Chapter 37
Will
The Vast empty space in front of Leviathan’s forces began to shimmer as reality distorted.
Immensely powerful demons began arriving one by one.
The other seven lords of Hell… As if the army Leviathan had conjured wasn’t impressive enough, he now had the support of the royals from every level of the lower realms. As each lord solidified in front of them, a regiment of warriors appeared behind each one.
“We’re fucked,” he whispered.
“Not yet, my friend,” Uriel said from the left. “I have called in a favor.”
Will turned sharply. “What sort of favor?”
A cacophony of angelic trumpets filled the night.
“It cannot be…” Ramiel murmured from the row behind.
“No way…” Will breathed, as he directed his attention to the source of the commotion.
At the rear of the In-Between army, Michael sat astride a majestic winged unicorn with a battle flag raised high in the air. At his back, four rows of seventeen archangels waited for his command. Savior have mercy, this is Michael’s entire army…
Beyond this unbelievable sight, other creatures began materializing. Gryphons, Phoenix, and enormous silver dragons filled the remaining space.
“You… you did this?” Will could barely force the words out.
Uriel gave a sly smile. “Well, I had to gain permission from the male upstairs first, but yes.”
“You have been spending too much time in the In-Between,” Ramiel muttered from behind. “No sane being refers to the Savior as the man upstairs.”
“Jones, are you seeing this?” Tobias’ voice appeared in Will’s mind.
“I’m having trouble comprehending it, but yeah.”
“What, so they suddenly know everything? How is that possible? After every damned hoop you had to jump through…”
Will had been thinking exactly the same thing. Nevertheless, if this was the difference between defeat and victory, he’d take it. To Tobias, he said, “let’s not dwell on the how or the why, let’s just be glad they came.”
Flanked by Rion masked as Oriax, and several other heirs, Leviathan walked toward the center of the battlefield. The hordes of demons parted like a knife through butter, eager to grant their Lord a clear path.
From the In-Between army, Tobias, Will, and Oriax masked as Rion moved forward to meet them. A short distance behind, O’Brien, Althea, Westergaard, Marquez, Yamamoto and Ngdugu followed.
When the two groups were only twenty feet apart, Leviathan spoke.
“Where is my wife?” He demanded.
“We are not here for Lylathia, we are here to sever your tie to the vampires.”
“I will not ask again. Where is my wife?” Leviathan’s tone escalated with each word.
“You renounced any claim to her as part of our deal, remember?” Tobias said.
Leviathan’s hair began to flicker as his emotions and power thrummed just below the surface. “Our deal did not include heirs to my realm.”
“What makes you think you have claim to them?” Will chimed in. “Why should you have any recourse from a blood bond we all agreed upon?”
“If these heirs exist, I will have them. Perhaps this is all merely a charade. I see no Bringer of Winter. If I am to fight for what is mine, I must know it exists.”
Tobias raised an arm into the air, and made a signal to those behind him.
The crowds parted and Charisma appeared, looking every bit like a pregnant Lyla.
To her credit, Charisma strode forward with the regal countenance Lyla was known for.
Will prayed she could pull this off. Everything hinged upon her performance.
“What deception is this?” Bellowed one of the demon lords.
At first, Will panicked that someone had seen through Tobias’ glamour.
His eyes finally singled out the male who had spoken.
A seven-foot elf-like demon with pale grey skin, leathery wings and an abundance of long pure white hair marched toward the meeting point.
Snowflakes swirled around him as he walked, despite the heat emanating from Leviathan.
Will had never set eyes upon the male before, but his appearance left little doubt. This was Lucifer, Lord of the fifth realm of Hell, whom Lyla owed allegiance to. Fuck. Charisma won’t know that…
“He’s Lucifer, Lord of the Fifth Realm,” Will catapulted the words into Tobias’ mind with such force that the male’s posture stiffened in response.
“She might be from your realm, Lucifer, but she chooses to reside with us now,” Tobias said. “We made a blood pact with Leviathan; with the understanding she was no longer bound to you.”
Will’s gaze moved to Charisma, his heart racing as he waited to see if she’d put the pieces together.
“You traded your wife, my subject, as if she was a trinket you no longer wanted?” Lucifer glared at Leviathan, his hair lengthening into stalactite icicles.
“Once you betrothed her to me, she ceased to be of your concern,” Leviathan said, the flickering flames of his hair and clothes growing bolder.
“And once you traded her to us, she ceased being yours,” Will responded acidly. “We will not return her to you.”
“I believe the more pertinent question is, do you intend to go back on your word, father?” Oriax-as-Rion asked. “Ignoring a blood pact will weaken you.”
“Not enough to be of concern.” Leviathan retorted. “Or, have you failed to notice my army? Let me see my wife, or I will unleash my forces without agreeing to battle terms.”
“Do not let them force you to act in haste,” Rion-as-Oriax said from Leviathan’s side.
Lucifer spat at the eighth lord’s feet “I was misled as to the true nature of this battle, Leviathan. I believed all the lower realms were under attack. This is a personal war between you and a vampire.” He raised his gaze to look at Charisma.
“If I am to be part of this insanity, it will be in protecting one of my own.”
Will watched in shock as Lucifer approached the In-Between army.
He held his breath as the male walked up to Lyla.
How far could Tobias’ glamour go? Fooling Leviathan into thinking Charisma’s twins were his was one thing.
Fooling an ice demon that this mortal was another ice demon seemed to be another universe away.
With a hand cupped around her lower belly, Charisma bowed before Lucifer. “It pleases me to see you, my lord.”
Beside her, Oriax-as-Rion released a small measure of arctic chill. He did it so discreetly, its origin was not obvious. Relief flooded Will. Meanwhile, Lucifer was still regarding Charisma with scrutiny.
“You truly seek to exist in this filthy mortal realm?” The fifth lord asked.
Charisma’s head and shoulders stayed bowed. “I do. Here, I can be what I was created for without fearing my Unholy life and those of my children.”
Damn, she’s nailing this.
“My decision is made!” Lucifer proclaimed. He summoned the warriors from the fifth realm, and gestured for them to assemble among the vampires.
“I will not take this betrayal lightly,” Leviathan said. “We will never more be allies.”
“Tremendous.” Lucifer’s evil grin was most disconcerting.
Will began to wonder what this new alliance with the fifth realm might cost them. He could only hope that once this was all over, Lyla would be able to resolve things with her Lord.
Movement pulled his gaze back to the front. Leviathan had flashed to Charisma’s side and forced her to a standing position so he could place a hand to her belly.
“It is real,” he breathed in disbelief. “You carry two unborn.”
“Unhand her at once,” Oriax-as-Rion demanded.
Tobias snaked an arm around Charisma and shepherded her behind him.
“This is war.” Leviathan glared at them. “I will end you all, and she will be mine.” He produced a jewel encrusted scepter, which he raised to strike. As he drew it back, a ball of Unholy fire ignited at the tip.
Those of fire would be unaffected, those of ice would be able to repel the attack, but anyone else in the near vicinity would be decimated. The eighth lord believed Charisma was an ice demon, and was clearly prepared to do whatever it took to take her. Will had a fraction of a second to act.
This would be the most important shield he had ever created; Will could not fail.
Charisma was vulnerable and depending on him, and Tobias had to be protected at all costs.
He splayed both hands and summoned as much power as he could hold.
A sheen of blue surrounded him and expanded outward rapidly, until it included Tobias, Charisma, Oriax-as-Rion, and the vampire commanders.
The scepter slammed into the ground with unparalleled force.
Leviathan’s power hit the immortal shield so hard, Will had to lunge forward and dig both feet into the earth to hold onto the holy energy.
His strength prevailed. Due to the shape of the shield, and its swift creation, not a single In-Between soldier was harmed.
“End them!” Leviathan bellowed.
“Get Charisma out of here, then get your ass back here ASAP.” Tobias commanded.
“With pleasure.” Will threw back.
It took four precious seconds to comply.
Four seconds seemed fast, but in the time he was gone, pandemonium had ensued.
If not for the Immortal Trinity bond, he would have struggled to locate Rion and Tobias amidst the flurry of activity.
Beasts and beings swirled on the battle field, an intricate web of chaos on a dangerous scale.
With little other choice, Will produced his flaming white sword, and dove in.
Rion-as-Oriax
Holding onto patience as if it was some tangible thread was like an out of body experience. He could not afford to miscalculate any part of this, even if it did feel like a stone rolling off the side of a mountain, gaining momentum with each passing millisecond.
The close proximity of Leviathan was a temptation he had to ignore. Too early a strike ran the risk of underestimating his father’s capabilities. They needed to force him to expend as much power and energy as possible. Only then, in a weakened state, would he be a suitable target.
In the meantime, Rion had to pretend he was an ice demon hell bent on ending as many In-Between warriors as possible.
A male charged at him, sword extended. He prepared to defend himself, when recognition sparked in his brain. The attacker bore the face of Charisma’s beloved, Dominic. He knew without a shadow of a doubt the real Dominic was safely ensconced within the wards of the Penthouse.
Though he blocked the strike, Rion’s eyes still searched for Tobias. He found the male standing inside an amber-colored shield, which Uriel appeared to be casting.
“You’re welcome.” Tobias said telepathically.
Rion dodged a blow, still looking at his trinity-brother in disbelief. How many glamours could one vampire hold at a time?
“Christ, Le Roux, don’t waste it. Put some effort in so I can make it look impressive.”
A sufficiently devious grin finally manifested on Rion’s glamoured face. He raised Oriax’s axe and embedded it deep in the illusionary Dominic. Blood sprayed theatrically from the wound. He struck a second time and the male fell to the ground in pieces, a pool of blood forming at once.
A moderate distance away, Leviathan had been watching, and gave Rion the nod of approval. Despite the unprecedented layers of deception and falsity, that tiny moment spurred him onward.
Tobias kept throwing fake In-Betweeners in Rion’s path. Always with faces of his mortal servants. Each time one was slain, Rion advanced a little closer to the main body of the In-Between army, as per the elected strategy.
Angels and creatures straight out of myths and legends battled demons and Hell’s most depraved. Nothing felt real, and yet everything was riding on the outcome of this battle. Rion had no choice but to keep fighting, placing focus on what was immediately in front of him.
His sword cut through the air time and again, as though energy itself was not a precious commodity.
Rion’s physical perfection was on an unprecedented scale, as for the first time, he knew exactly who he was.
He no longer bore doubts over his worth or his place in the world.
If they survived this war, he would never doubt himself again.
He’d embraced his Holy side, but more than that, he’d found a harmony with the Unholy part he’d never managed to escape from.
Two immensely powerful forces within one being, finally working in tandem.
While Leviathan, already weakened from ignoring blood promises, continued to expend himself, Rion began to soak up every single emotion from the battlefield.
The energy crackled around the outside of his body in exactly the same manner it had when he’d ended his brother Thorgavan’s life to save Lori.
He didn’t need to store it in his core; he simply needed to retain a connection to it.
“Show me your worst,” he muttered under a breath, “and I shall deliver it back tenfold.”