pervert His holy texts with their petty schemes and defile the planet as well as each other. They commit atrocities in the name of God, which cannot be forgiven. They ravage the land, murder the children, and rape the tenets of His holy faith. Could He desire anything less?” He paused a moment, waiting for an answer. None came. “The time has come for a reckoning.”
Rahim drew in a deep breath and let it out in a whistling sigh. “What would you have us do?”
“Stand aside. Let the demons bring about their own end and allow Armageddon to move forward. This age is past. What stands before us is the true glory that God has promised. We will bask in the light of our Lord as Adam once did, knowing no evil, shame, or desire. At the end of our existence is yet another, more befitting our status as servants of the Lord.”
Son of a bitch! It was right then I realized how Asmoday had been able to capture an angel for his little science project.
Gabriel had done it for him.
“You speak of treason yet you hand over one of your own to Asmoday in order to further your cause.”
Rahim and Scarlett hissed in unison as what I’d said sunk in. It made perfect sense. I’m sure we were all surprised I was the one to figure it out. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Glorius serves willingly. He understands his sacrifice will be the catalyst that brings about Armageddon. He was honored to give up his life so God’s will could be realized.”
“You sent Glorius to Asmoday?” Scarlett screamed at him. “He’s being tortured!”
“Glorius serves God. His pain is nothing compared to that of the world. It will soon end, ushering in a new age unburdened by sin. He will be revered, as was Christ. He accepts this. He would have it no other way.”
Scarlett just stared, unable to speak. I could, but for once, I decided not to. I didn’t have anything good to say.
Rahim took the opportunity to step in. I could see by stiffness in his shoulders, the slight hunch in his stance, he was getting ready to fight. While I had always respected the man, his willingness to stand up to Gabriel earned him the ‘Biggest Balls of All Time’ award.
“With all due respect, I cannot deny my heart, nor can I ask it of those who stand by my side.” He bowed, but his eyes never left Gabriel’s. “With God gone, I cannot in good faith follow the word of any who claim to speak for Him. It is to His word alone I must cling to and I have not yet heard His call for the end. I’m sorry, but I must stand against you.”
“So be it, wizard. I know you to be a man of faith, but you have been led astray. I will look for you at the end of days where you will be given one final chance to stand up for your convictions, however errant they may be.” He nodded to Rahim. “It will be an honor to face you on the field of battle.”
In silence, Gabriel lifted the body of his angelic companion and cradled him in his arms. Despite all our bluster, no one moved to stop him. He looked to us and I could see the disappointment in his eyes. He bowed his head and his mystical wings spread from his back. With one powerful flap, he sprung into the air, a cool breeze whipping about us in his wake. In a blink of an eye, he was out of sight, obscured by the dark night. I could hear the collective sighs of those around me.
“We’re fucked.” I said it, but I knew everyone around me was thinking the same thing, albeit probably less crudely.
Scarlett waved her hands about like she was having a seizure, clearly having a hard time coping with Page 120 all we’d learned. She turned away and I thought I heard a sob. I didn’t have time to check on her before she too leaped into the air and flew away. Once she was gone, I turned back to Rahim and Katon.
“So, is my assessment correct?”
Rahim didn’t respond, but Katon laughed. It was one of those laughs you usually associate with people who have lost their minds. I think Rahim was kinda surprised it didn’t come from me.
“Gabriel’s involvement with Asmoday definitely ups the stakes,” Katon answered after he’d gotten his chuckles under control. “Even if we had Baalth’s full cooperation, we’d still be underpowered. I’ve yet to find where they’re keeping Glorius, so they’ve still got a card in play. For that matter, I’m not even sure taking him out would make a difference now. If what Gabriel said is true, he could just as easily find another angel to sacrifice himself.”
Rahim interrupted. “Keep looking for Glorius. While I don’t know about what, I got the sense Gabriel wasn’t being entirely truthful. There’s some other piece to the puzzle we aren’t seeing.”
“Angels lie?” I scoffed.
Rahim ignored me. “Katon, return to the hunt. If we can at least delay their plans, it will give us the opportunity to seek out a more permanent solution.”
The vampire nodded.
Rahim summoned his energies, sending Katon away in an explosion of glistening energy. Rahim turned back to me. “While I’ve no specific directions to help guide you, keep mucking about and see what you can find.”
“Mucking about? Is that the official term for what I do?” I gave him a dirty look. “Frank Trigg, professional mucker. He’s one bad mucker-trucker.”
Rahim shook his head, a sly smile on his lips.
“You are good at what you do, Frank. And what you do best is stumble upon trouble. I’d hardly call that a skill.”
“Yeah, well…your grandfather was a goat herder. What would you know?”
He laughed, his eyes sparkling. “At this point, I seem to know very little. That is why you are so very important. Amongst the ignorant, you are king.”
He mimed setting a crown upon my head. “Find us something, Frank. We’re desperate,” he told me, his tone turning serious.
“If only you were a woman, that kind of talk would really get me worked up.” I rolled my eyes, pushing aside the image of Rahim as a woman. I shuddered.
He patted me on the shoulder, a genuine smile gracing his lips. “Be safe. Let me know what you find.”
With that, he teleported away, leaving me behind with the wreckage and one hell of a case of the heebiejeebies.
Alone, I took a moment to think, difficult as that was sometimes. I was used to being behind the eight ball. My entire devilish life had been built around the premise of getting screwed and not in a fun, porn star way. It was most often in the prison kind of way, getting sucker punched and waking up with a sore ass with some big guy named Bubba sitting on the bunk smoking a cigarette and heating up a branding iron. Mostly human, I had always been the underdog when it came to dealing with the demons and devils of Hell, but this was different. Caught up in a war where the combatants were an archangel and two of Lucifer’s top lieutenants, I felt like France. All I wanted to do was raise my arms and shout, “I surrender.” I was feeling way outclassed, but I had an idea.
It wasn’t just a few of us who would suffer if Armageddon came to pass. It would be everyone, human, angel, and demon alike. So thinking, it was time to call up some reinforcements.
Welcome to Hell
Back at home, I stumbled inside, manacles in hand. Certain they’d come in handy at some point, I stashed them where they would be the most useful; the bedroom. I placed them in a box beneath the bed for safekeeping and quick access, right beside the jumbo tube o’ lube and my inflatable Jenna Jameson doll. One could never tell when the need to restrain a supernatural being might arise. I’d rather be safe than sorry.
Just thinking about how I’d use them got my blood flowing. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just my crotch that was throbbing. My nose was killing me. So to fix that, I dug out a vial and took a sip of Lucifer’s blood. Within moments, I was healed and much happier for it. I wrapped the vial in a washcloth, to help protect it, and stuffed it in my pocket. I hoped it’d fair better than the last one. I couldn’t afford to keep losing the things. Finished with my healing, I peeled off my bloody shirt and examined the chain mail underneath. Between the hole blown in the shoulder and all the damage it’d taken when I was tossed through the walls, the chain shirt was barely hanging together. The links had begun to unravel. I pulled it off, realizing it wouldn’t do me much good in the shape it was in. And since I didn’t have time to meet up with my Medieval Renaissance pal to get it repaired anytime soon, I tossed it to the side. Regrettably, it was the only one I had. I slipped on a shirt and hoped I wouldn’t need the chainmail. My cynicism laughed at me.
Cleaned up and as ready as I was gonna be, it was time to go.
I went to the spare bedroom of my house and opened the door. Long ago, I had converted the room to
