Forged by Fire (Angels at the Edge Book 1)

by Michael Arches

  I surged forward and buried the point of my sword deep into the demon’s chest.

  The goblin roared and writhed in pain. I could almost feel his agony as he thrashed on my blade, trying to pull free.

  No mercy. I drove my sword through the goblin’s body and buried the sword to its hilt.

  The goblin’s foul breath washed over me for a second, but in a flash of light, he vanished, leaving behind a small puff of black smoke that burned my eyes.

  Chapter 13

  DECENT START, GRIFFIN told me, but don’t get cocky. Houston is much tougher. I could use a little help when you get done patting yourself on the back.

  What a snot. Sure, no problem.

  I turned to see how he was managing with the more dangerous of the two monsters. Houston moved much faster than the goblin, and the governor’s longer arms made it harder for Griffin to land a telling blow.

  At least, I could distract the devil. I dashed behind him and slashed at the backs of his goat-like legs. Even a giant needed legs to fight.

  Houston spun in a circle and aimed his blade low. I crouched barely in time to avoid the blade. Jesus Christ! He almost got me.

  I could die so easily. I did get a good whiff of the stench of burning sulfur, which stung my nose.

  Houston screamed in frustration at the narrow miss.

  His momentary distraction gave Griffin an opening, but before he could take advantage, the devil twisted around to face the angel again.

  The devil let loose a furious volley of strikes against Griffin who backed up. His foot struck the wall of my tent, and he stumbled.

  I swung at the governor, but he hit me with his free hand and knocked me ten feet back.

  Another too-close call. Wise up, Gabe!

  Houston stayed focused on Griffin and cackled as though he thought victory was at hand. He lunged for the angel.

  Thank God, Griffin managed to squirm away right before Houston’s blade landed. The devil’s momentum carried him forward, and he buried the tip of his sword a foot into the ground.

  The devil seemed to have forgotten me entirely. I rushed forward and barely reached Houston’s lower back with the tip of my sword before he leapt to his feet.

  In making that effort, I way overextended myself. Although I tried to press my blade in deeper, Houston twisted away. I stumbled and scrambled forward, trying to kill the monster before he had a chance to recover.

  Houston screamed with pain, and he spun sweeping his sword toward me.

  I tried to deflect his blade but couldn’t get mine into position fast enough. His sword scored my chest, and it would’ve sliced me in two if I hadn’t jerked back at the last instant.

  Still, the pain was excruciating, searing. You’re not going to make it, Dude. His next cut could end you!

  Oh, you survived by a miracle, Griffin told me. Fight smarter or you’ll end up like Toller!

  Houston yelled. “You can’t get lucky forever.”

  I believed him. I was no warrior…but I couldn’t abandon Griffin as long as he kept fighting.

  Houston raised his free hand to cast a curse at me.

  Time to end this, Griffin told me. Go left now!

  I juked to the left, and Houston’s ball of fire barely missed me.

  Before the devil could change direction, Griffin charged him and brought his blade down with blinding speed onto the demon’s extended sword arm. The red flaming sword flipped end-over-end as it spun in the air. Black blood sprayed out from the severed arm. The blade hit the hard ground with clang.

  The chief of staff tried to escape by changing into a raven, but as soon as he transformed, Griffin sliced the flying bird in half.

  Houston and his weapon vanished in a flash of light followed by another cloud of acrid, black smoke.

  My legs wobbled as I stood erect, and a sudden surge of elation flooded through me. Another demon bites the dust!

  Griffin raised his face to the sky and screamed like a hawk.

  I wondered whether all angels celebrated their kills like that.

  “Thank God, you arrived so quickly,” I told him.

  “Just doing my job,” the angel said. “I was circling over the remnants of the fire when you called for help. Honah only had to transport me a short distance.”

  To make sure no more threats were lurking nearby, I ran around the outside of my tent. No dark immortals, but Scarlet remained frozen in place around one corner. She wore a short red dress that flattered her figure, and she was holding a cellphone against her ear. No one else was in sight.

  When I returned to the tent’s entrance, the reality of what we’d done hit me. Griffin and I had just assassinated the governor’s chief of staff and one of his aides.

  There were bound to be plenty of folks who frowned on that kind of behavior, including Torino. Too bad. Not the least bit sorry!

  Suddenly, Milton appeared with a furrowed brow and his sword already out of its scabbard. His expression changed immediately into a smile, and his sword vanished.

  Thinking back, I wondered if I’d ever seen the old guy smile before. “It’s okay,” I said, “Griffin—”

  Milton held up his hand to interrupt me. “So, I see. Wonderful work, Griffin. And I congratulate you as well, Gabriel. I wonder whether we would be celebrating now if you hadn’t helped Griffin destroy the more powerful demon.”

  I couldn’t keep from grinning, and I remembered one my mom’s favorite expressions. “All’s well that ends well.”

  Griffin frowned. “I probably could’ve handled Houston by myself, but I thought, why take a chance. Plus, this gave Townsend good fighting experience.”

  “Excellent reasoning,” Milton replied.

  The boss saw our memories and had to know exactly how much Griffin had needed me, so I didn’t try to toot my own horn.

  I noticed Scarlet again, and I pointed to the reporter. “What do we do about her?”

  “Leave your sword out for now,” Milton said, “so we can remain in the space between time for a few more minutes. I must consider our next steps carefully.”

  As I stayed silent, several more angels appeared out of nowhere. Milton told them and Griffin to secure the area. Each turned into a different raptor, and most of them flew up into the nearby trees. Griffin circled above us.

  Finally, the old angel said, “As for Miss Davidson, her presence here is fortuitous. She will provide you an excellent alibi. She had been trying to avoid Houston before the battle began. So, she is certain you had no contact with him before she came to hide here. That greatly simplifies matters.”

  Events were moving too fast for me to keep up, but Milton was happy. That was good enough for me.

  “Return inside the tent,” he said. “As soon as you replace your sword, and the space between time closes, rush out here and confront Miss Davidson. Pretend you just heard her voice and Houston’s, which motivated you to run them off. She believes Houston never entered your tent, but make sure she goes inside to search for him anyway. That will further prove your innocence. Most important, remember she will believe she just ran around the corner of your tent to hide from Houston seconds ago.”

  I nodded. “Ready.”

  “Proceed.” Milton turned into a small songbird, flew into the tent, and perched on one of the horizontal poles supporting the roof.

  I followed him inside and noticed the fawn was still frozen. To keep it safe while everyone went crazy trying to find the governor, I put it in a large kennel.

  Then I took a few seconds to compose myself. Placing my sword along the back of my spine, I waited for it to vanish and ignored my nervous stomach. I’d never been much of a liar or an actor.

  Then I dashed outside and around the corner to where Scarlet stood.

  “What’s all the commotion?” I asked her. “The animals need quiet.”

  Scarlet spun around. “Where’s Houston? He was chasing me. As drunk and horny as a sailor after a six-month cruise.”

  I looked around, too,
and tried to appear perplexed. “The governor’s chief of staff? I haven’t seen him, but I thought I just heard his voice. Was he really after you?”

  “Yeah, wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Her comment reminded me too much of how she behaved, but I kept my mouth shut.

  We walked back toward my tent’s entrance.

  She pointed at the opening. “It was seconds ago. He has to be in your tent.”

  I shook my head firmly. “Not a chance. I would’ve seen him. You’ve been drinking, haven’t you?”

  The blank look on her face was priceless, and I fought to keep from laughing out loud.

  “We split a bottle of wine, that’s all for me. Then he started throwing back shots of tequila.”

  I checked the clock on my phone. “It’s just after five in the morning. You slept with him then started drinking this early?”

  Her face turned the color of her namesake. “No! I was sleeping alone in an RV parked by our mobile studio. About four, he pounded on the door. Claimed he had a big scoop for me. He’d brought a bottle of wine, so we drank a little, like I said. The drunker he got, the hornier he got. The pervert actually unbuttoned his pants. That’s when I ran.”

  An incredible, unlikely story, but I believed her. “Like I said, he’s not inside. Come in and look around. Just don’t annoy the critters.”

  Scarlet stepped through the tent’s entrance and ignored Milton as he roosted quietly above us. Then she dashed back and forth, looking everywhere a man could possibly hide. My helpers and I had cleared out most of the animals already in the expectation that we’d close our field headquarters, so it didn’t take long for her to finish her frantic search.

  “Big surprise,” I said, “no pervert.”

  She muttered to herself for a moment then put her hands on her hips. “Good riddance, I guess. I’m going back to bed.”

  I couldn’t let her do that. Our alibis would only work if we raised a hue and cry right away. “Look, something bad might’ve happened to him. We need to call the cops.”

  She blew out a deep breath. “I really don’t want all this to go public, Gabe. I only told you because I was worried about you. He’s not a nice man, and I know he’s pissed that you refused a photo op with his boss.”

  My relationship with her was getting more complicated by the minute. I didn’t want her to suffer because she’d tried to help me. “Okay, I won’t tell anyone what you said. I promise. But you’ve got to notify someone that he’s vanished.”

  She made a call. “Calie, hi, it’s Scarlet. I hate to wake you, but do you know where Houston is?”

  She waited for a minute then said, “I last saw him near the animal rescue tent a few minutes ago, and he was plastered. You might want to check on his whereabouts. I’m worried that he could hurt himself by wandering off drunk into the trees.”

  After another moment, Scarlet said goodbye and ended the call. “She’s coming. Actually, she wasn’t asleep because Houston had hit on her before he came around to bother me. She was smart enough to keep her RV’s door locked and ignore him. My story is going to be he came over early and pitched a scheme to sneak into your tent and let loose the critters while you were still asleep. I was trying to stop him without creating a scandal for the governor. Can you live with that?”

  I nodded. It didn’t hurt that I’d have some leverage over her the next time she became a pain in the butt. “Look, he’s got to be around somewhere,” I said in a soothing voice. “He probably wanted to take a whiz and snuck off for a little privacy. Or he’s passed out back in the forest. We’ll find him.”

  She and I checked the Red Cross tent next door. No Houston there. A few people were milling about, but nobody had seen the scumbag. Harriet waved at me with a friendly smile but didn’t speak.

  Calie showed up, and within minutes, the full freak-out began. Lots more people joined the search. I kept Scarlet in sight the whole time so she could confirm later that I didn’t sneak off by myself for any reason, like to bury Houston’s still-warm body.

  Finally, Scarlet let out an exasperated growl. “I’m calling the state troopers. This is too damned weird. For all we know, a disgruntled husband might’ve kidnapped him to punish him for some affair.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” I said. “This was a perfect opportunity to grab him.”

  Scarlet scrunched up her face for a moment. “Could also be other folks bent on revenge. He’s Pierce’s hatchet man. Houston has a knack for pissing people off.”

  I relaxed a little. The bizarre scene Milton had scripted was actually falling into place. I deserved an Academy Award. “I’m going to wake up my helpers. This is going to turn into a huge headache for everybody.”

  I headed to the sleeping tent and woke up Raj and Sophie. Then I whispered, “Listen, there’s a huge fuss building. The governor’s chief of staff has vanished, and he was last seen right outside our tent. That reporter, Scarlet Davidson, was with him for some bizarre reason. You better get up because this place will be swarming with cops soon.”

  They got up and dressed. When I finished giving them Scarlet’s hokey cover story, I added, “Remember, you were asleep. You know nothing about any of this.”

  “Right,” Sophie said. “You’d better call your lawyer. The cops are going to focus on you because we were close to him when he vanished.”

  Milton thought in my head. She is right, of course, but it will eventually come out that Houston was a relentless sexual predator. Miss Davidson happened to be one of his favorite targets, so the civil authorities will inevitably suspect she murdered him. You will become each other’s’ alibis. That should lead to some interesting personal dynamics.

  The old angel seemed to be enjoying the show. How much do I help her? She’s annoying, but I don’t think she’s a monster. I haven’t shared her mind to know for sure.

  He snickered. It is best that you do not get too close to her. She is a basically moral person, although hardly free of sin. Vanity and pride are her major weaknesses. In any case, we do not want her to suffer adverse consequences because we appropriately exterminated two dangerous demons.

  -o-o-o-

  BY NOON, TWENTY cops from various jurisdictions were swarming the emergency relief compound. Three guardian angels continued to observe the spectacle from various vantage points outside my tent. I half-expected ravens to descend in mass at any second, and they probably would’ve if Griffin and other angels hadn’t been standing guard. Before Milton left, he’d warned me that demons could identify the location where Houston and the goblin were annihilated by magical echoes that would last for days.

  I remained in our tent as much as possible, and while I stood at the doorway, ravens flew down low in front of me several times. In each instance, they flew off immediately. Good riddance.

  The cops brought in two scent dogs. I earned bonus points from the state troopers by suggesting that idea. Both mutts confirmed that Houston had never entered our tent.

  Once Raj, Sophie, and I had each been interviewed by a friendly trooper, she leaned against me. Her face was pale and drawn, so I led her back to the sleeping tent. She needed more rest.

  “Promise me you’ll wake me if there’s any big news,” she said.

  “Promise,” I replied, but she might’ve already been asleep when I opened my mouth.

  Then I returned to the main tent where the crime scene guys were wrapping up. They’d collected a bunch of fingerprint and fiber samples, not that any of that evidence would help them find Houston. He’d gone to his just reward—oblivion.

  I sat quietly and tried to meditate, but without success. Too much going on. Then Scarlet walked in, followed by a suit. She’d changed clothes and now wore a cream-colored business suit. Her hair and makeup were perfect.

  I shook my head to clear it. I’d had enough of her for a while, and I put up my hand to try and stop her.

  Not that she paid any attention. “Hello, again,
Gabe. This is my attorney, Phillipe Benoir.”

  Reluctantly, I shook the guy’s hand. Another damned land shark—no surprise there.

  “Sid Rothman is on the way,” I said. “I’ve nothing to say to you, Mr. Benoir, until he arrives.”

  The attorney grumbled, but I wasn’t taking any chances of making my situation worse.

  Scarlet sat next to me. “Fair enough. Everybody’s lawyering up to save themselves. How’re you holding up?”

  She leaned against me as though we were old friends. Conspiracy might do that to people, but I’d just been warned again to steer clear of sexy Scarlet.

  I eased away from her to keep her from getting too comfortable. “Okay. How about you?”

  She smiled. “Fine. It’s nice to sit with someone who doesn’t suspect me of murdering or kidnapping a senior state politico. The state troopers and FBI have already interrogated me.”

  I had to laugh. The idea that she’d hurt a politician was ridiculous. They were her bread and butter.

  As long as she and I kept our fake stories straight, the cops would eventually be forced to believe Houston went on the lam or was kidnapped during the few seconds after Scarlet lost sight of him. That was a crazy story but more believable for the cops than the truth.

  “Houston is probably screwing some woman’s brains out at this very moment,” I said. “He doesn’t even know everybody’s freaking out, looking for him.”

  “I thought that, too, at first,” Scarlet whispered, “but he’s been gone too long. He wouldn’t mess up his boss’ political career like this. Anything the chief of staff does reflects back on Pierce.” Scarlet gripped my arm. “Something’s seriously wrong.”

  She was getting too cozy again, and I figured she was likely to turn on me as soon as it suited her. I stood and checked on the fawn. It was fast asleep.

  A moment later, Sid arrived, and he shook hands all around. “Gabriel will say his piece at two this afternoon. Good morning, all.”

  Sid shooed Scarlet and her lawyer out the door then sat next to me on the bench. “What the hell happened here?”

  I ran though my explanation using Scarlet’s cover story and leaving out all the angel bits. And I emphasized the fact that the dogs hadn’t tracked Houston into our tent.