by Tim Marquitz
She growled, but she might as well have admitted it. But then a smile brightened her face. “Actually, I do believe I do.” She gestured to the portals.
There, as I’d noticed early, was one that stood out. It did so even more now, as though something were pushing it open. I looked to Shaw’s hand and she still held the cipher.
“How in the—” I started, but the hole grew even wider. Though hardly large enough to squeeze a basketball through, it was big enough to see what lay on the other side. What I saw nearly made me swallow my tongue.
“Is that…?” Karra asked, losing her focus before she even finished the sentence.
“Azrael.” The name came out in an ugly growl. I could only see the back of him, but I knew that fabulous ass anywhere. It was mine. He faced off against Duke Forcalor and Uriel, and while the duke seemed okay, Uriel looked as though he’d taken to playing a losing game of chicken with a train.
I continued to watch as a blur of gold came at Azrael, but he knocked him aside as if he were a fly. A glimpse of the dude told me it was Raguel, the archangel who had my back when Azrael went after Eden. He’d supposedly been granted the Angel of Death’s powers by Metatron, but Azrael shrugged him off as though he were a child. If he could that to him, not to mention Uriel and Forcalor, what chance did we have? None was the answer.
“We are so fucked.”
If ever there was a prophetic saying, that one was it.
As we stared through the burgeoning portal toward The Azrael Ass Kicking Show, there was a sibilant whir behind us. We spun about just as a dragon wing crashed into the wall at our back that shielded us from the battle below. Stone cracked and splintered, shards exploding all around us. I stepped in front of Karra and felt the sharp edges of debris peppering my skin while I folded around her.
The wing was through and gone before I’d looked back up, but it had taken the secret tunnel with it. Where the incline used to be was nothing more than rubble, the roof of the tunnel ripped clear and scattered across the outer walkway. My gaze went from the wreckage to its cause. A guardian’s massive snout hovered just a few yards away. It looked as surprised to see us as we were it, but its red eyes narrowed in a heartbeat. It knew a prison break when it saw one.
“Watch the cipher,” I shouted to Karra.
I spun away, snatching up a chunk of stone. As the dragon opened its mouth to roar, I leapt at it. The pedestal placing me above its head, I soared across the open space between its furious eyes and landed smack dab on its protruding nose. Its skin felt cold and clammy beneath my hand as I latched on to a scale to keep from toppling over. Then before it could shake me, I smashed the stone right into its eye.
It grunted at the impact, only letting out a roar as it stumbled backward through the mess of stone and lost its footing amidst the crush of greenies. I let go before it toppled and slammed onto its back.
“Kill it!” I screamed, rolling to a landing that was almost elegant.
The greenies listened, but it really had nothing to do with me. Judas stood there as I got to my feet, with blood splattered across his cheek. He looked pissed. Rala in hand, book held open in the other, Judas’ gaze trailed past me to where Karra and Shaw stood on the pedestal, the portal gleaming behind.
“You weren’t thinking of leaving without me, were you?”
“Never gave it a thought,” I lied, changing the subject before he could call me on it. “The way things are now, though, none of us are leaving.” I pointed back the way I’d come. “You see that big bad guy through the portal there? He’s currently curb-stomping three archangels, and the only way out of here is through him. We won’t make it through in one piece.”
Judas growled as he stared at what was happening back on Earth. He was so close to his dream, and yet still nowhere near achieving it. It had to be demoralizing for him. Me, I’m pretty used to being on the gooey end of the shit stick, so it was pretty much business as usual. Didn’t make me feel any better about it, but I never had any expectations of easy.
The rest of the group, seeing us chatting outside the ruins of the secret tunnel, chose then to show up. All but Mia, that was. She had joined the group battling the nearest guardian, but it didn’t look as if they were winning. Mia’s right side look crippled, but she fought on. Had to admire her courage if not her sense of self-preservation. She was gonna go down fighting.
Less concerned with her than I was with our folks, I glanced at our little congregation. Katon’s sword dripped with blood, and it was pretty clear that not all of it was guardian. The rest of them looked as though they’d avoided combat altogether, which was probably a good thing. Though, with the greenies withering on the vine, it might not be long before we all had to fight.
With the guardian next to us buried under a swarm of greenies and too busy to notice us, I waved for the others to follow and made my way back up to the pedestal. Karra and Shaw had come to an understanding, which meant that Karra had her sword pointed toward the wight and neither had moved an inch from where they stood moments before.
“That’s you,” Rala said, seeing the commotion going on inside the portal.
“If only,” I answered, turning to Rahim and Katon. “Do you think all of us could take him if we popped in at once?”
Rahim cursed and waved us to silence. He stood there a moment, his already grave expression turning even darker. “Michael says Azrael has taken a vial of Lucifer’s blood.”
Moans erupted from everyone except Judas.
“Lucifer?”
“Long story, but we told you we knew the guy,” I said. Now was not the time to debate my family line. Across the way, Azrael drove Forcalor to his knees. “We’re running out of time, folks.”
The shriek of a newly reborn guardian only confirmed that. It leapt from its ashes, tossing the battered greenies aside with a flurry of wing strokes. If I’d owned a working heart, it would have been pounding a blast beat against my ribs. I turned back to see Uriel trying to keep Forcalor from meeting God in the spiritual way, only to find himself the victim of the Angel of Death’s wrath. I knew Azrael would eventually power down as Lucifer’s blood left his system, but I couldn’t imagine it taking as big a toll on him as it had me the last time I used it. Still, it was a chance. Our only chance.
And that’s when it hit me.
I spun to Judas. “You said you can’t die?”
His eyes narrowed as he contemplated his answer. “What does that have to—”
“Just answer me! Can you die?”
He shook his head.
That was all I needed. “Shaw, open the portal all the way.” I pointed to the divot that led to Earth.
“Azrael will likely know we’re here once I do.”
“Good.” I yanked the sword from Karra’s hand. “Gonna need to borrow this, hon,” I told her, handing it to Judas over her stuttered complaints. “Guard this with your life.”
He stared at the sword as Shaw dropped the stone into its hole. It pulsed at our back, starting to split wide.
“What are you doing, Frank?” Katon asked.
“Things are gonna hectic here in a minute. I need you to have my back.”
“I don’t know about—”
“Too late,” I told him as the portal reached its full size and drifted toward us over the howl of the devourers and dragons alike. “It’s go time.”
I turned and grabbed Judas, picking him up bodily, and tossed him through the portal. He cursed me as he went, his voice going silent as soon as he shifted to the other side and realized what I’d done. He crashed into Azrael, a horrified look on his face. The two went down in tangle of limbs.
Never very good at telepathic communication, I closed my eyes and concentrated on Michael. He’d already opened the link between us earlier, so I found it waiting for me. There was barely a flicker of a response to the message I sent, but it would have to do. We were down to the wire.
Azrael disentangled himself from Judas and slammed the betrayer to the gro
und. Judas didn’t let that stop him. He drove Karra’s sword up into the Angel of Death’s guts. That got his attention. Azrael screamed in agony and rage and drove his fists into Judas’ face, over and over and over. For his part, Judas just kept stabbing. That was my cue.
“Get them out when it’s clear, Katon.” That was the last thing I said before taking a running leap and diving through the portal. Karra shouted behind me, but it was too late to turn back even if I’d wanted to.
I landed on Azrael’s back, driving Karra’s sword through him. Of course, that kind of meant it went through me, too. Our screams erupted as one, and there was an instant where I wondered if I’d done the right thing, but that was all the time I had to ponder it. Azrael rose up, hands reaching for me, ripping the sword from our stomachs, but I clung to his back for dear life.
“Remember me, asshole?” I spewed wetly into his ear.
“Do it now,” Michael shouted. Never in my life had I heard such sweet words that didn’t involve free and coffee.
Given just the barest reprieve by Judas’ unexpected intervention, Raguel, Forcalor, and Uriel had mustered their energies. Without hesitation, they let them fly; right as us.
I closed my eyes and ducked behind Azrael’s head. He screamed his defiance, but there was nothing he could do to deflect the brunt of the magic before it slammed into us. I think he expected to weather the storm and shake my ashes off after, but I knew better than to play that game. The combined power of the archangels hit us with the fury of a hurricane. Expecting a death blow, Azrael was unprepared for the gust of force that blew him backward. He stumbled, trying to resist, and tumbled headlong through the portal to Tenebrae.
All his bluster, all his strength, his defiance, were snuffed out like a candle once we slipped into the prison realm. He screamed, carried downward like a rag doll tossed from the roof, me clinging to his back the entire way. We crashed into the gate a moment later, and I spider webbed Azrael, wrapping my legs around his waist in a body lock and slipping my forearm under his throat before cinching it in. I didn’t want him going anywhere. He struggled, but here in Tenebrae, without his stolen power, I was stronger than he was.
“Now,” I screamed at Katon, but he’d already started tossing folks across the intervening space for them to vanish through the portal.
Karra stared down at me as the devourers closed with their hungry chants of revenge, worry creasing her beautiful face, but I just shook my head at what I knew was going on inside it. I hadn’t done all of this for her and the baby to remain trapped here. “Go!”
Katon didn’t give her a choice. He grabbed her and threw her through the portal before she even realized he’d done it. And before she could hit the ground and run back, Katon pulled the cipher from the pedestal.
I watched the portal closing above until the devourers stole the sight from my eyes.
Epilogue One
The best part of being me is that everyone underestimates the depths of stupidity I’m willing to plumb in order to win out. Azrael certainly did.
Fortunately, I have the help of people way more competent than me, not to mention a mentalist who takes my idiocy at face value and doesn’t question. Michael passed along my messages exactly as I’d intended, and Katon had gone above and beyond in doing what I’d asked of him even though he didn’t have to.
He’s the reason I’m still alive, and I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of it.
As soon as the devourers finished their meal of me and Azrael, the enforcer fished the one who’d eaten the most and whipped us through the portal home. There, he peeled us gnawed twins out of the critter’s belly, interrupting the process and allowing our bodies to re-coalesce.
That was the part that concerned me the most when I’d committed to my last minute plan. While Katon had taken the cipher with us, Rachelle, with Michael and Scarlett’s help, had held the portal open just wide enough to keep the connection between the devourers intact. Good thing it worked.
And since I’d choked Azrael out before we got munched, he was a little slower getting off the mark. Once our souls split, I had a head start and reclaimed ol’ glorious me. He, on the other hand, ended up with the only body in range—seeing how Katon had taken Hobbs’ out of the equation—that didn’t already have a soul residing in it: A dead werehound.
He sat up with anger lighting his face. “You think I’m finished with you, Triggaltheron?” He shook his head, foamy spittle flying. “I’ll tear your heart out, rip your—”
A sword burst from his mouth, and his eyes went wide, thick, dark blood gushing through his yellowed teeth. He shuddered and went silent. Raguel stood behind him and kicked Azrael free of his blade.
“Your day is done, brother,” he said, sheathing his blade with the once archangel’s life still staining the steel.
Uriel turned his gaze to me, holding out Lucifer’s tome so I was sure to see it. “Should you continue along this path, there will come a time when Heaven calls you to judgment, Triggaltheron. Be warned.”
I simply nodded, for once choosing not to antagonize the guy. We’d have it out eventually, but for all intents and purposes, I was fresh and he was weary, worn to the quick by his battle with Azrael. Had he known just how much power had been lost to the devourers in the transition between bodies, however, he might well have tried anyway, but I certainly wasn’t gonna tell him anything about that.
He and Raguel leapt into the sky. Scarlett went with them without saying a word, a look in her eyes I couldn’t translate. They left golden trails behind but nothing else but questions. She and I would eventually have a talk, too, though I wasn’t looking forward to that one any more than Uriel’s chat.
Forcalor watched his brethren leave and set a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve been given a second chance, Frank. Make the most of it.” And then he, too, was gone.
That left me with DRAC, Karra, and Rala, CB clutched to her chest. Shaw and Venai had fled as soon as they’d hit Earth, as I’d been told. There was no doubting I’d see those two again, much sooner than I could ever want. It also appeared that Judas had vanished in the chaos without the angels so much as recognizing him. That was gonna make things interesting later on. At least he’d left Karra’s sword behind, still stained with blood.
Shortly after the angels left, DRAC went their way and the rest of us went ours. No one was up for discussing what had happened right then any more than we already had. And that was fine with me. Back to my old self, there was only one thing on my mind.
“Let’s go home, folks,” I said, scooping Karra into my arms. “I’ve got a lot of making up to do.”
“Caaannnnn IIIIIIIII wwaaaattttcchhhh?”
“Eeeeeewwww,” Rala muttered. “Got any earplugs?”
Epilogue Two
(Scarlett)
The wait was excruciating. We’d returned to Heaven in silence, but the storm of my mind was anything but silent. We’d disobeyed Metatron, though with Uriel as his eyes upon Earth, he had yet to learn of our actions. There would be a reckoning once he did.
But that wasn’t where my head was; nor my heart.
The moment I could shirk my responsibility to the archangels—each counseling I keep our secrets—I returned to Earth. Katon met me outside of DRAC mere seconds after I arrived. My breath froze in my lungs when I saw him. His dark eyes glimmered in the evening light, and I hesitated until I saw the smile break across his lips.
We ran to each other, colliding in an embrace that was more awkward than romantic, but I didn’t care. I only wanted to be held by him, to hold him, to know we were there, together. That was all that mattered then. Frank and Azrael and Metatron and all the cares of the world could wait. I had what I’d thought lost, and I was in no hurry to let it go.
Epilogue Three
It’d been six months since we’d escaped Tenebrae, and to my surprise, they’d been damn peaceful. Karra and I settled down in Hell where we could be certain no one we didn’t want would come knocking on our door to s
ell us religion or magazine subscriptions. Of course we took Rala and Chatterbox with us.
As it turned out, Azrael hadn’t even noticed the old man Vol stashed in the guest quarters. Blind, with a dread fiend to cater to him, he hadn’t once bothered to wander out of his room. Rala ran to him and gave the old man a monstrous hug. He had no clue about anything, so we left it that way. All that mattered was he and Rala were back together and I hadn’t gotten either of them killed. That’s a win most days.
I’d taken to cleaning up Hell and trying to make it a bit more presentable since our return. It wasn’t a bachelor’s abode anymore and needed a good dusting from the ground up. Fortunately Azrael had left me a ton of dread fiends I could take advantage of. They got to work immediately, and the place was starting to look spiffy.
I sat in a room with Chatterbox, blasting Iron Maiden’s “Run to the Hills” and grooving to the heavy metal vibe, when I heard Karra calling to me. I lowered the volume with reluctance and glanced over the shoulder of my faithful recliner I’d brought from Earth, to see her clutching to her swollen belly, grim certainty on her face.
“It’s time,” she whispered, her short dress soaked at the crotch and her legs dripping.
“Sssssppppppllloooossshhhhhh!”
About the Author:
Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, the Blood War Trilogy, co-author of the Dead West series, as well as several standalone books, and numerous anthology appearances including Triumph Over Tragedy, Corrupts Absolutely?, Demonic Dolls, Neverland's Library, and the forthcoming No Place Like Home and Blackguards.
The Editor in Chief of Ragnarok Publications, Tim most recently compiled and edited the Angelic Knight Press anthologies, Fading Light: An Anthology of the Monstrous and Manifesto: UF, as well as Ragnarok Publications’ Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters.
www.tmarquitz.com