Infernal Father of Mine

by John Corwin

  Maybe I can die.

  My future looked shorter than a midget in a meat grinder.

  A Nazdal leapt for me.

  Goodbye cruel world.

  A fireball caught the creature in midair. Charred remains hit me low in the legs and knocked me on my butt. A spear of violet sliced the head off another Nazdal. A blazing meteor the size of a car crushed a group of them. Screams and cries went up from the injured and dying Nazdal.

  I caught sight of Maloreck. He was huge, muscles swelling larger with every death. He leapt to the railing and looked at me. "You have given me many lives today, warrior. If you defeat the bright one, we will be your devoted."

  "You have a funny way of showing it," I said, trying to shout, but managing only a hoarse whisper.

  "I go now to become the master of my tribe," he said. "We will see each other again." With that, he vanished over the side.

  I gave up trying to regain my feet and flopped onto my back. I saw Shelton and Bella looking down at me.

  "The Australian government must hate you," Shelton said with a shake of his head. "This is the second time you've torn up their country."

  "What, may I ask, was that thing?" Bella asked.

  I was too tired to respond.

  "Is that your Dad?" Shelton knelt down and felt my father's pulse.

  "Help the poor boy stand, Harry." Bella lifted my father, tossing him like a sack of potatoes over one shoulder. Despite her petite frame, she was pretty freaking strong, due to her being a dhampyr.

  Shelton, on the other hand, was a plain-Jane Arcane. Hs slung my arm over his neck and help me stagger next to him.

  "This is horrific," Bella said, tears forming in her eyes as she looked over the massacre. The photographers had managed to get away, but there were at least a dozen people dead. It was hard to tell with all the body parts and internal organs strewn around. I felt sick. Dad and I could have led the Nazdal away from people. Instead, we'd led the creatures right to helpless noms.

  "Let the Custodians handle it," Shelton said. "We need to get these two back to the mansion, pronto."

  "Okay," Bella said. They headed behind a kiosk where a portal shimmered in the air. Through it, I saw the mansion cellar. They stepped through, hauling us with them. The portal within the omniarch winked out.

  "Where is Elyssa?" I asked.

  "She's at The Ranch," Bella said.

  "The Templar compound in Atlanta?" I asked.

  "Yes. Things have been quite eventful since your disappearance." She shifted Dad to the other shoulder. "Meghan is gathering supplies so she can look at you, but I need to come back down here and open portals for her and Elyssa."

  "I can't wait to hear the story behind this," Shelton said with a grim sigh. "First thing I heard you were going to talk to your dad. Next thing I know, Elyssa's got us tracking down the long-lost tribe of Templar Exorcists and paying visits to Jeremiah Conroy."

  "What?" I said, nearly losing my feet at the shock of his last statement.

  Shelton chuckled. "Sounds like we have some good stories to swap."

  "Can't wait." At the moment, it was all I could do to stay awake. My knees gave way and Shelton grunted as he struggled to keep me upright.

  "I'm an Arcane, not a vampire, man. Use your feet." Shelton gripped my waist and jerked me from my knees.

  We reached the second floor. Bella took Dad to another room, and Shelton dropped me into my own bed. The room was a mess. Elyssa usually kept everything spotless, probably thanks to her Templar military upbringing, so I knew her mental state was way out of whack if she'd allowed the room to deteriorate like this. I couldn't wait to see Elyssa. Couldn't wait to kiss the real her instead of a dreamcasted clone. I closed my eyes and imagined her walking through the door.

  And promptly fell asleep.

  I woke and saw an arm across my chest. Elyssa lay next to me, her head pressed into the crook of my arm, her leg tossed over mine. I didn't know how she'd fallen asleep because I had some serious body odor going on thanks to not showering over the past two days. I kissed my girlfriend's forehead.

  She moaned and blinked open her eyes. Before I could say a word, she pressed her lips to mine and took my breath away. She pulled back and leaned over me, a curtain of raven hair hanging around her face. "I missed you."

  "I missed you too," I said, and kissed her again. "Sounds like you've had some adventures while I was gone."

  Elyssa smiled. "You did it, didn't you?"

  "Did what?"

  "Made the choice."

  I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about that?"

  "Jeremiah Conroy told me it was why you had to go into the Gloom."

  I sucked in a breath. "You really went to see him?"

  "Ivy went with me."

  "Do you realize how dangerous—"

  She pressed a finger to my lips. "He told me you had to go into the Gloom, and showed me part of Foreseeance Forty-Three Eleven I'd never seen before."

  I felt my forehead scrunch. "But I thought the foreseeance was done and over with."

  "It is now," she said. "I didn't realize it at first, but when you chose, I felt it—everyone felt it."

  "Dad said something similar," I said. "Geez, I didn't realize it was such a big deal."

  Elyssa smiled. "We were fighting vampires at the compound. Whatever weirdness sent that wave, cleared the sky and let the sun shine. Your choice won the battle."

  I felt my eyebrows rise. "I saved you and wasn't even in this plane of reality? I am a badass."

  She snorted. "You certainly smell like ass."

  "Hasn't stopped you from kissing me." I winked. "Why don't you help me clean up."

  "Whatever his awesomeness requires." She bit her bottom lip, eyelids heavy. "Just tell me where you want to get clean…or dirty."

  After a much-needed "shower", Elyssa and I went downstairs. It was midafternoon, though it felt like morning. I'd completely lost track of time in the Gloom, but apparently we'd been gone a little more than forty-eight hours. Meghan Andretti, an Arcane healer and friend, saw me coming down the stairs, and motioned toward a chair.

  "I need to give you a checkup," she said.

  "How's my dad?" I asked.

  "Much better," he said, emerging from the kitchen bearing plates piled high with pancakes, bacon and eggs. My little hellhound, Cutsauce, jumped around his feet, yipping like crazy. "I know it's not breakfast time, but my stomach doesn't care."

  "Me want pancakes," I said, mouth watering.

  "Grab the orange juice, and it's a deal." He winked and dropped a piece of bacon. Cutsauce caught it before it hit the floor, and raced away with his prize.

  Grinning like a school boy, I ran into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses filled with orange juice. When I came back out, I caught a confused look from Elyssa. The last she'd known, I was furious with Dad.

  Meghan took out a wand and waved it down my body. Numbers floated in the air to the side. I tried to ignore them and made short work of a stack of pancakes. I couldn't stuff them in my mouth fast enough.

  "Well, my readings make absolutely no sense," Meghan said after a moment. "I suppose that's to be expected from the Cataclyst."

  I groaned. "I wish everyone would stop calling me that."

  "Well, well, well. Look who decided to wake up," Shelton said as he and Bella walked down the stairs. His eyes lit on the pancakes, and he rubbed his hands together. "Ooh, breakfast for lunch? Count me in."

  Bella rolled her eyes. "You're such a terrible roommate, always eating what other people cook."

  He snatched a piece of bacon and crunched down on it. "Mm, crispy. Just the way I like it."

  I looked at the group. "Why isn't Mom back yet? Where's Ivy?"

  Dad stiffened, but quickly recovered with a smile.

  Elyssa took in a breath as if she was about to say something I wouldn't like. "When your mom went to Colombia to help Nightliss, it was just supposed to be a day trip, but either the Synod, or vampires allied with Dael
issa put on an offensive. The Colombian Templars went into communications blackout and we haven't heard from them yet."

  My chest went cold. "And Ivy?"

  "She's at Jeremiah Conroy's."

  I jerked to my feet. "Say what?"

  Elyssa's eyes wrinkled with worry. "When Ivy decides to do something, there's nothing anyone can do to stop her, and you know it. I don't think Jeremiah can keep her against her will even if he wanted to."

  "No, this isn't good. We have to get her."

  "Justin!" cried a girlish voice.

  I looked across the room and saw Ivy racing for me, arms outstretched. She gripped me in a tight hug. I grunted at the impact.

  Ivy looked up at me. "I'm sorry you were worried, but it was so cute watching you show brotherly concern."

  I kissed her on the forehead. "Visiting Jeremiah wasn't a good idea."

  She shrugged. "It worked out. He knows a lot about Daelissa, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to grill him."

  "Did he tell you anything?" I asked.

  "He said we're not ready to fight her." Ivy backed away, her face serious.

  "Why is Jeremiah being so helpful all of a sudden?" I asked.

  Dad cleared his throat. "Conroy has his own agenda. He's got his finger in nearly as many pies as Daelissa does."

  "It is good to see you again, Justin," Cinder said, walking from the direction of the planning room.

  I stood and shook his hand. "Good to see you." I looked around. "Looks like the gang's all here—at least most of us—and we have a lot to catch up on."

  "Man, is that an understatement," Shelton said. "But first, we have something for you."

  Bella burst from the kitchen with a white frosted cake on a plate. A candle in the shape of an angel sat on top of it with a burning wick for a halo. "You did it!" she shouted.

  Shelton stood and started a slow clap. Meghan rolled her eyes but joined in. Dad barked a laugh, and stood as everyone clapped faster and faster.

  I stood and waved off the applause. "I don't know whether the slow clap is a good thing or not, but yes, I finally made the decision." Looking at the angel candle, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

  "Welcome to the big leagues," Ivy said, giggling.

  I flicked a finger, and the candle poofed out.

  "Holy Mary, did you see that, Bella?" Shelton said. "The kid finally put out a candle without destroying everything around it."

  "I'm so proud of you," Bella said, walking over and giving me a hug. "We all are."

  Elyssa kissed me on my cheek. "Happy angel day, sweetie."

  Dad met my eyes. He seemed to be beaming as wide as I was. I noticed Ivy staring at him, apprehension in her eyes. Dad's gaze shifted to her, and his smile faded somewhat. She'd never really known her father. Maybe he'd faked a lot during my childhood, but at least I'd seen him almost every day, from childhood to adolescence. Ivy hadn't seen him since infancy. This new family life wouldn't be easy for either of them. Then again, Dad had to marry Kassallandra. If the good guys were going to beat Daelissa, we absolutely required a united Daemos.

  "Enough of the congratulations," Shelton said, interrupting my thoughts. "I want to hear everything."

  I put a smile back on, and sat down. "Let me start from the beginning."

  After I finished, Elyssa relayed her adventures. I couldn't fault her for anything. If roles had been reversed, I would've torn the world apart to find her.

  Standing up, I put on my game face. "The next order of business is shutting down Serena's army."

  "And stopping the Exorcists," Elyssa said.

  "Sounds like more than we can chew at the moment," I said.

  "We should go to the planning room," she said. "I've discovered a lot of interesting things about the Exorcists while you were gone."

  The group migrated down the hall to the room. I took a slice of cake and a glass of orange juice with me. Shelton grabbed the tray of breakfast food and took the whole thing with him.

  Once inside the room, I closed the door and Shelton activated the anti-eavesdropping wards.

  Elyssa placed her arcphone on the table and projected a holographic image above it. A pyramid of pictures appeared with Montjoy at the top. "This is Albert Montjoy, the man in charge of the Exorcists."

  "Justin and I can confirm that," Dad said.

  "During my hunt for information, I interrogated several Exorcists," Elyssa said. "The organization keeps their initiates in the dark, but I discovered some very frightening facts."

  "Like what?" I asked.

  "There are thousands of Exorcists. Maybe tens of thousands. They've infiltrated branches of government, religious organizations, and corporations worldwide."

  I felt my eyes widen. "They're even more dangerous than the Synod Templars," I said.

  She nodded. "Daelissa knew she needed the Exorcists when the Templars disbanded them. She gave Montjoy resources to take the organization underground and he grew them like cancer into a massive organization that answers to him and Daelissa."

  "Holy crap in a cupcake," Shelton said. "I thought we were already behind the eight ball just because the Synod has more Templars than we do. But if this is true, we're even more screwed than I thought."

  "It's true," Elyssa said. "And we simply don't have the resources to fight them."

  Chapter 30

  "We still have a chance," Dad said after a moment.

  Hopeful eyes turned to him.

  "What do you mean?" I asked. "If we kill Montjoy, would that remove the threat?"

  He shook his head. "The Daemos knew about the Exorcists and their secret mandate, so we devised a plan to counter them. We infiltrated nom politics, social organizations, companies, and so forth, placing our people in high places in case we ever needed help."

  "I didn't realize there were enough Daemos to occupy so many positions," Shelton said.

  Dad raised an eyebrow. "There aren't. Do you really think the masters of seduction would have any problems recruiting noms?"

  Shelton whistled. "That's a lot of pillow talk."

  "You realize that's against the Overworld Covenant," Elyssa said with a tiny smirk.

  Dad shrugged. "The vampires and other factions do the same thing. Our 'human'"—he made air quotes—"resources are much more limited. House Slade and House Assad partnered this effort centuries ago, and it has proven to be quite profitable."

  "You said we have a chance" Shelton's lips pressed together. "What is it?"

  "Houses Slade and Assad can activate their agents. We might be able to purge the Exorcists from high positions, or at the very least counteract them."

  "What happens if Kassallandra goes over to the dark side?" I asked.

  Dad's troubled gaze met mine. "She could expose our entire network."

  "I don't like this Kassallandra woman," Ivy said. She'd been very quiet during the proceedings. "I can do something about her if you want."

  Dad held up his hands. "No, sweetie, that won't be necessary."

  Ivy narrowed her eyes. "Why not? If she goes away, you can take over House Assad."

  "It's not that easy." Dad pursed his lips, and gave her a very serious look. "There are others in her house who want to take everyone into hiding at the first hint of war. She is the only one with the power to keep all of House Assad in line."

  "Bunch of scaredy-cats," she said. "They're so scared of Daelissa, they won't fight." She wound a strand of blonde hair around a finger. "Maybe I should make them scared of me. Maybe Daelissa is right—"

  "Ivy," I interrupted. "Daelissa is wrong. Fear will make people obey you, but it doesn't command respect or loyalty. Someone who believes in you and respects you will fight harder and with more courage than someone fighting out of fear."

  "But Kassallandra doesn't believe in you," she said. "She doesn't fear you. All she cares about is herself."

  "Well, maybe we can change her mind," I said. "But now is not the time."

  She sighed. "I still think we should blast her.
"

  Shelton snickered. I shot him a warning glare. Ivy was still a danger. Her impressionable mind was filled with Daelissa's lessons.

  "Now that we've covered the Exorcists, what about the Nazdal?" Shelton said. "Seems like our favorite insane angel has been busy."

  "A finger in every pie," Dad said.

  "The Nazdal might join me," I said.

  "But first you have to beat Daelissa?" Shelton said. "She'll eat you like a chicken burrito."

  "Thanks for the vote of confidence." I pursed my lips. "When I re-attuned the nexus in the Gloom, I exclusively linked it to the Alabaster Arch in the Three Sisters control room. She can't connect it to any other Alabaster Arches in Eden, and she can't use it to bring more Nazdal from their realm. That means she only has the Nazdal from the pit."

  "From what you described, there are hundreds of those monsters in the quarry." Shelton shuddered as he snatched another piece of bacon. "If Maloreck got fat from the humans they killed in Australia, imagine how big those things will grow once they start a wholesale slaughter."

  "It sounds to me as if the Nazdal must wound their prey to steal its life," Meghan said. "The poison cloud they secrete temporarily slows or disables the prey and drains endurance."

  "It drops humans pretty fast," I said. "If Maloreck decides to attack a city, it'll be a massacre."

  Elyssa's phone buzzed. She snatched it off the table and answered. "Commander Salazar?" She got up and left the room for a moment. Upon returning, she looked excited. "The Colombian legion has completed its operation. They're off communications blackout."

  "What about Mom?" Ivy asked.

  "Once they finish tying up some loose ends, she and Nightliss will be back."

  I noticed Dad's eyes flash with something akin to alarm, though he said nothing.

  "This means we have the manpower to do what needs to be done," Elyssa said. "We can take a legion into the Gloom and wipe out the Nazdal and the Gloom Initiative once and for all."