking lot of the castle, stretching her back and neck. For the least physical Predznak, Alazar definitely knew how to hurt someone. Walking off the pain, she was glad to see that most of the circus had cleared out. Only two police cars remained in the parking lot. She assumed that Josilyn had gone to the hospital.

  Not seeing Derick outside, Annie quietly appeared inside the castle, avoiding the guard at the entrance. She peered into the foyer and saw Mrs. Pavel pacing and muttering a prayer to herself in Romanian.

  She ducked past the agitated woman and headed down the hallway that led to the staircase landing. Hoping that Derick was still in the castle, she poked her head around the corner and saw a policeman speaking to Derick. Derick was nodding his head and looked beyond distraught. Momentarily losing her nerve, she was about to wait for a better time to speak to him when he caught sight of her. It was like the boy had radar when it came to her.

  The small smile on his face made her feel worse than before. She slunk into the open area that had been roped off with caution tape. The policeman nodded to Derick and walked over to her.

  “Mr. Hunt says that you are a part of his group. Can you tell me where you were from 1:00 pm this afternoon until 9:00 pm this evening?” the policeman asked formally in English.

  Mr. Hunt? It took Annie a second to realize that she hadn’t known Derick’s last name. One more thing she didn’t know about him. Maybe leaving him would be easier than she expected. They were strangers with nothing in common.

  Annie decided to speak in Romanian to avoid any confusion. “I was with Mr. Hunt this afternoon and evening. We left the inn and were sightseeing in the city. We dined around 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm and then went for a walk. We didn’t arrive at the castle until around 9:00 pm. Neither of us knew what was going on when we arrived.”

  The police officer seemed surprised that she knew his language, but continued asking her if she knew the deceased, Mr. Douglas Stephens.

  She explained who she was and how she had met the Spirit Experts two days ago when she arrived to take a tour of the castle, all the while looking over at Derick to make sure he was okay. It was strange hearing the police officer speak about Wedge in the past tense.

  Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of seeing Wedge when she went back to Hell. Once processed, he would end up in the Realm of Fire and then on to all the other tortures, just as she had warned Pete when he wanted to take his life. She was saddened by the thought of punishing him for years and then watching as Lucifer tried to make him a suicide servant, though it was doubtful that Lucifer would choose him. He preferred vile, sneaky mortals to serve him.

  The police officer thanked her and left her alone with Derick.

  “Where did you go?” Derick asked, approaching her. He looked like he needed a hug and a warm blanket, not a sucker punch to the stomach.

  “Sorry, I needed to pull myself together. I didn’t want to freak out in front of you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t here for you,” she felt guilty for leaving him, but Alazar needed an ass kicking more than Derick needed consoling.

  “It’s okay, the police were asking a lot of questions. I thought you might have taken off for good. I was afraid that I wouldn’t see you again,” Derick was thankful that she had stayed. He wasn’t ready to mourn the loss of her too. He took her into his arms and inhaled her scent. Clinging to her, he closed his eyes and cried for his friend.

  She held him tightly and rubbed his back. “I’m so sorry, Derick. This is terrible. I don’t know what to say,” she said, trying not to cry. She wanted nothing more than to take away Derick’s pain and keep him safe. Hugging him, she selfishly took a moment to commit to memory the feeling of him against her body.

  Derick pulled back to look at her and wiped his eyes. “Pete told me what happened. They were setting up in the foyer and finished early. They figured that you and I would investigate the dungeon together once we got back, so Pete and Morgan headed out to investigate the interior courtyard and the chapel. Wedge decided to put extra handheld cameras in the Main Hall and the Master Room on the third floor. Morgan left Pete in the courtyard to get more batteries. When Morgan walked through the Main Hall, he heard Josilyn screaming. He found her by the staircase. She had tried contacting Wedge for ten minutes, but he didn’t answer, so she went looking for him. She’s the one who found him. Pete said she was pretty shaken up by the time he got to her.

  “Is she okay? Did they take her to the hospital?” Annie asked, wiping his cheek.

  “The EMT said she was okay, but needed to rest. Pete took Josilyn back to the inn to calm her down. They were both in pretty rough shape. I stayed to deal with the police. Morgan freaked out and said that he was catching the next pla
ne home. He said that we were crazy for staying,” Derick explained in a rush. He leaned his forehead against hers.

  “You shouldn’t stay here, Derick. You should go back to the inn and rest. It’s late and you have been through too much tonight,” Annie said consolingly.

  “How did I not know? How did I not see this coming? It’s not like we hung out with him every day, but we were friends. How did I miss the signs?” Derick murmured.

  “This isn’t your fault, Derick,” Annie softly ran her hand across his back and shoulders.

  “I don’t know why he did it. Wedge wasn’t the kind of guy to do something like this, or so I thought. The police said they searched the castle and his room at the inn, but there wasn’t a note. It just doesn’t make any sense. This was his dream. Why do it here? I know his life wasn’t perfect, but whose is? I just don’t understand it,” Derick choked out the words, trying not to fall apart again.

  “Derick, sometimes there isn’t a reason. Sometimes people get confused, upset, or angry and they make a mistake. Suicides aren’t planned as much as you think. Sometimes there are no notes explaining things because even the person doesn’t know why they are doing it. It’s a thought that they act on,” Annie kissed his cheek.

  “You think so? You think that Wedge just acted without some sort of plan? I mean, it took a lot of effort to tie that rope to the railing, at least that’s what the police said,” Derick looked up through the darkness, but couldn’t see the rope.

  “You’ll drive yourself crazy looking for an explanation when it doesn’t appear that there is one. Don’t think about Wedge ending things; think about the times when he was living his life. Think about how excited he was to come here and investigate. Remember hanging out with him back home and the fun times. Don’t dwell on this one act. I’m sorry that this whole trip has been a nightmare. I wish you could have come here and explored the castle, made your show, and had a great time,” Annie smiled at him. She pulled him sideways so that he couldn’t look at the stairs.

  “Me too. First Pete and now Wedge…,” Derick paused. How could he have forgotten the incident with Pete? Pete had been more than willing to throw himself from the tower and now Wedge had hanged himself. Maybe the castle really was cursed or haunted. It was too much of a coincidence that both of them wanted to hurt themselves in this place.

  Annie froze when she saw Derick put the pieces together for the first time. He had been in shock and hadn’t fully understood what was happening in this place.

  “Derick, we should talk about this somewhere else,” hearing voices approaching from the hallway, she nodded to Derick to follow her. Not wanting witnesses, she decided on the Throne Room. She hoped that it might give her the strength to say what she needed to say.

  “Annie, so many things have happened in this place. Do you really think it’s haunted?” Derick asked as fear crawled into his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to take Annie far away from the castle and Romania.

  “No Derick, I don’t think it’s haunted. Well, technically, yes, there are spirits here, but they aren’t the ones causing the problems,” Annie said begrudgingly.

  “What are you talking about? I know you see spirits, but how do you know that they’re not responsible?” Derick scoffed.

  “Derick, I’m sorry about Wedge and Pete. I don’t know how to explain this, but what happened to them wasn’t a coincidence. They weren’t harmed by spirits, but by something much worse,” Annie faltered, not wanting to tell him too much. “Derick, there are so many things that you don’t know about me that you shouldn’t know. I’ve screwed this up so badly. I shouldn’t tell you any of this, but I feel compelled to tell you at least some of the truth,” Annie rambled.

  He felt like his world was in full tilt. “Truth? What truth? Do you know what hurt them? Annie, you have to tell me if you know,” Derick was frustrated by Annie’s cryptic proclamations. All he wanted was to go home and hide under the covers with her, and instead she was acting weird.

  “I tried to keep you away from the castle. I tried to persuade you to leave, but you were determined to stay. I stayed with you so that I could keep you safe; unfortunately, I underestimated the person responsible. I thought I had everything under control,” Annie could see that Derick was agitated by her confession, but she had to keep talking. “He’s far worse off than I thought. I thought I could keep him from killing innocent people.”

  “Who, your friend? The cops said it was a suicide. Why would he want to kill Wedge and make it look like a suicide? Pete wanted to throw himself from the tower. He looked possessed. A person can’t do that. Even if he could, why would he want to?” Derick couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He saw the real Annie for the first time. She really was disturbed. She felt like a foreign object to him. She obviously had more issues than she had admitted. Having nightmares of Hell was one thing, but she was talking like a crazy person.

  “Wedge killed himself, just as Pete would have, but not because he wanted to. Someone persuaded him, tempted him to take his life. You heard Pete rant about how he needed to end things. He needed to see his parents and tell them something. Wedge was probably reminded of how he didn’t fit in as a child, or even as an adult. All the good things in his life were pushed from his mind and he was only left with self-doubt and self-hatred. That’s probably why he jumped, but he didn’t tie the rope, of that I’m sure. He merely went along with the thought of accepting the peace of death. He probably saw the sky, or mountains, or maybe the ocean. Regardless of what he saw, it was a place that he wanted to go to because he was told that he didn’t have any other options,” Annie’s anger and sorrow collided causing her shake.

  “Annie, I believe that you have seen and experienced horrible things. You must’ve had some kind of vision when you tried to kill yourself and saw something resembling Hell. I know that you believe in Hell and understand suicide better than most, but I don’t believe that your friend did this,” Derick ran his hands over his face. He needed to get a grip. Nothing seemed real anymore and he was frustrated that Annie wasn’t helping the situation.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You don’t understand what my friend is capable of doing,” Annie sighed, frustrated that she couldn’t tell Derick everything. “You’re right; I do understand suicide better than you think. I was being honest with Pete in the tower. I shouldn’t have told them those things, but my friend was responsible for Pete’s mania. I couldn’t stand by and watch Pete die because I couldn’t stop my friend.”

  Derick listened to Annie’s passionate plea. That’s when it clicked. He remembered the scars on her wrists and the way she had spoken of Hell as if she knew every detail. “You weren’t just making up a story to keep Pete from jumping, were you? My gut told me, as much as I didn’t want to believe it, that you somehow knew the truth.” Annie’s warning to Pete resounded in his head. She mentioned that people who kill themselves are tortured endlessly and then have to go before Lucifer. Even if some part of her story was true, that would mean that Wedge was in Hell and would suffer for a very long time. He felt sick. “You told Pete that he would end up in the Realms of Torture in Hell. You really meant it, didn’t you?” Derick couldn’t believe that he was having this conversation. He was admitting that his girlfriend, or potential girlfriend, had an actual working knowledge of Hell and that it was indeed a real place.

  “Yes, I meant it. It wasn’t a story, Derick, I wish it were,” Annie gave Derick a moment to process all that she was saying. She watched him wrestle with the knowledge that they were dealing with things beyond his understanding.

  “How? How is this possible? You asked me if I believe in Heaven and Hell, but you’re not talking about the concept of what happens when you die, not the myths and legends, but what really happens, right?” Derick asked in disbelief.

  “I’m afraid so,” Annie whispered.

  “You had a near-death experience. You only think you know. When you tried to kill yourself, you saw something that you beli
eved was real. That’s the only logical explanation. You said you had nightmares of Hell. That’s what all your beliefs are based on,” Derick rambled. He rejected his original thought that she had some kind of insight into Hell and decided that she really was crazy. It was the only thing that made sense.

  Annie understood Derick’s disbelief and his desire to rationalize what he thought was true. It would be easier to walk away now and let Derick believe that she was crazy, but selfishly she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t crazy and she hated having people think that she was. Doing something that would certainly land her ass in trouble later, she extended her arms and became Lady Black in front of Derick.

  Derick blinked and shook his head as he watched Annie shimmer and change. He looked at the black dress that had appeared out of nowhere. He couldn’t understand what had happened. She still looked like Annie, but there were major differences. She had an unearthly beauty and her demeanor had changed completely. Instead of the sweet, shy girl who was unsure of herself, he was now staring at a woman who had confidence, power, and knowledge. Everything about her was enhanced, sharper, and more enticing. He looked over at the middle throne and remembered how she had changed when she sat down on it. The woman in front of him looked like the regal woman who was at home on the throne.

  “I’m not crazy, Derick, and I’m not who you think I am. I am the Bringer of the Apocalypse, and the friend that I spoke about is my wayward Angel of Death. I have been searching for him so that I can take possession of him and become his Master. We were supposed to be joined a millennia ago, but there were circumstances beyond my control and I have only recently found him. He has turned against me and he is the reason that Wedge is dead. I failed in my mission to secure his loyalty and keep him from attacking innocent people. I’m so sorry that you and your friends were caught up in all of this. Mortals aren’t supposed to know of our existence, but I felt like I owed you the truth. Ever since I met you, I have been trying to leave you. You don’t belong in my world, but it’s been damned near impossible for me to walk away. If you have to blame someone for all that has happened, blame me. I keep making the wrong choices and the consequences are too much to handle. Alazar will be hunted, so you and your friends should be safe, especially if you leave Romania. I wanted to at least say goodbye and say that I’m sorry. Not that I wanted to do it like this, but maybe it will be easier this way,” Anjali poured her heart out to the man that she could never have, who could never want her in return.