Celestial Shadows, page 10
part #4 of Celestial Marked Series
“Guess that’s not a surprise. Do they buy most of the props? I thought they were restricted.”
“For us, they are,” he said. “The celestials make the rules, but don’t necessarily follow them. While they’re undeniably hypocritical, they’re also a major source of income for the city’s warlocks.”
“Figures.” Bringing things from the netherworld to earth was technically not allowed, let alone people. Zadok being here was breaking multiple laws both on the demons’ side and the celestials’. And that wasn’t getting into what might happen if he decided to make a bid for freedom.
Damn. What would it take for Casthus to leave Babylon?
I blew out a frustrated breath. “And now Abyss and Casthus have brought their old grudges right to earth’s doorstep. Were they ever allies? You’d think the shadow realm would be perfect for her.”
He tilted his head thoughtfully. “You’ve come to conclusions it took me years to reach. I think they were likely allies at one point in the past, before the more recent events that made them enemies. I heard what Zadok told you, but I know little more than he does. That’s just the last thirty years of history. Our father has been alive for much longer.”
“I can’t even comprehend that time frame,” I said. “And he was a Divinity before that—right?”
“Long enough ago that he retains none of his divine powers,” Nikolas said. “Abyss fell more recently, as far as I’m aware.”
“And she wanted to be reborn as someone who can walk into the sunlight,” I added. “The Divinities… if they’re orchestrating this, what could they possibly gain from pitting those two arch-demons against one another? Entertainment? That’s why they brought Lythocrax and Abyss together—”
The world trembled as though an earthquake’s first rumblings stirred the earth below my feet. I grabbed Nikolas’s arm for balance, while Fiona let out a startled yell from the guest room. My celestial light activated, narrowly missing Nikolas’s face, but I didn’t sense or smell anything demonic. “What in the world—?”
Nikolas’s eyes had darkened to black. “He opened a portal. On Babylon.”
“What?”
He vanished into shadow. I swore at full volume, my left hand glowing with white light, my right bleeding shadowy power. Zadok shouted from upstairs, and my heart lurched.
“What the—?”
Cracks appeared in the ceiling, and there came the distinct sound of a lock snapping.
“Stop that!” I yelled, running for the stairs and bounding up to Zadok’s room.
Cracks covered the entire door, and had begun to spread across the floor, too, shadowy magic spilling into the gaps.
I shoved the door inwards, my hand bleeding celestial light. Zadok stood at his full height, straining to break the chains. “Let me out of here.”
“No,” I said. “You can’t—”
He lunged, and I blasted my celestial light towards him. He roared in pain as it seared his already raw skin, burning a hole in the floor. Then another. Swiftly, I burned five connecting lights into the floor. A pentagram, charged up at the highest level. Spitting out curses in the demon tongue, he rattled the chains, but the pentagram held him captive. “You bitch.”
“I’m not letting you out.” I backed out of the room and ran down the landing. “Fiona?”
“I’m okay,” she said, running out of her room. “I—your hand’s on fire!”
I looked down at the white flame encasing my palm. “So it is. Whatever happened must have been on Babylon, not earth, but—”
Nikolas reappeared at the foot of the stairs in a shadowy blur. “He’s gone through the portal.”
“What—Casthus? Where? Not the guild?” I ran downstairs to join him, Fiona on my heels.
“No. We would have felt it. He crossed into Pandemonium, and that was the echo resulting from the former link between our dimensions. It’s still recent enough for us to feel it when those two realms interact.”
Holy shit. “What would happen if they fought one another?”
“I’d rather not contemplate it.”
“And there I was thinking I’d get an invite.” I released a breath, willing my celestial light to calm down. “I put Zadok in a pentagram and accidentally burned him in the process.”
“A Grade Four pentagram?” he said. “I should have done that from the beginning, but I was a little too thorough when I deactivated the one we borrowed beforehand.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “Want to go to the former celestial guild in case the arch-demons start a fight?”
“If they start a fight, it’s more likely to cause trouble across the whole city, not just there.”
“That’s not reassuring, Nikolas.” The slightest movement in the arch-demon’s power might send a wave of Abyss’s assassins through into Haven City. Or worse, reopen the bridge. Babylon wasn’t a neutral realm any longer, and maybe even the arch-demon wouldn’t be able to fix the damage. If he had any intention of doing so, which I strongly doubted.
“It’s not supposed to be,” he said. “This isn’t the time to downplay the danger all the realms are in.”
“Then I’ll go after them.” I looked into his faintly glowing eyes. “Please. Maybe I can’t stop them fighting if they get into it, but I can steal enough of their power to be a nuisance and distract them.”
“It’ll only cause them to target you instead, or provoke them into outright conflict. I don’t believe that was Abyss’s intention.”
“Considering she never fights her own battles? Yeah, you’re probably right. But I still think the guild should know.”
The celestials’ resources would surely tell them about the current movements in the nether realms, if they even had anything set up after the destruction of the old guild. And even the inspectors had never any direct contact with any actual Divinities. There was an international council board which operated at the very peak, and little was known about its members except that they received trustworthy information about netherworld activity direct from someone who knew. Considering the administrator of the Grade Four Celestial tests was a fallen angel, I had my sincere doubts that there were any actual divine ambassadors anywhere nearby.
I had to do something. Telling the celestials exactly what was going on between the arch-demons was out of the question, but…
Nikolas said, “I’m going into Babylon again to make sure he didn’t leave any traces behind. I imagine he’ll have taken his demonic servants with him.”
“Why not—”
“Please stay here,” he said. “Rachel’s with Javos, and Zadok… I need someone to stop him from getting dangerous ideas. I can cover the ground quickly if I fly. You call the guild.”
“You—” I broke off. “You’re right, but dammit, if you get stuck over there, I’m not responsible for what I do to those bloody arch-demons. And what if he comes back?”
“I have every right to be in that castle. And it will be mine again.”
He disappeared. I swore after him. “You know, I take back what I said about Zadok. They’re both going to get themselves killed trying to outdo that bloody arch-demon.”
“He’s not actually on Babylon, right?” Fiona asked hesitantly.
“Nope. He won’t let Abyss meet him there, so he’s gone to confront her on her own territory.” I heaved out a breath. “Zadok didn’t try anything, did he?”
She gave a shrug. “He’s harmless. You forget I spent hours with Azurial.” Her tone was flippant, but her gaze was shadowed. She’d never told me the extent of her terrifying experience on Pandemonium the first time.
“Point taken, but I wouldn’t say he’s harmless. He’s an unhinged version of Nikolas with no empathy and a penchant for throwing people out of windows.”
“I heard the story,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Fiona, but he’s trying to get on your good side because he knows you can shoot fire from your fingertips. Fire’s his major weakness. It’s not that he necessarily feels threatened by you, but he probably wants you as an ally for that reason.”
“It’s fine. Lesson learnt from last time. No trusting demigods. Except Nikolas. What a family. Who was his mother?”
“A human… I’ve no clue who.” My phone vibrated in my pocket. “Oh… damn. Javos.” He’d doubtless felt the aftershocks from Babylon, too.
Javos growled into the phone, “They’ve arrested one of your lot.”
Celestials? “Who?”
“Get over here,” he growled. “Or she dies.”
10
I left the house and ran to my car.
“For crying out loud.” I threw myself behind the wheel. “First Zadok loses the plot, now Javos. Is there something in the water turning every demigod into this realm into a raging maniac?”
“Maybe it’s whatever happened in Babylon,” Fiona said, climbing into the passenger seat next to me. “Ah—crap. Shouldn’t I stay to watch Zadok?”
“He won’t get out of that pentagram,” I said. “Oh, for god’s sake… I don’t want to ask you to do this. And I meant it when I said he’ll try to manipulate you.”
“I’m not that naive. You forget this.” Her hand glowed. “Firepower. I can bring it out if necessary.”
The light became an orange flame. She’d been working hard to get her magic under control, and it showed. “If you’re sure. I’ll be back as soon as I stop Javos from committing murder.”
After she’d climbed out of the car, I drove off as quickly as possible. Warlock territory was riddled with speed cameras, but they kept breaking for some mysterious reason, so I didn’t slow down until I reached the warlocks’ headquarters. The pair of devil horns usually perched on the fence had been knocked into the road, which was a warning sign if I ever saw one. Behind the gate, Javos’s huge form loomed, clad in an oversized shirt, jeans and boots. His aura blazed like a furnace and would have caused traffic accidents if everyone could see it like I did. His eyes glowed the same colour.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I marched up to him and replaced the devil horns on the date. “Are you certain the person you have is the killer?”
“This celestial was found skulking around the place where the second murder took place, and claims to no longer be affiliated with the guild.”
Oh no. “Let me speak to her.”
He grunted and beckoned me inside. Rachel stood in front of the locked door to the old storeroom, looking distinctly like she’d planted herself in front of the door to stop Javos from killing the person inside it. Rachel was the one person Javos wouldn’t hurt. Nodding to me, she stepped aside to let me enter.
The prisoner was a blond woman around my own age. My mouth fell open. Of all the celestials I’d pin the murder on, Lydia was bottom of the list, not least because she’d been marked as dead in the battle. Her usually immaculate blond hair was caked with dirt and grime, and her clothes—ordinary jeans and T-shirt, not celestial gear—were ragged and stained with mud and what looked like human blood.
Seeing Lydia in a mess was like seeing Javos hugging a baby kitten. She was the model celestial soldier, the one all of us had been compared to. Top grades, perfect demon killing record, friendly manner. My gaze dropped to her cuffed wrists. Her hands were bloody, but surely she couldn’t be the killer. Surely…
“Hey. Lydia.”
Her gaze snapped up. Her pupils looked oddly dilated… and darker than before. But my newest Grade Four power showed me the truth of what a person was. If she’d been a demon in disguise, I’d have known instantly. Her aura had a slightly dark patch, but not like a demon, nor even a human with demonic magic. Since she’d survived the virus, maybe it’d left a mark on her soul after all. I hadn’t seen enough of the other survivors to know for sure.
She picked a bloodstained nail. “Devi. So it’s true… you’re with the warlocks. Your… your aura.”
She could see my aura? I’d thought she was only Grade Three.
“There’s a demigod outside who wants you dead,” I told her. “Were you really found at a murder scene? Why were you on the warlocks’ territory?”
“I didn’t kill anyone,” she said, a tremor in her voice. “I was there by accident.”
“I’m inclined to believe you… if you’re who you say you are.” My Grade Four power didn’t lie, though. “Why leave the guild?”
She shook her head. “I never left.”
“You were a celestial vampire,” I said. “Do you not remember?”
“I can’t forget if I tried.” Her eyes grew wide and haunted. “I wanted to stop. I didn’t want to hurt them.”
Oh boy. When the venom had kicked in, every celestial who survived the transformation had lost all reason. All of them had run into battle against their former comrades, driven by the vampire bloodlust.
“Do you remember I removed the virus?”
Her wide eyes blinked. “You? That was you?”
“Yep. Do you remember attacking any warlocks?”
She shook her head. “During the battle—maybe. But not now.”
“Two warlocks are dead. Both were killed by a celestial. The guild claims to have nothing to do with it, so a rogue is the only other explanation. Why would you go to the warlocks’ district alone, especially at night?”
“I can’t… I can’t tell you.”
I frowned. “Lydia, what in the world have you got mixed up in?”
She hadn’t returned to the other celestials, an uncharacteristic decision. She’d lived and breathed the guild, and was the quintessential example we were all supposed to aspire to be like. She was likeable enough that I hadn’t hated her for it, but the way she was acting now was more akin to an amateur rule-breaker who’d been caught in the act. Murder, though? Unless the virus was somehow still inside her… no way.
“I was… I was told to find you.” She looked down, rubbing her arms. “The Grade Fours sent me to find you. They asked you to meet them at the fourth house on Bolt Street.”
“What? The Grade Fours?”
They’d survived. Of course some of them had survived. Who else must be the killer?
When she didn’t respond, I said, “You seriously think I’m going to a random address given to me by someone who isn’t in her right mind, to meet with people who might want to kill me?”
“It’s the sort of thing you’d do, Devi.” She pursed her lips, looking more like the Lydia I knew. “Trust me, you’ll know exactly what I mean when you see them. You can tell the guild you’re going if you like. I tried to get through to them before, but—well. That was after I turned.”
Oh boy. “I’ll take it under consideration.”
“Also,” she added, “please don’t tell the warlocks.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was on my way to a random address given to me by someone who wasn’t in her right mind, to meet with people who might want to kill me.
Okay, technically, I was on the way to the guild first, since I now had an innocent woman’s innocence to prove. I’d made Javos promise not to touch Lydia while I checked with the guild about their wayward Grade Fours. I’d seen zero signs of them when I’d been spying, but I hadn’t exactly walked in there with a plan.
Now I did have one—tell the guild there was a rogue, get backup if need be, then drive to the designated address. I didn’t even recognise it, and I’d been to a lot of seedy corners of the city when I’d worked as a freelancer. I’d also thought the majority of the Grade Fours had been killed off. Likely there was only one or two left. Since I was on the same level as them, I could handle a couple of the bastards. I’d handled Farrell just fine even when I was a Grade Three.
I pulled up outside the academy yet again, got out of my car and headed for the security doors. As luck would have it, Bad Haircut Sammy hung entered the lobby as I strode in.
“Why do you keep coming back here?” He wore his best attempt at a menacing stare, which only made him look more gormless than usual.
“Why do you keep hanging about waiting for me? Have you nothing better to do with your time?” I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in how he spent his days, but judging by his breathless state, he’d spotted me on the security cameras and ran in here to accost me. It was kind of reassuring in a way, that no matter how badly I screwed up, Sammy was there to remind me it was possible to sink lower.
“Nobody else seems to think you’re a threat, but I know better,” he said.
I walked past him into the main corridor. “You’re the one who followed the inspector when he was replaced by an actual demon. It’s lucky the guild gave you the benefit of the doubt. Did you kill any warlocks lately?”
“What’re you talking about?”
“I’m investigating a series of murders. Since you keep ambushing me for no good reason, I might have to elevate you on the suspect list.”
He gave me a clueless blink. “What?”
Honestly. He still had his celestial mark on the safety settings because of how much destruction he’d wreak otherwise. He wasn’t capable of killing a warlock. But he was certainly capable of colluding with hell, and was an easy mark due to his immense stupidity.
“No, I’m not a killer. Aren’t you the one who keeps killing demons?”
“I said warlocks, not demons. Killing demons is supposed to be your job, if you ever get past the novice rank.”
Antagonising him didn’t feel particularly good. I just wished my celestial mark would illuminate the real villains as easily as it tried it scorch out demons’ souls. I left him muttering insults, turned left down the corridor, and nearly walked headlong into the man I’d hoped not to find.
“What are you doing here?” demanded Inspector Deacon.
“Looking for Mrs Barrow. Are you allowed to leave your office?”
“I am not a criminal,” he growled. “I’ll thank you to show me respect, Devi Lawson. What do you want?”
“The warlocks’ guild arrested Lydia. If you know anything about the real culprit, now is the time to tell me.”
