by Darcy Town
Belial dropped from the ceiling and landed on his back. “You are it! Tag, tag, tag!” She grabbed his hair like reins. “No tag backs, Helion!” She dropped. Andy caught her mid-fall, put her on her feet, and dashed off again. Belial flipped Helion off from the ground and sprinted away.
Helion looked at the fire over his head, then back down at the ground. The rest of the Fallen scattered, except for Lucifer. Helion swooped down and landed behind him.
Lucifer barely noticed him. “Helion, have you seen Dahlia?”
“You’re it!” Helion tapped him, transferring the fire.
Lucifer looked up. “I am not playing. Have you seen Dahlia?”
Helion frowned. “The fire is on you, I think you are.”
Andy slowed down. “Lucy, you have to play!” He ran off before Lucifer could nab him.
Helion smiled and flew up into the air. “No tag backs!” He laughed. “Lucy!”
Lucifer stared at his feet and muttered. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air. He smiled and turned. He walked back the way he came. He heard a heartbeat. He paused and stopped at an empty doorway. Lucifer dashed inside.
Dahlia threw a couch at him. “No!”
Lucifer skidded to a stop, his hand inches above her face. “Why?”
“You so totally owe me, tag someone else.”
He folded his arms. “I find this less than sportsmanlike.”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “Play to win. Rules are for people that cannot win otherwise.” She grinned and ran past him.
Lucifer ground his teeth. Then he smiled. He pulled out a lamin from his arm. “Furcas, come.”
Lucifer waited. Furcas showed up at the doorway, pissed off. “This is so totally unfair. I had the best hiding spot.”
Lucifer shrugged and tapped him on the forehead. “You are it.” He put the lamin in Furcas’ hands. “Dahlia went left.”
Released, Furcas stomped out of the house and ran straight into Berith. The two tumbled end over end down the street. Dazed, Furcas got to his feet and kicked Berith, sending him towards one of the rivers. “You are it.”
Berith sighed. “Again?”
“Not my fault. You barreled into me.” Furcas slipped down a side street and made himself scarce.
Berith got up and stood ankle deep in the water. He looked around. Belial no longer scaled the walls and Helion had taken up roost. He heard splashing.
Dahlia hid in the shadows. “I will let you tag me if you help me get someone.”
Berith grinned. “Deal.”
They shook hands and the fire moved to Dahlia. Berith whispered in her ear, pointed, and she grinned. She took off running. Towards one end of the City, the ground gave way and plunged into an abyss. Lilliam of the air made nests and homes in the side of the cliffs. Daring Lilliam jumped off for fun.
Dahlia saw the edge and picked up speed. A blur darted across the rooftops, running along with her. She sprinted headlong for the cliff. Her heart pounded. She leapt off. Dahlia soared a good distance, then began to fall.
Andy caught her in midair. He twisted, kicked off a wall, and jumped his way back to the ledge. He set her down. Dahlia grinned. “You are it.”
Andy smiled. “This is what I get for being a good guy.”
She grinned. “Sorry.”
Andy shrugged. “What is the point of me being it anyways? It will take me all of two seconds to get someone.” He ran, leaving her near the harpy nests.
Furcas saw the blur coming. He ducked, grabbed a flowerpot, and parried Andy’s attempts at touching him. Andy whirled around, but Furcas ducked and dodged always one-step ahead.
Andy scowled. “What the fuck! Be tagged!”
Furcas weaved and rolled. “I’m a cripple, leave me alone!”
“I am faster than you, give up!”
“Fast feet maybe, but your other reflexes are poor!” Furcas jumped and dodged. Andy ran around him in a blur. Furcas tracked him and avoided his blows.
Andy broke off and ran down the road. He threw a barrage of cobblestones at Furcas. Furcas put up his good hand and knocked the stones out of the air; he lost his balance and tripped. Andy tapped his back and ran off. “You are it!”
“Not again!” Furcas threw his flowerpot in frustration.
Ouroboros and Leviathan ran up to him. They jumped up and down. “We can help! Let us help!”
Furcas smiled. “Where’s Paimon?”
***
Paimon slid along the outside of the palace wall. Gaea stayed at his side; the pair held hands and spoke in hushed, excited tones. Gaea raised the plants, making them hard to see. Paimon heard swearing. Belial jumped from rooftop to rooftop in her dress, perforating the roofs with her heels. She was not it. Paimon kept his head low.
Gaea made a face. “My siblings are helping someone.”
“Which ones.”
“Levi and Ouroboros.”
“Furcas.” Paimon raised his head. Water blasted him in his face sending him up the wall. A chunk of ice shaped like a fist knocked him into the garden. Furcas hit the grass grinning. Paimon shook out his ringing head. “That does not count as a tag!”
Furcas skidded to a stop. “I know. I just wanted to smack you around.”
Paimon scowled. “I see how it is.” Gaea grew a tree under Furcas, launching him into the air. Ouroboros caught Furcas and he hovered. Gaea and Paimon waited for his attack, tense.
Leviathan tackled Gaea in a wave of water, flooding the garden. Paimon sloshed away.
Furcas picked him out of the water and flew straight up. He turned Paimon around and bit him on the cheek transferring the fire. “You are it.”
Paimon kneed Furcas in the stomach, dropping both back into the water. “I’d say that was cheating with three against two, but you don’t really count as one with pieces missing do ya?” Gaea grabbed Paimon and the pair dashed off. Furcas sent a hailstorm after them. He rubbed his bruised stomach and grinned.
***
Gabriel aimed his machine at the planet below. He got a lot of energy readings from one spot. He focused the weapon there. He flew in a circle. No one waited with him besides Uriel and Barachiel’s underlings. Gabriel did not find them interesting, so he ignored them.
Gabriel fidgeted; he did not like being here. He wanted to get this over with. He interfaced with the machine and fired.
***
Dahlia ran past a garuda bakery and skidded to stop to gaze at the candies in the window. Lucifer tackled her to the ground. “Ha!”
Dahlia lit up blindingly bright. Lucifer held his head. Their eight children screamed. Furcas and Apple swayed on their feet. Their eyes flashed neon red.
The ground vibrated and went still.
Dahlia lay gasping underneath Lucifer; she sucked in air, her clothing plastered to her body from sweat. Lucifer picked her up. “PALACE NOW!” He ran with her limp in his arms.
Dahlia regained sight. “They fired it, Lucifer.”
***
Michael punched Gabriel, sending the Archangel flying. The planet now had a crater the size of a football field, shallow, but molten red. He glared at Gabriel. “You were supposed to wait!”
Gabriel rubbed his jaw. “There was no harm done.”
“Now they know!”
“Now we know too, it works.”
Uriel stared at the machine. “Let us fire it again! The Fallen will have to come out of hiding.”
Michael grimaced. “The plan is to destroy the place, not engage.”
Barachiel frowned. “If they do not engage we will not see what effect it has on them. What if we destroy the planet only to find both Primangels restored?”
Michael paled and shifted the spear in his hands. “That could happen?”
Gabriel nodded. “Possibly. It is all hypotheses anyways.”
Michael stared.
Selaphiel folded his arms. “Why do you not ask Him?”
“He does not reply.” Michael frowned. “If they do not appear fire warning shots. If they still do
not come, full intensity until that planet is no more. We defeated them before, we can defeat them again.”
***
The Fallen gathered inside the palace. Dahlia leaned on Lucifer, she was weak and light-headed. Apple and Furcas rested on the floor, similarly affected. Lucifer held Dahlia’s hand and watched her, intent on catching any sign that something had changed.
Leviathan, Gaea, Ouroboros, Titan, Ifrit, Nix and Ra waited with them. Chronos ascended to the surface. Paimon and Berith paced. They stared at their partners; worry painted their features. Helion circled overhead, Belial chewed on her fingernails, and Andy fidgeted.
Chronos materialized in the room. He held a piece of molten rock in his hand. He handed it to Titan. “They have fired something through the shield.”
Dahlia and Lucifer’s eyes met.
Berith touched the rock. “Strange.”
Lucifer leaned in. “What?”
“It is not so much destroyed as changed. I do not recognize this substance.” The rock was dark, almost oozing, and it did not cool.
Dahlia recognized it. She thrust her hand in the material. It swirled around her skin and sank into her flesh. She shuddered and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked healthier. She gestured to Andy. “Theories of Hell, if you want some, go to the surface and bathe in this stuff.”
Paimon perked up. “What’s this now?”
Dahlia held her hand up. “You guys had Heaven with your cold light, electricity, sound. Hell is dark matter, warmth, sensation, and mass. Their weapon is converting the material here to my realm. Though I wonder if they know that.”
Lucifer touched her brow. “Does this hurt or harm you?”
Dahlia shook her head. “I do not think so. When they fired, the sensation was like a dislocation, being in too many places at once. This created material is benign, to me at least.”
Dahlia lit up. The earth shook. Furcas and Apple hit the floor in a daze.
Paimon dove for Dahlia and tied her discarded pendant around her throat. She stopped glowing. Her eyes turned blue. She gasped. Furcas and Apple shook off the effects and regained their footing; their eyes changed back to their regular colors.
Paimon looked between Dahlia, Furcas, and Apple. He nodded, satisfied. “Thought so, the three of them are linked physically and energetically. Fuck with Dahlia, fuck with them.”
Dahlia looked at her hands and broke a finger. The break did not heal. “Huh.”
Lucifer healed it for her. “I do not like this at all.”
Chronos went to the surface and back. “They fired again.”
Paimon frowned. “I want to see what we’re dealing with.” Chronos grabbed him and the pair departed.
Belial folded her arms. “So are we fucking them up or what?”
Lucifer and Dahlia stared into each other’s eyes. Dahlia sighed. “We have to go out there and destroy that machine. I do not think we have a choice.”
Lucifer nodded. “You are vulnerable.”
She grabbed the pendant. Lucifer stopped her. “I do not want you tied to the planet, not if it means that it can hurt you.”
“I will get hurt either way.”
Paimon and Chronos reappeared. Paimon was pissed off. “Gabriel. He’s sitting just outside of the shield taking potshots at us. I waved, but he didn’t see me.” He frowned. “Michael did though. They look like they’re preparing to invade. They have an army up there.”
Belial jumped from foot to foot. “Then we fuck them up!”
Furcas leaned on Paimon. “Yeah, that worked out real well for us the last two times we engaged.”
Berith smiled. “We did not get to use our abilities then. There is no reason not to know, we no longer need to hide. Dahlia is as strong as we are, she is aware. We are together, nothing prevents us.”
Andy nodded. “I agree. We have yet to see what we can do against them when we’re really trying.”
Belial grinned. “Please?”
The Fallen looked to Lucifer and Dahlia. Dahlia pulled the pendant off. “I do not want to be the cause of you being weakened. I am strong this way.” Her eyes flashed back to red. “I can and will fight beside you.”
Lucifer looked uneasy, but nodded. “I would rather have you near than separated again.” He looked to his Fallen. “A fight is the only course.”
Dahlia lit up as another warning shot made contact with the ground. She fought against it and stayed upright on her own. She thrust her head up and looked towards the stone ceiling. Her body vibrated. She clenched her teeth. “We must shield the City, the planet itself.” She looked to her children. “Do this.”
Gaea frowned. “We should fight with you.”
Dahlia shook her head. “If we cannot protect the City there is nothing to fight for. Tell your children the same.”
Lucifer looked grim and addressed Gaea, “Buy us time, we will take the weapon apart.”
Gaea nodded and the Lilliam children dissolved except for Titan. The other seven focused their attention on putting up a barrier above the City. Dahlia felt it go up. She lost her glow and sighed as the angelic beam was stopped in the atmosphere.
Titan concentrated and the City sank deeper into the ground. He shook his head and disappeared out of sight, intent on shoring up the City walls.
Dahlia shook out her hands. “Now what?”
***
Michael looked at Uriel. “Are yours ready?”
Uriel nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Paimon scouted, they will come soon.”
Gabriel concentrated, tweaked his instruments, and fired again. The light hit a shield in the air and was repulsed. He frowned. “That is strange.”
“What?”
“Look.” He fired again. “Countermeasures.”
“Can you get through it?”
Gabriel nodded. “I need time, but yes.” He fiddled with controls only he understood.
***
Lucifer and Dahlia eyed their grandchildren and great grandchildren. Behind the two Primangels, the Fallen waited in silence. Lucifer and Dahlia shared a look, that of agreeing parents, they turned to their family.
Lucifer shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
Set threw a lightning bolt. “Why?”
Dahlia folder her arms. “No means no, Set.”
Anansi hissed. “We cannot stay here and do nothing!”
Lucifer frowned. “That is not why we ask you stay behind. The City needs a line of defense. We are only taking volunteers to the surface.”
Odin stood by his father Set. “We are volunteering.”
Lucifer sighed. “No. We take only those that are not needed here.”
“Our children are not expendable!” Agni threw up fire. “Is that what you are saying? That they can go fight but we cannot?”
“No!” Dahlia took Lucifer’s hand. “But if we die, the Lilliam will need their leaders intact, not dead, and gone. You are the first generations; you must lead from the City.”
Persephone stomped her feet. “We should lead on the battlefield as well!”
Phoenix and Spider shared a look. Spider stepped forward. “A representative or a few should be on the surface with you. We cannot let our families go without being there to help.”
Lucifer and Dahlia relaxed, having hoped it would get to this point. Lucifer nodded. “I agree.”
Dahlia squeezed his hand. “We will allow Aita and Thanatos to come with us with their hand-selected warriors.”
Thanatos looked at his son. “Why must my son go? I can go alone.”
“I will go with you, father!” Aita glared at his father; Persephone held him back.
Dahlia looked at father and son. “We need leadership over the undead and someone to aid the crossover for those that are too injured for healing. It would be too much to expect one of you to do both.”
Lucifer jumped in before the others could speak. “We also will need to control the air in this battle. That is where it will be primarily fought.” He looked to
Furcas, Paimon, and Helion. “We will have the sylphs, wraiths, and banshee to help us there as well as collect the injured. Healing is our priority.”
Persephone stepped forward. “I will go with my husband. I can heal and work with the undead.”
Lucifer looked to Aita and Persephone. “Then you both will work under Helion.” He waited for their assent before turning to the others. “The angels will more than likely have the pendants and nets that we briefed you on before. Paimon believes that attacks of sound and energy are the only way of breaching the pendants’ protection and getting through their immunity from physical attacks—”
Agni paced. “Then I understand why the physical elements are staying down here, but why are you keeping fire and light.” He pointed to himself and Phoenix. “Below ground.”
Berith stepped forward. “They will use the light of the stars and fire as weapons against us. We must take away their light. We must control the environment; we must remove anything they can use as a weapon against us. Having either of you aboveground would be disastrous for us.”
Lucifer nodded. “They will use you against us. I am sorry. Nix, Titan, Ouroboros, and Chronos’ children are the only ones that can come to the surface with us.”
Agni threw up flames but did not fight further.
Paimon took the gap to interject, “Besides stripping them of light, we need to hit them with sound. I think it’ll fuck with their heads.”
Aita nodded. “We no longer have sirens, but we do have the wraiths and banshee.”
Dahlia nodded. “If we can disorient the angels we have a chance to get the pendants off. With those off they will be vulnerable to physical harm, they will be mortal.”
Neptune looked to the ceiling above them. “They fight on ice. You will need ice elementals.”
Dahlia frowned. “They will fight back with flame, and you could lose many.”
“The benefit will outweigh the loss.”
Dahlia did not look convinced. Lucifer stepped forward. “They may come, but they must wait in reserves, only fighting with vulnerable angels that come to ground.”
Dahlia pointed at the Lilliam. “But no one besides Fallen will engage the Archangels.”
Lucifer nodded. “They are to be left to us.” He looked to the second and third generation Lilliam. “The rest of you need to make this City prepared for an invasion and an evacuation. Their weapon is trained on the area above the City and unless we can stop it, the City will be destroyed.”