The Third Throne: Angel of Death

by Tabitha Barret

  Mark looked green by the end of the story. He tried to speak once or twice, but had to compose himself. “I knew those Shades were dangerous. I am glad the rest of you made it out alive. I cannot believe Aganon’s treachery. He always seemed so dedicated to Lord Lucifer,” Mark muttered. It made him wonder how many other things he had misinterpreted.

  “Yes, well, he was loyal to Lord Lucifer, until Maraquette showed up and flashed her boobs,” she murmured, but caught herself and smiled apologetically. She didn’t want to offend him. She had no idea what he was really like. “She lied to Aganon and told him what he wanted to hear.”

  Mark’s eyebrows flew up. He had never heard Lady Black say anything inappropriate before. Perhaps she was starting to open up to him, finally.

  “Yes, I understand. It was a terrible situation when Aganon died a mortal death and came to Hell. The Council had to decide what to do with him since the deal had been made while Maraquette was in Heaven. She fought for him, so the Council allowed it. He always seemed quite taken with her. I can see why he would serve her,” Mark could not imagine how someone could be so in love that they would change who they were, but then again he had never loved anyone more than Father.

  “Honestly, I’m glad that it’s over. Not that I wanted her dead, but I feel safer now that she is gone,” she sighed and leaned back into her throne.

  Mark looked down at the ground, uncomfortably. “You would say that of your enemy.”

  She realized her faux pas. “Mark, I’m so sorry. She was your sister and a former Council Member. Know that she wasn’t my enemy, or at least not before she attacked me. I didn’t start this fight.”

  “You knew her in Heaven,” Mark whispered sadly.

  She flinched. “Were we friends?” she asked cautiously.

  “No. As I mentioned before, you didn’t have many friends. She was never a supporter of the Destroyer. She feared your power and never saw a need for you. Perhaps that is where her dislike of you began. Regardless, she made a choice to strike out against Father, and I will never forgive her for that. I will mourn the angel that was once my sister, but I have no love for the Rogue that she became,” Mark said diplomatically.

  “Still, I should have been more sympathetic,” she bowed her head.

  “Thank you, my lady. Before I leave, I wanted to bestow my gratitude upon you for saving the Council Members that were affected by the Rusalka,” Mark intentionally did not say their names, hoping to spare them some shame.

  “I’m just glad that the truth came to light. Skylis could have done a lot of damage with them under her control. She is locked away in the Hall of Shadows under female guards,” she avoided making any snarky comments similar to Lucifer’s comment to the Council.

  “Sometimes we rely too heavily on faith and do not see what is right before our eyes. I am upset with myself for not noticing the difference in them. I am pleased that you were able to help. Of course, you probably should have avoided setting them on fire, but I understand that it is one of the few ways to save a victim from the Rusalka’s power,” he said as he tried to dispel the image of his brothers on fire at the hands of Lady Black. He admonished himself for thinking ill of her at the time. Perhaps, in that instance, he should have relied on his faith in her, rather than what he was seeing.

  “Don’t tell anyone, but I didn’t mind setting Michael on fire. I did regret hurting the others. I’m still mad at Michael, but I’m trying to let it go. Tell him to consider the sword my peace offering,” she smirked, knowing that Michael wouldn’t care about her offer.

  “I will, my lady. In addition, I will not tell Michael that you enjoyed setting him on fire. Actually, I should apologize for starting the trouble when I told the Council about the Rusalka’s treatment. I know that you think of me as a spy for Heaven, but I recognize that there are times when there should be some sense of decorum. In short, I should not run home to tell them all of your secrets. There can be some leeway in what I report,” Mark wanted her to trust him and confide in him. He hated feeling like the enemy in Hell. He was her liaison, and it was his job to help her. She would never let him help if she did not trust him.

  “Thank you Mark, but in this case, you were right to tell. If you hadn’t, the Council would still be under her influence,” she nodded.

  Mark flushed at her remark. He was embarrassed that his offer of friendship had been denied. He quickly bowed his head. Before he could speak, he heard Alazar stomping into the hall. Mark acknowledged him with a bow, but Alazar was too busy muttering to himself to notice.

  “What’s wrong, Alazar?” she turned her attention to her angel.

  “That son of a bitch took a new servant, or rather two. I don’t care about the one, but the other one I’m going to kill, again,” Alazar ignored Mark and stepped in front of him. He quickly bowed to her, out of respect, and continued his rant. “I killed this guy years ago and suddenly Lucifer offers him a servant position. I swear he’s doing it just to piss me off.”

  “Slow down, Alazar. What are you talking about?” she held up her hands, effectively stopping his rant.

  Alazar took a deep breath. “I came across this asshole name Garret a couple of years back. He was a total megalomaniac. He ran a drug operation and was the equivalent of a mob boss, a complete douche-bag. It was a pleasure getting this guy to jump off a bridge. He’s the type of person that is so full of himself that he would never consider suicide, but I got him. Now Lucifer is flaunting him in my face. I wanted this asshole burning in the Realm of Fire for an eternity and now he’s walking around like he owns the place. He’s one murder away from the Realm of Nightmares. Trust me, Lucifer made a huge mistake and will regret it,” Alazar was panting by the time he was done speaking.

  “I guess he’s making a point about not creating nice servants, like Radek,” she missed her friend and thanked him again for his sacrifice.

  Garret sounds delightful. Maybe we should check him for shivs before he gets anywhere near you, Derick grimaced.

  Stay away from him until I know more about him, or I can scare him to death, she growled.

  Mark was intrigued by the way Lady Black spoke to Alazar with ease. She was certainly able to express herself around her angel. He noted with interest that her Nachtghul was speaking to her in his mind. He was suddenly anxious that they might be making fun of him.

  “Will that be all, my lady?” Mark asked nervously. He wanted to be out of the sight of her new servant before he got himself into trouble by accusing the boy of ill-intentioned thoughts.

  “I guess you should inform the Council that Lord Lucifer has taken two new servants, one of whom is a suicide servant,” she frowned, annoyed by Lucifer’s lack of common sense.

  “Of course, my lady,” Mark bowed and disappeared from the hall.

  “I will speak to Lucifer and straighten this out, if I can. What about the other servant? Who is he?” she asked, wanting to get all the surprises out of the way.

  “I don’t know much about him aside from the fact that he’s here by way of a deal. I didn’t know that Lucifer still make deals with mortals. I think his name is Lev. He looks harmless enough,” Alazar waved his hand and stepped up on the dais to take his place on the left side of her throne.

  “I guess I have to get used to the turnover rate of Lucifer’s servants,” she sighed.

  “I hope you have learned not to trust any of them. I think you need to forget compassion when it comes to them. It’s like prison. You kick the ass of the biggest guy and everyone else leaves you alone. Strip the skin from a servant and the others will think twice about hurting you,” Alazar huffed.

  Anjali wondered if she could be so ruthless.

  Hades interrupted her thoughts and immediately changed her mind. Yes, she could be ruthless, if needed. Hades was proof of that.

  “Well, you’ve had a busy day, haven’t you?” Hades sneered when he entered.

  “Yes,” she replied simply. She wasn’t sure why he was mad since she could thin
k of at least thirty different reasons.

  He rolled his eyes and glared at her. “What the hell possessed you to enter into the Caves of Darkness and with your Nachtghul no less? He could have been Shade chow and we would be dealing with a grief stricken Destroyer. There’s something I don’t want to deal with. I suggest you take better care of him. At first, I was surprised that the Council agreed to let you keep your little pet, but I quickly figured out their reasoning. The bastards never cease to amaze me,” Hades shook his head while he paced.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked. She was too tired to entertain Hades’ snarky mood.

  “You mean you haven’t figured it out yet? Think about it. They don’t particularly like you, why would they let you keep a forbidden Nachtghul?” Hades looked at her pointedly.

  “Maybe Gabriel said something to them. I don’t know,” she propped up her head against her hand and waited for his explanation.

  “You naïve girl, the Council will use him against you, against all of us. There was a reason they were banned. Wars were started when Nachtghuls were murdered by an enemy. Their Masters sought revenge for the intentional slayings. Their pain was too great to contain, so they struck out against the ones responsible. The Council saw the usefulness of the Nachtghuls and took advantage of them. They would take possession of a Nachtghul while persuading their Master to see their side of things. In short, they held the Nachtghuls hostage so that they could coerce their owners into submission and impose their will,” Hades ground his teeth in frustration.

  He wondered what Michael would have done had Lady Black been in possession of a Nachtghul when she followed him in Romania. Michael probably would have driven a sword through the boy as a warning to stay out of his way.

  “That sounds more like something Hell would do, not Heaven,” she scoffed.

  “Don’t underestimate my brothers in white. They will do what is necessary to win. Michael isn’t above torture or coercion. Mark my words, they will use that boy against you if you cross them. They will either threaten to take him away from you, or take him into custody until you comply with their wishes. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you. You have no idea what the Council is capable of doing. Just because they are in Heaven doesn’t always mean they have the best of intentions,” Hades paced, but stopped to look at Alazar, who was staring him without blinking.

  “Thank you for the warning. I will take it under advisement. Although, you’re the one who should be thanking me,” she smirked.

  “For what, saving the Council? You know nothing about me, if that’s the case. I would rather see them mindless zombies and out of my business. If I’m supposed to thank you for lighting them on fire, then yes, I agree. It was beyond entertaining and I was deeply amused,” Hades had come close to falling off his throne when Lady Black approached Michael and touched his wings. Jealously had blazed through him when he thought that she might kiss Michael. Then, lo and behold, she set the asshole on fire. It warmed his heart and his groin as nothing else could.

  “No, for not telling the Council that you were the one under the Rusalka’s spell,” she smiled coyly.

  Damn, the girl had him there. He would have been pissed if she had told them and made him look as weak as his brothers. He really was grateful for that and for getting the charges against him dropped. “Yes, that was kind of you, but don’t expect any favors from it. You will be happy to know that the ice is finally gone and my tower is back in one piece, no thanks to you.”

  “Perhaps you would rather be Skylis’ sex toy? I should release her and let her have her way with you, and then eat you,” she said snidely.

  Hades straightened, sensing that Lady Black’s mood had shifted. She had saved his ass on multiple occasions and he was being a dick. He was angry with her for putting herself in danger by getting too close to Maraquette and the Shades. He was also annoyed by the presence of the Nachtghul and Alazar.

  “There’s no reason to be rude,” Hades bowed slightly with his arms out to the sides. “I’m just making a point. You may have helped me, slightly, but you did trash my stuff in the process.”

  “You’re welcome,” she bowed her head the same way he had.

  “So, I guess you’re here to stay,” Hades directed his attention back to Alazar, who was trying to get under his skin.

  “Yes, you have a problem with that, my lord?” Alazar replied smugly.

  “I have many problems with that, but I will refrain from stating them all. I don’t need a repeat of last time, Alazar. You wreaked havoc with the Fallen. Believe it or not, they serve a purpose here and when you screw with them, it affects everything. I have a hard enough time keeping them from killing each other. I don’t need you interfering,” Hades huffed.

  “He will behave, as long as the Fallen stay away from him,” Anjali spoke up before Alazar could answer.

  “I want assurances that you will refrain from your sadistic ways, that’s all,” Hades replied.

  “I will behave so that you don’t have to darken her doorstep again. Good enough?” Alazar shrugged.

  “Very well,” Hades turned and walked away. “I’m billing you for the new paint job in my tower,” he said over his shoulder just before he disappeared into the rotunda.

  “He’s fun,” Derick said dryly.

  “You have no idea,” Anjali sighed.

  ∞

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Anjali asked Derick.

  “Yes. You said that I have to set my affairs in order. This needs to be done,” Derick sighed. “Where did it happen?” he asked quietly.

  Derick shuddered when looked up and saw Castle Moartea looming in front of him. He remembered his excitement when he first saw it. It had represented so many opportunities, now it only represented death and betrayal.

  “In the tower over there, that’s where Alazar tempted Pete the last time,” Anjali motioned to her left.

  Derick nodded his head. He disappeared and appeared in the tower. He was surprised to see that it wasn’t empty.

  “Josilyn, what are you doing here?” Derick walked over to Josilyn, who was sitting on the floor with her legs curled up.

  “Holy shit, you’re alive!,” Josilyn squeaked. She jumped off the floor and threw her arms around Derick. “No one knew what happened to you. The innkeeper was the last one to see you go back to your room.”

  Derick felt terrible that he had left Josilyn alone. He was planning to go to the inn next to see if she was still in Romania, but he wanted to see the castle first. He needed to see where Pete had died. Kicking himself, he realized that she was crying. She truly had missed him.

  “Josilyn, I’m sorry, I should have called,” Derick grimaced and pulled away from her bear hug.

  “Yeah, you should have. What happened and what the hell are you wearing?” she was confused when she looked at his outfit. She waved away her question and lost control of her thoughts. “I was sitting in my room packing and the police showed up to tell me that Pete and Mrs. Pavel were dead. You, Annie, and Cassie were nowhere to be found. I started thinking the worst, Derick. You’d better start talking fast,” Josilyn’s tears were replaced by rage. She looked like she was about to punch him.

  Derick had prepared a cover story, but seeing her so angry made him realize that he couldn’t lie, at least not completely. “Cassie screwed us, Josilyn. Remember how eager she was to get us here? She planned the whole thing. None of us were supposed to make it out of here alive.”

  Derick saw Josilyn’s anger transform into fear. “I knew there was something wrong with her. Why us, Derick?”

  “She was after me, though I didn’t know it. She used to know my Uncle Benjamin and wanted to get even with him, so she held me hostage. The rest of you were expendable. Josilyn, you have to know something. Pete was working with her. She needed someone on the inside,” Derick was vague, but truthful. He suddenly understood how hard it was for Anjali to talk to him in partial truths.

  “No, not Pete. He would neve
r do something like that. He was our friend,” Josilyn shook her head and looked over at the bloodstained floor where Pete had died.

  “No, he wasn’t. Cassie got to him. He would have done anything for her. Trust me. Cassie grabbed me from the hotel, took me to a farm a few miles from here, and locked me up. Pete was there. She promised him all kinds of things. I think that’s why he killed himself. He felt guilty for betraying us,” Derick said, pointing to the stain. Alazar had told him about Pete’s final words, but he didn’t believe that Pete was sorry for anything.

  “But why Derick, why did she do it?” she whimpered.

  He could tell that she was in denial about Pete, but he let it go.

  “My uncle has a lot of money. Cassie was trying to ransom me. Wedge found out, that’s why she killed him. Mrs. Pavel must have gotten in the way,” Derick tried to get the image of Mrs. Pavel’s death out of his mind. Anjali had shown him everything so that there would be no secrets between them.

  “All of this because she wanted money? How sick can people be?” Josilyn mutter to herself and sat back down on the floor.

  “Well, it was more about vengeance than the money, but still, Cassie was screwed up. Annie found me and helped me. The police came for Cassie. All I know is that she is dead,” Derick hoped that it would ease Josilyn’s mind a little to know that she was safe from Cassie.

  “Good. I still can’t believe that Pete could do this to us,” Josilyn hung her head and started crying.

  Derick kneeled down next to her and rubbed her back. “Josilyn, I’m sorry. I know that you liked Pete, but you saw how Pete followed her around and did whatever she said.”

  “Yeah. I had a feeling that he was sleeping with her. You think you know someone and then you find out that they weren’t who you thought they were,” Josilyn murmured, wiping her eyes.

  “I couldn’t believe it at first either. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there when you found out about Pete,” Derick sighed.