were an array of defensive wards, each designed to handle a defined instance of magical threat. The specifics were lost on me. Alongside them were small jets that could fill the room with poisonous gas. Above me, the thirty-ton steel roof was held in place by highpressure hydraulics, which could be lowered to crush everything in the room. That part always made me nervous.
I stood there staring at the ceiling as I was assessed by DRAC security, my skin tingling from the scans. After what felt like forever, the circle powered down and a seamless door slid open in front of me. I waited for my escort, standard operating procedure, and looked to the door when a shadow blocked the light. My heart skipped a beat when I saw who it was. I took a sip of my coffee to hide my nervousness. Katon De Pena was DRAC’s muscle, their enforcer, their assassin. He didn’t do grunt work, so I knew something was up. I felt a chill run down my spine as I speculated the reasons for his appearance. None of what I imagined was good. I had to admit, I wasn’t looking forward to being killed. That would seriously ruin my day.
He could do it too. He was damn good at his job.
Though born human, Katon had long since become something else. Struck down by a vampire, he was rescued by Rahim Alakha, a powerful wizard on DRAC’s High Council. Unable to save Katon’s mortal life, Rahim evicted the vampire’s spirit and corralled Katon’s dying essence, installing it in place of the vampire’s. Grateful for the rescue, Katon pledged his services to Rahim and DRAC. He’d worked with them ever since.
Dressed in black; jeans, T-shirt, calf-high boots, all topped off with a classic biker jacket with studded forearms and shoulders, he looked every bit the heavy metal badass. The hint of a smile etched his dark face. I could just see the points of his eyeteeth peeking out from under his top lip.
At his waist hung a short sword less than two feet long, its blade a deep crimson. Forged from the tip of the Spear of Longinus, the Holy Lance, which pierced the side of Jesus Christ, the sword was fearsome. It was said Christ’s blood stained the blade, and having met Longinus, I could vouch for that fact. I could feel the power emanating from it.
“And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral, or at least attempting to. I took another sip of coffee. He waved me through the door into the wide, Page 16 well-lighted corridor beyond. “I heard you had a runin with Baalth’s men.”
“News travels fast.”
Katon shrugged, his feral eyes peering at me.
“Any particular reason why?”
“They were looking for Scarlett. It seems she made a bit of a mess at the railyards. I’m sure you saw all that on the news.”
He nodded. “No other reason?”
I stopped and tossed my cup into a nearby trash can, its taste suddenly bitter, then turned to face him. “Why the twenty questions?” I didn’t like challenging the guy, but I didn’t appreciate the attitude.
He turned to me, his face cold, emotionless.
“There’s a lot of chatter about Asmoday ramping up to take a shot at Baalth. I was just wondering if his men brought it up.”
“Why would they?”
“You and Baalth have a history,” he stated bluntly, staring at me the whole time. “I thought he might be looking to cash in some old favors, what with him saving your life and all.”
I felt my anger boil up to color my cheeks. “He may have saved my life an eternity ago, but I sure as shit don’t owe him anything.” I took a step closer against my better judgment. “Are you questioning my loyalty?”
“You are part devil.”
He had me there“But to answer your question, no, I’m not. I’m just passing on a warning. Keep an eye out for a play by Asmoday. The info I have says he’s got a surprise in store that’ll shake up the status quo.” He took a step back and waved me down the hall. “The last thing we need is another major player on the block gunning to be the next Lucifer. At least with Baalth, it’s the devil we know, so to speak.”
I started walking, only slightly mollified. “So, what’s the plan?”
“Abraham will fill you in on the specifics, but the goal is always the same. Support the antiArmageddon factions against the pro and keep DRAC out of the spotlight as much as possible.”
I nodded, my anger still buzzed at the back of my mind. We walked the rest of the way to Abraham’s office in silence. At the door, Katon turned to me.
“I’ve got a lead to hunt down. If I find anything, I’ll make sure you hear about it.” He patted me on the shoulder. I flinched. “Don’t take it personally, Frank.”
With a wink and a sharp-toothed smile, he turned and left.
I took a moment to compose myself.
Despite having lived for almost five hundred years, surrounded by death, I never once gave it much thought. But having Katon escort me in got me to thinking. In the old days, when God and Lucifer were in their places, death only meant I’d be recalled to Hell. No big deal in the grand scheme of things. I’d spend some time puttering around the Circles before getting back in line to be returned to Earth. Nowadays though, death was the end, even for me. There’d be no recall. No second, fifth, or tenth chance. I felt a cold chill run down my spine at the thought. I didn’t like the feeling.
I derailed my morbid train of thought before it could run off the tracks and entered Abraham’s office. The subtle scent of aged books hit me as I opened the door. I drew it in with a deep breath. I’d always loved the smell, so I took a few seconds to savor it. A devoted collector of the written word, Abraham had more than his fair share of great books. The entire back wall of the large room was covered with shelves of rare books, magical tomes, and various dictionaries and encyclopedias, in a multitude of languages. Even more impressive was they were all hardcover, not a paperback to be seen. Unlike the bookshelves, neatly ordered and pristine, the rest of the office was homey and cluttered. The oversized chairs and couch were upholstered in soft leather, dyed a deep burgundy. They were covered in a mismatched array of small pillows. Abraham’s oak desk was a disaster zone of epic proportions. Its face was buried under a mountain of files and papers, which encircled his computer monitor.
Abraham looked up from his desk and saw me standing at the door. He waved me over with a subdued smile.
While old in human years, Abraham had a vitality about him, which defied his age. His bright green eyes flashed with intelligence through his glasses, his balding scalp just flashed. He gestured for me to sit.
“Have a seat, Frank. How are you?” He peered at me over the mounds of paperwork as he gestured to one of the chairs in front of the desk. I moved a multicolored pillow that only a grandmother would think attractive, and tossed it onto the couch before I dropped down. It was a day for leather, it seemed.
“Other than a mild heart attack at being greeted by your assassin, I guess I’m doing all right.”
Abraham chuckled. “You should know by now, Frank, if we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t dance around the issue. It would just be so.”
He had a point, frightening as it might be. I took what little comfort in it I could and let it go. “So, what’s the deal with Asmoday?”
He pulled off his glasses, setting them on the desk as he leaned back. “Word has it he’s looking to take out Baalth and has figured out a way to do so.”
Baalth was one of Lucifer’s chief lieutenants until the powers that be went splitsville. Rather than Page 20 giving in to the chaos caused by Lucifer’s departure, Baalth took advantage. It’s what demons do best. He left the Circles behind to set up his own little Hell on Earth. Entrenched in the mortal world, answerable to no one but himself, Baalth was in no great hurry to usher in the end of existence. As such, he often worked behind the scenes to thwart the proArmageddon forces while openly working against the Angelic Choir. That earned him enemies on both sides. Most recently, it had been Asmoday he’d pissed off.
“Any idea how?”
Abraham shook his head. “Not so far. We have Katon hunting down information, but Asmoday has been careful not to let anything useful slip.” He raised a finger as if suddenly remembering something. “We also have Rachelle out testing the integrity of the gates. She’ll be able to determine if anything big has come through recently.”
Rachelle Knight was the third of the triumvirate who made up the High Council of DRAC. Though human, Rachelle could only be described as otherworldly. Her tall, thin frame moved without effort. She seemed to glide, her head somewhere in the clouds. She always seemed disconnected from reality. Her powers as a mystic though,
