Ascension of Evil (Battle for Souls Book 3)

by Ciara Knight

  “Not only did I make a deal with Satan to sacrifice myself and remain on Earth so that he would return to the underworld, but I also imprisoned the warrior angels in darkness.”

  Sammy gasped.

  “And in order to seal Herak on the island, Boon had to remain behind as his keeper. You see, Boon, it wasn’t Herak who cursed you to remain on Earth without Sammy…it was me.”

  Boon’s gaze fell to the floor then roamed the room as if to find the truth in what she said.

  “No, it can’t be—”

  “I’m so sorry. I believed the angel who brought me the agreement. That it was the only way to save Earth and Heaven. A permanent stalemate was better than total annihilation.”

  Boon kept his gaze anywhere but on Gabby.

  Alexander wanted to shake him and tell him it wasn’t her fault, but he couldn’t change things. It was up to Gabby to earn his trust back.

  “We don’t have time to settle your differences at the moment,” Herak said.

  Sammy looked between Gabby and Boon, and Alexander knew she struggled with which side to take, but ultimately she’d always choose Boon, just as Alexander would always choose Gabby.

  His heart ached to make things better for her. He could do nothing other than support her as she sat in a room with her best friend giving her a cold stare, her second-in-command seething with hatred, and an old man—a former god-like, demon flying creature who had tried to kill everyone in the first war.

  He looked to Grace to see which side she fell on, but her eyes were blank, showing nothing. If he didn’t know better, he’d say no one was home.

  Bruce leaned over and patted her knee. “It’s okay, G-Bear. We’ll figure something out.” His face was almost gaunt from not eating and sleeping. Heck, they all looked rough. How much longer could they keep going like this?

  “I know all of you must hate me, and I don’t blame you, but right now, it isn’t about me. At the time of the last war, Earth had just under two hundred million people. Now, if we don’t work together and stop the war, over seven billion will be slaughtered in a matter of days.”

  Alexander cleared his throat. “It’s critical we discover the true timetable. Do we really have a few days or is that just a lie to keep us here? We need to silence the master demon and convince the hunters they’re not only dealing with the wrong side but signing their death warrant.”

  “Gabby, we don’t hate you,” Grace whispered.

  Boon growled softly.

  Alexander glanced at him. He’d never seen Boon lose it, but based on his red face and clenched teeth he was close.

  “We need to stick together. Maybe there’s a way to free the angels if we capture the master demon,” Alexander suggested.

  “No!” Herak said. All eyes snapped to him and he cleared his throat. “As I was telling you before, I know a way to find the angels, but you need to make a promise first.”

  Boon hugged Sammy tight against him. “Great, more deals with people who’ve served Satan.” Sammy turned around and ran her hand down Boon’s face. “Please, for me. Let’s at least hear him out. We can always say no.”

  Boon’s face relaxed slightly.

  Grace sat up tall and shot Alexander a don’t-you-let-him-kill-Herak kind of stare. “Go on.”

  “I’ll tell you how to free the angels once we have the master demon in our control, but you are not to harm the demon.” Herak shoved his hands in his pocket and swayed slightly. “She’s my daughter.”

  Sammy spun around to face him. Bruce bolted upright. Grace stood, her hand grasping the back of the chair for support. Alexander didn’t know what to do.

  What the hell did that mean?

  Herak sighed. “You refer to her as the Prim.”

  ****

  “That doesn’t make any sense.” Boon’s tight jaw eased. “Your wife and all your children died before the war began.”

  Gabby clung to the hope that his initial anger was fading. That someday he’d forgive her, especially if she made everything right. She couldn’t allow Sammy to be cursed to roam Earth for eternity.

  Herak smoothed the ends of his white beard. “Not all of them. One swore an oath to protect and honor me for eternity. Satan granted her eternal life for as long as I remain on Earth. I fostered her hatred of Heaven. She’s believed all this time that I was of Heavenly decent and betrayed by the angels and God himself. I told her stories of how I beat the great dragons and defended the planet from every evil that ever lived, only to be turned on and stripped of my powers.”

  Grace wrung her hands. “That poor girl.”

  “Poor girl?” Alexander released Gabby, but she grabbed his hand and squeezed before he made it by her. “After she almost caused the rift to open forever? She nearly killed us all.”

  “She was only trying to help me. A misguided attempt, yes, but I’m telling you she has a heart,” Herak said.

  “If she still cares for something or someone on Earth, we can still save her,” Sammy said.

  Bruce shifted in his chair. “Wait, I know I’m a hunter at heart, and pretty much want to kill anything not of this world—okay, excluding angels now—but we might have a problem here. If she’s been on Hell’s side since the last war and is right now trying to negotiate our capture for Satan, I’m thinking we might want to reconsider the whole saving her thing.”

  “I have to admit, Herak, it does seem risky,” Grace said, her words softened by her motherly tone.

  “Aren’t you the one still hoping Forras can be saved?” Herak scoffed.

  Alexander walked to the tent opening and peered out. “Speaking of Forras, anyone seen him? I don’t like this.”

  An uneasy feeling crawled up the back of Gabby’s neck like a tick finding a place to embed its little head in the base of her skull.

  Bruce scrubbed his chin. “If the master demon and the general are meeting here, we can assume they’re in the command tent. I think at this point we need to assume Forras is in with them working an angle, too.”

  “Why does everyone run to Satan every time things get tough?” Boon eyed Gabby.

  She stood and paced the tent. Nervous energy brewed and she searched her mind for a plan. Strategies and battle plans were comforting compared to facing the unknown. “I agree. We treat Forras as a hostile. If all of them are together in the command tent, our first priority is to get the general away from the master—Prim. The second priority, if possible, is capture Prim. Third, we capture Forras. At this point, we need to stop all deals from going down between the hunters and the underworld.”

  “You sure General Beck isn’t possessed? I mean, what hunter would ever make a deal with Satan?” Bruce said.

  “One facing annihilation or their world’s population becoming slaves to Hell would,” Herak said.

  “When we capture Prim, General Beck, and Forras, you will tell us how to free the warrior angels from darkness.” Gabby faced Herak, unwilling to move without confirmation.

  Herak nodded. “Agreed.”

  “Okay, here’s the plan.” Gabby walked to the table on the far side of the tent and picked up a pad of paper and pencil. She drew a star for the command center and boxes for the surrounding tents. “How many tents do you think are between us and the command tent?”

  Herak leaned over her shoulder. “I’d say twelve to fourteen.”

  She bit her lower lip and studied the map. “Herak and Boon, you’ll be in charge of retrieving Prim. Take her to Grace’s house since Prim’s house is near the rift and pretty much ash now. Sammy, Alex, and Dad, you need to snag the general. The three of you have to convince him that the deal will always have some sort of loop hole in Satan’s favor.”

  Her dad grinned. “Got it.”

  Gabby continued to draw letters for each of them at their ending locations. “Grace and I will handle Forras.”

  “Why you?” Alexander asked. “I mean, he’s done nothing but play games to see Charlotte. What if he takes things too far?”

  “I’
m not giving him anything he wants until he does something for us. No more games. I promise. And Grace and he have history.” For now, that was what they’d have to use. “We’ll rendezvous back at Grace’s house. Keep everyone separated until we’ve convinced them to fight on our side.”

  They all nodded, some more reluctantly than others.

  “See you soon,” Alexander said. “Don’t worry. He’s just a general who hates all earthbound creatures and believes murdering me may save mankind. No problem.” Alexander smiled teasingly.

  “Not funny,” Gabby growled. I can’t lose you now.

  You won’t. We didn’t make it this far to fall before the epic battle. I don’t know about you, but I plan on fighting until the very end.

  She slid her arms around him and pulled him tight. “I mean it, be careful.”

  Alexander stroked her hair. “I wouldn’t dare defy a direct order.”

  “This is a snatch and grab,” her dad added. “The less bullets, the better.” He pulled his Glock from his belt, flipped off the safety then held it at his side. “Alex, mind giving me a ride?”

  “Nope.”

  Sammy marched toward the tent flap. “Let’s go.”

  They all exited into the humid night air, only to find the camp empty. No guards, no one.

  “I don’t like this,” Alexander whispered.

  Boon cracked and popped for a second before his midnight body exploded into a massive heap of muscles and wings. He shot up into the sky. Herak followed with his demon-like body and dragon-style head.

  Gabby stole one last kiss from Alexander, and they all bolted across the compound to the command tent. The hair on the back of her neck rose, that tick of fear digging in deeper. Not a soul in sight. They neared the tent and Gabby immediately heard the distinctive voice of the Prim.

  Once the operation started, they had two minutes until they reveled themselves and Forras or the Prim called out and every demon in a ten miles radius would be upon them.

  Right on cue, Herak and Boon dropped from the sky, ripped open the tent then scooped up the Prim.

  “What the blazin’—”

  Her dad silenced General Beck with the butt of his weapon to the back of the head. “Sorry, but that man wouldn’t have gone quietly.”

  Alexander lifted the general into his arms and soared out of the whole Herak and Boon had made.

  Forras ran to the opening, but Gabby advanced on him. She secured one side and Grace the other. Together, they held Forras tight and took to the sky. “Settle down, Forras, or we’ll drop you,” Gabby warned.

  Forras struggled against their grip. “You guys are always interfering. When are you going to admit defeat?”

  “I’m warning you one last time, Forras. It’s gonna hurt if you go splat, so come quietly.” Forras chuckled. “Since when am I ever quiet?” He had a point.

  The wind had picked up and air rushed between her feathers. “Why’d you betray us?”

  “I’d have to be on your side before I could betray you.”

  “What about our deal? What about Charlotte? How do you think she’ll feel knowing you just tried to make a deal with a master demon to kill us?” Gabby asked.

  They drifted into the clearing. She couldn’t believe the scene below her. Sunlight filtered through the red clouds overhead, sparkling on the early morning dew forming on the wilting leaves and grass.

  Grace grabbed his arms and jerked him to her as Gabby stepped back to watch the irate angel blast the recalcitrant demon. “Start talking, Forras. I was your earthbound mother for years and I deserve an explanation. Why’d you choose Satan over me? Why’d you harm that sweet young girl? Most of all, why won’t you come back to me?” Her voice cracked.

  He frowned and looked away then marched over to a rock and sat, crossing his arms in front of him.

  Gabby sensed grief and knew it came from Grace. “Stop being childish and start talking.”

  “You just don’t get it, do you?” Forras waved his hands. “Satan’s already won. He’s on Earth. Our only chance is to follow his rule. It doesn’t matter what I do, Heaven’s not going to welcome me back. I’ll never hold Charlotte in my arms again.”

  “Satan hasn’t won. There is always hope,” Grace argued. “You used to be so brave and full of faith. You were second-in-command of the angel army.”

  Forras froze, his eyes widening, then he snorted. “Look around you. The skies are filled with sulfuric crimson clouds, the oceans bleed red, and plants are dying everywhere. I’d say it’s too late.”

  Grace stroked his hair. “Never.”

  Gabby sat next to him on the rock. “Forras, why’d you give up on Charlotte? She wants to know. If you ever truly loved her you’d do anything to get back to her.” Okay, she was adlibbing here, but she was sure Charlotte wouldn’t mind if it worked.

  “I loved her.” He slammed his fist into the rock beneath him, breaking off a piece. It clanked to the ground and rolled a few feet before it stopped at a root.

  “Then what is it?” Gabby nudged.

  “If I’m in Hell, I’ll be able to forget her. I won’t have to live with this bone-crushing heartbreak that turns me inside out every day.”

  Grace started to kneel in front of him, her aged bones cracking. She looked ten years older than she did only a couple days ago. Gabby reached out to help her down as Grace took his hands in hers. “Then fight for her.”

  “No. She’s better off without me. I never brought her anything but grief. I don’t deserve her. I screwed up in a way that can’t be forgiven.”

  This was a new side to Forras, one Gabby had never seen before. He looked like a lost little boy.

  Grace reached up and caressed his cheek. “Forras, she still loves you, so there is hope you can join her.”

  “No.” He shot up and marched away from them. Grace sat with her hands in her lap and her head bowed. Gabby knew she prayed for him.

  Forras turned and looked at Gabby. “Angels are no different from demons, full of betrayal.”

  Remorse infiltrated every cell in her body. He remembered, he knew. She got up and joined him, watching a few stars twinkle through the swirling clouds. “I’m here, now.”

  “You’re not Charlotte.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I’ve sinned the worst possible sin anyone on Earth or Heaven has ever committed, but here I am with another chance. I just need your help.”

  “You lie,” Forras snarled but didn’t budge.

  “It’s true. I made a deal with Satan at the end of the first war. I thought I was sacrificing myself to save the ones I loved, including you. I’ve learned, much to my horror, never make a deal with Satan. There is always another twist or hidden clause.”

  “What happened? Why’d you betray us?”

  “I-I thought I was sacrificing myself to save the ones I loved. Instead, I cursed Boon to be trapped in a demon body and to walk Earth for eternity.”

  Forras out right laughed. “I knew there was something not right about him, but what does that prove? So, you sold a friend out. Big deal. What human hasn’t done that?”

  “There’s more. I sacrificed all the angels who followed me into battle. I sent the warrior angels to darkness so that my friends and family could be saved.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that this whole dang war and the fact Satan is about to rule over Earth is your fault?”

  “Forras,” Grace scolded.

  “Sorry, Mom,” Forras lowered his head.

  Gabby rubbed her temple, relieving some of the pressure. “We are a lot alike. We both have something to prove.”

  “Yes, but your lover is by your side. Mine’s in Heaven where she belongs. She’ll never forgive me, and I don’t want her pity.”

  “It’s not pity. She misses you as much as you miss her. She longs for you. Do you want to have her live for eternity feeling empty and alone? If you don’t agree to help us and return to Heaven, you’ll be punishing Charlotte, too.”

  A shot of elec
tricity jolted through her. “Listen to her, Forras,” Charlotte’s voice whispered from her mouth. “You promised you would never abandon me. This time keep your word. Forgive yourself and come back to me.”

  Gabby’s muscles let go and she slumped.

  Forras stood, shoulders hunched, for a long moment. “I’ll help you. For Charlotte. But in the end, I hope she’ll choose to let me go,” he said in a hollow, far off tone.

  “Forras, love will win in the end,” Gabby said. Whether it was to reassure him or herself, she wasn’t sure.

  “You’re not listening. I don’t deserve her. She needs to let me go and move on.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I knew about your deal. I was your second and most trusted warrior. I helped get everyone out of the way to seal the deal.”

  Grace sighed and shook her head. “You two were close. It makes sense.”

  “Then we both have something to work for. Help me, and we can make this right again. Tell us. What happened with General Beck? Why was the Prim there?”

  Forras swiped the tears from his eyes. “What do you think she wanted? She’s trying to make a deal for the general to turn all of you over, except Herak. The general’s entire troop has been drawn to the edge of the compound. They’re ordered to remain there at all cost. Little do they know that hounds lie in wait for them. That’s where General Beck was supposed to turn you over. The Prim planned on flying Herak out the minute you stepped foot off the compound.”

  Grace shook her head. “General Beck can’t be that stupid. He has to know it’s a trap. The hunters will be annihilated.”

  “Well, guess they got it coming. I mean how many have they killed over the years?” Forras placed his hands on his hips and stomped back to the rock.

  “Did General Beck agree?” Gabby asked.

  Forras flung his head back. “Yes, but only after some persuasion. It turns out all of his men are standing on sacrificial ground. They’re doomed.”

  “Still, I find it hard to believe he’d agree to turn us over,” Gabby said. “If he was planning to, he’d be making other demands. A different trade spot or something. He’s a strategist, and based on the fact he’s leading this army of hunters, I’m thinking he’s good at it.”