The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  “What happened to interrogating him in the Hall of Mercy?” she asked, ignoring Aganon.

  “I never got that far. Regrettably, Sebastian needed my attention,” Lucifer sighed. It was obvious that he would have preferred beating Aganon to negotiating with him.

  Anjali wondered if Lucifer was truly indifferent to Maraquette’s fate, or if he was hiding his emotions. She could see that he was still in pain from his injuries. Perhaps that was why he had allowed Aganon to act out. He wasn’t strong enough to put Aganon in his place.

  “Aganon, put down the sword and let her go,” Anjali said. She avoided looking at Maraquette on the off chance that seeing her would change her mind about killing the bitch.

  “My lady, I’m sorry, but this is the only way I can apologize for all the pain that I have caused you. I told you that I didn’t want to serve anyone but Lord Lucifer and you. I fear that I have performed so many inexcusable deeds that I need to atone for my sins. Proving my loyalty to you may seem like a small thing, but where I come from, loyalty to your Master means the difference between life and death. I want to die knowing that I served you as best I could, under the circumstances. Please accept my humble offering of your enemy’s head,” he bowed his head respectfully.

  Anjali looked to her left and silently asked Alazar for his opinion.

  Alazar was at a loss. He understood a murder/suicide better than anyone, but to murder someone to prove his loyalty was outside his scope. Aeries and his military background would be a better judge. Guilt, on the other hand, he did understand. Aganon had already asked forgiveness from Alazar, though without the grand gesture. He couldn’t figure out why Aganon was now looking to save his honor after all that he had done. He shrugged, unable to comment.

  Why doesn’t Maraquette command him to stop? Derick asked. He cocked his head while watching Maraquette’s expression.

  Maybe he won’t listen to her either. Maybe he’s confused at this point, she replied.

  He did a hell of a job following her commands before. Something’s not right, Derick mused.

  “Aganon, if you want my forgiveness, you have it, just let her go,” Anjali felt Derick’s uneasiness with the situation and agreed with him.

  Lucifer glared at her. “He deserves death, not your forgiveness. You forgave him before and look what happened. He nearly killed your boy and your angel,” Lucifer sneered. He knew that his love was a bleeding heart, but this was taking things too far.

  She waved Lucifer’s anger away as she tried to root out the problem.

  Aganon hesitated. His eyes darted back and forth between her and Lucifer. “Thank you for your forgiveness, but I feel that I still owe you recompense for my dire actions.”

  Gazing down at Maraquette, Anjali contemplated whether or not she really wanted her dead. It wouldn’t change the crimes she had committed, though it would keep everyone safe. Being sentenced to the Hall of Shadows, Maraquette would never see the light of day again. As she stared into Maraquette’s green eyes, she saw no compassion, no sorrow. The only emotion she saw was hatred. Maraquette was empty. The beautiful angel who once loved Lucifer enough to leave Heaven and reside in Hell was gone. In her place was a seething vengeful waste of life.

  The word vengeful made Anjali pause. A person would do anything for revenge, and go to any means necessary. A sensation deep inside of her stirred. She finally understood the problem.

  “Aganon, why is Maraquette commanding you to do this?” Anjali whispered through the din.

  Maraquette was off her knees in a split second, grabbing the sword from Aganon. She unfurled her black wings and knocked Alazar sideways through the cave. Turning, she blocked Anjali with her wing and scooped up Derick.

  Anjali stumbled back, but regained her balance.

  Lucifer was off his perch and grabbing for Derick, but he wasn’t fast enough. Maraquette grabbed Derick by his hair and held the glowing flame sword inches from his throat. She was edging her way back to the entrance of the closest tunnel. She was planning to kill Derick and escape through the tunnels in the chaos.

  “Secure Alazar!” Maraquette hissed.

  Alazar landed thirty feet away and slid to a stop. Aganon pounced on Alazar’s back, thrusting a knife against his throat. He twisted Alazar’s left arm behind his back while throwing his right knee into the middle of Alazar’s shoulder blades.

  Alazar had to hold his neck away from the knife. If he relaxed for a second, his throat would be on the sharp blade. The brunt of his weight was on his right hand so he couldn’t try to pry the knife from Aganon’s hand without losing his balance. Sweat broke out across his body from the exertion of keeping his neck out of danger.

  Anjali looked to Alazar, trying to decide how best to help him, but Alazar’s expression told her that he would handle things. She looked back to Derick desperate for a solution.

  “I’m going to kill you, Maraquette,” Anjali’s mind was filled with a red haze as she assessed the situation.

  Maraquette was far enough away that she could kill Derick before Anjali could grab him. Using her power to toss Maraquette might inadvertently cause Derick to lose his head. It wouldn’t take much for the Celestial Sword to remove Derick’s head. She breathed deeply and focused. She had to get Derick away from the psycho.

  Despite Lucifer’s injury, he was finally in the game. If Derick died, it would mean intolerable pain for her. Lucifer would never let his happy pill suffer. He would lose his fix for a long time if she were in agony.

  “Maraquette, let the boy go. I’m the one you’re angry with,” Lucifer said calmly. He tried to approach Maraquette slowly.

  “I’m not angry with you, my love. She is the one who has poisoned your mind against me. She contorted your heart and made me your enemy,” Maraquette snapped. She pulled Derick’s hair until he cried out.

  Anjali flinched when she felt Derick’s pain.

  She will torture me to hurt you. Close your mind so that you can’t feel my pain, Derick pleaded with Anjali.

  Knowing he was right, she closed off her mind to him, and immediately regretted the loss of contact. Derick would be safer if Maraquette couldn’t strike at her through his physical pain.

  She glared at Maraquette. “Let him go,” she growled, trying to get her anger under control.

  “No, I don’t think so. I’m not done with him yet,” Maraquette snickered. She wrenched Derick’s neck to the side and bit his throat with her teeth, drawing blood.

  Derick’s screams fueled Anjali’s rage. The darkness inside of her thrashed, desperate to come out and kick the shit out of Maraquette.

  “Heaven shall indeed hear you scream, Maraquette. You will beg for a quick death before I’m through with you,” Anjali snarled.

  Lucifer noticed a stir in the air and cursed. The caves were expansive, but not large enough to allow Anjali to unleash her abilities. The ceiling and walls would collapse on them long before her power could be of use. He had to keep Maraquette talking and while trying to calm Anjali.

  “Enough of this, Maraquette, I am the foolish one. I was so caught up in what I didn’t have that I overlooked what I did have. You made an enormous sacrifice and I made a mockery of it by acting like a monster. I was out of my mind. I didn’t understand what I had done to you until it was too late. You proved your love to me and I spat in your face. I feel the guilt burning inside of me. I am so sorry for what I have done,” Lucifer wasn’t lying. He had confessed his remorse to Anjali for tormenting Maraquette. He needed to atone for his sins so that he could rip her still beating heart from her body.

  Lucifer smirked at the direction of his thoughts. It seemed that he needed more time with Anjali to curb his killing mood, once he saved the infernal boy and his fucking ability to bring harm to his true love. He was going to lock the boy away so that no one could ever use him against Anjali again.

  “My lord, it has been too long,” Maraquette’s eyes softened when she looked at Lucifer. His apology was working, but Anjali wondered ho
w long it would distract Maraquette.

  Alazar felt his Master’s power whip through the air. He closed his eyes and drew it into his body. While he couldn’t move, he knew what he needed to do.

  “Aganon,” Alazar whispered through his aching throat. “This isn’t what you wanted. This isn’t what you were promised. You thought that Maraquette would take you to Heaven and keep you safe. Instead, you ended up in Hell. She doesn’t love you, she never has. You need to fight her influence. Maraquette has led you astray at every turn. You said that you didn’t want to hurt Lady Black, and yet you nearly killed her. Why would Maraquette make you do something that you didn’t want to do? Look at her, the real her. She is about to kill the boy that you helped to protect. She is going to take his head after you scarified your body to keep him from dying. Is that what you want? Whatever loyalty you have for her is misplaced. Look at Derick. See the fear in his eyes. You wanted my forgiveness for Zacharael. You will have it, if you help me stop Maraquette,” Alazar panted, trying to breathe. While he couldn’t tempt a servant, he could still play upon Aganon’s doubts and fears.

  Aganon tried to ignore Alazar’s offer of forgiveness as Maraquette’s commands buzzed loudly in his mind. She loved him and cared for him. She regretted leaving him in Hell with Lucifer. Once Lucifer and Anjali were dead, they would be together, as she promised. She would make up for lost time.

  Alazar’s body was shaking while he forced himself to stay above the blade. The cave was growing darker and wavered before his eyes. If he lost consciousness, he would die. He needed to remain vigilant.

  Growling and hissing reverberated off the walls and surrounded him. The inhabitants were growing restless, unsure of what was going on. Alazar had seen the Bhakṣaka strip a soul from a body in seconds, which was an unholy sight. Unfortunately, the Shades were worse; they would rip apart anything with a soul and consume them down to the bone. The Fallen that patrolled the caves kept them at bay with fresh meat and blood. They rarely bit the hands that fed them. Alazar contemplated how to turn Aganon into a tasty treat to appease them.

  Lucifer extended his hand to Maraquette and did his best to sound like he was pleading. “Maraquette, let the boy go so that you and I may speak about all the ways that I have wronged you. Please, I want to make amends for what I have done. Please, come with me,” he hated negotiating with prisoners, but he had few options available to him.

  Anjali couldn’t take her eyes off Derick. He was scared and looked to her for help. She knew that Lucifer was trying to distract Maraquette but he was taking too long. From their previous experiences, it was obvious that Maraquette was nearly feral and wouldn’t be tamed by mere words.

  She grew impatient when the yellow gleaming eyes of the grotesque Shades grew in numbers, hesitant to come closer. A few of the braver Shades inches closer, sniffing Derick’s blood in the air.

  Maraquette contemplated Lucifer’s outstretched hand. The blade lowered slightly. She tilted her head and a smile played across her face. She looked into Lucifer’s eyes and her face fell.

  “Yet another lie. I can see it in your eyes. I know that look all too well. The black eyes of the devil are staring back at me, not the ocean blue eyes of my lover. You will kill me the second I hand the boy over,” Maraquette swung the sword at Lucifer, forcing him to jump back.

  Maraquette quickly retreated to the tunnel entrance. She was less than two feet from a small opening that would lead to her freedom, provided she could avoid the traps as she had previously done during her other visits to Hell.

  “You won’t make it to the tunnels. I guarantee it,” Anjali growled. She could feel the darkness inside of her churning and clawing, ready to explode.

  “Anjali, you must calm yourself. You will bury us all if you unleash your power,” Lucifer snapped. He pulled her arm until she was facing him. “Get control.”

  Anjali took a deep breath, understanding Lucifer’s warning.

  Maraquette hissed when she saw Lucifer touch Anjali. She saw Lucifer’s concern for Anjali and lost her mind.

  “I will break you, Destroyer!” she pushed Derick to her left side and held him at arm’s length by the throat.

  Maraquette laughed as the ravenous Shades working themselves into a frenzy as the coppery scent of blood made them hungry. One reached out its bone exposed finger to tear open the bottom of Derick’s leather pants.

  Anjali watched in horror as thousands of eyes stared at Derick, reflecting the torchlight. They were snarling and hissing, desperate to taste him. She suddenly realized that Maraquette had no intention of escaping or taking Derick’s head. She wanted Anjali to feel and witness her lover being torn apart by the creatures.

  Anjali lunged forward, but Maraquette swiped at her with the blue flame sword. Lucifer snatched Anjali’s arm and hauled her back, muttering about her carelessness.

  “Maraquette, I’m begging you to stop this,” Lucifer yelled over the growls of the inhuman ghouls.

  “I’m going to watch you suffer while your sweetheart feels the pain of a thousand teeth and claws ripping through her,” Maraquette chuckled. Her face was as twisted as the monsters around her.

  Maraquette was about to drop Derick into the fray when a bold Shade lunged at her, trying to bite her where Derick’s blood had stained her leg. She screamed and kicked away the creature, though she maintained her hold on Derick.

  Alazar saw his chance. “Aganon, your Master is in trouble. She has no control over the Shades and they are going to eat her,” Alazar said in his best panicked voice.

  Aganon loosened his grip on Alazar’s arm. He twitched, debating if he should help his Master. Alazar shifted his shoulders underneath Aganon and threw him off balance. He was able to grab Aganon’s wrist and bite his arm. His teeth went to the bone, causing Aganon to scream. The smell of new blood drew the Shades closer, frantic to feed.

  The Shades edged forward and dodged back, leery to seize hold of Aganon.

  “Dinner time,” Alazar smirked. He threw Aganon forcefully off his back, extended his wings, and propelled himself into the air to avoid the leaping mass of Shades determined to consume Aganon.

  Alazar refused to look back at the servant, having witnessed a Shade attack before. The swarm of bodies would be enjoying their meal and wouldn’t leave much behind.

  Maraquette looked at the Shades near her, concerned about their boldness. She needed to make her escape quickly. The Shades were closer than she liked and there was only one way to keep them busy. Regretful that she couldn’t stay to watch Anjali’s pain, she threw Derick into the middle of the horde.

  Anjali screamed and raced forward to fight the Shades, but Lucifer grabbed her and threw her to Dorian.

  “Hold her!” Lucifer bellowed unwilling to let Anjali be eaten.

  Dorian caught her, locked his arms around her, and lifted her off the ground. He fought against her struggles, grunting when she tried to head butt him. Finally, he hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her out of the cave, ignoring her protests.

  Alazar saw Derick fighting against the claws and teeth that struck him from every angle. He would rip apart any of the beasts that harmed the boy. He swooped down low, plucked Derick from the swarm of bodies, and lifted him into the air. Derick managed to dislodge a Shade that was chewing on his leg. He threw his arm around Alazar’s neck and held on tight.

  “Thanks,” Derick muttered, out of breath.

  “Let’s not make this a thing,” Alazar said glibly, though he was relieved that the boy was relatively safe.

  Alazar banked right and flew out of the closest archway back the walkways leading to the realms. The Shades couldn’t leave the caves without bursting into flames thanks to the power of the Bhakṣaka.

  Lucifer chased after Maraquette, who was ducking into the small opening of the tunnel, and caught the hem of her dress. He yanked her back, but she fell sideways against the cave wall and dropped the sword. He looked down at her as fear consumed her. Blood filled her palm. Before Lucifer
could grab her, a Shade launched itself at Maraquette and attacked her. Three more were on her before Lucifer could pull the first one off her.

  Maraquette screamed and looked at Lucifer, terrified. Her face was lost in the mass of Shades piling on top of her.

  Lucifer caught one of the Shades in the jaw with his boot, and he punched another in the head. While they weren’t attacking him, they weren’t fleeing either. Using his power, he threw a group on his left into the walls, but they shook off the interruption and returned to their objective. He tried to push back as many as he could, but they were relentless. Mindless in their goal and unfazed by pain, he finally stepped back and watched Maraquette fall under their onslaught. With a heavy heart, he kicked away a few Shades and reached for the sword. He thrust the sword into the center of the pile and struck Maraquette through the heart. As dark as his mind was, he couldn’t watch his former lover die in such a manner.

  He knew his sword had hit its mark when the Shades slowed their attack. They were in no rush now that their victim was dead. Lucifer batted enough of them away and reached down to grab Maraquette. He took her into his arms and cradled her. He pulled a strip of fabric from her white dress and wrapped it over her battered face. Turning, he kicked the remaining Shades out of his path and left the caves.

  Anjali rushed to Derick when Alazar dropped him on the walkway. She threw her arms around him. “I thought they were going to kill you,” she pulled away to inspect his wounds.

  “I’m okay,” he stopped her and grabbed her hands.

  She opened her mind to him and rejoiced when she could hear his thoughts. She knew he was being brave for her, but was in pain from being gnawed on.

  “What, no hug for me? I’m kind of beat up too,” Alazar pouted.

  Before Anjali could move, Derick patted Alazar on the back. “Good job, buddy.”

  Anjali laughed when Alazar glared at Derick, who was trying to contain his smile. She was happy to have both of them away from Maraquette.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Maraquette’s tattered, bloodstained dress. Based on the expression on Lucifer’s face, she knew that Maraquette was dead.