“So, the Sons of Solomon have come calling…” Cain chuckled. “Always knew this day would come…” He raised the gun, pointing the barrel right at my head.
“The hell are you doing?” I shouted.
“Killing you before you get the chance to try and kill me first.”
Great, this whole caper had gone completely pear-shaped. Whether we needed Cain or not, if it was gonna come down to him or me, then I knew who I was siding with. I stared at Cain, summoning energy from the surroundings and channeling it into magic.
“Ignis!”
Cain’s overcoat burst into flame, and he pulled away, looking down at himself and trying to put it out. He dropped the guns to peel the coat off his body, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it.
I didn’t let the distraction go to waste, reaching beneath my coat and drawing out my blade. Like the gun, the blade was a gift from the Sons of Solomon. Iron foundation, Enochian sigils set into the silver surface, and regularly blessed and dipped in holy water. The blade almost glowed as I held it in my hand.
I lunged at Cain with the dagger, but he was quick. He grabbed my knife-arm and avoided the blade. Next thing I knew, I was off my feet and flat on my back. The impact was more of a shock than anything else. Guy might’ve looked like present-day Kurt Russell, but he moved like Escape From New York Kurt Russell.
I got back to my feet, holding the blade ready. Cain was a few feet away from me, and I saw that, underneath the coat, he had a knife sheath at each side above his belt. Cain crossed his arms and drew both daggers simultaneously, twirling them in his hands as we circled each other.
“A cambion working for the Sons of Solomon.” Cain shook his head. “I’ve seen a lot of crazy shit in my day, but that’s one thing I never expected.”
I took off my overcoat and suit jacket, then my tie, and left them in a pile. We circled each other, maintaining the distance between us. But while Cain was no doubt thinking of how many different ways he could kill me, I was busy concentrating. Cain was one tough sonnuva bitch—had to be to survive and escape Purgatory on more than one occasion. He had centuries of combat experience. In a straight-up fight, no way I’d have a prayer of beating him. So, if I was gonna win this thing, I’d have to do things my way.
In other words, I’d have to cheat.
“Sepio,” I whispered. Cain couldn’t see it, but what I’d just done was cast a barrier spell on myself. Wasn’t sure how long it would hold against him, but hopefully, it would give me enough of an edge to take him down. Or at least buy me time until Raziel or Asmodeus showed up.
Assuming, of course, they hadn’t just left me to face this lunatic on my own for kicks.
Cain charged at me, springing off one of the rocks. He landed right in front of me in a crouch, springing up and slashing with one of the daggers. When it should have cut open my chest, instead it just scraped harmlessly against an invisible barrier.
“Too much of a coward to face me like a man,” said Cain. “I expected better from the Sons.”
“I was raised by them—doesn’t mean I’m a card-carryin’ member.” I drove my elbow into Cain’s face, knocking him back a step. He recovered quickly, attempting to stab me repeatedly with his daggers. All they did was harmlessly strike the barrier.
But with each blow Cain attempted, I felt pressure on myself. Erecting a mystic barrier was one thing; maintaining it was another. It required concentration, and the more Cain attacked, the harder it was to keep my focus. And though my mind was quickly tiring, Cain’s ferocity only increased as time passed.
I pulled back and held out my arm, palm facing Cain. He tried to charge me again, but was stopped. Holding him in place was hard. He was strong and putting up some really tough resistance. But I just needed to hold him long enough…
It didn’t work. Though he moved slower, Cain was still moving towards me. I dropped the barrier, trying to add more power to keeping him in place, but it wasn’t enough. He was too strong to keep away. And before I knew it, he had his hands around my shirt and flung me.
I hit uneven ground, rolling down the hill I’d ascended earlier until I was right back where Raziel’s portal had dropped me, by the side of the river. Every muscle in my body ached, and when I tried to get up, I had to do it slowly, moving onto my hands and knees first. I tasted dirt in my mouth and spat. My saliva hit the ground, mixed with just a bit of blood.
Then something hard fell on my back and I was right back down on the ground. I felt my body turning over until I was staring up at the sun. Cain’s bearded face came into my view, and he held one of his daggers in front of me, the sunlight glinting off its silver surface.
“To be honest, not sure how long it’ll take for the Sons to find your body,” he said. “But when they do, they’ll see I’ve left them a little message carved into your chest.”
Cain tore open my shirt and gently rested the tip of the blade against the skin. This was definitely bad. I could already feel the burn of the blade’s mystic properties. And I knew from firsthand experience just how painful those blades were to someone like me.
Then, I saw something in the sky above. It looked like a bird, but it grew far larger than that as it descended, swooping down closer until I could see its face—his face. I never thought I’d be so happy to see an angel, but Raziel came to my rescue. He descended on Cain, driving his soulfire blade into the immortal.
Cain’s body seized and he collapsed onto the ground. Raziel’s sword dissipated and he offered his hand. I accepted and he helped me get back to my feet. When I looked down, Cain lay there, his eyes shut.
“Is he dead?” I asked.
“Killing him wouldn’t do us any good,” said Raziel. “No, he’s alive. Just unconscious.”
I heard the sound of clapping coming from nearby and turned towards it. Asmodeus walked towards us, holding the cane under his arm as he continued his slow-clap, a grin on his face.
“Good job, Luther,” he said, glancing down at Cain once he approached. “We knew we could count on you to distract him.”
“Wait…you mean…” I looked from Asmodeus to Raziel, then pointed down at Cain. “You used me as bait?”
“An unfortunate but…accurate term,” said Raziel. “We had to keep Cain distracted long enough to get the drop on him.”
“Sons of bitches… He almost killed me!”
“He wouldn’t have killed you; I was watching the entire time.” Raziel looked down at Cain. “Now, let’s get him somewhere we can talk.”
Cain had a cabin located not far from where we fought. While I was being used as bait and Raziel was keeping watch from above, it had apparently been Asmodeus’ job to track down Cain’s home. The place wasn’t very big. Basically one large room with a small kitchen area, a bed, a chair in front of a fireplace, and shelves of books.
When Cain finally woke, he saw Raziel standing in front of him; I leaned against the door, smoking a cigarette; and Asmodeus was helping himself to whatever liquor Cain kept in the house, which mostly seemed to be of the moonshine variety.
Cain tried to struggle initially, but quickly found he was tied to the chair with heavy chains. Still, he fought against the bonds—probably thought he could break them. But Raziel dropped some knowledge on him that caused him to finally relent.
“I forged those chains from soulfire,” he said. “You won’t break them so easily.”
Cain studied Raziel’s face, then looked to me, and, finally, Asmodeus. “So, we’ve got an angel, a demon, and a cambion. All working together. Just what exactly are the Sons of Solomon up to?”
“Like I tried to tell you before, I’m not one of them,” I said. “Maybe try listening for once in your life.”
“He speaks the truth,” said Raziel. “We’re not affiliated with the Sons. Nor are we working on behalf of Heaven or Hell.”
Cain narrowed his eyes. “What’s this all about? A demon goin’ rogue, that I can buy. But one of you flyboys? No one’s done that since Lucifer.”
“One has, and we don’t know his identity,” said Raziel. “Hence why Asmodeus and I have decided to put aside our differences and work together on this.”
“And the cambion?”
“I got a name, cowboy.”
“And I don’t give a shit,” said Cain. “What’s your part in all this?”
“I’m the one who brought it to their attention.” I then proceeded to relay the story of Dakota and her mystic pregnancy—how we had thought she was carrying a cambion, but it turned out to be a nephilim, and that the man who kidnapped her had been working on behalf of a rogue angel, a rogue angel who empowered him.
“You’re talkin’ Armageddon-type shit, boy,” said Cain.
“And we’re going to stop it,” said Asmodeus, carrying a glass filled with moonshine from the kitchen. He sat on the bed and took a sip, cringed, and glared at Cain. “You actually drink this shit?”
“If we’re going to stop this angel, we need to discover his identity, and for that, we need you,” said Raziel.
“What can I do? I haven’t seen an angel in over a century; I don’t know who’s behind this.”
“You can’t tell us who he is, but you can help us find someone who can,” I said. “The human the angel used, his name’s Joseph Luxton. And his soul’s in Purgatory.”
“Purgatory…” A look of realization came across the old man’s face. “I get it now. You need to get into Purgatory without anyone knowin’.”
“And once we’re inside, we need a tracker capable of finding Luxton,” said Raziel. “Luther, here, has a connection to him. They encountered each other in the Dreamscape.”
“Raz says you can use that connection to track Luxton inside Purgatory,” I said.
“You want me to willingly travel to the one place I’ve always tried to stay out of in order to help you spring a prisoner working for an angel trying to destroy the world?” Cain laughed. “Think you boys’ve had a little too much of my moonshine, ’cause no way in creation is that ever happening.”
“What will make it happen?” I asked.
“Somethin’ big. Somethin’ I doubt the halo here would be willing to give.”
“Ooooh, this just got interesting,” said Asmodeus, leaning forward with a grin as he continued to sip the moonshine.
“I want out,” said Cain, staring at Raziel.
“Out of where?” I asked.
“This life,” said Cain. “I want to die. And I don’t mean Heaven or Hell. I just want to be done. I don’t want to exist anymore.”
“What you ask is impossible,” said Raziel.
“Bullshit,” said Cain. “If you want my help, that’s the only way you’re gettin’ it.”
“There must be something else I can do for you.”
“No chance, halo. Either you promise to end my existence once we’re through, or you find someone else who can get you in and out of Purgatory without raisin’ an alarm.”
“Raz,” I said, and nodded to the door. “A word?”
Raziel sighed and glanced at Asmodeus. “Watch him.”
Asmodeus nodded as Raziel approached the door. I opened it and we both stepped outside, and I could hear Asmodeus start giving Cain shit about his moonshine. I shut the door behind us and leaned against it.
“Can it be done?” I asked.
“You don’t know what’s being asked. This requires breaking one of the Presence’s earliest and longest-standing decrees. That’s not something the Divine Choir takes lightly.”
“I already know it’ll piss people off, but can it be done?”
Raziel sighed. “I don’t know.”
I took a slow drag on the cigarette and looked at the cabin, watching Cain through the closed window. I had an idea. It would be a big risk, and it would probably end real bad, but there wasn’t much I had in the way of options.
“Follow my lead.”
I dropped the cigarette and stamped it out, then walked back into the cabin with Raziel behind me. I walked up to Cain and placed my hands in my pockets.
“You’ve got a deal.”
“Just like that?” asked Cain, watching me with skepticism.
“Raz just needed a little convincing,” I said. “I can be very persuasive. He knows this threat we’re facing is a lot more important than keeping you alive.”
Cain’s gaze traveled to Raziel and the angel’s gaze fell on me. I met it and nodded.
“Is he tellin’ the truth?” asked Cain.
Raziel continued to stare at me, his azure eyes burning with anger as he said, “Yes. If you help us, I will see to it that the Mark is lifted.”
9
What does the world’s oldest killer do to a person who lies right to his face?
That question had been plaguing me ever since we left Cain’s place. And the only answer I’d come up with in the time since was “nothing good.” Much as I’d tried to ignore it, it just kept popping back into my head.
I’d gone to Celeste’s place last night, but I hadn’t told her anything about what had happened over the past few days. All I wanted to do was spend time with her, because it was pretty likely I wouldn’t get another chance. We ordered Chinese food, watched Orange is the New Black, made love, and went to sleep.
Well, she went to sleep. Me, I was up half the night. I couldn’t get comfortable at all, and rather than wake her, I’d gone to the living room and turned on Netflix, re-watching old episodes of Cheers. Dozed off a few times, but never got more than twenty minutes of sleep at a time.
Celeste finally came out of the room a little after nine. It was early for her—early for me, too. Celeste was a vampire, so her and sunlight didn’t mix too well. Hence the blackout curtains over all the windows in the apartment. She yawned and leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest.
Celeste’s short, black hair was a mess, going every which way. She had on a black T-shirt, a bit on the loose side, reaching down to about mid-thigh, and nothing else. When I saw her like that, I smiled, watching her rub the sleep from her eyes. Some guys may get the impression that seeing a woman when she first wakes up with no makeup and bedhead would be a turn-off. Those guys would be wrong. There’s nothing better than knowing a woman feels that comfortable with you.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
“Not really.”
Celeste walked into the kitchen and called back to me, “Coffee?”
“Yeah, got a feelin’ I’m gonna need it.”
I heard the clatter of dishes and then, a few moments later, the sound of the coffee maker doing its thing. I took a cigarette from my case resting on the side table and lit it with my Zippo. There was something about that first cigarette of the day that made things better—even if you didn’t get any sleep the night before.
Celeste emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later holding two cups in her hand. She handed one to me and I sipped, savoring the taste of the sugar mixed in with the coffee, just the way I liked it.
“Scooch,” she said, slapping my feet.
I sat upright, resting my feet on the carpeted floor, and allowed her to huddle into the corner of the couch. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested against the corner where the armrest met the back, sipping her drink. When she lowered the mug, I saw that her lips were stained red.
“Why couldn’t you sleep?” she asked.
“No reason.” I tapped the cigarette against the ashtray.
“Uh-huh.” I could feel her penetrating gaze on me. “Tell me something, Luther. When are you going to realize that you’re a shitty liar around me?”
I smirked and sipped my coffee. It’s not like I wasn’t planning on telling her about Purgatory. More like I just wanted to put it off as long as possible. Enjoy what little time we had left with each other. Even if I made it out of there, soon as Cain realized I’d pulled a fast one on him, I probably wouldn’t be long for this world. Didn’t matter that Raziel backed me up. Cain would want to exact vengeance on someone. And when com
pared to an angel and a demon, I made for an easy target.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
I sighed and set the mug on the side table and the cigarette in the ashtray. I turned to her. “I’m about to go on a trip.”
“For work?”
“Yeah…you might say that…”
“Okay, no problem. When you planning on coming back?”
“Well, that’s the bitch of it…”
“What, you don’t know when you’re coming back? What kind of case is it?”
“Eh…you might call it a missing persons case.”
She took another sip from her mug and leaned forward to place it on the coffee table in front of the couch. Celeste moved closer to me, her hand resting on my shoulder. “Why aren’t you telling me everything?”
I shook my head and picked up the cigarette for another draw. “It’s not a discussion I was exactly looking forward to.”
“And I don’t like it when my boyfriend keeps secrets from me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So, we’re using the B-word now?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“You’re right.” I sighed. “Truth is, I’m goin’ someplace kind of…far. And I’m not sure how long it’s gonna take to find this guy.”
She scoffed. “Luther, I love you, but if you don’t start leveling with me, I’m going to tear your throat out.”
With Celeste, that wasn’t exactly an idle threat, either. “Purgatory.”
“Excuse me?”
“Purgatory. That’s where I’m going.”
“The hell you are!”
I put out the cigarette and turned my body on the couch to face her. “Celeste—”
“You are not going to Purgatory,” she said. “I don’t care who’s missing—do you have any idea what that place is like?”
“How would you know?” I asked. “Have you been? Or known anyone who has?”
“No, but I also don’t have to take a swan dive from the top of the Willis Tower to know it’s a bad idea.”
“Point taken.”
“Besides, you can’t tell me you think walking into Purgatory is going to be easy.”
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