A Gluttony Of Faith

by Steven Lindsay

  As a product of darkness and fear it would have its greatest strength at night and in darkness, and what day was darkness stronger than on the winter solstice? There wasn’t a time, except when solar eclipses occurred, and even then it was only a temporary passing.

  Eisheth stood at his side, dressed in shadows. She was a vision of night terrors and dark beauty, she was also a master of manipulating the darkness. A rank he still needed to reach. Despite being the feared Monster within the Labyrinth, its true power had belonged to the Mistress of the Labyrinth, his sister Ariadne. It was she who could manipulate its dark powers with skill and controlled savagery. Strange that the world and Minos had feared him so much when in the shadows Ariadne had been the real power to fear. Then again she would be long dead to the passage of time or have been killed in the War of Heaven if she had managed to Ascend in any way. He wouldn’t have put it past her to have managed to Ascend. She had been canny that sister of his.

  Asterion summoned up his powers, Eisheth feeding her controlled dark powers into him so that he could manipulate the power of the Labyrinth. She confused him, he was still trying to work out her angle which at first had seemed so clear and yet seemed to have evaporated. Now she seemed content to play the loving wife and mother, she did everything within her power to secure her position at his side and cement their power, but she no longer seemed to be creating her own path. To top it off she climbed into his bed nearly every night, he didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky. His very own Handmaiden of Inanna to satisfy his every sexual need, of which some tastes and needs he hadn’t even been aware of.

  He could feel the residual power of the Labyrinth. His myth had been famous and never long out of the mortal psyche. The continuity had ensured the survival of that dark power. He reached down to it, feeling it turn that savage attention to him. It recognised him instantly, he had been the Monster within its heart, the creature that had fed it the sacrifices sent within it. He was surprised at just how warmly it seemed to greet him, all its savagery and shields evaporated as it wound around his powers. It reached up to him hungrily.

  It knew its master.

  He smiled as he sent power down into it, opening it up and spreading it wide across the palace. He would make it so that every underground maze belonged to the power of the Labyrinth, which in turn would be his own power. He felt powers still entwined about it, it had not forgotten its Mistress. Grunting he tried to snap through the magical constraints.

  A violent backlash roared up into him to shatter against his shields. Even in the darkness of the night the powers surrounding him were darker yet. He felt the powers tasting him, sensing the magic he wielded. He swore it recognised him. The constraints opened up, they were still there, still powerful, but they were allowing him access to the power of the Labyrinth.

  Confused, he reached within the heart of the Labyrinth and felt its hunger. It needed sacrifices before it could be freed. He also sensed another power manipulating it. Apparently he was not alone in his control of the Labyrinth.

  He nodded and Eisheth gave a sharp hiss. Screams filled the air as the Human sacrifices were slaughtered to feed the Labyrinth. Their blue-white spirits instantly turned dark as they were sucked down into the darkness. The blood spreading across the rock and earth soaked up the darkness, it didn’t even reflect the star and moonlight above. But he could see through the darkness as the blood from all those bodies flowed into the patterns of the Labyrinth. Patterns not seen in millennia.

  He felt a resonating echo. Whoever held that dark power had done the same, wherever they were. The Labyrinth had fed well tonight.

  Dark power surged out from beneath him, spreading down across Heraklion before spreading across Crete. He could feel that dreadful surge beneath the island, could feel it sinking its claws into the sewers, basements and tunnels beneath all the cities. Even those not under his control. He smirked, those fools would never know what hit them.

  Yet the resonating echo surprised him. Somewhere another Labyrinth symbol formed out of pooled blood. They too had offered a sacrifice. And wherever they were had a great many underground regions. The power surged and swelled as it fed on the power of the sacrifices and the new territory it was being given.

  It was only as the spell was allowed to run and the other power shifted it about with absolute mastery that he realised who the other power was. Even as his power combined with hers to finalise the resurrection and freeing of the Labyrinth’s power did he realise his sister still lived.

  He might be the Monster and new master of the Labyrinth, but it still had its original Mistress. Ariadne was alive somewhere, and she had a great deal of power now at her disposal.

  So Asterion was alive, that certainly explained why so many of the Minotaurs had abandoned Hera and stolen ships. They had been answering his call. She wasn’t sure how she felt to know that her brother still lived, they had never been close or had anything to do with each other. Except the Labyrinth. Even then they had been in different positions, she had been the all-powerful Mistress, and he had merely been its Monster. It was because of her that he had been killed.

  Every year, fourteen Athenians were fed into the Labyrinth, in there they were hunted down by Asterion, and as he fed on them, their blood had seeped into the Labyrinth and given it power. For many years, the cycle had gone smoothly until her father had decided that the Labyrinth needed a new Mistress. Her bitch sister Phaedra.

  If she couldn’t have it, then no one would. So she had helped Theseus navigate the Labyrinth giving him a ball of magical string to light his way and allow him to come back. For if he had killed the beast and not escaped he would have become the new Monster. Theseus had slain Asterion and thanks to her escaped the power of the Labyrinth. But the bastard had abandoned her on an island and taken her bitch sister to be his bride. It was a decision he would forever regret. She had cursed him then and there with the power of the Labyrinth.

  Her powers had grown when Dionysus had seen her cursing Theseus in her fury. Something in the act had attracted him to her. He took her as his bride and raised her to demigoddess status. With her new powers and influence, she had sought a favour from the Furies, a favour they had been happy to fulfil. They had tracked him to the Underworld where he had foolishly entered under her curse. They had also cursed him and tortured him. He had been sealed in there for some time until Heracles had saved him. But he had never escaped her curse, which had lashed out on his family. Phaedra had claimed his son had raped her, then she had killed herself. He, in turn, had killed his son only to later learn the truth. In the end, he had been thrown off a cliff.

  By which time she had been rubbing elbows with the Gods. Persephone had awarded his spirit to her because he had been part of an attempt to abduct her. She had made him regret every foolish decision he had ever made, but most of all his shunning of her. She had been the epitome of Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She had worn his spirit for a very long time in a necklace, but she had consumed his spirit after her Divinity had been stripped from her. He had stopped her returning to the Lifestream. It was a strange irony that he had stopped her death. But it was the least the foolish bastard could do.

  It still offered no answers as of how to deal with Asterion, but then it wasn’t likely to be a real issue. She was under the protection and control of Hera, he was Gods knew where but he certainly was not going to be able to do her any harm in Hera’s domain. Then again perhaps he had no interest, would he even know that she had assisted Theseus? Probably, the myth had survived fairly intact.

  Even if he was going to come after her, there wasn’t much he could do. She was a demigoddess of considerable power who had just received the Labyrinth’s expanded power. She had and always would be its Mistress, and in this modern world, there was a great deal of Human-made subterranean territory. New York alone had sewers, basements, subways and all manner of other tunnels. That one city had given the Labyrinth and thus her a great deal of power. From there is would expand o
utwards across the Empire and into the Angel held territories. The Angels’ people would come to fear the darkness below. Even then they would still feed the Labyrinth’s power.

  The new power at her control was beyond gratifying, the power that would grow was so very satisfying. Wherever Asterion expanded his territory would also feed them both power. She hoped that he did manage to spread his influence wide. She knew she would.

  The Labyrinth still lived, as did its Monster and Mistress. Oh, how the world would learn to fear what it had thought forgotten and destroyed. Not that America or Mexico needed any reminding.

  Agrat walked through the battlefield her eyes barely lingering on the row upon row of crucified people. They had fought against Asmodeus, they deserved their fate. She had no pity for them, each town and city he invaded was given until nightfall to surrender. Quite a few had out of blatant terror. The reputation of the Army of Nightmares preceded it, as did the creatures within it. The army might be split over two battlefields and commanded by two different Divine, but the fear it inspired was legendary.

  Persephone commanded the border control keeping the UCSA within its domain while Asmodeus was sweeping down through Mexico, claiming all that was not already under Hera’s command. The battlefields where both armies had been was scattered with corpses, ruins, and crucified people. Many of which were still alive. Their moans and screams could be heard for miles.

  The Army of Nightmares had continued to swell to ever greater numbers. The main bulk was made up of the Obese, those disgusting Humans who had gorged themselves to unimaginable sizes. They were living siege weapons who ate the people they attacked. Every new obese person found was carted back for Hera to control. The Obese were not the only night terrors that hungered for Human flesh. The Wendigos crawled out of the shadows to feast upon the living and dead. Their howling screams and grunts had people shuddering within their homes. There were also the violent Vampires and Were who were freed from civil constraints. They relished the violence of the battlefield and the blood and flesh they fed on.

  Persephone also had the Shades at her disposal. Being attacked by incorporeal beings who could cut and rend flesh and yet could not be touched did terrible things to the morale of the enemy. Asmodeus might not have them at his disposal, but he had the aggressive Sirens and Lilin, who were crafting their powers into deadly weapons. Angelic Humans had no defence against undiluted lust when it was used as a weapon. Especially when paired with a savage touch. How she had laughed as soldiers had ripped into each other eager to satisfy their lust, to bite and consume their partners even as they were consumed. Hera had rolled back all the constraints she and Asmodeus had lived under. She didn’t care how they got things done so long as they got results. And they getting results.

  Asmodeus had raged down through Mexico and had now crossed over the border into Guatemala. They had not been in any way prepared for the savagery of the Army of Nightmares, let alone a normal army. Nor had the Angels been prepared either. As Christmas rapidly approached the Angels’ power was growing, to the point that attacking their territories had become inadvisable. The UCSA was off limits, the Angels, and their people easily turned back any incursions into that territory. For the moment, Persephone was holding the line.

  The Angels’ attention had been focused on the Bible Belt and the variety of skirmishes raging throughout Mexico. They had not thought for a second that the Heradmantium Empire would be so ballsy as to invade another nation before it had even gained complete control of the two it was tearing apart.

  Which was where she came into play. She was in charge of consolidating control in the annexed territories. A task she was finding most enjoyable. She had the Forsaken and the Elites under her authority, both of which had phenomenal senses. They had become the terrors, the secret police, that were slaughtering and torturing all those under the Angels’ thrall. Because the Empire was not an island, the purging spells Brigid had employed in parts of her empire could not be replicated, as such they had many people within the borders who were not loyal, who empowered the Angels. They had even found many Angels within the Empire’s borders.

  They had all died painfully.

  Her minions spread far and wide across the Empire and followed behind the Army of Nightmares as it spread south. They eradicated the Angels’ people that had not fled. They also rooted out all Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. Hera had decreed them celebrations of the Angels and banned them both. Despite this, many people had tried to celebrate this most commercial of American holidays. They had learned the hard way that Hera’s will was law. There were no shades of grey, there was no negotiating, there were no acceptable excuses.

  It was only after thousands had been slaughtered in their homes, dozens of shopping malls burned to the ground, several schools turned into bloodbaths and a couple of television studios obliterated that the population truly began to understand. Streets had filled with mountainous bonfires as all Christmas and Hanukkah decorations were thrown away and burned.

  But the people had been given a celebration. The Winter Solstice had been celebrated, not with the enthusiasm that Americans had for Christmas, but they had been allowed to celebrate. And any celebration with alcohol allowed for the release of tension and fear. New York had not enjoyed the festivities as much as the other cities. It had seen a great sacrifice performed, the blood was still sinking into the ground of Central Park, and now the shadows were very thick. Ariadne had done something with the darkness, she wasn’t sure of the details, but she was now more powerful, and she could teleport Minotaurs anywhere underground.

  They also had New Year’s Eve approaching, and it was a celebration the whole Empire was gearing up for. A time to reflect on the past year and the next. A time for the Empire to see just how much their lives had changed and the battles that lay ahead. Some would ultimately flee across to Canada or other countries, but many were trapped within the Empire, to serve the whims of its Goddess.

  She stilled to look at the mounds of groaning people. Some were alive, but they were not well. Curious she crouched down to study them. Their skin was flushed, they were sweaty, and many faces were creased in pain. Her senses told her that they were sick. A strange phenomenon unique to mortals. She had never understood why Lilith had had such a fascination with death, but it was beginning to dawn on her. Mortals were weak in ways the Divine would never be, and any weakness could be turned to her advantage.

  She touched the black wounds of one man, he groaned in pain. She could feel poison spreading from the festering wound, weakening the rest of the body. She hadn’t realised that diseases could make poisons. A light flare of her powers and the man moaned and thrashed in agony. The wounds flushed black as the bacteria within multiplied with her magic. She watched in fascination as the skin started to fester and be consumed before her eyes. She watched as the decay spread and consumed the pallid flesh. It was only when she looked up she realised he had died. She also discovered that the corruption had spread through the entire pile of corpses and bodies, consuming them all.

  She sent out a signal, not really expecting a response as she walked over to the next pile. Her magic spread through the bodies, analysing the diseases within. She had very little understanding of what was occurring. This would require much study.

  “Been redecorating, Agrat?”

  She spun around to face her sister, no one should be able to sneak up on her unannounced. She seemed slightly different, there was a deeper power to Lilith than there had been before. She was also dressed in black and grey military uniform, it was hardly flattering considering her beauty and yet somehow she made it seem like she was attending a ball. She always had an effortless beauty.

  She glanced around at all the crucified people, and the storm darkened sky above. She smiled “In a manner of speaking, yes. The Empire grows.”

  “And you are part of its spread. You seem content.”

  “I am, I have a purpose.”

  “And so does Asmodeus?”
r />   “Yes, he does, he commands the Army of Nightmares and has been on quite the conquest.”

  “Every empire is expanding despite Heaven’s best efforts. All over the world Heaven’s power is being corroded by the Goddesses and their empires as well as the Greater Demons, and the demonic hordes being assembled.” Was it just her or had Lilith mentioned Asmodeus with none of her usual condemnation?

  “Which empire have you sought sanctuary in?”

  “I am safe in two, but I have been giving support to Ereshkigal.”

  “Two? What is the other?”

  “I am allowed passage in the British Empire.”

  “What on earth did you do to manage that? Brigid closed her borders to all the Greater Demons and Fallen Angels.”

  “No, she closed it to those who would not abide by her rules. Your perchance to torture mortals bars you from her realm. I can abide by her rules, besides I have three family members within her borders that I am allowed to visit.”

  “Three? Who else is there other than Sariel?”

  “Samael and Tiamat.”

  “You visit your husband?”

  “No, but the option is there if I desire to.”

  “Wasn’t Tiamat killed? And how is she family?”

  “She was but preserved until Sariel set her free. She is a paternal ancestor.”

  “Plenty of surprises on that side I imagine.”

  “You have no idea.” She glanced about the war zone “so why did you summon me?”

  “You know a lot about death and disease, I wondered if you would be able to teach me a thing or two.”

  “What are sisters for?” she asked smiling at her sister. Now she just needed Naamah to reach out to her, and she would be reconciled with all her sisters.

  Except for Inanna, imprisoned in Heaven.

  Chapter 13

  Gabriel glanced up as her cousin walked into her laboratory. Ariel was one of the very few people who had ever had such free access to come and go as she pleased. But then very few had been as useful as Ariel. She had once regularly stocked her cages up with captured people and creatures, and she had always been willing to assist in any experiment. She might not have her skill, but then who did? But she did an excellent job when she set her mind to it. Which may not be very often, but she was glad for that. It would not do well for Ariel to impede on her territory.