A Gluttony Of Faith

by Steven Lindsay

  “What?!” flames tore all over Agrat, reptilian scales flashing across her skin.

  “It happened millennia ago, it does not need to be discussed.” Asmodeus calmly tried to cut off the conversation as was his style.

  Such tactics did not work on Agrat. “When the fuck were you going to tell me this. You slept with my sister!” she spun to face Naamah “you call him a viper, but you’re the viper in the nest.”

  “Oh please, you slept with Samael, don’t be such a hypocrite. You’re merely getting your just desserts.”

  The fighting between the sisters and their two lovers continued to get louder and bitterer. Crockery and glasses were thrown at each other as fire and Hell flashed across their bodies. The other Gods sat back to watch, fighting was nothing new to them. But Sariel was not used to it, she sat there crying out for quiet, but all ignored her. All except Lucifer.

  “Silence” all turned to face Lucifer as he jumped up, Hellfire entwining him, his black and gold wings were spread wide, his hair was a beautiful balance of black and gold, the horns rising from it were fiery gold.

  The strangest thing was that the six Greater Demons had fiery collars flash across their throats. Even quiet Cerberus and the Furies had fire flash across their throats.

  All fell silent at Hell’s High Lord and his yelling.

  Ereshkigal clapped as she gracefully slid out of her chair and walked around the table “So the stories are true. Hell has its Generals and Princes, but they are all under the command of the High Lord. Come Lucifer, there is much for you to discuss with Hades and me.” She extended a hand to him which he hesitantly took. She led him out of the room followed by Hades and Persephone.

  “The rest of you will go to your rooms.” The two Primordials commanded

  “but-“

  “No Hera, all will go to their rooms.” From the look and power of them, there was no arguing. Complete darkness swirled around Erebus while fiery darkness swirled around Tartarus. All could taste the power in the air.

  “That was awful” Sariel sank into a backless chair, her mother sat down next to her smirking.

  “Oh, Sariel, that was normal. Our family has always been like that.”

  She stared at her mother appalled “are you serious?”

  “She is. It only ever gets more bitter and complex as time passes. Though admittedly if Naamah had not been there it might have remained peaceful.” Samael sat down across from them, watching mother and daughter practice their spells.

  “She is likely the most bitter and resentful. As Agrat pointed out she is the only one without Divine children, and also a steady lover. She just lost her own attempt at freedom and had been brought into an empire where Samael and Lilith stand higher than her. The niece she is so scared of is my Protégé and much of her family freely passes through Britain’s borders. Agrat and Asmodeus have risen high in Hera’s esteem while Eisheth is carving out her own empire with Asterion. All around her she sees her sister doing far better than her.” Brigid sat down in one of the chess chairs, Hecate sank down into the other and used her magic to set the board up.

  “You have a point, Brigid. Naamah, more than any of my sisters, had struggled with my shadow. The other two kind of accepted riding in my coattails. Agrat went her own way. I guess Naamah always thought she would do better than Eisheth, but now even the youngest has a family and power.”

  “This could cause problems in the future” Samael looked at Brigid.

  She gently shook her head “no it won’t. Naamah is well aware that Hecate stands as my second in command and that you are the ultimate power when it comes to the military. She is also well aware that is she seeks to harm Sariel in any way I will kill her.”

  “Does she know that I will be part of the empire once I recover?” complex spells were unwinding from her fingers which while still burnt had all regrown.

  “She is aware, but I don’t think she comprehends that you will have more power than her.”

  “Or perhaps she does, and that is why she is so resentful.”

  “But Naamah is not the only resentful one. There is a great deal of resentment around that table. From old grudges, apparently so great that Tiamat and Nyx are now fighting, to even the smouldering resentment of Lucifer. It would seem we are more mortal in our emotions than we would believe.” Hecate killed Brigid’s queen, the piece clattered off the chessboard.

  “The strange thing is everyone expects me to be resentful for my current predicament and yet I am not.” Lilith fluttered her wings which were nearly back to their full glory.

  “That is because your recovery is most remarkable. You have overtaken Lucifer’s recovery.”

  “That is because he is a prideful fool.”

  “Prideful fool he may be, but it would appear he has power over us both and your sisters.” Samael did not like that fact one little bit. Even if Lucifer were the Angel he had once been Samael would not like being under his control. He didn’t like being controlled.

  “He likely has power over all the Greater Demons and all the denizens of Hell. It is his realm after all.” Sariel said.

  Her parents turned to look at her “can you break us free of his power?”

  She shook her head “there is little I can do. The Curse might be broken, but its legacy will live on for a long time. Hell and its denizens still exist as does its High Lord. All things are bound to one thing or another in life, it would just seem that it has gotten more complex.”

  Hera glided through the halls with her sister. She had much to discuss with her brother, but he had locked himself away with the other Underworld rulers. She had to be patient, a trait she often found hard to be. She found it depended on what it was, if she was waiting for a plan to bear fruit, then she could be incredibly patient. If she had to wait for someone else then she was not.

  She hadn’t toured Hades’ castle in a very long time, back in their heyday she had rarely left Mount Olympus except to expand her empires. Visiting the Underworld was such an outlandish idea, none of Heaven’s Gods did it. Inanna had foolishly tried to claim her sister’s role as Queen of Irkalla, and she had paid the price. The rest of them had taken that lesson very deeply, perhaps too deeply.

  The Underworld held a great deal of power, power alien to the citizens of Heaven, it was darker and in many ways more powerful. She could well understand now why Hecate was as powerful as she was.

  All it had taken was a disastrous rebellion and war for her to realise the potential the Underworld held. As it was Hades allowed some Shades to return to the Surface to fight her battles, and she was here to claim another very important soul. Hopefully, he would grant her this concession, but who knew. Her brother was a law into himself, a trait common in their family and the Gods in general. But the Underworld Gods particularly were used to having everything their way in their realms.

  She stopped before a grotesque vase. She wondered why Hades even owned it, it was not Hellenic in style or from the Near East or the Far East. It design was completely alien to her and yet for some reason, it rung a memory deep within her. Curious she reached out to touch its bloody surface. As soon as she touched it, she formed a connection to Hades.

  Who made this vase?

  Hera I am rather busy.

  Who made this vase?

  Hera I am busy. He was getting short and snappy.

  This is important. Who made this vase?

  She felt him sigh, he knew what she was like. His attention shifted to look at the vase. It was a gift from Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl-

  Who are?

  His temper was rising. Mesoamerican Gods, they controlled the Aztecs and ruled Mictlan. Now will that be all?

  Yes...and thank you. She felt his surprise then he severed the link.

  So they were the Gods who had dared to claim part of her territory. No wonder she hadn’t recognised them. The Aztec and other Mesoamerican Gods had not been welcomed in Heaven. They were strange and barbaric, even by the Gods standards. They had
only rarely visited Heaven to have their contracts filled, and she had never dealt with them. It was why she had not recognised their powers because she had not been exposed to it enough to remember it.

  But now she knew who they were, and she would find out all she could about them.

  Then they would pay for their transgression.

  Chapter 34

  “Now?”

  “Now. Unleash them all.” Ariadne raised a hand in a violent movement. Kyle copied her and inky patches flickered into appearance on the Maryland border with the federal district. Their images shimmered before melting to form portals. Out of the portals tore tanks and trucks armed to the teeth with Humans carrying their wide array of destructive weapons. From other portals raced out Were and Vampires, tearing across the streets in their army cars.

  Screams filled the air as bloodlust filled the air. This was a no holds conquest, they would feast well tonight.

  Explosions rocked the area as the UCSA soldiers realised the danger that had torn through their defences. Gunfire filled the air in ever thickening flurries until the night sky was ablaze with the lights from firing guns and the screams of dying people. Vampire arms and Were claws lashed out from the shadows followed quickly by their gaping maws.

  Bloodied bodies were thrown back over enemy lines to break their spirits. The Vampires and Were made sure to mutilate the bodies before they did so.

  From the labyrinthine network of sewers, basements and underground tunnels arose the silent Minotaur army. Licking out from the Labyrinth came Ariadne’s dark, chthonic powers stripping souls and flesh from any soldier too close to an opening or within the Labyrinth’s domain.

  Kyle raised burning hands before dropping them violently to the ground. Above the city a raging firestorm burst into life, fire raining down on the entire federal district. Lightning struck down, exploding whole buildings across the street such was the violence and power within each strike.

  Ariadne closed her eyes, raising her hands upwards. A ripple flickered through the ground before a gargantuan groan filled the air. Buildings started to tremble as the whole city started to tilt and shift. On its outskirts the ground shook so violently, it became like liquid, soldiers racing into the city were caught as in quicksand to be quickly lost beneath the surface.

  Bright sunlight filled the night sky in downward spears as the Angels joined the fray. Violent winds whipped up the flames starting to consume the city. Lightning clashed with lightning in the sky, as fire clashed with fire. The sound of gunfire intensified as did the sound of roaring creatures. Griffin shrieks filled the air as they took flight and begun their deadly dance. Tortured screams filled the air as the Cockatrices and Basilisks thundered into the city.

  Ariadne felt their new and disturbing presence within her dark powers. She would have to pass on this new development to Hera when she returned. Unknown to the Angels her dark powers surged under the city even as the city shook and jumped. Darkness lashed out from the shadows, drawing into its dark embrace all it could.

  Creatures and men had their spirits ripped from their still moving bodies, their ghosts screaming in pain and fury as they saw their bodies crumple. Blood washed the streets and clogged the drains.

  Explosions rocked the city as the Angels sought to counter this strange new power they couldn’t track or understand. Angel magic and missiles smashed against buildings, lighting up the sky fiery orange as the city truly started to burn. Thick pillars of smoke clogged the sky and streets.

  Still both armies ploughed forward reaping a bloody harvest from each other. Torn and mutilated bodies clogged the streets as blood flooded them. Petrified bodies of both sides were trapped in their tortured stone embraces, caught in their pain filled death. Buildings collapsed from fires, the earth tremors, and explosives.

  Above it all sat Capitol Hill, the crowning glory of the city and the prize for both sides. Lights from both sides lit it up for all to see, even as their forces spilled onto the hill.

  Ariadne gasped as she felt the new power enter the fray, Ariel herself had come to the battle. She recognised the rising Angel Weave even before the pink and orange lines appeared.

  “What is going on?”

  “We are losing. Ariel has come to fight, and she has brought her Angels to battle.”

  “But we cannot fight her Inquisitors and the Legions.”

  “No we cannot, nor can we fight the full might of their Angel Weave.”

  A matrix of pink and orange magic had bloomed across the whole federal district. Gracefully sweeping lines tore through the city, ripping apart buildings and people alike. Ariel was not known for her care of her own people.

  “What do we do?”

  “Plan B”

  “Really?”

  “We must.”

  She snapped her fingers, and their forces started to retreat. Darkness raced across the city, a means of teleportation but more a distraction to the Angels. Sure enough, she felt their sun powers stabbing into her magic, seeking to destroy.

  Behind them came the silent destruction that the Angels were ill prepared to defend against. They were prepared for magic, but she and Agrat had been investigating Humanity’s more destructive capabilities, and they had found several trump cards the Angels would not expect.

  She raised a very powerful shield around herself and Kyle, holding him close as he combined his power with hers. She could feel his fear mounting, Humans had long come to fear this power. It had been a recurring threat ever since it had first been unleashed. It was the power that had been feared to be the end of the world.

  The nuclear missile struck Capitol Hill, and the whole world turned white. For a moment, there was nothing but incredible brightness before the orange mushroom cloud erupted upwards as fire raced outwards. Within seconds, the whole city of Washington D.C was vaporised by a completely non-magical force. Even behind their Divine shields the two of them could feel the horrifying power ripping past them.

  All around them the Angel Weave was vapourised just as easily as the people and buildings. Their entire world as they knew it ended and was reborn in a fiery, destructive maelstrom.

  They stood for a long time staring at the crater that was all that remained of a city and two armies. The power that just one nuclear warhead had within it was truly terrifying, it was a Human weapon that could destroy the world.

  Victoria stood holding her belly as a means to comfort herself. Sorcha had draped an arm across her shoulder. Not quite sure how to help her daughter-in-law.

  Reports lay in a pile on her desk, her codex was wide open with more reports sitting unopened for her. Her attention was on the holoprojector that all in the room had stopped to watch. Images of Washington D.C flicked across. The sight sickened them all, where once had stood the capital of the United States of America now there was only a huge smoking crater. One of the sides in America’s bitter civil war had unleashed a nuclear warhead. So far neither side was claiming responsibility.

  The UN had thoroughly condemned the actions and was making a great deal of noise about intervening, but really who was going to intervene. All the world powers were caught up in war and conquest already. The Gods and Angels had drawn up battle lines, and the Humans were still coming to terms with the divisions separating them now.

  Britain was no longer the only nation that had been chucked out of the European Union. Following a unanimous vote, from mostly new politicians, the old having disappeared, the EU had cast out Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden from the EU. They were all the lands under the thrall of Hel and her dark necromantic powers. No one was quite sure what was going on behind their borders, she was wise enough to shield against satellite images, and the internet seemed to have been shut down. Nothing was getting out of the four Scandinavian countries. Their borders had suddenly become towering concrete walls that prevented all escape, and the Baltic Sea was patrolled by Krakens and Sea Serpents.

  Neither Britain nor the Scandinavian nations would be interfering in the
Heradmantium Empire’s war with the UCSA. Even if it turned out that the Heradmantium Empire had been the one to fire the nuke none of the Gods’ empires would assist the UCSA despite the obvious ethical concerns.

  Humanity was divided against its own desire and best interest.

  But she was suddenly fearful for the life of her daughter. If nukes could be used in one part of the world, they could surely be used in another. While she doubted that Brigid would make use of Britain’s nukes, there were plenty of other nations out there with them. Controlled by the Angels or less benign Gods. She wouldn’t put it past Hel, Hera, Ereshkigal or Izanami to use nuclear weapons to help them win. She definitely wouldn’t put it past Gabriel or Ariel.

  She was terrified that such an attack could be orchestrated against Britain. The devastation it would bring was beyond thinking, and the radioactive fallout would poison the country for centuries. She wondered what Hera and Ariel were going to do with the radiation that rained down on their territories. What would Brigid do if such a thing happened here? Would the Fae be able to do anything or the Atlanteans? She would have to ask.

  “What is that noise?” Sorcha asked. All looked around in confusion at the sound of lots of running water and splashing.

  “Quick come at look at the sky” someone yelled.

  Outside they looked up at the violent night sky. Huge streams of water lashed through the sky, stars seemed to move and swirl, forming little ropes around the ever diverging water. The smell of salt and burning hydrogen was thick in the air. Everywhere they looked it seemed the night sky was under attack by water.

  What the Hell was going on?

  “Anjali there is something we need to discuss.”

  She sighed in annoyance at Ryan “What is it I’m busy.” Which she clearly was. Her arms were stretched out with magic pouring off up to form a huge dome shield over Varanasi. An essential since Pakistan had started bombing and firing missiles at the city. They had almost no military to speak of, only magical and Daemonic forces to defend themselves with. Thankfully the Pakistani army had not yet reached them. It was spread wide through India, conquering all in its path. Their most recent conquest had been New Delhi. India was slowly but surely falling to the invaders.