Young Prince? What had this demon meant by that? He put aside the question for later. “Why are you here?” he demanded.
The demon shrugged easily. “To see you, of course. In person, so to speak. I’ve watched you for a long time and thought it was time to meet face-to-face. I’ve been very impressed by what I’ve seen so far; your training’s coming along famously. Your Sensei …” and he said this last word with a sneer, “has been doing a surprisingly good job. Probably better than I could really. I must thank him some day.” With that last quip, the demon laughed. The sound made Sam’s skin crawl.
“So you’re the demon that’s been watching me all this time?”
The demon nodded. “Have to keep an eye on my ‘investments’, don’t I? It’s not always me though. Sometimes I send a stand-in. I’m a busy man, don’t you know.”
“You’re not a man at all. You’re a demon,” spat Sam.
The man’s face suddenly lost its good humour. “Be careful what you say, boy. You’ve got the same blood running through your veins.”
”And I suppose you’re responsible for all my nightmares?”
His charming facade once more on display, the demon bowed slightly from the waist. “Guilty as charged. Have to say though, I was pretty impressed with your improvised protection here. I didn’t see that coming, and normally I see … everything.”
Sam stared at him, wishing there was something he could do. What had happened to Aimi and Hikari? It didn’t bear thinking about. “What do you want from me?” he snarled.
The demon spread his hand wide. “What does anyone really want? Love? I can see you want it from that little unconscious minx next door. Power? Already got it. Money? Don’t need it. World domination? Now that’s something worth fighting for.”
“What’s world domination got to do with me?”
The demon shook his head sadly. “I really thought you were smarter than that.You do know what’s coming, don’t you?”
“Of course.”
“These humans really are quite stupid. There have been signs for years. Plagues, famines, wars, natural disasters. They’ve been on the increase and no-one seems to have asked the proper question. Why? It’s because He,” he said as he jerked his face upwards with evident distaste, “has been trying to tell them something. Did they listen? Of course they didn’t. Now the end game is upon them, it’s too late. And you, boy, have a part to play in this. Soon, you must decide which side you’re on.”
“I know what side I’m on.” Sam smiled grimly. “I’ve known all my life.”
The demon smirked. “Do you really? Tell me, Samael-how does it feel when you lose your temper? How did it feel when those succubi put their hands all over you? This is your demon side. Let it loose. Enjoy it. Bask in it. It’s part of who you are.”
Sam tried to ignore the emotions rushing through him. The demon was right. He did enjoy those sensations. But that was the path to damnation, and he was not about to give in to it. — for the sake of Hikari and Aimi.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “I’m part human. The goodness in me will always triumph.”
The demon roared with laughter. He laughed for some time, shaking with mirth. Eventually, wiping his eyes, he regained his composure. “You really are naive, aren’t you?” He shrugged. “I’ll suppose we’ll find out in due course. Even I can’t see what’s going to happen. It’s all very exciting.”
“You demons think this is just a game, don’t you?” Sam asked, suddenly feeling angry. “You’re playing with countless lives here, and you think it’s just a big joke.”
“It’s the only game in town. The one with the biggest stakes. I’ve been playing it for some time now, and I’m very good at it. I don’t lose.”The demon grinned.
“Well, you’re going to this time,” shouted Sam. “I won’t let you win.”
“No, Samael. Here’s what will happen. Your precious Hikari and Aimi are going to be taken and you’ll be left behind. Doesn’t that make you angry? You’re going to be left here to suffer with the rest of the godless and be expected to fight for them. Possibly die for them — these humans who hate you. Despise you! Come on, you’re smarter than that, surely? Join me and I’ll give you everything you ever wanted — including that little half-caste you seem so keen on.”
Sam’s anger was building to a point where he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Hostility for this man, this thing, was burning through him. “I will never join you,” he roared. “Never. I will hunt you all down and kill you for what you did to my mother.”
“Ah, your mother. Now there was a woman. I and a few of my kind knew her well.” His face contorted into mocking sadness. “And such a shame about what happened to her.”
Blood pounded in Sam’s ears. Shouting incoherently, feeling his eyes glowing blood-red, he began pounding on the invisible barrier that separated him from his foe.
The demon watched him silently for a moment. “That’s the spirit,” he said, although Sam could barely hear him. He stood up and straightened his suit, brushing imaginary fluff from his jacket as the chair disappeared. “I think that went well,” he said to no-one in particular.
With a last cheery wave at the furious teenager, he stepped into the shadows. The vapours seemed to wrap themselves around him, and suddenly he was gone.
Alone, only vaguely aware of this fact, Sam continued to rage against the barrier, striking it again and again with all the force he could muster.
9
PRESENT
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
Revelation 13: 16–18
By the time he and Josh arrived at Bryce Valley City, it was almost morning. That surprised Sam; during his research, he’d thought it would only take a couple of hours at most to reach the city from Black Ridge. But then, his calculations were based on walking overland at his own pace. He’d never planned on driving.
True to his word, Adam had cleared the roads all the way through to Bryce Valley — Sam had seen the snowplough they’d used for the job parked next to the jeep just before they left Black Ridge. They had to make a few detours; once to avoid a large pack of Lemure and then where a recently burnt-out truck completely blocked the road. The route wasn’t simple, backtracking and then driving on through a number of small towns, all seemingly deserted. Once they’d got onto one of the state highways, however, it became plain sailing.
During the journey, Sam was quite content to sit back and let Joshua drive, alert but relaxed. He’d seen a couple of Astaroth flying in the distance, but the jeep had easily outpaced them. Joshua kept quiet. If he’d seen the Astaroth, he didn’t say anything. He seemed to know where he was going and for once, Sam was enjoying putting his feet up.
That all changed when they reached Bryce Valley.
Sam sat up suddenly when he realized what was before them. The road leading west was barricaded by the burnt remains of various vehicles. A group of dishevelled humans were sitting on top of the mound, holding a squirming teenage girl. All were armed.
Just in front of them was another car. All the doors were open and two bodies, motionless, blood pooling around them, were sprawled on the pavement next to it.
The barricade was new. When Adam had told them about the route to take, he hadn’t mentioned these people. That meant they weren’t here last time he’d sent out a scavenging patrol. This wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at
