The Holy Dark

by Kyoko M

  “What else?”

  “You may never be able to out-fight Moloch. He is faster and stronger than you. However, you can outsmart him. You know every inch of the Garden of Eden. You were there with Adam and Eve in the beginning. You have the home field advantage. You can also think outside of the box while he will rely on the tried and true methods of battle. Use that and you may be able to stop him before he burns it to the ground.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And how do we know you’re not still playing us?”

  He smiled. “That’s part of the fun, my pet. You don’t.”

  Michael stepped forward. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of the way. I just lost my brother. I’m dying to take it out on someone.”

  Belial’s smile melted into a flirtatious smirk. “I get all tingly when you talk like that.”

  Again, I held out my arm to prevent Michael from throttling him. “Would you knock it off? Just because you let me go doesn’t mean my husband is up for grabs.”

  Michael glanced at me. “He did what now?”

  “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. Belial finally gave up. He no longer wants in my pants.”

  The demon snorted. “You could have said it more eloquently than that.”

  “Eh, bite me.”

  “Is that a request or a command?”

  Michael held up his hands to silence our bickering. “Wait. Are you serious? He gave you his word that he’d stop trying to turn you into his servant?”

  “Straight from the horse’s mouth.”

  “Neigh,” Belial said with an utterly droll tone.

  Michael eyed the demon. “What’s your reasoning?”

  “She’s an idiot.”

  “Gee, thanks,” I said with a frown.

  “You’re welcome,” Belial replied without missing a beat. “Clearly, she has no sense if she’d rather spend the rest of her life with you. I have no need for a love-struck fool at my side for all eternity.”

  Michael paused. “I don’t know whether I’m relieved or insulted.”

  “Stick with both for now,” I said. “Come on.”

  I started for the gigantic hole in the wall and then stopped. I faced Belial again. “I’m sorry they blew up your house.”

  He met my eyes for a long moment. “No, you’re not.”

  Then he kissed my forehead and walked away.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  JORDAN

  I hadn’t been looking forward to returning to the safe house because I knew what my welcome back present would be.

  Myra and Avriel met me out front. Myra marched right over and punched me in the stomach.

  “You reckless ingrate!” she snarled. “Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?”

  “If that punch was any indication, then yes,” I wheezed back. Mercifully, she aimed high to avoid tearing open my still-tender stab wound, but it still hurt so bad that I hunched over.

  Avriel held my shoulders, flustered. “M-Myra, perhaps that was a bit too harsh.”

  “It’s how she shows affection,” I said with a weak laugh, finally summoning the strength to stand up straight.

  She eyed me for another moment and then squared her shoulders. The shift in posture told me that she’d let me be for now. “Tell me you at least learned something during your suicide mission that was worth leaving us all out of the loop.”

  “Moloch’s going to burn down the Garden of Eden. We don’t have a lot of time left. Michael went to assemble the troops and head down there while we stay here to protect the remaining coins. Where is Faust?”

  “He’s been in the library poring over every textbook they have on Moloch. Figured we could at least give your hubby an edge whenever he dives back into the battle.”

  I handed her the papers Belial found for me. “Tell him to find this transcript immediately. It might help us destroy the daggers when we finally get our hands on them. I have to go see the bishop.”

  “That might be foolhardy.”

  “I know. But I still have to do it.”

  Avriel kept one hand on my shoulder. “I’ll accompany her. As a former angel, I might be able to appeal to what is left of his sensibilities.”

  “Then let’s get going.” We headed inside.

  The safe house had seven stories to it, but only one level was above ground. On the outside, it appeared to be nothing more than a large cathedral, but the real entrance was through a heavily guarded elevator. It had been a haven to those who were hunted by demons—human and angel alike—for centuries. Anyone with the right connections that had a contract on their head came here because it was built like an abbey. They had a cafeteria, lodging, a shooting gallery, and even a gym. The establishment was almost entirely run by angels and clergymen. The master commander was simply known as the bishop. He didn’t care to give out his real name unless it was absolutely necessary.

  They’d put me and my friends up in one of the common rooms on the third floor. Beneath us was a library of titanic proportions that held all sorts of ancient texts. Faust and Avriel had nearly fainted with joy when they first saw it.

  The guards at the entrance to the elevator gave me nasty glares as we passed, but they let us in regardless.

  Myra got off on the library floor, nodding to us. “Good luck.”

  The bishop’s office was on the lowest floor, deep underground in case the shit hit the fan and he needed to be protected. The entrance consisted of two enormous monochrome metal doors with all kinds of wards and sigils carved into them. Two angels stood on guard outside the doors—a black man and woman with such similar features that I figured they were fraternal twins.

  “Sorry to bother you, but we need to see him right now,” I said. “We have urgent news about the Judas coins and Moloch’s plan.”

  The woman’s expression remained blank. “The bishop is not seeing anyone for the time being. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.”

  “This can’t wait. They could be on their way right now to kick the doors down.”

  “This place has stood for over three hundred years. I severely doubt that the demons can penetrate our walls.”

  I glared. “What if they had the help of a fallen angel?”

  The first sign of doubt crept into her brown eyes. She glanced at her brother. He stared back and then nodded at the doors. “Five minutes. Nothing more.”

  They opened the heavy metal doors and then shut them behind us.

  The inside of the bishop’s office was cool and dark like the library above it. Lanterns adorned the walls in between a dozen shelves. No fluorescent light bulbs. There were scrolls of paper and textbooks scattered across his desk, one of which he had spread open to go through with a yellow Hi-Liter.

  “Excuse me, your worship,” I said, tilting my head to the elderly man at his seat. Avriel did the same. “But we have news. The demons are going to mount an attack on this place and steal the remaining coins.”

  Golden light glinted off his silver-framed glasses as he glanced up at me with a severe expression. “And how were you able to ascertain this information? Talking to demons? They are consummate liars. You know this better than most.”

  That stung, but I ignored it. “Be that as it may, we still have to fortify our defenses or this place will fall.”

  “This establishment has stood for centuries, child.”

  “Yeah, I got that part,” I snapped. “But that doesn’t mean jack if they have someone who already knows the place inside out.”

  “And who would that be?”

  I nodded to Avriel. He came forward, speaking up. “An angel named Belladonna. She was a high ranking officer before she defected. She has knowledge of our defenses as well as our fighting techniques. Like most angels stationed on earth, she has been through this place and would know its weaknesses.”

  “Again, I ask how you obtained this information.”

  Avriel winced, glancing at me with uncertainty. I cleared my throat. “Belial told me.” />
  “My dear, the fact that you have spent so much time with these creatures does not instill much faith in you. Especially after Gabriel’s murder.”

  I gritted my teeth. “You don’t need to trust me, sir. You just need to believe me.”

  The bishop sighed and removed his glasses. Steely blue eyes met my determined brown ones. “Belief often goes hand-in-hand with faith. I see no reason to have faith in you any longer, Ms. Amador. You have proven time and again that you cannot be trusted. In fact, my sources say that you openly assaulted a demons’ nest while you were under the influence of their blood. That is beyond reckless.”

  “Sir, if she had not done so, she would not have gotten this valuable information,” Avriel interrupted. “These are desperate times. Do they not call for desperate measures?”

  The bishop glared at him. “I will not allow a fallen angel to lecture me on these dire times. I believe your tenure here has come to an end. The coins are safe. We no longer have need of you. Former Commander’s wife or not, you are no longer welcome here.”

  I slammed both hands down on his desk. “Listen to me, you geriatric windbag. I don’t care if you hate my guts. Get in line. You need to be ready for this attack or dozens of angels will die for no reason. They have served you for decades. They deserve to be warned just as much as you do.”

  “That is enough. Guards!”

  The heavy doors swung open and the sibling angels marched inside, flanking us.

  The bishop waved his wrinkled hand. “Escort these two off the grounds. Do not let them back in under any circumstances, not even if Michael himself commands it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They started to lead us towards the exit, but then we heard a muffled explosion above us. The stone walls shook, knocking a few books off of the shelves. The floor vibrated beneath my sneakers.

  “What in the Father’s name…” the old man muttered, touching his phone console. “Command, what is going on up there?”

  A strained voice answered in between gunshots and shouts. “The safe house is under attack, sir.”

  The bishop paled. He glanced up at me. I smiled. “Are you going to let me help, or would you rather sit through my ‘I told you so’ dance?”

  He grimaced and gestured towards the exit. “Let them go.”

  The guards released us. “Where are the coins being kept?”

  “You don’t have the authority to know,” the bishop answered in a frosty tone.

  I balled my hands into fists. “Fine. Stay here. If it’s not common knowledge, then they’ll try to find you and make you talk.”

  We walked out of the office and the bodyguards locked themselves in with the bishop. I dialed Myra’s number, pacing back and forth in the lobby as it rang.

  “Figured you’d call,” she said as soon as she picked up. She sounded breathless, as if she’d been running.

  “Are you with Faust?”

  “Yeah, I scooped him up just a minute ago. We’re heading towards the civilian panic room. I’ll drop him off there and then meet you. Where are you going?”

  “To settle the score. Belladonna killed my best friend. The bitch is going down. Hard.”

  “Sounds like a party. Meet me outside of the bishop’s office.”

  I hung up, glancing at Avriel. “I’m guessing this joint has an armory?”

  He gave me a curt nod. “Fifth floor. We had better take the stairs. If that explosion is any indication, we most likely have a fire on our hands.”

  “Well, at least this job keeps me in shape.” He took the lead towards the staircase and as soon as we hit it, I knew we were in trouble. Angels brushed past us going down towards the bishop’s office, armed to the teeth with their holy weapons and firearms. Their armor clanked and echoed in the passageway as they ran, shouting orders back and forth.

  We reached the fifth floor. The long hallway led to four separate rooms. Avriel led me to the second one on the right. The weapons were neatly hung on black metal racks, organized from left to right from handguns to machine guns to heavy artillery to handheld weapons like swords and daggers. Every so often, an angel would pop by and grab something off the wall and then hustle out to join the fight.

  As soon as we stepped past the threshold, all eyes were on us. A tall, dark-haired angel with a square chin shouldered his shotgun and spoke up.

  “And just what in the hell do you think you’re doing here?”

  I opted for the humorous approach, hoping to clear the hostile air. “If you shoot me, do I not bleed? A girl’s got to defend herself.”

  He didn’t smile. Figures. “What? Worried about friendly fire? Or do your demon friends out there know not to aim for you?”

  I went very still. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ve been here, what? Two days? And suddenly we’re attacked for the first time in several decades? Coincidence? I think not.”

  I snorted. “I’m surprised you think at all.”

  He lowered the shotgun and cocked it just once. The sound was enough. Avriel stepped in front of me. “Arguing solves nothing. She is not our enemy. She’s trying to help.”

  “Help, huh? Like you did when you released the Leviathan? You’re not exactly the guy to change my mind here.”

  I touched Avriel’s left arm when I noticed the tension in his shoulders. He relaxed a bit. I took a deep breath as I walked around him. “We’re not trying to change your mind. Just let us get some protection and we’ll be out of your hair.”

  He walked up to me and didn’t stop until he was close enough that I could catch a whiff of his cologne. He was at least six inches taller than me. I stood my ground anyway. “And what if this is just your plan all along? To grab some weapons and kill as many of us as you can. They say you’re Belial’s girl now. How do we know you’re not gonna turn on us the first chance you get?”

  I met his gaze with all of the honesty I could gather inside me. “Gabriel was my best friend. Those bastards took him away from me. I don’t care if you believe me or not. I’m going to go out there and fight even if I have to do it with my bare fucking hands. I’m going to find Belladonna, and then I’m going to tear out her lungs and feed them to her. Don’t trust me? Trust my hatred instead. The bitch will be begging to go to hell by the time I’m done with her. I promise you that.”

  He stared me down for another bushel of seconds. Then he smirked and handed me his shotgun. “You’re still a treacherous wench, but I like that crazy look in your eyes. You sound like you’ll put on quite a show and I don’t want to miss it.”

  I slapped on my fiercest grin. “Bring popcorn.”

  The other angels seemed satisfied after the big guy sussed me out, so they didn’t say anything as Avriel and I geared up. They even had body armor that fit women. I loved fighting alongside the angels. Much better equipment.

  “I know you and Myra are going to meet up. What should I do in the meantime?” Avriel asked.

  “Hey, I’m not your boss,” I said, strapping a six-inch fixed blade combat dagger to my waist. “You’re the one with all the smarts. Go wherever you think you should go.”

  He offered a somewhat playful smile. “Well, you did say I was part of…what was it now…Team Amador?”

  I kissed my mother’s cross for luck and then tucked it inside my shirt. “True, but that doesn’t mean you’re not an independent thinker. I trust your judgment. You’re ten times the fighter I am. You don’t need me to watch your back.”

  “No,” he said, touching my shoulder. “But I still feel safer when you do. Be careful, Jordan. Belladonna will not be an easy win. She is vicious.”

  “Great. ‘Cause I’m hungry and I want vicious for lunch.”

  Avriel’s smile turned ferocious. “Good hunting, my friend.”

  “Same to you.”

  When I spilled out of the stairwell to the basement floor of the safe house, I expected a lot of different things, but I hadn’t expected the floor to be covered in water. The exit to t
he stairs led to a small lobby where people waited to be seated before seeing the bishop, and his office was through an open archway to the right. Ice cold water sloshed against my shoes as I hurried towards the archway, hearing the screams of injured men and the echoes of gunshots over the odd sound of gushing water.

  Myra stood with her back to the wall, grinning when I came over with a confused expression on my face. “Oh, you’re gonna love this. Take a look.”

  She shuffled over and I peeked around the corner. My mouth fell open.

  The doors were about nine feet tall and covered in intricate metal runes that seemed to be for decoration only. There were two gigantic divots in the middle of each door that were spouting gallons of holy water. Demons writhed and screamed all over the floor as it blasted them and scalded them down to the bone. Each spout swiveled to face the approaching enemies, which meant the angels inside were controlling it. Smart.

  The bishop’s office had only the one entrance, so the demons were taking cover on either side of the door where the spouts couldn’t reach. Bodies—angels and demons alike—crowded the floor, numbering in the high twenties by my count. Still, that wasn’t my interest. I needed to find Belladonna.

  “Where are the reinforcements?” I asked Myra after I ducked back behind the wall.

  She snorted. “The upper three floors are on fire. The angels are spread too thin. These guys were all that were left when I got down here. They must have figured the bishop would be safe with those doors stopping them. Still, with the power out, there’s no way to contact the upper floors. Help might come in just a few minutes, but it won’t take long for the demons to figure out a way around the holy water, especially since it won’t work on Belladonna.”

  “How many did you count?”

  “Fifteen, including our angel friend.”