At her words, there was a rumble of angry growls from the soldiers around the queen. The minotaur Ardat had spoken with when they first met took a step forward, beginning to swing his sling again. “How dare you accuse the queen of falsehood. I will kill you for your insolence.”
“Peace,” the queen said, her voice as hard as steel. “However, I feel your leverage is abandoned.”
Ardat raised an eyebrow in question. The queen’s only response was to move her hand in a motion behind Ardat.
Sensing some kind of trick, Ardat moved her head to look behind her while still keeping the minotaurs in her line of sight. To Ardat’s dismay, Tracy was quickly approaching on her unicorn, the phoenix flying overhead.
“If we were your enemies, I would kill you now, and as you said, take the Horsewoman and the two steeds to Sodom’s army … but I am not going to do that. Now unless you have information that can help me, I must be on my way. There are demons to kill.”
“My Queen Baymor,” one of the queen’s personal bodyguards stepped forward to address her.
“Yes, Cratos?”
“Haste above all else is our goal; however, it may be advantageous to have a Horsewoman with us when we strike.”
“Hey, I got worried for you so I thought I’d …” Tracy said as she reached Ardat. Her eyes moved from minotaur to minotaur as her train of thought derailed. “Wow, do you know these guys?”
Frustration boiled inside Ardat, but there was no going back now. She ignored Tracy and turned back to the minotaurs. Just as much as Tracy was shocked to see them, they were equally as impressed to see the unicorn and phoenix. Minotaurs looked on wide-eyed, some even gesturing to one another and exchanging deep whispers.
“I agree with Cratos,” the queen stated. “Will you join us? We march with all haste on Sodom’s army.”
“We will,” Ardat said, beginning to lift from the earth once again. “We are only a mile or so out. What is your plan of attack?”
Queen Baymor smiled as she placed her helm on her head. “The Minotaur Nation has never been known for our tact. Sodom will know we are coming by the way the earth will shake. We charge forward and kill everything in our path.”
Tracy’s mouth fell open at the words.
Ardat couldn’t help but smile. “Well then, Queen Baymor, by all means lead the way.”
Chapter 15
Alan’s dogs of war were howling and scratching at the temple doors. Despite Artemis’s soothing words, they had been panicking for days. An invisible connection linking them to their Horseman was telling them he was in danger.
“Will someone please stop that incessant noise,” Gabriel growled.
“They know Alan is in trouble,” Danielle said as she put on her gear with what remained of the crippled Angelic Army.
“Yes, I understand,” Gabriel said. “Still, it would be nice to hear my own thoughts.”
Danielle ignored him as she fumbled with the straps for her armor. As a Nephilim granted with the power to heal, Danielle had always been away from the fight, readying to care for the wounded. Now with the Angelic Army nearly decimated, every angel and Nephilim was needed to fight.
Danielle caught Angelica’s eye from across the staging area and grimaced. Angelica crossed the distance between them with a grin. “Need some help?”
“Did I look that desperate?” Danielle asked.
“Yes,” Gabriel said with a face void of any amusement.
“Ignore him,” Angelica said as her fingers moved around Danielle’s armor, tightening straps and securing buckles.
Danielle agreed with Angelica’s counsel. She did her best to calm her nerves and steady her breathing. The large Temple room that usually housed a labyrinth of bookcases had been cleared to make room for warriors preparing for battle.
Racks of shields, swords, spears, bows, and arrows made up long rows. Every hand capable of holding a weapon was busy at work making final changes or tweaks to their gear before the doors opened and the last battle began.
As Angelica moved around her still body, Danielle couldn’t help but notice Gabriel’s lack of emotion. Everyone was either chatting nervously or wore stern expressions as they mentally prepared themselves for what was to come. Gabriel, on the other hand, wore nothing more than a new black robe and his collar. He held his chin high and looked on at the others with an air of disdain.
“Aren’t you going to wear any armor?” Danielle asked.
Gabriel turned, as if noticing her for the first time. “Armor is for those who anticipate getting hit. I plan on killing my enemies before it gets to that point.”
Danielle mused over Gabriel’s words as Angelica presented her with a heavy circular shield and a sword in a golden scabbard. “When the fighting starts, stay close to me,” Angelica said.
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Danielle said, grunting as she lifted the shield. “How much does this thing weigh? It feels like a hundred pounds. Ugh, I knew I should have kept on doing Pilates.”
Before Angelica could respond, Gideon approached wearing a comical assortment of mismatched gear, including what looked like a bucket for a helmet. He extended a hand, offering Danielle a small metal sleeve with buttons on top.
“What are you wearing?” Angelica asked.
“Yeah,” Danielle said. “First, what are you wearing? And second, what is this?” She held up the strange invention, noticing Gideon wore an identical sleeve on his hand.
“This,” Gideon said, taking in his outfit with an open hand, “is a relic of what humans wore centuries past. I don’t find myself on the battlefield often, but now that I do, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
Both women gawked at him. Instead of acting embarrassed, Gideon took their silence as awe and continued. “The invention you are holding is what we’ll use to make sure Gabriel doesn’t step out of line. I made one for myself and Raphael. Raphael also suggested I make a third for you. If Gabriel decides to turn on one of us, the other two can negate his power.”
Danielle nodded with understanding, at the same time turning to Gabriel, who stood listening on the opposite side of the weapons rack. The Fallen Archangel practically shook with anger. “As benevolent and trusting as ever,” he spat. “I forgot how amazing and righteous the side of the Light could be.”
Gabriel opened his mouth again, and Danielle braced herself for more contempt when Raphael’s familiar voice cut through the air. “Soldiers, form ranks!”
Men and women ran to obey their leader, most throwing wary looks at Gabriel. Although Raphael’s decision to give Gabriel another chance had been accepted, most members of the Angelic Army did their best to avoid him at all costs. Even now, as members ran to fall in place, a wide berth was given to Gabriel.
On his part, Gabriel ignored them all and strode forward to place himself in the front line. Danielle slipped the silver gauntlet that would control Gabriel over her left arm and followed Gideon and Angelica, who also took up spots in the front line next to Gabriel.
“We’ll have to stay as close as we can to him during the battle,” Gideon whispered loud enough for all around Danielle to overhear.
“I can hear you, old man,” Gabriel said with a look of disgust.
“Oh,” Gideon said, adjusting one of his shoulder pads that looked more like a baseball glove than a piece of armor, “so you can.”
“Right now,” Raphael’s voice cut through the whispers in the crowd, silencing them all until his voice echoed off the vaulted ceilings of the Temple, “our Horsewoman is on the rooftop with Esther and a contingent of veteran soldiers ready to charge as soon as we do. She is ready atop her gryphon to lead us into battle. The Minotaur Nation has also heeded our call for help and approaches from the west. Together, we will defeat Sodom’s army if for no other reason than we must.”
The crowd was still, each word spoken by the leader soaking in and building morale by the second. Raphael was covered in silver armor with a dark-blue cape that fell behind him an
d reminded Danielle of ocean waves.
Out of the corner of her eye, Danielle spotted Artemis’s small form approach Raphael, bearing his trident. Although the weapon was twice her size, Artemis held the shaft with sturdy hands. When she reached the front, she walked up to Raphael and offered him his signature weapon.
With a nod of gratitude from Raphael, Artemis drifted back into the crowed. Raphael lifted the trident above his head in one hand. “Together we will drive the Apocalypse back into the history books, together we will defeat the Darkness and all will know that the forces of the Light are strong and able!”
A cheer broke from the crowd. Even Danielle found herself caught up in the moment and started knocking her sword against her shield. The act sent her muscles quivering with fatigue after a few strikes.
Raphael turned his back on the ranks of soldiers and, with one hand, opened the large double doors leading from the Temple. Alan’s dogs of war, who had been seeking a way out of the Temple for days, gave out thundering barks as they bounded down the stairs and led the charge.
Danielle found herself caught up in the rush of hundreds of bodies. She fought to stay close to both Gideon and Angelica as they followed Gabriel into the morning sun.
High overhead Danielle heard a whirl of rushing wind. Looking skyward, Danielle’s breath caught in her lungs. Large winged figures blocked out the sun. One, in particular, stood apart from the rest. With more than double the wingspan of its counterparts, Kassidy’s gryphon was easily distinguishable.
Their force was impressive, but Danielle knew alone they would not be able to defeat the horde that was Sodom’s army. She estimated the angels and Nephilim around her numbered no more then three to four hundred. Sodom’s army was made up of thousands of demons.
Danielle cleared her mind of the odds as she continued forward. They were down the outside steps of the Temple now. Her feet reached the rich soil that made up the landscape surrounding the Temple.
Looking up, Danielle realized they were closing the distance between themselves and Sodom’s forces much faster than she would have liked. Already Alan’s dogs were tearing at the perimeter guards as they shouted warnings.
A loud gong split the air as soldiers in black armor ran to form lines and meet Raphael’s forces.
“Now would be a good time, old man!” Gabriel shouted over the chaos.
It took a moment before Danielle realized who he was talking to. Gideon must have known instinctively because his hand shot to his silver gauntlet and he flipped a switch. Gabriel’s collar transitioned from a bright red to a shining green.
“Give me space,” Gabriel ordered as Danielle and her group reached the front lines. Anyone within ear distance didn’t need to be told twice. A wide area appeared around Gabriel as flames shot from his body and wrapped him in fire.
Danielle stood awestruck as twin swords of pure fire appeared, one in each of Gabriel’s hands. Flaming wings grew from his back. Once again, the Fallen Archangel once known as Hades had entered the battlefield.
Sweat spread down Danielle’s back as Gabriel hesitated. Instead of attacking Sodom’s forces, he looked back to Gideon and Danielle. Danielle’s fingers quivered as they hovered over the switch that would once again dampen Gabriel’s powers.
Then as soon as the moment of uncertainty arrived, it was gone. Gabriel smirked at her and turned to follow Raphael into the fight.
---
Just as all hope was lost, as the end seemed more sure than anything else in Alan’s life, shouts reverberated through the arena. Panic spread just as fast as a sound began to reach Alan’s ears. Something above the yells, it sounded like fighting. Distant rumbles made Alan hope beyond all odds that they were being rescued.
Demons ran from their seats as sergeants and lieutenants in Sodom’s army barked instruction.
Alan looked to Lavos, who wore a similar expression of confusion. Next Alan’s eyes traveled to the canopied balcony where Sodom sat with his generals. He caught the back of Rolf and Sodom as they left the arena. Trubic screamed at the centaurs to kill Alan and his friends.
As if to emphasize his words, Trubic pushed one of the guards aside that held the centaur queen hostage. With all his might, he yanked on the chain around her neck, forcing angry tears to form in her eyes. “Kill them! Kill them!” he screamed like a small child throwing a temper tantrum. “I order you to kill them right now, you four-legged freak!”
With the confusion breaking across Sodom’s camp and the fear they were under attack, the three guards holding the chains bound to the centaur queen had become lax in their immediate duties.
She must have sensed this because she struck out with her back hooves, catching the two men holding her in check square in the sternums. Ribs cracked and the soldiers fell backwards.
Flexing her muscles, she lunged forward, jumping over the balcony wall and sailing into the arena floor. Trubic and the last remaining guard holding on to her chains were dragged along with her into the pit.
Alan cringed as he witnessed the centaur queen pass through the invisible dome that separated the participants in the coliseum from those in the stands. It appeared, however, that the shield only worked one way; it prevented the occupants from getting out but not others from entering.
“Help!” Trubic screamed as he crawled backwards on his hands and bottom. “Help, me! I am Sodom’s nephew and I order you to help me!” Trubic cried at the top of his lungs to any soldier still in the stands.
The smart demons pretended they didn’t hear and ran for the exits. A few of the dull-witted soldiers moved to obey, running and jumping into the arena and trapping themselves inside with the centaurs.
While Trubic was screaming for help, the centaurs made way for their queen, who Lavos ran to intercept. With four quick strikes of his spear, the chains around her fell. He held her close, tears in his eyes. “Are you injured, my love. Did they hurt you?”
The queen’s voice was tired and weak without being scared. “They could never hurt me, my king. They had no control over breaking my spirit. As long as I knew you were alive, I knew you would never stop fighting for me.”
Lavos gave her a quick kiss on the lips and ran his hand through her hair before turning to his men. The centaurs had suddenly lost all interest in Alan and his group. Now they formed ranks in the opposite direction, pointing their weapons at Trubic and the men who had jumped in to join him.
Although the centaurs had Trubic’s forces vastly outnumbered, Trubic apparently thought he had enough men to threaten the centaurs once again. Wiping the snot and tears from his eyes, Trubic stalked forward. “You will kill them as ordered, you half-brained beasts!”
Lavos trotted toward Trubic, his warriors creating a path for him. Lavos was calm, his eyes steady.
“Do you not hear me?” Trubic screamed in rage. “Kill them!”
Those were the last words the demon would ever utter. With one swift move, Lavos plunged his spear into the screaming demon’s right eye socket. The shaft traveled through his skull and sprouted out the back.
“Leave the Horsemen and their friends,” Lavos thundered. “Kill the rest!”
At once, the centaurs moved to obey. Never in all his battles had Alan witnessed such a one-sided fight. Most of the demons tried to run back through the only exit to the arena—the tunnels. The charging centaurs caught them as easily as a horse could outrun a man.
Within seconds, the last demon was decapitated. The centaurs had not lost a warrior on their side. Alan looked to Kyle, who wore a similar expression of awe.
Alan was so caught in the moment, he missed the sound of fighting outside the coliseum drawing closer.
“Your orders, my king?” the queen of the centaurs asked. She had been given various items of armor and weaponry by the centaurs surrounding her. She held a strung bow in her hands and a stern gaze in her eye.
Lavos approached his queen again. “Now, if it pleases my queen, we ride with the Horsemen of War and Death into Sodom’s forc
es and extract payment in blood for the grief they have caused us.”
The queen smiled and nodded. “It pleases me very much, my king.”
Lavos turned to Alan. “We’ll give you the armor and weapons you need. Will you join us?”
Alan already knew his answer, but he looked to his comrades out of respect. Kyle’s eyes were narrowed as he nodded. Bobby and Rana both followed his lead, already reaching for the outstretched weaponry being offered to them by the surrounding centaurs.
Triana was the only one who seemed hesitant, but with all eyes directed to her, she sighed, “Yes, I’m in. I just hope you remember this when I’m eventually sentenced for being a part of Gabriel’s rise to power.”
“I’ll make sure the jury knows,” Alan said. “You have my word.”
“Then I guess I’m still in this fight,” she said.
“Break down the gates,” Lavos ordered. “We march to war.”
Chapter 16
Looking down on the Minotaur Army as they hammered headfirst into the ranks of Sodom’s forces was like watching a thousand-year-old dam try to hold back a maelstrom of water.
Ardat watched from above, impressed as the half-men, half-bulls crashed into the dark-clad warriors, sending them reeling backward. Even the smallest minotaur towered over the demons below. Ardat had to remind herself to stay focused. Her one job was to make sure Tracy stayed safe.
To her credit, Tracy was in the middle of the fight atop her unicorn, raining down blows with her spear. Whenever a demon tried to blindside her with an attack, or if she left her defenses open even the slightest bit, Ardat was hovering high above, ready to knock back an enemy or lift a weapon from the blood-spattered ground and skewer an attacker.
If Ardat was right, sooner or later Sodom would find Tracy. He would need to drain her power and those of the other three Horsemen to bring about the Apocalypse. Ardat’s plan was simple. She would wait for him to come to her.
Ardat didn’t have to wait long. Amidst the pandemonium below that ensued when beings with supernatural abilities waged war, Ardat caught sight of Sodom. Heavily armored guards carrying ebony halberds surrounded him. Each warrior marched in perfect sync, testifying to his or her training. Another demon with dreadlocks, wearing silver-plated armor accompanied them.
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