by F. F. John
“What’s all that noise? Where are you?”
“I’m in a stable and—”
“As in horses?” From her raised tone, I could tell she found that hard to believe. What if I told her of the crazy few weeks I’d had?
“Vaughn, there’s no need to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
She sighed in resignation. “You want me to believe you’re in a stable with excited horses? Fine. I’ll just have you know, I grew up with horses and they tend to be quiet at night.”
Her horses were probably never near fallen angels or demon spawn. “Why don’t you send me that information and I’ll call you later, okay?” I said quickly, trying to usher her off the line.
“I’ll send you my address as well.” Now, the horses nickered loud enough to set my heart pounding. What’s wrong with them?
“Sure. Sure.”
Not waiting to say goodbye, I hung up and jumped off the bushel, heading toward the doors. Straining to listen past the stable noise, I soon heard a thud, followed by another one. The pattern repeats itself until I realized I was listening to the sound of heavy feet.
Something was coming.
--XXI--
I WAS HALFWAY TO THE barn doors when they blasted into pieces cutting through the air. Squeezing my eyes shut, I didn’t see what cracked my skull. Something smacked into my chest throwing me backward until I hit the hay bales.
Next thing I knew, my face slapped the stone floor. I gasped in pain, fright, and confusion, only to take in a mouthful of straw. I bet a sommelier or someone with ‘refined taste’ would describe it as having grassy notes but to me, hay tasted like shit and I spat out as much as I could.
I was still in need of a palate cleanser when thick fingers clamped onto my skull. Something rancid filled my nose, making me retch.
What in heaven’s name is that? There was no time to ponder as my hands automatically wrapped around the thick fingers. I fought to lift them off but failed. An attempt to raise my head to see who had me in a vise grip also failed as I was hauled forward. The smooth floor hurtled past beneath me, my toes dragging up swirls of dust and hay.
“Let go of me!” I cried out at the top of my lungs. All around me, horses fled from their stalls, snorting, and neighing as they dashed away into the dark.
Their trotting sent dust up my nose, leaving me sneezing repeatedly as tears drifted down my cheeks. My toes scrambled to gain some leverage, but I couldn’t get a foothold.
A deep cackle made my body go rigid and cold spiraled up my spine. “Master will be very pleased.”
Master? Lucifer, of course. Whether true or not, I knew I wouldn’t go without a fight. With my limited mobility, I strained to tip my head up, so I could see better. A glint on my left caught my eye, and I stretched out my hand.
Please let me grab whatever that is. Please, please, please.
The tip of my middle finger grazed cool metal and on instinct, I curled the rest of my fingers around it. Having grabbed it, I pulled it into my line of sight. It was a shiny new rake.
It took some work, but I managed to shove the tines toward my attacker. At first, I swiped at nothing but air. On a second attempt, however, I dragged the rake against flesh. That didn’t slow him down, so I had to think of something else.
With both hands around the rake handle, I attempted again. This time, the tines sunk into flesh and I yanked back with all the strength I could muster. That did the trick as the monster slowed with a pained grunt. His fingers loosened just enough for me to slip away.
I rolled away, only stopping when a swinging stall door hit me in the ribs. Rough hands grabbing my t-shirt kept me from getting to my feet. I struggled to gain purchase but soon found myself flying across the barn. The weightlessness sent my stomach into my mouth and as the ceiling neared, my gaze sharpened on the wooden rafters. Not possible.
When my arm hit the ceiling, I plummeted to the floor with a crack, my head bouncing against the stone.
“Vaughn!”
All I saw was black nothingness.
“Vaughn!” This time the speaker sounded further away and my eyelids drooped. “Consumo!” I heard the crackling sound of fire. It reminded me of the noise flames made as they spit and jump out of a burning log. Smoke curled into my nose and left a bitter taste. The next sound was an inhuman wail that hurt so much, I felt nauseous.
“Wake up, Vaughn,” a woman said, but all I wanted was to succumb to the tiredness that had settled into my bones. “Oh, no you don’t, boy!” There was a lingering sting on my cheek. Did someone just slap me?
Warm hands moved me from my side to my back and squeezed parts of my arms. “Where does it hurt?” The Southern twang told me Layla was talking to me, but I couldn’t be bothered to confirm.
With a huff, she muttered, “Confervo!”
Suddenly, all my pain disappeared, and I was left with a cool, tingly feeling all over.
I heard footsteps bounding toward us at a rapid pace. “Thank God, you found him, Ms. Barrow.”
“I sensed there was something happening here. Found this one getting his ass kicked by a saxum.”
“A stone monster? Those are rare. Wonder where Lucifer dug it up from?”
“Same place he gets all his nasty things…”
My eyes fluttered open during their conversation and I stared at the now-destroyed barn doors. It took a few blinks for me to realize it wasn’t my knocked-about head seeing multiples. Still, I gave my head a gentle shake. All manner of monsters lurched toward the barn. Their bodies blotted out the night sky and what had been a serene landscape beyond the barn.
“Um, Lucifer’s nasty things are right over there.” I pointed at them.
Bode and Layla sprung to their feet while I clambered at a much slower pace. Snakes slithered across the grass, leaving black ash in their wake. On two legs, I saw their ‘cousins’—serpenti, as well as zwarts of varied sizes. There were witches with hexes painted on their skin. Most looked to have been drawn in blood, sending a shiver down my spine. Sprinkled among the group was more of what could only be the saxum—they resembled boulders arranged to mimic human form They came in all sizes, with the smallest taller than me by at least two feet.
Birds so black flew overhead. They made the night seem pale in comparison. If not for their orange eyes I would have missed them. They were accompanied by bats with wide ragged wings. I squinted at the creatures that stomped up. Their heads—filled with sharp metallic spikes—were wider than their short bodies, which sat on three squat legs. They crowded past what used to be the barn’s entrance and filled the aisle between the stalls. “Anyone have a weapon I can use?” I asked but got no answer from Bode and Layla who were glaring back at the latest arrivals.
My pulse roared in my ears when my eyes dropped to a black cat. It slinked through the legs of a zwart and eased into the space between both groups. When I blinked, a stunning olive-skinned woman with a bald head appeared. Dark eyes sparkled under the stable’s lights and full glossy lips tugged at me with invisible strings. Bode blocked my pathway to her, thankfully, and I managed to stand in place. I did, however, lean around him to get a better view of her. She was naked as the day she was born, with everything looking better than I’d ever seen.
I knew she was the cat I’d seen a second earlier by her stealthy gait. That and the tail that whipped up dirt behind her. She stopped a short distance before us.
“Keep your wits and your other bits about you, boy,” Layla hissed. “She don’t smell as good as she look.”
I took a long sniff and winced at the sour essence I dragged into my lungs.
She snarled at Layla before her eyes darted to me. “Vaughn Prentiss, the Master wants you.” Her voice was rich and melodious. Soothing, even. “Come willingly and we will spare everyone here. Resist and we will kill them all. Your friends Antonio and Delphine will each find their way to a grave.” She issued her threats sonorously with no malice in her tone.
“He will do
no such thing, madam,” Bode said, his accent making him sound even more polite than he probably intended.
The beautiful, bald lady lifted her chin, so she stared down her nose at us. “Only one person here has the right to choose, and that is not you, LegionBorn.” She made the last word sound like a slur.
There was a commotion behind the demon spawn. The woman didn’t deign to turn and look, her eyes boring into mine. I, on the other hand, broke our locked gaze when a yelp grabbed my attention. I watched as one by one, bodies flew out of the barn. Soon shouts rang out as many of the creatures flipped around, jumping on something. Laughter bubbled up from several of the creatures, but it was short-lived.
I squinted at a blazing white light that manifested in the sea of demon spawn. Those closer to it shielded their eyes with claws, paws and hands. The laughter morphed into a wail. It reached a fevered pitch that caused the bald lady to reel. Once she did, the spreading light encapsulated her.
“Move back!” There was an urgency in Bode’s voice that sent me scrambling backward, my gaze never leaving the encroaching glow. Next thing, the light bloomed for a second, froze, and collapsed on itself. It reminded me of footage from the testing of the hydrogen bomb.
There was no sound, but the ground swayed beneath me. Where the light had been, my father now stood.
“I thought you guys could use some help.” He grinned, and I sighed in relief.
“Stop being cocky,” Layla grumbled. “That’s the problem with you immortals. Everything seems easy to ya cos time and death mean nothing. We need to get this here boy of yours to the house before the rest of their ilk,”—she jerked her head in the direction where the demon spawn were congregated— “realize they be needin’ more help.”
Ignoring her, Caleb marched over to me, grin replaced with a look of concern. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“No, he’s not,” Layla said with a snort. “A saxum threw his ass at the ceiling. His ribs, neck, left arm and right ankle need time to heal.”
Caleb’s eyes roved over me as if he could see every injury she just described. “Well, she’s right. Let’s get you to the house. What were you doing out here,, anyway?”
“I needed to eat in peace.”
“And make a phone call, it seems.” Bode bent to pick something up. It was the cell phone, which he waved. “Delphine?” He asked with one brow cocked.
I bit the inside of my cheek. Damn it! I should have put the phone in my pocket.
“The demon spawn wouldn’t have found you this quickly either, not with all the wards we have protecting you,” Caleb said, reading my aura. The disappointment in his tone made my chest ache for some unknown reason.
“That call you made is how they found ya,” Layla added. “You don’t think demons know how to tap phones? All they need is a good witch.”
I should have thought of that, but I didn’t consider myself a fugitive. And yet, I felt bad for having let Caleb and everyone else down. I’m sorry, I thought.
“It’s okay, Vaughn,” Bode said. “Let’s just get you to a more defensible location.”
“You will do no such thing,” a cold voice uttered, triggering goose flesh to erupt on my arms. “I like you just the way you are.”
--XXII--
WE ALL SPUN AROUND TO see we were no longer alone in the stable. Stern stood before us and he brought reinforcements.
“Never send a kitten to do a man’s job, right?” He gave a sinister smile. Standing in his navy-blue suit, he looked like the Davo Stern I was used to seeing on television, in newspapers, and magazines. I still couldn’t come to terms with the beast he became in my firm’s conference room.
And, he wanted me dead.
“Hello, Acyel.”
There was a slight pause before Caleb said, “Hello, Cipher.”
They seemed so civilized even though they were glaring at each other. I wondered whether we could maintain a calm tone for the rest of tonight’s meeting. I’d likely live to see another day.
“That won’t be likely.” Stern glanced at me and I groaned silently. Keep your thoughts quiet!
“You will not harm my son.” Caleb stepped into the space between us. “Don’t you dare threaten him.”
“How do you plan to stop me? You only have two others here to help you protect your son.” Head high, he cracked the knuckles in one hand. “Typical. You’re always bringing a knife to a gunfight. Even when the life of your child is at risk.”
Layla cut a sidelong glance at Caleb that spoke volumes though she said nothing.
Stern’s gaze swiveled to her then back to Caleb. “I take it you were advised otherwise?” He snorted and looked back at her. “My brother has always been full of hubris. He got it from our father.” He sneered. “It’s such an overbearing trait. Quite annoying as I’m sure you can agree?”
This time Layla simply looked at him without a reaction.
“And you always hated Father, Lucifer. Despite him loving you the most.” Caleb retorted.
“You think our Father loved me the most?” Stern did something decidedly human. He folded at the hip and let a deep laugh flow from his lips, shoulders shaking. The sight and sound of the act sent knots into my stomach. When he straightened, he said, “Father created me to be the villain of the story. I am the antagonist upon which every lesser being will base evil and that has been and will be my fate. How’s that for love, brother?”
He took a step toward Caleb. “Did he ever give me a choice in the matter? Hmm? You’ve always been small-minded, but I’ll let you in on a secret. Father is afraid of me. That’s why he limited me to the role he gave me.” He folded his arms over his chest. “I’ll show him though.” Determination crept into his tone, increasing with each newly spoken word. “I will be more loved and worshiped than he ever could be. And when he tries to bring me down, he’ll face a world filled with his precious humans who will no longer remember him. They will know me!”
“And you say I suffer from hubris,” Caleb muttered with a shake of the head.
A muscle jumped at Stern’s right temple and spasms traveled down the side of his face. He took a deep breath, his chest expanding with the effort.
“Oh well,” he said with a dismissive shrug. He waved his left hand and Layla crashed into a stall. Stunned, I raced in that direction until I was stopped mid stride, unable to move a muscle.
Layla! I screamed in my head and saw no evidence that she was alive. All was silent and unmoving in her stall.
Behind me, I heard Bode mumbling under his breath.
“Let him go, Lucifer!” My father’s voice boomed.
“Oh, shut up, Acyel.” I couldn’t see Caleb, but I imagined he rolled his eyes in the space of time it took him to continue. “You’ve always known this day was coming. If you really cared about this son of yours, you would have killed him before he was born. Now, he must play his part, which is to die.”
I strained to move but my body refused to cooperate. Don’t give up!
“Kill those two,” Stern ordered and the demon spawn closest to Bode and Caleb moved. In a flash, he was by my side, whispering, “Let’s go somewhere quiet so we can prepare you for the sacrifice at midnight.”
Suddenly, my knees buckled, and I slumped to the floor. What I really wanted to do was run back to the farmhouse. My arms and legs moved as if tied to marionette strings. Stern joined me, and we walked through his army of demon spawn. The path closing in behind us. I could hear the grunts and spell casting of the battle taking place behind me.
“Vaughn! Fight him!” Caleb called at my back and as much as I wanted to go help, my body continued toward the door.
Deep in my consciousness, I told myself to break free, but I continued walking alongside my captor.
“You have the power to fight him!” This time there was strain in Caleb’s voice. Still, doubt flickered within me. Was I strong enough to break the devil’s hold on me?
“Not quite.”
Hot fear gr
ipped me as I realized the voice in my head wasn’t mine. I had control over my eyes, so I looked at Stern. He was chuckling.
“That’s right. I’m in your head, Vaughn Prentiss. Or should I call you Legion’s seed? Whatever the case, your fate is ordained, and you will die in about three hours.”
My hands dampened, and I couldn’t breathe. He’s going to kill me! My right foot touched the grass outside the barn when a boom startled me. Stern spun around but I couldn’t.
“Libertas!” That was Layla’s voice. She didn’t sound as strong, but I could make out the determination lodged into that drawl of hers. I smiled to myself as my chest filled with relief to know the blind card reader was okay.
“Your spells are a joke, witch. You no longer belong to a coven because you fraternized with wolves. Am I to believe you have enough strength to challenge me?” Stern mocked. “Unlike you, I don’t need spells to rip you apart!”
Layla froze and then let out a blood-curdling scream. Still, she struggled to say, “Li…ber…tas!”
I crumpled onto the grass, finally free. With a twist of my head, I saw he hadn’t noticed. He was too busy causing Layla pain. She grimaced, fingers splayed at her side. I flung myself in his direction, but he gestured slightly with one hand and I hurtled back into the stable, eating hay once again.
“Vaughn! Catch!”
Fortunately, I looked up just in time to see something coming my way with an orange gleam.
“Catch it, son!”
“Don’t let that zwart get it!” Bode yelled, daring to glance my way as he fought off a saxum.
A zwart trudged my way, its eyes on the spinning object. There was determination etched on his puss-leaking face. I had to get to whatever that was first. That got my competitive juices flowing and although I was nothing but a combination of pain-squeezed nerves, I pushed myself up and readied an outstretched hand to receive the speeding object.
God, help me, please, I said in silent prayer.
The object was no more than a foot away and I shut my eyes in anticipation. Oh, God, oh, God, oh God…