“And you trust them?”
“Oh, hell no. But I also haven’t heard any better suggestions.”
“This plan of theirs, is that why you need my help? To work a spell or something?”
“No, if it were just a spell, I could probably do it without their help,” I said. “It’s about something more. Luxton is the only one who knows the angel’s identity, so we have no choice but to get it from him.”
“Yeah…but Luxton’s dead, right?” she asked. “You said Dakota broke his neck, Exorcist-style.”
“She did.”
“I hope you don’t think I’m going to help you with a necromancy spell,” she said. “Those things always end bad. And I’m in no mood to dig up any graves.”
“No, that wouldn’t work. Nor would any spells meant to commune with the dead work.”
“Why not?”
“Because Luxton isn’t in a typical place,” I said. “He’s in Purgatory. And the only way to talk to someone in Purgatory—”
“Is to go there,” she said. “You’re going to go into Purgatory?”
“Trust me, I’m not exactly thrilled about it either.”
“But…it’s Purgatory.”
“Yeah, I know, the supermax of the supernatural. But we don’t have any other options.”
“How am I supposed to help with that? I don’t know how to open a door to Purgatory.”
“Asmodeus and Raziel have that covered,” I said. “What I need you to do is join us.”
Tessa shook her head rapidly and blinked. “Hold on, let’s rewind. I must not have had enough caffeine yet, because I could’ve sworn you just said you want me to go into Purgatory with you.”
I sighed and took off my sunglasses, looking down at them in my hands. “I don’t want to ask you this. I know it’s a lot. And I know the last time I asked you for a favor, you ended up getting the crap kicked out of you by a nephilim.”
“Yeah, I did,” she said. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“But I don’t have any other choice.”
“Why me?” she asked. “You’re going to have an angel and a demon backing you up—isn’t that enough firepower?”
“Maybe. Probably. But it’s not just about firepower. And I don’t know how reliable either of them are. Angels and demons never give you the full story; they always hold something back. It’s like they’re allergic to straight answers. And if this is some kind of trap I’m walking into, then I need someone else on my side.”
“You must know dozens of other sorcerers.”
“A little more than that, actually,” I said.
“Yeah, so go to one of them.”
“It’s not that simple. Yeah, there are other sorcerers. Ones so powerful they make you look like an amateur playing with crystals and incense.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Just trying to be honest,” I said. “But it’s not about magical aptitude, it’s about trust.”
Tessa shut her eyes and tilted her head up. “Oh god, please don’t tell me you’re going to pull that…”
“I trust you,” I said. “And in Purgatory, I need someone who can watch my back.”
“What about that Alistair guy, the one who taught you?”
“Alistair works with the Sons of Solomon, and I don’t know if they can be trusted on this. They’ve got an agenda of their own involving me, plus, I doubt they’d take kindly to working alongside a demon.”
“Then Celeste. If it’s just back-up you need, she’s tough. A lot harder to kill than me, so she’d be useful in a fight.”
“No doubt. But again, it’s Purgatory. Celeste would be vulnerable to its influence. I need a human I can trust who can also handle themselves when it comes to the supernatural. That’s a very short list.”
Tessa huffed.
“I need your help with this. You said so yourself; it’s time I did something to figure out who’s behind all this. If I’m going to find any answers at all, getting Luxton out of Purgatory is the first step.”
She sipped her drink and stared down at the glass display case. I knew I was asking a lot of her. Maybe even too much. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned me away. We’d been friends for a few years now, but I’d be taking her deep into a world she’d only ever read about in grimoires.
“If I did this—and I’m not saying I am—you’re aware that you’d owe me one hell of a marker.”
“I’d be completely in your debt.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
“And in exchange…?” I asked, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Tessa scoffed. “Oh, please, you think I’m gonna tell you now? No, I’m keeping this in my back pocket.”
Yeah, I had a feeling I was gonna end up regretting this.
7
I laid on the hood of the Camaro, parked not far from O’Hare International Airport. The sun had already risen, and I smoked an American Spirit while watching the planes take off and land right over my head.
So what brought a handsome devil like myself all the way out to the suburbs at the crack of dawn? That was a good question, and I’d sure as hell like to know the answer myself. All I really did know was that after I confirmed Tessa was onboard with the plan, Asmodeus and Raziel told me to come meet them here.
A black limousine pulled up beside the Camaro and I sat up straight. I removed the cigarette so I could take a generous sip from my Starbucks cup of coffee, and then I returned to smoking. The limo driver stepped out and walked to the back, opening the rear door for his passenger.
Asmodeus stepped out, dressed in one of his fine suits, as usual, leaning on the cane. I’d often wondered why he always carried that thing around with him. He may be older than the Earth itself, but he certainly didn’t look like he had any trouble moving around.
“Luther, good morning.”
“Good would’ve been at eleven,” I grumbled, taking another sip of coffee. “Why the hell am I here so early, Asmodeus?”
“Raziel.”
Could’ve sworn I heard Asmodeus say that name with some disdain. You might think angels and demons have straight-up rage boners for each other, and in some cases, you’d be right. But these two had always been more pragmatic and generally seemed to get along. I guessed the stress of actually working together was starting to eat away at Asmodeus’ nerves.
“Any clue why?”
“Ask him yourself.”
Asmodeus looked up to the sky. I followed his lead and saw a bright light appear, almost as if it were a second, smaller sun. The light began to take definition and solidified into form. Large, white, feathered wings unfurled, still glowing brightly, and Raziel hovered in the air above us.
He gently lowered himself to the ground, and once his feet touched, the wings became like light again and retreated into his back, leaving no trace they were ever there, not even a feather.
Raziel opened his bright, blue eyes and smiled at the both of us. “Gentlemen. Good morning.”
“I hope we weren’t dragged here just so you could make a grand entrance,” said Asmodeus.
“Quite the contrary,” said Raziel. “We’re about to make a grand exit.”
“Whoa, hold up.” I hopped off the hood and walked up to Raziel. “You’re not talking about going to Purgatory now, are you? Because Tessa’s not here, and pretty sure we should learn a little bit more about this lion’s mouth we’re about to jump into.”
“Calm down, Luther. No, I’m not talking about Purgatory. But we do need to find out how to get there. And for that, we need to go visit someone.”
“The only person who ever escaped,” I said.
“That’s right,” said Raziel. “He’s a very dangerous individual. One of the most powerful beings to ever walk the Earth. And he’s got something of a chip on his shoulder.”
“I like him already,” said Asmodeus.
“He may not share that opinion of you,” said Raziel. “Or me, for that matter.”
“A powerful guy
who hates both of you?” I chuckled. “I think I’m in love.”
“Doubt you’ll continue saying that once you’ve met him.”
“So, who is he? Or what is he?” I asked. “Guessing he’s not an angel or a demon, so is he a cambion or a monster?”
“Not quite,” said Raziel.
“A nephilim?” I asked.
Raziel shook his head. “No, he’s mortal. Or…he was, at one point.”
“Back to monster, then? Or some all-powerful wizard?” I asked.
“Again, no.”
I scoffed. “So, some all-powerful guy who used to be human and he escaped Purgatory? How come I’ve never heard of this guy?”
“As a matter of fact, you have,” said Raziel. “His name is Cain.”
I lowered my sunglasses, fixing my surprised gaze on Raziel. “You don’t mean…? Nah. Nah, that’d be too crazy.”
“The son of Adam. He slew his brother, and in doing so, brought the act of murder to the world,” said Raziel.
“He can’t still be alive,” said Asmodeus.
“Oh, he died,” said Raziel. “But when he did, the Divine Choir thought Hell wouldn’t be the right place for him. And so, they imprisoned him in Purgatory.”
“Then he got out.”
“Not our finest hour,” said Raziel. “Cain escaped, and ever since, he’s been wandering the earth.”
I couldn’t help myself, but I started to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” asked Raziel, turning his head to the side.
“Cain, wandering the Earth.” I chuckled again. But Raziel and Asmodeus just looked at me like I was crazy. “Oh, come on. Kung Fu.”
“What does kung fu have to do with Cain?” asked Asmodeus.
“It was a TV show, starring David Carradine? Nothing?” They both shook their heads and I sighed. “Forget it. So where is Cain and how do we find him?”
“In the same place he’s been for over a century,” said Raziel.
“You know where he is but no one’s tried to take him back to Purgatory?” asked Asmodeus.
“At first we did, but he kept escaping. Finally, we gave up trying.”
Raziel held out his hand and closed his eyes. He muttered an incantation I recognized as Enochian and his eyes burned with azure power. The wings emerged from his back as he worked the spell, and a portal opened in front of us, a vortex of swirling, blue energy. Raziel’s wings retreated into his back and he turned to us, gesturing to the portal.
“I thought you might prefer if we didn’t use my wings. Might be a bit too cramped.”
“Good call.” I approached the portal, looking inside. I dropped my cigarette on the ground and drank down the rest of my coffee, then jumped in.
My feet hit stone on the other side. I turned around and saw the portal still there, with Asmodeus coming through next. And Raziel followed last, the portal closing behind him and restoring time and space back to normal. Or whatever passed for normal in this crazy world.
I took stock of the surroundings. We were on a small, rocky mountain with reddish bricks and a rushing river nearby. There was a forest not far off and larger mountains towering in the distance, closing us off. Couldn’t see a road or a house or anything even remotely resembling civilization anywhere nearby.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Somewhere in the American Southwest, by the looks of it,” said Asmodeus.
I glanced over at him. “You know that, but you don’t know about Kung Fu?” I shook my head. “So where are we gonna find this guy?”
“I’m not sure,” said Raziel.
“I thought you said you could track him?” asked Asmodeus.
“I said I know where he’s been for the last century; that doesn’t mean I know his exact coordinates at all times.”
“Guess there’s only one thing to do.” I knelt down and placed my hand on the rocky ground. With my eyes closed, I concentrated, channeling my magic into the earth and feeling for any disturbances. Cain was obviously something supernatural, and that meant I could find him. But from what Raziel described, seemed Cain was completely different from anything I’d encountered before. Wasn’t sure if I could actually detect him this way, but it seemed like our only shot.
I could feel something. Faint. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. I opened my eyes and looked up at Raziel and Asmodeus. “He’s here. I can feel him.”
“Do you know where?” asked Raziel.
I shook my head. “He’s able to shield himself…probably has some kind of warding. All I know is he’s here, but it’s hard to get a bead on him. Every time I think I’ve got a lock, he vanishes.”
A shot rang out. Next thing I knew, I had a stabbing pain in my left shoulder. I looked down, reaching my hand over to touch the spot on my jacket where I saw a wet mark. When I looked at my fingers, they were stained with blood. I positioned my hand over the wound, channeling my power into a healing spell to work on the wound.
“What was that?” asked Raziel.
“My guess is Cain’s not the type who enjoys entertaining visitors,” I said, grunting as I stood. I reached into the holster under my coat with my right hand and drew my revolver. Was a good thing Cain didn’t shoot my gun-arm, otherwise that thing would’ve been a lot heavier.
Another shot. I instinctively ducked, but the cry of pain wasn’t from me—it came from Asmodeus.
I looked at the demon with shock. He touched the wound and drew back blood, looking just as confused as me. Being half-human, regular bullets could harm me. But they couldn’t hurt an angel or a demon. So that meant Cain was using a different kind of ammunition.
“Find him,” said Raziel, his wings emerging from his back and raising him above the ground.
“Easier said than done, Raz,” I muttered.
There was a third shot, and I ducked, as did Asmodeus. Raziel had already flown off, and neither of us looked to be hit. I glanced at Asmodeus and saw flames snaking down the length of his cane, engulfing it completely. A sword of hellfire, the demon’s version of soulfire used by angels. They could fashion it into whatever tool or weapon they saw fit. Man, I’d sure like to have that trick in my arsenal…
“Split up,” said Asmodeus. “Find that son of a bitch.”
First thing’s first, I had to get out of the open. Cain had the advantage in that he could see us, but we couldn’t see him. Best to change that and put us back on even footing. I stayed low as I ran up the hill and into the forested area.
A fourth shot struck the tree I was just about to run in front of. It brought me to a stop and I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, I took off in another direction. I circled back and forth a few times, trying to keep him off my tail. I couldn’t get a sense of where he was and didn’t have time to concentrate my power enough to find out.
I stopped and just listened, not moving a muscle, trying to focus on my five human senses instead of worrying about my demonic ones. And I heard…
Nothing. Not a trace of him. Couldn’t smell a thing, either; only thing I could feel was the heat of wearing an overcoat on a trip to the Southwest. Not the best idea; would’ve been nice for Raz to let me know ahead of time.
I tugged on my tie to loosen it and unbutton my collar. It wasn’t the best thing to do, but it was something. I moved slowly through the forest, staying low. Neither Asmodeus nor Raziel were anywhere in sight. With those two, it actually wouldn’t surprise me if they just up and left me stranded here. Some sort of fucked up hazing thing.
I leaned against a tree and rested for a moment, looking from side to side. Nothing but more and more trees. Where the hell was this guy? I was starting to get really damn impatient. At least if he showed himself, we could fight this out properly instead of running through the forest playing cowboys and Indians.
I felt something press up against the back of my head. Something metal and round, with a hole down the center. I sighed and held up my gun. It was taken from my hand and a gruff voice ordered me to stand, so I did.
&n
bsp; “Turn around,” he said.
I did as I was ordered and laid eyes on the man for the first time. He wore a wide-brimmed fedora hat, and it cast a shadow over his face. His eyes were an unnatural, glowing green, and he had a graying beard and straggly hair. In one hand, he held the revolver I’d just given. In the other, he had one of his own.
“Nice hardware you got,” he said. “And by the look of those eyes, you’re not exactly human, are you?”
“Could say the same thing about you,” I replied, “Cain.”
8
With his long, brown duster, a rifle slung over his back, and that six-shooter in his hand, Cain looked like he’d stepped right out of a Sergio Leone flick. The only thing missing was a horse. His intense eyes focused on me, the gun never moving a single inch, not even a little shake. His hands were steady as can be.
“You have me at a disadvantage, son,” he said, his voice like the sound of walking over gravel. “You know my name but I don’t know yours.”
“Luther,” I said. “Luther Cross.”
“Well, Mr. Cross, what’s a cambion doin’ around these parts in the first place?” he asked. “And while we’re on the subject, why’s a cambion carrying around a weapon like that? Most of the creepy crawlies go runnin’ from a thing like that, they don’t carry it around.”
“I’m not like any other cambion you’ve ever met,” I said.
“That so?” Cain began to slowly circle around me, never taking his eyes off me for a second, the barrel of his gun continuously pointed at me. When he came back around in front of me, he narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. “There’s somethin’ about you, boy. Somethin’ that makes me a bit twitchy.”
“Just listen to me, okay?” I asked. “Yes, I’m a cambion. But I was raised by the Sons of Solomon.”
Cain raised a brow. “You don’t say…”
“It’s the truth. That’s where I got the gun,” I said. “They trained me, and these days, I’m something of an exorcist. A paranormal investigator. Basically, I hunt down those ‘creepy crawlies,’ as you called them.”
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