by Tim Marquitz
That got her attention.
“I think it’s in everyone’s best interest Asmoday be put down. Baalth can wait for another day.”
Her eyes narrowed and locked on mine. “Do you do this for Abraham or for Baalth?” She could be quick sometimes.
I saw no point in lying. “A little of both, but I’m mostly doing it for myself.” I shrugged as her face went slack, disappointed. “I know it’s hard for you to see the gray between the black and white, but the truth is, Asmoday is the greater threat to the world. Baalth, for all his bluster, is in no hurry to bring about Armageddon. I don’t put it past him to hold it in reserve as a sort of end game scenario, but he fancies himself the new Satan. He wants his own little Hell on Earth and he’s not gonna bring about the end if it doesn’t benefit him. Asmoday has no such qualms.”
She sighed. Though she tried to keep her face neutral, she had to have known she was being manipulated, but she couldn’t find a flaw in my logic. Page 72
“You win. I’ll leave Baalth alone, for now.” She raised her eyebrows to emphasize the now. “Do you have a plan to deal with Asmoday?”
I shook my head. “Not really, but I’m not known as the brains of the organization.” I raised a finger to ward off the snarky reply I saw forming on her lips. “I’ll hand over whatever I have to the Council and they’ll decide the best way to go about handling him.”
“Let us be on our way.”
“Not so fast. I have one more location to check out. I’d hate to think I missed something we could use to put Asmoday away. Care to tag along?”
Impatient for revenge, but seeing my point, Scarlett nodded.
“Okay. Let me round up a few things, then we’re on our way.”
I worked my way back to where McConnell blasted me and retrieved my guns and shoe. I then went and found my other shoe and grabbed the manacles before returning to meet Scarlett at the door. She looked at the cuffs with one eyebrow raised.
“And just what do you plan to do with those?”
A million and one fantasies flashed through my head in the span of an instant. Every one of them had something to do with her naked and a metric shit-ton of Astroglide. I just smiled.
“Nothing.”
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Revelation
We drove to the third location in silence. Scarlett stared out the window, extending her senses as we neared the site. She turned a slight shade of green as we pulled up outside the abandoned church, which corresponded to the map. It wasn’t a good color on her. It also didn’t bode well for what we were going to find.
“A devil and an angel are sitting in a car…”
“Shut up.” Her mood hadn’t changed.
“Just trying to lighten things up a bit, sheesh.”
She glowered at the rundown church, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles almost glowed. “They have defiled a house of God on top of all their sins.”
I chuckled. “They’re demons, it’s what they do.”
She snorted, ignoring my comment. “I sense no one inside.”
I looked up at the building, admiring its architecture despite its battered appearance. I’d always liked the aesthetic appeal of churches; the sharp angles and Gothic spires, the intricate knot work shielding the stained glass windows. They always remind me of a horror flick. The good psychological ones, not the gore fests they try to pass off these days. This one was no different. I could feel the wrong committed here. My own senses were rattling off the chart. I tempered them Page 74
to keep from being overwhelmed and wondered how Scarlett was doing with it all. The furious look on her face kept me from asking.
“But they’ve been here.” I turned the car off and got out. I checked my guns and headed for the church, Scarlett at my heels.
Like the warehouse, the doors stood wide open, but I sure didn’t feel welcome, not that I ever did at a house of God. It’s not like He and I were enemies per se, despite my bloodline, but I could never be confused for one of the faithful. Stopping Armageddon was a personal, selfish kind of thing. I wasn’t doing it to curry favor with the Almighty, wherever He might be.
“How about you go in first?”
Scarlett huffed and led the way. It wasn’t that I was scared or anything, I just liked watching her walk. The church lights silhouetted her figure nicely. Difficult as it was, I pulled my eyes from Scarlett’s ass just as we hit the entrance. I saw her shiver, then felt a sudden chill myself as we passed through the door. She looked back at me and I could tell by the way her eyes narrowed, glistening like tiny daggers, she wasn’t pleased. Without a word, she headed deeper into the church, slipping through a set of intricate double doors. I took a second to look around.
Like most every other church I’d been in, the entrance opened up into a small, pleasant foyer filled with comfortable sofas, small plants, and plenty of Page 75
end tables covered in propaganda leaflets. Hallways extended to the left and right leading to the offices, classrooms, and kitchen. Like Scarlett, I knew there was no reason to search those rooms. If there were anything to be found, it’d be in the main cathedral. I followed her through the door. For once, my eyes were on the room rather than her.
An aisle of red carpeting ran down the center, splitting the room in half, wooden pews on each side. At its end sat a small stage with a podium at its center. A giant wooden statue of a crucified Christ loomed above it. Normally, I would go out of my way to avoid looking at it. I hated those things, the way their eyes seemed to follow me around. Today, however, I didn’t have to worry. Its face had been mutilated by what looked like a hammer of some sort and splashed with thick, oozing blood. This particular statue wouldn’t be doing much staring. It was a bitter kind of comfort. In front of the stage lay another pentagram like at the warehouse. Scorch marks on the floor told a similar story. Edging closer to it, I could see the same tiny piles of burnt flesh. Whoever he was, our little captive angel was having a very rough few days, being dragged around town and tortured.
Scarlett stumbled and dropped onto a pew. I heard her sob, her sensitivity getting the best of her.
“You all right?”
She shook her head, her hands covering her face. Page 76
I could tell she was hurting. Even my own dull senses were stung with the residual magic released here. It was a lot like being covered head to toe in pissed off fire ants. I could only imagine how bad she felt. I moved behind her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, hoping she could take some comfort from the touch. Though I tried my best not to look down her shirt, I apparently suck at being sympathetic.
“Same thing here?”
Scarlett drew in a few shuddering breaths and answered. “Worse.”
I had a hard time believing that. “How so?”
“The dimensional wall is threadbare, even more so than at the warehouse.” She glanced about. I knew her senses examined the wall, but I wasn’t interested in following suit.
“There has been a power transfer here like I’ve never seen before. I know of no demon capable of such a feat.” I felt her pulling her senses back, her eyes glazing over with despair.
I stepped away from her and paced the aisle, trying to motivate my brain. I knew Asmoday was powerful, and bolstered by McConnell, there was no doubt he could pull off some serious feats of magic, but nothing capable of crippling the dimensional wall. How had he done it?
I growled and stopped pacing, staring up at the blinded Christ. “Got any ideas, buddy?” He didn’t Page 77
answer. Foregoing any hope of divine intervention, the sense that God no longer prowled these halls, even in spirit, prevailing, my eyes roamed the church, taking in the somber mood.
The statuary lining the walls all stood with their eyes to the sky, their hands held out in welcome. Outside, I heard the rumbling of thunder and felt the faint tingle of electricity in the air. The hairs on the back on my neck stood on end as the reverberations faded away. There was a storm coming.
�
��Come on, Scarlett. Let’s go. I can’t think in here.”
I went over and helped her to her feet. She was a wet rag, all but lifeless. It took a few minutes, but I finally got her up and moving on her own. Thunder crackled again and the lights flickered as we headed for the exit. Scarlett seemed in a daze, walking numbly beside me. We stepped outside just as the first few drops of rain struck the ground. Not interested in getting soaked, I hurried her to the car and helped her inside. As I was shutting her door, I caught a glimpse of lightning as it forked across the heavens, striking something off in the distance. I smiled, the image reminding me of my childhood.
When I was young, my mother would tell me lightning was God’s way of protecting humanity from the fallen ones. As demons were most likely to do their dirty work in the dark, especially in the midst of a storm, Page 78
the angels would hurl lightning bolts down to illuminate the earth and expose the demons to the faithful. Raised human in the early years of my life, I didn’t know any better than to believe her. While I learned differently later, I still remember the fear, which filled me every time a storm rolled in, of the black clouds swallowing the sky. I could picture demons lurking in every shadow, creeping up on me, my only salvation the kindness of lightning-hurling angels. I was so naïve back then, but so was most everyone else. People were simpler. I chuckled aloud as I went around to my side of the car. The clouds had broken and the rain started to come down as I slid inside, shutting it out. That’s when it hit me.
“Son of a bitch!”
Scarlett turned to me, her eyes wet and angry, clearly not interested in listening to me complain.
“What?”
“I know what Asmoday is doing.”
Her anger dissipated instantly, replaced by eager curiosity.
“He’s using your angel as a lightning rod.”
Scarlett looked at me like I was insane. She did that a lot, but this time she looked like she meant it.
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. Asmoday doesn’t have the raw power Baalth has. There’s no way, even with his wizard’s backup, he can compete with Baalth. So what Page 79
can he do to sway the odds in his favor?”
“I don’t know, which is why I asked you what you’re prattling on about.” Scarlett snarled. Patience was another trait she lacked. Good thing she was pretty. I just laughed. “Look, I don’t have any crayons to make this easier for you, so pay attention.” She glowered at me like she wanted to rip my tongue out. I ignored the threat in her eyes. “Think about your nature, that of angels. God knew Lucifer’s army would always outnumber his own, the lure of the dark and all that. So, to cope with the offset he granted you the ability to draw upon outside energy to improve your effectiveness against the Demonic Horde.”
I could see comprehension beginning to dawn. It was a beautiful thing. I should have been a teacher. I’d have gotten all kinds of tail, but I digress.“So, unable to draw upon additional power on his own, Asmoday is using your angel to draw it for him.”
Scarlett’s cheeks flushed. “He’s using him as a battery?”
“Looks that way.”
“But how does he hope to use the energy? No true angel of the light, however badly tortured, would side with Asmoday. He’s wasting his time.”
I shook my head, marveling at her naiveté. “This isn’t about your angel changing loyalties, Scarlett. It’s about his life. All Asmoday has to do is kill him.”
All the color drained from her face. “He…
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he wouldn’t dare.” She clearly hadn’t thought that possible. I knew better.
“I’m sure he would. And on his death, all of your angel’s power would cede to Asmoday, giving him the easy edge over Baalth.”
Scarlett sunk into the seat. “But we’d feel his death, me and the other angels. We’d know where he died.”
“That’s probably one of the reasons he’s still alive. That and Asmoday’s greed. He’ll do his damndest to get the most power he can before he tips his hand.” I felt the cold chill of an ugly realization. “If he succeeds, our little angel won’t be the only one to suffer such indignity. There’ll be more.”
I saw Scarlett’s eyes go wide.
“If he’s able to capture and contain one of the Powers, what’s to stop him from doing it again when he’s twice as strong? Nothing.” I answered my own question. “He’ll feed off them until he’s unstoppable.”
Scarlett shivered, her arms wrapped across her ample chest. I shivered a little too, though I’m not sure if it was because of Asmoday’s plot or from seeing her boobs nearly spill out of her shirt. I’m gonna go with a little of both.
“We can’t let that happen,” she whispered. I nodded, my thoughts too scrambled to form words.
“I can’t just sit here.” Scarlett opened the door, Page 81
the scent of rain filling the car. “I need to find him before it’s too late.” There was determination in her sad eyes. I nodded again. “I’ll do what I can from my end. Keep in touch.”
She shut the door without another word and burst into the sky, leaving behind a trail of shimmering light. She was gone in an instant.
Alone and feeling a bit vulnerable, I started the car and took off like a bat out of Hell. With a pretty good idea as to what Asmoday had up his sleeve, it was time to call in the cavalry. I headed for DRAC. Page 82
A Plot to Murder the World
After finding the closest teleporter, their location changed daily for security purposes, I arrived at DRAC headquarters. As usual, I stared up at the thirty tons of doom hanging over my head until my escort arrived. I was somewhat relieved to see some random member of security appear, rather than Katon. I was led to Abraham’s office in silence. I opened the door and was assailed by the delightful smell of Abraham’s book collection. I glanced up to see the serious faces that lurked past the cluttered desk. Rather than indulge in the scent, I took my cue from their mood and closed the door and went inside, Abraham waving me to a seat. Rahim stood behind him, his dark eyes taking everything in. I nodded to the wizard, who replied in kind.
Unlike Abraham who came off as grandfatherly, or Rachelle who’d always seemed too flighty to be termed impressive, Rahim exuded power. Dressed in a dark business suit only a few shades lighter than his skin, he always reminded me of Darth Vader. Easily six-footeight, a good five inches taller than me, Rahim towered over everyone. His bald head gleamed in the light and his deep, Barry White voice carried an authority that Page 83
spoke of confidence. He was not someone to be trifled with and knew it. So did most everyone else with any semblance of sense in their head.
“What did you find, Frank?” Abraham asked. I shook my head. “You’re not going to like it.”
“Do I ever?”
He had a point. I shrugged at Rahim. “Looks like Asmoday captured an angel and is using him to draw power through the Demonarch. I think he’s going to use it to challenge Baalth. At least that’s where he’ll start.”
Rahim’s brown eyes narrowed. Abraham’s widened, his glasses reflecting his surprise.
“I found signs of rituals at two of the locations Rachelle pointed out. There was also substantial damage to the dimensional wall in both of those places. Scarlett believes it won’t take much more to shatter it.”
I kept the part about finding the manacles to myself. No need to tell them everything. A boy’s gotta have his secrets.
Abraham sunk down and stared at me, speechless.
Rahim had no such hesitance, taking what I told him in stride. “So, your cousin was with you? Did you send her after Asmoday?”
I wanted to burst out singing, Let’s Get It On, but I controlled myself. “She showed up later, but yeah, I did. It didn’t take much to get her worked up.” An Page 84
impure thought crept to mind, but I stayed on track. “I also ran into an old friend of yours.” I gestured to both Rahim and Abraham. “The Gray.”
Rahim cussed in a language I didn’t understand and Abraham sunk even lower in his chair, running his hands through his gray hair.
“McConnell is involved?”
I nodded at Abraham. “He’s definitely involved. The bastard and a couple of his goons tried to whack me.”
They both looked at me like I was full of it.
“Seriously. If he hadn’t blown his wad doing grunt work for that bastard Asmoday, I wouldn’t be alive right now.”
Abraham looked back at Rahim. “If McConnell is involved, we’ve inherited a whole new set of problems. Big ones.”
Sheepishly, I interrupted. “Yeah, I think we have. He figured out DRAC is still functioning. I’m sure Asmoday knows by now, as well.”
Rahim growled like a feral pit bull. I raised my hands. “It’s not my fault. For a cowboy, he’s pretty damn quick-witted.”
Abraham sighed. “You’re correct, he is very intelligent. He also knows many of our current operatives. While his technical information is somewhat dated, it’s enough to put our people at risk.”
Rahim set his hand on Abraham’s shoulder. It Page 85
was surprisingly gentle. “I’ll check into it and see what I can do, Abe.”
Abraham patted his hand in thanks. Just then, the door to the office swung open and Katon walked in.
“I know what Asmoday is up to.” His face was smug, confident.
I chuckled and reclined in my seat. It felt good to one-up their prized assassin, not that I’m petty or anything.
“As do we,” Rahim responded without emotion, motioning for Katon to sit. “Frank figured it out from evidence he gathered.”
Katon strolled over and dropped into the chair beside me, giving me an approving nod. I felt giddy inside, such high praise.
“All right, tell me what you’ve got. I’ll let you know what I found.”
Humble as always, I deferred to Abraham. Katon remained quiet, only nodding here and there until he’d been told everything I had already passed onto the Council.
Up to date, he added what he knew. “Trigg is correct, Asmoday has captured an angel. His name is Glorius, one of the Powers.”