Army of Stone: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Fallen Angel Book 2)

by Leo Romero

  I shook my head. “Don’t think we’ve got much choice. We need an expert in dark arts. We need their help whether we like it or not.”

  Jerome’s glare turned dark. “Yes, but I’ve heard stories about them. They say that you become indebted to them if you seek their assistance.”

  I gave him a grim nod. “Then I’ll owe them one. It’s on me.” A nasty sensation overcame me, like I’d just stepped into a haunted house to check the place out and the door slammed shut behind me, locking me in. My skin crawled. The truth was that my choices were limited. Either we sat around in that gentlemen’s club until we either starved to death or were invaded by a horde of gargoyles, or one of us got off our butt and did something, no matter how dangerous or drastic. I needed expert help. My knowledge of portals and different planes wasn’t vast enough to cover what was going on and time was limited. Either I took a risk, made sacrifices or we were all dead. I didn’t want to owe a master necromancer anything either. But I had no choice, which was becoming the norm in my fracked-up life.

  “I wouldn’t want to be indebted to a master necromancer,” Jerome reiterated.

  I slammed the bar with my palm. “You think I do!”

  Jerome pursed his lips in response. His eyes rolled to the side. After a second, he sighed and nodded his head. “Just be careful, Gabriel. Necromancy is at loggerheads with what we’ve been tasked to do here. Try not to let the two overlap.” He walked off and left me alone.

  Aurora came and sat next to me. “You okay, Gabe?”

  “Peachy.”

  “We’re gonna be okay, you’ll see.” She gave me a smile and that made things a whole lot better.

  “So, what’s the plan, Mr. Stone?” came Zane’s voice from my right.

  I put on a grin and faced him. “Zane, buddy! Just the guy I wanted to speak with.”

  “Well, here I am!” he said, flashing me a grin and holding his hands out to the sides like he was a game show host.

  “Yeah, there you are. I need an expert in the occult. I’m talking high level. One of the Crazy Four.”

  Zane flinched. “You do know that—”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said, stopping him mid-sentence. “They’re hard to find and super-secretive and I’ll owe my soul or whatever. I get all that. I just need someone to help me find one of them.”

  Zane grinned. “Then look no further, Mr. Stone! I’ll get in contact with the Black Scepter.”

  I shook my head. “The what?”

  “The necromancer club I attend. I’m only a standard member, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get into high places with a little good old-fashioned ass-kissing here and there.”

  “We haven’t got all day, so I need you to get on the case asap.”

  “Leave it to me, Mr. Stone. I’m on it.” He pulled his smartphone from his jacket pocket and began swiping.

  I met Aurora’s stare. “The Crazy Four?” she asked, concern stamped all over her face.

  “Oh, don’t you start. I’ve just had it from Jerome.”

  “But that’s dark arts.”

  “So is Zane, but you seem to be getting along with him.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Zane’s not really a dark arts person. I think he’s just doing it for show. Kind of like college kids who walk around the streets dressed like gangbangers. He’s just a little insecure is all. I can relate to that.”

  “Yeah, well don’t relate too much.”

  “Who are you now, my father?”

  “Yeah, I’m asshole surfer dude.”

  She gave me a quizzical look.

  I flipped my hand on the air. “It’s okay, you’re either too young or haven’t watched enough repeats of shitty TV shows. When we’re up here in the Overworld, I’m like your surrogate father, yeah. I’ve been tasked with protecting you by Bracken and God. And trust me, I don’t wanna piss either of those guys off any more than I have already!”

  “Well, you don’t need to worry. Zane’s kinda cute. He hasn’t got an evil bone in him. He’ll grow out of all this necromancer stuff in time. Maybe he just needs a woman’s touch to set him on the right track.”

  “Hey, make sure you don’t touch anything! The last thing we need is lots of little royally divine Zanes with goatees running around giving everyone siren blasts!”

  Aurora laughed. “Stop worrying, Gramps.”

  I recoiled. Gramps?

  Zane got off his smartphone. “Good news, Mr. Stone.”

  I turned to face him. “What you got for me, Zane?”

  “There is a meeting tomorrow evening at the lodge where Erasmus will be taking sermon.”

  “And who is that?”

  “He’s the master of the lodge.”

  “And why is he important?”

  Zane recoiled as if insulted. “Mr. Stone. If he doesn’t know where to find the Crazy Four, then no one will. But it’s all hush-hush, okay? No telling anyone you’re an angel.”

  “Don’t worry, my secret is safe.” I pretended to zip up my lips.

  “That’s right, Mr. Stone. Remember, angels fear to tread at the lodge.”

  “Do they now? Well, I’ll have to watch my step.” I rubbed my tired eyes. “Go get some rest, Zane, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Yes, I need to get the store open in the morning. I’ll come by after my shift and pick you up.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, you do that.”

  Zane left the Guild and I turned to Aurora. “Maybe you should go back to the Underworld and check in with Bracken.”

  “Are you sure you don’t need me?”

  “It’s dangerous to be around us right now. It’s better if you stay away.”

  “All right, but I’m going with you tomorrow night.”

  I nodded. “Okay.”

  She gave me a sympathetic grin and I sent her a tired one in response. She turned and began opening up portals. I watched her in amusement as she kept opening them to strange and weird places before she finally managed to find the Underworld.

  “We got there in the end,” I said.

  “I’ve really got to work on this,” Aurora said. “See ya, Gabe.” She stepped through to the Underworld.

  “Bye, kid,” I said and the portal zipped shut. I rubbed my eyes. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. I could’ve fallen asleep right then and there.

  “How long have we got to wait here?”

  I opened up my eyes to be faced with Belinda. Her eyes were wide and eager and she was bouncing on her heels like a gym addict that hadn’t had a workout for a week. She was getting ants in her pants.

  “As long as it takes, Belinda.”

  “I want to get out there and take these sons-of-bitches down!”

  “Yeah, ’cause that went so well back there in Lincoln Park.”

  She turned her head to the side and grumbled to herself. She faced me again. “Look, I’m losing money being stuck here. There are demons out there that I could be hunting.”

  “Yeah, and gargoyles ready and waiting to hunt you.”

  She huffed. “You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you, Stone?”

  I swayed my head left and right while I weighed up what she said. “Hmm, pretty much, yeah.”

  A wry grin broke out on her face.

  “Look. Once we work out what’s going on, we’ll have the ultimate fight on our hands against an army of gargoyles. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?”

  “Yeah, I’ll look forward to it.” She turned and marched off.

  I watched her go, expelling the air from my lungs. The others were getting itchy. Cabin fever would start to set in soon. I didn’t know what else to do. Like Jerome said, we either hang tight or hang separate. If gargoyles came by to take us down, they’d have to do it after the fight of their lives. I had to get this problem fixed fast, otherwise tensions would reach breaking point and then there’s no telling what might happen. I looked over at Jerome who was checking over the bottles of potions on the shelf behind the bar. Sudde
nly, I was glad to have him here. He was a calming influence and that would be vital in the coming hours.

  I knocked back another shot of Ambrosia as Ramirez came strolling up to me. “See Belinda’s getting all worked up.”

  I put down my glass. “So what’s new?”

  “Have to say, Stone, I can’t blame her. Being stuck here ain’t no fun.”

  “Neither’s getting your head hollowed out by a gargoyle.”

  Ramirez sighed. “Point taken. But hasn’t it always been our asses on the line? Nothing new here.”

  “Yeah, but now your asses are my responsibility. Especially now I know where the gargoyles are coming from. It’s my fault and so I have to put it right. I’ve already got too many deaths on my conscience, I don’t want any more.”

  Ramirez nodded in understanding.

  I faced him. “The point of everyone being here is that we’re sticking together. Looking out for one another. This is the first time we’ve had to deal with anything like this. I need you to help keep things together here. Some of these Enforcers, they’re not up to it. They’re Enforcers because they’re good at pen-pushing.”

  Ramirez raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I hear you there. Don’t worry, Stone, I’ve got your back.”

  A smile broke out on my face. I gave Ramirez a hearty pat on the shoulder. “Thanks, buddy.”

  “I’m gonna catch some sleep. Maybe you should do the same.”

  I nodded. “I need a wash first. I smell like a locker room.”

  “Well, I didn’t wanna mention it, but now that you have...”

  “Bite me!” I said and Ramirez chuckled.

  “Catch you later,” he said and strolled off.

  I watched him go, a sadness overcoming me. None of this would’ve been happening if I wasn’t thrown out of Heaven. Imagining myself up there with Mia enjoying Paradise instead of being stuck in the middle of a blood-drenched war was torture on my soul. I glanced up at the ceiling and wondered why He did it to us. The Big Kahuna. The Big Boss who knew so much better than all of us dumb peons. The all-knowing, omnipotent Boss Lord of everything who could end it all with a click of his fingers. Did he just enjoy watching people suffer? Was he a sadist? Why was He doing it to us? What was His plan?

  I’d probably never know. All I did know was that I was a pawn. And my death in this strange game was a fate worse than actually playing in it. Which meant participation was vital. Which also meant keeping my ass alive for as long as possible.

  Chapter 14

  I got an edgy night’s sleep at the Guild where I dreamed about Mia, gargoyles, and dark elves. In no particular order. Aurora woke me up around midday and we passed the time playing cards while we waited for nightfall. Thankfully, there were no gargoyle sightings.

  When nighttime finally arrived, Zane came along in his luxury Buick. I had been expecting him to arrive in a hearse. But when you were the son of a CEO, a Buick was a drop in the ocean.

  I told everyone to hang tight for just a little longer, which was met with labored sighs and reluctant nods. I told Jerome and Ramirez to keep a watch over things and to call right away if anything happened. Aurora and I left the Guild to meet Zane outside, my eyes wandering everywhere like they had a life of their own. We made it to Zane’s car in one piece and he drove us to the Black Scepter’s lodge: the old church at the back of an abandoned cemetery on Chicago’s South Side. We pulled up outside a long-forgotten gate, the old and beaten sign above it reading, Hope Hill Cemetery, in barely legible writing.

  I stared beyond the gate. Gloom greeted me. “Great, a haunted cemetery.”

  “Where else would necromancers meet?” Aurora asked.

  “A golf clubhouse would make a nice change,” I retorted. “At least I wouldn’t have to perform an exorcism getting there!”

  “Nonsense, Mr. Stone,” said Zane. “There haven’t been any reported hauntings in this cemetery in over a decade. Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  Zane chuckled. “Come on, Mr. Stone, after Monster Island, this place is Disney World.”

  “Yeah? I think I’d rather run into a poltergeist than Mickey or Donald.”

  “And your wish may come true.” Zane stepped up to the gate and popped it open. It swung away with a rusty creak. I met Aurora’s stare.

  “Come on, Gramps,” she said to me and followed Zane into the gloom beyond the gate.

  “Hey! Enough with the gramps stuff!” I reluctantly followed them inside. I stepped into the darkness and it swallowed me whole. Now, I’m no shrinking violet, but creepy, old cemeteries at nighttime didn’t really do much for me. I’d no doubt that the place I found myself in would be teeming with freaky shit. Ghosts, specters, poltergeists, probably even the odd djinn for good measure. I really was in no mood to have an encounter with any of those. But right then, that wasn’t our main problem. The big issue at that moment was that it was dark as shit in that cemetery.

  I looked around and saw absolutely nothing. “Could’ve reminded me to bring a flashlight,” I said to Zane.

  “Sorry, kind of forgot. I’m not often invited to these meetings as a standard member, so it slipped my mind.”

  I lifted up my hands and focused light magic into them. My palms glowed effervescent, lighting up the surrounding area. Grass that hadn’t seen a lawnmower in who knew how long grew in wild patches either side of the cracked and beaten path we were standing on. An ancient willow tree overshadowed old, beaten graves; stone crosses broken in half; angels matted with moss, their faces chipped and scarred; tombstones weather-beaten into submission, the graves they marked long lost to encroaching weeds and ivy. Some markers lay fallen alongside the fallen themselves, wrecked and fragmented. It was a sad, sorry place to be. The forgotten fallen.

  I sighed. “Okay, Zane, lead the way.”

  Zane set off along the path, me just behind him illuminating the way. We went past more knotted trees overhanging long-forgotten graves, lonely angels dotted here and there, lamenting the state of things. Up ahead in the distance was the church. Another lost relic in this place. What was left of the stained glass windows glowed with a dull light from within. Someone was inside. As we got closer, I noticed the two guys on the door draped in black robes, still as statues. They had their hands out in front of them. Fire burned up from their palms, illuminating the entrance and the surrounding area in the same way I was doing with my light magic. My magic was better though.

  “You better switch those off,” Zane warned, pointing at my hands. “We don’t want them to see.”

  I nodded in understanding and shut down my light. Zane led us up to the doors, where those two guys in robes just stood there like sentries, their heads bowed. They were making a weird humming noise from between their pursed lips, which I guessed was some kind of meditation thing. We got close and the heat from their flames hit me. I felt like blowing out the flames and saying ‘now make a wish’, but that would be too much. I didn’t want to be pissing anyone off; I needed their help. The two guys didn’t say anything; they didn’t even acknowledge us. They just continued to drone on with that humming.

  Zane stepped ahead of us to the massive oak door where he rapped on it in a strange sequence. The door opened up and another guy in black robes was waiting just inside.

  “Foxtrot, baked Alaska, hopscotch,” the guy said.

  “Moonshine, unicorn, giggle-whomp,” Zane said back.

  “Member’s card,” the guy said in a bored voice.

  Zane pulled out a ‘Death’ tarot card, which had had his face superimposed on Death’s skull, which looked hilarious. The guy checked it. “Come in,” he said in that jaded tone, handing Zane back his member’s card and widening the door. The guy noticed Aurora and I and he flinched.

  “These are my guests,” Zane said. “I’ve cleared it with Erasmus.”

  The guy looked us up and down and I noticed he had a lazy eye, so I couldn’t tell at which point he was actually looking me up or down. “
In you come,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I said as I stepped into the foyer and looked around. The walls had been smothered with graffiti, the floor littered with old beer cans and burger packets. Man, the least these guys could do was clean up. The lazy eye guy closed the door behind us and went and opened the other oak door at the end of the foyer and held it open. It was now that I noticed he had a hunchback too. Man, this guy had all the luck. I wanted to say, ‘the bells, the bells’, as I went by him, but he turned his head away and I noticed he had a giant bald patch and I just couldn’t bring myself to ridicule him. He’d been beaten enough already. With the ugly stick.

  We entered the main church area and it was necromancer city. People draped in black populated the area like a Goth convention. The stone walls were chipped and smeared with more graffiti. Some of the windows were smashed in, fragments of colored glass scattered on the floor beneath them. Candles burned everywhere in giant lines, rivers of wax running along the dirty floor beneath them. The pungent aroma of burning incense filled the air, masking an underlying smell of ancient musk.

  A few scarred and battered benches remained and that was where the practicing necromancers sat, draped in their black robes like dark monks. There were men and women in equal measure, some young, some old. All of them misguided. This was the path to the dark side. And the dark side would swallow these people’s souls up in the blink of an eye. Yeah, the Big Kahuna had his faults and worked in uber-mysterious ways, but at least he didn’t torture your soul for eternity, only for the eighty-odd years while you were on Earth. So He was a nice guy in comparison.

  A lady with a stare that could melt steel handed Zane some robes.

  “I’m not wearing this,” I whispered to Zane as he passed one to me.

  “Please, Mr. Stone. We don’t want to upset the natives.”

  I grumbled under my breath and snatched the robe off him. With a heavy sigh, I threw it on over my jacket and tied up the belt. I looked down at myself. I looked like a dork. Zane did that thing where they hide their hands in opposite cuffs, trying to look all sage or something. Nerd.

  He let out a contented sigh. “Shall we mingle?”