“Are you going to call Michael when we get topside?” Melcherisa asked. “Yeah. And Raphael. I think there’s going to be a need for his power.”
“This place sounds utterly terrible and more despairing than Hell could ever be,” Markus said.
“I think it’s worse than what she described to me, actual y. But yeah, fucked-up definitely covers it, I think.” Adramelek ran a hand through his hair, wondering if he should take any heavy weapons with him. The idea of marching into the place armed with a rocket launcher was extremely appealing. He mental y shook his head, discarding the notion. If he needed one, he could pull one to him with his power, it certainly wasn’t impossible for him, after all. Realistically, though, Adramelek knew that if his Guild of Glass Knives and two packs of Hel hounds were not sufficient power to contain whatever menace happened to be in the facility Lily had called them to, nothing else save Lucifer would do the job of destroying the threats. And Adramelek didn’t think that anyone—including Lucifer himself—would be pleased to see the Devil rise up in a rage and walk once more upon the Earth.
It would only take Adramelek being hurt to make Lucifer do it.
Adramelek took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He would not be get ing injured and he would not be the reason that drew an enraged Satan out of Hel . No, he and his guild would take care of the situation, eliminating the creatures and saving the Venatores and the Necromancer and tracker.
“Let’s go,” Lix Tetrax said, her voice breaking smoothly into his thoughts.
Adramelek nodded. “Right you are.” He held out his left hand and concentrated, and the gate between the realities of Hell and Earth shimmered for a moment and then opened.
They exited Hell quietly, the Hellhounds following obediently, and once on Earth, Adramelek pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his coat and dialed the number he knew was for Michael. Michael answered on the second ring.
“Yes?”
“Michael, it’s Adramelek.” Adramelek didn’t wait for a reply, simply plunging into the reason for his call. He told Michael what Lily had told him, and when he finished, there was a long silence.
“Michael?”
“I am here.” Michael’s voice sounded tight, angry. “Are you certain of these activities?”
“You don’t think she’d call me if it wasn’t a fucking emergency, do you? Of course I’m sure.”
Michael huffed. “Very well. What are you planning?”
“Ondrass, Markus, Lix Tetrax, Melcherisa, and myself are on our way there now with Hellhounds. We’ll get your Venatores out, safe and sound, I promise you that. You might want to meet us at Yaak and bring Raphael with you. Remiel and Samael too.”
“As you say.” There was another pause. Finally Michael let out a great sigh. “You are certain they are not….”
“Dead? Yeah, I’m certain they’re not dead.”
“I see. How wil you disable the wards that keep angels out of the area?”
Adramelek grinned. “I plan to use some Fallen One magic for that.
You don’t really want the details, do you?”
“No, I do not.”
“Bring Gabe with you too. Might need some extra muscle.”
Adramelek looked around and shrugged. “Matter of fact, bring anyone you think would be helpful.”
“Are the two who are injured in serious danger?”
“Not yet, I don’t think, but if we wait too long, that could change.
Either come to Yaak or don’t, Michael. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to honor Lily’s plea and get her and her pack out. If you’re there with the others when we get them out, fantastic. If not, then we’ll get them to medical care on our own. Your decision.”
“I will be there; you do not need to threaten me.” Michael sounded annoyed as well as angry now. “This whole situation is terrible, Adramelek. It was supposed to be a simple mission: rescue the injured who escaped from an avalanche. Not… not this.”
“It is a terrible situation and it’s a fuck of a lot worse than a simple search and rescue mission. You were played, Michael. Not that it’s really your fault—we were all played. Whoever is behind this thing knew enough about magic, sigils, and wards to make sure that the protections they cast were strong enough to stop any of us from taking a closer look at this area or detecting any sort of anomaly. Don’t flagellate yourself over it; you couldn’t have known, no one could. Just suck it up and prepare for the aftermath, it’s the best thing you can do. So now I’m going to get your people out of it and move them somewhere safer. Just call me the Archdemonic Good Samaritan. I’ll call you if we need anything else.”
With that, Adramelek ended the call. He turned to look at the rest of his guild and shrugged as if to say, “What can you do? Archangels!”
“Shall we go, then?” Markus asked.
“Yes,” Adramelek said.
He pocketed his cell phone and, with the rest of his guild and the Hellhounds, teleported to Yaak. Following the trail of the Venatores was easy after finding their scent. The helicopter they’d traveled in was in good shape, and Adramelek left a Hellhound behind to guard it. The rest were set to following the trail of the Venatores and Declan and Liam, which led toward a mountainside and a large avalanche.
“How are we going to get in?” Ondrass asked.
“Teleport,” Adramelek said. “I’ve got her location pinpointed now.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Markus wondered. “Let’s get to them.”
Adramelek nodded. “Okay. Take your location from me and have the Hellhounds follow us.”
“Right,” Ondrass said.
Adramelek concentrated, focusing on Lily, on the sensation of her mind and her soul, zeroing in on her location in the lower levels of the strange building that was constructed into the rock of the mountain itself.
He took a deep breath and teleported, moving easily between rock and dirt to the facility itself. It was no trouble to find the panic room, for the sense of Lily’s soul was strong, as was the sense of Venatores and humans. He could smell blood, a lot of blood, and more than a little gore and demons and death. The whole place was full of strange things, and Adramelek almost couldn’t believe his eyes as a giant creature that resembled the weird insect that Lily had told him about lunged out of the darkness at him and Ondrass and the Hellhounds, its pincers clicking threateningly.
“What the fuck is that?” Ondrass demanded.
“No idea,” Adramelek said.
The Hellhounds responded to the attack with one of their own, and the creature screamed as they attacked it and screamed some more when Adramelek drew his sword and sliced through the strong shell that covered its back and sides. It spat at him and he dodged the gob of phlegm and spittle, wrinkling his nose at the smell, the stench reminding him of rotting meat and stale blood. The giant insectoid creature tried to crush the Hellhounds in its pincers but failed as they tore into it, and between Adramelek’s sword and the Hellhounds’ fangs, the beast was soon on its side, twitching as it died.
“That’s disgusting,” Lix Tetrax said. “What is it?”
“A giant bug,” Ondrass said.
“I think it was made by humans,” Adramelek said. “Why, I don’t know.”
“Where are Lily and the others, then?” Lix Tetrax asked.
“Down here, I think. There’s a panic room, she said. We’re on the right level, the room should be down this way a bit.”
“A giant bug isn’t really the sort of thing you want to volunteer to fight if you can help it,” Ondrass agreed. “What about these other hybrid things?”
Adramelek sighed. “I don’t know. Anyway, the panic room is just over there.”
“Your eyesight’s very good,” Markus said.
Adramelek moved along the corridor, listening for any signs of pursuit, but he heard nothing. When he reached the door that led into the panic room, he knocked carefully, then called out, “Lily, it’s me, Adramelek. I’ve brought Ondrass, Markus
, Lix Tetrax, and Melcherisa with me, along with some Hellhounds. Michael and Raphael are on the way too. Can you open the door?”
“Adramelek, it’s really you?” It was Lily’s voice. “Thank fuck.”
There was a loud scraping noise and then the door opened.
Adramelek took one look at what lay beyond and frowned. “What happened here?” he asked.
“There were some injuries while we were escaping,” Declan said.
Adramelek recognized him from the meetings held in Armenia when the Holy Grail had been taken.
“So I see. We need to get you all out of here and somewhere safer,”
Adramelek said.
“I’m loving every part of that plan,” Declan replied. “This place has been fucked-up beyond belief.”
“I’m getting that impression,” Adramelek said. “Lily told me that some of these creatures have bits of demon in them.”
“And humans and shifters, yeah.” Declan pulled a face. “We managed to grab a lot of reports and files; when we go through them all, I can make some notes for you if you want them.”
“Please do,” Adramelek said. “Lucifer is most displeased that someone or something would use demons in some sort of crazed science experiment.”
“That’s a good way to put it,” Declan said. “It really has felt like that.”
“How many wounded?” Lix Tetrax asked.
“Two: Baxter, the white wolf there in my brother’s lap, and Danny, the gray-brown wolf there with Riley, the pack medic.” Declan hesitated and then asked, “Are you sure Raphael and Michael can come here?”
“I’m sure they can come close. We’ll get you to safety anyway, so you don’t need to worry too much,” Adramelek said.
“Awesome. Then can we get out of here right now? I think we’ve all had just about enough of this place to last us a lifetime.”
“Damn right about that,” Lily said. She was on her knees beside the gray-brown wolf, and Adramelek realized that the wolf was unconscious and in dire need of medical attention.
“I’ll carry the wolf,” Ondrass offered. “The rest of you, take each other’s hands and stand in a circle, and we’ll move you out to safety.”
They did as they were told, and Adramelek, joining his fellows, rested a hand on Lily’s shoulder and concentrated, as did Lix Tetrax, Ondrass, Markus, and Melcherisa. Using their combined powers, they teleported out of the strange facility, with its scent of death and horror, to the dusty airstrip and landing pad, where the helicopter was waiting and where Adramelek devoutly hoped the Archangels would be too.
After the stench of the interior of the building, the fresh air of the country town and the pine trees was a welcome relief. The Hellhounds whined as Adramelek used his own powers to send them back to Hell—he didn’t want them to linger in the building and be hurt or killed by the creatures that were within.
“Thank God we’re out of there at last,” Declan said.
“Amen to that,” Liam said. He looked around and Adramelek wondered what he was looking for. “Where are the Archangels?”
“They should be here soon,” Adramelek said. “Breaking the spell that wards them out of here is going to take a bit, however, so rest easy here while myself and Ondrass here take care of it.”
Liam nodded and gave him a salute. “Yes, sir.”
Adramelek chuckled at that. “No need to salute, though I do appreciate the sentiment. Don’t you, Ondrass?”
“Indeed,” Ondrass said. “Now let’s go and take care of this pesky spell. Lix Tetrax and Melcherisa and Markus will stay with you to help you remain safe.”
“Thanks,” Declan said. “I know that sounds sarcastic, but I mean it.”
“We know,” Ondrass said. He looked at the wolves. “Do any of you need anything before Adramelek and I leave?”
“No,” Liam said. “I think we’ll be okay for the moment.”
Adramelek nodded. “All right. Let’s go and take care of this, then.”
Ondrass nodded and the two of them moved, teleporting to the rock face where the door had once been.
“THIS ISN’T natural.” Adramelek glared at the rock that covered the doorway.
“I can see,” Ondrass said. He was pacing back and forth, and now and then he would rest a hand on the debris covering the doors and the front of the facility and frown. “More to the point, I can feel. Touch it.”
Adramelek took a step closer and laid his own hand on the jagged surface of the heavy boulder that covered the door. Instantly, he felt the thrum of power and, strangely, a sense of synthetic fabrication. “How did this happen?”
Ondrass was looking up toward the peak of the mountain. “I’m getting a strange sensation coming from above us. Why don’t you use your wings and flap your way upward and see what you can see?”
Adramelek gave him a flat, unfriendly look as he lowered his hand.
“Do you mind?”
“No. You have wings, I do not. Therefore, you can hover.”
Rolling his eyes, Adramelek unfurled his wings, feathers jet black shot through with red and looking as if they were made of leather. They rustled as he shook himself. He stretched his wings out to their full span and then brought them down in one powerful stroke. Slowly, he rose, peering at the avalanche, the mixture of trees and undergrowth with rock and dirt, and that ever-growing feeling that something was not right and completely unnatural.
“Be careful.” Lucifer’s voice in Adramelek’s mind held all the warmth of an iceberg. He sounded as if he was doing his very best not to lose his temper.
“I am,” Adramelek said. “You’re very worried about this place, aren’t you?”
“More than I like. Shadow that boy until you get me all the information he has. I want to know exactly what this place was for.”
“I’ll do that, but I think Michael will object if I hang around like a bad smell and frighten the natives.”
“Tell him that I ordered you to.”
“Okay.” Adramelek didn’t push it. Lucifer’s voice was growing more brittle, more caustic, and Adramelek knew his lord and lover was going to commit some vast violence in Hell.
“I’m not going to smash crockery like a scorned Victorian housewife, you know,” Lucifer snorted in Adramelek’s mind. “I’m not going to come down with the vapors and require smelling salts. I am angry, yes; very angry. I’m frustrated, and I’m worried. This place managed to exist without any of us knowing about it. What if there are others? And where did my people fit in? How were they captured for this?
I have too many questions, Adramelek, and I do not require a cup of tea and a lie-down.”
“I might require a cup of tea and a lie-down,” Adramelek muttered.
“Oh wait. Here’s something.” He rose up over a plateau and beat his wings steadily against the errant breezes that blew against him, staring down at what was spread out beneath him. “Lightbringer… are you seeing this?”
“I am.”
“What…. I don’t know what I’m looking at.”
“An extremely complex spel burnt into the mountain. A combination of Akkadian magic, First One spel craft, and pieces of Raziel’s holy book.”
“Fuck.”
“Yes.”
“How the hell do I break this?” But Lucifer was silent, and Adramelek swore in three dead languages and looked down to where Ondrass waited for him. “Come up here,” he shouted down, and Ondrass blipped out, reappearing beside him a moment later.
“What the blazes is this?” Ondrass asked.
“Lucifer says it’s a mix of Akkadian, First One, and Raziel’s magic.”
Ondrass stared at it. “It’s sizzled into the mountain with Hellfire.
You can see the wounds are still burning. This is a giant circle that is essentially living fire, constantly burning the life out of the mountain itself. This mountain is in pain, Adramelek. All these carvings and sigils within the circle only keep the fire burning and the pain constant.”
Adra
melek narrowed his eyes, thinking. “Holy water.”
“Pardon?”
“Think about it. How much does it take to break a circle of power? Not a lot. A scratch, just enough to break the circle. If I pour holy water over this thing, it should act like a circuit breaker and stop the Hellfire’s burning.”
Ondrass pursed his lips. “Theoretically, that should work.”
“Then I’ll do it.” Adramelek concentrated, reaching out with his power, and in a nearby farm, he found the first part of what he was looking for: a bucket. He filled it with water from the nearby river, then reached out again, this time to the Vatican. He smiled to himself as he reached through the holy seat of the Catholics, the invisible fingers of his Fallen Angel power hunting for what he most needed. How many humans would be scandalized to know that he, an Archdemon, felt no pain and had no trouble whatsoever being in a church of any kind? He could just imagine the debate that would cause in theological circles.
It was in the private chambers of the cardinals who attended the Pope that he found what he wanted. It was a simple thing for him to steal the eighteenth-century holy crucifix upon its rosary of wooden beads and pull it to him with his power. Ondrass was staring at him, his upper lip curled in distaste as Adramelek held up the crucifix and grinned.
“Did you have to go to Italy for that?”
“Yes.” Adramelek dropped the crucifix and rosary into the bucket of water. “I needed one imbued with the faith of a great many holy men.
Now be quiet so I can bless this water.”
“It strikes me as highly ironic that you, an Archdemon, a Fallen One, are making holy water,” Ondrass said, but then he fell silent.
“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen,” Adramelek said, repeating the old formula easily. The water in the bucket shimmered for a moment and then cleared, and Adramelek took a deep breath. “You might want to stand downwind,” he said to Ondrass.
“Right.”
As soon as Ondrass had moved a little way away, Adramelek threw the contents of the bucket over the circle and some of the sigils within.
Archangel Chronicles 7 - Shot In the Dark Page 14