Chapter 15
After what seems like countless days of killing demons in the pit, Michael finally lets me get some rest. As I stagger back through the archway and move toward the spiral staircase, I hear a noise, almost like a hum.
Looking back I see the seal is reforming. Grabbing the handrail, I slowly work my way back up to Heaven. When I reach the top the wall opens automatically and there is Lucius, training in the arena.
He sees me and runs over, his face almost turns white.
“What the hell happened to you?” he asks as he grabs my arm and supports me. I’m struggling to keep upright. I’m so exhausted. I guess the look of being covered head-to-toe in demon blood, chunks and gore, is concerning.
“This is what happens when you train with the Archangels,” I reply with a chuckle. “Here, help me to my room, so I can get cleaned up and I’ll meet you at the food hall.” I continue, trying to stand. When did I sit down?
As I get to my feet, I throw my arm over Lucius’s shoulder and he leads us. “How long was I down there?” I ask as we make our way to my room. We pass Frida’s and my heart aches. Fenrir whimpers.
“You were only gone five hours, why?” he replies, giving me another concerned look.
So that means I wasn’t in that pit for five fucking weeks… he wasn’t kidding about the time thing.
“Nothing, just something Michael said,” I reply, yawning. “I’ve got it from here, bud, thank you,” I say, resting my arm against the door and smearing blood all over it, almost falling to the ground.
“No, you’re not, c’mon, let’s…” he starts, but I cut in.
“Really, I’m good. I just need a shower, food and some sleep.” He helps me into my room.
“I’ll wait outside. If you need anything, just holler.”
Sighing, I nod. “Will do. I’ll be out in a bit,” I mutter, waving him out the room. When he closes the door, I start removing my tattered and blood soaked clothes, then make my way to the shower.
I stand there as the water washes away all of the blood gore and filth. I can’t help but think about Frida once again. Us swimming in the waterfall. The sun shining in her red hair. How happy she looked.
Groaning, I grab my soap and quickly wash. As I rinse, I close my eyes. I’m met with flashes of not only what I did in the pit, but what I learned. Standing there I feel my strength starting to return to me as the last of the blood washes away.
I glance down at my hands, clenching my fists and think about how much stronger I am now. I just hope it’s enough to get Frida back.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Who the hell is pounding on my door?
Throwing a towel on, I leave the bathroom, and storm to the door.
“Lucius, I said I’ll be out in a…” I shout as I swing open the door and see Uriel standing there. “What the fuck do you want?” I snap.
“Watch your tone with me, you filthy mutt. Just because you’re Michael’s new pet doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want,” he growls. Storming into the room, he grabs me by the throat and attempts to pick me up off the floor, but can’t.
When he looks down he realizes that I’ve partially shifted and I have my claws dug into the floor.
Reaching up, I grab his forearm and begin to squeeze, as the look of shock washes over him. Pulling his hand off of my throat, I force him out of my room.
“Get this through your fucking head, if you get in my way I will kill you and nobody will stop me,” I bark through gritted teeth. I am done with his shit.
Shoving him out the door, he takes flight and disappears. “Fucking coward,” I mutter as Lucius steps around the corner.
“What the fuck was that all about?” he asks. I shake my head.
“Just Uriel trying to act all tough, but that’s all he is; an act,” I say with a tone of anger as I calm down and shift back.
“I’ve never seen him back down like that from anyone but Michael and Gabriel. What the hell kind of training did they put you through?”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” I call over my shoulder as I walk back into the room to get dressed.
After we get some food, a few drinks and relax a bit, I return to my room and hit the bed, like a log, and pass out. I don’t know when it was, but in the middle of the night, I started seeing images of Frida and Serafine.
They are chained somewhere and being cut into, fileted and disemboweled, then left to heal before the torture would start all over. Just constant images flashing. Their soul piercing screams ringing in my head. As a feminine sadistic voice purred in the background.
“Evander, if you don’t save them I’m going to kill them,” she said with a menacing cackle.
“Do you enjoy watching me cut them, do you enjoy their screams, oh how I enjoy digging my knife into them. How I enjoy stripping their flesh from their bones and the screams for you to save her is so euphoric that I can’t help myself from cutting even deeper. ”
I see a flash of that smokey-haired demon that I saw with Rathor, cutting into Frida, running her tongue along the cuts, savoring the blood. “Save her, Evander, before I devour their souls,” she says.
“Evander, save me!” Frida screams, jolting me out of bed, drenched in sweat.
“We need to save them now,” Fenrir shouts.
“I agree, let’s go.” I bolt out of my room, straight to the portal to Purgatory.
As I round the corner Uriel is there standing guard. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asks in a demanding tone.
“Get out of my way before I make you,” I growl out.
He draws his sword encased in blue flames. “I would like to see you make me,” he patronizes, then snickers as he points it at me. I don’t have fucking time for this.
I rush him, as he swings his sword down at me. I manage to drive my shoulder into his chest plate, hurling him into the portal with me and I chase after him. Once I emerge on the other side, he is sliding across the dirt on a knee, driving his sword into the ground, bringing him to a stop.
“I’ve been waiting to end your measly existence for sometime now,” he shouts, dusting himself off.
“This is your last chance, Uriel, get out of my way or I will kill you,” I yell.
He looks at the two angels standing sentry. “Do Not Interfere, that is an order,” he commands, then rushes me.
Closing my eyes, I exhale. Fine, death it is. Just as he reaches me, I shift and throw a right hook, connecting with his jaw, sending him to the ground again. As he is gathering himself, I envelop myself in my divinity.
My fur shines with a brilliant silver, but now my black fur is darker than the farthest reaches of Hell. It’s not anger that I feel, rather a soothing calm, as I’m in full control. This is our power, this is what we have achieved in the pit.
“I’ve had enough of this prick, let’s do what we should have done a long time ago, and rip out his spine,” Fenrir suggests.
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Uriel lunges, then begins to swing his sword with lightning fast slashes. I manage to dodge all of them without much effort. I drive my fist into his gut, throwing him back. He releases a bloody cough, then rushes me again.
This time I charged at him as well, but I’m significantly faster than him and able to smash my opened claws into the side of his head, cartwheeling him into the ground. I then proceed to kick him in the gut, sending him rolling across the field.
Jumping to his feet, he removes the helmet that’s now crushed, with long gashes and dripping blood. Dropping it, he raises his hand to his face and draws it back, also covered in blood.
“This is not possible, you can’t be stronger than me,” he shouts with a quiver of hatred and fear in his voice. Taking flight he gets some distance, gathering all the speed he can, then plummets straight at me.
The impact is deafening. When the dust settles we are face to face with me pushing back his quivering, shaking blade with one hand.
“It’s not only that I’m stronger than you, Uriel, I’m fighting for someone I love. When I said nothing will stop me, I meant it. And because you’re trying to stop me, you’re going to die here,” I reply with a calm assertive tone.
Dread washed over his face then he flaps his wings and kicks off me to separate us.
“I don’t care what you’re fighting for, because your existence is irrelevant, you mean nothing. All of your comrades mean nothing. I have outlived millions of your filth and you’re no different,” he yells trying to regain his composure.
Lunging at me again, his swings become wild, unfocused, predictable. Between his swings, I speak. “My filth? They died fighting for you and you do nothing but look down on us and for that you won’t live past today,” I say, slashing at his forearms, shredding his braces. He thrusts his sword at me.
Quickly stepping to the side, I bite down onto his shoulder. He lets out a scream as I bite harder, crushing through his armor and tearing a chunk off when I rip away.
As he falls to the ground, I drive my knee into his chin, sending him flipping backwards, landing on his chest. I spit his shoulder out and slowly walk around him, pushing him into the dirt with my foot in the middle of his back.
Leaning in, I dig my nails into his back and whisper, “You don’t deserve these,” as I grab his left wing and rip it off. He cries out again as I tear the right one off and throw it aside.
Stepping off, I kick him with my foot rolling him over onto his back, reaching down, grabbing him by the throat. I drag him to his feet as he attempts to swing his sword, but ultimately drops it, unable to hold it, since the flesh on his arms is stripped to the bone.
With my free claws, I drive it through his chest plate and rip out three of his ribs. He tries to scream, but it’s drowned in blood beneath my grasp. A whimpered gurgle is all that escapes his blood-soaked lips.
Letting go of his throat he falls to his knees, looking at me and attempts to speak, but I bite down on his throat and rip it out, exposing his spine. I then reach down and grab his sword and with one quick swing I decapitate him.
I then turn the blade and drive it into his chest and can’t help but grin as the flames devour his soul.
Looking back at the two angels, I cross my arms. “Go back and tell them what happened here,” I say, shifting back and heading out into Purgatory.
As I approach the gate to Hell, the smell of death and decay is suffocating. I hear a faint clapping, followed by that voice I heard last night.
“Now that was the most spectacular Archangel death I’ve seen. Are you sure you’re on the right side?”
“Lilith,” I snap, running toward her. “Where is she, where is Frida?”
“Stop right there,” she demands, sharply. “Any closer and I’ll see to it she dies, slowly, excruciatingly.”
Sliding to a stop a few feet from her, I demand, “Where is she?”
“They’ll be along soon enough, don’t worry about that.
Let’s talk about you, you’re not like the rest of them are you?
No, you’re much stronger, and that wolf you have, beautiful,” she says, as she disappears and reappears behind me, running her hand over my shoulder.
“What would it take for you to join me?”
Grabbing her wrist, I toss it away. “There is nothing that you could do or say that will ever get me to forget what you did to Frida,” I reply with anger bleeding from my tone and gritted teeth.
“Play nice now, I admit that I do enjoy the exquisite sensations from feeling someone else’s blood all over me. Augh, I’m getting wet just thinking about it,” she moans as she circles me, trying to run her hands down my chest to my crotch.
Pushing her back, I shout. “Where is she? This is your last warning, demon bitch.”
“Oh you’re no fun, but you have a fire to you that’s just irresistible. Delicious.”
“Kill her, Evander. Kill her. I need to feed on her soul,” Fenrir shouts, pushing for control.
“No, we don’t know where they are keeping Frida and Serafine. Calm down, I’ve got this.”
“Chatting with your little wolf are you? Yeah, Rathor does that every now and then too. I bet he is just itching to meet me,” she says with a little laugh. “Oh look at that, it seems like our time is going to get cut short.” She smirks, looking toward Hell’s gate.
The black flaming vortex at the center begins to swirl as painful cries of the damned, pierce its vale and ring out across Purgatory.
That’s when I see Frida, chained, bruised and bloodied, being escorted by four of Lucifer’s Generals. The two hulking figures in front, dressed in black steel demonic armor, pull on the black jagged chains binding Frida.
As another two, leaner with webbed leathery dragon-like wings and twisting red horns with similar armor follow behind holding long spears, the tips shimmering a deep red, of which they use to force her forward.
Then he emerges, that beast-like man, his right arm black with gleaming red obsidian and long scar across his chest.
Rathor.