Legends (To Absolve the Fallen Book 3)

by Aaron Babbitt

  “Master Zeng Wei,” a deep rumbling voice emanated from the demon, “I’m glad you are still with us. You lost a lot of blood. But you are still alive, so I guess that puts you in a better position than any of these.” It waved its arm, indicating the fallen prophets. “You must have tracked me from the farm,” it added as a side thought.

  “You murdered an entire family of innocent mortals,” Zeng Wei answered with all of the contempt he could muster. “I mourn that I could not stop you from doing it again.”

  The demon appeared next to the helpless Elder Prophet and looked down upon its prey with hunger in its eyes. “When your world was created, it was I who caused the core of your planet to move and churn, giving you a living planet, heat, and seasons. You thought the six of you would stop me? I am Asmodeus, little prophet, and I have come at the bidding of my liege. I have crossed the threshold to answer that call. The gates of Hell could not bar me. Of what consequence are you?”

  In a flash of pain, Zeng Wei could feel his extremities again. Gritting his teeth so hard he thought they’d break, he endured the pain with a muffled grunt.

  “I have taken the liberty of reattaching your spinal cord,” Asmodeus informed him. “I want you to feel your death. After I dispatch of you, I will find Lucifer to personally thank him for releasing me from the torment of the Abyss.”

  Asmodeus knelt on Zeng Wei’s chest, placed one hand over the Elder Prophet’s neck and the other on his right arm. With a savage snarl, the demon detached the arm from the body and leaned forward, putting the weight of his body on the prophet’s torso and neck, to finish the job. Zeng Wei’s eyes bulged as his rib cage and larynx were simultaneously smashed under Asmodeus’s bulk.

  After a few minutes of mauling the body, the demon simply got up and stalked away into the darkness, leaving his carnage as it was, a testament to his power.

  Chapter 6

  When Zeng Wei died, the Council was reminded of its mortality. Even one of the eldest of us could be defeated by a single demon, and many more fell after him. Many years after the war with Metatron, Alex dissolved the Council, not that there were enough living members to make much effect, and he created a new panel to help him govern the prophets. Of course, he gave me an honorary position on his board of advisors, but that was really all any of us were: advisors. When I resigned, I realized that I had reached the end of a long road, which began with the murders of the Dalai Lama and Zeng Wei. After thousands of years, the age in which the world unknowingly relied upon the Elder Prophet Council to protect it against the evils that would enslave it had ended.

  --Abigail Martin, Through the Eyes of a Martyr

  It was almost midnight when the group who journeyed to D.C. got home to see Garrett, Nagina, and Salmar waiting for them at the dining room table. Having been so exhausted by the day’s events and the trip to and from, Abbie nearly broke down when she heard about Zeng Wei. It took all she had to listen silently as Nagina explained, amidst sobs, what they’d found of the Elder Prophet, ravaged as if by some kind of fell animal.

  “Though I’ve seen many brutal demonic attacks,” Garrett interjected, “I’ve never seen one like that. From the tracks at the scene, I can gauge a relative size of the demon: about ten feet tall, and it probably weighed in the neighborhood of eight hundred pounds. That’s large even by most demons’ standards. The attacks on the prophets indicate the use of fangs, but not claws. For the most part though, it was shear physical strength that killed them.”

  “With all due respect, Garrett,” Abbie replied resignedly, “what reason do you have for giving an autopsy at this time?”

  Garrett furrowed his bushy eyebrows, briefly revealing a slight irritation. “This is a demon I have never encountered before. To my knowledge, I have encountered and—in most cases—eliminated any demon that could single-handedly do to an Elder Prophet what this one did. And the two I know of that still walk free don’t kill in that manner.”

  The Hunter General bowed his head before continuing. “I was apparently so obsessed with those two that I missed the entrance of this new threat. For that, I humbly beg your forgiveness; it should have never happened. Gregor, Chiron, and I will personally track down and kill this new foe, whatever it may be, before it has the chance to act again.”

  “I am so sorry for my reaction a second ago,” Abbie said softly. “It was spoken in exhaustion and grief, but that is no excuse for rudeness. As for Zeng Wei’s killer, is it possible that this demon is one we already know, trying to confuse us?”

  Garrett shook his head. “No. I am intimately familiar with Metatron and Lucifer, as well as all of their ranking officers. If any of them had made the attack on Zeng Wei, I could have seen its aura on his body. Almost like a fingerprint, each aura is specific to a demon. This aura was foreign to me.”

  “Then,” Abbie concluded, “I don’t think it would be wise to send our defense out after it. The three of you would be putting yourselves in terrible danger to seek out this demon.”

  “It’s what we do,” Garrett reminded her with a smile.

  “I want to go,” Alex said suddenly, causing everyone in the room to immediately look at him with a mixture of disbelief and wonder.

  “We’ve already talked about you going after demons,” Abbie stated.

  Garrett added, “I’m not even going to take Dylan. This is going to be a significant undertaking, and you may not be up to this task.”

  “Alex,” Liz pleaded desperately, touching his shoulder to get his attention, “this doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

  Matt, too, objected. “I don’t think I can protect you against whatever this is.”

  For a moment, Alex resented them all for coddling him, but he shortly thereafter remembered that they were all just doing what the grand designer, Jeremiah, had wanted them to do. They were looking out for his well-being, but they were forgetting his strength.

  “It’s my decision to make,” Alex said quietly, throwing logic at his critics he had heard Abbie use in the past quite effectively.

  “I, for one, agree with Alex,” Gregor offered. “Aside from the fact that he is untouchable to any demon thanks to his protection, the boy may be better at handling demons than any of the rest of us, even without the assistance of an archangel.”

  Alex gazed at Gregor with a new respect. It was almost as if Gregor reveled in defending the underdog. It gave Alex resolve. He wanted to mete out justice to whatever had murdered Zeng Wei and the five other prophets, to make it pay. The thought of killing a demon felt very good to him at that moment.

  He noticed that Abbie was studying him with a careful eye. Something in her glare warned him that she was scanning his surface emotions. He quickly threw up a mental block, similar to one she, herself, had taught him.

  In response, Abbie cocked one eyebrow and reiterated, “I still don’t think it is a good idea. I fear more than just demons out there. Ultimately, however, you’re right, Alex. It’s your decision to make alone. None of us knows what you’re capable of, except you.”

  “I can do this, Abbie, and I’ll make sure that all four of us come back.”

  There was only silence in which several people wanted to say something to stop Alex from doing something that seemed unnecessarily foolhardy. Finally, Abbie just nodded wordlessly, surrendering.

  “Then, we shall leave early tomorrow morning,” Garrett announced. “Everyone needs to get some rest. I think things will start moving much more rapidly from here on out.”

  ***

  “I still don’t know how comfortable I am with you walking into the fire,” Teacher admitted gruffly. “You know Kingstone is about to become the most dangerous place on the planet?”

  “Yes, sir,” Lonny affirmed as he zipped his suitcase shut. “You always told me that I need to help humanity see its true potential. How can we do that if Metatron wins? With respect to the Society, if the prophets fail, who can really stop Metatron?”

  “Do you have to help them in Kingstone? You�
�ve expressed your support of them already. If you must go somewhere, go to the Bastion of Hope. It seems that Metatron has turned his eye from Las Vegas for the moment.”

  “I’m not needed in Vegas, Teacher, and I think you already know that.”

  Raul muttered discontentedly for a moment before saying, “I will see you safely into the hands of the prophets, but I can do no more unless the Society chooses to move.”

  “Yes, sir. I know.”

  “And it almost certainly never will. That would defy everything we stand for.”

  Lonny stopped packing to think carefully about his next response. “Self-preservation and the preservation of those we care about should be in our tenets somewhere.”

  “Your wisdom exceeds your years. I truly hope you live long enough to make a good leader and put it to use.”

  “I do too, Teacher.”

  ***

  Alex, Garrett, Gregor, and Chiron stood in front of the safe house, getting last-minute instructions from Abbie.

  Garrett had previously explained that Chiron, in addition to his stature and his way with a sword, was particularly gifted with veiling: a learned demon hunter ability to make oneself and others who are close temporarily undetectable in every way to individuals, specific groups, or everyone. Despite how secretive Garrett could be, he confessed that unpredicted things happen all the time, and he could not risk a mortal seeing three men carrying a mace, katana, and a broadsword. They would probably proceed to call the police, and things would become more complicated. As such, Garrett had insisted that Chiron hide their presences from everyone except each other upon their departure.

  Alex’s parents were also there, their faces paled in fear. Matt was close by as well, looking helpless. He had demanded to go earlier, but Alex had adamantly refused, citing no reason or logic, simply that he didn’t want it to happen. In truth, he had not forgotten Sophie’s prophecy and Jeremiah’s assertion that it was a self-fulfilling one. Alex didn’t want to give this prediction any more chances than it already had to come to pass.

  He had kind of wished that Liz would be here to see him off, but she’d said she wasn’t feeling well. Whether this was because she was actually sick, or because she just couldn’t stand watching him do something he knew full well she didn’t want him to do, he didn’t know. Nevertheless, her absence was felt.

  “When you find the demon you’re looking for,” Abbie instructed, “have Alex call the hotline once and hang up. We’ll locate you and send reinforcements directly.”

  Garrett nodded wordlessly and signaled the group to file out.

  “We’ll be back soon,” Alex assured his mother, who was on the verge of tears, before turning to join the demon hunters, “I promise.”

  With that, Alex and the demon hunters vanished.

  ***

  Pastor Green had not slept at all the previous night. As if merely seeing a demon up close and personal weren’t enough, the demon had given him something to ponder. Despite his better judgment, Dan had decided to read the two other scrolls. Now, like Adam in the Garden of Eden, he was suddenly aware of things he wished he didn’t know.

  Of course, this information couldn’t be shared with anyone. It was clear why some force had kept these prophecies hidden for so long. If the masses ever found out what he knew, Dan was sure that even prophets would try to kill Alexander Tanner.

  There was only one option. He would wait until the Bastion of Hope was strong enough to stand on its own. Then, he would take the scrolls somewhere that they could be safe and bide his time in some hidden locale. He would have to completely disassociate himself with other prophets and mortals. From what he’d seen, Dan estimated he had between eight months and a year before the next vision would come to pass. With any luck, and by the grace of God, he would be in the right place at the right time.

  Pastor Green didn’t know what he thought about destiny and predetermination, but there was certainly something moving about seeing oneself in a prophecy supposedly foreseen by Moses. Whether it was the future that would be if he did nothing to stop it, the future that would result from him trying to stop it, or completely inescapable, he didn’t know. These things were not his area, but he did know he had to speak with the demon, Saleos, again. As it was the only other living being that had read one of the scrolls, it could have some insight, regardless of how little Dan actually wanted to talk to a demon for any reason.

  Pastor Green put his head down on his desk like he was in grade school again, and the teacher had called for quiet time. He tried to clear his mind in hopes of formulating a strategy for the first phase of his plan.

  ***

  “Something’s not right with Alex,” Mary finally concluded after crying for a few minutes, while being comforted by her husband and Matt.

  Abbie, who had been standing in quiet contemplation nodded. “I agree.”

  Mary shot an accusing glare at the Elder Prophet. “He wasn’t like this before you kidnapped him.”

  “That is true,” Abbie admitted. “However, it’s also true that he wasn’t like this before he had touched a demon’s mind, which he has done, now, many times. I think it has started to warp his motives.”

  “What do you mean, ‘warp his motives?’” Mary asked cautiously.

  “I don’t believe Alex is out there with the hunters to protect us as he would have us believe. I sense that he is seeking revenge.”

  “For what?”

  Abbie shrugged her shoulders. “For many things, really. The murder of Zeng Wei, Metatron’s attack on Las Vegas and Jeremiah’s subsequent demise, the sheer number of prophet and human fatalities throughout the years at the hands of demons, and Alex’s loss of innocence because of the evil ways of these fiends are a few reasons he might seek revenge.”

  “He didn’t deserve this,” Mary contended quietly.

  “I didn’t choose him,” Abbie argued. “Alex’s place was decided by someone with much more authority than I have.”

  “If all of those things have happened, and are so important, then why aren’t you out there with him?” Mary demanded.

  “When he calls, I’ll go,” Abbie assured her, “but, ultimately, he was right about going—if for the wrong reasons. Not one of us, including the demon hunters, has had the raw success against demons that Alex has had.”

  “Then, I don’t know what you mean by, ‘the wrong reasons.’ If my son feels that an injustice is taking place, he will work to set it straight. He’s always been that way.”

  “I know,” Abbie said. “We studied Alex from afar since he was a toddler. We always said that his greatest strength was his compassion. In spite of his tender nature, his compassion was validation of everything we hoped he would be. Through his many adversities, I watched Alex maintain that compassion, but I don’t see it anymore. I think Alex’s anger, along with the realization of his own powers, may drive him to become a shell of a person, who only lives to destroy. I have seen it happen before.”

  “If he’s killing demons, isn’t that good for you?”

  Abbie considered the question for a moment. “Perhaps, superficially. But it wouldn’t be good for him. We need Alex at a fundamental level. He was sent to us to unite the prophets of the world in a way that the Elder Prophet Council never could. I know it’s difficult to accept the possibility that even our most powerful and crucial prophet could fall to the demons within him—I couldn’t believe it myself—but we can’t deny something you and I can see so clearly. If we are to help Alex, it will be by reminding him of what’s important in life.”

  It was at this point that the door of the house opened and Nathan joined the group on the porch. His face bore what almost looked to be sadness, but it was hard to tell because one was never quite sure what the Mad Prophet was feeling. And the expression on his face was not always a good indicator.

  “The death of the little Asian guy has made me start worrying about my own death,” Nathan confessed.

  “Zeng Wei,” Abbie said quietly.<
br />
  Nathan looked at her, perturbed that she had interrupted him with gibberish. “Huh?”

  “He had a name, Nathan; it was Zeng Wei.”

  “Whatever. I mean, are we really putting all of our stock in a boy?”

  “He’s my son,” Mary added defensively.

  “I know how it looks,” Abbie agreed, “but he has the mandate of Heaven. No demon can harm that boy. If Alex had not been whom we were given, I would have never even considered putting a child in his place. And I fervently wish that I was not so powerless, but he may be the only one who can do this.”

  “One hundred thirty people, on average, die each year to deer,” Nathan noted. “Demons are not the only creatures in the world that can kill a person.”

  “Nathan, I’m not about to tell Alex he can’t leave the house because he might be killed by a deer,” Abbie snapped at him. “You all seem to be quite mistaken about my role in all of this. I didn’t choose Alex. I don’t protect Alex. And,” she added, shooting a glare back at Mary Tanner, “I did not kidnap Alex. I am merely the one who was left to clean everything up. This was Raphael’s plan, Jeremiah’s plan, not mine. If it had been up to me, every person on this porch, except you, Nathan, would have been flown to London, to the safety of...”

  “Right,” Matt said softly, after giving Abbie a moment to swallow the entire meaning of what she was about to say. “It isn’t safe anywhere...except here, where Alex brought us. He had no way of knowing this is holy ground. He didn’t know that his very proximity meant the proximity of an archangel, but this is where we’ve found ourselves anyway. Doesn’t it seem like more than just coincidence, maybe like something or someone was guiding us? Am I the only one who still has faith in Alex Tanner? If he says he can do this and bring everyone safely home, I believe he can.”