“We are here today to welcome a new member into our family. The prince has searched for her for many centuries and we share in his happiness now that he has found her at last. She is no mere mortal who succumbed to the lure of power and immortality. She comes from a much higher place — a place known as the Kingdom of Heaven.” There was a collective gasp from the spectators. I wondered if their tortured minds could even remember such a place as Heaven. Somehow, I doubted it. “You shall worship her,” Father Benedict intoned, his voice rising in fervor. “You shall serve her and bow to her will.” I wanted to get up and contradict every edict coming out of his mouth, but I knew I would only be silenced. Father Benedict concluded, “I present to you, the new Princess of the Third Circle, the Angel Bethany!” With that he turned and placed the crown on my head. As soon as he did a flash of lightning illuminated the red sky and a storm of ash blew up around us, forcing the souls to duck for cover and shield their faces. The demons seemed to enjoy the crowd’s reaction.
Then as quickly as it had started the ceremony appeared to be over. The priest hobbled off the stage and the crowd began to disperse. Just as we were getting back into the car a ragged child tore through the crowd toward us. He was small and frail with an urchin’s face. He reached for me, arms outstretched in supplication. Diego noticed him first. He leapt out of the procession and grabbed him, his cruel fingers coiling around the child’s throat. I watched in horror as the child began to gasp for breath, his eyes wild with terror, his small hands scrabbling uselessly at his sides. Then Diego looked suddenly bored and tossed him aside as if he were a crumpled paper bag. A strange gurgling sound came from the boy’s throat. Every instinct in my body urged me to run to his aid. I tried to move forward, but Jake’s vise-like grip pulled me back.
“Show some dignity!” he snarled.
Then, without thinking, I kicked him hard in the shins to free myself. It distracted him long enough for me to rush to the boy’s side. I lifted up the little limp body, the train of my gown dragging in the dirt. The child’s eyes were shut, and I gently brushed the dust from his gaunt cheeks, laid my hand against his chest, and willed whatever healing energy I had left to restore the life force that had been stolen from him.
When the color returned to his lips and his eyes flickered open, I smiled down at him reassuringly. It was only then that I noticed how quiet everything around me had become. Every face was turned in my direction. I saw Jake standing only feet away, but his face was fixed in an expression of dismay. Before I could move Jake’s party enfolded me, guiding me protectively back to the car. Only once I was seated next to him did I feel Jake’s hot breath at my ear.
“Never do that again,” he said. “What do you think this is? We are children of Lucifer. Our purpose is to inflict suffering, not relieve it.”
“Speak for yourself,” I told him boldly.
“Listen to me,” Jake hissed, grabbing my arm. “The Seven Virtues in Heaven are Seven Sins in Hell. An act of kindness here is a capital offense. Even I won’t be able to protect you.”
I wasn’t listening to Jake anymore. Suddenly I felt very calm. I knew now I had the potential to make a difference, even in Hell. My entire body rippled with this new awareness. I had only done what came naturally to me, tried to offer comfort where I had witnessed pain. I focused on my powers of healing, felt them gather momentum under my skin. My wings tingled, but I repressed the urge to unfurl them. Light began to emanate from me. It spilled out of the car, into the dusty clearing and over the heads bobbing in the crowd. It rose and bleached the fire in the sky to a milky white. All the while I could hear Jake’s voice in the background ….
“What are you doing? Stop that right now! I forbid you!” He didn’t sound angry now, only alarmed. Then the light ebbed and finally vanished, leaving in its place a solitary white butterfly. It hovered in the air just above the crowd, a tiny fragment of hope in a sea of despair. Some tried to grasp it, but every face was now turned upward, either in wonder or in horror. Jake became rigid as stone. With him temporarily incapacitated, it was Asia who stepped forward and took charge.
“Kill the bug,” she snapped. “And get her outta here.”
21
Big Daddy
BACK at Hotel Ambrosia, Jake’s demons gathered for a crisis meeting. They refused his offer of the boardroom and stood in the lobby arguing loudly like schoolchildren in the playground. I was largely ignored, but I heard my name bandied around along with phrases like massive screwup and we’re cactus. The dispute continued to swell until I felt Jake grab hold of my elbow and steer me toward Hanna, who watched from the wings and nervously wrung her hands.
“Get Beth upstairs,” Jake said, propeling me into her arms. “Don’t stop and don’t speak to anyone.”
“I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble,” I stammered. I couldn’t bring myself to say I was sorry … I wasn’t. I just hadn’t expected this kind of pandemonium. “It sort of just happened.”
Jake ignored me. “Now, Hanna!” he roared.
“I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal,” I said, resisting Hanna’s attempts to bustle me away. “At least tell me what’s going on.”
Jake lowered his voice and fixed me with his smoldering gaze. “Things are about to get ugly. I’m trying to save your skin and my chances of doing that are much better if you get out of the way.”
Looking around I saw the tar black eyes of every demon present blazing with bloodlust. My presence was no longer being viewed with the customary amusement or curiosity. The faces around me looked manic, like they wanted nothing more than to dismember me limb by limb. I watched as Jake turned to face my jurors. He looked tall and formidable in his black tailcoat with his hair unbound and falling free around his shoulders. I could see by his aggressive stance that he was bracing himself for a fight.
“Come away, miss.” Hanna was becoming flustered. This time I didn’t argue but hurried after her. Even inside the elevator, fragments of the raging argument floated over to us.
“This is a travesty!” someone was shouting. “You should never have brought her into the Third Circle.”
“She’s young,” I heard Jake growl defensively. I felt a little guilty for leaving him to face the music alone. His own kind was turning on him because of me. “She’s new to this life. She needs more time to adjust.”
“How much time? She’s upsetting the balance here,” someone countered. “You wanted a kitten to play with — now teach it the house rules.”
“She isn’t some animal I can train to do tricks.” Jake was seething now.
“What do you want with her anyway?” someone else chimed in. “Is it worth jeopardizing our reputation for a little private amusement? The other Circles are laughing at us.”
“I do not answer to you.” Jake’s voice was low and throaty.
“Perhaps not, but you are not the highest authority here.”
“You really want to disturb him? Over this?”
“No, but I will if you can’t keep your little bitch under control.”
The room seemed to go deathly still. I watched Hanna hit the button for our floor in rapid succession as the elevator stalled.
“What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“You might want to consider retracting that comment,” Jake said. It was hard to miss the underlying threat in his voice.
“Bring it on, big shot. Let’s see what you got.”
TUCKER was already waiting for us when Hanna let us into the room. He immediately flipped on the chrome security lock even though we all knew it wouldn’t be much use in keeping demons out.
I sat cross-legged on my bed, hugging a pillow for comfort. “What do you think is happening down there?”
“You mustn’t worry, miss,” Hanna replied dutifully. “Mr. Thorn will talk them round. He always does.”
“I hope you’re right,” I said. “I didn’t realize they’d get so worked up.”
“They’re demo
ns, they always overreact.” Tucker shrugged, trying to make me feel better.
JAKE stayed down in the lobby deliberating for what seemed like hours. In the end, just after midnight, both Tucker and Hanna went to bed. I was getting sleepy and about to change out of the velvet gown when I heard Jake outside my door, calling my name. It was the first time he’d knocked rather than just let himself in.
“I’m glad you’re still up,” he said as soon as I let him in. “We’ve got to go.”
He sounded apologetic rather than commanding, and a garment was bundled under his arm. There was a strange look in his eyes and if I didn’t know better, I’d have said it was fear. He hadn’t looked like that even when Gabriel had wrapped him in tongues of fire and commanded the earth to swallow him alive. He’d only looked defiant in defeat. What could have happened to rattle him so badly?
“Where are we going?”
Jake pressed his lips together and tried to repress his mounting anxiety. “They’ve called a hearing.”
“What? Why?” I was fully awake now.
“I didn’t expect it to go this far,” Jake said. “I’ll explain on the way.”
“Can I change first?”
“No time.”
Outside the lobby, Jake’s motorcycle waited for us, purring with a life of its own.
“Why the bike?” I asked.
“I want to avoid drawing too much attention,” he said. “Here, put this on.” He tossed me the brown cloak he’d been carrying.
“I thought attention was just what you wanted,” I said, recalling the humiliating parade of only hours before.
“Not this time.”
“Why should I listen to anything you say?” I said.
“Beth.” Jake sighed as if he were in pain. “Hate me as much as you like but trust me … tonight I’m on your side.”
For some reason I believed him. I slipped on the cloak and pulled the hood over my head. Jake helped me onto the bike and we sped soundlessly through the tunnels that unspooled and interweaved before us, as intricate as a spiderweb. I pressed my face into his back to hide from whatever horrors lurked in the dark.
Before long Jake pulled up abruptly in front of what appeared to be a derelict warehouse at the end of a narrow alley. We dismounted and stood facing the ruins of a building that was several stories high despite the fact that it was underground. Vandals had smashed most of the windows and they’d been boarded up with cardboard. Graffiti was scrawled across the external walls. Jake hesitated for just a fraction before moving forward. The look on his face suggested he was trying to come up with a game plan.
“This is it,” he said looking at me with uncharacteristic seriousness. “You get an audience with Big Daddy himself. There aren’t many dead or alive that can claim that honor.”
“Whoa, what?” I cried. “You’ve taken me to Lucifer? Are you crazy? I’m not going in there!”
“We have no choice,” Jake breathed. “We’ve been summoned.”
“Why? Is this about the butterfly?” I asked desperately. “I won’t do it again, I swear.” Whatever confidence I’d regained by the end of the parade deserted me then.
“You’re not the one they’re angry with,” Jake said. “They have assembled to judge me and decide my punishment for bringing you here.”
“Well, good,” I snapped. “You were wrong in bringing me here. It’ll serve you right when they send me back.”
“I hope it’s that simple,” Jake murmured, his eyes distant. “But we’d be getting off lightly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, let’s go inside.” Jake drew himself up. “We’ve kept him waiting long enough. Remember, don’t speak unless spoken to. Got it? This isn’t the time to get fresh.”
Jake had barely got the words out when a black-suited bouncer much like the others I’d seen in the underground clubs pulled open the heavy doors. There was the grinding sound of metal sliding on metal as he motioned for us to step inside.
“C’mon in,” a voice that reminded me of smooth, rich whiskey called from inside. “I don’t bite.”
Inside, the warehouse had been set up to look like an improvised courtroom. Seven dark, shadowy figures were seated in a semicircle on what appeared to be upturned crates. Some had their arms crossed like they’d been kept waiting too long. I knew instinctively that they were the Originals and Jake’s equals. As I scanned the faces I saw Diego, Nash, Yeats, and Asia lurking in the dim light. I assumed that they too had been summoned — perhaps as witnesses.
When my eyes adjusted to the dim light I saw that presiding at the head of the group was a significantly taller figure. He was seated in a high-backed Tudor-style chair that had seen better days. He wore a white linen suit with a red silk tie and his feet were encased in white cowboy boots. Although his face was still in shadow, I was sure he was the rousing speaker I’d overheard in the boardroom. He held an ivory-topped cane that he tapped softly on the cement floor, as if he were already bored. When Jake and I entered all conversation died on the spot and for some minutes no one spoke. It gave me a brief opportunity to assess the derelict space and those who occupied it.
Apart from the shattered panes of glass there were cobwebs hanging in sheaths from dust-coated machinery. The rustling of wings overhead suggested that bats had made their home in the timber rafters. Like Jake, the fallen angels surrounding me were images of faded beauty. The gender of some was indeterminate, but they shared the same chiseled features; fine lips the color of peaches, slightly aquiline noses, and strong jaws. They had the wasted, vacant look of those who had devoted their lives to idle pursuits. They were incapable of feeling surprise yet I knew my presence surprised them. There was something about the way they held themselves and the air of superiority they radiated that distinguished them as the Originals. They were the equivalent to royalty in this world. Only now they regarded Jake coolly, as though he were no longer one of them but an outcast who had wandered from the pack.
When the face of the white-clad man came into view, I saw he was older than others and more weather-beaten. His skin was tanned and leathery and his eyes were a pellucid blue but devoid of any expression. He was immaculately groomed and wore his silver hair tied back loosely with a gilded clasp. Even I had to admit, he was extremely beautiful. Angels were not supposed to age, but I guessed that the constant propagation of evil was bound to take its toll. Despite having aged some, Lucifer’s face was radiant, his eyes sharp and every angle perfectly sculpted. His brow was broad and his eyes held such electricity it made the hairs on my arms stand on end. I knew that in Heaven, he had once been among the most revered of our kind, elite in beauty and intelligence. When he spoke, his voice rang out, slow and musical.
“Well, hello there, little angel,” he said. “How’s this for a family reunion?” Some of the Originals tittered in response.
“Father.” Jake stepped forward in a business-like way. “This is all a misunderstanding. If you would grant me the opportunity to explain …”
“Oh, Arakiel, my dear boy,” Lucifer crooned in a paternal tone. “You have much to answer for.”
It took me a moment to realize that he was addressing Jake by his angelic name. As always, I found myself startled by the reminder of Jake’s former life. It was so strange to think that long ago, before I’d ever come into existence, they had all dwelled in Heaven. Gabriel would remember it with clarity and in his mind it wouldn’t feel like so much time had passed. I knew he’d witnessed the uprising of the rebel angels and their ultimate expulsion from the Kingdom. I knew the evil they had perpetrated since, yet one word kept ringing in my mind: brothers. And look what had become of them now. For a moment all my fear and anger dissolved and I felt only a deep sense of sadness. Lucifer’s voice drew me back to the proceedings at hand.
“You owe this court an explanation, Arakiel,” he said. “This little escapade of yours has caused much dissension among our ranks. Some fear it may undermine all we have worked t
o achieve. We must, at all costs, preserve what is ours.”
“Father.” Jake bowed his head. “I mean no disrespect, but it was you who sanctioned this assignment to begin with.”
“Indeed,” Lucifer agreed. “I applauded your boldness in bringing her here, but it seems your emotions have since gotten the better of you. I fear this is no longer strictly business for you.” His eyes narrowed mischievously. “In fact, I suspect it never was.”
“Excuse me, I have a question …” I stepped forward and the glowing eyes of the demons flashed in unison as they fixed their gazes on me. I dug my nails into my wrist to keep from trembling and continued. I was in way over my head, but at the same time I needed answers and ironically, I had a feeling Lucifer would tell me the truth. “I’m a little confused. I understand it was you who wanted me here, but what I don’t understand is why.”
Lucifer’s lip curled up in a smile. “It’s true,” he said. “It was with my consent that Arakiel brought you to us.”
“But I’m no one important. Why me?”
Lucifer leisurely drummed his fingers together over the top of his cane. “You’re a pawn, my dear,” he said. “As you know, Heaven has launched another one of its pathetic little healthe-world schemes.” Lucifer rolled his eyes. “The whole thing is incredibly tedious — we make a mess, they clean it up and so on and so forth. And we’re bored of the whole thing, which is where you come into it.” His pale eyes watched me lazily. “I used you to send out a message.”
“What message?”
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