“Yeah, I’m an asshole, I get it,” I said. “But right now there’s a pissed-off former Hell Lord out there trying to get his hands on a kid that could jump-start the apocalypse. So how about you put aside your personal feelings for me and give me a hand?”
Tessa turned from me and stomped into the back area of the store. “Are you coming or what?”
I nodded to Morrison. “See, knew she’d help us.”
I followed Tessa into the back and Morrison stayed by my side. Tessa entered the door to the basement and we descended the steps. Down here was where Tessa performed most of her magic. There were various spell books and grimoires lining the shelves on the walls and candles and incense of all kinds.
“Do you have the angel’s name in Enochian?” she asked.
I reached into my jacket and took out a piece of paper on which I’d scribbled Gabriel’s sigil, holding it up for her to see.
“Good.” She went over to the closet and opened the door, then tossed me a can of red spray paint. “Start drawing.”
The floor was concrete and I started spraying the sigil in a large enough spread. Once I finished, Tessa set up candles all around the circle. She lit each of them and then had us each stand at points around the circle.
“Okay, here goes…”
Tessa took a deep breath and held her arms out to the sides. I copied her movements and Morrison did as well. We all closed our eyes and then I heard Tessa’s voice as she started chanting the Enochian summoning spell, calling on Gabriel to appear before us.
Summoning any angel was tough, calling on one of Gabriel’s status was damn-near impossible. Unless you had the power to back it up. I couldn’t perform the spell myself, but I could offer up my energy to Tessa. Together, the two of us shouldn’t have had any problem bringing Gabriel down from his cloud and harp.
A chill ran through the air as Tessa spoke. The peach-fuzz on the back of my neck stood on end and an electric tingle ran through my body. It felt like wind was starting to blow within the circle, going up in a funnel. I kept my arms out and my eyes shut, trying to focus on the sigil, keeping it in my mind.
And then, everything stopped.
11
Nothing happened.
I’d expected there to be some kind of flashy light show. For the sigil to burn up and Gabriel to appear right there in front of us. And it seemed like something had started up. I’d felt the electricity in the air, but it was gone as if the circuit had been broken.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Is that it?” asked Morrison.
Tessa lowered her arms and sighed, then walked away from the sigil. She turned on the lights in the basement and went to the shelves, running her finger over the book spines.
“Tessa, what happened?” I asked. “Why didn’t the summoning work?”
“I don’t know…”
“There’s gotta be a reason for it,” I said. “This have anything to do with your magic not working?”
Tessa inhaled a deep breath and paused. I’d seen this look on her before. She was trying to compose herself to avoid blowing up. She took one of the books from the shelf and flipped through the pages. Shaking her head, she closed it and put it back on the shelf. Tessa repeated this process several times, trying to find an explanation for why the spell didn’t work.
I walked over to her and grabbed her arm. “Hey, we don’t have time for this. Why didn’t it work?”
Tessa wrested her arm from my grip, staring hard at me the entire time. “My magic’s not the problem, Cross.”
“And you know that how?”
“Because the spell went off like clockwork. It was a textbook example of how to cast it. No, the problem here is you,” she said. “And I don’t mean you being a Hell Lord—which, by the way, is one of the dumbest things you’ve ever done. I’m talking about something wrong with you.”
“Wrong? What could possibly be wrong with me?” I asked. “I’m more powerful than I’ve ever been.”
Tessa placed the book back on the shelf. “Maybe it’s not about power, you dick.”
“Excuse me?”
She spun on me and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re summoning an angel. It’s a delicate procedure. If everyone powerful enough could just summon up an angel any time he felt like it, don’t you think a lot more of them would’ve ended up captured over the centuries or forced to do someone else’s bidding? We’re not talking about demons here, angels are on another level altogether. You don’t summon them, you invite them.”
“So what, my invitation’s getting lost in the mail?”
“Something like that, yeah,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s something interfering in the spell. And until that part is settled, you won’t be summoning any angels.”
I turned away from Tessa and walked over to the couch, where I plopped down on the cushions and drew my cigarette case from my jacket. When I put a cigarette between my lips, Tessa started protesting.
“Hope you’re not planning to light that in here,” she said.
“You’ve got enough incense to open a store, you won’t even notice it.” I flicked open the lid on my Zippo.
“Seriously Cross, don’t push me. You’re already on thin ice as it—”
I turned the flint wheel and held the flame over the end of the cigarette. Once it caught, I puffed a few times, then closed the lighter. I leaned back into the sofa cushions and took the cigarette from my mouth, expelling a cloud of smoke.
Tessa shook her head. “You’re an asshole, Cross.”
“My secret’s out, then,” I said.
“Ever consider vaping?”
“I’m an asshole, not a tool,” I said.
“What do we do now?” asked Morrison.
“I’m going to light some incense to get rid of the stench of bad cigarettes,” said Tessa, turning away and walking over to the small kitchen area in the far corner of the room.
Morrison came over to the couch and sat on the other end from me. It was an L-shaped design, with my end up against the wall. He looked at me from his position.
“What if I tried praying?” he asked. “It’s how I was able to get in touch with Raziel in the past.”
I shook my head. “Raz knew to keep his ears on for you, could keep a secure channel open. But Gabe doesn’t know we’re looking to speak with him, so you’d have to do an open prayer. Basically, it’s like shouting into the ether with a megaphone. Every angel in creation would be able to hear you, particularly the one we’re trying to stay away from.”
“So what do you suggest?” he asked. “Dakota and Malcolm are protected for now, but I don’t know how long that will be the case. I have to get back to them, ensure their safety.”
“I’m doing everything I can.”
“Are you certain of that?” he asked.
Now it was my turn to take a breath and keep myself from blowing up. I looked away from Morrison towards the kitchen area. Tessa held a few sticks of incense and lit them, then put them in a container. She brought it over to the couch and placed the incense container on the table in front of me.
“I should electrocute your ass on principle,” she said.
“Don’t worry, I’m gonna get some air anyway.” I rose from the couch and started walking towards the stairs.
“What? Now?” she asked.
“But what about the angel?” asked Morrison, standing as well. “What about Asmodeus?”
I looked at Tessa. “You still got this place warded, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Good, then you’ll be safe here for now, Chuck,” I said. “Relax, I’ll be back in no time at all. Just need to go for a walk and clear my head.”
“And what are we supposed to do while you’re enjoying your little late-night stroll?” asked Tessa as I started walking up the stairs.
“Try to come up with something I haven’t thought of,” I said. “Failing that, poker’s a fun game.”
I sat on the steps in front of the base and continued smoking my cigarette, looking up at the moon. I cursed myself for getting involved in this whole mess in the first place. Not only coming back to help out Morrison, but even before that. Giving Dakota a hand started this whole thing. And all because she reminded me of what my mother must’ve gone through with me—a woman I’d never even met.
“Excuse me, sir, you can’t smoke that.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw a uniformed cop. I stood and walked over to him, still smoking the cigarette. “Is that so?” I asked as I exhaled.
“Smoking is banned in public parks.”
I looked the cop up and down. And then I punched him in the face. He recoiled, grabbing his nose with both hands and when he recovered, his eyes were glowing bright yellow.
“That’s what I thought,” I said as I threw down the cigarette. “Last time I had to deal with some demons, they also possessed cops. Not feeling very original these days, are you?”
The demon didn’t say anything in response, just threw a punch. He telegraphed it so hard, it was easy enough for me to dodge and then counter with a blow to his stomach. I followed that with a cross and he hit the ground.
But he was back on his feet, reaching for his gun. I kicked it out of his hand before he could use it, then drew my own gun and pressed it to his head.
“Let me guess—Asmodeus sent you after me,” I said.
“What?” he asked, spitting blood onto the pavement. “You get hit on the head or something? Asmodeus is gone.”
“We both know that’s not true,” I said. “So where’s he hiding out? You gonna tell me that much or do I have to get violent?”
“You sure that was just tobacco in that cigarette?” asked the demon, looking up at me. “We’ve got nothing to do with Asmodeus.”
“‘We’?”
I realized my mistake. I’d kept my focus completely on this guy that I didn’t pay attention to my senses and my surroundings. Because now I saw several other people in the park closing in on the steps leading up to the monument. It was a sea of yellow eyes glowing in the darkness, surrounding me on all sides.
The demon-possessed cop stood, confident I wouldn’t pull the trigger right now. I backed away from him and held the gun up, pointing it at the surrounding demons, turning to take stock of how many there were. Two dozen, at least. Maybe more.
“Asmodeus is the least of your worries, Cross,” said the demon. “We’re here because we’re you’re loyal subjects. And we’ve got some complaints we’d like to bring to your attention.”
‘Loyal subjects,’ so this was what Lilith told me about. The resistance growing in our realm. I’d dismissed it as just the typical bullshit you’d find when dealing with demons. I was starting to suspect that wasn’t the case. Either these demons all clawed their way from my realm or they had friends down there who told them about what’s happening. Neither option filled me with an abundance of confidence.
“Trust me, we wish Asmodeus were still here,” said the demon, stepping closer to me. “Things were much better when he was running the show. You’re just a shadow of his greatness.”
“Y’know, I think I’ve had enough of you.” I raised the gun and squeezed the trigger, putting a bullet in his forehead. His body collapsed, eyes looking like they’d been burnt out of the sockets.
The other demons started to close in on me. I had to try and work fast. Rely on my senses, clear out as many of them as possible in the shortest amount of time. Get the others to back off and rethink their approach. That was the only way I’d get out of this thing alive.
One of them came at me from behind, jumping on my back. I flipped her over onto the ground and planted my foot on her chest. She writhed beneath my shoe and I shot her in the face.
Another demon attacked from the side. Physical changes had taken root in his host body, his fingers morphing into talons. He slashed wildly, and it took everything I had to keep out of reach of his claws. When he thrust, I ducked and grabbed his wrist, then planted the gun beneath his chin and fired.
So that was three down. Only about twenty or so to go. And I had only three more rounds before I had to reload. I reached behind my back, sliding my hand under my jacket to draw my dagger from its sheath. I held the dagger in a reverse-grip while aiming my gun, eyes scanning the crowd.
I had to summon the hellfire inside me. That was the only way I was going to get out of this alive. Assuming it would even work. I’d managed more control over it, but it still wasn’t as simple as a typical spell. I tried to focus my energy, feel the power inside me. But before I had the opportunity to even generate a spark of hellfire, something very strange happened.
There was a sound echoing all throughout the park, almost like the notes of a trumpet. The demons started screaming. One by one, their eyes burst with yellow light and they fell to the ground, sockets burnt to a crisp. The whole thing went down in a matter of seconds, and then I was surrounded by a bunch of corpses in the park, wondering how I was going to explain this to anyone who happened to be walking by.
And then, there was a light behind me. I turned around and looked up at the top of the monument. Hovering in the air beside the statue of the eagle was a bright, blue orb of light. It expanded into a figure wrapped with wings. The wings unfurled, changing from blue light to pristine, white feathers and the angel lowered himself to the ground. Once his feet touched down, the wings turned to light again and disappeared into his back.
“Hello, Luther. I understand you’ve been looking for me.”
“Yeah, you might say that,” I said, my eyes still wide from what I’d just witnessed. “Hoping we could have a little chat, Gabriel.”
12
Gabriel was bald with dark skin and, like most angels, wore a pristine, white suit when appearing in human form. I always thought they were a bit on the nose with that, but I supposed casual Friday wasn’t a thing in Heaven.
I didn’t think I could trust him. These days, I didn’t think any angel could be trusted, truth be told. Especially given my promotion. But I didn’t have many choices and Gabriel at least seemed to be concerned about Raziel’s disappearance.
“So, you wanted to talk,” he said.
“Yeah, but…this is a bit conspicuous.” I jerked my thumb behind me to the bodies of the demons Gabriel killed with his arrival.
“Ah yes, that.” Gabriel raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The next thing I knew, the park was completely cleared. I looked around, but didn’t see a single thing out of place.
I’d seen powerful angels before. I’d fought alongside Raziel and I was on the receiving end of Azrael’s wrath. But Gabriel was in a league all his own. I’d never seen an angel capable of doing that before.
“You’ve got some juice…” I said, recognizing just how much of an understatement that was.
“I wish I could take all the credit. But this has far more to do with it.” Gabriel held out his hand and a white trumpet appeared out of nowhere.
“The Horn of…well, you,” I said. “Thought that thing was only supposed to be played on Judgment Day.”
“It has other uses as well,” said Gabriel with a grin. The trumpet vanished. “Now, you wanted to chat?”
“Still feelin’ a bit exposed out here, how about we go for a drive?”
Gabriel shook his head and moved closer to me. “There’s no need for that, Luther. Why drive when you can fly?”
“What? No, don’t—!”
But before I could finish protesting, wings made of blue light emerged from Gabriel’s back, quickly solidifying into white feathers and they wrapped around the two of us. I
saw a flash and felt like I’d just finished riding every single roller coaster at Six Flags in one go.
The next thing I knew, we were on a street corner. I felt sick to my stomach and a familiar sensation started bubbling up from inside. I bent over and threw up on the sidewalk.
“Don’t…do…that,” I muttered, taking in slow breaths to stop myself from throwing up again.
“My apologies, Luther.” Gabriel took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and handed it to me. “I forget how disorienting that can be for humans. I thought your demon side would compensate for that, but I guessed wrong.”
“Yeah, I’ll say.” I grabbed the handkerchief and wiped my mouth as I stood up straight. I handed it back to him, but instead of taking it, Gabriel snapped and the handkerchief vanished.
I stepped to the edge of the street corner and looked at the signs. North Broadway and West Lawrence. “Are we in Uptown? What are we doing here?”
“I said I preferred to talk in a place with a bit more atmosphere.” Gabriel turned away from the street and walked up to one of the buildings. The sign above the entrance was adorned with white lights, while the name of the place was lit up with green—Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.
This was one of the most famous jazz bars in Chicago. During Prohibition, one of Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit was part-owner and Capone had a booth he favored. There were even tunnels running underneath the place used by Capone and his men.
I followed Gabriel inside and as we entered, he was greeted by pretty much everyone in the staff. He led me to one of the booths and I slid onto the curved, velvet couch and rested my hands on the table. Gabriel sat on the other end and looked over his shoulder to see who was playing onstage.
“So why’d you drag me all the way out here?” I asked. “Plenty of jazz bars near Logan Square.”
“True, but I’m fond of history,” said Gabriel.
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