Gabriel opened his mouth again, and Danielle braced herself for more contempt when Raphael’s familiar voice cut through the air. “Soldiers, form ranks!”
Men and women ran to obey their leader, most throwing wary looks at Gabriel. Although Raphael’s decision to give Gabriel another chance had been accepted, most members of the Angelic Army did their best to avoid him at all costs. Even now, as members ran to fall in place, a wide berth was given to Gabriel.
On his part, Gabriel ignored them all and strode forward to place himself in the front line. Danielle slipped the silver gauntlet that would control Gabriel over her left arm and followed Gideon and Angelica, who also took up spots in the front line next to Gabriel.
“We’ll have to stay as close as we can to him during the battle,” Gideon whispered loud enough for all around Danielle to overhear.
“I can hear you, old man,” Gabriel said with a look of disgust.
“Oh,” Gideon said, adjusting one of his shoulder pads that looked more like a baseball glove than a piece of armor, “so you can.”
“Right now,” Raphael’s voice cut through the whispers in the crowd, silencing them all until his voice echoed off the vaulted ceilings of the Temple, “our Horsewoman is on the rooftop with Esther and a contingent of veteran soldiers ready to charge as soon as we do. She is ready atop her gryphon to lead us into battle. The Minotaur Nation has also heeded our call for help and approaches from the west. Together, we will defeat Sodom’s army if for no other reason than we must.”
The crowd was still, each word spoken by the leader soaking in and building morale by the second. Raphael was covered in silver armor with a dark-blue cape that fell behind him and reminded Danielle of ocean waves.
Out of the corner of her eye, Danielle spotted Artemis’s small form approach Raphael, bearing his trident. Although the weapon was twice her size, Artemis held the shaft with sturdy hands. When she reached the front, she walked up to Raphael and offered him his signature weapon.
With a nod of gratitude from Raphael, Artemis drifted back into the crowd. Raphael lifted the trident above his head in one hand. “Together we will drive the Apocalypse back into the history books, together we will defeat the Darkness and all will know that the forces of the Light are strong and able!”
A cheer broke from the crowd. Even Danielle found herself caught up in the moment and started knocking her sword against her shield. The act sent her muscles quivering with fatigue after a few strikes.
Raphael turned his back on the ranks of soldiers and, with one hand, opened the large double doors leading from the Temple. Alan’s dogs of war, who had been seeking a way out of the Temple for days, gave out thundering barks as they bounded down the stairs and led the charge.
Danielle found herself caught up in the rush of hundreds of bodies. She fought to stay close to both Gideon and Angelica as they followed Gabriel into the morning sun.
High overhead Danielle heard a whirl of rushing wind. Looking skyward, Danielle’s breath caught in her lungs. Large winged figures blocked out the sun. One, in particular, stood apart from the rest. With more than double the wingspan of its counterparts, Kassidy’s gryphon was easily distinguishable.
Their force was impressive, but Danielle knew alone they would not be able to defeat the horde that was Sodom’s army. She estimated the angels and Nephilim around her numbered no more then three to four hundred. Sodom’s army was made up of thousands of demons.
Danielle cleared her mind of the odds as she continued forward. They were down the outside steps of the Temple now. Her feet reached the rich soil that made up the landscape surrounding the Temple.
Looking up, Danielle realized they were closing the distance between themselves and Sodom’s forces much faster than she would have liked. Already Alan’s dogs were tearing at the perimeter guards as they shouted warnings.
A loud gong split the air as soldiers in black armor ran to form lines and meet Raphael’s forces.
“Now would be a good time, old man!” Gabriel shouted over the chaos.
It took a moment before Danielle realized who he was talking to. Gideon must have known instinctively because his hand shot to his silver gauntlet and he flipped a switch. Gabriel’s collar transitioned from a bright red to a shining green.
“Give me space,” Gabriel ordered as Danielle and her group reached the front lines. Anyone within ear distance didn’t need to be told twice. A wide area appeared around Gabriel as flames shot from his body and wrapped him in fire.
Danielle stood awestruck as twin swords of pure fire appeared, one in each of Gabriel’s hands. Flaming wings grew from his back. Once again, the Fallen Archangel once known as Hades had entered the battlefield.
Sweat spread down Danielle’s back as Gabriel hesitated. Instead of attacking Sodom’s forces, he looked back to Gideon and Danielle. Danielle’s fingers quivered as they hovered over the switch that would once again dampen Gabriel’s powers.
Then as soon as the moment of uncertainty arrived, it was gone. Gabriel smirked at her and turned to follow Raphael into the fight.
---
Just as all hope was lost, as the end seemed more sure than anything else in Alan’s life, shouts reverberated through the arena. Panic spread just as fast as a sound began to reach Alan’s ears. Something above the yells, it sounded like fighting. Distant rumbles made Alan hope beyond all odds that they were being rescued.
Demons ran from their seats as sergeants and lieutenants in Sodom’s army barked instruction.
Alan looked to Lavos, who wore a similar expression of confusion. Next Alan’s eyes traveled to the canopied balcony where Sodom sat with his generals. He caught the back of Rolf and Sodom as they left the arena. Trubic screamed at the centaurs to kill Alan and his friends.
As if to emphasize his words, Trubic pushed one of the guards aside that held the centaur queen hostage. With all his might, he yanked on the chain around her neck, forcing angry tears to form in her eyes. “Kill them! Kill them!” he screamed like a small child throwing a temper tantrum. “I order you to kill them right now, you four-legged freak!”
With the confusion breaking across Sodom’s camp and the fear they were under attack, the three guards holding the chains bound to the centaur queen had become lax in their immediate duties.
She must have sensed this because she struck out with her back hooves, catching the two men holding her in check square in the sternums. Ribs cracked and the soldiers fell backwards.
Flexing her muscles, she lunged forward, jumping over the balcony wall and sailing into the arena floor. Trubic and the last remaining guard holding on to her chains were dragged along with her into the pit.
Alan cringed as he witnessed the centaur queen pass through the invisible dome that separated the participants in the coliseum from those in the stands. It appeared, however, that the shield only worked one way; it prevented the occupants from getting out but not others from entering.
“Help!” Trubic screamed as he crawled backwards on his hands and bottom. “Help, me! I am Sodom’s nephew and I order you to help me!” Trubic cried at the top of his lungs to any soldier still in the stands.
The smart demons pretended they didn’t hear and ran for the exits. A few of the dull-witted soldiers moved to obey, running and jumping into the arena and trapping themselves inside with the centaurs.
While Trubic was screaming for help, the centaurs made way for their queen, who Lavos ran to intercept. With four quick strikes of his spear, the chains around her fell. He held her close, tears in his eyes. “Are you injured, my love. Did they hurt you?”
The queen’s voice was tired and weak without being scared. “They could never hurt me, my king. They had no control over breaking my spirit. As long as I knew you were alive, I knew you would never stop fighting for me.”
Lavos gave her a quick kiss on the lips and ran his hand through her hair before turning to his men. The centaurs had suddenly lost all interest in Alan and his group. Now they for
med ranks in the opposite direction, pointing their weapons at Trubic and the men who had jumped in to join him.
Although the centaurs had Trubic’s forces vastly outnumbered, Trubic apparently thought he had enough men to threaten the centaurs once again. Wiping the snot and tears from his eyes, Trubic stalked forward. “You will kill them as ordered, you half-brained beasts!”
Lavos trotted toward Trubic, his warriors creating a path for him. Lavos was calm, his eyes steady.
“Do you not hear me?” Trubic screamed in rage. “Kill them!”
Those were the last words the demon would ever utter. With one swift move, Lavos plunged his spear into the screaming demon’s right eye socket. The shaft traveled through his skull and sprouted out the back.
“Leave the Horsemen and their friends,” Lavos thundered. “Kill the rest!”
At once, the centaurs moved to obey. Never in all his battles had Alan witnessed such a one-sided fight. Most of the demons tried to run back through the only exit to the arena—the tunnels. The charging centaurs caught them as easily as a horse could outrun a man.
Within seconds, the last demon was decapitated. The centaurs had not lost a warrior on their side. Alan looked to Kyle, who wore a similar expression of awe.
Alan was so caught in the moment, he missed the sound of fighting outside the coliseum drawing closer.
“Your orders, my king?” the queen of the centaurs asked. She had been given various items of armor and weaponry by the centaurs surrounding her. She held a strung bow in her hands and a stern gaze in her eye.
Lavos approached his queen again. “Now, if it pleases my queen, we ride with the Horsemen of War and Death into Sodom’s forces and extract payment in blood for the grief they have caused us.”
The queen smiled and nodded. “It pleases me very much, my king.”
Lavos turned to Alan. “We’ll give you the armor and weapons you need. Will you join us?”
Alan already knew his answer, but he looked to his comrades out of respect. Kyle’s eyes were narrowed as he nodded. Bobby and Rana both followed his lead, already reaching for the outstretched weaponry being offered to them by the surrounding centaurs.
Triana was the only one who seemed hesitant, but with all eyes directed to her, she sighed, “Yes, I’m in. I just hope you remember this when I’m eventually sentenced for being a part of Gabriel’s rise to power.”
“I’ll make sure the jury knows,” Alan said. “You have my word.”
“Then I guess I’m still in this fight,” she said.
“Break down the gates,” Lavos ordered. “We march to war.”
Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two
Looking down on the Minotaur Army as they hammered headfirst into the ranks of Sodom’s forces was like watching a thousand-year-old dam try to hold back a maelstrom of water.
Ardat watched from above, impressed as the half-men, half-bulls crashed into the dark-clad warriors, sending them reeling backward. Even the smallest minotaur towered over the demons below. Ardat had to remind herself to stay focused. Her one job was to make sure Tracy stayed safe.
To her credit, Tracy was in the middle of the fight atop her unicorn, raining down blows with her spear. Whenever a demon tried to blindside her with an attack, or if she left her defenses open even the slightest bit, Ardat was hovering high above, ready to knock back an enemy or lift a weapon from the blood-spattered ground and skewer an attacker.
If Ardat was right, sooner or later Sodom would find Tracy. He would need to drain her power and those of the other three Horsemen to bring about the Apocalypse. Ardat’s plan was simple. She would wait for him to come to her.
Ardat didn’t have to wait long. Amidst the pandemonium below that ensued when beings with supernatural abilities waged war, Ardat caught sight of Sodom. Heavily armored guards carrying ebony halberds surrounded him. Each warrior marched in perfect sync, testifying to his or her training. Another demon with dreadlocks, wearing silver-plated armor accompanied them.
Ardat zoomed down to ground level to stand next to Tracy.
“Wow, don’t do that to me,” Tracy said, wiping sweat from her forehead. “I almost hit you with my lance.”
Ardat ignored Tracy and looked for the minotaur, Cratos, she had spoken with when talking to Queen Baymor. He had said he knew Alan and he, more than any other, would understand the importance of keeping Tracy safe. Ardat spotted him a few yards away, sweeping his huge battle hammer like a scythe at a group of terrified demon soldiers.
“Cratos,” Ardat yelled above the din. “Cratos!”
He swung his giant armored head toward Ardat, shaking blood from his horns.
“Sodom approaches.”
The two words were enough for Cratos. Throwing his arms behind him, he lifted his muzzle to the sky and let out a bone-chilling cry. As one, every minotaur within hearing range turned to heed his call.
Cratos extended an open hand then clenched his fingers into a tight fist and retracted his limb to his chest. Although the command was silent, the result was not. Each minotaur who had seen the gesture ran to form a wall around Tracy and Ardat.
Ranks formed within seconds as they stood shoulder to shoulder, stomping their hooves and snorting in anticipation of the fight to come. Cratos stood next to Tracy and Ardat, rolling his massive head from side to side and preparing himself to face Sodom.
“That was intense,” Tracy said just loud enough for her unicorn and Ardat to hear. The unicorn nickered as if he agreed. Blood was dripping from the single horn that sprouted from his forehead.
“Clear your mind,” Ardat ordered. “Remember your training.”
“I will,” Tracy said, clenching her teeth together.
It seemed that no demon was brave enough to attack the circle of minotaurs crowding around Tracy and Ardat. Instead, they remained content to wait for their leader to approach.
He came walking with a smile on his face, ringed by his ebony-armored personal guard. The two forces met. “So you called to the Minotaur Nation for help. I must admit, I never saw this coming. They have managed to stay out of this conflict every time despite the plea for help from each side. Tell me, Ardat, how did you do it? I’ve known you a long time. You never struck me as the type to ask for assistance.”
Ardat walked between the ranks of minotaurs to look Sodom in the eye. “I didn’t ask for their help. Regardless of who did, this only ends one way—with you dead.”
Sodom smirked, shaking his head from side to side. The act maddened Ardat even more. His nonchalant attitude burned her.
“I understand why you have to believe that. But even with the strength of the Minotaur Nation behind what remains of Michael’s army, by sheer numbers we will outlast you. This is the greatest host of demons assembled since the war in heaven. See reason, Ardat. Give me the Horsewoman of Disease and go along your way. You will be richly rewarded for simply walking away. When the reign of the Usurper comes to fruition, you can be reunited with Michael again. That is what you want, isn’t it?”
Ardat’s hands clenched into fists. Sodom knew Ardat would do anything to have Michael back. If he thought playing on her emotions was the right angle to take when convincing her, he was wrong.
“How about this?” Ardat said, lifting slightly from the ground with her hands open. “I kill you and wipe that stupid thing you call a face off your head. I like that idea much better.”
Any pleasantry from Sodom vanished. “Kill them all,” he shouted.
Ardat took to the air as the two forces clashed. Her hands clenched into fists, Ardat hammered down strikes against Sodom. To her dismay, the weight of gravity that would have crushed anyone else simply made Sodom turn a smiling face in her direction. “You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?”
Ardat looked around, confused. To the best of her knowledge, Sodom’s abilities were confined to absorbing and using others’ powers. Then she caught sight of them: small yellow comets racing around Sodom’s body, encasing him in a prote
ctive shield. The ability was familiar to Ardat; it was the Horseman of Famine’s shield.
If Sodom’s impenetrability wasn’t enough, the fight waging below Ardat between Cratos and his minotaurs and Sodom’s personal bodyguards wasn’t going any better.
It seemed a spell had been cast on the armored core of soldiers, taking away any sense of pain or fear of dismemberment they otherwise might have felt. Ardat watched, horrified as Cratos swung his hammer down on an enemy, crushing the demon’s left shoulder. What remained of the man’s arm fell to the ground but instead of flinching or writhing in pain, he continued to move forward. Cratos was barely able to deflect a return blow from the soldier.
It was the same all across the battlefield. Like a black tide, Sodom’s forces moved forward. Even those who had been taken out at the legs were crawling onward.
Just like that, their plan was crumbling. Ardat reminded herself of her priority and raced down to stand next to Tracy. The young girl’s mouth was open. Fear was written plainly across her eyes as she witnessed the undying horde approach.
“Fight, Tracy,” Ardat ordered as she scanned the landscape, summoning every type of bladed weapon to her. “Now is the time we fight.”
Tracy nodded as the black horde reached them. Ardat grimaced as she bore the weight of hundreds of spears, swords, and arrows high above her head. In droves, she cast the weapons down on the approaching ranks of Sodom’s army. If she couldn’t kill them, pinning them to the ground would have to do.
Over and over again she drove down the weapons, sticking the black-armored warriors through the head, chest, and legs. Each barb sank deep, anchoring them to the dirt below, but for how long? Every time she was able to stop an enemy, he started to squirm. His hands would search for the weapon and pull his body from the trap. On many occasions, the unfeeling soldier would morbidly push whatever body part was trapped to the ground through the opposite side of the weapon.
Ardat began to sweat as she continued to send hundreds of weapons into the oncoming ranks. Her efforts were serving to slow the enemy but not stop them.
The Complete Archangel Wars Series: A Shared Universe Series (The Archangel Wars) Page 69