As a living representation of fire safety, I pulled my crispy ass to my feet while looking for Katon. The assassin, having overcome his own encounter with Asmoday’s flames, was in the midst of engaging the demon. Though slowed by the damage he’d taken, he was still quite nimble. He dodged and weaved in close to Asmoday, taking him on up close.
Across Asmoday’s flank were several long wounds, evidence Katon had been having some success in his assault. However, Katon looked far worse for wear. His face was blooded and marred with scorch marks. He ducked and stepped inside over and over, catching glancing blows as he did, yet landing no strikes of his own. He was tiring and his accuracy was suffering for it.
Hoping to help, I looked for my guns. They lay on the floor a short distance away, the outside of the holsters singed black. Agony accompanied every step as I raced to retrieve them. Though warm to the touch, they’d sustained no damage. I almost cried. I would have if my eyes hadn’t been seared dry. At least something had worked out in the cluster fuck of our assault.
I settled my pistols in my scorched hands and leveled them to fire, squeezing tight to keep them steady. In the time it took me to focus my eyes to aim, Asmoday had gained the advantage.
With a vicious backhanded sweep, the demon struck Katon across the side of his face. Oblivious to me, he stumbled into my line of fire holding his head and blocking my shot. I went to shout, but that’s when I realized what one of the snapping sounds I’d heard earlier was. It had been my jaw.
Sharp spikes of pain shot up my cheeks and down through my teeth as I tried to open my mouth. My eyes shrugged off the fire damage and sprung to life, moistening and blurring my vision. Before I could clear them and shake the pain off, Asmoday got in a lucky shot.
Katon slipped left when he should have slipped right. Asmoday launched a hook and the assassin moved directly into it. I saw his head snap back as blood sprayed into the air from his shattered nose. While Katon would normally take a blow like that in stride, backed by magic, there was no way to describe the punch as normal. His legs wobbled and buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor, a look of shock on his face. Asmoday wasted no time. Like he had with me, he raised his hand, firelights springing to life. He was gonna cook Katon. I couldn’t let that happen.
The assassin out of my way, I raised my gun and pulled the trigger. Asmoday’s blast went off at the same time.
Before I could act, Katon was engulfed in licking flames. My shot, way off its mark, struck the demon in the meat of his shoulder, miles from being a fightending blow. He growled and ducked for cover as he felt the sting of the demon-slaying bullet, leaving Katon behind to burn.
I popped off a few more shots to keep Asmoday at bay as I tried to orient on the obscuring spell and was surprised when I actually saw Glorius instead. Through the rapidly shifting web of Gabriel’s spell, a handful of holes the size of fifty cent pieces had begun to appear. The colors had faded, many settling into a dull gray while the distorting effects had lessened. Page 275
Through the swirling holes, I saw Glorius straining once more against his restraints, his functional limbs tugging against the manacles. He was determined to break loose and seemed to be gaining ground. I cast a glance at Gabriel and saw his hands had also lost a measure of the glow that had been a constant since we’d arrived. Though in trade, he seemed less weary. He also seemed to be winning his fight with Scarlett.
My brain clicked into high gear.
The reason Scarlett had been doing so well was because Gabriel had been expending all his energy restraining the supercharged Glorius. Now that he’d let his hold slip somewhat, the angel was fighting free. His strength was more than the manacles alone could contain, and Gabriel was gaining the upper hand over Scarlett. I looked back toward Glorius, firing a few more shots to keep Asmoday away, and made up my mind. If ever there was time to try for the angel, this was it. Though it hurt me to once more to turn my back on a companion, a fellow soldier in the war against Armageddon, sacrifices must be made. I didn’t like the choice I was faced with, but considering the consequences if I failed, we were all dead anyway. It wasn’t hard to make up my mind. I’d worry about the morality of it later.
Unable to get a clear shot at Glorius, the remnants of the spell moving randomly and at a sufficient speed to Page 276 muddle my aim, I fired another shot at Asmoday, who’d begun to creep closer, and bolted toward the angel. At a full sprint, I felt like I was moving in slow motion. I could hear Asmoday bellowing behind me, anxiety and frustration thick in his voice. That only spurred me on. I took the last few steps in a single bound, readying myself for the disorientation that would strike me as I passed through the barrier.
But just before I reached the edge of the spell, its colors suddenly dropped away, the obscuring magic dissipating only to be replaced by a shimmering shield wall. Unable to stop my momentum, I slammed hard into the shield, face first. White flashes of pain reverberated through my jaw as I bounced back, barely managing to retain my balance. My brain rattled inside my head as stars danced in front of my eyes. I cried out in frustration and anger and no small amount of agony. As my pain receptors eased off the pedal a bit, I looked through the translucent wall and saw the blurred image of Glorius, once more fully restrained by the glow. My heart dropped in my chest. I’d failed.
Defeated, I turned around slowly and saw Gabriel bearing down on me, waving Asmoday off. Past him, Scarlett lay in a bloodstained, battered heap. She wasn’t moving. I glanced around the room for Katon. He was nowhere to be seen. I looked back to Gabriel.
“Valiant effort, Triggaltheron. I applaud you.”
Gabriel stalked toward me, stopping about twenty feet away. Wary, his left hand shimmered with a small shield, crafted by magic.
“You can take your praise and shove it.” I spoke through clenched teeth. I wasn’t feeling up to being witty and my jaw hurt.
“Come now. It’s over. Put away the guns and act civilized and I’ll let you live to see the start of Armageddon.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slow, calming my nerves. “Front row seats to the end of the world, how generous of you.”
“I thought so.” He shrugged, looking magnanimous. “What say you, Triggaltheron? Will you put away the hostility to see the most majestic sight to ever grace your mongrel eyes, or will you die like your companions, unheralded and alone?”
It really didn’t matter how I answered, the end result would be the same. I’d die and so would the world. My decision here would only alter the order of those two certainties by a matter of minutes. Did it really matter which happened first? I felt the weight of failure settle heavy on my shoulders. I pictured Abraham, held at gunpoint by Baalth, looking up at the darkening sky as Armageddon rolled in. I could imagine the disappointment in his eyes. It was heart-breaking. I thought of Rahim, lying in his bed, the use of his legs given up in the hopes of staving off the end. He would earn nothing for it but cold, unrelenting death. I’d failed them all. Scarlett had believed in me. She’d followed me to the depths of Hell and she’d died there, far from the bright lights of Heaven where she belonged. The saddest part was she wouldn’t even know her sacrifice had been in vain. Katon had done the same. Burned to ash while giving me a chance to save the world, he too died for nothing. I felt tears coming to my eyes. I didn’t bother to hold them back. If ever there was a time to cry now had to be it. Cold hard reality shivered down my spine as I clenched my guns tight. Ready for it all to be over, I looked up at Gabriel.
If this was the end, I was going out in a blaze of glory.
As our eyes met, I caught a glimpse of a shadowy form at the edge of my peripheral vision, just beyond Asmoday. I did my best to hide my reaction lest it show on my face. “Is it too late to join the winning team?” I asked, looking to keep the archangel’s focus on me. Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, sensing something afoot in my sudden change of attitude. A cry from Asmoday drew his attention before he could form a reply. He spun carefully, keeping his shield between us, his attention split.
From behind the demon, a scorched and beaten Katon leapt at Asmoday. Exhausted and near death, his attack carried little threat behind it. His trembling thrust just grazed Asmoday’s side as the demon sidestepped, leaving behind a shallow cut along his ribs. Asmoday’s response was far more damaging. He grabbed Katon’s wrist and bent it back, bones snapping as the assassin’s sword tumbled away. The last of his strength fell away as well, his defeat accompanied by a soundtrack of silence. He had nothing left to give. Katon hung limp in Asmoday’s grip as the demon raised his free hand, magical energy building around his fist as he readied to end the assassin’s life. Though ready to race to my death just moments before, now thanks to Katon, I saw a chance to inflict at least one
