by E. A. Copen
I punched him one more time. His head reeled the other way, and blood splashed to the floor.
Remiel chuckled. “You’re cursed, son, like the rest of your kind, to live and die alone.”
I drew back a fist to hit Remiel again but hesitated when he lifted his head. Half the flesh on one side of Niko’s face had burned away. Blood dripped from his nose and the cut in his lip. Remiel was killing him, and all I was doing was making it hurt more along the way.
Holy fire sprouted in my hand, burning bright blue. If I unleashed it, it would burn more than just Remiel. It’d consume Niko’s body as if the two were one.
“Go on,” the Fallen spat. “Kill him. He’s going to die anyway.”
It’s the only way. I watched the flame dance in my hand. Kill Niko, save the world. It always comes to this, doesn’t it? Kill someone I care about so others can live. But what if I’m wrong? I met Remiel’s glowing red eyes. He wanted me to do it. Why?
Because there was one other body in the circle that’d be a perfect host once Niko’s failed, though unlike with Niko, he couldn’t just jump into mine. I was protected. Once Niko was gone though, what reason did I have to keep fighting him? Humanity was fucked either way. Niko was the only reason I was even there. I could tell myself I’d come to stop Armageddon and save the world, but that wasn’t it, was it? Fuck the world. I was there to save Niko.
I closed my fist, squashing the flame. “No.”
“Then you can die with him!” Remiel threw himself at me, clawing and biting. I put my hands up to shield myself against the worst of it, but he was faster, and I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to strike out at Niko’s body anymore, no matter what he did to me. This wasn’t a battle I could win my fists. I needed to bleed.
Blood raced down my arms, down my neck and pooled against my collarbone. Remiel’s foot came up and slammed into my stomach. I sank to the floor, shaking from the effort of pulling on my magic. Inside someone else’s circle, it was no easy task, but tainting Iosef’s circle with my blood made it easier.
But the only spell I had that I was sure would work against Remiel was one that might also kill Niko and me if it spiraled out of control. I was weak, my emotions raw. In the back of my mind, I was reliving the rooftop moment, still wondering if it would come to that here too. More than anything, I wanted Niko to survive, but he would die if I didn’t use the spell just as much as he would if I did.
Remiel grabbed me by the hair. “I heard a lot of things about you while I was in the Pit, Josiah, but no one told me you were such a damn coward! Fight me!”
“You want a fight?” I spun around, arms outstretched. “How’s this?”
I unleashed a summoning spell of my own with two short words uttered in a staccato beat. The mirrors at the edge of the circle shattered. Cement cracked beneath my feet, and the Earth itself groaned. Brilliant light sparked between my fingers and grew in intensity.
Remiel lifted an arm to shield himself. “Do you think me so weak? Not even a host of angels can destroy me, boy!”
Still, I held, building the spell and putting everything I had into it. An unseen force ripped at the insides of my arms, tearing the blood from my body and sucking it into the spell. I let out a desperate scream and held the spell, pushing it toward him.
Shapes moved in the light, winged beings covered in eyes and holy fire that did not burn. The true form of an angel was terrible to behold. Remiel let out a scream as the light engulfed his stolen body. The edge of the circle cracked and the spell pushed him outside of it. With Niko’s body quickly breaking down, and no circle to sustain him, he had no choice but to flee.
The black miasmic cloud that was Remiel spewed from Niko’s body and rushed toward me, but now that the circle was destroyed, he had other, better options.
Behind me, Malphas had Iosef by the throat six inches off the floor, strangling the life out of him. Remiel slammed into Iosef, cramming himself down the infernal mage’s throat, nose and eyes. Malphas immediately tightened his grip on Iosef’s throat, intending to crush it.
He wasn’t fast enough.
Iosef’s eyes glowed red, and a familiar grin decorated his face. “Malphas, old friend! You should know better than to think the death of this shell would be enough to stop me.”
The ground shook. One of the large support beams in the center of the room tore away from the ceiling and fell over. It would’ve crushed Malphas if he hadn’t moved away at the last second. Remiel—now in Iosef’s body—hurled himself backward and clear of the falling debris, but I couldn’t see where he went thanks to a giant dust cloud and more falling debris.
Malphas let out a black curse in the tongue of demons and turned to me. “Josiah, we need to go!”
I wanted to. The building was coming down, and anyone who stayed would get crushed in the rubble. Yet, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t move from where I was. The spell held me in its grip, swelling, multiplying, growing in intensity. The holy host I had summoned had retreated when they realized it was me who had called them, leaving me with only empty destructive power and not enough magical strength to control it as it spiraled. I couldn’t even answer Malphas.
He called to me one more time but was quickly cut off by more falling debris.
So this is how I die, I thought and forced myself to smirk. Good thing too because Khaleda would kill me for destroying another building.
I flinched as something hit my back and sank to my knees. My palms hit the cool concrete beneath me and I withdrew myself from the spell, but even that didn’t stop it. I couldn’t shut it down. Might as well have a smoke.
I lifted shaky hands to retrieve my cigarettes from my pocket.
“Josiah!”
“Stefan?”
Niko staggered, bleeding and half-blind, through debris clouds ahead. He blinked blood from his eyes. His legs folded under him and he went to the ground, out of sight.
I dropped the pack of ciggies to crawl forward. I pulled myself over a pile of broken glass and found him pushing aside some metal roofing, searching. “What’re you doing?” I shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders.
He dropped what he was doing to throw himself at me, wrapping his arms tight around my ribs. “Looking for you.”
The ground rumbled, and metal crashed somewhere close by. I barely heard it. He was alive. More than that, he was still himself. Bastard had survived the worst Remiel and I both could throw at him and then come looking for me like an idiot. Like hell was I about to let him die here with me. I broke the embrace and pushed him away. “You need to go. The spell is out of control. I can’t stop it.”
He shook his head. “Only if you come with me.”
“I can’t. Even if I wanted to. The spell will just continue to destroy everything. The only way to stop it now is if I die. Go, you fuckwit. Leave me!” I tried to shove him toward where I thought the exit was.
His knuckles bit into the side of my face with a sobering slap. I blinked once as he grabbed my face in his hands and forced me to look into those deep, dark-brown eyes. “This isn’t how you die.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him but stopped. He was right. All of Niko’s visions were, weren’t they? He said handing him over to Alexi was the worst thing we could do, that doing so would set Remiel free, and he hadn’t been wrong then. We’d failed to stop Remiel. Maybe he was right about that too. But surviving meant shutting down a spell I wasn’t powerful enough to stop, at least not on my own.
I swallowed the dryness coating my tongue and nodded. “I need help, Stefan. Maybe we can shut it down together.”
He nodded eagerly. “Tell me how to help.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
KHALEDA
Malphas came out of the building, coughing and covered in dust.
I leaned to one side to look around him. “Remiel?”
He shook his head. “Josiah’s plan worked, but the circle was destroyed. Remiel left Niko’s body and found another. He took Iosef. I don’t know where he
went. Debris cut us off. Alexi is dead.”
“I don’t care about Alexi.” I started back toward the building only to have Malphas stop me.
“The whole building is collapsing. There’s magic inside spiraling out of control. You shouldn’t go in.”
“But Josiah and Niko are still in there.”
Malphas held me back.
My heart sank as the last bit of roof detached and tumbled down into the building. They were almost surely dead. If the collapse didn’t kill them, the out of control spell would. Dammit, Josiah. You picked a fine time to die, with Remiel loose on the world. “Are you sure Iosef isn’t trapped inside too?”
Malphas frowned and lifted his head as if he could see past the debris cloud rising from the collapsed building. “I can feel him. He’s out there, alive. Maybe not for long, though. Iosef’s body might hold him for a time, but it’s human and weak. The more magic he uses, the faster it will fade. He’ll need a new one soon.”
“Then we have to locate him before he finds another body.” Petra walked up to us, sliding her sword back into the scabbard at her hip. Her face and blonde hair were both stained with blood, probably belonging to her men.
There had been quite a few Manus Dei casualties during the firefight, even though they outnumbered the demons three to one. Alexi’s demons had the advantage of cover and knowing the area while Petra and her men only had numbers on their side. In the end, Petra’s side won, but it had cost her more than she’d counted on. She had not only lost more of her men, but she’d disobeyed Michael’s direct orders. When he found out about that, he would not be happy.
“How do you propose we do that?” I gestured back toward the building. “You just lost your best tool to track him down. Remiel and Josiah shared blood.”
Petra focused on the building with a frown. “It couldn’t be helped. Josiah made his choice. He must’ve known the price of using that spell.”
“And he paid it for nothing.” I crossed my arms and turned away from her. Everything we’d done, everything we’d been through, it was pointless. Remiel had still gotten out. At best, we’d succeeded only in sticking him in a weaker body, hardly a victory for the side of good.
“It wasn’t for nothing,” Malphas said. “Putting him in a less desirable body is quite a blow. He’ll be hesitant to use his powers until he can secure a stronger vessel, which he may have trouble finding, especially with the last Nephilim and the Oracle dead.”
“Who said I was dead?”
I spun around. Niko and Josiah limped toward us, holding each other up. Both were covered in blood, dust, and bruises. I ran to them and hugged them both so tight, Josiah squeaked in protest. “I’m going to kick your ass you when you get better,” I whispered to him. “I told you not to knock down another building.” I stepped back.
“I should probably stop that.” Josiah grinned. “I’ll be uninsurable here pretty soon.”
“What about Remiel?” Petra asked, arms crossed.
Josiah shook his head as they limped closer. “Gone. For now. But as the big idiot says, not for long. Just need a little blood to track him. When I have some to spare, that is.”
“I’m not an idiot,” Malphas growled. “I know him better than anyone, and if you want to have a chance at taking him down, you’re going to need me, so watch your mouth, half-breed.”
Petra eyed Malphas, her disapproval evident in her face. She said nothing about him, though. Chances were good Michael would cast her out when he heard what she’d done, putting her on the same level as Malphas. She’d be one of the Fallen, along with the men under her command that were vessels for angels. That’d put at least two of them on our side as well as any demons Malphas and Thoganoth helped me sway over the next few days. It wasn’t an army, but it was looking more like the beginnings of one.
Josiah sank to the edge of the sidewalk, patting himself down. “Anyone got a ciggy? I seem to have dropped mine.”
“How can you smoke at a time like this?” Petra stomped over to stand in front of him. “It’s only a matter of time before Michael hears about this, and what do you think he’s going to do? He’ll smite the whole city to get to Remiel, Josiah. We can’t rest until we’ve found him.”
Niko passed a bent cigarette to Josiah.
“He won’t.” Josiah put it in his mouth and lit it before continuing. “Michael wants his epic battle, his Armageddon. Why do you think he ordered you to stand down? Why do you think he hasn’t stepped in already? Same reason he’s left me breathing. Because he knows the same thing I do.” He blew out a mouthful of smoke and considered the cigarette. “There’s only one body in the world Remiel will settle for now, both because it’s the only one that’ll hold him and because he’ll want vengeance. Mine. And Michael will want him at his best for the final battle. That means sticking him in my body and giving him the throne in Hell first. So if you want to stop him, your best bet is twofold. First, support Khaleda’s bid for the throne.”
I started to object, but Josiah cut me off.
“Second, you keep me alive as long as you can. Follow me around long enough, and eventually, the bastard will show up to make his move.”
Petra looked like she’d just swallowed a bad egg. “Convenient for you. You get to do whatever you want, and all I have to do is keep you alive.”
“That’s right.” He beamed. “Because if I die, the spells protecting my body go with me, and it’s free for him to take.”
Petra’s face blanched.
I sighed. “You’re going to have your hands full trying to keep this idiot alive. He’s pretty hell-bent on dying. Just before all of this, he nearly drank himself to death.”
A black shape moved at the edge of my vision. I turned my head just in time to see Josiah’s pet spider crawl out from under a hole in the fence. She made her way over to us at a leisurely pace and crawled up Josiah’s arm to perch on his shoulder.
“Milly! You made it!” Josiah blinked as if he’d just had a revelation. “How long have I been sober?”
I shrugged. “Couple days, at least.”
“Fuck me,” he growled and put the cigarette back between his lips before standing and offering a hand to Niko.
Niko smiled, took it, and the two started down the street.
“And just where do you two think you’re going?” Petra uncrossed her arms and curled her fingers into fists.
Josiah stopped and turned around, looking at her as if she were a complete idiot. “For a drink. Where else? Come if ya want, but I’m not buying for you.”
Petra looked at me, mouth agape.
I smiled and went to join them. “Welcome aboard.”
Like I said, she’d have her hands full trying to keep that idiot alive. At least I wouldn’t have to do it anymore. Served her right.
Epilogue
JOSIAH
TWO WEEKS LATER…
Spend enough time in New York and the endless sirens become lullabies. Used to be I’d jerk awake at the sudden wail of a siren nearby and try to pick out which emergency vehicle was making the sound. Was it a fire? Police? An ambulance responding to a man gunned down? Fear of those sorts of things kept normal people awake, but for me, they were an assurance that life went on as normal. As long as there were sirens, I could sleep.
There were no sirens that night, so I stepped out onto the tiny balcony for a smoke. The night air still held the slight chill of spring, but that was quickly giving way to summer. Soon, it’d be warm enough people would be complaining about the heat instead of the rain that had held the city in its grip for the last three days. By then, we’d have to move on. Couldn’t stay in one place too long, not when there was work to do. He was still out there, my father, though there’d been no sign of him. Somewhere in that tangled mess of highways and headlights, he was waiting, planning. I was as sure of that as I was of the sunrise.
That was saying something since I wasn’t sure of much anymore. In the aftermath of our failure, everything seemed in flux. Khaleda,
Malphas, and Thoganoth had gone off on their own. Something about recruiting more demons to their cause. Khaleda was still hesitant about accepting the job they were so eager to thrust at her. It was evident in the way the corners of her eyes twitched every time they addressed her as their queen or turned to her for guidance. Still, she’d seemed to take to it rather well. She blamed herself for not saving the victims. I should’ve told her from the start I’d given her an impossible task. At least she’d gotten Mirren out. Last I heard, he was back at his church and had filed a petition to adopt the babies he’d rescued. Good on him. The world needed more people to practice what they preached. People like Reverend Mirren.
The police were calling the collapse a structural failure. Apparently, the mechanic shop was in violation of several city ordinances and codes, but no one could find the owner to fine him. Once Christof returned from Greece, he apparently had settled the debt. Life for the people of Astoria—mobsters and monsters alike—seemed to get back to normal once he took charge.
All except for Stefan Nikolaides.
Christof Komnosis wanted Stefan to come back to work for the family, doing whatever it was he’d done before, an offer that Stefan outright refused. I thought negotiations would devolve into threats and violence, but Christof was wise enough to understand Stefan was a better ally to have than an enemy.
Christof handed Niko a sizeable envelope of cash and wished him good fortune. Niko’s ties with the Greek mafia weren’t severed so much as they were just weakened. That had been the only life he knew growing up, his home. His family. And it would always be that for him, no matter how much distance he put between himself and the Komnosis family.
As for Stefan, he’d spent the better part of a week in Harmony’s care healing all the lesions on his skin. You could hardly tell looking at him now that he’d had severe burns over forty percent of his body. He took to the healing well, but she’d given strict instructions that he was to rest for at least another week.