The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  “As you command, my lady,” he said through gritted teeth, though he gripped his dagger tighter until it shook in his hands.

  “I’m sorry Alazar, but you can’t kill Lucifer. I thought we had agreed to move beyond the sins of the past,” Anjali was trembling as she went to Lucifer’s side to inspect his wound.

  Placing her right hand over his stomach to stem the blood loss, she took Lucifer’s face in her left hand to comfort him.

  “That was before I found out what he did to Zacharael, my lady,” Alazar’s anger was not swayed by her command. If she released him, he would kill Lucifer.

  Anjali stopped fussing over Lucifer and looked at Alazar. “You spoke with Aganon before I arrived. He told you the secret he was too afraid to tell me,” she said. She knew it was the only way Alazar could have learned of Lucifer’s secret.

  Alazar’s eyes tightened, but didn’t speak.

  She turned to Lucifer and saw the pain and confusion in his eyes. She hated to interrogate him while in this condition, but she knew he would speak the truth.

  “My lord, what happened to Zacharael before the Predznak left Hell? You did something to my angel,” she braced herself for yet another horrid and deplorable act by Lucifer’s hands.

  Lucifer couldn’t look her in the eyes. He stuttered, searching for an explanation. It was another confession that he dreaded making.

  Lucifer lowered his head while he recalled what had happened. Guilt flooded him as he spoke. “I called for Alazar. I told you that I was close to forcing the Predznak to take me as their Master. I was going to beat Alazar into submission, or kill him that night. Instead, Zacharael appeared in his place. He went on about how he was now Alazar’s Second-in-Command and that I could address him with whatever concerns I had. I figured that if I had Zacharael’s loyalties, it would be easier to obtain Alazar, given the new information. I brutalized him and nearly killed him. I wanted to break him of his will, yet he wouldn’t crack. I left him barely breathing. Aganon dragged him back to his room when I was finished with him. I thought it would provoke a fight with Alazar and give me the reason I needed to kill him, or make him submit, but he never came. A few days later, Alazar left with the Predznak. I was glad to see them go without a fight, so I didn’t stand in their way. I was disappointed that I couldn’t take possession of them, but grateful they didn’t attempt to assassinate me,” Lucifer’s tears flowed freely. He gasped for breath through the pain in his stomach.

  Anjali searched for the patience to deal with Lucifer. She finally sighed and looked at Alazar.

  “Can’t you see this is not the same angel that tormented you during your time in Hell?” Anjali said, scolding Alazar.

  Alazar hesitated, but could see that she was right. He could see the difference in Lucifer with Anjali by his side. He was not the tyrant of old and if he were being honest with himself, seeing Lucifer crying was not only disconcerting, but didn’t satisfy his anger. Lucifer never cried. He bathed in the tears of others. A victory over this sobbing mess what not what he wanted. Anjali had been right about stripping the darkness from him.

  “I can see that he is different with you near him, but it doesn’t change the fact that he abused Zacharael,” Alazar huffed, releasing his grip on his dagger.

  “I know that Alazar, but I swear it will never happen again, so long as I’m alive,” she vowed. She looked Lucifer in the eye as she spoke, knowing he would understand her unspoken threat.

  Lucifer looked tentatively at Anjali, waiting for her anger to surface. “What will you do to me?”

  “Nothing. I know how you were before I arrived. You’ve confessed all sorts of foul deeds to me and I have always forgiven you. Know that I will not accept you punishing my angels, or attempting to take them from my control. I promise you that I will rip Hell apart and leave you in ruins if you strike out against them. I am not going to stop searching for my angels. One by one, they return to Hell to follow me. When each of my angels enters the Hall of Mirrors, I will strip you of your darkness and watch as you beg for their forgiveness. It will be up to you to convince them not to kill you. I suggest you start practicing on Alazar,” Anjali knew she was giving Lucifer an out. If the Angel of Death couldn’t take the head of a sobbing, bleeding Prince of Darkness, then it was doubtful that the others would do either, with the possible exceptions of Aeries and Zacharael. Zacharael had plenty of reasons to disregard Lucifer’s tears, and she doubted that Aeries would be swayed by begging. Balthazar would undoubtedly get even with him in other ways.

  Lucifer closed his eyes, wishing that she had killed him instead. He hated apologizing, but knew she was offering him his life in return for asking the Predznak for forgiveness.

  Lucifer cleared his throat. “Alazar, I should never have tried to make you or the other Predznak submit to me. I was not thinking clearly the night I attacked Zacharael. I wanted to use the Predznak to destroy the Mortal Realm so that I could return home. You may not miss Heaven, but I do. Though my actions have rarely been considered noble, whatever my scheming involved, it was intended to find a way to get back to Father. Having bound yourself to Anjali, you are free from your longing of Heaven, but now you will long for her. You would do anything to be with her. I ask you to forgive me for what I have done. I swear I will honor Anjali’s reign over you, regardless of her being my servant. I shall not command you through her,” Lucifer mumbled. It was the best apology he could offer his brother. He hoped it was enough to stay the dagger in Alazar’s hand.

  Alazar couldn’t believe Lucifer was justifying to actions to him and mostly succeeding. While it wasn’t enough to make him like Lucifer, it was enough to make him put down his dagger.

  “I agree that I would do anything to be with her,” Alazar looked up at Anjali knowing that he would kill anyone who came between them. “But I swear to you, if you raise a hand against her again, you will find yourself standing on the roof of your tower preparing to either jump or be thrown.”

  Lucifer grimaced at the imagery, but nodded and held out his bloody hand to Alazar. “I swear, I never wanted to harm her, but I’m not always clear of mind, as you are well aware.”

  Alazar grumbled knowing all too well about Lucifer’s mood swings, but he shook Lucifer’s hand. Thankfully, he was rewarded with a smile from his beautiful and forgiving Master.

  “Rise, Alazar, and stand with your Master,” she stood and held out her hand to Alazar, which he quickly took.

  Anjali turned when she heard footsteps, fearful that the Council had come searching for them.

  “While is this is heartwarming as hell, we have more serious matters to deal with, my lord,” Hades snarled. He approached the group and put his hand on his hip. His clothes were torn and bloody while the rest of him looked far worse. “Now that the Council has passed judgment against Maraquette, they want someone to pay for the Rusalka’s poor treatment, and of course, there’s the attack on Michael. We won’t even mention Alazar’s Rogue classification. Lady Black can blow you later, though it might be from the Hall of Torment, in shackles, which I doubt you will mind. Right now, I need the merciless fiend to get us out of yet another debacle, and instead you are crying and covered in blood.”

  Lucifer frowned. “Yes, we must find a way to diffuse the Council before a pathetic and injured Michael cries foul because he lost a round with the Destroyer.”

  Anjali helped Lucifer to his feet, but he staggered from the blood loss.

  Hades inspected the hole adorning Lucifer’s waist. “Shit, you’re a mess. I assume you did this, Alazar, and before you concoct any clever ideas about giving me a matching wound, we have to try to save your precious Master’s neck first. We can settle any lingering grudges over the torture of Maraquette, if they decided to let her live. You can pretend that she’s me,” Hades said quickly. He wanted to make sure that Alazar didn’t try to sacrifice his ass to the Council for all their previous fights. Right now, he needed an ally. He would figure out how best to kill Alazar later.

 
; “I can work with that, for now,” Alazar shrugged and waved away Lucifer’s blood from his hand and dagger.

  “How are we going to explain his injuries?” Anjali asked. She took Lucifer’s arm to help him walk.

  Lucifer pulled himself away from Anjali’s tender hold and straightened himself. “Who says we have to explain anything. It’s none of their business. Forgive me my dear, but any sign of weakness on my part, and we lose the upper hand. I’m going to have to walk on my own,” he said. He used the throbbing, burning agony in his gut to feed his anger.

  “Here, I can at least do this,” she waved her hand and covered the slice in his stomach with a bandage. Snapping her fingers, she replaced his destroyed shirt with a new one.

  Lucifer was touched by her compassion. It reminded him of what he could lose if the Council tried to take her from him. He refused to let that happen.

  “How adorable, but what about me? I can’t go in there looking like I was hit by a bus,” Hades snipped. He admitted that he felt left out. He hated feeling vulnerable, but seeing Anjali aid Lucifer was too much to bear.

  Anjali waved her hand and repaired Hades’ injuries since they had been inflicted by Lucifer to punish Hades. She ignored Hades’ sneer and took her place next to him, while Lucifer stepped into the lead. Alazar walked behind her, which wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Council. They would have to talk fast to keep Alazar from losing his head, right alongside her.

  Dorian, Vincent, and Jared were standing in their places on the dais, while Malcolm took up his post on the floor alongside the dais. Crevan stood on the opposite side, prepared to take Maraquette to the Hall of Shadows. They were a dark contrast to the glowing white outfits of the Council. In unison, Raphael, Adrian, Michael, Marishka, Gabriel, and Mark turned to watch their entrance. Mark was standing slightly to the side, more as a witness. Gabriel appeared concerned, which didn’t bode well. Maraquette was on her knees before the dais, bound in Celestial Bonds and chained to the floor. She was wearing a modest white dress, similar to what she would have once worn in Heaven.

  Anjali nodded to the Council and walked up the steps to her throne. Alazar’s boldness of taking up his position to her right side, behind her throne, made the Council twitch.

  Impressed by Lucifer’s fortitude, she tried not to stare at him to make sure he didn’t lose consciousness.

  Raphael stepped forward to address them. “Lord Lucifer, I’m going to make this brief since there are many crimes that we must address and the Council is tired of waiting for the three Heads of Hell to be present long enough to present the charges.”

  “Charges? I thought you were here for the transfer of the prisoner,” Lucifer replied brazenly.

  “You know that’s not the case, Lord Lucifer. Lord Adrian, please list the crimes against Lord Lucifer, Lord Hades, Lady Anjali, and Alazar,” Raphael nodded to Adrian and stepped back.

  Hades squirmed, unhappy that charges were being issued against him as well.

  “You will address Anjali as Lady Black while in my presence,” Lucifer growled at Raphael.

  Raphael was surprised by Lucifer’s proclamation, but nodded to Adrian to continue.

  Adrian stepped forward and unrolled a long scroll. The length of the scroll made Lady Black nervous. She wondered how many rules she had recently broken, though she knew it was more than two.

  She couldn’t help but stare at Maraquette, who seemed meek and small, wrapped in chains. Maraquette was the source of most of the charges the Council would try to blame her for. She wondered what her punishment would be since Maraquette had obviously escaped a death sentence.

  Adrian’s voice pulled her from her daydreams of slaughtering Lucifer’s former love. He’d read through all the boring Council speak and was getting to the actual charges.

  “I will list them one at a time since there are so many. Given the multitude of people involved, I will start with Alazar,” Adrian announced.

  Alazar visibly stiffened next to her, but held steady. She was afraid of what they would pin on him and whether or not she could wave away the charges. Part of her wanted to reach out and take his hand.

  “We, the Council charge Alazar, the Angel of Death, whom the Council has decreed a Rogue, of the following crimes: Failing to obey orders and abandoning his post in Hell. Tempting mortals in an unacceptable manner. Knowingly turning his back upon Heaven and becoming a Rogue. Aiding and abetting a Forgotten Angel whom he knew had turned rogue. I will now make an amendment to the list of charges since it has become apparent that Alazar has bound himself to Lady Black. Binding himself to his Master having been denounced a Rogue Angel. The penalty for these crimes is death by beheading,” Adrian paused and looked up at Alazar. “What say you regarding these charges?”

  “Don’t answer that, Alazar” Anjali replied harshly. She had heard enough. She didn’t care what her charges were, but she wasn’t about to let them hang Alazar. Even though she’d never directly interacted with the entire Council before, she wasn’t intimidated by them.

  The Council appeared stunned by her boldness. Raphael stood gaping at her. Michael shifted slightly, and stared at her.

  “I admit that I have taken Alazar, the Angel of Death, as my servant, as is the will of God. As previously stated, I made a mistake by proclaiming him a Rogue. Knowing that he wasn’t a Rogue, I accepted him as my servant when he willingly bound himself to me. He is now and forever mine. I will speak on Alazar’s behalf since he now follows my command,” Anjali stood and looked over her shoulder at Alazar. “Unless you wish to speak on your own behalf, Alazar.”

  Alazar was taken aback. Not only was his Master honoring her oath to protect him, but she was also giving him a choice. She was asking if he trusted her enough to place his life in her hands. He was humbled by her offer. He knew he should be terrified of letting her fight for his life, but he had faith in her. Hoping that she had one heck of an argument planned, he nodded and extended his hand to her, allowing her to continue.

  The Council muttered to themselves and shook their heads. Gabriel remained passive and watched her carefully.

  She nodded in acceptance and turned back to the Council. She spoke firmly and authoritatively, but kept the outrage from her voice, as best she could. “I’m sure Lord Gabriel explained the situation to you and given that you are all highly intelligent and reasonable angels, you will understand the events that took place. The charges pertaining Alazar being Rogue should be dropped. That should eliminate two of the charges,” she shrewdly stared at Raphael and watched him frown.

  Lucifer chuckled as he watched the Council quietly mutter to each other. His lust rose as he watched Anjali take control and put the Council on the defensive.

  “I will also take responsibility for Alazar abandoning his post in Hell, and tempting the mortals in an inappropriate manner. Alazar was angry with me, not at Heaven and God, because I didn’t come to claim him. By all rights, I should be punished for not claiming Alazar sooner,” she replied. She could practically feel the rage coming off Lucifer upon hearing the suggestion that she should be punished. She tried not to wince, knowing that regardless of the Council’s ruling, Lucifer would scold her for putting herself in harm’s way.

  “We will get to your crimes soon enough, Lady Black. I don’t think you want to add to the list at this point,” Michael warned, his eyes focused solely on her.

  “Yes, well the real reason we are standing here is because of what happened between us, Lord Michael. Had you bothered to let me speak before you silenced me, I would have convinced you that Alazar was innocent. The problem was you didn’t want to hear anything that could possibly contradict the Council’s ruling, which was why you snapped my neck and left me unconscious in the Romanian wilderness. I am sorry that I knocked you from the sky, but I could not let my innocent angel die by your sword. I never wanted to harm you, but you left me no choice. I should request that the Council punish you for attacking me without provocation, but I’m going to refrain from doing so, becau
se I’m sure you had a good reason for incapacitating me,” Anjali held back her anger but spoke firmly. It took everything she had not to descend the dais and punch Michael in the face.

  Michael huffed, but remained silent. Raphael muttered something quickly to Michael and Michael shook his head. His anger deflated slowly.

  “In regards to the remaining charge, it is true that Alazar knowingly aided the Rogue that is lying at your feet, but he is not completely at fault. She deceived him. She took advantage of my absence and used him in her plot to destroy God and the Council. The Council was unaware of her Rogue status, so we know that she is a skilled liar. As previously stated, Alazar is now my servant and I will punish him accordingly for his wrongdoings,” Anjali said. She whipped her skirt and sat down on her throne.

  She knew it was ballsy of her not only claim Alazar in the front of the Council, but to take responsibility for his punishment. Technically, as his Master, the right fell to her anyway, but she wasn’t sure if the Council would agree this time. She was stealing away their means to punish him if the charges weren’t dropped.

  Alazar was nervous about his Master’s arguments, especially after watching the Council try to hold their tongues while she spoke. He was also concerned about her punishing him. It seemed that he was indeed headed back to the fire, though he knew she couldn’t talk her way out of his affair with Maraquette. If that charge were the only one to stick, he would consider himself lucky.

  The Council discussed her rebuttal passionately, but she keenly watched Michael’s frustration grow. She did her best to ignore Lucifer, who looked like a hungry lion about to pounce on his prey. She feared that if the Council decided to punish her, he would rip them apart with his teeth. Looking across to Hades, he seemed amused by her defense tactics, almost prideful. It was disturbing. Apparently, being around the Serpent King was having an effect on her, which was both good and bad.